Game Of Thrones
Sky Atlantic/now TV, Mondays, 2am & 9pm
Now that we’ve all recovered from the massive shock in episode one of the new season of GOT, when Ed Sheeran suddenly popped up in some woods and started singing, we can ponder the return of the show as a whole.
Luckily, there were other gloriously surprising moments. The pre-credits opening sequence, for example, was a cast-iron classic, as the evil old (and deceased) codger Walder Frey reappeared. Turns out it was Arya Stark wearing the mask of the dead duffer’s face, as she proceeded to lay waste to almost everyone in the room in stunning style. It was the best “cold open” in the show’s history. An even bolder scene unfolded later, when we got to see what poor Samwell Tarly has to endure living in the Citadel, where loads of key historical texts are kept. Sam, it turns out, has to clean out the toilets, gather and dispose of the human waste, and prepare the food, which also happens to be brown and runny. This montage was simultaneously revolting and brilliantly funny, and unlike anything we’ve seen on GOT before.
Overall, the way in which we were reintroduced to the main players as they gather for the final push for power, was so skilfully done, I almost forgot how clunky that Ed Sheeran cameo was. I have nothing against the chap, but it has to be said that plonking one of the world’s most famous pop stars into the show was a total distraction. Yes, I know they’ve had appearances from Icelandic warblers Sigur Rós and Snow Patrol ’s Gary Lightbody, but this was a different kettle of gratuitousceleb-cameo fish. All is forgiven, though, because Thrones is still the best thing on TV.