WARNING: THERE WILL BE SPOILERS!! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!
Released: 2011
Rated: TV-MA
Distributor: HBO
Cast:
Sean Bean: Lord Eddard Stark
Mark Addy: King Robert Boratheon
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau: Ser Jamie Lannister
Lena Headey: Queen Cersei Lannister
Michelle Fairley: Lady Catelyn Stark
Peter Dinklage: Tyrion Lannister
Emilia Clarke: Daenerys Targaryen
Iain Glen: Ser Jorah Mormont
Jason Momoa: Khal Drogo
Kit Harington: Jon Snow
Aidan Gillen: Lord Petyr Baelish
Jack Gleeson: Joffrey Boratheon
Sophie Turner: Sansa Stark
Maisie Williams: Arya Stark
Alfie Allen: Theon Greyjoy
About a week ago, I had announced that I was going to do a marathon of Game of Thrones. I wasn’t kidding, I planned on doing all 6 seasons. Several reasons exist for me doing this. One: Because I can. Two: Because I want to get caught up with GoT before Season 7 hits the airwaves next year. Three: I love good fantasy and great writing. Now, I had seen the first two seasons of the show before, but I thought it would be best to start at the beginning so things can stay fresh in my head while I do this.
The show opens as a group of soldiers clad in black are searching a forest for what appears to be an attack on a group of innocent people. One of these soldiers discovers a number of bodies arranged in a strange formation, but when he returns with his comrades, the bodies are gone. So, they split up when they come under attack from said bodies who had mysteriously returned to life with blue eyes. That’s how the show opens, but the story gets complicated pretty quick. The first episode of the show introduces us to several of the major factions that are part of the story. You have the Starks, who reside in Winterfell, in the north and are lead by Eddard Stark. We also have the Lannisters, who are the Wardens of the West, led by Tywin Lannister. The capital of Westeros is King’s Landing and that is home to King Robert Boratheon and his family. Further to the north at a massive wall that separates the arctic north from the rest of Westeros is The Night’s Watch, whose duty is to maintain a vigil over the wall in the event that someone or something might try to get over that wall. Across the sea, we have the remnants of the previous ruling dynasty of Westeros, the Targaryens who ally themselves with a Dothrakhi raider known as Khal Drogo.
Over the course of 10 episodes, we see the interactions between these factions and the King and his subordinates. I’m not going to delve too heavily into specifics, because there is a LOT of stuff that happens over the course of this season. We see the politics at work and it’s rarely pretty. The tone of the show has its lighter moments for sure, but it’s a very dark fantasy. There is stuff that happens in the show that are quite frankly, very shocking. At one point during one episode, one of the Stark kids climbs up a tower and sees Jamie Lannister banging his sister, Cercei. As a result, he pushes the kid out of the window. That’s not exactly something that people, including myself, were expecting. What this shows is that nobody is safe from anything, and the show is not afraid pull punches of any kind. It gets very violent at times, and very gory. This is not a show for children, so do them a favor and keep them away. It’s unpleasant at times. Nothing in this show is clear-cut or black-and-white. There’s a lot of grey areas and each faction has legitimate reasons for doing what they are doing. Nobody here is inherently good or evil, with the exception of Joffrey. That kid’s a complete sociopath.
The acting in this show is really, really good. Sean Bean plays the noble Eddard Stark of Winterfell, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau is Jamie Lannister, and Lena Headey is Cercei. They all do fantastic jobs, but I think the guy that steals the show a little bit is Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister. This is a character, who is a dwarf, but is extremely clever. This guy is a real wild card in Game of Thrones. He might be a Lannister, but he’s so much damn fun to watch. Jason Momoa is pitch-perfect as Khal Drogo, the leader of the Dothrakhi hordes. This guy is physically intimidating, and the character doesn’t shy away from brutality. In fact, he kind of revels in it. Emilia Clarke is in fine form as Daenerys Targaryen. Her character grows from being a kind of a weak character to a very strong female presence by the end of the season, and her character has a HUGE part to play in the show. In fact, most of the characters that you encounter in this show are not exactly disposable, which hits you in the gut when one of them dies. Some of the characters that you love in the show will die, and in fairly horrific fashion, I might add. Although, some of the more despicable characters definitely have a very satisfying end. One character has a pot of molten gold poured onto his head. I wasn’t kidding when I said this show gets brutal.
One of my favorite scenes which highlights some of the fantastic sword choreography in the show is when Eddard Stark goes up against Jamie Lannister outside a brothel. It’s extremely intense and while short, it’s extremely memorable. I love the way the film is shot, some of the scenery is extremely gorgeous. Whether it’s the desert domain of Khal Drogo or King’s Landing, the visuals are simply stunning. You usually only see production values like this in big-budget films. The set designs are something to behold and the costume designs are absolutely incredible. It’s very clear that a lot of planning and passion went into this.
While I’m definitely singing this season’s praises, it still has its shortcomings. Some of these a nitpicking, but they are worth mentioning. For one, there’s not a whole lot of action. For anybody expecting an action-packed season is going to be disappointed. This is the first season of Game of Thrones, so like the book it’s based on, there’s a lot of setup and exposition involved. It’s establishing the world, the politics and the characters that populate it. Also, some of the CGI is kind of suspect in certain spots, but it’s not a terrible distraction. Some people might also be turned off by some of the liberal use of sex and nudity. To be honest, that doesn’t bother me at all, but I can understand how some people might not like it. It’s not a show for everyone, but for anyone who is willing to give it a shot, they are going to find Game of Thrones to be a very gratifying and fulfilling experience. I like the fact that the good guys aren’t always going to win. It allows for a more realistic take on the fantasy genre.
Overall, the first season of Game of Thrones is a pretty bad-ass experience with some really outstanding acting, story and character elements that are sadly lacking in a lot of today’s movies. If you can stomach it, it’s definitely worth watching. With the first season done, I’ve got five more to go. This is actually turning out to be an interesting experience for me. It’s the first time I’ve done a marathon like this, and it may be the last, but it’s certainly worth the effort. I’ll be back tomorrow night with my review of Season 2, and at the end of this epic marathon, I will give my final review on the series thus far. We have at least two more seasons left in the show, so I want to get caught up before the whole thing ends.
My score for the season is an 8.5/10.