Its that time of year again, the time in which we all fall in love with characters, and possibilities only to see them ripped away from us in a brutal show of callousness. If you hadn’t guessed already its Game Of Thrones time yet again, and this season has started off expertly.
JON SNOW IS….
Dead,very dead, super dead, totally not moving, and is a corpse this whole episode dead. Yet I wouldn’t count out Jon yet, there still the possibility of fire based resurrection, but for this episode, he is for all extensive purposes DEAD. This leads to some of the best elements of the episode, and some really intriguing ideas being set forth. First and foremost is Davos. Davos is the first one to find Jon’s body, and with the help of a few trusted members of the Night’s Watch, they secure the body. It doesn’t take too long for Davos and crew to figure out who killed poor Jon, but surprisingly it isn’t left a mystery to anyone else either as during the morning meeting Alliser Thorne admits to murdering Jon in cold blood. He justifies it to his men by marking Jon a traitor. The men’s reaction is mixed, but more seem for than against, and the limited amount of people against slowly fall into line. It was certainly unexpected. I half suspected a season filled with Detective Davos slowly weeding out who and who didn’t murder poor Jon. Thorne gathers up a crew to get access to Jon’s body promising to let Davos leave. Davos, in a fashion typical of the Onion Knight, mocks him asking for provisions ample enough to supply him with an exit from Castle Black. The situation seems dire for crew, but it is unlikely they will meet their end. I have no doubts about Jon’s revival, and Davos will most likely be saved by the Wildlings. 
The Mellisandre reveal…(spoiler alert she is actually an OLD WOMAN) was in all seriousness not that surprising. Anyone familiar with Witch lore, and their portrayal in most media will be well aware that this is a common trope. I would surmise it means nothing more than her faith has been shaken and she needs to have a long nap to think things over.
Essos
An alternate title for this season of Game Of Thrones could very easily be “Buddy Cops in Medieval Times”. The two best, and most interesting story lines of Essos involve unlikely duos fighting against the odds towards a common goal. You have Tyrion and Varys who continue their string of great chemistry, then you have Daario with Jorah two men who have nothing in common save their mutual love of Daenerys. Speaking of Daenerys she gets stuck within the laws of the Dothraki, becoming a slave, then an exulted widow. It doesn’t take her long to convince her Dothraki captors that she is the widow of Khal Drogo, and while it ensures she isn’t raped, it does not help her back to Meereen. Those familiar with the book know that the widow’s of every Khal must be brought back to Vaes Dothrak to live the remainder of their lives. Essos is in disarray for each character. Jorah is dying of greyscale, Tyrion is losing control of an already withering city, and even poor Arya is robbed of her sight, reduced to a lowly beggar. The plight of Jorah specifically is unique for Game Of Thrones as it is not common you encounter a character guaranteed to die, as opposed to a surprise death. Jorahs story is not done yet, and out of all the characters in Essos it is he I believe will actually receive some semblance of success. He will find Daenerys, and bring her home, but he will no doubt die in the process. The most interesting absence from Essos is that of Drogon? Where did Khalessi’s mighty dragon fly off to, and why is it so complicit in the capture of Daenerys? Considering the horse lords make ample amount of noise, and travel in such large numbers it would seem likely they would be easy prey for the mighty dragon.
King’s Landing
It appears that every potential death from last years season finale has, as of this episode, been answered with a resounding yes. Even that of poor Myrcella Lannister who was poisoned by the Sand Snakes during the end of the season. Her death is not a huge surprise, but Cersei’s reaction upon seeing her coffin is. Cersei shows some very strong, and very real emotion in this scene. Lamenting the innocence of her child, and discussing out loud of the witches prophecy. She does not blame Jamie at all, and instead of fracturing their relationship it strengthens it. The two become more strongly intertwined than ever before, and this is a huge difference from the arc in the book. It seems that at this point in the series with no more books to follow the show creators have fully embraced their freedom, and made their own choices. We get a brief glimpse of Margaery Tyrell who is still locked within the Sept, and is still adamant about her innocence. She best hope she isn’t innocent because the death of Myrcella proves that in the Game Of Thrones, it’s the pure who meet their untimely demise.
Dorne
Speaking of the innocent dying we have a shocking murder happen in Sunspear as Doran Martell is brutally murdered by the Sand Snakes. As someone who was not too fond of their portrayal last season it was nice to finally see the girls in action. However this is a very shocking death, that really puts the entire season in a big ole mystery box for book fans. Is Dorne planning an all out rebellion? It certainly seems that way, and they have no qualms about letting their enemies know they approach. It seems Winterfell will not be the only site of a colossal battle this season as the forces of Highgarden will most likely be falling upon Dorne. This season will see Westeros torn apart in a way more brutal, and fractured than the war of the five kings, and not since Roberts Rebellion has Dorne been given such an instrumental part to play.
Winterfell
Do psychopaths get sad? They do when their beloved partner in psychopathy meets their end. Ramsay Bolton shows some real emotion mourning over the death of Myranda, the kennel master’s daughter. As soon as your heart twinges just a tad, and you fear empathy for one of the worst human beings in television begin to slowly creep in you are almost relieved when he passively declares for her body to be fed to the hounds. After this heart warming goodbye Roose Bolton shows up and gets straight to the point. Without Sansa they are screwed, and furthermore without Sansa he has no need of Ramsay. You see a new emotion cross Ramsay’s face…fear. If he loses Sansa he loses everything, and if Brienne Of Tarth has anything to say about it, Ramsay will in fact lose it all. Sansa, and Theon are almost caught, but Brienne and Podrick rush in to save them. In a truly outstanding fight sequence, you see just how far Brienne has come in terms of sheer ruthlessness, a man pleads for his life and she slits his throat as if it were nothing. After her brutal display of power, Brienne pleads fealty to Sansa, which finally makes things look a little brighter for our favourite red head. In an off handed remark by Roose, we are notified that Stannis is in fact no more. We don’t see a body, but it’s clear one has been found as Roose is attempting to seek out he who dealt the killing blow.
Overall this season of Game Of Thrones is off to an amazing, and tense beginning. The sheer amount of emotional diversity on screen this episode is outstanding. Fear, sorrow, comedy, action; this episode has it all. If the remainder of the season can match this episodes quality, we are in for some outstanding television. What were your thoughts on the episode? Leave them down below in the comments!
