Edited by: Arpita Wadhwa (UG 21)
15th April 2019, the chills of frost and the winter waves made every soul quiver. I know it is 42 degrees in Sonipat and it sounds absurd when I talk about winter amidst the scorching heat, however, I am sure that every Game of Thrones fan would not differ when I say: Winter is here!
The wait is over and finally the first episode of Game of Thrones Season 8—George R.R. Martin’s incredible tale of dragons; White Walkers and kingdoms, released on 15th of April 2019 at 6:30 a.m. IST on Hotstar Premium. The struggle before this was real. Hotstar premium, being the only supplier of Game of Thrones Season 8 in India, spammed every social media platform with advertisements, luring the fans into buying a Hotstar premium package where they could watch ‘unspoilt, unblurred and un-beeped’ episodes of the final season. Definitely, many became victims of this scheme. The ones who couldn’t, had a tough time convincing their friends who already owned an account on Hotstar. From doing favors to making phone calls to friends and family who might lend the ID and password to their Hotstar account, the efforts have been endless. A dhaba treat and little conversations with floor mates having an account were a few good strategies that proved to be lucky for some of us. The last resort was of course the 6:30 a.m. live GOT screening organized by team Banjaara in the Science block. Sigh!, ‘Things you do for love’. (kudos to Jamie Lannister)
Episode one maps out the allies and strategies each kingdom has decided upon. Jon Snow arrives in Winterfell after ‘bending the knee’ to Daenerys. The Stark brothers and sisters unite and it is overwhelming to see how even though they have significantly changed over the years, trust and love remains unvaried. At King’s Landing, Euron tries to persuade Cersei to sleep with him when she delivers one of the most popular dialogs of this episode – “If you want a whore buy it, but if you want a queen earn it.” A significant scene is when Sam tells Jon that he is Aegon Targaryen, the true heir to the Iron Throne. The VFX and animation is mesmerizing when Jon learns how to fly a dragon and rides the beast around Winterfell with Daenerys. The episode ends with Jamie Lannister arriving at Winterfell where he is shocked to see the crippled Brandon Stark.
Exam week is approaching, but the only thing that I (being a Game of Thrones fan) think about is, “Who will ascend the Iron throne?”, “Will Jon Snow rule the seven kingdoms” or “Will the mother of dragons, Khaleesi Daenerys Targaryen rule Westeros?” The season has begun and the next episodes are desperately awaited for. The first episode laid a strong foundation; stepping stones of mystery and suspense for the upcoming episodes.