Army of the dead

Spoilers! Spoilers, spoilers, spoilers, if you haven't seen Game of Thrones season 8 episode 1 and you still clicked on this post, I have no sympathy for you.

There were no filler scenes in last night's episode, the first of six in the final season (sob) of an epic that has been consuming HBO -- and, therefore, most of the US -- for about a decade. What do I mean by "no filler scenes"? Everything had a purpose: every shot, every line of dialogue, everything the actors did and didn't do. And I've been thinking about pacing and how different the first few seasons were -- or were they?

It's easy to forget how much happened in the first season of GoT, but several arcs were crammed into the space of ten episodes. The differences were that a lot of the content was expository and there were a lot more characters who we cared about (or were expected to care about) on screen. Even though a lot of characters have returned, and we might not have expected to see them again (looking at you, Gendry), that almost streamlines the plot more, because introducing new characters takes time up with exposition, as opposed to sticking to "let's put these characters in a room together and hash things out."

Speaking of putting characters in a room together and hashing things out, Sam did some heavy lifting last night. As someone with complicated feelings about their family, I appreciate the show giving him a moment to mourn his father and brother, even if it's then turned into a weapon in his quest of convincing Jon why Daenerys shouldn't be queen. I'm glad the show got that revelation out of the way early on, because now we can focus on the question everyone's been thinking about for two years: what happens now?

There were moments in last night's episode when I wanted a filler scene, or maybe something where the characters actually talked through something rather than batting at it like a kid poking a piñata with a stick at a birthday party. At this point, we know pretty much everything there is to know about these people, but they only hold a fraction of that information (except Bran the Three-Eyed Raven), and it can be both frustrating and exhilarating to watch them bicker.

And, of course, the reason they can't sit around having more than surface-level conversations about their relationships is because they're fighting for not only their own lives but also the survival of humanity in Westeros. (Why, exactly, can't the army of the dead cross the sea? Can't they just take a ship? Pls explain, Yara and everyone else who's said this.) Even when Jon and Daenerys are having a moment (very picturesque, too), it's really functioning as further proof that Jon is a Targaryen. I'm surprised she didn't notice that; she didn't get to her current position by ignoring the facts.

It's probably inevitable that Jon won't want the Iron Throne, but I'm excited for Daenerys' reaction, especially if she finds out from someone other than him. The main conflict this season, for me, is not who wins the war, but whether the living choose to set aside their differences for the time being. The answer to that question will pretty much decide the result of the war. Buckle up, folks -- wait, dragons don't have seatbelts!