Game of Thrones: What Happened in Episode 1 of Season 8

On April 15, the eighth and final season of Game of Thrones kicked off. They spent $ 90 million on his filming - that is, about 15 million for the episode. After reading the script, the performer of the role of Jon Snow, Kit Harington, cried, and the actress Emilia Clarke wandered around London alone for some time.

Let's talk about the most striking events of the episode "Winterfell" and what they can mean for the fate of the characters and the whole of Westeros.

If you haven't watched the first episode of Season 8 and don't want to spoil your experience - beware, because the night is dark and full of spoilers

What the audience was waiting for

This is what many were expecting to see in the first episode, considering all the cliffhangers hanging from last season's finale.

Winterfell will be in danger

Given last season's finale and grim, it was clear that the armies of the dead would move south and lay siege to Winterfell in the first place. This means that all the inhabitants of the Stark stronghold will need to either hastily leave it, or go into battle.

People will rally to fight back the dead

Against the backdrop of the terrible events in the North, all the remaining representatives of the Houses of Westeros must rally, for a while, leaving feuds over power. In the finale of the seventh season, it went to that. Unless only Cersei tried to protect only personal interests to the last.

Characters learn about John's origins

Viewers assumed that at the beginning of the season, Daenerys Targaryen and Jon Snow would find out about their close kinship, and also that John could claim the Iron Throne as the Targaryen heir. This will lead to difficulties or at least to a revision of the relationship in their pair.

Shortly before the premiere, the first episode was leaked to YouTube. This happened thanks to a user from Spain under the nickname Frikidoctor, who supplied spoilers for the 7th season. Although the episode soon disappeared from the public domain, and comments on the plot were immediately blocked, some information was leaked to forums and social networks.

While some viewers rush to read spoilers, others defend themselves with all their might.

Meanwhile, a questionnaire is circulating on social networks to make assumptions about what will happen to the characters - with its help, you can make bets with friends.

What happened in the first episode of the eighth season

There are fewer locations, more details

Typically, a show's intro shows the locations that will play a key role in the episode or season. In the opening of the first episode, they demonstrated the destroyed Wall and the path of the Night King's army, the Last Hearth (House of Amber) and Winterfell with a chardrev and a family crypt. Then we see King's Landing with the Iron Throne. The number of locations has decreased - the screensaver, plunging into details, makes it clear that the series has focused on the main thing and has entered the home stretch.

Daenerys is not happy in the North

At the beginning of the series, Daenerys Targaryen, along with his army, enters the possession of the Starks in the company of Jon Snow. The Dragon Queen doesn't like the Stark sisters. Subsequently, a tense conversation takes place between John and Sansa, during which Sansa asks why he knelt in front of Daenerys - for the North or for love?

In general, the northerners are distrustful of outsiders and are unhappy that John, whom they chose as king of the North, swore allegiance to Daenerys. This is clarified at a large military council. They also resent the fact that Lannister troops are moving towards them. However, John is confident that any military assistance will come in handy to fight the army of the dead.

Starkey and John reunited

Upon meeting Bran, John told him that he had matured and become a man. However, it did not escape him that Bran had changed a lot thanks to the power of the Three-Eyed Raven. John's meeting with Arya at the chardree was warmer. Arya showed John Needle - the blade he once gave her - and when asked if she had ever used it, she evasively said, "A couple of times." John gave her a glimpse of his Valyrian steel sword, Longclaw.

Euron led Cersei's army

Euron Greyjoy returned to King's Landing with an army from Essos - the Golden Swords mercenaries led by Captain Harry Strickland. Cersei had to fulfill his promise to share a bed with Euron, who had long sought it. As it turns out, the Queen's shown sadness over the goblet was not due to the sad news of Jame. Just the words of Euron that he could become the father of her child made Cersei curl her lips - she is already pregnant by her brother.

Cersei wants to kill Jaime and Tyrion

Apparently, after Jaime left, Cersei's heart finally hardened. She sent Qyburn to Bronn Blackwater with an offer. The mercenary got a generous advance in gold to deal with the "traitorous brothers" in the North. Qyburn hands Blackwater a crossbow and reminds him that Cersei, like all Lannisters, pays debts. Now Bronn has a reason to reflect.

Theon saved Yara

While Euron was busy, Theon Greyjoy entered the ship where his sister Yara was imprisoned and freed her. Having weighed a strong cuff to his brother for the cowardice shown earlier (Theon ran away and threw it), Yara holds out his hand to him. Later, Theon expresses his desire to support her in the fight for the Iron Islands. At the same time, deep down, he wants to fight alongside the Starks to atone for taking their castle, so his sister lets him go to Winterfell.

John saddled a dragon and revealed the secret of his birth

Jon Snow managed to climb the dragon and made his first flight, proving that

most of its Targaryen origin. According to him, it turned out to be much more interesting than riding a horse. Later in the crypt of Winterfell, Sam tells John that his mother is Lyanna Stark and his father is Rhaegar Targaryen: "You are not the king of the North, but the king of the Seven Kingdoms."

The King of the Night left a message

Tormund, Mournful Edd and Beric Dondarrion find a terrible message left by the King of the Night. And here the audience is finally waiting for a real horror: the heroes see a torn child surrounded by pieces of someone else's hands. By the way, this symbol has already appeared in the series.

Subject lines are woven into one

In general, the series is devoted to the relationship between the characters and the preparation for the large-scale events of the following episodes. Most of the characters have gathered in Winterfell or are moving there.

Arya met Gendry, and a clear sympathy developed between them. In addition, the Dog arrived at the castle, which Arya excluded from the list of people she was going to kill. They parted not on the best note, but the Dog clearly has respect for the girl. Sansa's conversation with Tyrion was also shown. They communicate coldly, but without much hostility: after all, in King's Landing, Tyrion treated the heroine in a relatively gentlemanly way. And at the very end of the series, Jaime Lannister appears in Winterfell and sees Bran, whom he once threw out of the window, making him a cripple.

Thus, none of the key heroes died, however, considering what threat comes from the destroyed Wall, it is better to remember: valar morgulis ("all people are mortal").

What will happen next

Winterfell prepares for battle

Season 8 announced the most spectacular and biggest battle of the entire series, which was filmed 55 nights. The creators say that it will contain several POV - points of view of different characters. Actor Vladimir Furdik, who has been playing the role of the King of the Night since 2015, said that the battle will take up the entire third episode. In his opinion, this will be the largest battle scene on television. Apparently, we are talking about the Battle of Winterfell.

This means that in the second episode, the castle will be preparing for this event. Everyone will take up arms. For example, Sam Tarly, who has his unused father's sword, Heartbreaker. However, you can worry about Sam a little less than others, if you believe the theory that he is the narrator of this whole story, who will write the book "A Song of Ice and Fire."

The character lines will continue to connect

Theon Greyjoy will arrive in Winterfell. He has to see Sansa, whom he saved, but also with Arya and Bran. If Bran is far from worldly affairs, then the implacable Arya most likely hates Theon for his betrayal. To earn the forgiveness of the northerners, Theon will need to do something truly heroic.

If Bronn accepts the queen's offer, he will have to travel North to exact revenge on Jaime and Tyrion. And this despite the fact that Chernovodny had a kind of friendship with each of them. On the other hand, Bronn has never hidden that he is a mercenary and serves the one who pays. Will he try to shoot the brothers in cold blood? However, in Winterfell, Bronn will fall into such an icy heat that he probably will not be up to Cersei's assignment.

The secret of the King of the Night will be revealed

Previously, the leader of the army of the dead did not seek to communicate with people, but now he left an ominous symbol. Maybe this is some kind of message? The King of the Night does not just want to destroy all living things - according to Vladimir Furdik, this character has his own motivation and goal, which we will learn in the final season.

Recall that, according to popular fan theory, the King of the Night is Bran Stark, entangled in the time loop due to his "astral travel". There is also a version that Jon Snow will become the new King of the Night. In Season 5, we saw how he and the leader of the army of the dead looked meaningfully into each other's eyes.

Where the plot is heading, we will find out from the next episode, which will be released in a week - on April 22.