Review: "Winter is Here": Game of Thrones (2008-2019) Season 8 Episode 1 "Winterfell"

Abstract

Savvy Game of Thrones fans will have noticed that the eighth season begins by echoing the first episode of the series, “Winter is Coming”: a sovereign arrives at the snowy Northern castle Winterfell as a young child scampers to get a view of the party and their leader. Where the first episode saw the feisty tomboy Arya Stark (Maisie Williams) dressed as a boy while trying to catch a glimpse of thenking Robert Baratheon and “the Imp” (Peter Dinklage), season eight begins with a nameless boy trying to see Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) and her lover/ally Jon Snow (Kit Harington) as they forces join Winterfell ahead of the battle against the white walkers, a large army of magical ice-zombies headed by the Night King (Vladimir Furdik). “Winterfell” echoes “Winter is Coming” in terms of both shots and musical score, and it is very much intentional: repetitions, reconsiderations, and rememberings are all key themes that run throughout the episode. Show more