Game of Thrones
Directed by: David Nutter
Written for Television by: Dave Hill
Creators: David Benioff & DB Weiss
Cast: Peter Dinklage, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Lena Headey, Emilia Clarke, Kit Haringotn, Sophie Turner, Maisie Williams
At last, our long Thrones-less nights got over as the premiere of the final season of one of the most insanely popular shows - Game of Thrones - finally kicked off.
It's spectacular to be back in the world of Westeros. Winter has finally come, and alongwith it the Night King's Army of the Dead that is rapidly marching into the land of the living in order to take control over the seven kingdoms.
The grand premiere of season 8 opens with Jon Snow (Kit Harington), Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke), her army of the Dothraki, Unsullied and Second Sons, and her two full-grown dragons' dramatic arrival in Winterfell. The sequence will remind you of the pilot episode of HBO's long-running show, in which King Robert Baratheon (Mark Addy) made his way to the castle along with much of the royal court, including his wife Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey), their three children, as well as Cersei's brother Ser Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and their brother Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage).
The first episode of the finale season cleverly sets the scene for one of the most anticipated and long overdue character reunion of Jon Snow and Arya Stark (Maisie Williams)- a moment we all have been patiently waiting for since season one when Jon gifted Needle to Arya as he headed off to join the Night's Watch. The slow and gradual reunion of the Stark siblings has been one of the most emotional sights on the show so far. It is just as heartbreakingly wonderful as you would expect.
Some characters meet each other for the first time, as Jon introduces Sansa (Sophie Turner) to Daenerys. The scene definitely tells you about how Turner has upped her acting skills between seasons. She is much more engaging as the mature lady of Winterfell. She may have been a slow learner, but she definitely learns, just like her character on the show. She has not only endured, but grown smarter, stronger, and developed a sarcastic tone as well. For instance, when Tyrion tells her that there is a "nice ring" to her title - The Lady of Winterfell, she sarcastically replies, "So does the hand of the queen," before adding, "depending on the queen, I suppose."
The underlying friction between Sansa and Daenerys makes for another interesting scene in the episode.
Elsewhere, Euron Greyjoy (Pilou Asbæk) is taking on the Ramsay Bolton (Iwan Rheon) role (metaphorically) so he could be more entertaining. He thinks it's easy to trick Cersei into his schemes but that's certainly not the case. Cersei may have fewer dialogues and lesser screen time, but with those limited scenes she has successfully managed to tell us what's her plan, even as she tells Euron, "you want a wh**e, buy one; you want a queen, earn her." Also, Ser Bronn, despite being assigned an important task, has much lesser screen time than I'd have liked.
The first episode may not deliver on all the details about the impending doom that fans would crave, but it does offer so many earnest, long-awaited reunions that one wouldn't mind compromising on the big action sequences. Having said that, no expense has been spared to lure the audience. The blooming love story between two of the most attractive people in the story, Daenerys and Jon, continue to be the show's highlight.
Unlike season 7, which was by far the most predictable one, Dave Hill's writing seems more captivating. Though it wouldn't be too much of a task for the true GoT fans to guess what the upcoming episodes have in store for them. But one thing is clear after watching the premiere, the showrunners are not in a hurry to give it all away at once and just want to refresh people's memory a little about who these characters are and what they want at this particular moment. Every sentence and facial expression means something here.
Not the best season opener, but now that all the players are in place and everybody has met everybody, hope the action ramps up a little in the upcoming episodes.
Rating: 3/5
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