Winter Is Coming

Winter is Coming is the first episode of Season 1 of Game of Thrones, airing on 17 April, 2011. It is the 1st episode of the series overall. A 15-minute preview of the first episode was shown on 3 April, 2011.

Overview
King Robert Baratheon visits Winterfell, the home of his old friend, Eddard Stark, Lord and Warden of the North, with an important offer.

On the eastern continent, the dispossessed Princess Daenerys Targaryen marries Khal Drogo, a warlord of the Dothraki with tens of thousands of warriors at his command. Her brother, Viserys, plans to win Drogo's alliance with the marriage so he may return home to Westeros and reclaim the Iron Throne, seized by force from his father by Robert.

In the lands of permanant winter, beyond the Wall, the wildlings are amassing in great numbers to the alarm of Night's Watch. But something else is stirring even further north...

Plot
Three rangers of the Night's Watch - Ser Waymar Royce, Will and Gared - depart from the Wall to investigate reports of wildlings in the Haunted Forest that lies to the north. Will, the best scout in the group, discovers a number of wildling corpses dismembered and arranged in a strange shape on the ground. He also finds a dead wildling girl pinned to a tree. He reports back to the others. Ser Waymar overrides the older Gared's advice that they return to Castle Black to report the situation to their superiors and instead insists on seeing the corpses for himself. When they reach the site, the bodies have disappeared. Will scouts around for clues, but Gared finds a bloody piece of clothing buried under the snow. Further investigations are curtailed when a tall, humanoid figure with blue eyes - a White Walker - arrives and kills Ser Waymar with ease. Gared attempts to escape but is beheaded. Will sees the dead wildling girl from earlier, now walking with blue eyes, and also sees Gared's death. He manages to escape.

Some time later, Will has fled south of the Wall in terror rather than return to warn Castle Black of the White Walker threat. He is apprehended by outriders loyal to House Stark, the rulers of the North, and is taken to Winterfell, their castle. Lord Eddard Stark decrees that as a deserter from the Watch, Will is an oathbreaker and must die. Will accepts his fate, but tells Eddard about the Walkers first. Eddard carries out the execution himself, using the ancestral Valyrian blade of their house, Ice. Eddard's two trueborn sons - 17-year-old Robb and 10-year-old Bran - accompany him to the execution, along with his bastard son Jon Snow. Young Bran witnesses the execution without flinching, earning praise from Jon. Eddard tells Bran that their way is the old way, and that the man who passes the sentence should swing the sword. The party sets out to return to Winterfell.

On the way back to the castle the party find a stag dead in the road, partially dismembered. Looking for what killed it, they find a dead female direwolf, killed by a stag antler to the throat. The female died after giving birth, and five pups huddle by the corpse for warmth. Eddard's ward, Theon Greyjoy, is all for killing the pups, but Jon Snow convinces his father that this is an omen: the direwolf is the symbol of House Stark and Eddard has five trueborn children. Eddard agrees that his children should have the pups, but only if they clean, raise and feed them themselves with no help from the servants. Just as the party leaves, Jon finds a sixth pup, an albino, the runt of the litter. Theon ruefully points out that this one belongs to Jon.

In King's Landing, the capital city of the Seven Kingdoms, the bells ring out to commemorate the death of Lord Jon Arryn, the Hand of the King. As the silent sisters prepare his body for burial, Queen Cersei Lannister looks on. She is worried that Jon discovered something he shouldn't have, and may have told someone. She confesses her fears to her twin brother, Ser Jaime Lannister of the Kingsguard, but he tells her not to worry, since if the King knew the truth they'd be dead already.

A raven bears news of Jon's death to Winterfell, where Lady Catelyn Stark tells Eddard the bad news. Jon Arryn was like a father to him. She also tells him that King Robert Baratheon, and much of the royal court rides for Winterfell. Eddard realises that King Robert means to name him as the Hand to replace Jon Arryn. He ponders refusing, feeling his place is at Winterfell.

Over the next few weeks the Stark children grow used to their rapidly-growing direwolves: Robb names his Grey Wind, Sansa calls hers Lady and Arya names hers Nymeria, after a great warrior-queen. Jon names his Ghost, for his white colour and uncanny silence. Six-year-old Rickon names his wolf Shaggydog. Bran is uncertain what to call his. He is caught by his mother climbing on the rooftops of the castle just as the royal party comes into view, and promises to stop doing it, but his mother knows he is lying.

The royal party arrives and Lord Eddard presents his household to King Robert. After initial greetings, Robert demands to see the crypts and pay his respects, to Queen Cersei's impatience. After Robert and Eddard depart, Cersei sends Jaime to find their younger brother Tyrion, 'The Imp', who has found his way to the brothel in the town outside Winterfell, where he enjoys the attentions of a prostitute named Ros. Jaime tells Tyrion - a dwarf of limited height but immense appetites - he will be needed at the feast that night.

In the crypts Robert offers up his prayers to a statue of Lyanna Stark, Eddard's younger sister whom Robert was betrothed to before she was kidnapped by Prince Rhaegar Targaryen. He tells Eddard that in his dreams he kills Rhaegar every night anew, but Eddard replies that House Targaryen is destroyed. "Not all of them," Robert replies.

In the Free City of Pentos, across the Narrow Sea, Viserys and Daenerys Targaryen enjoy the hospitality of Magister Illyrio Mopatis. Viserys has arranged to wed Daenerys (also called 'Dany') to Khal Drogo, the warlord of a Dothraki khal of forty thousand warriors. In return, Drogo will give Viserys the manpower he needs to reclaim the Iron Throne. Before meeting the khal, Dany takes a bath in boiling hot water, to her maid's distress who thinks the water will scald her. Dany barely notices it. During the presentation Dany apparently meets Khal Drogo's approval.

At Winterfell, Robert formally offers Eddard the role of Hand and Eddard asks for time to think about it. Robert agrees but offers a sweetner: the hand of his son Joffrey in marriage to Eddard's daughter Sansa. A great feast is held and Cersei and Catelyn exchange cordial words. Cersei seems more impressed by Sansa, thinking that she will be a great hit at court. Outside the feast, Jon Snow works at his sword practice, angry that his stepmother thought in inappropriate that a bastard should attend. His uncle Benjen Stark, First Ranger of the Night's Watch, arrives to join the feast and Jon asks him to take him back to the Wall with him. Benjen agrees to consider it. Tyrion Lannister then arrives and talks to Jon, suggesting that he is too pricklish and quick to take offence when his bastardy is pointed out. He should take the insult and wear it like armour so no-one can hurt him with it. When Jon angrily asks Tyrion what he knows about it, Tyrion replies that "All dwarfs are bastards in their father's eyes."

In Pentos, Daenerys marries Khal Drogo and a great celebration is held. Several people die in impromptu duels, which Illyrio says is a good sign: a Dothraki wedding without at least several deaths is considered dull. The bride and groom receive many gifts, but for Dany two are particularly interesting. The first is a box containing three beautiful stones. According to Illyrio these are dragon eggs from the Shadow Lands beyond Asshai. They have turned to stone with the passing of time. The second is a selection of books containing stories and songs from the Seven Kingdoms, given by Ser Jorah Mormont, an exiled knight of House Mormont. Ser Jorah swears fealty to Viserys as King and offers him his support and advice, which is accepted. For his gift, Drogo gives to Daenerys a beautiful white stallion. Viserys asks his sister to make Drogo happy.

In Winterfell, Eddard and Catelyn receive a letter in the night, delivered to Maester Luwin by a messenger from the Eyrie. The letter is from Catelyn's sister, Lady Lysa Arryn, the widow of Jon Arryn. In the letter Lysa says that Jon Arryn was murdered at the order of the Queen, and the Lannisters conspire against King Robert. Luwin counsels that Eddard should accept Robert's offer so he can investigate the truth of the matter and protect the King, whilst Catelyn prefers that he remains in Winterfell. Eddard agrees with Luwin and accepts the offer.

The next morning Eddard and Robert go hunting, leaving the castle largely empty. Bran indulges in some climbing, but whilst climbing a broken tower he hears noises. He finds the Queen and her brother engaged in a sexual act, but is caught watching by Jaime, who grabs him. He asks how old Bran is. When Bran replies "Ten", Jaime sighs and pushes him out of the window, saying "The things I do for love."

Named Character Deaths

 * Ser Waymar Royce


 * Gared


 * Will


 * Lord Jon Arryn

Starring

 * Sean Bean as Lord Eddard Stark
 * Mark Addy as King Robert Baratheon
 * Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Ser Jaime Lannister
 * Michelle Fairley as Lady Catelyn Stark
 * Lena Headey as Queen Cersei Lannister
 * Emilia Clarke as Princess Daenerys Targaryen
 * Iain Glen as Ser Jorah Mormont
 * Harry Lloyd as Prince Viserys Targaryen
 * Kit Harington as Jon Snow
 * Sophie Turner as Sansa Stark
 * Maisie Williams as Arya Stark
 * Richard Madden as Robb Stark
 * Alfie Allen as Theon Greyjoy
 * Isaac Hempstead-Wright as Bran Stark
 * Jack Gleeson as Prince Joffrey Baratheon
 * Rory McCann as Sandor Clegane
 * and Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister

Guest starring

 * Roger Allam as Magister Illyrio Mopatis
 * Esme Bianco as Ros
 * Dermot Keaney as Gared
 * Joseph Mawle as Benjen Stark
 * Rob Ostlere as Ser Waymar Royce
 * Bronson Webb as Will

Co-starring

 * Ron Donachie as Ser Rodrik Cassel
 * Margaret John as Old Nan
 * Jason Momoa as Khal Drogo
 * Kristian Nairn as Hodor
 * Art Parkinson as Rickon Stark
 * Jamie Sives as Jory Cassel
 * Donald Sumpter as Maester Luwin