The Wars to Come
| "The Wars to Come" | |
|---|---|
| Game of Thrones episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 5 Episode 1 |
| Directed by | Michael Slovis |
| Written by | |
| Featured music | Ramin Djawadi |
| Cinematography by | David Franco |
| Editing by | Katie Weiland |
| Original air date | April 12, 2015 |
| Running time | 52 minutes |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
"The Wars to Come" is the first episode of the fifth season of HBO's medieval fantasy television series Game of Thrones, and the 41st overall. The episode was directed by Michael Slovis, his directorial debut for the series, and written by series co-creates David Benioff and D. B. Weiss. It first aired on April 12, 2015.
Prior to airing, the episode, along with the other first four episodes of the season, were leaked online. According to HBO, the leak likely originated from a group of early access screeners that HBO authorized to receive the episode, so that they could prepare reviews ahead of their airdates. According to TorrentFreak, the leaked episodes were downloaded more than 100,000 times within three hours of being uploaded, and over a million times by the following day.
The episode received positive reviews, with many critics singling out Peter Dinklage's performance and his returning comic relief role. It marks the final appearances of Charles Dance (Tywin Lannister) and Ciarán Hinds (Mance Rayder).