Episode 1 of ‘Game of Thrones’ and the Big Reveal [SPOILER ALERT]

We have been anxiously awaiting the return of Game of Thrones for almost two years now, and last night's premiere of the final season did not disappoint.

The big question was whether or not someone would die in the first episode. The answer is yes, someone did die, but it was not one of the main characters. Instead, it was a young boy, who Sansa Stark instructed to go back to his people to tell them to come and join the others at Winterfell. Well, the White Walkers got that poor kid. But everyone else is safe as we move on to Episode 2 next Sunday. Phew.

What I did not see coming was the big reveal from Sam to Jon Snow that Daenerys is his aunt (gross) and that he is the rightful heir to the Iron Throne. We all knew about Jon and Dany and who they are to each other after Season 7. I guess it makes sense, though, that the writers would not try and keep this a secret the whole way through the final season, but I didn't see it happening in Episode 1.

I felt like I got a lot out of the first episode back. There were so many reunions, too many to list. But the ones that really stuck out were of course when Jon sees Bran for the first time. It brought him to tears. Then another between Jon and Arya. I have never seen her so happy to see someone as she was seeing him. But the most intense reunion (of sorts) was when Jamie Lannister arrived at Winterfell and gazed across the courtyard and caught eyes with Bran Stark. If you remember, Jamie pushed Bran out of the window of the barn, which ultimately paralyzed Bran. It was as if Jamie saw a ghost.

In my opinion, the first episode was on point and a great set up for what's to come. Like Episode 1, Episode 2 will be between 52-56 minutes in length. Episodes 3, 4, 5 and 6 will all be over an hour long. Some around an hour and 20 minutes, and the others just under that.

I'll check back next week with another re-cap of GoT Episode 2. So until then, have fun dissecting the first episode and running scenarios through your mind, because I'll be doing the same.