Eddard Stark is torn between his family and an old friend when asked to serve at the side of King Robert Baratheon; Viserys plans to wed his sister to a nomadic warlord in exchange for an ar... Read allEddard Stark is torn between his family and an old friend when asked to serve at the side of King Robert Baratheon; Viserys plans to wed his sister to a nomadic warlord in exchange for an army.Eddard Stark is torn between his family and an old friend when asked to serve at the side of King Robert Baratheon; Viserys plans to wed his sister to a nomadic warlord in exchange for an army.
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe scene where everyone in Winterfell gathers to welcome Robert Baratheon is the only scene in the entire series where the whole Stark family is seen together.
- GoofsIn the opening credits of the first two episodes, when the names of the actors appear next to the crest of the House their characters belong to, Emilia Clarke (Daenerys) and Iain Glen (Jorah Mormont) are shown with a Lannister lion, while Sophie Turner (Sansa) is shown with a Targaryen dragon. From episode 3 on, the actors' names appear next to the proper crests (a dragon for Clarke, a bear for Glen, and a wolf for Turner). This was corrected in the DVD/Blu-Ray release.
- Quotes
Tyrion Lannister: Let me give you some advice, bastard. Never forget what you are, the rest of the world will not. Wear it like armor and it can never be used to hurt you.
Jon Snow: What the hell do you know about being a bastard?
Tyrion Lannister: All dwarfs are bastards in their father's eyes.
- Crazy creditsThe sun tells an important part of the series back story, on its panels. It does so in three segments. First, as the credits start up, the sun depicts how the Targaryens and their dragons conquered Westeros. The second time the sun is shown, a dragon is depicted in a mortal struggle with 3 other animals: The Stag, the Lion and the Wolf. It is a very literal way to show how Robert Beratheon and Ned Stark rebelled, with Tywin Lannister reluctantly supporting them, in the end. Finally, the third time the sun is shown, before the series title enter the scene, a lion (among other animals) is shown "kneeling" to a triumphant Stag. Just as Robert was crowned King after winning the war.
"Winter is Coming" starts off 'Game of Thrones' absolutely brilliantly, couldn't change anything for the world. Not many shows have their overall quality, tones, themes and characterisations so spot on and well-established when it first starts, but 'Game of Thrones' is one of the strongest exceptions. It is an example to all first/final episodes of how to start off a show.
Visually, "Winter is Coming" looks amazing. The scenery is throughout spectacular, the sets are hugely atmospheric and beautiful on the eyes with a real meticulous eye for detail and the costumes suit the characters to a tee. The make-up is beautifully done. The visual effects are some of the best of any television programme and are not overused or abused, the scale, the detail and how they actually have character and soul are better than those in a lot of the big-budget blockbusters. As well the cinematography and editing, which are cinematic quality as well.
One cannot talk about "Winter is Coming" without mentioning the thematically, orchestrally and atmospherically multi-layered music scoring and the unforgettable main theme. Again, worthy of a high-budget fantasy/action/drama film.
It is hard not to be bowled over by the quality of the writing, outstanding isn't a strong enough adjective to describe how good the writing is. It always has a natural flow, is layered and thought-provoking and demonstrates a wide range of emotions such as suspenseful tension, poignant pathos and witty humour. The story is paced so beautifully, structured with such nuance and attention to coherence, a high emotional level and is done with intelligence and sensitivity.
Not only are the more action-oriented/more dramatic moments done with a lot epic scale, superb staging, excitement and dramatic tension but underneath all the scale and flashy attention to detail there is a lot of heart and a multi-layered one.
"Winter is Coming" is so early on and already the characters are so well developed and as close to real life as one can get despite being in a fantasy world. These characters are not hero and villain archetypes and have both strengths and flaws and one can understand why they act the way they do.
Sean Bean gives some of his best ever acting, as does Kit Harrington. Peter Dinklage has always been one of 'Game of Thrones's' greatest assets and that is totally the case here.
All in all, couldn't have started such a wonderful show so perfectly. 10/10 Bethany Cox
- TheLittleSongbird
- Nov 11, 2017
Details
- Runtime1 hour 2 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.78 : 1