Note: There are spoilers for the episode in this review.
The opening scene features a young Cersei as she visits a local "witch" who tells her future. Cersei has always been an awful person, even as a bratty little child. We haven't seen any flashbacks on this show, but this was a really cool one because she's always been an incredibly vicious and cold character and it's obvious the witch knows her future by the way she laughs after telling Cersei about the children she'll have while married to the king... because her brother is the father of the children.
The back and forth dialogue between Tyrion and Varys is fantastic. Tyrion's dialogue is always great though. It's smart, witty, and always one upping the person he's talking to. His match of wits with Varys is incredibly pleasing. Plus, Tyrion has a sweet beard in this episode, which is always a good thing. The two will be heading to Meereen to discuss things with Daenerys, who, deep down, still wants to be queen, but not of Meereen.
The Sons of the Harpy are incredibly creepy and have this great cult feeling to them. Their first murder is incredibly shocking and comes out of nowhere, which really sets to tone for Daenerys' story in Meereen. We don't see them much, but what we do see is pretty haunting. In addition, she's been told the people of Meereen want the fighting pits back open, but she is against it at first. She may have been in Meereen for a while, but her growth as queen here is incredibly interesting to watch.
Daenerys goes back to see her two dragons (one flew away), which she locked away, after one of them burned a child. She feels she can no longer control them, and she's partly right. They've grown. They're angry. They don't like being locked away and Daenerys is frightened. The thing that made her a powerful force is now the thing she's most scared of. Her story isn't incredibly complex, but because she's so far away from everyone else, isolated, her journey just because it feels fresh and a bit more interesting.
Really fantastic turning point at The Wall as Stannis Baratheon discusses taking Winterfell with Jon Snow, but Stannis wants the Wildlings to bow to him and help him in the fight. Jon Snow has until nightfall to get the king of the Wildlings to follow suit. It's a bold move for Stannis and makes you wonder if this will actually happen or if the Wildlings will eventually turn on the "King." Mance Rayder, the king of the wildlings, still holds his morals high and will not do so in his fantastically written scene with Jon Snow. When Mance is face to face with Stannis, he will not do so. Mance is burned to death as the fire is set by Melisandre, after a very pompous speech about following the right god. She's a wonderful villain and someone I enjoy despising each week. It is slow, painful and incredibly tough to watch. Luckily, Jon Snow ends things quickly for him by shooting him.
First and foremost, Joffrey is still dead. I continue to be happy.
This episode truly sets the tone for what's looking to be a dynamite first season. Each story we'll be seeing is all put out in the open here and while some stories are strong than others, all of it is incredibly captivating and engaging.
What this episode does very well is juggle everything and giving viewers what they want, without sacrificing quality. Sure, some characters got a lot more screentime in this episode, mainly Daenerys and Jon Snow, but it makes you want to continue to watch. It's easy to say Game of Thrones is the best show currently on television, and there's little to nothing negative to say about this opening episode. It's a show that gets viewers invested in its characters and the viewer will become incredibly passionate about who they love and hate on this show.
Game of Thrones continues to be utterly wonderful.