Spoiler Alert: If you haven’t seen Season 4 & Season 5, Episode 1.
Game of Thrones returns with a sputter of an episode to kick off its 5th season. Following the events of Season 4’s climatic finale, this episode is all talk, and not so much slice n’ dice. Even the deaths weren’t shocking–the characters that were killed off weren’t exactly fan favorites. However, what this episode does manage to do is establish a variety of sub plots that are sure to have a huge payoff (come on dragon wars, come on). Interestingly, this episode begins with a flashback that follows a young Cersei breaking into a witch’s home (okay, she’s more of a fortune teller), and receives an ominous fortune.
Man, they grow fast.
Among the storylines, we find the Lannister twins trying to keep it together before their father’s funeral. Cersei still believes Tyrion is the source of all her troubles, and a level-headed Jamie continues to focus her attention on the growing threat of the other kingdoms (Lannisters have been dropping like flies). Tyrion Lannister, who, after killing the love of his life and his father, is smuggled far from King’s Landing, and Varys immediately recruits him into a conspiracy to retake the Seven Kingdoms (road trip storyline, alright!). Daenerys encounters a secret rebel force in her new kingdom, which appears to spark her desire to Dragon it up–she has to remind people that she carries a big stick. Jon Snow is still bummed out about losing Ygritte, and tries his best to keep Mance Raydar from a fiery execution, he obviously knows nothing, and you can pretty much guess how successful he was in that venture.
Jon, arrows can’t solve all your problems.
Other than the aforementioned setting up of new plots, this episode didn’t do much to keep my attention. I’m hoping this was a way of preparing the viewers for a feast of payoffs some time real soon, because, judging from the conversations in this episode, war is imminent and the minor characters who haven’t made any moves yet will soon have to, if they want to be part of this game of thrones.
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Photos Courtesy of HBOGo.com
