Written by David Benioff & D. B. Weiss. Directed by Michael Slovis.
Synopsis:
Spoiler
Cersei and Jaime adjust to a world without Tywin. Varys reveals a conspiracy to Tyrion. Dany faces a new threat to her rule. Jon is caught between two kings.
-- Edited by Macha on Monday 9th of March 2015 01:50:00 AM
I think it's a very solid premiere episode. Michael Slovis does a great job of directing in particularly, the world has never seemed more real.
In many ways it feels like the true finale to the previous season, picking up the pieces. Probably because The Children actually had a shitload of things go down.
I really liked Jon's story line in the episode, and his conversation with Mance was excellent. "The freedom to make my own choices, was all I ever wanted" is a perfect line to sum Mance up. It's a shame that they decided to roast him then, because that scene and his great scene in the Season 4 finale he was finally starting to come to life. The burning scene was very well done though, and I liked that Mance basically respected Stannis despite being executed by him. Jon and Stannis seem to have good chemistry so far.
Dany's stuff was similarly good, and holy shit were the dragons amazing looking. She doesn't come off nearly as arrogant in this IMO. And the whole thing with the Unsullied going to the brothel was rather sweet. Until he got his throat cut of course.
All the King's Landing stuff was similarly solid. Nice to see Lancel and Kevan back, and the scene with Jaime and Cersei in the sept was very good. Also, flashback Cersei was goddamn perfect
Only thing that seemed off was the Dorne birth tattoo exposition. Very odd. Female gaze though!
So yeah, bit slow, heavy on setup, but a very good start I'd say. 8/10 I guess.
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"Give a man a fire and he's warm for a day, but set fire to him and he's warm for the rest of his life" - Terry Pratchett
Actually liked it all, except Mance. Loved the first scene the best. Glad they showed Maggie the Frog. Totally cool that, but missed the rest of what she had to say.
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Rhaegar, despite wounding Robert, was struck down with a massive blow from Robert's warhammer, which scattered the rubies encrusted in Rhaegar's armor under the water. Rhaegar died with Lyanna Stark's name on his lips.
I liked it, but didn't love it. The episode was mostly setup, and man candy. The first was expected, the second...THANK YOU!
What I loved:
The flashback! Young Cersei was spot on! I didn't catch the three questions the first time, but Ry counted them right.
Two new groups of subversives: the Harpy people and the Sparrows. I like that there are rebels resisting Dany's rule, and Lancel was so funny. Poor, helpless Cersei was tempted into sin by him? The boy's delusional.
The costumes! The dresses were simply amazing. And Cersei's hair. And that headboard in Loras' room!
Cersei and Jamie. At first, I wondered why they would have another corpse scene like last season, but it was enjoyable.
The dragons have names! Finally!
Jon Snow doing what's right instead of standing there sucking his thumb.
An explanation of what Varys is really all about.
What I didn't like:
Worst scene: Missandei and Grey Worm. She knows better than to approach him in that setting to...gossip? Ask him difficult questions that make him feel vulnerable? Pointless and artless. It seemed pointless and artless.
Worst dialogue: Daario's defense of the fighting pits really wasn't. It was an exposition on Daario instead, which I could have done without. The story needed to have a point that actually related to reopening the pits.
Biggest disconnect: Sansa. She went from newly liberated vixen in S4 to frumpy schoolmarm in S5.
I was wowwed by the size of Ghost. His head and jaws are big enough to make a human skull look like a tennis ball! Woof!
Stannis/Davos/Jon brotherhood is gonna be very interesting. I especially liked how Davos didn't go on about his devotion to Stan this time. He was getting almost hysterical last season.
And poor little Shireen closing her eyes at the end while Selyse's eyes were glistening (optical salivation?)
Dragons were fantastic.
BaS nailed it. Exactly my thoughts and gripes about the episode. I had no problems with the Loras scene as it did confirm that he is no longer keeping his homosexuality secret.
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"If you drink, don't drive. Don't even putt." - Dean Martin
I want to make an observation, but I am afraid. Something happened in last night's episode that was substantively different than what went down in the books. You see, in the books, when ***** was ****** ** *** *****, many readers assumed that ***** was actually *********** because *********** did the whole ****** thing and ***** turns out to be The ****** Man in ********** in ADWD.
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As soon as those cameras are off I am going to fuck that little dog.
GOT premieres are always tricky, so many characters to catch up with, quickly, to get the ball rolling for the rest of the season. This one I would say handled it better than Season 2 and 3, but behind season 4 ( hard to beat the Hounds chicken party) and they havent even caught up with all the characters, I am thankful for no Bran this season, less time wasted.
I wanna see more mini Cersei, that girl was perfect casting, will we ever see mini Jaime....and mini mini Tyrion?
Does becoming a Sparrow mean you also join Crossfit? Lancel bulked up! He was good in this episode, really nailed the *crazy eyes* that you see in those religious fanatics sometimes.
It has been Dany's own fault of her current situation, she pretended her dragons to be free roam , she should've trained them constantly from day one. Now they are pretty much traumatized ( Rheagal and Viserion) and feral ( Drogon)....they name the dragons FINALLY after 4 seasons!
I feel Mance's scene with Jon and his death was the best stuff of the episode ( and for Mance overall) , it was an epic ending for the episode and it was nervewracking how they built up the tenson and release.
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"Robert was never the same after he put on that crown. Some men are like swords, made for fighting. Hang them up and they go to rust.” -DN
Speaking of those horrible dragons, I can't imagine her ever gaining control over Rhaegal and Viserion. Drogon - maybe, because she always had a special relationship with him. Yes, he's feral but that only matters to her now because she doesn't want to use him. If she'll wake up one day and realize she wants to conquer, then burning people will suddenly be OK, and she'll be thankful for having him. Assuming, of course, she'll manage to find him and control him just enough.
As for the other two, I expect someone else will tame them, or just release them to cause chaos and destruction if there's ever a need.
And because I think I only wrote this in the other thread, just wanted to say Meereen started off good, to my surprise. I think there could be a lot of potential there, but ultimately, my feeling is that city is doomed.
PS: Totally agree with BaS and Ry on Missandei and Grey Worm, that scene was really poor. And it would have been so easy to make it decent, just by having it anywhere else and not in what looked like the men's locker room.
Great opener episode. Honestly Mance as a part has been pretty small and not really fleshed out by D&D which is a bummer, but to lose an actor of the caliber of Ciaran Hinds is another huge blow right after losing Charles Dance.
The Missandei / Grey Worm scene had a valid dialogue point but no idea why they'd do that in the armory...it just made the whole thing feel awkward.
I had no problems with the Loras scene as it did confirm that he is no longer keeping his homosexuality secret.
I kinda brushed over the significance of that scene, but it could prove interesting if it means they plan on giving Loras a bit more material this season.
LMAO, his ""force to be reckoned with" scene with Cersei. He said it so many times it was starting to feel like something out of Family Guy.
I'm dying to know what's going to happen to the Lannister twins. Between the flashback with the seer and the Margaery/Loras comment, the show has made it clear something's going to go horribly wrong for Cersei. I don't think Margaery has her grandmother's ruthlessness just yet. She won't kill Cersei, but she's going to get her out of Loras' life and her own. I thought maybe she would get Cersei sent back to Casterly Rock, but Cersei would never meekly allow herself to be exiled and separated from her son. There must be some other trick up Marge's sleeve. As for Jamie, I do truly think it's over between him and Cersei. I'm wondering whether Cersei will push him out of King's Landing before she ends up booted out herself. It would be an incredible twist for Jamie to get sent to the Wall for what he's done. I doubt it will happen, but it would still be fun. Then again, him standing around in KL looking handsome isn't such a bad thing. I would just like to see him get in on some action and start a new chapter in his life. The only thing that's not allowed is for someone to kill him. You hear that, GRRM? NOT ALLOWED.
The Lannister line is on shaky ground with Tywin gone. Jaime was right when he said that their enemies know they are currently at their weakest. Things will get worse before they get any better.
Also, and maybe I am just crazy. Varys tells Tyrion that he has been working on a Targaryen restoration since the days of Robert Baratheon. If so why did he give Robert the news of all of Dany's movements and her pregnancy? The moment that happened Robert sent out assassins for Dany. Seems very counter-productive to his cause IMO.
-- Edited by DonalNoyesArm on Tuesday 14th of April 2015 12:53:06 AM
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"Robert was never the same after he put on that crown. Some men are like swords, made for fighting. Hang them up and they go to rust.” -DN
The Lannister line is on shaky ground with Tywin gone. Jaime was right when he said that their enemies know they are currently at their weakest. Things will get worse before they get any better.
Also, and maybe I am just crazy. Varys tells Tyrion that he has been working on a Targaryen restoration since the days of Robert Baratheon. If so why did he give Robert the news of all of Dany's movements and her pregnancy? The moment that happened Robert sent out assassins for Dany. Seems very counter-productive to his cause IMO.
Yeah that makes zero sense. I suppose they might address this in the coming episodes if/when they meet Dany. Maybe he was referring to Viserys, that he started with him in mind and not Dany, who at that point was expendable, and if news of her somehow reached Robert without Varys knowing, that might have been too suspicious, so he had to take a risk in reporting her.
By the way, did anybody feel that scene of the unsullied with the prostitute was D&D's way of trolling people complaining about the excessive nudity? I mean:
"you don't have to do it"
*smiles* "habit"
seemed like a very subtle in-joke of them (or the screenwriter/director)
It could be that Varys was also testing Dany to see how she would handle an assassination attempt, knowing full well that if she was to claim the Iron Throne those attempts would become commonplace. I think he was putting on a front for Robert and trusted in Dany overcoming it and/or Pedo Jorah intervening. Varys knows.
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"If you drink, don't drive. Don't even putt." - Dean Martin
Hi lads! I'm sick as a dog but wanted to pop in to say I really really enjoyed the first episode. Much more than I thought I would (though that's at least 50% my own making cause my expectations were so low :P) Mr Tir found it a bit slow but I thought the pace was just fine. After all, last season ended in a giant reshuffle so we need to set up things again, plus i kinda like the build up episodes where i can spend a little more time with the characters.
The only scene I found just too silly was the Grey Worm- Missandei scene. I don't care for them or mind them as a couple, but come on, you want to ask the guy probably the most personal question you could so you kinda walk into the locker room while his teammates are changing? Mr Tir thinks the scene only existed because both of them will be toast by the end of the season, according to him. He thinks Greyworm will be drogonlunch.
Absolutely loved tiny Cersei. I thought she nailed Lena's mannerisms and was delighted with her. The witch was off though, she looked like she belonged in a circus tent or sth.
I'm still struggling to make sense in the show!verse of Varys' reveal. I like they're going this route but not sure how the whole assasination attempt plot worked. Was the wine just a mild laxative and not a poison? where they willing to sacrifice dany just to spur drogo to invade with viserys? Even if anyone who spent 5 mins with viserys would NOT want to see him on the throne if stability was in the maps (and illyrio spent quite some time with them so...)
anyhoo, i enjoyed it storywise, but the production was incredible. they weren't lying that everything has a lot more money thrown in. it shows. all the trappings are quite amazing. And to do that harpy fall just as an intro is pretty impressive. And i loved the scene shot from the pov inside the box. So cool.
Sorry if i'm not making much sense. It's the milk of the poppy talking. Better quit babbling and go make myself some chicken soup.
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“Fear is a strange soil. It grows obedience like corn, which grow in straight lines to make weeding easier. But sometimes it grows the potatoes of defiance, which flourish underground.”
I think it was a solid episode. 8/10, considering it's a season opener. Season 4's was much better, with the epic ending, but this one was also great. As y all said, the only out-of-place scene was t MissanGrey scene, the rest is all good set up. In terms of the directing, I think this was very good. I especially liked the dragon scene (WOW!), the box hole shot, the Stannis hero shot on top of the Wall, White Rat and (of course) the ending with Mance. I feel like the Harpy being toppled was unnecessary- the money could have been spent on something else. I mean, it was pretty, but it felt like it just happened. Maybe if we wouldn't have seen it in all the trailers, it would have been more impactful. Mance, Stannis and Jon were perfect in that last scene. I can't wait for the development of the JonXStannis relationship this season, and of course Melly Sanders :)
I keep forgetting to tell you, TormundsWoman, I know a guy named Strider. No, it is not his nickname, it is the name on his birth certificate. An old friend of mine is married to him.
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I really need to stop saying, "how stupid can you be?" Some people are starting to take it as a personal challenge.
I like Missendei and Grey Worm, but the scene was definitely awkward. I mean, it was really bad timing. One of his men just got brutally murdered, and she thinks that would be a good conversation starter for their sex life??
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"Give a man a fire and he's warm for a day, but set fire to him and he's warm for the rest of his life" - Terry Pratchett
Are we forgetting that Grey Worm and Missandei were slaves? They did not grow up and experience social/romantic situations, so their relationship and interactions *will* be awkward. They are adults physically, but they are very naive when it comes to intimate interactions.
Just as awkward when Grey worm stared a bit too long when Missandei was bathing last season. I am sure many of us had some pretty lousy timing when dealing with a boy/girl we fancied when we were younger.
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"Robert was never the same after he put on that crown. Some men are like swords, made for fighting. Hang them up and they go to rust.” -DN
Are we forgetting that Grey Worm and Missandei were slaves? They did not grow up and experience social/romantic situations, so their relationship and interactions *will* be awkward. They are adults physically, but they are very naive when it comes to intimate interactions.
Just as awkward when Grey worm stared a bit too long when Missandei was bathing last season. I am sure many of us had some pretty lousy timing when dealing with a boy/girl we fancied when we were younger.
That's an excellent point, Don, and one I hadn't considered about that scene. I had been reserving judgment, but I am looking at it in a new light now.
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"There's no cure for being a cunt." Bronn "King Stannis is my god." Davos "Who the fuck is Jon Snow?" Locke
Funny, I was one of the biggest "Missandei & Grey Worm" opponents , but their tiny storyline grew on me. But I have a bad feeling that these two kids will not run off into the sunset together.
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"Robert was never the same after he put on that crown. Some men are like swords, made for fighting. Hang them up and they go to rust.” -DN
I still dunno if you are watching or not!
, she should've trained them constantly from day one. Now they are pretty much traumatized ( Rheagal and Viserion) and feral ( Drogon)....they name the dragons FINALLY after 4 seasons!
He said it so many times it was starting to feel like something out of Family Guy. 
I would just like to see him get in on some action and start a new chapter in his life. The only thing that's not allowed is for someone to kill him. You hear that, GRRM? NOT ALLOWED.
Mr Tir thinks the scene only existed because both of them will be toast by the end of the season, according to him. He thinks Greyworm will be drogonlunch.
I had to know! Don't judge me! 
Jent, I too want to see Melly Sanders development with Jon. 
The Numeroan blood us strong in my family.... 
, but their tiny storyline grew on me. But I have a bad feeling that these two kids will not run off into the sunset together. 
