Westeros

Lord Eddard’s sons, from left to right: his acknowledged bastard Jon Snow, and his legitimate sons Bran, the heir to Winterfell Robb, and the youngest Rickon.

Filmed at Castle Ward, this scene from the first episode shows Bran at archery practice as his brothers look on; we’ve seen a version of this before. The yard of Winterfell looks fantastic, and the costuming with its shades of brown and darker colors seems very fitting for the cold, dour north where practicality matters more than finery. This image is our very first glimpse of the young actor playing Rickon, as well (and yes, that’s really him in the scene, not a photoshop—the extra glimpsed behind Bran confirms Art Parkinson’s presence).

We think our speculation as to the purpose of those quilted sleeves Bran is wearing is correct, given that he’s practicing with the bow. We love the fact that the quiver is at his belt, as well, which is much more historically accurate than the typical filmism where it’s slung over the back. The bow, of course, is a recurved bow, which is not exactly what’s described in the books (only the Dornish and wildlings use them in Westeros, whereas everyone else uses regular bows or longbows), but it’s no surprise to us as someone in the production has informed us that almost all examples of bows in the show will be recurved (with one or two exceptions). It’s a very minor deviation, though, more a curiousity than anything.

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Helen Sloan/HBO

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