These guys work for something called the Nights Watch and it is their job to track a group of Wildlings. And they find the Wildlings. All dead. Displayed like this:
And this scares the shit out of them because obviously something mystical or magical must have killed them.
Then a White Walker jumps out and kills two of them leaving the third one to run away.
This guy is caught for being a deserter and taken in front of Ned Stark, the Warden of the North, to face justice.
The deserter is brought to the chopping block. He admits to breaking the oath and admits he should've gone back to the wall to warn them but he was afraid. He saw the White Walkers. Ned's expression doesn't change indicating he doesn't believe the man or that his admission of guilt means nothing. Either way he does his duty and executes the man. Bran later asks Ned if its true the man saw the White Walkers and Ned says the White Walkers have been dead for thousands of years.
On the way back to Winterfell, home of House Stark, they come across a dead stag in the road and determine it's been killed by a direwolf, the sigil of House Stark. But also a mystical animal never seen south of the wall.
The direwolf had pups. Five pups. One for each of the stark children. Bran asks Jon "What about you?" while he's handing out the pups. Jon replies "I'm not a stark." We find out later in the episode that Jon is the bastard son of Ned Stark, therefore not a legitimate member of the Stark family. Just then a sixth pup emerges. The runt of the litter.
So now Jon has one too.
Kings Landing. The capital.
Bells are ringing and we open to a ceremony for the death of someone important. We meet two attractive characters.
Cersei Lannister, the Queen. And her twin brother Jaime, a member of the Kings Guard.
We learn the dead man's name is Jon Arryn, the Hand of the King. And he had a secret. Cersei worries he might have shared that secret with her husband, the King. Jaime isn't concerned. With the death of the Hand, the King will be looking for a new Hand to run his affairs. Cersei mentions to Jaime that he should be Hand of the King to which he replies that would be a bad idea. Their days are too long and lives are too short. Doesn't seem to be a very desirable position.
Back to Winterfell,
We see a raven arrive. Bringing news.
Ned's wife brings the news to Ned as his sits in something of a religious spot.
In this scene we learn they pray to different gods. She is from the South. He from the North. She tells him the news that Jon Arryn is dead. We learn that Ned loved him like a father. And that Jon was married to Catlyn's sister. The note also stated that the King is coming North. And Ned takes this to mean the King plans to ask him to be the new Hand.
We learn more about the Baratheons, Lannisters, and Starks in the next few scenes.
Tyrion Lannister is one of the Queen's brothers. He is a reader and a drinker.
King Robert Baratheon is a life long friend of Ned Stark. He is a fat drinker and a womanizer.
Jaime Lannister is a member of the Kings Guard and twin brother of the Queen. He has a reputation for being as attractive as the Queen and is also one of the best fighters in the seven Kingdoms.
The stark girls seem to be polar opposite of each other.
Sansa is lady-like, polite, and instantly takes a liking for the young Prince Joffrey.
Prince Joffrey Baratheon is King Robert and Queen Cersei's oldest son.
The other sister,
Arya Stark
... is a brash tomboy who shows up to greet the King wearing a soldier's helmet. Not very becoming of a lady.
Ned and King Robert go down to the crypts. This is where all the important dead Starks reside.
They discuss their mutual love of the newly deceased, Jon Arryn. And the fact they were both practically raised by him and loved him like a father. The King formally asks Ned to be Hand of the King. We learn Ned helped Robert win the throne about 17 years ago. And that Ned's sister, had she lived (more on that in a second), would've been his Queen, in the process joining Robert's House (Baratheon) to Ned's (Stark). Robert suggests they join houses this time by marrying his son, Prince Joffrey to Ned's daughter, Sansa.
We see Robert lay a feather in the hand of a statue. This is Ned's sister he referred to earlier.
Robert obviously loved Ned's sister a great deal and still considers her his one true love. Robert says "In my dreams I kill him every night." Indicating someone is responsible for her death. To which Ned says, "It's done, your Grace. The Targaryens are gone."
Robert replies 'Not all of them.'
We are now introduced to the two remaining members of House Targaryen. Viserys and Danaerys Targaryen are the only two surviving children of the former King, Aerys Targaryen, the man Robert and Ned overthrew seventeen years ago. Viserys, considered by some to be the rightful King of the Seven Kingdoms, and his younger sister Danaerys are in exile across the Narrow Sea in a city called Pentos.
Viserys is planning on marrying off Danaerys to a warrior king named Kal Drogo.
The Khal is the leader of a very large horse warrior tribe called the Dothraki. Viserys is offering up his sister in an attempt to merge his House with the Dothraki so he can use their unbeatable army to win back the throne from King Robert Baratheon.
Back at Winterfell we get more background on John.
He's a bastard. Ned is his father but Catelyn is not his mother. He tells his uncle Benjen, a member of the Nights Watch (remember them from the first scene and the White Walker) , that he is ready to join him at the Wall.
Benjen tells Jon he's a bit too young to understand the sacrifice of pledging your life to the Watch. Jon broods in disappointment.
Inside the feast, Ned asks his brother about the boy Ned executed for deserting.
Benjen says he was a good ranger and doesn't seem to think the story of the White Walkers return is as crazy as Ned makes it out to be. Benjen then jests, 'Direwolves, White Walkers, and my brother might become Hand of the King. Winter is coming.' To which Ned repeats back to him. 'Winter is coming.' (second and third mention of this episode's title)
Ned and Jaime don't like each other.
Ned and Lady Stark are in bed.
Another raven has brought them a note. This time from her sister. Jon Arryn's widow.
In the note, Cat's sister claims that her husband was murdered by the Lannisters.
The King is in danger. Now, in order to protect the King and find out who killed Jon Arryn he must become Hand of the King.
Back across the Narrow Sea...
The wedding of Daenerys Targaryen and Khal Drogo is a colorful affair rife with legalized murder and violent sex.
This is Ser Jorah Mormont. He served the last Targayen King and plans on serving the next. He gives Danaerys some books as a wedding present. Her next present is a bit more regal.
Dragon eggs. A gift from Illyrio, the man she and her brother have been living with.
Merely a decorative gift, the ages have turned them to stone, and the last dragon died out centuries ago. These beautiful eggs represent a time long passed. The dragon is the sigil of House Targaryen.
Back in Winterfell...
The adults go hunting and Bran goes climbing. But some adults stayed behind...
Queen Cersei and twin brother Jaime get caught incesting each other.
The Queen wants no witnesses. Her secret must not get back to the King.
and...
The things I do for love...
