Game of Thrones

I watched the first episode last night, and I have to say, I was very impressed. It didn't have many big, dramatic moments, apart from the beginning and end, but given that it's going to take a little while to establish the characters and the world, I think that's a good thing. It's best to let us get to know the characters before the horrible things that happen in the books begin. The acting was very good, and the set and costume design makes it very obvious how much HBO has spent on this series.

Among the cast, of particular note, I thought, were Maisie Williams as Arya, who seems to have perfectly captured the impish, tomboyish nature of the character. Kit Harrington as Jon has a pleasing level of detachment and resentment on account of being the bastard, and the fantastically named Nikolaj Coster-Waldau is both suitably attractive and arrogant as Jaime. Predictably, Sean Bean has the honourability of Eddard sorted out, and Emilia Clarke seems good so far as Daenerys. She certainly was believable as the little girl lost in the world, being used as a pawn by her brother; it'll be interesting to see how she handles the transition to ULTIMATE BADASSERY that the character undergoes. And it would be remiss of me not to mention Peter Dinklage as the bitter dwarf Tyrion, who has taken one of the novels' most interesting characters and looks set to make his screen incarnation just as memorable. If it seems like I've singled out half the cast, well, what can I say? It's a damn fine cast.

As I said, the money HBO's spent is clearly on display throughout. What visual effects there are, are well done; with the exception of a rather obvious matte painting in the crypts beneath Winterfell, which was a bit of a shame. I'm pleased to say that, even when things differ significantly from how I pictured them, they still work. In particular, the armour of the Kingsguard looks little like how I imagined it, but still looks like it belongs in this world. As far as set design goes, I liked the difference in colour palettes used between Winterfell and Pentos; in the former, the colours are largely shades of grey, fairly understated and washed-out, reflecting the Stark words, "Winter is coming", and the resignation and dedication to duty implied therein. By contrast, the Free City of Pentos is bright and vivid, an indication of how much livelier life is over there. For me, at least, given that Daenerys is my favourite character in the series, I like to think of the bright colours as representative of her vitality and dynamism, though it may not yet be on show in the first episode.

All in all, a very strong premiere which bodes well for the rest of the series. Time will tell, but I may well have a new favourite TV show. Which makes it all the more pleasing that it's already been renewed for a second season.