So, Game of Thrones is back. And it was the
best episode in some time. “Winterfell” was a fantastic episode with a lot of
reunions (All of Arya’s are the best because she’s the best) and setup for the adventure
to come. This episode mirrored the pilot in a number of ways, and I think that
helped the series return to the basics of what it was and leave behind the
general messiness of the previous season.
This episode
begins with the Targaryen army arriving Winterfell and Jon Snow greeting his
family and introducing them (except Arya) to his new girlfriend. Bran, who is
now the low-key funniest character on the show, interrupts all the ceremony to
let everyone know that there’s an army of the dead on the way and they need to prepare.
And then everyone kinda ignores him. The rest of the episode focuses on character
reunions and politics. Which is probably for the better.
My two
favorite reunions focus on maybe my favorite character, Arya. She was always
close with Jon growing up and it was heartwarming watching them bounce off each
other and recognize how far they have both come. I loved them comparing swords.
Of course, this is Game of Thrones, so
this scene couldn’t be perfectly happy. Sansa and Jon and having a tiff about Daenerys
and Arya says she agree with Sansa. Jon doesn’t react poorly to this development
but is disappointed and surprised that Arya sides with their sister.
Arya
does get a happy reunion with Gendry though. I loved this scene so much. Gendry
is a fine character, but he makes Arya so happy. And Arya doesn’t get to be
happy enough. They flirt a little in this scene before Arya leaves Gendry, a big
smile on her face. It’s nice to see Maisie Williams get to have some fun. Arya
is always in such depressing situations (Not that most characters aren’t, but
she deserves more) and its just nice and refreshing.
Daenerys
in his episode was mildly frustrating. She walked into everyone expecting
everyone to bend the knee to her when northerners are notoriously stubborn and
separate. She was constantly giving Sansa dirty looks because Sansa rightfully
doesn’t true Dany. And then there’s the dragon thing. Why was Dany (And the
show) so chill about Jon about riding a dragon. HE RODE A FUCKING DRAGON. And Dany
was very cavalier even though she is the only living person to have done such a
thing. She just like, “Its easy. Climb up and hold on.” I believe that only
those of Valyrian blood can ride dragons, right? Maybe that’s me getting the
books and television confused though. It wouldn’t surprise me if that was a
detail that didn’t make it to the adaptation. This whole sequence, while
gorgeous, didn’t have the emotional impact I believe it wanted. The part at the
end where Drogon stared disapproving at Jon while he kissed Dany was pretty
funny though. I wonder how much money the effects for that shot cost.
There
are a couple other plots that I’m sure will be relevant soon, but they feel
incredibly disjointed from the rest of this episode. The only one that feels
important in the moment is the scene where Beric, Tormund, Dolorous Edd meet,
and their friends meet up and find Lord Ned Umber staked to a wall surrounded
by a spiral of body parts. I was legitimately surprised when Ned jumped at the group.
Quick thinking by Beric to light the display on fire and really make it look
like the Targaryen family crest. Which plays into my new favorite theory: The Night
King is Aerys Targaryen. I saw this theory in several places today and it makes
total sense to me.
This was
an excellent return to form for Game of
Thrones even if there were some weak spots. I am more excited for the five
remaining episodes than I was previously, which what you really want from an opener.
Here’s to the future, may it be as fun as the past.
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