Mike Strong, Opinion Editor
The beginning of a new Game of Thrones season can never be handled in just one episode. So is the case for the recently premiered fifth season of the hit HBO series. Even with the infamous and numerous deaths that have befallen the characters, there are still simply too many people to catch up with. With three episodes now having aired, it’s about time to judge how this season is shaping up. Spoilers up to episode three of season five follow.
Perhaps the most anticipated character beat since the season four conclusion is that of Tyrion Lannister. After committing patricide and fleeing his home country of Westeros, The Imp now finds himself sealed away in boxes half-way around the world with his only remaining friend, Varys. It is quickly revealed in episode one that his new end-goal is to meet up with Daenerys, the Mother of Dragons, Khaleesi, Breaker of Chains and whatever other crazy titles she has these days. This far into the series, it is about time that some of the major characters come to meet.
Bringing characters together actually seems to be the running theme this season. This is a refreshing change of pace after having so many close calls between the Starks in previous seasons. In just these first three episodes we see Brienne finally meeting Sansa, Jon solidifying his power through Stannis’ presence at The Wall, Arya reuniting with her faceless friend Jaqen H’ghar, and Tyrion being kidnapped by Jorah and possibly being taken to Daenerys. And on the subject of Tyrion’s recent run-in with Jorah, it is worth noting that this was the only substantial episode-closer we’ve gotten thus far. My one gripe with this season at this point is that the episodes are not ending on the astounding high notes that they used to. The standards have been raised too high by previous seasons, which would have already killed a king by this point. It is very exciting to see Jorah pop up in an interesting way again, as Daenerys’ eastern countries have been getting rather boring, but the first two episodes only went out with a whimper.
With most of our heroes slain or finding their way across the sea, it is only natural that the most interesting events are going down up north at The Wall. Jon Snow has really come into his own as a character with motivations to root for. With “King” Stannis spending some nights at Castle Black, the recently elected Lord Commander Jon Snow has to deal with tough political decisions. Since the beginning, we have always trusted Jon and now that he is in a position of power, it is fun to see how his choices line up with what we think the good guy should do. He is remaining as honorable as ever, but beheading his enemies is a tough show of power we are not used to seeing from him. Even as many other characters find interesting things to do in new places, it is just as entertaining to see an old favorite like Jon do new things in an old place.
So even though my biggest complaint is that nothing mind-blowing is happening yet, it is certainly exciting to predict the paths that the characters will follow going forward. These first three episodes have done an excellent job of demonstrating that the world of Game of Thrones that we started with is an entirely different place now. I never even mentioned the current landscapes of Kings Landing or Winterfell, whose individual stories would make for amazing shows on their own. There are simply so many fascinating separate stories going on now, that even some of the better ones get left behind. And that is a true testament to how strong Game of Thrones remains, five seasons in.
