Photo Credit: HBO
If you weren’t one of the millions watching the season 8 premiere of Game of Thrones last night, consider this your warning — spoilers ahead!
After 20 long, excruciating months, Game of Thrones premiered on our screens; well, most of our screens. Some poor souls had some trouble with their streaming services.
Regardless of viewing woes, Game of Thrones’ season 8 premiere was watched by an estimated 17.4 million viewers Sunday night, surpassing season 7’s 16.9 million viewers.
The episode was mostly about reunification — almost every reunion we wanted to see happen, happened. And while I think the episode was a bit underwhelming – because how could it ever live up to the hype from a 20-month hiatus – it still needed to be done to set up the rest of the five episodes.
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Surprises
1. A new intro!
One thing that always set Game of Thrones apart is their creative opening credits, in which iconic houses from each region are rising from nothing during the show’s theme song. We’ve seen the Wall before, but this time, there was a giant hole in it. And we were also taken inside buildings, like the Winterfell crypts. One last interesting thing to note is that the close-up shots of the panels on the astroglobe showed the fall of the Wall, the Red Wedding, and the birth of the dragons.
2. No one important died.
Everyone was expecting it, but no main character bit the dust this week. The only one who unfortunately died was Ned Umber, the young Lord of Last Hearth.
3. Sam mourned his father and brother.
Well, Sam crying over his brother, Dickon (tee-hee), wasn’t that surprising, but his father was awfully cruel to him, so I didn’t expect him to be so sad to hear of his death. I can’t help but wonder what this might do to the possibility of Sam becoming Daenerys’ supporters.
Photo Credit: HBO
4. Sam tells Jon about his true parentage, not Bran.
First of all, how was Jon at Winterfell for that long without seeing Sam? I understand that the creators wanted to keep the big reveal until later in the show, but it still seemed weird that their reunion waited that long. And, I didn’t expect Sam to have to tell Jon this life-changing news by himself.
5. Tormund and Beric survived the Wall.
This may only be surprising to those who didn’t see or pay attention to the trailer. The man behind Tormund even gave an interview confirming he’d be back for season 8. But seriously, who the heck did they survive the Wall crumbling down? I would have liked to see that.
Photo Credit: HBO
Not that surprising
1. Arya and Jon’s reunion was everything.
Jon was arguably closest to his youngest sister growing up, so it’s no surprise that their reunion was touching. It echoed their last meeting when Jon gave Arya Needle, and he seemed impressed that she still had it. I also loved her reunion with Gendry, which he called her “my lady,” and she said, “don’t call me that.” It’s a very similar exchange from when Gendry finds out who she really is back in season 2. I sure hope they get together!
Photo Credit: HBO
2. Jon rides a dragon.
Not only did the King of the North ride a dragon — hilariously, might I add — he rode the dragon named after his father, Rhaegal.
Photo Credit: HBO
3. Varys, Davos, and Tyrion think Daenerys and Jon should marry.
Guys, you’re actually late to the party, because everyone else thinks they should marry, too.
4. Theon saves Yara.
The fact that Theon saves Yara isn’t that surprising. But I didn’t expect it to happen so early in the season and without much fight. I also thought Theon would die saving her.
Photo Credit: HBO
5. Sansa hates Daenerys.
We all knew Sansa wasn’t going to love some girl coming into her home and taking over. We also knew that Sansa was going to be pissed Jon bent the knee to Daenerys, especially because it may have been out of love instead of to save the north.
Alfie Allen as Theon Greyjoy – Photo: Helen Sloan/HBO
Things you missed
1. Similarities to season 1, episode 1
Listen closely to the music playing as Jon and Daenerys, and their two armies process into Winterfell. It’s the same exact music you hear when King Robert, Cersei, and their children ride into Winterfell in the first episode of the series. Even the young boy running around Winterfell, climbing trees and weaving in and out of people to get a better look echoes Bran and Arya in that first episode.
2. Cersei is probably not pregnant
Before when she talked about her pregnancy to Jaime or Tyrion, Cersei didn’t drink any wine. But tonight, after her little romp with Euron Greyjoy, she sips her wine.
Photo Credit: HBO
3. The fate of Ed Sheeran
If you ever wondered what happened to the fate of the character played by Ed Sheeran in season 7, you got your answer… if you listened closely. His name was Eddie, and he had a beautiful voice (duh)! When Bronn was about to get it on with the three whores at the brothel, the ladies talked about the spoils of war.
"Girl 1: “That boy Eddie.” Girl 2: “The ginger?” Girl 1: “That’s him. Came back with his face burned right off. He’s got no eyelids now.” Girl 2: “How do you sleep with no eyelids?”"
So, there’s your answer. He survives but got his eyelids burned off. Yikes! Thanks to Barstool Sports for that insight.
4. Bronn’s new weapon
Qyburn asks Bronn to kill the queen’s brothers for treason (notice he said brothers – plural), and he gives him the crossbow weapon. It’s the same crossbow that was Joffrey’s present from Tywin Lannister, and the same crossbow Tyrion used to kill Tywin on his chamber pot.
5. Bran’s “old friend”
Bran tells Sam he can’t tell Jon about him being a Targaryen and all because he’s waiting for an “old friend.” Well, that “old friend” is Jaime Lannister, who arrives at Winterfell at the end of the episode. While there were a ton of memes out there for this moment (and many moments), this one has got to be my favorite.
BONUS: Did you spot the cameos?
If you blinked, you might have missed it. But It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia star Rob McElhenney and Silicone Valley star Martin Starr both played Euron Greyjoy’s sailors during the Yara rescue scene! Both actors met untimely deaths. Fun fact, McElhenney also made a cameo on another cult favorite, Lost, during season 3.
What did you think of episode 1? What do you think will happen next week?
Game of Thrones’ second episode of the season airs this Sunday on HBO at 9 p.m.