Game of Thrones, Season One:
In the fantastical world of Westeros, Eddard "Ned" Stark, a just lord in the northern part of the land, is visited by his old friend, Robert Baratheon, who is the king. Many years before, Robert and Ned led an army to sack King's Landing, the capital of Westeros, to overthrow the insane and sadistic King Aerys Targaryen, and take the Iron Throne (a throne made by Targaryen's ancestor). Their followers killed all the remaining heirs and children, to make sure that the Targaryen dynasty could never rise to power again. Robert has approached Ned because he feels he's the only one he can trust. Robert thinks that someone in King's Landing is plotting against him, as his "Hand of the King" (right-hand man) Jon Arryn (who raised both of them like sons) has died under mysterious circumstances. He invites Ned to become his new Hand and take two of his daughters to King's Landing to stay for a few months. When they arrive, Ned feels as though someone really is plotting against them, and doesn't feel safe. He must play his cards right if he wants to survive in a land where no one is as they seem, and almost everyone will stab you in the back if they can gain something from it. Across the sea in the neighboring continent of Essos, two Targaryen heirs have survived, and are planning to recruit an army of nomadic conquerors called the Dothraki to help them reclaim the Iron Throne for themselves. Let the games begin.
This show is one of the best that HBO has ever aired, and its' equally as good as the Lord of the Rings series. You can't talk about this show without mentioning the incredible and vast cast of characters. (This is gonna take a while, FYI) Let's start with House Stark: Ned Stark, portrayed by Sean Bean (GoldenEye, Lord of the Rings, Black Death, Patriot Games), is an excellent hero. Despite making some bad decisions, he's the most relatable and good-natured of any of the characters. He's a nobel and brave hero, and he's someone you root for the whole way. Catelyn Stark, played by Michelle Fairley (24: Live Another Day, Harry Potter), is a good wife to Ned, and a fiercely protective mother. She's the matriarch of the Stark family, and loves her children and husband. Jon Snow, portrayed by Kit Harington, is a bit of an outcast. As Ned's bastard son, he's rejected by Catelyn, and must take the name "Snow" rather than Stark. He is accepted by his father (although Ned can't show it in public) and his siblings, however, which gives him comfort. He's a noble and kind young man who craves respect and acceptance. Robb Stark, played by Richard Madden, is Ned's eldest son, and a brave and intelligent warrior. Trying to keep his siblings in check and prove himself to his parents, he tries to be the best man he can be, and he's relatable in the way that most people crave the respect of their family and peers (much like Jon Snow). Sansa Stark, portrayed by Sophie Turner, is Ned's eldest daughter. She's kind of a typical damsel, very girly and pampered, and is vulnerable and easily manipulated. She's a typical teenage girl, basically. Arya Stark, played by Maisie Williams, on the other hand, is a tomboy and a bit mischievous. She loves archery and swordplay, and she is close with her father and brothers, including Jon Snow. She's an honest young girl and a lovable character. Bran Stark, played by Isaac Hempstead-Wright, is the second-youngest of the Stark children, and is a free-spirited and smart young boy. Art Parkinson is Rickon Stark, a sweet and innocent young boy, and the youngest of the Stark children. Ned's ward Theon Greyjoy, portrayed by Alfie Allen, is a somewhat arrogant young soldier, but a skilled one at that, despite his many faults. Ron Donachie and Donald Sumpter play Ser Rodrik Cassel and Maester Luwin, respectively, two wise and loyal servants of House Stark. Jamie Sives has a recurring role as Rodrik's nephew Jory Cassel, Eddard's loyal and helpful captain of the guard. Natalia Tena (Harry Potter series) portrays Osha, a wildling (wild nomad) woman taken in by House Stark as a servant to Bran, who cares and protects the boy like an older sister. Kristian Nairn is Hodor, a dim-witted but physically strong servant of House Stark. Susan Brown appears as Septa Mordane, the Stark girls' nanny who cares for the children and is a voice of reason. Matthew Scurfield has a small role as Vayon Poole, the Starks' loyal steward. He is mentioned several times before, and makes an appearance in "The Pointy End". His daughter Jeyne (one of five daughters), Sansa's best friend, has a slightly bigger role in the first book and is played by an unnamed extra in the series premiere. Old Nan, played by the late Margaret John, is a wise and witty old woman who serves the Starks and is famous for her storytelling abilities. Clive Mantle appears in a recurring role as Greatjon Umber ("The Greatjon"), a strong ally of the Starks.
Now onto House Baratheon: King Robert Baratheon, portrayed by Mark Addy, is a lot different than when Ned last saw him: he's a foolish drunk and a highly irresponsible king who is deep in debt, a tragic character really. He's piggish, stubborn, and has fallen from grace, he misses "the good old days" when he and Ned used to go around "bashing skulls and fucking girls". His queen, Cersei (maiden name: Lannister), played by Lena Headey (Dredd, The Purge), is a manipulative, spiteful, and selfish bitch. However, she is protective of her family and children, so that's something. However, that doesn't make her any better. Their eldest son, Prince Joffrey Baratheon, is betrothed to Sansa Stark. Joffrey initially appears to be a handsome, charming young man. However, under the surface he is a sadistic, cruel, arrogant, idiotic, cowardly liar. He is definitely the most despicable character in the series. Ironically, Jack Gleeson (Batman Begins, Shrooms), the actor who portrays him, is actually a kind, charming guy in real life, as far as I know. Joffrey's bodyguard Sandor "The Hound" Clegane, played by Rory McCann, is a very interesting character. At first, he seems like a sadistic, cynical, unfeeling, cruel, and brutish warrior, but under the surface, there's some good to him, it's just that he constantly hides it. Julian Glover (The Empire Strikes Back, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, The Fourth Protocol, For Your Eyes Only) guest-stars as Grand Maester Pycelle, a corrupt official who is loyal to the Lannister clan and abuses his power. Ian Beattie, Wilko Johnson, and Dominic Carter play Ser Meryn Trant, Ser Ilyn Payne, and Commander Janos Slynt, respectively. All three are cold, frightening and unfeeling knights who serve the crown unflinchingly, carrying out evil and despicable deeds on a whim. Gethin Anthony portrays Robert's brother Lord Renly Baratheon, a kind, charming, and well-liked young ruler who has a secret that could ruin his life. Finn Jones plays Ser Loras Tyrell, a close friend of Renly, and a well-liked knight.
On the king's small council are the two big manipulators: Lord Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish and Lord Varys. Baelish is portrayed by Aidan Gillen (Queer as Folk, The Wire, The Dark Knight Rises). Baelish is an amoral and deceitful, but highly intelligent man who serves as the king's "Master of Coin", or his money-handler. Commanding a vast network of spies, he's considered one of the most dangerous men, if not the most dangerous, in Westeros, by those who know his true nature. Varys (also known as "The Spider", or "The Eunuch"), is played by guest star Conleth Hill, and also is at the center of an enormous web of spies (hence the "Spider" nickname). He's a devious, cunning, morally ambiguous man who is a mystery not only to many of the characters but to us, the viewers, as well. The inner workings of his mind are an enigma. Ian McElhinney plays the supporting character Lord Commander Barristan Selmy, a loyal knight. David Michael Scott appears in a small role in "A Golden Crown", as Lord Beric Dondarrion, who is sent on a quest by Eddard Stark.
Now we arrive at House Lannister: We already touched upon Cersei, so I'm not gonna include her. Peter Dinklage appears as arguably the best character of the entire series: Tyrion Lannister. An intelligent, womanizing, alcoholic, knowledgeable, witty, sarcastic, and likeable character, he manages to steal every scene he's in, which is impressive considering how many great actors are in this show. Dinklage is one of the best actors working today, and it shows because he's won many awards because of this series. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau portrays Ser Jaime "The Kingslayer" Lannister. He's initially charming and seems friendly enough, but is revealed as a despicable, violent, and pretty cruel man who is loved by his brother Tyrion and his sister Cersei, but not by many others. In fact, he and his sister may be a bit too close, but I won't go any farther into that. Charles Dance (The Jewel in the Crown, The Golden Child, Last Action Hero, Alien 3) guest stars as Tywin Lannister. Considered the most powerful and manipulative man in Westeros, he's the puppet master, pulling the strings of the king and the Small Council to make sure they do things to his liking. Obsessed with maintaining the family legacy, he'll do anything and betray anyone as long as it benefits him. He's a very cold and unfeeling character, and he's extremely dangerous to cross. Jerome Flynn plays Bronn, a "sellsword" (mercenary), who remains loyal to his buddy Tyrion through thick and thin, at a price of course. He's a bad-ass, witty, cynical, and funny character who's one of those lovable rogue types. Sibel Kekilli portrays Shae, a mysterious, kind, and intelligent prostitute who serves as Tyrion's friend and love interest. Shagga, a brutish mountain man played by Mark Lewis Jones, is the leader of the Stone Crows, a group of tribesman who live in the valley known as the Vale of Arryn. A simple-minded man, he allies with Tyrion Lannister towards the end of the season. Ian Gelder appears in a small part as Tywin's brother Kevan Lannister. Eugene Simon appears as Lancel Lannister, King Robert's shy squire. Conan Stevens guest stars in the minor role of Gregor "The Mountain That Rides" Clegane, The Hound's older brother. Twice the size of his already large sibling, he's a cruel, extremely violent and unstable, sadistic, unpredictable, and corrupt knight and bannerman of Tywin Lannister. Despised by many (including his younger brother) due to his bad reputation and evil nature, he's a force to be reckoned with.
Now onto House Targaryen: Emilia Clarke plays Daenerys Targaryen, initially an innocent and helpless princess, eventually growing into a strong, compassionate, and intelligent queen, or "khalisee", leading the Dothraki people. Harry Lloyd portrays Prince Viserys Targaryen, a jealous young man who feels compelled to retake the Iron Throne for himself, as he, by blood, is the rightful heir. He's ruthless, self-centered, power-hungry, arrogant, stubborn, brainwashed (people have always told him the Targaryens were beloved by the people of Westeros, which is a complete lie), petty, and a little creepy, and has a huge superiority complex. He has few redeeming qualities, and his sister pities him more than loves him. Jason Momoa plays Khal Drogo, the leader of the Dothraki, and Daenerys' husband. He's a brutal and savage warrior with some insane fighting skills, and he prefers hand-to-hand-combat and swordplay rather than crossbows or having others do his dirty work for him. Despite his violent nature, he and Dany truly love each other, and he protects her from any sort of danger. Iain Glen portrays Ser Jorah Mormont, a loyal servant to Dany. He's protective of her, and has respect for her as a queen. He's a skilled warrior, and is wise and knowledgeable about many things, including the cultures of Essos, such as the Dothraki. Roxanne McKee plays Doreah, Dany's close friend and servant, and a former bedslave. Amrita Acharia also appears as Dany's Dothraki handmaiden Irri.
Now onto House Arryn: Jon Arryn never actually appears on screen, but is said to have been an honorable and wise man. Kate Dickie portrays Lysa Arryn (maiden name: Tully), Catelyn Stark's sister and Arryn's widow. She's a bit deranged and has a strange relationship with her son. Speaking of which, Lino Facioli plays Robin Arryn, a spoiled, somewhat stupid, and slightly sadistic young boy who still breastfeeds despite being at least eight years old. Ser Hugh of the Vale, played by guest star Jefferson Hall in a borderline cameo role, is a timid and unlucky former squire of Jon Arryn who is now a knight in a jousting tournament.
Now the Night's Watch: Joseph Mawle plays Ned Stark's ranger brother Benjen Stark, whom Jon Snow admires and respects. Samwell Tarly, portrayed by John Bradley, is a plump, simple-minded, and loveable ranger of the Night's Watch who Jon Snow befriends and defends. Sam is a kind and loving individual who you can relate to, and you want to see Jon Snow protect. Yoren, played by Francis Magee, is an acquaintance of Ned Stark's and a scout for the Night's Watch. A gruff but somewhat caring man, he protects the innocent on a number of occasions. Lord Commander Jeor Mormont, played by James Cosmo, is Jorah's father and a father figure to all the Night's Watchmen. Peter Vaughan appears as Maester Aemon Targaryen, an exiled maester who now serves as a helpful and wise member of the NW. Owen Teale guest-stars as Alliser Thorne, the training coach for the Night's Watch who constantly insults the new recruits, particularly Sam and Jon Snow. Pypar, played by Josef Atlin, is a friend of Jon Snow and Sam's who is a steward (the lowest-ranking position, usually for beginners) at the Night's Watch.
Now for House Frey: David Bradley (Filch from the Harry Potter series) portrays the repulsive and unsavory Walder Frey, a lord in the North who is very powerful and rich, albeit disgusting and vulgar. His young wife Joyeuse Erenford, played by Kelly Long, is miserable and quiet, rightfully so being wed to such an old, despicable, and nasty man.
Now for the miscellaneous characters, or the characters who have no true allegiance as of now: Syrio Forel, portrayed by Miltos Yerolemou, is a clever and humorous swordsman from Braavos (a "free city" in Essos), who Ned Stark hires to train Arya in the art of swordplay. Syrio is a good teacher, and takes a liking to Arya, whom he protects as well as trains. Ros, played by guest star Esme Bianco, is a witty prostitute who moves to King's Landing who wants more from life. Marillion, played by Emun Elliott, is a traveling musician and entertainer who runs into a spot of bad luck near the end of the season. Gendry, played by Joe Dempsie, is a young blacksmith's apprentice living in King's Landing. He's a tough guy from the streets, and he's one of the more likeable characters, despite the fact that he only appears in two of the episodes in this season. Hot Pie and Lommy Greenhands, portrayed by Ben Hawkey and Eros Vlahos, respectively, are two street kids/orphans who appear in the season finale. Initially just some punks, they are revealed to be just simple-minded children trying to survive in a world as dangerous as Westeros is. That about wraps up the characters in season one. All the actors do a fantastic job, and I can't get over how great everyone in the show is.
The production value on this series is incredible. Honestly, this is the best production value on any HBO program. The intricate attention to detail can be seen in everything: from the amazing sets, to the astounding special effects, the beautiful costumes, and the impressive action sequences. The cast is vast enough, and the variety of locations is equally as big.
The different locations within the series are fantastic as well. They're so distinct: the North has this Icelandic or Germanic look to it, with all the ice and snow; the Riverlands and middle-area of Westeros is reminiscent of the countrysides of the British Isles, with lots of marshes and damp grasslands; King's Landing is almost like Italy, particularly Venice, as far as climate and location near the sea, and almost Rome-like as far as the look goes; Braavos we never see, but as far as I can tell from the characters who come from there, it seems to be inspired by Spanish countries and France; and the continent of Essos has a very Asian-Middle-Eastern vibe, and the Dothraki feel like a mix of the Huns, the Mogolians, and the Apache: these locations are absolutely brilliant, and it feels like a very fleshed-out world, that's close to our own in many ways, and different also.
To be honest, I've never read the books this series is based on, but I really want to now. As far as I've heard, they only make minor changes and it's mostly faithful. David Benioff and D.B. Weiss have done an excellent job creating an epic fantasy series, and George R.R. Martin has to be commended for creating such a rich world and such vivid characters in his beloved series of books. The direction in all these episodes is amazing for a television show, even one on HBO, and the writing is absolutely brilliant.
The special effects are extremely convincing, and it's a mix of practical effects, CGI, and prosthetic makeup. The music is epic and rousing. Ramin Djawadi, an apprentice of Hans Zimmer, has composed some high-profile stuff in the past (Iron Man, Clash of the Titans, Prison Break, Blade: The Series), but this is the highlight of his career for sure. The opening title music is extremely catchy and puts you in the mood for an epic series. Speaking of the opening, this award-winning title sequence is incredible to watch. It amazes me every time I see it. It's so detailed, and it's unique to every episode. It's so detailed it got it's own special feature on the season one Blu-ray. It shows the map of Westeros and Essos, and the locations and major buildings from each episode pop up from the surface of the map like intricate clockwork devices. Each season has a recurring motif or theme, this season's is of betrayal. Although that's something that's a theme for the entire series, this is still most prominent in this episode, especially towards the latter half of the season. (Which I'll discuss in the spoiler section below.)
A cool little factoid is that the first and last episodes of the season are named after two famous house mottos: the premiere is "Winter is Coming" (House Stark), and the finale is "Fire and Blood" (House Targaryen). The fifth episode also centers on the conflict between Houses Stark and Lannister, hence the title "The Wolf and the Lion".
This is another fantasy franchise that is highly addicting and has a strong fan-base, and which has been engraved into popular culture, similar to the Middle-Earth and Harry Potter franchises although this show has a decidedly darker tone. Seriously, if you have no tolerance for lots of nudity or graphic violence, than just avoid this show. However, if you love good television, then by all means watch this series, you're guaranteed to love it.
Game of Thrones is an excellent television series. It's epic, dark, cinematic, complex, intriguing, divisive, highly addictive, and entertaining as hell. It's a raw, unflinchingly brutal, and is the greatest fantasy show of all time. 5/5 stars.
Episode List:
One- "Winter Is Coming"
Two- "The Kingsroad"
Three- "Lord Snow"
Four- "Cripples, Bastards, and Broken Things"
Five- "The Wolf and the Lion"
Six- "A Golden Crown"
Seven- "You Win or You Die"
Eight- "The Pointy End"
Nine- "Baelor"
Ten- "Fire and Blood"
(SPOILERS BELOW POSTER)
(Image: gameofthrones.wikia.com) SPOILER segment: Seriously, if you haven't caught up yet, I urge you not to read ahead, if you simply don't care, well, that's your problem: At the end of the season, Ned Stark is betrayed by Petyr Baelish, and is charged with treason for trying to expose the truth about Prince Joffrey's heritage: he is the son of Cersei and her brother Jaime, not Cersei and Robert (who is now dead due to a hunting accident). Joffrey is now king, and he tells Sansa Stark that if she gets her father to recant his statement about Joffrey's parentage (which Joffrey still thinks is a lie), he will be merciful to him. This is of course a lie, and Joffrey has Ned publically beheaded, which even the cold Cersei tries to stop. Unfortunately, this unjust execution causes uproar (and for good reason, Ned was a noble and good-natured man who was only being honest), and Robb and Catelyn openly rebel and start to raise an army in the North to invade the South. The killing of Ned not only completely changes the direction of the series (he was the main character up until this point), but also shows that no one is safe in the series, anyone can die at any time. This execution also begins the War of the Five Kings, which dominates the next two seasons and the upcoming fourth season. Ironically, even though the series is all about this war, it's ultimately not that big a deal compared to two other forces that are revealed to be coming in the second season. Also, another major character, Khal Drogo, also dies at the end of this season, which again shows the series has the balls to kill off major/popular characters like Ned and Drogo. Speaking of which, at the end of the season finale, Dany enters a huge bonfire caused by Drogo's funeral pyre, carrying her three stone dragon eggs. Jorah and the Dothraki think she has gone insane and this is some strange suicide. However, in the morning Jorah and the clan are astounded to see Dany emerge from the ashes naked, completely unharmed, carrying three baby dragons. The biggest crawls on her soldier as the entire clan, along with Jorah, bow to her in awe. The little dragon lets out a triumphant screech as the season ends. (END OF SPOILERS)
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