Winter Is Coming

Episode aired Apr 17, 2011
TV-MATV-MA
1h 2m

9.1/10

45K

S1.E1

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Action Adventure Drama

Eddard Stark is torn between his family and an old friend when asked to serve at the side of King Robert Baratheon; Viserys plans to wed his sister to a nomadic warlord in exchange for an ar... Read allEddard Stark is torn between his family and an old friend when asked to serve at the side of King Robert Baratheon; Viserys plans to wed his sister to a nomadic warlord in exchange for an army.Eddard Stark is torn between his family and an old friend when asked to serve at the side of King Robert Baratheon; Viserys plans to wed his sister to a nomadic warlord in exchange for an army.

9.1/10

45K

Director
- Timothy Van Patten
Writers
- David Benioff
- D.B. Weiss
- George R.R. Martin(based on "A Song of Ice and Fire" by)
Stars

Top credits

See production, box office & company info

See more at IMDbPro

Isaac Hempstead Wright in Game of Thrones (2011)

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau in Game of Thrones (2011)

Richard Madden, Kit Harington, Art Parkinson, and Isaac Hempstead Wright in Game of Thrones (2011)

Sean Bean, Mark Addy, Michelle Fairley, Sophie Turner, and Kristian Nairn in Game of Thrones (2011)

Richard Madden in Game of Thrones (2011)

Sean Bean and Richard Madden in Winter Is Coming (2011)

Roger Allam, Harry Lloyd, and Emilia Clarke in Game of Thrones (2011)

Michelle Fairley in Game of Thrones (2011)

Richard Madden and Isaac Hempstead Wright in Game of Thrones (2011)

Director
- Timothy Van Patten
Writers
- David Benioff
- D.B. Weiss
- George R.R. Martin(based on "A Song of Ice and Fire" by)
All cast & crew
See more cast details at IMDbPro

At the castle Winterfell, Lord Ned Stark begins to believe that something is amiss. A deserter from the Night Watch, the guardians of the giant ice wall at the northern boundary of their territory, says he's seen the white walkers. Later, Ned and his sons find animals slain in the woods, including a she-wolf whose six pups they keep, one for each of Ned's children. They also welcome the arrival of Ned's good friend King Robert who was once betrothed to Ned's sister. She was killed before they could marry and he wed Cersei Lannister who has given him a son, Joffrey. Along with them are Cersei's two brothers, the handsome Jaime and Tyrion, a dwarf with very large appetites. The King wants Ned to return with him to his capital, King's Landing, and become the King's Hand. Ned accepts but his young son Bran accidentally sees something he should not have and suffers a serious fall as a result. Meanwhile, in the land across the narrow sea, Viserys Targaryen needs an army to attack King's Landing and retake the throne that he believes is rightfully his. He arranges for his pretty sister Daenerys to marry warlord Khal Drogo. —garykmcd

brother brother relationship king deserter body parts arranged in a pattern beheaded with a sword 115 more

Trivia
A real dead stag - not a prop - was used for the scene where the direwolf pups are found. The actors found the smell during the filming of the scene revolting, as it had been dead for two days at that point and was decomposing.

Goofs
In the opening credits of the first two episodes, when the names of the actors appear next to the crest of the House their characters belong to, Emilia Clarke (Daenerys) and Iain Glen (Jorah Mormont) are shown with a Lannister lion, while Sophie Turner (Sansa) is shown with a Targaryen dragon. From episode 3 on, the actors' names appear next to the proper crests (a dragon for Clarke, a bear for Glen, and a wolf for Turner). This was corrected in the DVD/Blu-Ray release.

Quotes
Tyrion Lannister: Let me give you some advice, bastard. Never forget what you are, the rest of the world will not. Wear it like armor and it can never be used to hurt you.
Jon Snow: What the hell do you know about being a bastard?
Tyrion Lannister: All dwarfs are bastards in their father's eyes.

Crazy credits
The sun tells an important part of the series back story, on its panels. It does so in three segments. First, as the credits start up, the sun depicts how the Targaryens and their dragons conquered Westeros. The second time the sun is shown, a dragon is depicted in a mortal struggle with 3 other animals: The Stag, the Lion and the Wolf. It is a very literal way to show how Robert Beratheon and Ned Stark rebelled, with Tywin Lannister reluctantly supporting them, in the end. Finally, the third time the sun is shown, before the series title enter the scene, a lion (among other animals) is shown "kneeling" to a triumphant Stag. Just as Robert was crowned King after winning the war.

Connections
Featured in Everything Wrong with...: Everything Wrong With Batman Begins In 6 Minutes Or Less (2013)

Soundtracks
Main Title
(uncredited)
Written and Performed by Ramin Djawadi

Top review

maybe, the best episode

After the end of entire serie, "Winter is coming" remains one of the best episodes. Maybe, the best. Because it gives, using precise traits, the map of entire film. Secrets, politic, friendship and loyalty, fragility of power and the danger behind the Wall. Family force and subtle, wise portraits of the basic pieces of the game. It is a fine embroidery of emotions . And one of great first step to a long travel who, after almost a decade, becomes more precious then the end itself.

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