Summer is here, but not so on TV,
Everyone is busy donning fur coats, holding broadswords and dragonglass fashioned weapons as winter is here.
A new season of Game of thrones is underway on HBO, making it about a year (and a few weeks) that we get to watch one of the most popular and beautifully produced TV series ever and with only seven episodes this time around, they’d better not waste any precious second.
Unfortunately for people who don’t like spoilers, the world has been agog and chatty ever since the release of the first episode yesterday with all the various happenings in around Westeros.
This episode continued its habit of establishing everyone’s position as a season premiere and went further to delineate who belong to what faction.
However, we were also privy to observe as the last girl of the Stark who seemed to have found the name she lost in training (see season 6) slaughtered a whole House for betraying her family at the red wedding.
The girl has learned the art of revenge, and she offered it every bit as bitter as Frey did in the first place.
While the scene itself was brilliant there was a bit of fear for her future as she has begun her sojourn down the dark path to strike off names from her ‘to kill’ list.
While we wait to find out, she’s throwing back drinks with a group of soldiers in the woods.
One of those men: Ed Sheeran himself, playing a character named “Ed.” He even got to sing and, yes, Arya’s apparently a fan.
Elsewhere, The Hound’s redemption arc continues as he and the Brotherhood Without Banners found the same farmhouse with the father and daughter that Clegane screwed over when he was with Arya.
While the hour was mostly setting the stage, the biggest breakthrough of the night came after Sam stole some books from the restricted section of the library (Hermione would be so proud).
Dragon glass is the key to defeating the white walkers, and there’s a mountain of it in Westeros. A mountain that has sat abandoned and empty for years, but now has a new occupant in Daenerys who had just made her return to her ancestral home on the island of Dragonstone.
Looking up North, we witness Jon seek fealty from the families that fought the Boltons and fought publicly with Sansa when she offered some counsel.
And down south at King’s landing, Cersei seems to be towing the mad king’s path to being the mad queen as she’s determined to decimate anyone who proves a threat to the Lannister name and dynasty.
As Jaime points out, though, their family is essentially dead. There is no dynasty. It’s madness talking, and it will be her downfall.
While Jon Snow may choose to take the counsel of his sister, and it may yet save him, but Cersei has never been good at taking anyone’s advice.
She is too petty and driven by her emotions and has a more scorched earth approach to conflict.
Essentially, the stage has been set for a sequence of events that would be both entertaining and mindblowing…..and yes, the excitement is very much justified, especially as the season is a short one.
“Game of Thrones” continues Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on HBO, 3am on Mnet or you can simply watch or download online.
Watch and Enjoy.