--- description: And the verdict is... title: Here's What the Critics Have to Say About 'Game of Thrones' Season 5 Premiere image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6c8314a29b62aa23/698784613c1639fe95452579/nell-tiger-free_toby-sebastian-photo-macall-b-polay-hbo.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Here's What the Critics Have to Say About _Game of Thrones_ Season 5 Premiere by [James Hibberd / Entertainment Weekly](/author/entertainment-weekly/) ## James Hibberd / Entertainment Weekly Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Mar 19, 2015 5:25 PM CUT  Myrcella (L), played by Nell Tiger Free, speaks with Trystane Martell (R), played by Toby Sebastian, in season 5 of HBO's "Game of Thrones." Myrcella (L), played by Nell Tiger Free, speaks with Trystane Martell (R), played by Toby Sebastian, in season 5 of HBO's "Game of Thrones."HBO by [James Hibberd / Entertainment Weekly](/author/entertainment-weekly/) ## James Hibberd / Entertainment Weekly Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Mar 19, 2015 5:25 PM CUT **UPDATED**_: Game of Thrones_ season 5 had its world premiere at the Tower of London on Wednesday night and UK critics are scrambling to post the first early reviews. Their verdict? … C’mon, what do _you_ think? Here’s a rundown of what has been posted so far about episode 501, titled “The Wars to Come.” [The Guardian](http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/mar/18/game-of-thrones-episode-one-series-five-spoiler-free-review "undefined"): “All the elements that have made _Game of Thrones_ notorious, from copious nudity to moments of unexpected violence, were present but this was a notably confident series opener, one which mixed humour and pace to demonstrate how secure \[showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss\] now are in this world – and how happy they are to take risks … well-paced, intriguing opening episode.” [Forbes](http://www.forbes.com/sites/neilmidgley/2015/03/18/game-of-thrones-season-5-episode-1-first-look-review-treason-and-plot/ "undefined"): “This is a season opener that will have you gripped from the get-go … It’s a relatively quiet episode by GoT standards – and certainly by comparison to that gory season 4 finale … _Game of Thrones_ is HBO’s most-watched series ever for a reason – and its many fans will be tantalised and intrigued by this new season..” [The Evening Standard](http://www.standard.co.uk/showbiz/tv/game-of-thrones-season-5--tv-premiere-review-kit-harington-emilia-clarke-and-peter-dinklage-are-on-top-form-in-the-battle-for-westeros-10119067.html "undefined"): “This was a measured scene-setter, with breasts and buttocks bared as per, but less of the blood or other bodily fluids that will surely be spilt later on. A palpable sense of weariness pervaded many of its characters without afflicting the show itself … \[Characters\] began moving into position for what is starting to resemble — brace yourselves — an endgame … The next head to roll could be that of the HBO executive who dares call time on a series that gets better and better.” [The Independent](http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/game-of-thrones-series-5-episode-1-tv-review-now-that-weve-come-to-expect-the-unexpected-can-the-hbo-show-still-shock-like-it-used-to-10118456.html "undefined"): “There weren’t many new introductions, but several old characters are revealing new sides … [HBO have recently hinted that they’d like _Game of Thrones_ to go on for decades](http://www.ew.com/article/2015/03/11/game-thrones-end "undefined") to come, but so far this season definitely feels like the beginning of the end(game). We know because characters and storylines that have been distinct for so long are unmistakably beginning to intertwine.” [The Telegraph](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/game-of-thrones/11480846/game-of-thrones-season-5-wars-to-come-review.html "undefined") (warning: spoiler heavy): “Essentially, this was an exercise in scene setting, the chess pieces being laid out on the board … Encouragingly bold.” Regarding “relatively quiet” comment: I would point out _Thrones_seasons tend to start softly (_especially_ compared to finales) as they re-introduce characters and storylines, then pick up steam as the season progresses (also, season 5’s first episode is actually not as quiet as some previous openers…). _Thrones_ returns April 12 on HBO. In the meantime, here’s what the _Thrones_ stars were [wearing on the red carpet for the London premiere](http://www.ew.com/gallery/game-of-thrones-london-red-carpet "undefined"), the [arrival of the Iron Throne](http://www.ew.com/article/2015/03/18/game-thrones-iron-throne-london "undefined") in London and check out these two new clips from the first episode: _This_ [_article_](http://www.ew.com/article/2015/03/18/game-thrones-early-season-5-premiere-reviews-say "undefined") _originally appeared on_ [_EW.com_](http://www.ew.com "undefined")_._ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3751295/game-of-thrones-season-5-premiere-review/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3751295/game-of-thrones-season-5-premiere-review/"},"headline":"Here's What the Critics Have to Say About Game of Thrones Season 5 Premiere","datePublished":"2015-03-19T17:25:57.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T05:17:55.835Z","description":"And the verdict is...","url":"https://time.com/3751295/game-of-thrones-season-5-premiere-review/","keywords":["Television"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6c8314a29b62aa23/698784613c1639fe95452579/nell-tiger-free_toby-sebastian-photo-macall-b-polay-hbo.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"James Hibberd / Entertainment Weekly"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6c8314a29b62aa23/698784613c1639fe95452579/nell-tiger-free_toby-sebastian-photo-macall-b-polay-hbo.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Myrcella (L), played by Nell Tiger Free, speaks with Trystane Martell (R), played by Toby Sebastian, in season 5 of HBO's \"Game of Thrones.\"","caption":"Myrcella (L), played by Nell Tiger Free, speaks with Trystane Martell (R), played by Toby Sebastian, in season 5 of HBO's \"Game of Thrones.\"","creditText":"HBO","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3751295/game-of-thrones-season-5-premiere-review/","name":"Here's What the Critics Have to Say About Game of Thrones Season 5 Premiere"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Game of Thrones Season 5 Tyrion & Varys (HBO)","description":"Game of Thrones Season 5 Tyrion & Varys (HBO)","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/IomVtQUG/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-03-18T20:29:01.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/IomVtQUG.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3751295/game-of-thrones-season-5-premiere-review/","duration":"PT36S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3751295/game-of-thrones-season-5-premiere-review/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Game of Thrones Season 5 Jon & Mance (HBO)","description":"Game of Thrones Season 5 Jon & Mance (HBO)","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/RUpqcYMl/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-03-18T20:29:03.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/RUpqcYMl.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3751295/game-of-thrones-season-5-premiere-review/","duration":"PT34S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3751295/game-of-thrones-season-5-premiere-review/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```