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Game of Thrones Re-Watch Notes: s1e1 "Winter Is Coming" and s1e2 "The Kingsroad"


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When Ned tells Jon he'll talk about his mother next time they meet... The Feels!

What if Joffrey had allowed Ned to take the black? I would have loved watching Jon and Ned at the wall.

Best Reddit comment:

I think the most amazing thing about rewatching the series is the music.

The fact that Littlefinger's theme is played when Cat tells Ned the news about Jon Arryn is one of my favorite parts of the pilot. It doesn't even really become clear that it's Littlefinger's song until The Climb in Season 3.

And then there's the quiet playing of the White Walkers theme whenever Benjen or Alliser is talking about ranging beyond the Wall. I didn't start noticing that until this season's Oathkeeper.

Also (don't judge me guys) I watched Stannis Baratheon: The Movie earlier today and loved how Robert Baratheon's theme was used in the scene where Melisandre tells Gendry about his parentage. It's also used at both Joffrey's wedding and Tommen's coronation.

But I do wish the Stannis/Melisandre theme didn't sound so... evil? It works so great for shadow babies and throwing leeches on a fire and human sacrifices and stuff, but it created a really weird tone when they used it for him saving the Night's Watch. I find this to be more appropriate for the Mannis.

Edit: Also Daenerys's music that I didn't really notice until Mhysa also plays when Jorah finds her unburnt with her baby dragons in Season 1's Fire and Blood.

Oh, and it goes without saying that the use of the King In The North / Rains of Castamere in Season 4's Two Swords cold open was chillingly brilliant. Also the Rains of Castamere in The Children after shit goes down in Tywin's privy.

Stannis Baratheon: The Movie is more than 2 hours...

Tyrion's haircut looks so much better now than it did in the first episodes of the first season.

On the Blu Ray they have the actors tell the history of each of the houses. 

Viserys has a part about the Targaryens and he is so damn good with his delivery.

Other good comments:

I'd just like to point out that the Game of Thrones wiki has a lot of interesting trivia for each episode (eg. "Winter Is Coming"), and that a rewatch discussion like this might be a great time to watch it with the cast/producers/writers/GRRM commentary from the DVDs.

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Its crazy how much of a slower pace these first episodes move at. Granted I know it comes from trying to jam so many stories into one season, but I personally like the pacing of the first episodes. It makes for much better character moments and atmosphere imo.

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I love how the first episode hints traits and crucial lines of characters on their early appearances. I never noticed that stare Cat and Jon exchanged, without reading the books I couldn't have known the hatred she felt toward him. Also, the Sansa/Joff glances, Dany not being bothered by the hot water, Theon defying Robb's orders during the direwolf scene, and later being a dick to Jon, Bran being so marvelled by the mention of White Walkers (the mystical side of the story), Robert's coldness toward Cersei, and her unpleasantness with him.

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A few things to look out for in the first couple of episodes:

  • Some scenes were reused from the original pilot, so in a couple of scenes Ned, Tyrion, Robert, Theon, and others look slightly different.

  • Place names are given on-screen in the form of overlaid text. It would have been cool if they retained this, as it was very helpful, but I can understand why they stopped doing so after the first episode.

  • The leader of the ranging party beyond the Wall is Waymar Royce, son of Bronze Yohn Royce, who appears in Season 4 interrogating Littlefinger.

  • The mystery of Jon Arryn's death is only resolved in Season 4.

  • Arya's direwolf Nymeria is driven off and Sansa's direwolf Lady is killed.

  • Rast, a treacherous member of the Night's Watch, comes to the Wall with Jon and Tyrion.

We still don't know where Arya's direwolf is at the end of season 4.

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