War is coming.

The North Remembers, war is coming, and there’s a king in every corner fighting for the iron throne. HBO‘s hit series Game of Thrones is here. For those of you who are watching the show unprepared, as I am, one who hasn’t read George R. R. Martin‘s book two A Clash of Kings, come, let us journey into the tumultuous land of Westeros to King’s Landing where fool King Joffrey (Jack Gleeson) is celebrating his name day with a bit of blood-sport and poor Sansa (Sophie Turner) has to continue to fake fealty to her “arranged” husband. We didn’t get to see much of Dænerys and her dragons as much as I had hoped. Still, something is on the horizon, and we have all season to sort a lot of things out. But first, let’s see where everyone is now before we get into the gritty bits of last night’s episode:

Ned Stark (Sean Bean) is dead, and now his children are scattered all over Westeros; Arya (Maisie Williams) is headed to the Night Watch along with deceased King Robert Baratheon’s (Mark Addy) bastard son Gendry (Joe Dempsie); Dænerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) and her barbaric clan are lost somewhere in the Red Waste desert, along with her three hungry baby dragons;  Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage) is now the Hand (chief adviser) to King Joffrey much to his mother Cersei’s (Lena Headey) disapproval. Prepare to see a lot of friction between these two; Jon Snow (Kit Harington), Ned Stark’s bastard is now steward to Jeor Mormount (James Cosmo); and Petyr Baelish (Aidan Gillen) has just found himself on the wrong, newly empowered side of Cersei Lannister.

Now that, we know where everyone in this episode is at this point, we return to Joffrey’s name day celebration and reminder of how much of an asshole this kid is. Tyrion has just returned from the battlefield just in time to incense both Joffrey and his mother by announcing that he is now the “Hand of the King” in their father’s stead. Dinklage is an absolutely brilliant actor. I always enjoy watching just how he intelligently subjects truths he knows to make everyone around him a little uncomfortable. He wanted to ensure that Cersei understands that if she ever wanted to get her beloved brother (and lover) Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) back, she needs to return the Stark children (Sensa, Arya) in exchange for his safe return. Sounds easy enough–except she hasn’t a clue where Arya is.

There’s a King in every corner.

As the red comet flies over Westeros, Robb had just received word that Joffrey is not the true heir to the throne and goes to pay a visit to the caged Lannister to inform him of it. He also makes Jamie Lannister aware that he knows that he was the one who pushed his brother from a tower window, when his little brother after catching him with the Queen (his sister). Robb lets his wolf Grey Wind took him down a couple of notches by allowing him to snarl in his face. Jamie realizes that his days are numbered, and I bet he is greatly concerned whether or not he will make it out of the encampment alive. Serves him right.

Cersei is now tasked to find the missing Stark girl and who better to task  locating her than Petyr Baelish, Littlefinger. He has eyes and ears in every corner of the Capitol. They got into a bit of tit-for-tat about which was better: power or knowledge. Littlefinger’s arrogance did not sit well with Cersei–especially when he hinted that he knew that her son wasn’t the true King and that all her children were fathered by her brother, Jamie. When the war of words was over, Littlefinger was reminded that he would have to wait a little longer before he can exact his “knowledge” to influence anyone on or near the throne.

Jon Snow and the Night’s Watch made a stop at one of their ally’s Craster (Robert Pugh), who has the unfortunate habit of marrying his daughters and forbade any man–especially the bastard Snow–near any one of them.

The night is dark and full of terrors.

We find out that it was Stannis Baratheon (Stephen Dillane), who sent word to the other four Kings that Joffrey wasn’t the true King, and he also added the fact that Joffrey is the bastard son of an incestuous relationship between the Queen and her brother. He is now in motion to stake his claim to the throne and is encouraged by Melisandre (Carice Van Houten), the Red Priestess. After persuading Stannis to give up his family’s old Gods, she is now poised to be his adviser if he can claim the iron throne. There’s a lot in play here, and there is so much material from the book that cannot fit in a one-hour time slot, but not before the King’s men are sent on a hunt for the remaining bastards of King Robert scattered around the capital.

The City Watch, the Gold Cloakes, are taking infants from their mother’s breast in order to slit their throats; all male threats to the throne were dragged out into the streets and killed, slaughtered in their homes, and one son thrown into a nearby water way and forcibly drowned while everyone watched–a brutal affair, however, one of the dead King Robert sons still live. He is the one escorting our dear Arya Stark to the Wall.

What I have to say about the premiere? Breathtaking. Impressive visuals, and a stunning cast. Indeed a great first episode of the season.

It’s a damn shame that it only lasts an hour.

Source: HBO