TV Review: Game of Thrones - Series 5 Episode One "The Wars to Come" SPOILER ALERT

Return of the King

So here we are at last, TV's most addictive and talked about programme has finally returned for it's fifth series (or season, whatevs), and like the hype before the return of every Game of Thrones series, it is tipped to the be the best one yet. One thing that is certain about this particular return is the series' trip into the unknown, where the show has finally caught up with the books and is now set on overtaking them, meaning readers can stop threatening to spoil everything to the TV viewers, and instead TV viewers can threaten to ruin the lives of those dedicated to the books, who may have to begin tasting sweet, sweet revenge. But myself, as the lay, casual viewer, who stopped reading the A Song of Fire and Ice franchise after book two (University Work prevails) and who is also clever enough to stay off social media to avidly avoid spoilers, Game of Thrones is always a joy to behold, and helps bolster the armory of social subjects that can be talked about whenever, and to whoever. Within this weekly offering therefore, I will be writing SPOILER-FILLED reviews on the latest gossip from Westeros, beginning with the hotly anticipated series premiere, "The Wars to Come." Enjoy.

With the craziness that occurred during the latter stages of Season Four, the first few episodes of Season Five were inevitably going to deal with the aftershocks, especially in regards to the death of Tywin Lannister and Tyrion's subsequent escape, aided by the hand (pun intended) of Jamie and Varys, who now finds himself in Pentos, offering the chance for Tyrion to aid the best suitor for the Iron Throne; Daenerys, who still holds fort in Meereen, and whom is still unable to control her two locked-up dragons. The sequence where Dany attempts to reconcile with them was a highlight of the episode, with it showing that they may be lost to the Mother of Dragons forever, implying that as well as losing her dragons, she may ultimately be losing her power. As Daario perfectly puts it, to Daenerys, "you are not the mother of Unsullied, you are the mother of dragons."

Meanwhile, Littlefinger and Sansa still remain thick as thieves and journey off into the west, away from the Vale, and far away from the grasps of Cersei in Kings' Landing, who after mourning the death of her father is warned by Jamie that trouble might just be catching up on them after all this time. The juiciest section of the premier was undoubtedly at the Wall where Jon Snow was asked by Stannis to reason with Mance Rayder, and to make him bend the knee in order to take back the north from Roose Bolton and co with the help of his now captured wildlings. Game of Thrones is renowned for its' no-holes-barred approached to death and violence, yet painful as it was to watch Mance Rayder burn at the stake for ultimately refusing to surrender his belief, it was relieving to see Jon Snow finish him off quickly, proving unlike many of the characters in Westeros, he still has a heart.

"The Wars to Come" therefore is a strong, if subtle, start to the fifth season of Game of Thrones, mourning in the loss of some major characters from the season previously, whilst attempting to begin threading plot lines for the next 9 episodes, all of which you would expect from a series' premiere. Although activities at the Wall were the most interesting this episode, the arrival of Tyrion in Meereen, and into the hands of Daenerys is something I will be looking forward to in the upcoming weeks. Welcome back. 

Overall Score: 8/10