# The Wars to Come
**"The Wars to Come"** is the first episode of the fifth season of HBO's fantasy television series *Game of Thrones*, and the 41st episode overall. Written by [David Benioff](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-benioff) and D.B. Weiss and directed by Michael Slovis, it first aired on April 12, 2015.[1](https://awoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/The_Wars_to_Come) The premiere follows the major characters after the death of [Tywin Lannister](https://www.edgepedia.org/tywin-lannister), and it opens the show's first flashback sequence, a childhood memory of [Cersei Lannister](https://www.edgepedia.org/cersei-lannister) receiving a prophecy from the fortune teller Maggy the Frog; it also ends with the death of the wildling leader Mance Rayder.[2](https://time.com/5517025/game-of-thrones-binge-watch-recaps/) • [12](https://www.tvline.com/recaps/game-of-thrones-mance-recap-rayder-dies-dead-season-5-603963/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Position | Season 5, episode 1; 41st episode of the series[1](https://awoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/The_Wars_to_Come) |
| Original air date | April 12, 2015, on HBO[1](https://awoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/The_Wars_to_Come) |
| Credits | Written by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss; directed by Michael Slovis[1](https://awoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/The_Wars_to_Come) |
| Running time | 52 minutes[1](https://awoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/The_Wars_to_Come) |
| Title source | Mance's words to Stannis, "I wish you good fortune in the wars to come," and Varys's words to Tyrion, "I believe men of talent have a part to play in the war to come"[3](https://gameofthrones.fandom.com/wiki/The_Wars_To_Come) |
| First flashback | Young Cersei Lannister visits the fortune teller Maggy the Frog, the show's first flashback sequence[2](https://time.com/5517025/game-of-thrones-binge-watch-recaps/) |
| Viewership | Nearly 8 million viewers, then the highest rated episode of the series to that point; 1.6 million overnight on Sky Atlantic in the UK[4](https://www.westeros.org/News/Entry/12323) |
| Critical score | 96% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer from 48 reviews[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/game_of_thrones/s05/e01) |
## Synopsis
The episode's official synopsis reads: "Cersei and Jaime adjust to a world without Tywin; Varys reveals a conspiracy to Tyrion; Dany faces a new threat; Jon is caught between two kings."[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/game_of_thrones/s05/e01) [Tyrion Lannister](https://www.edgepedia.org/tyrion-lannister), smuggled out of King's Landing in a crate after killing his father Tywin, arrives at Pentos, where Lord Varys tells him that Jaime had asked him to save his brother's life.[6](https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/game-of-thrones/episodes-season-5/1030803199/) In Meereen, the Unsullied soldier White Rat is murdered in a brothel, and [Daenerys Targaryen](https://www.edgepedia.org/daenerys-targaryen) orders Grey Worm to find the killer.[6](https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/game-of-thrones/episodes-season-5/1030803199/) At Castle Black, Jon Snow stands between [Stannis Baratheon](https://www.edgepedia.org/stannis-baratheon), who wants the wildlings' allegiance, and the Night's Watch, which has just fought them.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/game_of_thrones/s05/e01)
**The flashback.** The episode opens in the past, as a young Cersei Lannister visits Maggy the Frog, a fortune teller living in the woods near Casterly Rock. Maggy demands a taste of Cersei's blood before answering, then predicts that Cersei will never wed the prince but will wed the king.[2](https://time.com/5517025/game-of-thrones-binge-watch-recaps/) According to the episode summary on A Wiki of Ice and Fire, Maggy answers three questions: Cersei will marry the king instead of the prince, will bear three children while the king fathers twenty, and will be queen for a time before a younger and more beautiful queen casts her down.[1](https://awoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/The_Wars_to_Come) This was the first flashback in the show's history, a storytelling device the series had avoided until this point.[7](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/game-of-thrones-season-premiere-review-the-wars-to-come-emilia-clarke-peter-dinklage/)
**Deaths bookending the hour.** The premiere begins with a wake for Tywin Lannister and ends with Mance Rayder, the king beyond the Wall, dying from an arrow to the chest after refusing to bend the knee; the A.V. Club review notes that both men were killed by the same type of weapon.[8](https://www.avclub.com/game-of-thrones-newbies-the-wars-to-come-1798183527) Mance silences Jon Snow by declaring that he is willing to die rather than lead his people into a "foreigner's war" with Stannis.[9](https://boingboing.net/2015/04/13/game-of-thrones-s05e01-recap.html) The episode is the final appearance of starring cast member [Charles Dance](https://www.edgepedia.org/charles-dance) as Tywin, whose character died at the end of the previous season's finale.[3](https://gameofthrones.fandom.com/wiki/The_Wars_To_Come)
## Title and themes
The title is drawn from two lines of dialogue in the episode: Mance Rayder's farewell to Stannis, "I wish you good fortune in the wars to come," and Varys's remark to Tyrion, "I believe men of talent have a part to play in the war to come."[3](https://gameofthrones.fandom.com/wiki/The_Wars_To_Come) Reviewers read the episode as a hinge between conflicts: with the War of the Five Kings effectively over, the wars for Westeros, and the larger struggle against the White Walkers, are set to begin.[7](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/game-of-thrones-season-premiere-review-the-wars-to-come-emilia-clarke-peter-dinklage/)
[The A.V. Club](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-a-v-club) described the hour as a series of stump speeches in which the show asks its recurring question, "When a new leader rises, what type of leader will that person be?" Varys articulates the season's thesis in his scene with Tyrion, wishing for a ruler "stronger than Tommen, but gentler than Stannis," one who can intimidate the high lords and inspire the people, a description that fits Daenerys Targaryen and, the review argues, Jon Snow as well.[8](https://www.avclub.com/game-of-thrones-newbies-the-wars-to-come-1798183527)
## Adaptation
The episode draws on chapters from three of George R.R. Martin's *A Song of Ice and Fire* novels: Daenerys VI, Samwell IV, and Jon XI from *A Storm of Swords*; Cersei II, Jaime I, Cersei VIII, and Alayne I from *A Feast for Crows*; and Tyrion I, Daenerys I, Tyrion II, Jon III, Daenerys II, Daenerys IV, and Daenerys VI from *A Dance with Dragons*.[1](https://awoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/The_Wars_to_Come) The Maggy the Frog sequence plays out largely as it does in *A Feast for Crows*.[7](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/game-of-thrones-season-premiere-review-the-wars-to-come-emilia-clarke-peter-dinklage/)
## Cast changes
Twenty of the season's 28 starring cast members appear in the episode. Starring cast members [Indira Varma](https://www.edgepedia.org/indira-varma), Alfie Allen, Maisie Williams, Jerome Flynn, Iwan Rheon, Michael McElhatton, Tom Wlaschilha, and [Iain Glen](https://www.edgepedia.org/iain-glen) do not appear. [Michiel Huisman](https://www.edgepedia.org/michiel-huisman), Nathalie Emmanuel, and Dean-Charles Chapman join the main cast with this episode, having previously appeared in recurring roles.[3](https://gameofthrones.fandom.com/wiki/The_Wars_To_Come)
## Reception and viewership
The premiere set a series record. Westeros.org reported that "The Wars to Come" became not only the highest rated premiere episode of *Game of Thrones* but the highest rated episode of the series to that point, with nearly 8 million viewers, about 800,000 more than the previous high, the season four episode "Mockingbird." [Sky Atlantic](https://www.edgepedia.org/sky-atlantic)'s UK airing the following day drew 1.6 million viewers overnight, also a record for the channel.[4](https://www.westeros.org/News/Entry/12323)
The broadcast followed an unusual complication: the first four episodes of the season leaked online shortly before the premiere aired, which Westeros.org called an unprecedented violation of HBO's control of its intellectual property.[4](https://www.westeros.org/News/Entry/12323)
Critics received the episode well. On Rotten Tomatoes it holds a 96% Tomatometer score from 48 reviews, with the critics consensus calling it "a solid season premiere" that "ratchets up the anticipation for inevitable bloodshed while deepening focus on characters and locales."[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/game_of_thrones/s05/e01) On IMDb it holds a weighted rating of 8.3 out of 10 from about 48,000 votes.[10](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3658012/ratings/) Metacritic lists a user score of 8.6 based on 22 ratings.[11](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/game-of-thrones/season-5/episode-1-the-wars-to-come/) Some reviewers noted the dialogue-heavy, action-light pacing; the A.V. Club observed that the episode "will likely catch some flak for stalling," while arguing that its rhetoric serves the season's campaign-like structure.[8](https://www.avclub.com/game-of-thrones-newbies-the-wars-to-come-1798183527)
## References
1. [The Wars to Come, A Wiki of Ice and Fire](https://awoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/The_Wars_to_Come)
2. [Your Ultimate Guide to Binge-Watching Every Game of Thrones Episode, Time](https://time.com/5517025/game-of-thrones-binge-watch-recaps/)
3. [The Wars To Come, Wiki of Westeros (Fandom)](https://gameofthrones.fandom.com/wiki/The_Wars_To_Come)
4. [The Wars to Come Hits Series High Despite Piracy, Westeros.org News](https://www.westeros.org/News/Entry/12323)
5. [Game of Thrones: Season 5, Episode 1, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/game_of_thrones/s05/e01)
6. [Game of Thrones Season 5 Episode Guide, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/game-of-thrones/episodes-season-5/1030803199/)
7. [Game of Thrones Season 5 Premiere Review: The Wars to Come, Den of Geek](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/game-of-thrones-season-premiere-review-the-wars-to-come-emilia-clarke-peter-dinklage/)
8. [Game Of Thrones (newbies): "The Wars To Come", The A.V. Club](https://www.avclub.com/game-of-thrones-newbies-the-wars-to-come-1798183527)
9. ["Wars to come" loom in Game Of Thrones' fifth season, Boing Boing](https://boingboing.net/2015/04/13/game-of-thrones-s05e01-recap.html)
10. ["Game of Thrones" The Wars to Come (TV Episode 2015) - Ratings, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3658012/ratings/)
11. [Game of Thrones season 5 The Wars to Come Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/game-of-thrones/season-5/episode-1-the-wars-to-come/)
12. [Game Of Thrones Premiere Recap: Thinking Outside The Box - TVLine](https://www.tvline.com/recaps/game-of-thrones-mance-recap-rayder-dies-dead-season-5-603963/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Fictional worlds and series reference apparatus › Episode lists, seasons, and broadcast lifecycle › Series premieres and finales*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license