First Watch: Game of Thrones 

Everything I learn about this world and these people will be from this show. I enjoy sci-fi and fantasy, but only if it’s on the big or small screen. I can’t take it in written form even though I’ve worked at a number of bookstores where the series is revered. So it’s a (not unexpected) delight to see how invested I already am in Game of Thrones. 

I could talk about the sets or the beautiful landscapes or the great casting but I’ll put that all aside for now. What I’ll comment on and what I’m excited about is the great writing by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. I’ve been a fan of David Benioff since I read The 25th Hour and became a devoted fan after he published City of Thieves. I had no awareness of D.B. Weiss but now I’m a fan of his as well. To make me care about these people (and in some cases be disgusted/curious/intrigued by them) and to wonder about this world and want to learn more is always a good thing.

Here’s what we know:

The King has traveled for a month to ask Sean Bean‘s Ned to be the next Hand of the King. He doesn’t appear to have a happy marriage as he flirts with and kisses other women in front of his wife. His wife is unhappy too as, she’s having an affair with her brother.

Ned is loyal to the old ways. He kills a man personally who is a deserter and it’s obvious he wants to teach his children – all of them – about right and wrong. Part of Ned’s household consists of Jon Snow, who is a bastard.

Across the Narrow Sea, Viserys and his sister Daenerys have allied themselves with Khal Drogo. Viserys seeks to regain his thrown from the current king. He’s willing to do anything to make that happen, including whoring his sister out to any man who will have her.

Here are my questions:

What is the The Wall? We get just a glimpse of it at the beginning of “Winter Is Coming” but I want to know so much (and I’m looking forward to the discovery). Has the wall always been there or was it constructed? Why is it winter there? Who are the White Walkers? Why do men pledge themselves to the wall and give up a hope for a regular life to protect against whatever’s on the other side?

Who is Jon Snow? I am so intrigued by this man who lives with Ned Stark’s family but is a bastard. Who is his mother? How did he come to live with Stark and his family? What was that look shared by Jon and Ned’s wife Cate?

What is The Hand of the King? What is the significance of the position? What exactly does this position entail and who is fit to serve in it?

What happened to Ned’s sister? Why was she killed? Who was responsible for her death? Why does the King still talk about it?

This was a great start to a complex and compelling drama. I can’t wait to learn more about this world.