As the White Walkers continue their inexorable march forwards, the major players in the world of Westeros each make their own preparations for the next round in the only game that matters.

Game of Thrones returns to our screens after over a year. We all tune in expectantly, hungry for answers after the epic cliffhanger finale of last season, desperate to know more about the lineage of Jon Snow and how this new revelation might affect the impending endgame. We’re all thirsty to know what Cersei’s latest bit of scheming and plotting might be, now she sits astride the Iron Throne. And we all want to know what will happen when Daenerys finally, finally makes it over the Iron Sea and lands in Westeros itself after what feels like six whole seasons of her meandering vaguely in that direction.

So what do we get? Well, pretty much a nice catch up episode. In the whole hour, there is very little action (though that’s not to say nothing happens) and also refreshingly, no gratuitous (or otherwise) nudity and a noticeable lack of graphic gore. What the episode delivers instead is a series of quiet character moments and interactions showing us the major players and their movements as well as the inclinations of the more minor players and where they are heading.

What’s fascinating is the relationship dynamics we see here – many are not necessarily what you might expect, and none are dull by any stretch of the imagination. There’s one scene which slightly overdoes repetition of shots to make its point, but otherwise the episode is as tight as a drum.

And make no mistake, by the time the credits roll, we’ve pretty much checked in with every single still-living character we as the audience actually care about. Some take more screen time than others, and a few are held off right to the very end, but eventually nearly everyone gets ticked off. I noted one particular absence, but in the context of the narrative, it was one that made sense.

Importantly, this really did feel like the beginning of the end. There are several clear and suggestively interlocking narrative points which come up throughout the episode, which seem to point to certain alliances and events becoming possible going forward. If you’re the sort of viewer who likes to sit and theorise about how the future of the seven kingdoms might play out, who might team up with whom etc, this episode will provide you with fertile ground for your imagination to run riot.

There’s also clear development on display. Every character we see here obviously carries the weight of several seasons’ worth of development now, and that means that every little shift in mood, character and outlook is noticeable and clearly deliberately crafted. A simple look, a carefully crafted single line of dialogue or even a solitary action can suggest volumes about them, and here we get several of those moments that might start to alter the way you view certain characters.

Ultimately though, it’s more of the same (albeit as already noted a little less graphic than usual). Well-crafted political intrigue, tense scenes between allies, former allies, former enemies and all the shades in-between, all topped with a sense of real narrative progression and the beginning of the final sprint towards the finish line.

Verdict: With a weight of expectation like this show commands, it’s perhaps no surprise that this opener plays reasonably safe. However, though not drenched with the action and blood of the last season’s finale, it is by no means boring, and I suspect that dedicated fans will be picking apart every glance and physical gesture for weeks if not months to come. 8/10

Greg D. Smith