History Recap / GameOfThronesS1E1WinterIsComing

* YouKeepUsingThatWord: Khal Drogo keeps saying "no" as he undresses his bride, and it becomes obvious that it's the only word in the Common Tongue that he knows. Which leads to FridgeHorror; does Drogo assume it's a term of endearment [[RapeAsDrama because women have said this when he's forcing himself on them]]?

** Viserys, a Targaryan heir to the throne living in exile, makes this clear with every word that comes out of his mouth. His younger sister suffers the most because he only holds power over her.

* YourCheatingHeart: The King is canoodling with a serving girl right in view of his queen, who it turns out is getting her own back via an incestuous affair with her brother.

** Theon being ready to kill the direwolf pups.

* FirstEpisodeTwist: Jaime and Cersei [[{{Twincest}} entertain an incestuous relationship]]. Bran finds out and is [[HeKnowsTooMuch pushed out of a high window by Jaime]].

* FirstEpisodeSpoiler: Jaime and Cersei [[{{Twincest}} entertain an incestuous relationship]]. Bran finds out and is [[HeKnowsTooMuch pushed out of a high window by Jaime]].

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/winter_is_coming.jpg]]

As the Stark entourage heads home through the forest, however, there is another unusual interlude: on the road lies a dead direwolf, killed in the struggle with its intended prey, a stag... and its pups, still alive and [[PreciousPuppy quite adorable]]. Though Ned feels it would be kinder to put them out of their misery, Jon points out to his father that [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotDidactic there are five trueborn children, five puppies, the direwolf is their House sigil]], etc. Jon finds the sixth pup, an albino runt, found a little way from the rest of the litter.

->''[[TitleDrop Winter is Coming.]]''

Bran loses his balance and almost falls, but Jaime rushes over and saves him. "It's all right, it's all right..." "''He saw us!''" Cersei retorts. "I heard you the first time," Jaime tells her. "How old are you, boy?" "Ten," Bran replies, clearly scared out of his wits.

* AdaptationalWimp: Waymar Royce (the arrogant Night's Watch officer) is just as haughty as his screen counterpart, but when confronted by the Others, he acquits himself when he faces them down, utters "[[PreMortemOneLiner Dance with me, then]]" and goes down like a badass. Here, he just gets caught-off guard and dies without so much as raising his weapon.

* AsYouKnow: Being the pilot of a fantasy series, there are several, though most of them are subtle or sneakily hidden. Jaime Lannister starts a conversation with Cersei by saying, "As your brother, I feel it's my duty to inform you..." Tyrion Lannister refers to Ned Stark's [[HeroicBastard bastard son]] Jon Snow as 'bastard' about ten times in one conversation, though it's justified as teaching Jon to be tough. Catelyn and Ned compare and contrast their gods when Catelyn visits her husband in his place of worship. The Stark children whisper to each other about the members of the royal court arriving in their yard. Daenerys exposits while questioning Illyrio's motives. And so on.

* BraidsOfAction / RapunzelHair: A male version; Khal Drogo's long braid is a sign of his badass credentials. It's never been cut because he's never been defeated in battle, which would require a TraumaticHaircut according to Dothraki tradition.

* EatingTheEyeCandy
** Roz mentions how Tryion's brother is reputed to be the most handsome man in the Seven Kingdom's. When Jaime interrupts proceedings, she checks out the KnightInShiningArmor with visible appreciation.

* FaceRevealingTurn

* HypocriticalHumor: The first words out of King Robert's mouth are: [To Ned]: "You've gotten fat." Ned's response is an eyebrow raise that pretty much says "Speak for yourself." TensionCuttingLaughter ensues.
* INeedAFreakingDrink: The Lannister brothers response to having to drink with the Starks is to down a few beforehand.

* LanguageEqualsThought: When presented with her stallion, Daenerys asks Jorah Mormont for the Dothraki word for "thank you", only to be told it doesn't exist.

-->'''Viserys :''' I would let his whole tribe fuck you, all 40,000 men and their horses too, if that's what it took.

* TheTeaser: The 7 minute [[GothicHorror horror-tinged]] opening sequence featuring two {{Teaser Only Character}}s including the series' first DecoyProtagonist and culminating in the inevitable FadeToBlack.

* VillainousIncest: Viserys establishes his {{JerkAss}} credentials quickly when he strips and fondles his own sister, inspecting her body for her upcoming marriage. PlayedForDrama with Jaime and Cersei.
* WhiteStallion: Khal Drogo shows HiddenDepths when he presents his newly-wed with a beautiful white horse.
* WouldHurtAChild

* AffectionateGestureToTheHead: Subverted; Viserys strokes her sister's face when ostensibly reassuring her about her upcoming marriage, only to indulge in a KickTheDog comment. Khal Drogo brushes away a tear from Daenerys' face, then indulges his MaritalRapeLicense.

** After Drogo takes Daenerys away for the consummation, TheirFirstTime in the books is very different. Simply put, Drogo shows his [[BruiserWithASoftCenter soft center]]; he is sensitive to her fears, takes time to arouse her, and actually secures her consent (though, as in the show, they don't share enough common language for him to understand it when she gives it). The version presented here is arguably more realistic (if more exploitative) and adds a little more distance to Daenerys's CharacterDevelopment, but it also left some UnfortunateImplications that weren't really addressed until Season 7.
** Notably, the original pilot used the same scene and dialogue as the novel. This was discovered when the pilot's shooting script was leaked.

** Tyrion isn't happy when Jaime bursts in on him in bed with Roz: "Shall I explain the meaning of a closed door in a whorehouse, brother?"

* ItWasHereISwear: Gared the ranger finds a disturbing display of Wildling bodies, only for them to vanish a few minutes later.
* IWasBeatenByAGirl: After Arya outshoots him, Bran chases after her while their brothers Robb, Jon, and Rickon have a good laugh without a trace.

* CultureClash: Danearys is freaked out by her Dothraki wedding with its strange foods, chests of snakes presented as gifts, public fornication and throat-slitting. When a Westerosi knight appears with a gift of books from the Seven Kingdoms, she's visibly relieved.

* AdaptationalWimp: Waymar Royce (the arrogant Night's Watch officer) is just as haughty as his screen counterpart, but when confronted by the Others, he acquits himself when he faces them down, utters "[[PreMortemOneLiner Dance with me, then" and goes down like a badass. Here, he just gets caught-off guard and dies without so much as raising his weapon.

* IWasBeatenByAGirl: After Arya outshoots him, Bran chases after her while their brothers Robb, Jon, and Rickon have a good laugh.

** In the books, Jamie was noted to deliver the "The things I do for love" line much less casually that he did in the show, and actually with a slight hint of disgust in his voice, showing that he really wasn't happy about attempting to murder a child.

The month of travel this requires is abbreviated, consisting mostly of a [[ShirtlessScene shirtless Robb, Jon and Theon]] getting prettied up. Finally King Robert arrives in '''Winterfell''', which Bran observes from the rooftops ([[EstablishingCharacterMoment he loves to climb]]) and Arya from under a half-helm ([[EstablishingCharacterMoment she's a tomboy]]). The king's family are introduced -- his children Joffrey, Myrcella and Tommen, his wife Cersei, her twin brother Jaime; but ''their'' younger brother, the dwarf Tyrion Lannister, is nowhere to be found. (Jaime later finds him [[EstablishingCharacterMoment in a brothel, partaking in the goods, drinking and dispensing snark]].) It becomes quickly clear that Robert and Ned are old friends; in fact, Robert was once betrothed to Ned's younger sister Lyanna, before she contracted a serious case of death. Whilst visiting her grave in the Stark family crypts below Winterfell, Robert asks Ned to take Jon Arryn's place as Hand of the King. He also offers to betroth Joffrey to Sansa, joining House Stark and Baratheon. The scene in the crypts also introduces some of the series' BackStory: seventeen years ago, Robert, Ned and Jon Arryn fought a rebellion against the Targaryen dynasty, deposing them and installing Robert on the Iron Throne. But two Targaryens still live...

There's a short scene at '''King's Landing,''' the capital of Westeros, where a blonde man and a blonde woman -- Ser Jaime Lannister of the Kingsguard and his twin sister, Queen Cersei Lannister -- have a cryptic conversation about keeping secrets whilst a funeral goes on. Up at Winterfell, Catelyn brings a letter to Ned explaining what the funeral was about: it was for Lord Jon Arryn of the Eyrie, Hand of the King these past seventeen years until his untimely death by disease. The letter also claims that Robert Baratheon, the First of his Name, King of the Andals and the First Men, Lord Protector of the Seven Kingdoms, is coming north to Winterfell to visit his best friend Ned, who he has not seen in years. Three guesses why.

* AdaptationalVillainy: A minor, downplayed case. In the books, Jamie was noted to deliver the "The things I do for love" line much less casually that he did in the show, and actually with a slight hint of disgust in his voice, showing that he really wasn't too happy about attempting to murder a child.

* HappilyMarried: Ned and Catelyn are shown to have a genuine affection for each other. Averted with the king and queen, whose marriage is visibly strained.

* RoyalBrat: Viserys makes this clear with every word that comes out of his mouth. Joffrey has quite the reputation too.
-->'''Robb:''' I hear he's a right royal prick.
-->'''Theon:''' Just think of [[PowerIsSexy all those Southern girls]] he gets to stab with his right royal prick.

* RoyalBrat: Viserys makes this clear with every word that comes out of his mouth. Joffrey has quite the reputation to.

-->'''Theon:''' Just think of all those Southern girls he gets to stab with his right royal prick.

** [[{{ProperLady}} Sansa]] is introduced as sweetly accepting praise for her well-done embroidery.
** [[TomboyPrincess Arya]] runs away from the women sewing to shoot an arrow at the bullseye her brother Bran kept missing (from further away to boot), while her brothers look on in amazement. She later sneaks out to watch the royal family arrive with the servants, rather than in her proper place as the the lord's daughter.