Game of Thrones (Season 1)
From Iwe
| Arrow | ||
| Season 1 | ||
| DVD cover art | ||
| Starring | See List of Game of Thrones cast | |
| Country of origin | United States | |
| No. of episodes | 10 | |
| Release | ||
| Original network | HBO | |
| Original release | April 17 – June 19, 2011 | |
| Season chronology | ||
| Next → Season 2 | ||
| List of Game of Thrones episodes | ||
The first season of the fantasy drama television series Game of Thrones premiered on HBO on April 17, 2011 in the U.S. and concluded on June 19, 2011. It consists of ten episodes, each of approximately 55 minutes. The series is based on A Game of Thrones, the first novel in the A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R. R. Martin, adapted for television by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss. HBO had ordered a television pilot in November 2008; filming began the following year. However, it was deemed unsatisfactory and later reshot with some roles recast. In March 2010, HBO ordered the first season, which began filming in July 2010, primarily in Belfast, Northern Ireland, with additional filming in Malta.
The story takes place in a fantasy world, primarily upon the continent Westeros, with one storyline occurring on another continent to the east, Essos. Like the novel, the season initially focuses on the family of nobleman Eddard "Ned" Stark, the Warden of the North, who is asked to become the King's Hand (chief advisor) to his longtime friend, King Robert Baratheon. Ned seeks to find out who murdered his predecessor, Jon Arryn. He uncovers dark secrets about the powerful Lannister family, which includes Robert's queen, Cersei, that his predecessor died trying to expose. This leads, after Robert's death, to Ned's arrest for treason. Ned's eldest son, Robb, begins a rebellion against the Lannisters. Ned is killed at the order of Cersei's tyrannical teenage son, King Joffrey Baratheon. Meanwhile, in Essos, the exiled Viserys Targaryen, son of the former king, forces his sister Daenerys to marry a Dothraki warlord in exchange for an army to pursue his claim to the Iron Throne. The season ends with Viserys dead and Daenerys becoming the Mother of Dragons.
Game of Thrones features a large ensemble cast, including established actors such as Sean Bean, Mark Addy, Peter Dinklage, Lena Headey, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Michelle Fairley, and Iain Glen. Newer actors were cast as the younger generation of characters, such as Emilia Clarke, Kit Harington, Sophie Turner, and Maisie Williams.
Critics praised the show's production values and cast; Dinklage's portrayal of Tyrion Lannister received specific accolades, as did Bean and Clarke, as well as Ramin Djawadi for music.
The first season won two of the thirteen Emmy Awards for which it was nominated: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (Dinklage) and Outstanding Main Title Design. It was also nominated for Outstanding Drama Series. U.S. viewership rose by approximately 33% over the course of the season, from 2.2 million to over 3 million by the finale.
Episodes
- See also: List of Game of Thrones episodes
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | U.S. viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Winter Is Coming" | David Benioff & D. B. Weiss | Tim Van Patten | April 17, 2011 | 2.22 |
| In the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, a soldier of the ancient Night's Watch flees an attack by supernatural creatures, the White Walkers, thought to be mythical. At Castle Winterfell Eddard "Ned" Stark, Warden of the North, decapitates him for desertion. In King's Landing, Jon Arryn, the King's Hand, dies under mysterious circumstances. King Robert Baratheon, Ned's old friend, offers Ned the position and proposes marriage between his son Joffrey and Ned's daughter Sansa. Ned's wife Catelyn shows him a letter from her sister Lysa, Arryn's widow, saying that Arryn was murdered by the Lannisters, Queen Cersei's family. Catelyn believes the Lannisters are plotting against Robert. Ned's young son, Brandon, climbs a tower; he witnesses Cersei having sex with her twin brother, Jaime, who pushes Bran out of the high window. Meanwhile across the Narrow Sea in Essos, the exiled Prince Viserys Targaryen coerces his sister, Daenerys, to marry a Dothraki warlord, Drogo, in exchange for an army to conquer Westeros and reclaim the Iron Throne. A wedding gift is three apparently fossilized dragon eggs. | ||||||
| 2 | 2 | "The Kingsroad" | Tim Van Patten | David Benioff & D. B. Weiss | April 24, 2011 | 2.20 |
| Ned accepts his new role as King's Hand, leaving Winterfell with his daughters, Sansa and Arya, while Catelyn stays behind to tend to Bran. The unconscious Bran is attacked by an assassin, but his mother and his direwolf save him. Catelyn suspects Lannister involvement. Jon Snow, Ned's illegitimate son, heads north to join the brotherhood of the Night's Watch, protectors of the Wall that keeps the White Walkers and the Wildlings from entering civilized Westeros. Jon had given Arya a thin sword she names "Needle". The dwarf Tyrion Lannister, Cersei's brother, decides to accompany Jon to the Wall. When Joffrey threatens Arya's friend, Arya's direwolf defends her, provoking a conflict between the Starks and the Lannisters. Cersei demands that Robert have Arya's direwolf killed, but as Arya has sent it away, to save it, Sansa's direwolf is killed instead. In Winterfell, Brandon awakens from unconsciousness. Meanwhile, Daenerys is befriended by Jorah Mormont, a disgraced knight, while she focuses on learning how to please Drogo. | ||||||
| 3 | 3 | "Lord Snow | David Benioff & D. B. Weiss | Brian Kirk | May 1, 2011 | 2.44 |
| Ned joins the King's Small Council at King's Landing, capital of the Seven Kingdoms, and learns just how poorly Westeros is being managed. Catelyn tries to covertly warn her husband but is intercepted by an old friend, Councillor Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish. Bran learns he will never walk again. He does not remember the events leading to his fall. Jon struggles to adapt to life on the Wall, as he trains with a number of low-born recruits who are not impressed by his bloodline. Lord Commander Mormont asks Tyrion to plead with the King to send more men to the Night's Watch. Daenerys learns that she is pregnant and begins to stand up to Viserys. | ||||||
| 4 | 4 | "Cripples, Bastards, and Broken Things" | Bryan Cogman | Brian Kirk | May 8, 2011 | 2.45 |
| Tyrion makes saddle modifications for Bran that will allow the paraplegic boy to ride. Ned searches for clues to the unexplained death of his mentor and predecessor Arryn and, in the process, discovers King Robert's illegitimate son, Gendry. Robert and his guests witness a tournament honoring Ned. Jon takes measures to protect Samwell Tarly, an awkward and friendless boy, from the abuse of the Night's Watchmen. A frustrated Viserys clashes with his newly empowered sister. Sansa dreams of life as a queen, while Arya envisions a far different future. At a chance encounter in a roadside tavern, Catelyn rallies her father's allies and has Tyrion arrested for conspiring to murder her son. | ||||||
| 5 | 5 | "The Wolf and the Lion" | Brian Kirk | David Benioff & D. B. Weiss | May 15, 2011 | 2.58 |
| Ned refuses to participate in Robert's plan to assassinate the pregnant Daenerys Targaryen and resigns as Robert's Hand, angering the king. Catelyn and Tyrion (whom she has taken as her prisoner) arrive at her sister Lysa's fortress home in the Eyrie. News of Tyrion's capture reaches King's Landing where Jaime Lannister, the Queen's twin brother, demands answers from Ned. A vengeful Jaime orders Ned's men killed and fights Ned until Jaime's man stabs Ned in the leg from behind, leaving him wounded. | ||||||
Cast
- See also: List of Game of Thrones characters
Main cast
Starring
Also starring
Guest cast
The recurring actors listed here are those who appeared in season 1. They are listed by the region in which they first appear:
At and beyond the Wall
In King's Landing
In the North
In the Riverlands
In the Vale
In Essos
Production
Casting
Filming
Music
- Main article: Game of Thrones: Season 1 (soundtrack)
Reception
Critical response
Ratings
- See also: [[Game of Thrones (TV Series)#Viewer numbers|]]
Accolades
The first season of Game of Thrones was nominated for thirteen Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series (Tim Van Patten for "Winter Is Coming"), and Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series (David Benioff and D. B. Weiss for "Baelor"). It won two, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (Peter Dinklage) and Outstanding Main Title Design.<ref name="emmy 2011">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Dinklage, who plays Tyrion, was also named best supporting actor by the Golden Globes, the Scream Awards and the Satellite Awards.
| Year | Award | Category | style="width:40%;" | Nominee(s) | Result | class="unsortable" | {tooltip|Ref.|Reference}} |
|---|
Release
Broadcast
Home media
References
External links
Template:A Song of Ice and Fire Template:Game of Thrones Episodes Template:Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form Template:ScreenActorsGuildAward StuntEnsembleTelevision
