Here is the number we have all been waiting for! Except for those cheeseboying over White Rat instead, naturally. The first hour of Game of Thrones season five was seen by 7,997,000 people. That rounds up to 8 million, but the show has not made the eight just yet. Another 0.7 million saw the 11 PM repeat, for a night total of 8.7 million. The Nielsen demographic rating itself also set a record with 4.2 (for what it is worth).
Hello and welcome to the first written recap round-up of the season, in which we compile recaps and reviews of Game of Thrones episodes from select critics.
The reviews are divided loosely between Unsullied and Sullied writers to make navigating easier for the ASOIAF-reading viewers and those who abstain from the books.
Don’t forget to check out our own Sullied and Unsullied reviews for “The Wars to Come!”
Episode 267 – The Wars to Come
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Season 5 is here. A storm of attending audience leads us into this first slice at the new season, and the heavy dramatics of “The Wars to Come”.
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The season premiere of Game of Thrones finally arrived last night, bringing with it prophecies, darkness, and a painful end for one notable character. The morning after, we have several interviews and videos examining “The Wars to Come,” its new tricks (that flashback!) and the choices that led to one character’s death.
In Entertainment Weekly, George R.R. Martin talks about the Maggy the Frog-Young Cersei scene (which David Benioff says is “not technically a ‘flashback’ because it opens the episode rather than breaking from a previously established setting to flash back to an earlier time.” Thanks, Benioff. I’m calling it a flashback).
“Prophecy is a staple element in fantasy, but it’s tricky,” Martin says to EW. “You want to play with the notion of prophecies coming true but in an unexpected way. You want to be unpredictable about it. Shakespeare is the ultimate example of that—when the forest of Birnam Wood coming to Dunsinane Castle, MacBeth will fall. Everybody laughs—how can the forest come to the castle. [Malcolm] came camouflaged with branches and so on. Also, during the War of the Roses, one of the lords was prophesized that he would die at a certain castle. So he always took pains to avoid that castle. But then in the first The Battle of St Albans, he was wounded and died outside a pub that had that castle on its pub sign. You have to look at prophecies carefully and look at the weasel-wording. Maggy the Frog tells Cersei a prophecy, but could Cersei make it happen through her efforts to avoid it?”
MAJOR SPOILER comments below the cut!
Spoiler note: The discussion in this post is primarily for non-book readers (book fans can discuss the show-only here). We ask that all Sullied book-readers refrain from posting spoilers in the comments here, veiled or otherwise. This show is best viewed without knowing all the surprises beforehand or afterwards, so please be respectful of your fellow fans. Thank you!
Remember when the countdown clock said something like 90 days+?
The waiting remains the hardest part. And now my friends, our time is served. Episode 501 is in the books and the new faces in new places are about to take us on what looks to be an entirely different direction.
Pentos. The Flayed Man at the fire extinguished Winterfell. Saddle up, kiddos. There’s a new Game in town…
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Tonight’s episode of Game of Thrones started off with prophecy and ended in flames, making the season premiere unpredictable even for an ASOIAF fan!
Read our book reader’s recap shortly to see what we thought of the episode, and stop in to share your opinions on “The Wars to Come” in the comments section below!
Spoiler Note: This post is for those who have read the A Song of Ice and Fire series. The post and the comments section will contain spoilers! If you haven’t read the books yet, please check out our non-book-reader recap. Thanks!
It’s been a long nine months but tonight, Game of Thrones returns and it just might be better than ever. That call will be yours to make tonight when you finally clap your eyes on the season premiere, “The Wars to Come.” Talk amongst yourselves for the next few hours, and as soon as the episode ends, I’ll share my thoughts and recap the episode for the book-readers and spoiler hounds. A separate post for Unsullied viewers who prefer no spoilers will go up at 10PM.
Until then – the Wall is yours.
*Special Note After the Cut*
Last night’s episode of Saturday Night Live brought one more brilliantly funny Game of Thrones parody before tonight’s season premiere- “John Singleton’s Game of Thrones.” The sketch features Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Empire star Taraji P. Henson, as well as the cast of SNL warring in South Centros. The Boyz n the Hood shout-outs are classic.
Check it out:
Well, well, well. It’s in-season Looking Forward time which means that a new episode of everyone’s favorite family drama is but a few short hours away.
But before we commence with the pleasantries, we must do what all houses do prior to becoming a home. Most good houses demand structure, and all new homes require a proper housewarming…
TV shows and websites are bringing out their best Game of Thrones humor lately. In addition to the hilarious Key & Peele and Kit Harington sketches, Team Coco’s Lil Thrones, and Sesame Street parodies we’ve already shared, here’s more of the comedy and clever recaps generated by premiere week.
“Dumb Ways to Die” – the Game of Thrones Edition! Hilarious cartoon rendition of GoT deaths set to music.
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