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!”
SULLIED – Book- readers
Alyssa Rosenberg, Washington Post
Sean T. Collins, Rolling Stone
James Hibberd, Entertainment Weekly
Neil Miller, Film School Rejects
UNSULLIED – non-ASOIAF-readers
Laura Stone, Hey, Don’t Judge Me
Libby Hill, Salon (Technically not Unsullied, but notes she will keep all recaps free of book material)
Thank you for reading! Which critics were on the mark and which completely missed it? Feel free to leave suggestions for reviewers and recappers in the comments! Check back in a couple days for the first of our video recap roundups this season.
Let’s break it down.
1. Sophie has said Sansa undergoes “a lot of hardships” this year.
2. Sophie has said it’s Sansa’s “hardest” year ever. Bear in mind that in previous years she’s been beaten, threatened with rape, threatened with murder, and tormented by insane people.
3. On top of these other “hardships,” Sophie in particular mentioned one “super traumatic” scene that was supposedly difficult for the crew members to watch.
4. When asked to summarize the season in one word, Sophie said “cruel.”
5. Sophie said it’s “definitely a dark season” for Sansa this year, and she becomes a “prisoner” again.
6. EW has said that Ramsay acquires a “new plaything.”
7. Michael McElhatton has said that it gets “very ugly”: “We do some terrible things to some lovely people.”
8. Michael McElhatton has alluded to a wedding in his storyline.
9. Iwan Rheon has said that there was “a real moment this year” with some particularly sick, depraved stuff he had to psych himself up to play, but he mentioned that the finger scene with Theon didn’t bother him, as it was so “technical” (with the fake gore).
10. David Benioff warned that Sansa and Arya’s newfound confidence won’t necessarily lead them to “bright, sunshiny places.”
11. Alfie says there’s something that happens about halfway through this season that is really going to make huge waves, and people aren’t going to be happy about it, it’s hard to watch, I bear witness to this thing, and it’s crazy, sort of having to portray how messed up everyone’s situation is through my own reactions to what happens, get ready for it.
I don’t think Sophie will have to film a rape scene, but I have no doubt that it will be clear that Sansa is raped. The traumatic scene could be the lead-up to the “cut to black” moment, similar to the equivalent wedding night scene in the books (sans nudity), or it could be something else.
The rating numbers are out, seems like 7.9m viewers for the first episode, despite the leak. Not bad 🙂
Roey Wullman,
yep ,it’s a series high ratings for episode 1 ,almost 8 million watchers (7,997 m) ! that is up 20% compared to episode 1 of the 4th season ; well done GoT
x,
Oh jeebus, I hope Ramsey doesn’t have Reek get her “ready” for him.
I am sure I saw a pic of Sophie, Iwan, and Michael taken at a concert or something during filming time. They seemed awfully cozy; I guess that is how actors get through those tough scenes.
Does anyone remember that pic? I am almost certain I saw it here, but can’t find it.
First of all, fucking spoilers, second of all, wrong post, and third of all, ZZZzzzz….
I really liked the Verge’s recap, which isn’t on this list. They’re also doing a fun feature called “Game of GoT”, basically fantasy football but with GoT characters. They put up the points guide, so I’m about to do a character draft with my book club 🙂
Roey Wullman,
That is very impressive.
http://variety.com/2015/tv/news/game-of-thrones-ratings-hbo-show-returns-with-series-high-1201471361/ article about the bump in ratings
x,
I miss having free time to read all of these. Or most. Or some.
Im shocked by how few people know what shrouds are….
So many completely missed that part that Cersei’s children will be burried in golden shrouds. Thats integral to why she acts the way she does and why shes so protective. Andy Greenwald, who is usually the best and most observant, seems to have completely missed that.
Thanks for doing the roundup Bex. My favorite is Laura Stone, who still manages to out-fangirl the competition without having read a word of the books.
I notice the Unsullied list shrinks every year, those were always the ones I look forward to. I’ve only seen the first episode this season, but I hope the show starts blowing some minds again soon, those are my favorite recaps to read from the people who didn’t expect it.
This nightmare just occured to me…
AngryGoTFan, get a life , yara greyjoy looking like a deli clerk was funny but why watch it if it sucks so bad , the dragons couldn’t of picked up a few words in English . My dog knows a few words in Spanish . Get a life
Grand maester giz,
All she said was easy
HelloThere,
Andy Greenwald is Unsullied. I expect the “shroud” part of the prophecy went by him…
…and I don’t mind AT ALL because of THIS from him about Episode 1 of Season 5:
HelloThere,
It’s a perfect example of why I don’t get as agitated as some of my fellow book readers when Benioff and Weiss dumb it down. Fact is a significant amount of this story goes right over people’s head in my opinion. At least with my sample size of non book readers.
Natalie Bochenski is loving the sexy manflesh on display at the Sydney Morning Herald!
http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/game-of-thrones-season-5-episode-1-recap-death-and-boobs-just-how-we-like-it-20150413-1mjzd2.html
(unsullied)
Beacon,
That is better than she being raped.
good thing his article does not have a comment section, because I bet a multitude of “well-meaning” viewers will try to tell him about the shrouds or other things he has missed.
Hey everyone,
Just wanted to drop by and show you something. Recently I started blogging about a number of things, but GoT is one of them. Here’s a link to my take on Sunday’s episode. I don’t have many comments yet so I’d love to get some feedback. Thanks!
It might just be me, but i was SO happy that hbo go decided to include the recaps of episodes at the beginning.
Darkstar,
Seven hells! An blatant reference to a leaked episode spoiler untaged in the third comment in the thread.
You sir,
Darktroll,
Are no gentleman.
Also, that confirms another thing I suspected would happen, no more comments for me then.
I croaked. I watched them. I’ll not spoil anything. I just have one thing to say: Episode one was really, really good. And it was the worst of the season. So far it goes 1-2-3-4. Every episode has gotten better.
It’s been said before, and by myself, and I’ll say it again, having just watched it again – the scenes at the end with Mance were fantastic. They’re some of the best the show has ever done, they’re easily Ciaran Hinds’s best work on the show, they’re up there with the best of what Kit did on the show, and they elevate this premiere beyond, say, the season 2 or 3 openers, both of which were very good.
Nell Williams not only reminded me of Headey’s Cersei but also Jack Gleeson’s Joffrey (especially the way young Cersei states “You’re boring” to Maggy and how she’ll have Maggy’s eyes gouged out, sounds just like him). Now we know where Joffrey’s personality came from and why he was Cersei’s favorite child. Nell did a really good job in such a brief scene.
x,
Regarding your predictions about
HelloThere,
I expect you also know that shrouds are also part of a sailing ship’s rigging. I don’t know if people read her books much now but a writer of thrillers, Ngaio Marsh, from roughly the same time as Agatha Christie wrote a book called “Singing in the Shrouds” playing on the two meanings of the word. Trivial fact – there is an audio version of the book read by Anton Lessor (Qyburn). I keep hoping (probably won’t come true because many of the characters I liked in GoT have died; still miss you Red Viper) that
Dame of Mercia,
Interesting – using that definition, maybe it means
Maester_Blaster,
You, Ser, are incorrect. I have not and will not watch the leaked episodes until they air proper, nor have I read any spoilers from them. I was only speculating based upon the first comment.
And Ser, wrong again, I am no gentleman, but a gentlewoman.
Gilly’s child had been seen for the first time in S3E3, in the first episode of the fifth season he seems to be the same size as he was in S3E3. Newborn baby forever? Or time at the Wall is running slower than in other parts of Westeros ‘n Essos?