Chapter 368: A Successful Beginning

Despite not particularly liking it, Gal Gadot watched patiently, supporting Murphy more than anyone else present.

The three Night's Watchmen decided to investigate further, but when they arrived at the terrifying depression, the most bizarre thing happened—the bodies had completely vanished without leaving a trace that they had ever been there.

When the old knight unearthed a red cloth and was horrified, Clattenburg saw a 'person' with chilling blue eyes stand up behind another Night's Watchman. Then came a dull thud of a bludgeon and a human's agonized scream. The young Night's Watchman, who had gone to scout ahead, found himself in a clearing surrounded by trees. Already terrified, he looked up to see a small figure appearing in the distance—it was the little girl who had been nailed to a tree, now standing on the ground!

Her eyes were also an ice-cold blue that could freeze one's blood. The Night's Watchman fled in panic, but he was accompanied by fleeting, shadowy black figures.

All the young Night's Watchman could do was kneel in front of the blue-eyed "person," helplessly awaiting the same tragic fate as his comrade, hoping only that his ordeal would end quickly since he had no strength or means to escape.

The prelude of "Game of Thrones: A Song of Ice and Fire" ended there.

Clattenburg shifted in his seat; compared to the original novel, this prelude lost nothing. In fact, due to the visual effects, he found it exceptionally tense and exciting.

Daisy had long forgotten to open her laptop to chat with others; she stared intently at the TV, anxiously awaiting the start of the first episode.

At this moment, millions of Fox cable TV subscribers across North America were waiting for the first episode of "Game of Thrones: A Song of Ice and Fire" to begin.

The theme song that followed and the overall design and creativity did not disappoint. Amid the broad, powerful yet melancholic music, "Game of Thrones: A Song of Ice and Fire" introduced everyone to the main locations of this season's story through delicate models of continents and cities.

Featured were the Baratheon family, represented by a black stag on a gold background, who currently held the Iron Throne in King's Landing; the Stark family, a central focus of the story, represented by a grey direwolf running across snowy grounds, and their capital Winterfell; the Night's Watch, who guarded the kingdom's borders and stayed out of power struggles, stationed at the Wall; and the now destitute Targaryen family, represented by a black banner with a red three-headed dragon, residing in the free trade cities.

As the stirring music ended, the main storylines of stags, direwolves, lions, and dragons, along with various power struggles and intense battles among the families and factions, began to unfold.

Inside the Fox cable network, attention was closely on this TV series, especially the viewer numbers.

The pre-show had around a million viewers, but as the prelude aired, numbers soared past two and a half million, and by the end of the first episode's intro, the figure had reached three million.

For a cable TV drama's premiere, these numbers were quite impressive, ensuring the first episode would not end on a cold note.

Murphy and Kara Faith stood in the workroom of the Fox cable network's Los Angeles division, where viewer numbers could be tracked live.

As the series played, the Baratheon family had already traveled from King's Landing to Winterfell, and the Stark family was facing a challenge.

"Don't worry, this is just the beginning."

Compared to Murphy, Kara Faith had a better understanding of the cable network's operations. "HBO's 'Band of Brothers' had only three million viewers for its first episode."

Murphy didn't respond directly but instead pointed to his face and asked, "Where do you see that I'm worried?"

Kara Faith glanced at Murphy, whose rugged face remained calm, and rolled her eyes, "I know, even if the San Andreas Fault collapsed, you wouldn't frown."

Murphy just shrugged, not saying much.

With solid pre-marketing and quality assurance for the series, he wasn't particularly worried about the ratings and response to "Game of Thrones: A Song of Ice and Fire."

Another important storyline was unfolding on the TV screen, where Tyrion Lannister and Jon Snow met for the first time, discussing the term "bastard" in their first conversation.

"Viewer numbers are nearing three and a half million!"

A data analyst loudly updated Murphy and Kara Faith. Just half a minute later, he added, "It has now surpassed three and a half million!"

Kara Faith nodded slightly and exchanged a look with Murphy, both appearing calm.

"Boy, remember, while all the dwarfs of the world may be regarded as bastards, bastards need not be seen as dwarfs..."

On the TV

, as the diminutive Tyrion Lannister opened the door, the indoor lighting cast his silhouette clearly in the courtyard.

In that moment, Daisy felt Tyrion's figure stood regally, like an emperor.

This was a standout character. She hadn't read the novels and judged only by the TV series, but Murphy's portrayal of this character was comparable to Amy Dunne in "Gone Girl."

However, Clattenburg noticed some differences. Perhaps to lay the groundwork for the evolving relationship between the two characters, given the character development and episode length constraints, Murphy Stanton did not film a later scene from the novel.

Thinking it over, Clattenburg realized Murphy's decision was very clever. If it had been included, many might have anticipated a further positive development in the relationship between the "little devil" and Jon Snow, which would have been less interesting.

In the drama, as the "little devil" wanted to express, there wasn't much difference in their statuses. As a Lannister, Tyrion, though seemingly of noble birth, was well aware of the contradictory ways people spoke of him behind his back. Jon Snow had experienced much of the same, albeit to a lesser extent. Tyrion's advice was thus from his own experience—an invaluable and sincere suggestion, revealing a side of him rarely seen by others, one of true decency and kindness. It was clear Jon Snow would be inspired, especially now when he was in a crucial yet difficult period and greatly needed someone to enlighten him. The advice from Tyrion was undoubtedly helpful, telling him to be strong and face his status as a bastard, for even that could not hinder him from pursuing the life he wanted or deserved.

From this scene, Gal Gadot could see that the Stark family had no love for the Lannisters, but as a unique member of the Stark family, Jon had intersected with another unique member of the Lannister family. It was absurd but filled with a bit of genuine, magical connection, and what did this ultimately mean?

This mystery was not only hers; many viewers in front of their TVs shared it, driving them to keep watching.

As the plot progressed, the Stark family's challenge officially arrived.

They had to make a final decision: step forward to safeguard the king, or keep their distance and preserve themselves?

Listening to Catelyn's highly emotional opposition and Maester Luwin's calm advice, Ned Stark's expression was grave. Faced with the choice of protecting his family and home first or being responsible for the kingdom and king, when these options were laid out for comparison, Ned's decision was almost self-evident.

Seeing Ned Stark's choice, Daisy pursed her lips, "Seems wise, but actually just foolishly wise."

As the first episode was about to end, as expected by all viewers, Ned Stark decided to accept the position of the Hand of the King and travel with the king to King's Landing to protect the king and investigate the true circumstances of Jon Arryn's death. Hearing the king's apology and gratitude, all Ned Stark could do was respond with a resigned smile, appreciating the king's trust.

Just before he left for the hunt with the king and his entourage, he smiled one last time at his still healthy, lively son Bran Stark, because when he returned, he would find Bran in a coma, lying motionless on the bed in a dire condition.

Bran had seen something he shouldn't have—the incestuous relationship between Jaime Lannister and Cersei Lannister—bringing trouble upon himself and setting the stage for the enmity between the Stark and Lannister families.

In the workroom of the Fox cable network's Los Angeles division, Murphy and Kara Faith watched as the subtitles rolled down the screen, marking the end of the first episode of "Game of Thrones: A Song of Ice and Fire."

The data for the episode was immediately relayed to them; by the end of the first episode, the series had peaked at 3.9 million viewers!

"Game of Thrones: A Song of Ice and Fire" had indeed had a successful start.

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