‘Game Of Thrones’ Season 8 Premiere Connects To Season 1 Pilot Episode

The highly anticipated premiere episode of “Game Of Thrones” Season 8 was a callback of sorts to the show’s first-ever episode. From Jaime Lannister’s encounter with Bran Stark in Winterfell to Jon Snow and Arya Stark’s emotional reunion, the episode’s significant parallels with the show’s pilot can’t be denied. Here are the moments in the Season 8 premiere that are reminiscent of the episode that started it all.

Jaime Lannister And Bran Stark Coming Face To Face Once Again

The latest episode ended with an icy stare between Bran Stark and Jaime Lannister, who had just returned to Winterfell. That wordless moment reminded viewers of Jaime’s original sin, in which he and his sister Cersei secretly engaged in incestuous relations and caused Bran Stark to be paralyzed from his waist down.

In the pilot, a young Bran Stark happened to be scaling the stone towers while Jaime and Cersei were doing the act. When Jaime spotted him staring at them, he pushed him outside the window, causing his paralysis.

Both Jaime and Cersei have transformed a lot since the show’s pilot. While Jaime has transformed from an initial villain into a sympathetic character, Bran has become the new unfeeling Three-Eyed Raven. With Bran coming face to face with Jaime again in Season 8, viewers can’t expect Bran to have any emotional resentment toward Jaime.

Daenerys’ Glorious Arrival

Episode 1 of Season 8 opens with a very familiar scene — a little boy running over the Winterfell walls to catch a glimpse of the incoming procession. Back in the show’s pilot episode, Bran did exactly the same thing when King Robert arrived in the North.

Arya Stark hiding into the throng of people to get a good look of who she thought was her brother Jon Snow was also reminiscent of the young Arya in the pilot — proof that all this time she’s always had the heart of that little roguish girl in her.

Jon Snow And Arya’s Emotional Reunion

Probably the most emotional scene in the Season 8 premiere was Jon Snow’s reunion with his sister Arya. As they spotted each other amid the crowd, they immediately ran into each other’s arms and embraced each other tight. Jon realized that the sword she gave Arya back in the Season 1 pilot as a goodbye gift before he set off for the Wall was still with her. Little did he know that she had used it more than he could have imagined.