Season 1, Episode 1
Welcome to my Game of Thrones series of Book vs. Show! Let’s start with the first episode from Season 1.
<< If you’d rather watch the shorter version, here’s my TikTok recap on this episode
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Prologue
With the first mention of White Walkers, we come to understand the supposed main villain of the story, without yet knowing that there are terrors within the Wall of Westeros.
Will sees the victims of the White Walkers and reports back to Ser Waymar Royce. Royce demands proof of the dead.
Gared stays with the horses, by Royce’s command. Royce battles the white walker bravely and is killed. Will was watching from a tree but eventually gained enough courage to get down. He examined Ser Royce’s corpse and then saw it rise just in time to take his life. Gared returns as a deserter and is beheaded by Lord Stark.
Bran
Moving on to the Stark family – we learn the boys’ ages.
- Bran – 7
- Rickon – 3
- Robb and Jon – 14
- Eddard (Ned) – 35
Robb finds the dead Direwolf and her pups on the way home from the beheading. The show follows the books pretty closely here.
There’s a scene in the show of Cersei and Jaime talking about their secrets at Jon Arryn’s burial ceremony, but this conversation actually happens in the tower just before Bran discovers them together…
Catelyn
Cat meets Ned in the Godswood and tells him of Jon Arryn’s death as well as of King Robert’s travel plans to Winterfell. In the show, it’s implied that Cat knows Robert will ask Ned to be his Hand, but the book says nothing about that. When Robert does ask Ned to be his Hand, Ned wants nothing to do with it, but Cat insists that he accept the offer. In the show, Cat begs Ned not to go, but Ned feels obligated to heed the King’s command.
Daenerys
Dany is 13 and has purple eyes, just like her brother. Viserys (22) is abusive and manipulative towards Dany and considers her a thing to be sold. He sells her to Khal Drogo, expecting the Iron Throne in return.
Khal Drogo gives her a silver horse and she rides it as fast as it will take her. She returns and tells the Khal that he has given her the wind, which makes Khal Drogo smile. They go off and the Khal gently initiates foreplay and arouses her until she is more than willing to consent.
Ned
While Ned and King Robert go into the crypt to visit Ned’s sister, they discuss the opportunity for Joffrey, 12, to marry Sansa, 11.
Jon
Jon joins in the feast with Ghost at his feet. Uncle Benjen arrives and speaks with Jon about the Wall and having children. He angers Jon, and Jon storms out with Ghost on his heels. He finds Tyrion outside. The rest of this is represented well in the show – Tyrion and Jon talk about being outcasts.
Catelyn
Cat’s encrypted message from her sister comes in a secret wooden box, delivered by an unknown party of the Court. After reading the message, she insists that Ned take the offer to be the new Hand. Ned is still unconvinced. Both the Maester and Catelyn urge Ned to accept as new Hand of the King to bring justice to Jon Arryn’s killers (the queen & her brother Jaime). They discuss which children will remain in Winterfell and which will go to court. Bran was meant to go to court with them, to ease the tension between Robb and Joffrey. We see more of Cat’s hatred towards Jon, and Maester Luwin suggests the Wall for Jon.
Arya
We finally get to learn about the vast difference between Arya & Sansa. Sansa is very lady-like and Arya is tom-boyish and not feminine at all. We see the loving bond between Jon and Arya. Robb and Joffrey goad each other over how the other fights with fake/real swords. Joffrey makes fun of them all and then leaves them due to boredom. Arya wishes she could fight with the boys instead of having to sew with the girls.
Bran
As he watches the men go off for the Royal hunt, he climbs a tower to see them leave. He overhears a conversation between a woman and a man. He hears them discussing their secret, Jon Arryn, and Eddard Stark – he sees Queen Cersei and her brother Jaime together, naked, but he doesn’t understand what they’re doing. They see him and Jaime saves him from his initial fall, ultimately shoving him anyway.
The majority of the show is true to the book, but there are little details here and there that were overlooked and forgotten. For more content like this, check out my TikTok, where I have short recap videos on each episode!
If you want to read along, check out the same set I have on Amazon HERE! I love this leather bound, pocket size set of books. They’re convenient for travel and fit easily into my purse!
