Deep Impressions - Game of Thrones: "Winter is Coming" - King's Landing

Needless to say, Spoilers Ahead...just in case I'm not the last person on Earth over twelve who hasn't seen this yet.

I'm reviewing each episode's "happenings" based on location. In other words, each place is getting its own review.

Season 1 Episode 1: "Winter is Coming" - King's Landing

The Gist:

Welcome to King's Landing, capital of the Seven Kingdoms, where bells be a-ringing...

...'cause there's a funeral taking place.

The name of the deceased is Jon Arryn. He was Hand of the King (think Chief of Staff to the President of the United States) to the current king - Robert - until his demise. During the funeral, we meet:

a woman...

...and a man.

It turns out that they are brother and sister and members of the Lannister family - which, by the way, are not fools.

She's married to the King (making her Queen of the Seven Kingdoms), and is nervous.

He's fearless, and used to be Hand of the King. Not to Robert (his brother-in-law) but to the previous King. 

The brother want's nothing to do with the job and is clearly not above poking fun at Robert in front of his sister.

She's worried that Jon may have told someone what he had learned prior to his death. Her brother tells her that if that were true, they'd both be dead already.

The Good:

This guy has a wicked sense of humor.

We see the Iron Throne for the first time!

The Bad: It bugs me that we don't get their first names here, even though we learn who they are - and more about their relationship - by the end of the episode. This scene was very short and didn't have much "meat" to it other than Jon's death, a brief intro to the Lannister family and the Queen's fears.

The WTF?: 

I didn't know Arryn was Egyptian...or do all Westeros funerals include putting organs in jars? 'Cause that's just gross.

I also thought covering the eyes of the deceased was a Jewish tradition, but that makes for one creepy looking dead guy.

Maybe the painted eyes are a subtle message to all that he's still watching over the King...the Queen...and the Brother of the Queen?

And where are the mourners? The bells are ringing to let everyone know there's been a death, so people would surely be asking who died - unless they already know. If they already know who died, wouldn't they know where the ceremony's taking place? So why isn't anyone there to pay their respects? This was the Hand of the King - a respected title, and a well-respected man. There should be mourners. Now maybe this is a private ceremony that precedes the "wake" or whatever they do for public viewing, but it would have been nice to see the people's reaction to the death, either later on in this episode or in a later episode, when Arryn's put into the ground...assuming that's what they do with dead bodies in King's Landing.

Mrs. Adorkification Moments: She didn't mention anything during this part, but...

I learned from the interwebs that Lena Headey was visibly pregnant during filming, which is why she's leaning over the window.