Winter Is Coming
The first episode of the first season, it was written by series creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, in an adaptation of the first chapters of George R. R. Martin's book A Game of Thrones.
The episode received largely positive reviews, with major praise going to the acting performances and production values, and was seen initially by 2.2 million viewers.
On the continent of Westeros, rangers of the Night's Watch scout the forest beyond the Wall, the massive ice barrier to the north, and discover demonic White Walkers and wildlings turned to undead wights.
Exiled prince Viserys Targaryen plots to reclaim his father's throne from King Robert Baratheon, and brokers a marriage between his sister Daenerys and Dothraki warlord Khal Drogo.
As wedding gifts, Daenerys is given books of the Seven Kingdoms from Ser Jorah Mormont, an exiled knight loyal to the Targaryens, and three petrified dragon eggs from Magister Illyrio Mopatis, who helped arrange the marriage.
Winterfell receives the royal court, including King Robert, his wife Queen Cersei, their children – heir Prince Joffrey, Princess Myrcella, and Prince Tommen – as well as the Queen's twin brother Jaime, a member of the Kingsguard, and his and Cersei's younger brother Tyrion Lannister, a dwarf known as "The Imp".
A number of Hollywood studios had contacted George R. R. Martin about possibly adapting his book series A Song of Ice and Fire into a film.
[3] In March 2006, a few weeks after meeting Martin, Benioff and Weiss pitched the show to Showtime and then Carolyn Strauss of HBO, the latter of whom accepted their proposal.
[11] Tom McCarthy was chosen to direct the pilot episode, shot between October 24 and November 19, 2009, on location in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Morocco.
[12] However, the pilot was poorly received in a private viewing with friends, one of whom, Craig Mazin, said to Benioff and Weiss, "You guys have a massive problem", and said "change everything" when asked for ideas.
[21] Additionally, Ian McNeice was replaced as Magister Illyrio by Roger Allam,[22] Richard Ridings[23] as Gared by Dermot Keaney, and Jamie Campbell Bower[23] as Ser Waymar Royce by Rob Ostlere.
Some scenes survived, but as it was not practical to return to Scotland for the reshoot, an exact replica of Doune's great hall was recreated in the soundstage in Belfast for the series.
[19] The original pilot reused the sets of Kingdom of Heaven in Morocco to stand in for Pentos and the site of Drogo and Daenerys's wedding.
[39] On April 18, 2011, the show premiered in the United Kingdom and Ireland through Sky Atlantic, gathering 750,000 viewers, a ratings record for the network.
[42][43] New Zealand's Dominion Post noted in an article on copyright laws that the popular series was downloaded via file sharing service regularly before its release to that market.
[44] In Australia, the July 17 premiere of the series was largely overshadowed by the release of A Dance with Dragons, but according to The Sydney Morning Herald was successful "especially with women, who aren't seen as a target market for sword-fighting sagas".
The website's critical consensus reads, "'Winter is Coming' is an introduction to a wonderfully bleak journey that honors its source material with stellar execution and an impressive cast.
[49] IGN's Matt Fowler wrote that the episode "effortlessly takes us along, faithfully, through the book, but it also manages to capture the majestically morbid spirit of Martin's pages and turn them into thrilling television".
[50] Much praise was given to the production values and the acting: Scott Meslow from The Atlantic states that "the show's immense cast is almost universally strong, and the fantasy land of Westeros feels lived-in, and looks terrific".
