Game of Thrones | Season 8 Episode 1 | Meeting at Winterfell

EPISODE RECAP

A year and a half after the end of the seventh season, the final phase of the race for the throne of the seven kingdoms has begun.

The main location of this episode is Winterfell (hence the episode’s title), where preparations are under way for the imminent clash with the horde of White Walkers, and where most of the series’ surviving characters are converging.

The episode opens by showing off new credits, revealing the route of the wave of White Walkers moving south from the breach in the Wall, crushing every obstacle on the way to Winterfell, whose fortifications — readied for the enemy assault — are shown. The perspective then shifts and we are catapulted to King’s Landing, with glimpses such as the underground vaults with the dragon skulls; the city too is fortified and ready for battle. As in the other seasons, the opening credits focus on the map locations where the story’s main events are unfolding.

A child scrambles through the crowd and climbs a tree to get a better view of the parade from a boundary wall: Jon Snow and Queen Daenerys have arrived at Winterfell with their whole retinue. They are welcomed rather coldly by the locals, including Bran and Sansa Stark, who is quite wary of the foreign Queen.

So far, nothing new. The episode opens in line with expectations and with what the trailers anticipated. Overall, the whole episode is fairly predictable in its progression.

There follow long-awaited interactions between the various characters, finally reunited in this cauldron of tensions, hopes, fears and joys blanketed in white snow. Arya embraces her beloved Jon Snow again, trades words with the Hound and meets Gendry, whom she asks to forge a new weapon from Valyrian steel. Tyrion talks with Sansa.

Jon Snow sees Bran again, indulges in romantic flights on the back of one of the dragons with Daenerys, and meets a shocked Sam Tarly in the crypts — Sam has just learned from Queen Daenerys that his father and brother were executed by her for refusing to bend the knee. Bran Stark, after the revelation in the last episode of season seven, has passed the buck to Sam, charging him with the thankless task of revealing to Jon the truth about his birth. Visibly shaken and tense, Sam shares with Jon his misgivings about Daenerys Targaryen, in light of the recent discoveries too, and tells him what he should have known long ago: he is the son of Lyanna Stark and Rhaegar Targaryen, not of Ned Stark, and his name is Aegon Targaryen, the true heir to the Iron Throne. Jon struggles to believe him.

The reunion of many characters beloved by the audience has finally taken place — not without a good dose of fan service which, however inevitable given the show’s fame, could have been kept to a minimum. As for the computer graphics, the animations of the dragons ridden by the actors did not fully convince us.

Elsewhere in the north, the lords of the castles closest to the Wall are not faring so well: little Lord Umber is found impaled on a wall at the centre of a spiral of human limbs in his now-deserted castle, discovered by Tormund, Beric and the surviving Night’s Watch men who managed to escape the White Walkers.

How exactly did Tormund, Beric and those few Night’s Watch men survive the White Walkers’ invasion and the collapse of the fortifications at the Wall? Plot armour!! Meanwhile, at King’s Landing, Queen Cersei welcomes the Golden Company, newly arrived in Westeros across the seas in the company of an insolent, swaggering Euron Greyjoy. The strongest emotion she feels at their arrival is disappointment at the absence of the war elephants (yes, really). Cersei decides to give herself to Euron, who demands a reward for his efforts.

While the two are busy between the sheets, in the bay a cunning, stealthy Theon Greyjoy — also arrived in the city — sneaks aboard his uncle’s ship and manages to free his imprisoned sister. The two flee together, but soon part ways again when Theon decides to head north. Cersei’s schemes are not over, though: through Qyburn she tasks Bronn with going north to kill her traitorous brothers. Some passages could have been explained better: for instance, how did Theon board the Silence unseen with the entire fleet present, and slip away again unnoticed with his sister in tow? Was the crew on hallucinogens? Did he use an invisibility cloak? Jaime Lannister, having abandoned his sister, makes his entrance at Winterfell and comes face to face with Bran Stark in his wheelchair.

End of the episode.

The notable aspects of this episode lie in the potential of the characters’ relationships, which foreshadow the plot’s future developments. The episode opens and closes mirroring the first episode of the first season: it begins with the arrival of important characters at Winterfell and closes with Jaime and Bran. Interesting and full of mystery is the spiral motif left by the White Walkers in the Umbers’ castle. Given the episode’s pacing and the elements that emerged, one can guess that the great battle between Winterfell and the White Walkers will begin at the end of episode 2 and unfold through episode 3.

It seems premature to attempt a critical analysis of the story’s direction, since we expect much to happen in the following episodes and many subplots still await resolution. We consider this first episode of the eighth season a connecting piece between the previous season and the series’ final episodes. In terms of quality, it stands on a par with the quieter episodes of season seven.

What stayed with us from this episode:

• The infectious enthusiasm of Sansa, Lady Mormont and the northern lords at Daenerys’s arrival;

• Arya & Jon embracing again, surrounded by the red leaves of the heart tree, and competing over who has the better sword;

• The Hound greeting Arya while brandishing his new axe;

• Jon Snow and the difficulties of mounting a dragon. Sam’s reactions to events — superb acting!;

• Ned Umber impaled, and his horror-movie reaction. “I’ve always had blue eyes!” Not that blue, Tormund!;

• Cersei and her disappointment over the missing elephants.

What do you think? What did you enjoy, and what made you wince? Are there aspects you’d like us to explore further in future articles?