dir. by Jeremy Podeswa
HBO's Game of Thrones has been struggling to find its way without its source material for a season and a half now. Season 5 suffered under the weight of excessive brutality and the uninvolving Dorne storyline, and season 6 frequently resorted to feel-good pandering. Going forward, HBO has reduced its order from 10 episodes to 8, and it remains to be seen whether this will serve to reduce the show's bloat and repetition, or if it'll simply cramp the storytelling.
As always, the premiere is not the right place to judge the quality of a season. "Dragonstone" is dedicated primarily to setting up the season to come, and as a result is packed with expository conversations and minor developments. But these minor developments show promise, and the episode ditches the hacky sentimentality of season 6 in favour of moments of quiet observation. Ultimately, the world and characters of Game of Thrones are still compelling enough to make even its slowest patches enjoyable, and "Dragonstone" satisfies most of all by setting almost every one of the show's storylines into motion.
Spoilers follow.
