After two excruciatingly long years of waiting, winter has come.
“Game of Thrones” is back on the air, and the melodious theme music is booming off the walls of my apartment, much to my delight and likely annoyance of my neighbors.
Characters new and old are preparing for an invasion of the dead, and reunions ran amok for the season’s first episode.
So, without further ado, let’s dive in to this spoiler-filled analysis of “Game of Thrones” Season 8, Episode 1.
Sunday’s episode, “Winterfell,” subverted my expectations by providing tons of necessary — albeit lagging — exposition. Many characters reiterated plot points from previous seasons, such as Davos explaining to Tyrion, and the audience, Jon’s current role as former King in the North.
Khaleesi Hill | Argonaut
But “Winterfell” set the stage for more to come. We see countless reunions that flexed my tear ducts, from Arya and Jon embracing in the Godswood to the Hound, Gendry and Arya trading quips in the forges of Winterfell. But viewers had to wait until the final seconds for the most bone chilling reunion of all: Jaime and Bran.
Which brings us to the oddest directorial choice this season. Bran, for all his faults and missteps in previous seasons, has become a lifeless Jedi-wizard-psychic with literally zero emotion. At least Yoda had a sense of humor.
And while this may fit into his new role as the three-eyed raven, watching the only character who shares my name somberly gaze at more intriguing characters from across the courtyard for an entire hour was severely underwhelming.
Meanwhile, those other interesting characters explored seasons-long plot points in a way that sometimes felt rushed. Theon, for example, rescues his sister Yara in a matter of seconds, not at all what I expected from Seasons 7’s epic redemption story.
And Jon, the rightful king of the Seven Kingdoms (do we really need another male ruler?) learns of his heritage and birthright in an emotional but far too short reunion with Sam in the castle’s crypts.
Episode 1 left me with more answers than questions, something I’m not used to getting from this show. The tone of the season premiere felt hopeful, even joyful. Sure, an army of zombies and ice demons is murdering children on its march to our heroes, but Jon got to ride a dragon and flirt with Daenerys, so who cares?
But this isn’t my first “Thrones” rodeo. I’ve been visiting Westeros long enough to know when there’s hope, devastation, destruction and death are not far behind. So, enjoy this glimpse into happier times, “Thrones” fans.
Winter is here.
Brandon Hill can be reached at [email protected]