Poll: How would you rate Episode 101?

[Kat]

Retroactive Week 1 poll in the hotly-acclaimed new series, Behind the Nitpicking

Edited April 26, 2011 by Bean Bags

[Daenerys]

Throwing out the top and bottom 5%, I get an average of 7.8 for this episode.

[John (Snow) Doe]

Those of my friends who are also fans of the series agree with me: an efficiently laid-out opening, offering as much information as possible, but lacking in "wow" moments that both define the series and hold power to attract non-readers. I was very happy they stayed loyal to the books, but I think this actually became a detriment since the opening is slowly paced and doesn't draw you in right away. I was honestly reminded of how lukewarm I was on the series when I started reading - of course I eventually became a page-turning devotee, but that didn't occur probably until page ~250.

The cold-opening was extremely well done and powerful, but apart from that, I don't see what in this episode (beyond the sheer novelty of the series) would attract a non-reader audience. A pilot should be a series wrapped into 1 episode; that is, it should offer a taste of what's in store. I don't think that was done here, and I'm concerned.

[DecoyRunner]

Disappointing, of course. They couldn't possibly match the world, characters and themes of ASOIAF in the first ep, but even knowing that and allowing for some wobbles, I found it rather underwhelming. They have an excuse to get all expository in the second and third episodes, but the first should have left us breathless. They're playing it a little safe imo. I was not overly shocked or impressed by the Daenerys scenes. Not that I was offended or that I disapprove, I'm just de-sensitized, I guess. Love the opening credits and theme song.

I love the books and have been waiting for this day for a looooong time, so I'll be with them till the end, whenever that may be.

Maximum Dinklage airtime ftw.

Edited May 5, 2011 by DecoyRunner

[Talan Snow]

I think the series has been brilliant. My one and only complaint is that the Others (if that was an Other that we saw in ep. 1) are nothing like the description in the book.

[Buster]

Just finished watching "Winter is Coming" and thought that it was great, a perfect start to what will be an amazing series. It's very faithful to the book and therefore compared to most shows, it was quite slow paced and had little action. Since they had a lot of locations and characters to introduce, it was probably a good thing, especially for people that haven't read the book. Looking forward to the rest of the series.

Best thing about the episode: Peter Dinklage is perfect as Tyrion and somehow manages to be just as awesome as the character in the book.

[TheWhiteWolf]

Brilliant it got me so interested in the world of A song of fire and ice that I went out and bought all the books and read them in two weeks flat

However I only gave it a 9 not a 10 because it came out during exams and seriously screwed up my revision!

[colossus the unstoppable]

Seeing the previews for the episode and reading about the show online is what hot me into the books. This episode may not be the most interesting of the series but I will always be special to me.

[lyvyathan]

I was blown away. It was top notch!

[Chelly]

I liked it a lot, but it was definitely the slowest episode of the series. It was necessary, though, because you are introducing the audience into a whole new world.

[Lord Bear Mormont]

Read all the books but have not seen the series yet. Can't wait until dvd are released.

[Ser Luke.]

8/10.

[MouldyMuffin]

Rewatching it, probably a solid 9/10. Not a lot exactly happened, but the episode drew me in big time.

[usurper0]

Rewatching it, probably a solid 9/10. Not a lot exactly happened, but the episode drew me in big time.

Same here.

[KingIn7heNor7h]

My favorite episode to date!!!! The introductions of the characters were incredible. You get a real touch of the North...RIP Ned Stark

[Frey-A-La-Mode]

I watched the first season before reading the series (and now I've read it thrice) and I can tell you that I was drawn in right away. Mind you, I have a lot of patience for these types of epic shows with a lot of characters and a lot going on, but besides not getting every little detail/name right away, I found I could follow it pretty closely, and I really dug it. I loved the first scene with The Others/White Walkers, I loved the introduction of The Starks, I loved the royal family, I loved the Direwolves, I loved the scenes in Essos. I remembered posting on my facebook, "Is it bad that merely the opening credits of Game of Thrones is enough to get me hooked?"

That said, I can see why people say that noobs (or people who are not already pre-disposed to fantasy/court-intrigue/epics) there might not have been a lot to draw people in. I watched the first episode with a good friend of mine, and he was pretty underwhelmed... That is, up until Bran got thrown out the window. That made him go "whoa..." as in, this show does not fuck around!

Edited July 5, 2013 by Frey-A-La-Mode