Winter Is Coming
Encyclopedia
"Winter Is Coming" is the first episode of the HBO medieval fantasy
television series Game of Thrones
. Running 63 mins long, it premiered April 17, 2011.
It was written by the show creators David Benioff
and D. B. Weiss
, in a faithful adaptation of the first chapters of George R. R. Martin
's book of the same name
. The episode was directed by Tim Van Patten
, paving over the work done by director Thomas McCarthy
in an unaired pilot.
As the first episode of the series, it introduces the setting and the main characters of the show. The episode centers on the Stark family, and how its lord gets involved in the court politics after the king chooses him to replace his recently deceased Hand.
After the opening sequence, the Starks of Winterfell are introduced which includes Lord Eddard "Ned" Stark (Sean Bean
), his wife, Lady Catelyn Stark (Michelle Fairley
) and their six children, the heir Robb Stark (Richard Madden
), Ned's illegitimate son Jon Snow (Kit Harington
), the eldest daughter Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner
), the youngest daughter Arya Stark (Maisie Williams
), ten-year-old Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead-Wright
) and the youngest son, Rickon Stark (Art Parkinson). Ned is informed that a deserter of the Night's Watch, the young ranger from the prologue, has been captured. Members of the Night's Watch are sworn never to desert their posts, upon penalty of death. Ned takes his sons Robb, Jon and Bran to follow his entourage to witness the execution of the ranger and beheads the ranger himself. When Bran questions his father about the ranger's talk of White Walkers, Ned dismisses it as a madman's ravings, insisting that the Walkers have been considered extinct for centuries. Upon their return, the Starks find the pups of a dead direwolf. Given that the direwolf is the sigil of the family and there are as many pups as the Stark children (even an albino runt for Jon), they take the pups with them.
Back at Winterfell, Catelyn informs her husband that a raven has come bearing a letter that announces the death of Jon Arryn, The Hand of the King and Eddard's old mentor. The message also reports that the king himself is coming to Winterfell.
Winterfell receives the royal court which includes King Robert Baratheon (Mark Addy
), his wife Queen Cersei (Lena Headey
), their three children; the heir Prince Joffrey (Jack Gleeson), Princess Myrcella (Aimee Richardson) and the youngest Prince Tommen (Callum Wharry), and Robert's brothers-in-law, Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), Cersei's twin brother and member of the Kingsguard and their younger brother, Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage
), a dwarf infamously known as "The Imp". As Robert pays his respects to Lyanna Stark, his late fiancée and Ned's sister, Robert confides to his old friend Ned that he doesn't trust anyone around him. He decides to name Ned as the new Hand of the King, and to solidify the alliance between the two families, he suggests that Ned's daughter, Sansa be betrothed to his son, Joffrey.
At night, Catelyn receives a troubling message from her sister, Lord Arryn's widow. She suspects her husband Jon was murdered by the king's family-in-law, the powerful Lannisters. Ned, who at first was reluctant to accept the position of Hand of the King, finally does so in order to protect his old friend.
On an abandoned section of Winterfell, young Bran enjoys climbing on the walls where he stumbles on Queen Cersei having sex with her brother Jaime. In order to keep the incestuous relationship a secret, Jaime shoves the boy out of the high window.
) plots to overthrow King Robert and reclaim his father's throne. To this end, he brokers a marriage between his sister Daenerys (Emilia Clarke
) and the powerful horselord Khal Drogo (Jason Momoa
) in exchange for the Khal's army.
Daenerys voices her fear of the barbarian lord, but her brother forces her to marry him against her will. During the wedding ceremony, Daenerys is given two particular wedding gifts. The first gifts are books from the Seven Kingdoms by Ser Jorah Mormont, an exiled knight who swears his fealty to the Targaryens. The second gifts are three dragon eggs by Magister Illyrio Mopatis, the man who helped arrange the marriage between her and Khal Drogo. After the ceremony, Drogo removes Daenerys' clothing as she cries. He then pushes her to the ground and the scene ends.
Director Tom McCarthy was chosen to direct the pilot episode, that was shot between 24 October and 19 November 2009 on location in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Morocco. On September 2010 it was announced HBO's decision to greenlight the series. However, due to artistic and casting reasons, it was decided that the pilot would not serve as the first episode and a reshoot was in order.
The actors appearing in the original pilot that did not return for the series were:
Another difference is that the pilot featured scenes shot in Scotland (where Doune Castle was used to recreate Winterfell) and Morocco (reusing the sets of Kingdom of Heaven to stand in for Pentos). In the series, Winterfell was created combining different locations in Northern Ireland and all the scenes from Pentos were relocated to Malta
.
The pilot remained unaired and the first episode was filmed by new director Tim Van Patten, although some scenes from the original pilot were used in the final cut.
's chapters 1-7, 9 and 12 (Prologue, Bran I, Catelyn I, Daenerys I, Eddard I, Jon I, Catelyn II, Bran II, Daenerys II).
The main changes in the adaptation to the screen are the modification of the sequence of events in the prologue (most significantly, in the books it is Gared and not Will who survives and is beheaded by Eddard afterwards), the introduction of the Lannisters twins as independent point-of-view with new scenes created to show their perspective, and the modification of Daenerys' wedding night with Drogo having sex without waiting for her consent. The creators stated that this last change was made to simplify the narrative arc, having the situation improve gradually.
On April 18, 2011, the show premiered in United Kingdom and Ireland through Sky Atlantic
. The show gathered 750,000 viewers, a ratings record for the network.
considered it an "epic win", and Jace Lacob from The Daily Beast
deemed it "unforgettable". HitFix
's Alan Sepinwall wrote that while it was too early to say if Game of Thrones belonged to the HBO pantheon with shows like The Sopranos
or The Wire
, it has many things in common with those shows. IGN's Matt Fowler wrote that the pilot "effortlessly takes us along, faithfully, through the book, but it also manages to capture the majestically morbid spirit of Martin's pages and turn them into thrilling television."
Much praise was given to the production values and the acting: Scott Meslow from The Atlantic states that "the show's immense cast is almost universally strong, and the fantasy land of Westeros feels lived-in, and looks terrific." Alan Sepinwall also qualifies the casting as "really exceptional", and states that the show is "feast for the eyes", with all the different locations having their own memorable looks.
The opening sequence, with an aerial view of the world where the series takes place with the different settings emerging from it, was also acclaimed.
Medieval fantasy
Medieval fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy that encompasses medieval era high fantasy and sometimes simply represents fictitious versions of historic events. This subgenre is common among role-playing games, text-based roleplaying, and high-fantasy literature....
television series Game of Thrones
Game of Thrones (TV series)
Game of Thrones is an American medieval fantasy television series created for HBO by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss. Based on author George R. R. Martin's best-selling A Song of Ice and Fire series of fantasy novels, the first of which is called A Game of Thrones, the television series debuted in...
. Running 63 mins long, it premiered April 17, 2011.
It was written by the show creators David Benioff
David Benioff
-Early life:Born David Friedman in New York City, he changed his name to David Benioff, his mother's maiden name. He is the youngest of three children....
and D. B. Weiss
D. B. Weiss
Daniel B. Weiss is an American author. His debut novel Lucky Wander Boy was themed around video games and has since been linked with the screen adaptations of various science-fiction and fantasy stories...
, in a faithful adaptation of the first chapters of George R. R. Martin
George R. R. Martin
George Raymond Richard Martin , sometimes referred to as GRRM, is an American author and screenwriter of fantasy, horror, and science fiction. He is best known for A Song of Ice and Fire, his bestselling series of epic fantasy novels that HBO adapted for their dramatic pay-cable series Game of...
's book of the same name
A Game of Thrones
A Game of Thrones is the first book in A Song of Ice and Fire, a series of epic fantasy novels by American author George R. R. Martin. It was first published on 6 August 1996. The novel won the 1997 Locus Award, and was nominated for both the 1998 Nebula Award and the 1997 World Fantasy Award...
. The episode was directed by Tim Van Patten
Tim Van Patten
Tim Van Patten is an American television director, actor, screenwriter, and producer. As a director, Van Patten has directed episodes of The Sopranos, The Wire, Deadwood, Boardwalk Empire, Rome, The Pacific, Game of Thrones, Ed, and Sex and the City. Van Patten is perhaps best known for portraying...
, paving over the work done by director Thomas McCarthy
Thomas McCarthy (actor)
Thomas Joseph McCarthy is an American actor, writer, and film director who has appeared in several movies, including Meet the Parents and Good Night, and Good Luck, and television shows such as The Wire, Boston Public, Law & Order, and the Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation of Saint Maybe...
in an unaired pilot.
As the first episode of the series, it introduces the setting and the main characters of the show. The episode centers on the Stark family, and how its lord gets involved in the court politics after the king chooses him to replace his recently deceased Hand.
In the North
The episode opens with three rangers of the Night's Watch scouting beyond the Wall, following the track of a group of wildlings. After finding their mutilated corpses, they are surprised by the White Walkers, ancient and deadly creatures long thought to be myth, along with the wildlings, reanimated as wights to serve the Walkers. Two of them are killed, while the youngest is able to flee, seemingly at the will of the White Walkers.After the opening sequence, the Starks of Winterfell are introduced which includes Lord Eddard "Ned" Stark (Sean Bean
Sean Bean
Shaun Mark "Sean" Bean is an English film and stage actor. Bean is best known for playing Boromir in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and, previously, British Colonel Richard Sharpe in the ITV television series Sharpe...
), his wife, Lady Catelyn Stark (Michelle Fairley
Michelle Fairley
Michelle Fairley is an Northern Irish actress of film, stage and television.-Life and career:Born in Coleraine, Northern Ireland to well known publicans Teresa and Brian Fairley, she grew up in Ballycastle, Northern Ireland she appeared in a range of British television shows including The Bill,...
) and their six children, the heir Robb Stark (Richard Madden
Richard Madden
Richard Madden is a Scottish stage, film, and television actor, known for his work in theatre and for his roles in both film and television.- Background :...
), Ned's illegitimate son Jon Snow (Kit Harington
Kit Harington
Christopher "Kit" Harington is an English film, television and theatre actor.-Early life and education:Harington attended Southfield Primary School between 1992 and 1998. Harington then went on to attend the Chantry High School, in Martley between 1998 and 2003...
), the eldest daughter Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner
Sophie Turner (actress)
Sophie Turner is a British child actress.For her first role in front of the camera, Turner currently stars as Sansa Stark, the eldest daughter of House Stark in the 2011 HBO fantasy TV series Game of Thrones. The natural blonde actress dyes her hair red for the role, which she says lets her avoid...
), the youngest daughter Arya Stark (Maisie Williams
Maisie Williams
Maisie Williams is a British child actress.Her first and so far only role is that of Arya Stark, a tomboyish young girl from a noble family, in the 2011 HBO fantasy TV series Game of Thrones. Williams received acclaim for her performance in the supporting role, with Zap2it calling her...
), ten-year-old Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead-Wright
Isaac Hempstead-Wright
Isaac Hempstead-Wright is an English child actor. He is known for his role as Bran Stark in the HBO series Game of Thrones.- Filmography :- External links :...
) and the youngest son, Rickon Stark (Art Parkinson). Ned is informed that a deserter of the Night's Watch, the young ranger from the prologue, has been captured. Members of the Night's Watch are sworn never to desert their posts, upon penalty of death. Ned takes his sons Robb, Jon and Bran to follow his entourage to witness the execution of the ranger and beheads the ranger himself. When Bran questions his father about the ranger's talk of White Walkers, Ned dismisses it as a madman's ravings, insisting that the Walkers have been considered extinct for centuries. Upon their return, the Starks find the pups of a dead direwolf. Given that the direwolf is the sigil of the family and there are as many pups as the Stark children (even an albino runt for Jon), they take the pups with them.
Back at Winterfell, Catelyn informs her husband that a raven has come bearing a letter that announces the death of Jon Arryn, The Hand of the King and Eddard's old mentor. The message also reports that the king himself is coming to Winterfell.
Winterfell receives the royal court which includes King Robert Baratheon (Mark Addy
Mark Addy
Mark Addy Johnson is an English actor, best known for his roles as Detective Constable Gary Boyle in the UK sitcom The Thin Blue Line, Dave in the British film The Full Monty, father Bill Miller in the U.S...
), his wife Queen Cersei (Lena Headey
Lena Headey
Lena Headey is an English actress. Headey's performance in a one-off show when she was 17 caught the attention of a casting agent, who took a photo and asked her to audition and eventually she got a supporting role alongside Jeremy Irons and Ethan Hawke in the 1992 British drama film Waterland and...
), their three children; the heir Prince Joffrey (Jack Gleeson), Princess Myrcella (Aimee Richardson) and the youngest Prince Tommen (Callum Wharry), and Robert's brothers-in-law, Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), Cersei's twin brother and member of the Kingsguard and their younger brother, Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage
Peter Dinklage
Peter Dinklage is an American film, television and theater actor. Since his breakout role in the 2003 film The Station Agent, he has acted in Elf, Underdog, Find Me Guilty, the 2007 film Death at a Funeral and its 2010 remake, and The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian...
), a dwarf infamously known as "The Imp". As Robert pays his respects to Lyanna Stark, his late fiancée and Ned's sister, Robert confides to his old friend Ned that he doesn't trust anyone around him. He decides to name Ned as the new Hand of the King, and to solidify the alliance between the two families, he suggests that Ned's daughter, Sansa be betrothed to his son, Joffrey.
At night, Catelyn receives a troubling message from her sister, Lord Arryn's widow. She suspects her husband Jon was murdered by the king's family-in-law, the powerful Lannisters. Ned, who at first was reluctant to accept the position of Hand of the King, finally does so in order to protect his old friend.
On an abandoned section of Winterfell, young Bran enjoys climbing on the walls where he stumbles on Queen Cersei having sex with her brother Jaime. In order to keep the incestuous relationship a secret, Jaime shoves the boy out of the high window.
Across the Narrow Sea
The exiled prince Viserys Targaryen (Harry LloydHarry Lloyd
Harry Lloyd is an English actor. He played Will Scarlet in the first two seasons of the BBC drama Robin Hood which began in 2006...
) plots to overthrow King Robert and reclaim his father's throne. To this end, he brokers a marriage between his sister Daenerys (Emilia Clarke
Emilia Clarke
Emilia Clarke is an English actress best known for the role of Daenerys Targaryen in the HBO medieval-fantasy series Game of Thrones.-Biography:...
) and the powerful horselord Khal Drogo (Jason Momoa
Jason Momoa
Jason Momoa is an American actor and model.He is known for his role as Ronon Dex on military science fiction television series Stargate: Atlantis . Most recently, he became recognized for his role as the title character in the sword and sorcery film Conan the Barbarian...
) in exchange for the Khal's army.
Daenerys voices her fear of the barbarian lord, but her brother forces her to marry him against her will. During the wedding ceremony, Daenerys is given two particular wedding gifts. The first gifts are books from the Seven Kingdoms by Ser Jorah Mormont, an exiled knight who swears his fealty to the Targaryens. The second gifts are three dragon eggs by Magister Illyrio Mopatis, the man who helped arrange the marriage between her and Khal Drogo. After the ceremony, Drogo removes Daenerys' clothing as she cries. He then pushes her to the ground and the scene ends.
The original pilot
The series began development in January 2007. HBO, after acquiring the rights to the novels with the intent of turning them into an international cable television series, hired David Benioff and D. B. Weiss to write and executive produce the series, which would cover one novel's worth of material per season. The first and second drafts of the pilot script, written by Benioff and Weiss, were submitted in August 2007 and June 2008 respectively. While HBO found both drafts to their liking, a pilot was not ordered until November 2008.Director Tom McCarthy was chosen to direct the pilot episode, that was shot between 24 October and 19 November 2009 on location in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Morocco. On September 2010 it was announced HBO's decision to greenlight the series. However, due to artistic and casting reasons, it was decided that the pilot would not serve as the first episode and a reshoot was in order.
The actors appearing in the original pilot that did not return for the series were:
- Tamzin MerchantTamzin MerchantTamzin Merchant is an English actress. She is known for her role as Georgiana Darcy in Pride & Prejudice and for her role as the ill-fated Queen Catherine Howard in The Tudors.-Career:...
was recast as Daenerys Targaryen by Emilia ClarkeEmilia ClarkeEmilia Clarke is an English actress best known for the role of Daenerys Targaryen in the HBO medieval-fantasy series Game of Thrones.-Biography:...
. - Jennifer EhleJennifer EhleJennifer Ehle is an American actress of stage and screen. She is known for her BAFTA winning role as Elizabeth Bennet in the 1995 mini-series Pride and Prejudice.-Early life:...
was recast as Catelyn Stark by Michelle FairleyMichelle FairleyMichelle Fairley is an Northern Irish actress of film, stage and television.-Life and career:Born in Coleraine, Northern Ireland to well known publicans Teresa and Brian Fairley, she grew up in Ballycastle, Northern Ireland she appeared in a range of British television shows including The Bill,...
. - Ian McNeiceIan McNeiceIan McNeice is a prolific English screen, stage, and television character actor.-Early life:McNeice was born in Basingstoke in Hampshire. McNeice's acting training started at the Taunton School in Somerset, followed by two years at the Salisbury Playhouse...
was recast as Magister Illyrio by Roger AllamRoger AllamRoger Allam is an English actor, known primarily for his stage career, although he has performed in film and television. He played Inspector Javert in the original London production of the stage musical Les Misérables....
. - Richard RidingsRichard RidingsRichard Ridings is a British actor and is best known for his portrayal of Allan Ashburn in the ITV television drama Fat Friends, and for playing Bernard Green in the BBC1 comedy-drama Common as Muck. He trained as an actor at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.Ridings was born in...
was recast as Gared by Dermot Keaney. - Jamie Campbell BowerJamie Campbell BowerJames "Jamie" Campbell M. Bower is an English actor, singer and former model. Bower is best known for his role as Anthony Hope in Tim Burton's Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, his role of Caius in The Twilight Saga: New Moon and his role of King Arthur in the Starz original series...
was recast as Ser Waymar Royce by Rob Ostlere.
Another difference is that the pilot featured scenes shot in Scotland (where Doune Castle was used to recreate Winterfell) and Morocco (reusing the sets of Kingdom of Heaven to stand in for Pentos). In the series, Winterfell was created combining different locations in Northern Ireland and all the scenes from Pentos were relocated to Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
.
The pilot remained unaired and the first episode was filmed by new director Tim Van Patten, although some scenes from the original pilot were used in the final cut.
Writing
Scripted by the show creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, the first episode includes the plot of the bookA Game of Thrones
A Game of Thrones is the first book in A Song of Ice and Fire, a series of epic fantasy novels by American author George R. R. Martin. It was first published on 6 August 1996. The novel won the 1997 Locus Award, and was nominated for both the 1998 Nebula Award and the 1997 World Fantasy Award...
's chapters 1-7, 9 and 12 (Prologue, Bran I, Catelyn I, Daenerys I, Eddard I, Jon I, Catelyn II, Bran II, Daenerys II).
The main changes in the adaptation to the screen are the modification of the sequence of events in the prologue (most significantly, in the books it is Gared and not Will who survives and is beheaded by Eddard afterwards), the introduction of the Lannisters twins as independent point-of-view with new scenes created to show their perspective, and the modification of Daenerys' wedding night with Drogo having sex without waiting for her consent. The creators stated that this last change was made to simplify the narrative arc, having the situation improve gradually.
Ratings
The first episode of Game of Thrones obtained 2.2 million viewers in its premiere airing, with an additional 2 million viewers in the reruns aired during the same night. The day after the premiere HBO aired the episode six additional times, adding another 1.2 million to the viewer's figures. Reruns aired during the following week climbed the total viewership to 6.8 million.On April 18, 2011, the show premiered in United Kingdom and Ireland through Sky Atlantic
Sky Atlantic
Sky Atlantic is a television channel owned by British Sky Broadcasting, which launched on 1 February 2011 on Sky in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland....
. The show gathered 750,000 viewers, a ratings record for the network.
Critical response
The critical response to the first episode of the series was overwhelmingly positive. James Poniewozik from TimeTime (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
considered it an "epic win", and Jace Lacob from The Daily Beast
The Daily Beast
The Daily Beast is an American news reporting and opinion website founded and published by Tina Brown, former editor of Vanity Fair and The New Yorker as well as the short-lived Talk Magazine. The Daily Beast was launched on October 6, 2008, and is owned by IAC...
deemed it "unforgettable". HitFix
HitFix
HitFix, or the HitFix.com is an entertainment news website that launched in December 2008 specializing in breaking entertainment news, insider information and providing reviews and critiques of film, music and television...
's Alan Sepinwall wrote that while it was too early to say if Game of Thrones belonged to the HBO pantheon with shows like The Sopranos
The Sopranos
The Sopranos is an American television drama series created by David Chase that revolves around the New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the often conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads...
or The Wire
The WIRE
the WIRE is the student-run College radio station at the University of Oklahoma, broadcasting in a freeform format. The WIRE serves the University of Oklahoma and surrounding communities, and is staffed by student DJs. The WIRE broadcasts at 1710 kHz AM in Norman, Oklahoma...
, it has many things in common with those shows. IGN's Matt Fowler wrote that the pilot "effortlessly takes us along, faithfully, through the book, but it also manages to capture the majestically morbid spirit of Martin's pages and turn them into thrilling television."
Much praise was given to the production values and the acting: Scott Meslow from The Atlantic states that "the show's immense cast is almost universally strong, and the fantasy land of Westeros feels lived-in, and looks terrific." Alan Sepinwall also qualifies the casting as "really exceptional", and states that the show is "feast for the eyes", with all the different locations having their own memorable looks.
The opening sequence, with an aerial view of the world where the series takes place with the different settings emerging from it, was also acclaimed.