While the show has mostly eschewed a storyline or two per episode to keep the focus narrowed and more involved, “The Prince Of Winterfell” checks in with nearly the entire cast and ladles in a heavy dollop of romance to keep things intriguing.
Loyalty and betrayal, oath-breaking and oath-keeping. They're always themes in, but in episode eight they came to the fore. Almost every character had a decision to make: who to be loyal to, when it meant betraying someone else.For Jon Snow (Kit Harington), it looks as though to stay loyal to the Night's Watch, he will have to be seen to betray them. Held captive by the wildlings - in particular, by the Lord of Bones, who has probably won the hotly contested Game of Thrones coolest costume award for his human-skull-mask-and-ribcage-shirt ensemble - he is told by Qhorin Halfhand to become a secret agent. They'll never trust me, he points out, reasonably enough.
'They will if you do the right thing,' Qhorin tells him, before kicking him to the ground and calling him a bastard. The snot-nosed and entitled brat Jon is learning fast. The North is still the real star, bleak and wonderful and harsh, but the increasingly characterful wildlings, especially Rose Leslie's Ygritte, are clearly going to make Jon's fake betrayal a more complex issue.Down below the Wall, among the Northerners, Catelyn Stark (Michelle Fairley) had her own decision to make - between loyalty to Robb (Richard Madden), her eldest son and king, and to her captive daughters and sons in King's Landing and Winterfell respectively. She chose the latter, freeing Jaime Lannister from his cage and sending him south under the protection of Brienne, and forcing Robb to imprison her.
But Robb's been making some short-sighted decisions of his own, it looks like: apparently breaking his oath to marry one of the Frey daughters, and finally getting it on with Talisa Maegyr (Oona Chaplin), the hot nurse who he's been eyeing up for what feels like half the season. This is one of the few things that doesn't quite sit right in this otherwise excellent series: the will-they-won't-they-of-course-they-will-it's-painfully-obvious-from-the-first-scene romance would fit more in Grey's Anatomy than on a grime-smeared medieval battlefield. Stannis Baratheon (Stephen Dillane) knows about loyalty. 'I held Storm's End for Robert for five hundred days, because he was my king,' he said. 'Then I gave it up to Renly, because Robert told me to.
But now I am rightful king by all the laws of Westeros.' He does a good line in stone-faced humourlessness, does Dillane. His scene with Ser Davos Seaworth, the Onion Knight (Liam Cunningham), was excellent: Davos's own simple loyalty to Stannis was both stoic and moving, and Stannis's harshness was tempered by his gratitude for a long-ago act of bravery and his contempt for the more highborn lords who mocked the once-lowly Davos.Cersei (Lena Headey) and Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage) never had too much loyalty for each other, despite their shared blood, but Cersei has pushed Tyrion too far by threatening Shae, the one person in King's Landing for whom he does care.
The fact that she actually picked the wrong whore does not cool Tyrion's rage, who promises revenge. This is a good Tyrion episode, with Dinklage making the most of his juicy lines: 'The Lord of Light wants his enemies burned.
The Drowned God wants his drowned. Why are all the gods such vicious c-?
Where are the gods of tits and wine?' Was a good one. And finally, poor old Theon Greyjoy (Alfie Allen).
He can't get it right. Yet again, he thought he'd have impressed his flinty family - this time by capturing Winterfell - but once again he's screwed it up. His sister points out in no uncertain terms that he's going to die there, and tries to convince him to flee ('Don't die so far from the sea'), but he won't: this will, one imagines, not end well for him. Allen gives it a good bolshy-teenager-lost-in-a-man's-world impression. But we learn in a final scene that despite his own, extraordinary, betrayals of the Starks, he did carry out one last, dark act loyalty to his adopted brothers: a soul-staining, brutal act of loyalty, but loyalty of a sort nonetheless.
'Winterfell' | |||
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Game of Thrones episode | |||
Episode no. | Season 8 Episode 1 | ||
Directed by | David Nutter | ||
Written by | Dave Hill | ||
Featured music | Ramin Djawadi | ||
Original air date | April 14, 2019 | ||
Running time | 54 minutes[1] | ||
Guest appearance(s) | |||
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Episode chronology | |||
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Game of Thrones (season 8) | |||
List of Game of Thrones episodes |
'Winterfell'[1] is the eighth season premiere episode of HBO's fantasy television series Game of Thrones, and the 68th overall. It was written by Dave Hill and directed by David Nutter. It aired on April 14, 2019.
The episode centres on Daenerys Targaryen and Jon Snow arriving in Winterfell with Unsullied and Dothraki forces, after Jon Snow has pledged his allegiance to her. It also reunites Jon with his Stark siblings Bran and Arya for the first time since the first season's second episode.
'Winterfell' received positive reception from critics, who listed Jon Snow and Daenerys's arrival at Winterfell, Jon's long-awaited reunion with Arya, the destruction of Last Hearth, Sam's revelation to Jon Snow about his true lineage, Jaime and Bran's tense encounter, and the performances of Sophie Turner and John Bradley as highlights of the episode. The episode received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series and was Sophie Turner's pick to support her nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.[2]
Plot[edit]
In King's Landing[edit]
Qyburn informs Cersei Lannister that the White Walkers have breached the Wall, which pleases Cersei. Euron Greyjoy arrives with Yara Greyjoy as his prisoner and with the Golden Company. Euron uses his deeds to convince Cersei to start their relationship, and the pair have sex. Euron insists that he will impregnate Cersei, who appears to be visibly upset when he leaves the room.
Qyburn visits Bronn and presents him with the crossbow Tyrion used to assassinate his father Tywin Lannister. Should Jaime and Tyrion survive the war against the dead, Cersei wants Bronn to assassinate them.
In the Narrow Sea[edit]
Theon Greyjoy secretly boards Euron's flagship in the night and frees his sister Yara. Yara decides to retake the Iron Islands while Euron is distracted by matters in King's Landing, whereas Theon decides to journey to Winterfell to fight the undead with Daenerys and the Starks.
At Last Hearth[edit]
Tormund Giantsbane and Beric Dondarrion, having survived the fall of Eastwatch, lead their party into House Umber's seat of Last Hearth, already sacked by the dead. They encounter Eddison Tollett, who had evacuated the Night's Watch from Castle Black. They find young Lord Ned Umber, who had been evacuating Last Hearth's inhabitants, dead and impaled to a wall. Tormund declares that they must reach Winterfell before the Night King. Ned reanimates as a wight, and Beric burns him with his flaming sword.
At Winterfell[edit]
Daenerys Targaryen arrives at Winterfell alongside Jon Snow, Tyrion Lannister, Jorah Mormont, Varys and Missandei, with Grey Worm leading her Unsullied and Dothraki armies. Jon reunites with Bran and Daenerys is greeted by Sansa Stark, the townspeople, and the Northern lords, though the pleasantries are cut short when Bran Stark reveals to Daenerys and Jon that the Night King has reanimated Viserion and breached the Wall. Sansa has ordered the Northern lords to retreat to Winterfell to make the stand against the undead, but at council, Lyanna Mormont and the other lords express displeasure towards Jon for abandoning his position as King in the North by swearing fealty to a Targaryen. This tension is magnified when Tyrion declares that the Lannister army will soon march north too; Sansa fears that the combined forces might overstretch their supplies, but in private implies to Tyrion that she does not believe Cersei will send her army.
Arya reunites with Jon, Gendry (who is working in Winterfell's forges crafting dragonglass weapons), and the Hound. Davos Seaworth suggests to Tyrion and Varys that the Northerners could be won over by betrothing Jon and Daenerys. Jon and Daenerys ride the dragons, deepening their bond. Later, Sansa accuses Jon of bending the knee out of love for Daenerys.
Samwell Tarly meets Daenerys, who thanks him for curing Jorah of his greyscale, but after discovering his identity admits that she executed his father, Randyll, and his brother, Dickon. Bran instructs a heartbroken Samwell to tell Jon about his true Targaryen heritage as Aegon Targaryen VI, the news of which leaves Jon stunned.
Jaime Lannister arrives at Winterfell and is shocked when he encounters Bran in the courtyard, waiting for him.
Production[edit]
Writing[edit]
The episode was written by Dave Hill,[3] his final script of the series. The episode adapts material from the unpublished novels The Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring, among them the released sample chapter 'The Forsaken', in which Euron Greyjoy converses with a captive member of his family aboard his ship.
Casting[edit]
The episode saw the introduction of Marc Rissmann as Harry Strickland, the commander of the Golden Company. On preparing for his role in the season, Rissmann said, 'I did some research into who this person was, where he comes from, and the books are quite precise. And then you see in the scripts what is there, what are the similarities, what are the differences. So I did a bit of research on that, especially since this world was so properly thought through. It's a functioning world, and that's why it's actually so appealing.'[4]
Jacob Anderson (Grey Worm) is listed as a series regular in the opening credits for the first time in this episode; he has previously appeared as a supporting/guest actor. Actors Rob McElhenney and Martin Starr and writer Dave Hill made cameo appearances as Ironborn soldiers killed when Theon rescues Yara.[5][6]
Filming[edit]
The episode was directed by David Nutter who had previously directed two episodes each in the second, third and fifth season.[7][8] The outdoor Winterfell scenes were filmed at sets in Moneyglass and Magheramorne in Northern Ireland, with indoor scenes filmed at Paint Hall studios in Belfast.[9]
Reception[edit]
Ratings[edit]
'Winterfell' was viewed by 11.76 million viewers on its initial live broadcast on HBO, and an additional 5.6 million viewers on streaming platforms, for a total 17.4 million viewers.[10]
Critical response[edit]
The episode received largely positive reviews from critics, and is the best reviewed episode of the season. It has a 92% approval rating on the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 109 reviews with an average score of 7.72 out of 10. The site's consensus reads, 'Though surprisingly bloodless, hard-fought reunions, bone-chilling surprises, and a welcome dose of humor help 'Winterfell' set the stage for what should be an epic final season.'[11]
Sarah Hughes of The Guardian wrote, 'This was a thrilling episode with its pedal to the floor, in which new alliances were made, old ones tested and long-awaited reunions occurred (hurrah for Jon and Arya's tenderly scripted meeting)'.[12] Todd VanDerWiff of Vox praised the episode's visual quality, stating, 'For as much as I grouse about Game of Thrones, it's often casually stunning in a way that no other TV show comes close to pulling off'.[13] Ron Hogan of Den of Geek similarly highlighted the episode's pacing, while also praising John Bradley who 'runs through the entire gamut of emotions in a very short time on screen'.[14]
Among the negative reviews, Willa Paskin of Slate criticized the show's pace, stating 'Momentum, the idea that we are hurtling toward some conclusion that will explain it all, has been so encoded into the Game of Thrones experience that in the absence of any forward motion, the show is ... kind of dull.'[15]
Awards and nominations[edit]
Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2019 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series | Sophie Turner | Nominated | [16] |
Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series | Crispin Green | Nominated |
References[edit]
- ^ ab'S8 Ep 1: Winterfell'. HBO. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
- ^'71st Emmy Awards Nominees and Winners'. emmys.com. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
- ^Carson, Biz (April 15, 2019). 'The final season of 'Game of Thrones' will only be six episodes'. Business Insider. Archived from the original on April 12, 2017. Retrieved April 11, 2017.
- ^Merill, Max (April 11, 2019). 'New 'Game of Thrones' actor Marc Rissmann talks about the final season'. MSN. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- ^Polk, Milan (April 15, 2019). 'Two Surprise Cameos Were in Game of Thrones Last Night'. Vulture.
- ^Game of Thrones Season 8 Episode 1 Game Revealed (HBO) (Television production). HBO. April 15, 2019. Event occurs at 4 minutes 48 seconds. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
- ^Hooton, Christopher (April 15, 2019). 'Game of Thrones season 8: Directors revealed for all episodes'. The Independent. Archived from the original on October 20, 2017. Retrieved October 20, 2017.
- ^Chitwood, Adam (April 15, 2019). ''Justice League' DP Fabian Wagner on Zack Snyder's Cut, Superman's Black Suit & 'Game of Thrones''. Collider. Archived from the original on December 16, 2017. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
- ^'‘Game of Thrones’ Season 8 Locations: Where Is GoT Filmed?'. Heavy.com. April 14, 2019.
- ^Maglio, Tony (April 15, 2019). ''Game of Thrones' Season 8 Premiere Breaks Series Record With 17.4 Million Multiplatform Viewers'. The Wrap. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
- ^'Winterfell'. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- ^Mangan, Lucy (April 15, 2019). 'Game of Thrones series eight review – a nostalgia-fest for long-suffering fans'. The Guardian. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
- ^VanDerWerff, Emily (April 14, 2019). '7 winners and 8 losers from Game of Thrones' final season premiere'. Vox. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
- ^Hogan, Ron (April 15, 2019). 'Game Of Thrones season 8 episode 1 review: Winterfell'. Den of Geek. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
- ^Paskin, Willa (April 14, 2019). 'Last Call in Westeros'. Slate. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
- ^'2019 Primetime Emmy Awards Nomination Press Release'(PDF). Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. July 16, 2019. Retrieved July 18, 2019.
External links[edit]
- 'Winterfell' at HBO.com
- 'Winterfell' on IMDb
- 'Winterfell' at TV.com
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