Being first published in 1996, A Song of Ice and Fire is what this
series with numerous awards winning title Game
of Thrones is based on. Back in 2011, writer George R. R. Martin is aboard
with David Benioff and D. B. Weiss to adapt it into the fantastic HBO mega-hit
with raves we all heard again and again it’s impossible to not start watching
it already.
The first season, of all
things, is special since it injects us with all the ideas that should hooked
you up with the series already. That being said, all the events are equally
important and impossible to leave out. This review is, fortunately and miraculously spoiler free so rest assured!
There is the opening sequence we remember all too well in a
frosty woods where people are dying of a mysterious eerie zombie-like creature.
We are about to keep it in our mind for a while, as that not too far away,
House Stark of Winterfell is welcoming King Robert Baratheon (Mark Addy)’s arrival
from The King’s Landing. Robert is there especially to ask his bestfriend Ned
Stark (Sean Bean) into fulfilling the king's hand vacant position following the
former hand, Jon Arryn’s, sudden death. Whilst reluctant, Ned obeys as a letter
from his sister-in-law, Jon's wife, reveals her suspicion over The Queen's
family. The King’s strong kinship with the infamously righteous
Stark is obviously not in The Queen Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey)’s favor,
being also present alongside her twin Jaime and dwarf-brother Tyrion together with
a nasty secrets about to be revolved.
With Ned leaving with both of his daughters, Sansa (Sophie
Turner) and Arya (Maisie Williams), he leaves the north in the hand of his wife Catelyn (Michelle Fairley) and his eldest son Robb (Richard Madden). Their main
concerns, is a terrible accident that happens to Robb's younger brother
Brandon (Isaac Hempstead Wright), one Catelyn believes to be no accident at all. That, is going
altogether with Ned's bastard son Jon Snow (Kit Harrington) enlisting himself
to be a swore member of Night's Watch in the northenmost part of Westerous,
which led us to the legend of The White Walker.
Meanwhile, the last heirs of Mad King, brother-sister
Viserys (Harry Llyod) and Daenerys Targaryean (Emilia Clark) are seeking back
up in faraway land to take back what was once belonged to their great family.
For manipulative Viserys, that means everything, including force-marry her sister to a
strong leader of the Dothraki warrior tribe, Khal Drogo (Jason Momoa).
Season one is all about the prologue to a much bigger story
waiting to be unleashed. In this very season we learn the foundation of all
conflicts in the new world we are absorbed into. It serves as a great
introduction, and especially major distinctive between Game of Thrones and all
the other series with similar theme. There
are a lot of names and not ones that are easy to remember, something that put
off a lot of people I know, but each of them in the first season are essential
to the main plot we are watching right now so there are basically no other way
to present them. I personally think that it is easier because they are
interesting to watch, each of the characters with their layers underneath the
skin—Game of Thrones is exceptional at that, and people who don't watch are clearly missing out.
The other thing about Game of Thrones is that it tries to be
real in terms of wars and politics and the reality we live in. It involves
brutal deaths and explicit sex scenes. Nobody is miraculously safe being the
good guy and you have to basically trust no one—the very motto they used to
emotionally traumatize us again and again. If you are finished watching season
one, you’d understand what I mean, and that, is not getting better so make
yourself all prepared for ever more trauma. Don’t, just don’t, get attached too
much with anyone in Game of Thrones.
x, Michelle
-->
