Game of Thrones is
back! Well, it’s nearly back and that seems like a good excuse to do some
blogging. It’s just 10 days until season 7 premieres and to celebrate I thought
I’d write 10 posts about the series so far. Undoubtedly this is a little
ambitious for someone who averages about 4 blog posts a year but nonetheless 10
posts in 10 days – let’s go!
I’ll start with my 10 favourite moments of season 1.
Season 1 of Game of
Thrones slipped completely under my radar when it premiered. It wasn’t
until I bought a blu-ray player (even in 2011 I was still living a sad life in
standard definition) and the season 1 boxset that I opened my eyes to the Song
of Ice and Fire.
I instantly bought the books, devoured them all in a few
months and have been waiting impatiently for Winds of Winter ever since.
Thrones was a very
different show back then, political intrigue and backstabbing took
centre-stage, with just a hint of fantasy lurking around the edges. There was
so much talking and so little action that “sexpostion”
became a thing and straight men everywhere rejoiced because FINALLY, the male
gaze was being catered to.
But before I get too distracted by things I don’t like about Game of Thrones, here are the top 10
things I loved about its first season:
10. Syrio Forel shows
us what the First Sword of Bravos can do
Syrio’s introduction helped flesh out Arya Stark as a
character, teaching her the skills and philosophy she’d need to survive in a
world full of bigger, badder characters. He also provides us with a delightful
hint at what exists beyond the realms of the Seven Kingdoms.
In the past, we’d only seen a glimpse of his exotic
water-dancing as he sparred with Arya, but his fluid and unpredictable style of
fighting is shown off to its fullest here. And so is Syrio’s bravery, as he
steps between Arya and 5 heavily armoured Lannister guards with nothing but a
wooden sword.
Eventually though steel is always going to triumph over
wood, but it’s important to note that we never actually see Syrio die
#bringbacksyrio
9. Littlefinger turns
on Ned
Early in the show Littlefinger straddles the line between
malevolent and benevolent, helping Eddard Stark whilst still acting somewhat
sinister - he even warns Ned not to trust him. This is the moment that cemented
him as a bonafide baddie.
With King Robert dead, his potential allies fleeing from the
capital and Littlefinger urging Ned to make peace with the Lannisters, the patriarch
of House Stark still refuses to shy away from doing the honourable thing. After
confronting Cersei Lannister and proclaiming the newly crowned King Joffrey as
illegitimate, things look set for a major throwdown between the lion and the
wolf.
That is until Littlefinger reveals his true self. The city’s
police turn on Ned and before he knows what’s happening there’s a dagger
pressed to his neck, as Littlefinger reminds him, “I did tell you not to trust
me!”
Not the first betrayal in Game of Thrones, not the last, but one of the most memorable.
8. Direwolves south
of the Wall
I love a bit of symbolism and this scene heaps it on, to the
point that originally I missed one of the biggest pieces of foreshadowing in
the show. It’s helped onto the list by cute puppies.
As Jon points out, the direwolf pups represent the Stark
children, with each wolf taking on the personality of its owner - Lady is
refined like Sansa, Shaggy Dog is wild like Rickon and Ghost is the odd one out
like Jon Snow. And the wolves go on to have major roles in the goings on in
Westeros.
The symbolism that I missed first time around is also pretty
blatant, the direwolf and stag which have killed each other are the sigils of
Houses Stark and Baratheon respectively. This foreshadows how Ned Stark and his
best-friend Robert Baratheon each have a hand in each other’s death – no matter
how unintentional that might have been.
7. Maester Aemon reveals
his identity
There are some inspired casting decisions in Game of Thrones, but Peter Vaughan’s
breath-taking performance as Aemon Targaryen means he steals every scene he’s
in. His delivery here seamlessly slides from a tremble of anger to the echoes
of guilt within seconds and his final words are heart-breaking.
On top of the superb acting there’s the huge reveal that
Daenerys isn’t all alone in the world after all, whilst there’s very little
payoff in the end, this moment is still one of the most memorable. It also
marked the beginning of the end of Jon Snow’s “nobody understands me” phase.
Thank the Seven!
6. Jon Snow kills a
White Walker
Sure, there are better scenes in which the Bastard of
Winterfell take on White Walkers, but this is the only time in the first two
seasons that we actually see anybody kill a Walker.
Shot in more classic horror style than previously used, we
first see how indestructible the mysterious Walkers are, with Jon’s sword
proving utterly ineffective. It goes on to confirm that fire can kill a walker, leaving us wondering
what else we’ve heard about them is true. I’m still waiting for giant ice
spiders #wherearemygianticespiders
It not only shows Jon’s bravery and resourcefulness in the
face of danger, but we get to see Ghost’s ability to sniff out trouble and the
seemingly supernatural link between the pair.
5. King in the North!
The divide between the North and the South of Westeros has
never been clearer, unlike every other claimant to the throne Robb doesn’t
proclaim himself king, it’s his people that lift him up to that position.
And look at his face, he’s not exactly excited about it and
neither is Catelyn, they both know how dangerous being a king can be. It also reinforces
the similarity between Robb and his now headless father, rather than bowing to Renly
or Joffrey he only has eyes for the right and honourable course of action.
4. Crown for King
There were many Khal Drogo moments that were contenders for this
list. For example, his ridiculously epic speech about conquering Westeros and
that time he ripped a
man’s tongue out through his throat.
So why does this one make the list?
Well firstly it’s just a horrifying death. That shriek as
Viserys’ head is engulfed with molten gold, the sharp silence that follows and
the metallic thunk as he hits the floor. You can’t argue that Drogo didn’t
deliver “a crown that men will tremble to behold”.
Secondly, Viserys Targaryen was the first big death in Game of Thrones that came with a
king-sized, or khal-sized, dose of karma. He was such a shit that you were begging
for him to get his comeuppance ever since he uttered the line, “I would let his
whole tribe fuck you - all forty thousand men - and their horses too if that's
what it took.”
And finally, it was the moment that Daenerys became heir to
the Targaryen dynasty and moved her front and centre of the actual game of
thrones.
3. Dragons!
Do I really need to explain this? What a way to end the
first series after teasing us with tales of dragons for ten episodes.
2. Ned Stark loses
his head
After providing the focal point for much of the first
season, this was the moment that hammered home the point that in Game of Thrones anybody could be killed.
And cemented Joffrey as everybody’s most hated character.
For the first time we saw Ned forego his honour to protect
his family and he looks physically pained as he spits out his “confession”. Joffrey’s
decision to sentence Ned to death is the moment that started the War of Five
Kings and the chaos of Varys, Cersei and Sansa clamouring for Joffrey to change
his mind, foreshadows the chaos that will soon engulf Westeros.
There’s an eerie peacefulness to the scene as Ned seems to
accept his death and everything falls silent, except the sound of his own sword Ice cutting through the air.
1. Welcome to
Westeros
My favourite moment of Game
of Thrones season one also happens to be its first, as a trio of rangers
from the Night’s Watch investigate a wildling camp. Only to be confronted by the
mystical White Walkers.
This scene has everything I love about Thrones and each aspect of it is spot on. There’s the heavy air of
mystery, it’s unique aesthetics that looks like nothing else on television, the
perfect use of sound (seriously, the glass harmonica perfectly communicates the
feeling of cold) and the sheer awe-inspiring creepiness of the scene.
It’s TV at its best, giving you just enough to know that you
need to see more.
I think I spent less time writing this, than I did trying to
narrow the list down to just ten moments. If I’ve managed to miss out your
favourite moments of Game of Thrones’
first season let me know why they deserved to make this list!
Tomorrow I tackle my favourite moments of season 2.
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