GoT Season 8, Episode 1: Winterfell
Warning: thar be potential spoilers in these here waters; if you're not up to date with GoT, sail with caution.
GoT Season 8, Episode 1: Winterfell
It’s back! Perhaps not necessarily with a bang, bit with a more subtle, intricate pop.
My unabashed excitement at the seemingly overdue return led to me hosting an Episode 1 pizza party; something which hadn’t’ been attempted for four years (when our freshly acquired rescue kitten successfully pilfered himself a slice of pizza as long as he was tall [long story short, imagine the sound of a near empty shampoo bottle, a loud mew and the need to mop a wall]). This time was different though, this time it was a fully-fledged success.
Rambling and uncomfortable introductions aside, how was our 19-month Westeros hiatus ended? Well, in a very familiar manner [after a phenomenally long opening credits - they're really upped it this time, havem't they?].
We opened with Jon, Dany, et al marching down the Kingsroad to Winterfell. Our camera follows a young boy, brimming with excitement, bounding from piles of rubble, to boxes and trees, all for a better view of the coming monarch. It is all wonderfully reminiscent of Season 1, Episode 1: Winter is Coming (apt), as we tracked an overexcited Arya across Robert Baratheon’s party. In an episode designed to present reunions and tickle your nostalgia, this is the perfect way to open.
As the Targaryen force descends upon Winterfell, swathes of northerners show their displeasure at their arrival – as Jon points out, they don’t trust strangers here [frankly though, those faces could just be at the really, really odd way the Unsullied were marching – did someone think it would be funny to put resistance bands around their ankles? I suppose that leg day doesn’t just happen, you’ve got to fit it in where you can]. Amidst all of the activity though, one character stands stoically still – a more mature (and apparently invisible) Arya waits unnoticed at the front of the throng, judging faces old and new as they pass, her expressions morphing like they’re working through the tutorial to LA Noir.
The harks back continue within the Winterfell courtyard, with lines such as “Where’s Arya?” and “Winterfell is yours” clearly direct call-backs to the very start .
One thing which clearly isn’t though is the ever more peculiar Bran. A sweet and innocent young boy at the very start, he is now creepy and weird, and utterly incapable of a normal introduction. Top tip, when your half-brother says “You’re a man”, appropriate responses cover pretty much anything other than “Almost”. When you’re meeting his (not) girlfriend (actual aunt) for the first time, a simple “Hello” will suffice, rather than the full lo-down on her now undead dragon who is presently wreaking havoc on the north. At least everyone knows The Wall has been ruined now though.
As an audience, we have been celebrating the Jon-Dany alliance, which will clearly save the world from all sorts of evil nastiness. Yet, in Winterfell Jon bending the knee, then bringing an enormous army and two dragons hasn’t really gone down too well. Both Sansa and Lady Lyanna Mormont throw some serious shade in their direction, as if their not inconsiderable levels of sass will be enough to defeat any force that comes their way. Granted they do have a point, Jon has sacrificed the crown the north bestowed upon him, leaving a king and returning as, something else (technically, Warden of The North, but even more technically, actually returning as the true King [but he doesn’t know about that yet]). And what even do dragons eat? Obviously, whatever they want. But what exactly is that, and how can it be readily harvested for them?
It’s of little surprise then that Dany opts to have a little break from all the hubbub and weirdness, by taking her dragons for a jaunt. It’s essentially her equivalent of driving down to the shops for a 20 pack of mini rolls when things all get a bit too people-y for you.
As we see Jon stride toward the dragons with her, we all know what is going to happen. It’s been on the cards for a while now, so when he clambers aboard Rhaegal, it’s of no real shock.
I must say, I thought dragon riding would be a relatively run-of-the-mill thing for Jon, especially after Dany took to it so easily. Apparently, it’s not as easy as it looks. Let’s face it though, Jon almost falling off is all fun and games now, but if he’d have done that in the big ol’ battle that’s on it’s way, we’d have all been much more worried [seriously, you don't want to be screwing up a barrel roll as the Night King lines up one of those Fatima Whitbread spear throws].
After something of a roller-coaster ride on the back of a dragon, Jon is deposited atop a cliff alongside Dany, next to what must be one of Jon’s favourite sites – a convenient cave. Apparently whenever Jon requires one, it simply arises for him, allowing him to crack on with his amorous activities or show off his handy crayon sketches without disturbance.
Unless there’s a dragon. Then he has to deal with them staring creepily at him. To be honest, there’s a lot of me that thinks it could easily have been Bran, warging into Drogon just to have a little perv. He does have a habit of doing that kind of thing.
With characters now at only a couple of locations, the only other real action happened down in King’s Landing.
Cersei, for all her plots and schemes has very little to do without someone else to antagonise.
But when Euron turns up with 20,000 mercenaries (earlier than I'd predicted), things sure begin to heat up.
As is only natural, Euron expects that he’s going to get some form of reward for delivering a monumental army straight to Cersei. However, there’s a hitch. Cersei was promised battle elephants, but (because they apparently don’t travel too well [or are a nightmare to animate]), she has none. Cue a nigh on full regal temper tantrum. After all, she was promised elephants.
And yet, somehow Euron’s brash bravado works – Cersei almost inexplicably invites him to her quarters. A power play by the Queen perhaps, or is she just starved for attention? It’s unlike Cersei to every show weakness publicly, especially not after uttering a line which is going to be constantly quoted by people for years and years to come.
After her dalliance with Euron though, she does seem vulnerable. Maybe without her armies and bodyguards, she knows that striking her down would not be too hard. Maybe, after all this time she’s actually willing to try to feel affection for someone again – an emotional vulnerability.
Whatever the case, you can see the cogs whirring. Euron has declared that he will “put a prince” in Cersei’s belly. And her coy, knowing look to camera when he says it tells us all we need to know about her now. After Jaime’s departure north, he is dead to her (or at least so she would have us believe), so a new baby daddy would be fantastically convenient right now.
This “romance” is sure to create a few sparks over the coming episodes, especially if Jaime and Euron do come face-to-face.
As unexpected as Euron’s arrival (with Yara in tow) in King’s Landing was, Theon’s sudden arrival and instantaneous rescue of his sister was borderline inexplicable. I certainly didn’t expect it to happen in Episode 1, and I absolutely didn’t expect it to be that easy.
What actually surprised me more, is that Yara (so often feisty and spoiling for a scrap) has decided to turn back to the Iron Islands straight away. Her logic is impeccable – Dany may well need a haven to escape to (if Yara can actually tame the remaining Ironborn). But I was expecting her to be all about fighting in the coming wars. Instead, it looks to be just Theon who is deposited at Winterfell [well, actually in the middle of the sea, paddling there] to fight in the greatest of battles.
The final meaningful activity in the capital involves Bron, three courtesans and probably the rudest and most poorly timed interruption we’ve seen n the Seven Kingdoms. Qyburn has an offer for Bron – to repay the Lannister debt to him. Twice before, the Lannister brothers have promised him castles and gold, and twice before, it has been ripped away from him.
Now it seems, it is Cersei’s turn. In exchange for what can only be described as a flip-load of gold, he has one task – kill Tyrion and Jaime. With Joffrey’s crossbow. Poetic.
One of the reasons I have enjoyed Bron so very much is his habitation of the moral grey area. He’s only ever been looking out for himself, no matter the circumstances, and will gladly switch his allegiance to suit his needs.
But having spent so many seasons with Tyrion and Jaime, will he really be able to kill them both? I truly hope not, but with no down payment from the Queen, how else id he to obtain all of this gold? And let’s face it, GoT has been festooned with poetic and apt deaths right from the start – Ned being beheaded by his own sword, through to Olenna being poisoned and Littlefinger choking on his own words. Tyrion dying by the crossbow he killed his father with, would certainly fit the bill.
What may have slipped unnoticed in this scene though, is the fate of a certain Eddie, aka Mr Sheeran. It turns out that after blotching up last season worse than a serious case of herpes, things took a downward turn for him. From the sounds of the chatter, he was caught up in the destruction of the supply chain from High Garden. He survived the battle, but apparently was caught up in some of the burning shenanigans. Apparently, his face melted like a Nazi looking into the Ark of the Covenant and his eyelids were burned clean off. His cameo was rubbish, but that may be a touch excessive [I’m so happy about this!].
We end the episode back up North and frankly, the most loveable character in the show, Sam.
Surrounded by books and scrolls, Dany and Jorah find him, to thank him for his life-saving work in the Citadel. Yet the conversation takes a cruel turn, when Dany reveals she executed Sam’s father and brother. Unlike the usual stern upper lip and taking it on the chin, Sam (acting completely within his character) begins to wobble. His father’s death, a loss. His brother’s? Heart-breaking. As would only be expected of the ever-courteous Sam, he requests a moment, and leaves the room.
Outside, he runs into Bran who is waiting for an “old friend” (although, it’s more likely he has been left outside by someone who is utterly sick of his crap). A gentle nudge from the creepy kid, and Sam is of to the crypts to reunite with his brother-in-arms, Jon (who is busy brooding amongst the dead Starks).
Pleasantries aside, Sam wastes no time in telling Jon the truth – that he is the true heir to the Iron Throne. Jon’s reaction, well it was odd. Like someone had asked him to calculate the square route of pi. Not outright denial. Not absolute shock. Just perplexed confusion. What’s for sure, Jon certainly hasn’t connected the dots about how he and Dany are related yet, but I’m sure he will [and he’ll probably have a few convenient headaches the next time the two of them are alone by a waterfall].
It's also going to stuff up that marriage Davos, Varys and Tryion were planning. Imagine the indignity of booking a venue and a band and everything, only to discover that a spot of incest between the betrothed has scuppered all your had work. Weddings take effort to organise guys! Consider this before you go about dropping these bombs on people!
Expect a lot of brooding (possibly from assorted sources).
I have to say there were a few things that surprised me about this. I would’ve thought this could wait a little longer, although, given that it’s pretty seismic news, I understand Sam’s urgency. But why did he tell Jon, alone, in the crypt, without evidence? The poignancy of telling Jon in front of Ned’s statue is lovely, yes. But why not tell everyone and show them evidence, I mean, Sam did transcribe that diary after all! Perhaps that was the plan, but blinded by passionate rage, Sam opted to biff the plan off entirely and do something far more artsy.
It will be interesting to see how Jon handles this in the coming weeks. I get a strong feeling that Theon will have a role to play here. He’s on his way to Winterfell and let’s not forget Jon’s last words to him: “You can be a Greyjoy and a Stark”. I can see them being mirrored back to a reeling Jon.
As our episode begins to close, we a greeted by some familiar faces – Tormund, Beric, and the Brotherhood (or at least the few that survived the fall of The Wall). They’ve made their way to a decimated Last Hearth, where the young Lord Umber had been sent to rally his men earlier.
Bloodstained and unlit, it’s a tense affair, so when there’s sound of movement, it naturally becomes squeaky bum time.
Thankfully, it’s Edd [who is apparently my doppelganger [and I'm honestly not sure how I feel about this]] and the Night’s Watch, presumably on route to Winterfell.
Less thankfully, the Walkers have sacked the place and made one of their creepy, twirly symbols on the wall [which do look suspiciously similar to the Targaryen dragon now I think about it]. Out of body parts. And they finished it all of by nailing the young Lord Umber to the middle of it and turning him into a zombie.
It was so obviously going to happen, but when that kid’s eyes opened a bricked myself.
Loved it!
What I love more is the notion of an undead interior decorator, stepping back from the twirly, gammy leg mess and considering his work, before lopping of a few more limbs to balance it out more. I feel we may be severely misjudging how sophisticated this undead army actually is.
Finally, just as our closing credits itch to roll, one last glance at Winterfell, as a hooded Jaime steps off his horse. The Kingslayer has arrived and the cat is truly amongst the pigeons. Except now the pigeons have dragons and are really cheesed off.
And his welcoming party is Bran. Gutted.
Overall this was a nice start to the new season. It could easily have been filled with action and death, but has instead set a solid foundation for the coming episodes.
We were treated to some lovely reunions – Sansa and Tyrion was nice, but let’s face it Arya and Jon warmed our hearts. That said, I was a little intrigued by Arya and Gendry’s reunion. Firstly, what on earth was that weapon Arya is after. Secondly, were they flirting?! Was this another call-back to Winter is Coming, where a Stark daughter and a Baratheon son are to unite the houses? Flip.
Given how quickly things have already started moving (in such a short season, they have little choice but to hurtle onwards) I couldn’t say for sure what may happen in Episode 2. All I know is that it’s about to set-up one mother of a battle. Perhaps it will be more careful character positioning, or maybe we’ll see a couple of our favourites only make it there may the skin of their teeth?
Can’t wait!
Until next week, valar mughulis.
My unabashed excitement at the seemingly overdue return led to me hosting an Episode 1 pizza party; something which hadn’t’ been attempted for four years (when our freshly acquired rescue kitten successfully pilfered himself a slice of pizza as long as he was tall [long story short, imagine the sound of a near empty shampoo bottle, a loud mew and the need to mop a wall]). This time was different though, this time it was a fully-fledged success.
Rambling and uncomfortable introductions aside, how was our 19-month Westeros hiatus ended? Well, in a very familiar manner [after a phenomenally long opening credits - they're really upped it this time, havem't they?].
We opened with Jon, Dany, et al marching down the Kingsroad to Winterfell. Our camera follows a young boy, brimming with excitement, bounding from piles of rubble, to boxes and trees, all for a better view of the coming monarch. It is all wonderfully reminiscent of Season 1, Episode 1: Winter is Coming (apt), as we tracked an overexcited Arya across Robert Baratheon’s party. In an episode designed to present reunions and tickle your nostalgia, this is the perfect way to open.
One thing which clearly isn’t though is the ever more peculiar Bran. A sweet and innocent young boy at the very start, he is now creepy and weird, and utterly incapable of a normal introduction. Top tip, when your half-brother says “You’re a man”, appropriate responses cover pretty much anything other than “Almost”. When you’re meeting his (not) girlfriend (actual aunt) for the first time, a simple “Hello” will suffice, rather than the full lo-down on her now undead dragon who is presently wreaking havoc on the north. At least everyone knows The Wall has been ruined now though.
As an audience, we have been celebrating the Jon-Dany alliance, which will clearly save the world from all sorts of evil nastiness. Yet, in Winterfell Jon bending the knee, then bringing an enormous army and two dragons hasn’t really gone down too well. Both Sansa and Lady Lyanna Mormont throw some serious shade in their direction, as if their not inconsiderable levels of sass will be enough to defeat any force that comes their way. Granted they do have a point, Jon has sacrificed the crown the north bestowed upon him, leaving a king and returning as, something else (technically, Warden of The North, but even more technically, actually returning as the true King [but he doesn’t know about that yet]). And what even do dragons eat? Obviously, whatever they want. But what exactly is that, and how can it be readily harvested for them?
It’s of little surprise then that Dany opts to have a little break from all the hubbub and weirdness, by taking her dragons for a jaunt. It’s essentially her equivalent of driving down to the shops for a 20 pack of mini rolls when things all get a bit too people-y for you.
As we see Jon stride toward the dragons with her, we all know what is going to happen. It’s been on the cards for a while now, so when he clambers aboard Rhaegal, it’s of no real shock.
I must say, I thought dragon riding would be a relatively run-of-the-mill thing for Jon, especially after Dany took to it so easily. Apparently, it’s not as easy as it looks. Let’s face it though, Jon almost falling off is all fun and games now, but if he’d have done that in the big ol’ battle that’s on it’s way, we’d have all been much more worried [seriously, you don't want to be screwing up a barrel roll as the Night King lines up one of those Fatima Whitbread spear throws].
Unless there’s a dragon. Then he has to deal with them staring creepily at him. To be honest, there’s a lot of me that thinks it could easily have been Bran, warging into Drogon just to have a little perv. He does have a habit of doing that kind of thing.
With characters now at only a couple of locations, the only other real action happened down in King’s Landing.
Cersei, for all her plots and schemes has very little to do without someone else to antagonise.
But when Euron turns up with 20,000 mercenaries (earlier than I'd predicted), things sure begin to heat up.
As is only natural, Euron expects that he’s going to get some form of reward for delivering a monumental army straight to Cersei. However, there’s a hitch. Cersei was promised battle elephants, but (because they apparently don’t travel too well [or are a nightmare to animate]), she has none. Cue a nigh on full regal temper tantrum. After all, she was promised elephants.
After her dalliance with Euron though, she does seem vulnerable. Maybe without her armies and bodyguards, she knows that striking her down would not be too hard. Maybe, after all this time she’s actually willing to try to feel affection for someone again – an emotional vulnerability.
Whatever the case, you can see the cogs whirring. Euron has declared that he will “put a prince” in Cersei’s belly. And her coy, knowing look to camera when he says it tells us all we need to know about her now. After Jaime’s departure north, he is dead to her (or at least so she would have us believe), so a new baby daddy would be fantastically convenient right now.
This “romance” is sure to create a few sparks over the coming episodes, especially if Jaime and Euron do come face-to-face.
What actually surprised me more, is that Yara (so often feisty and spoiling for a scrap) has decided to turn back to the Iron Islands straight away. Her logic is impeccable – Dany may well need a haven to escape to (if Yara can actually tame the remaining Ironborn). But I was expecting her to be all about fighting in the coming wars. Instead, it looks to be just Theon who is deposited at Winterfell [well, actually in the middle of the sea, paddling there] to fight in the greatest of battles.
The final meaningful activity in the capital involves Bron, three courtesans and probably the rudest and most poorly timed interruption we’ve seen n the Seven Kingdoms. Qyburn has an offer for Bron – to repay the Lannister debt to him. Twice before, the Lannister brothers have promised him castles and gold, and twice before, it has been ripped away from him.
Now it seems, it is Cersei’s turn. In exchange for what can only be described as a flip-load of gold, he has one task – kill Tyrion and Jaime. With Joffrey’s crossbow. Poetic.
One of the reasons I have enjoyed Bron so very much is his habitation of the moral grey area. He’s only ever been looking out for himself, no matter the circumstances, and will gladly switch his allegiance to suit his needs.
But having spent so many seasons with Tyrion and Jaime, will he really be able to kill them both? I truly hope not, but with no down payment from the Queen, how else id he to obtain all of this gold? And let’s face it, GoT has been festooned with poetic and apt deaths right from the start – Ned being beheaded by his own sword, through to Olenna being poisoned and Littlefinger choking on his own words. Tyrion dying by the crossbow he killed his father with, would certainly fit the bill.
What may have slipped unnoticed in this scene though, is the fate of a certain Eddie, aka Mr Sheeran. It turns out that after blotching up last season worse than a serious case of herpes, things took a downward turn for him. From the sounds of the chatter, he was caught up in the destruction of the supply chain from High Garden. He survived the battle, but apparently was caught up in some of the burning shenanigans. Apparently, his face melted like a Nazi looking into the Ark of the Covenant and his eyelids were burned clean off. His cameo was rubbish, but that may be a touch excessive [I’m so happy about this!].
We end the episode back up North and frankly, the most loveable character in the show, Sam.
Surrounded by books and scrolls, Dany and Jorah find him, to thank him for his life-saving work in the Citadel. Yet the conversation takes a cruel turn, when Dany reveals she executed Sam’s father and brother. Unlike the usual stern upper lip and taking it on the chin, Sam (acting completely within his character) begins to wobble. His father’s death, a loss. His brother’s? Heart-breaking. As would only be expected of the ever-courteous Sam, he requests a moment, and leaves the room.
Outside, he runs into Bran who is waiting for an “old friend” (although, it’s more likely he has been left outside by someone who is utterly sick of his crap). A gentle nudge from the creepy kid, and Sam is of to the crypts to reunite with his brother-in-arms, Jon (who is busy brooding amongst the dead Starks).
Pleasantries aside, Sam wastes no time in telling Jon the truth – that he is the true heir to the Iron Throne. Jon’s reaction, well it was odd. Like someone had asked him to calculate the square route of pi. Not outright denial. Not absolute shock. Just perplexed confusion. What’s for sure, Jon certainly hasn’t connected the dots about how he and Dany are related yet, but I’m sure he will [and he’ll probably have a few convenient headaches the next time the two of them are alone by a waterfall].
Expect a lot of brooding (possibly from assorted sources).
I have to say there were a few things that surprised me about this. I would’ve thought this could wait a little longer, although, given that it’s pretty seismic news, I understand Sam’s urgency. But why did he tell Jon, alone, in the crypt, without evidence? The poignancy of telling Jon in front of Ned’s statue is lovely, yes. But why not tell everyone and show them evidence, I mean, Sam did transcribe that diary after all! Perhaps that was the plan, but blinded by passionate rage, Sam opted to biff the plan off entirely and do something far more artsy.
It will be interesting to see how Jon handles this in the coming weeks. I get a strong feeling that Theon will have a role to play here. He’s on his way to Winterfell and let’s not forget Jon’s last words to him: “You can be a Greyjoy and a Stark”. I can see them being mirrored back to a reeling Jon.
As our episode begins to close, we a greeted by some familiar faces – Tormund, Beric, and the Brotherhood (or at least the few that survived the fall of The Wall). They’ve made their way to a decimated Last Hearth, where the young Lord Umber had been sent to rally his men earlier.
Bloodstained and unlit, it’s a tense affair, so when there’s sound of movement, it naturally becomes squeaky bum time.
Thankfully, it’s Edd [who is apparently my doppelganger [and I'm honestly not sure how I feel about this]] and the Night’s Watch, presumably on route to Winterfell.
It was so obviously going to happen, but when that kid’s eyes opened a bricked myself.
Loved it!
What I love more is the notion of an undead interior decorator, stepping back from the twirly, gammy leg mess and considering his work, before lopping of a few more limbs to balance it out more. I feel we may be severely misjudging how sophisticated this undead army actually is.
Finally, just as our closing credits itch to roll, one last glance at Winterfell, as a hooded Jaime steps off his horse. The Kingslayer has arrived and the cat is truly amongst the pigeons. Except now the pigeons have dragons and are really cheesed off.
And his welcoming party is Bran. Gutted.
Overall this was a nice start to the new season. It could easily have been filled with action and death, but has instead set a solid foundation for the coming episodes.
We were treated to some lovely reunions – Sansa and Tyrion was nice, but let’s face it Arya and Jon warmed our hearts. That said, I was a little intrigued by Arya and Gendry’s reunion. Firstly, what on earth was that weapon Arya is after. Secondly, were they flirting?! Was this another call-back to Winter is Coming, where a Stark daughter and a Baratheon son are to unite the houses? Flip.
Given how quickly things have already started moving (in such a short season, they have little choice but to hurtle onwards) I couldn’t say for sure what may happen in Episode 2. All I know is that it’s about to set-up one mother of a battle. Perhaps it will be more careful character positioning, or maybe we’ll see a couple of our favourites only make it there may the skin of their teeth?
Can’t wait!
If you want to look into the future,my review of Episode 2: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is here.
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