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It's a known trait of the fantasy genre that narrative momentum can take a little while to kick in. The genre brings with it so many characters, clans, and countries, not to mention a giant stack of lore and lofty worldbuilding, that the first chapter is typically tasked with setting the stage before any realm-shattering events can take place. Whether it be a first movie, a first few book chapters, or a first TV season, the early stages of any fantasy story can often feel like packing your bag before a big adventure.
Tolkien's Shire-based scenes in The Fellowship of the Ring adopt an entirely different tone. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is known more for its awe-inspiring introduction to the Wizarding World than for anything that actually takes place during Harry's first year at Hogwarts. The Legend of Vox Machina season 1 is effectively a standalone prequel, and so the trend continues into a new era.
Like a young, bleary-eyed mage entering the big wide world after passing their final wizardry exam, it's incredibly rare for a fantasy TV series to debut already at the peak of its powers. Regardless, that's exactly what occurred with Game of Thrones when it premiered on HBO in 2011.
Boasting a staggering level of consistent quality before its final two seasons ruined its record, Game of Thrones' golden era lasted for five years between 2011 and 2016, but it's the impact and legacy of HBO's first season that stands as the show's most impressive achievement today. Few other fantasy franchises could launch such a complex and convoluted world from relative obscurity to the global mainstream while also being the most entertaining thing on TV, but that's the legacy Game of Thrones' first season has left behind.
Game Of Thrones Season 1 Was A Perfect Example Of Controlled Chaos
George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire is not known for its lack of detail, and Game of Thrones season 1 faced the unenviable task of laying out those details for an uninitiated audience, while also avoiding the trap of turning viewers off by delivering a live-action history lesson. Game of Thrones needed excitement with substance. It needed to whip up audiences without watering down GRRM's books. Its solution was a brand of controlled chaos unlike anything else on TV.
Quite cleverly, Game of Thrones' first season kept its main players at the center of events: Jon Snow, Tyrion Lannister, Daenerys Targaryen, Cersei Lannister, the various Starks, etc. From there, the show asked one question over and over: "Why should we care?"
With that mantra on repeat, Game of Thrones then filled in Westeros' history and punctuated it with moments of bloody violence and racy romance, but always going back to that key query: "Why should we care?"
Daenerys' arc is perhaps the best example of this tricky balance in action. Memorable Dany highlights from season 1 include the death of Viserys, the Khal Drogo love story, and the three dragons hatching. By constantly examining why those moments actually mattered, Game of Thrones taught viewers the politics between Westeros and Essos, the bloody history of the Targaryens, and the culture of the Dothraki. With every lore detail framed from the perspective of a main character, the audience was absorbing GRRM's giant textbook without even realizing.
So, even if Game of Thrones season 1 felt chaotic, with its numerous beheadings, falling children, and whiplash-ing between multiple locations, a very clear methodology kept the show just wild enough to be raucously entertaining, and just ordered enough to cover the necessary exposition.
Game Of Thrones' Ned Stark Death Remains One Of TV's All-Time Great Twists
It's impossible to discuss the merits of Game of Thrones' first season without also discussing the epic death of one Eddard Stark. Book readers knew it was coming. Fortunately for HBO, only a small percentage of those watching had read A Song of Ice and Fire in advance, and even those who knew what to expect might've anticipated the TV show wanting to keep Sean Bean around for season 2. There was no such rewrite, and Game of Thrones executed (sorry) one of the greatest twists in television history.
Ned Stark's death effectively served as the setup for Game of Thrones' future, not just sending out a warning that any character could die at any moment, but also shifting the series from having a clear central protagonist to chronicling the misadventures of a full ensemble.
More importantly, Ned's death transformed Game of Thrones season 1 into a kind of self-contained Shakespearean tragedy, where the ex-soldier turned man-of-the-people politician is killed for standing by his principles. It was a bold move, and made even bolder for happening in the season's second-to-last installment, leaving an entire episode to examine the consequences in a move that would ultimately begin the famous 'something big happens in episode 9' tradition.
Game of Thrones season 1 would have been great even if Ned had survived, but it was the weighty emotional clunk of a Stark skull falling to the floor that elevated HBO's opening run of episodes into the TV hall of fame.
Game Of Thrones Let Its Characters Do The Talking In Season 1
Play a round of Game of Thrones word association, and three answers will dominate: dragons, wars, deaths. Indeed, Daenerys' fire-breathing children, epic battles worthy of a movie production, and heartbreaking slaughters all made generous contributions to Game of Thrones' overall appeal.
It is, therefore, surprising that season 1 proved light on all three counts. Dany's three dragons spent most of the season as eggs, there were no large-scale fights à la the Battle of the Bastards, and the Red Wedding was still several years away. It's no exaggeration to say that Game of Thrones scored a hugely successful debut without its greatest and most famous tricks, making the first season all the more impressive.
The shortfall was made up by more character drama and heavier political intrigue. Ned Stark's incestigation into Robert Baratheon's rightful heir even bordered on being a thriller movie set in King's Landing. Game of Thrones season 1 might not have been the most visually impressive or ambitious era of the show, but suspenseful and intriguing it most certainly was.
Game Of Thrones' Excellent First Season Shows Where HBO's Adaptation Went Wrong
After looking at the qualities that made Game of Thrones' first season fantastic, it becomes easier to see the flaws that made its final season a flop.
The "why does this matter?" spirit that defined season 1 was abandoned almost entirely for season 8, as multiple characters found themselves killed off simply as a way of clearing the board. And even now, seven years later, anyone would struggle to explain the narrative significance of Bran Stark sitting on the throne when the story ends.
Another great virtue of Game of Thrones season 1 was its measured pacing, giving each major event time to breathe and be properly unpacked. Game of Thrones season 8 barreled through its shorter episode count, barely registering massive moments like the Night King's defeat and the reveal of Jon Snow's parentage before moving onto the next item of business. If Game of Thrones started as an exercise in controlled chaos, it ended as chaos alone.
