Winter is here… Who Will Sit on The Iron Throne?
The eighth and final season of HBO’s “Game of Thrones” premiered Sunday night. HBO revealed more than 17 million viewers tuned in to see the premiere of the final chapter of the epic series. This season will unfortunately only have six episodes in total, but the final four episodes will be over 75 minutes long.
Episode one was criticized due to it being the same length as episodes from the previous seasons. Fans were expecting “movie length” episodes but that is not the case. This episode did a great job at laying the foundation and setting up the final season despite the initial groans.
SPOILERS AHEAD
Who could forget about season seven’s ending? But if you need a quick reminder, the Night King resurrected one of Daenerys Targaryen’s dragons as a White Walker and destroyed the wall that protects the North and South from winter. Meanwhile, Jon Snow and Daenerys headed back to Winterfell to prepare for the Great War.
Season eight episode one was simply titled, “Winterfell,” after the classic city in the north, home to House Stark. Snow and Khaleesi are back in Winterfell while Queen Cersei is still in Westeros plotting against everyone else who is coming for the Iron Throne.
Although there wasn’t a ton of action in this episode, “Winterfell” did have several long-awaited reunions. G.O.T. watchers saw perhaps the most meaningful reunion between Arya Stark and her brother Snow. Since the two haven’t been together since the first season, it was something fans had been waiting years for. Other reunions included Arya seeing her friend/foe The Hound. This season’s premiere allowed the show to come full circle.
As I watched the premiere unfold, I couldn’t help but think about how each of the characters have grown. Characters like Bran, Arya and Sansa Stark have all come to gain their spots of importance and have taken on much more responsibility. Tyrion Lannister is still the right-hand man of Queen Daenerys. He and his brother Jaime Lannister have finally realized the importance of Winter being here and have gone back to Winterfell.
Another epic moment in the episode was Bran saying he was “waiting for an old friend,” meaning Jaime, who pushed him from the tower at the end of season one episode one. But perhaps the biggest moment was Sam telling his friend Snow that Snow is in fact not Ned Stark’s son, but is actually his sister Lyanna’s son. This reveals to Snow that he is the true heir to the Iron Throne. This could jeopardize his relationship with Daenerys, or perhaps it can solidify their bond and the two can rule the seven kingdoms together.
Looking back on it, the final season premiere might take another watch or two for it to fully settle in and make sense. There is no telling how this epic show will conclude. The show’s uncanny ability to keep fans guessing due to the depth of the storyline and characters can drive a viewer mad.
The hype is real, #ForTheThrone is trending and millions around the world will be watching every Sunday to see who will be the ruler of the seven kingdoms and sit on the Iron Throne.