Winter is here!
And after a gruelling wait of almost two years, one of the most successful TV show of all time, that experts say has held half of the world’s population spellbound is back- with a bang!
I must admit I was weary of what to expect, and a part of me wondered if the wait, anticipation and hype would be worth it, even though the show had never disappointed in its last 7 seasons.
It’s hard to imagine the pressure that must have been on the producers and writers to deliver a humdinger of a first episode- a phenomenal introduction into what lies ahead in this ultimate season the world has impatiently waited for; Enough to satisfy the hunger of the fans, yet leave them wanting more, hungry for the next episode of the 6 part season. So the big question at this juncture after watching Season 8’s 54 minutes premiere is was it worth the wait???
You want a Queen, earn her.
– Cersei Lannister,2019
GameofThrones Season 8-Ep 1
An elements that makes Game of Thrones one of the best show in the history television is the depth, the intensity of emotion it is able to evoke from viewers. The feelings experienced by the cast is felt so deeply by a viewer that it brings about a heightened sense of same emotions, breeding a level of empathy that makes one feel like they are experiencing the moment with the actors. Whether love, hate, revenge or even just fantasy, the extent of the casts’ emotions are shared deeply and viewers carried along.
Brilliant acting can be attributed to the ability to transmit the depth of feeling experienced while watching the show, but that will be undermining the great effort of the people behind the scenes; The magical crew that help the actors harness their deepest potential into unprecedented excellence in make believe. I’m talking about the writers who brought George RR Martin‘s books to life in 8 phenomenal seasons, making it one of the very few shows whose screen adaptation is almost as good as the books or even better (even though the writers have taken the story to a different level). Of course there is also the directing, screen play, language development( the Dothraki), make up, remarkable CGI, costume, mind blowing theme music which makes it tick. All these things and much more is why the Queen of England, Beyonce, Barrack Obama and some of the world’s biggest names have been converted to fans in the last 8 years.
Talking about the soundtrack , I don’t think enough emphasis can be ever be placed on the appropriateness, and how well suited the score for this show is. As I watched a scene that featured the dragons’ in yesterday’s season premiere, I had goose bumps because of how much the theme sound amplified the experience the cast at the time were having with the dragons. Thinking about it now, I still remember the same feeling of euphoria from the shared experience that transported me to a world of fantasy only possible in a show like Game of Thrones. I doubt if Ramin Djawadi can out do himself by composing anything as sensational as the main title music which plays during the title sequence, and in different variations during the show. That soundtrack is just fantastic!
It was a long wait to see the likes of Emilia Clark and Dragons( Daenerys Targayen, Kit Harington (Jon Snow), Lena Headey (Cersei Lannister), Peter Dinklage( Tyrion Lannister), Sophie Turner ( Sansa Stark), Maisie Williams (Arya Stark), Nikolaj Coster-Waldau( Jamie Lannister), Nathalie Emmanuel( Missandei) and other stars who make the show special come alive again on the screen and it was everything I expected and much more. The first episode delivered just enough to wet the appetite, showing glimpses of the exceptional entertainment that is to be expected this final season. It doesn’t fail to embody the show’s shock value, while ensuring that it creates the deep hunger resulting from a one week wait for the next episode. This wait as usual, will make the show the most talked about thing in entertainment for the next 6 days, until the hunger is temporary met with the next episode, yet triggered even more deeply, continuing the circle till the end of the show.
Did Season 8’s premiere meet your expectations?
