Instruct: Given a question, retrieve documents that can help answer the question.
Query: How many episodes does Game of Thrones have?
As of August27,2017, 73 episodes of Game of Throneshave aired, concluding theseventh season. The series will conclude with its eighth season, which will consist of six episodes and premiere on April 14, 2019.[10][11][12] The show's episodes have won numerous awards including three Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series.[3]
Writing for "The A.V. Club", television reviewer Hayden Childs commented that "Exit Through the Kwik-E-Mart" was "somewhat amusing and far more coherent than many recent episodes, but the satire is relatively mild. The episode curdles a bit while looking for a sweet ending, but it is otherwise solid enough." Critics have praised the opening sequence that parodies "Game of Thrones". Tim Surette of TV.com called it "one minute of genius", and MTV's Brandon Freeberg wrote: "Congratulations are in order for Matt Groening and his staff for really knocking this one out of the park." Jenna Busch of Zap2it and Kelly West of Cinema Blend, both fans of "Game of Thrones", named the opening the best in the history of the show. IGN's Eric Goldman commented: "Ah, "The Simpsons". Always there for us with clever/loving parody of something we all love. Such was the case last night, when the animated series opened with an epic opening credit sequence that gave us the Springfield-inspired version of the terrific "Game of Thrones" credits."
After previous video games based on his works received negative or mediocre critical responses, George R. R. Martin opined that he wanted "a Game of Thrones game to be made by a studio that knows how to create a thrilling and interesting story". Telltale Games has found critical success in several licensed adventure games, including their "The Wolf Among Us" and "The Walking Dead" episodic video game series. "Game of Thrones" arose from internal discussions within Telltale of what other popular franchises they wanted to write games around, with much support given for "Game of Thrones", considering its emotional equivalence to "The Walking Dead". They approached HBO with the concept, and after a year of negotiations, were able to secure the license.
The episode received generally positive reviews but was considered a less-than-worthy sequel to its predecessor, "Advanced Dungeons & Dragons". Todd VanDerWerff of "The A.V. Club" rated the episode at a "B+," writing how this episode had a "high hurdle to clear" because of the standard set in the original when it demonstrated how the show does everything it does well. VanDerWerff wrote how the episode "sort-of" measured up to the original and criticized how the episode struggled to wrap up the story. Despite his reservations, he wrote how the episode worked even in spite of these flaws because it was fun to see all the characters playing the game together. He criticized how the conflict between Hank and Hickey felt generic and given less weight when compared to the previous vital conflict between Pierce and saving Fat Neil's life. He praised the casting of David Cross ("Arrested Development", "Mr. Show with Bob and David") as Hickey's son, Hank, and said he liked "the idea [of] having the two of them in the same room — even if they couldn’t stand each other — talking through their issues via the proxy of the game." He also praised the interrogation sequence between Hickey and the Hobgoblins (giving a taste of how Hickey operated as a cop) and praised the sound effects and camera movements that depicted the action in the game. Ultimately, he concluded that the "first D&D episode was much better at telling a compelling story about these characters and what they went through to save someone who wasn’t even one of their own." Rather, this episode "was better at capturing the feel of what it’s like to gather with friends and roll some dice, then laugh about how much fun something so silly can be."
David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, the showrunners of HBO's fantasy drama "Game of Thrones", appeared on a live version of the podcast in February 2016. They spoke about the poor reception to the show's original pilot episode, and how it was largely reshot following a screening of the episode to Mazin and other screenwriters.
Ed Power of "The Daily Telegraph" said "It's been a cautious start to 'Game of Thrones' season seven. But, following further, patience-testing re-arranging of the chess pieces, episode two went out in a literal blaze of glory." Matt Fowler of IGN described the episode as "amazing", saying "With Daenerys now in Westeros, war is imminent and worlds were colliding in this week's big episode." He gave the episode a 9 out of 10. Ben Philippe of "New York Observer" also gave a positive review, saying "'Stormborn,' proves that the table setting always pays off in Game of Thrones by giving us a sample platter of everything that the show does best."
On March 12, 2015, Mastodon released a new track called "White Walker", which will appear on the upcoming "Game of Thrones: Catch the Throne Vol. 2" mixtape to promote the fifth season of the HBO TV series Game of Thrones. Dailor, Hinds, and Kelliher also appeared in episode 8 of the season as wildlings. This mixtape will also feature songs by various other acts, ranging from Killswitch Engage to Snoop Dogg. Hinds and Kelliher once again returned to Game of Thrones as wights among the White Walker army for the season 7 finale episode, "The Dragon and the Wolf".
On the other hand, WhatCulture's Patrick Koch was more critical of the episode. In his ranking of the first 40 "Game of Thrones" episodes (seasons 1-4), Koch placed "The Night Lands" at number 40, calling the Greyjoy plotline on Pyke "supremely non-interesting." Simon Abrams, writing for "Slant Magazine", gave the episode a mixed review compared to the premiere, referring to "The Night Lands" as "a bit of a let-down" and "not as thematically cogent as last week's episode." In his episode recap for "Entertainment Weekly", James Hibberd noted that the amount of sex in the first season of "Game of Thrones" was "probably the biggest point of debate among viewers" and observed that this episode "might have been the most sex-focused hour yet." Indeed, the episode was cut short by the Dubai-based broadcaster Etisalat during its initial airing due to concerns about nudity. According to "The National", previous episodes had been aired on Etisalat with "minimal editing."
The writing staff for the sixth season includes executive producers and showrunners David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, producer Bryan Cogman and Dave Hill. Author George R. R. Martin, who had written one episode for each of the first four seasons, did not write an episode for the sixth season, as he was working to finish writing the sixth "A Song of Ice and Fire" novel, "The Winds of Winter". The directing staff for the sixth season was Jeremy Podeswa (episodes 1 and 2), Daniel Sackheim (episodes 3 and 4), Jack Bender (episodes 5 and 6), Mark Mylod (episodes 7 and 8), and Miguel Sapochnik (episodes 9 and 10). Sackheim and Bender were first-time "Game of Thrones" directors, with the rest each having directed two episodes in the previous season.
Eric Goldman and Roth Cornet of IGN commented on the episode being a "game changer" because it diverges from the book series more than any other "Game of Thrones" episode; a few of the changes include Jon's and Bran's storylines, how Daenerys conquered Meereen, and new information with regard to how White Walkers multiply their army. Goldman and Cornet stated that much of the episode feels like a spoiler for readers of the series because of the changes, including the show creators, who know how the ongoing book series will end, possibly having incorporated aspects that happen later in the books. Though Goldman and Cornet indicated that significantly diverging from the books could be detrimental to the show, they credited "Oathkeeper" with adding an element of surprise and intrigue for all viewers.
"Game of Thrones" is an episodic point-and-click graphic adventure fantasy drama video game, released as 6 episodes following the model of Telltale's previous adventure games. The player is able to move their character around some scenes, interacting with objects and initiating conversation trees with non-player characters. Choices made by the player influence events in future episodes. The game switches between the viewpoints of five different characters.
Cliff Wheatley of IGN gave the episode a 4.5 out of 10, saying, “'How Does She Do It?' is a pretty dull episode of television by any standard, and unfortunately Benoist and a few funny lines aren’t enough to save it. There are too many characters getting a lot of screen time (and Cat not getting enough) without enough presence to keep them interesting, storylines that we’re not invested in, and action that’s not exciting. This episode would have been better left unaired".
In a review for IGN, Matt Fowler wrote, "With Jon's final choice in "Oathbreaker," the show seemed to make a huge step forward into the endgame. One where we might see things that have been set up for a long time start to pay off. Not everyone's story is firing on all cylinders at the moment, Tyrion was actively bored while waiting for news this week, but enough is going on in the North and at King's Landing to carry the series right now." Likewise, Todd VanDerWerff of "Vox" wrote, ""Oathbreaker" is a crisp, lean, nicely paced episode of "Game of Thrones". It's one of those episodes where the characters are mostly being positioned for future episodes, but it's a solidly executed version of that basic template." Alyssa Rosenberg of the "Washington Post" wrote that she believed this was "The strongest episode of the sixth season of "Game of Thrones" to date." While Erik Kain of "Forbes" noted "The season has been full of revelations, but things are still building. That's okay. I love the tension and not knowing exactly what's coming."
Matt Fowler of IGN wrote in his review for the episode, ""No One" may have given us a bloodless siege, but there were plenty of bloody moments, namely from the brothers Clegane, who were both awesomely brutal this week. Though not against one another, as it looks like, for now, the Cleganebowl's been canceled. I loved the end of Arya's arc along with Jaime's scheme to take Riverrun - though I'm curious to see what comes of the Tully angle. Brienne failed to get an army for Sansa and Jaime's just going to head back home now? It seems like there should be more to this that him just winning one for the Lannister name. Though regardless of what the payoff might be, it was still good to see how so much of this story tied back to the first three seasons and Jaime's time as Catelyn's prisoner." He gave the episode an 8.2 out of 10. Myles McNutt of "The A.V. Club" criticized the episode's momentum within the season, writing "The lack of momentum driving these stories is surprising to me given that the season has largely been doing a fine job with internal momentum." McNutt continued, "The show may have run into an unfortunate convergence of so many anti-climactic storylines in a single episode, but their very existence is a necessary byproduct of a narrative that is preparing to shed its skin and move forward with a new lease on life." Despite this, he gave the episode a grade of B-. Erik Kain of "Forbes" wrote about the episode, "Not the greatest episode of the season, but I still didn't want it to end. Sometimes I realize that even an episode I have lots of complaints about manages to be some of the best television out there. "Game of Thrones" isn't always on the money, but even an off night can be surprisingly good." James Hibberd of "Entertainment Weekly" summarized the episode in his review by saying "Cheers, chills, and the sound of online fan theories imploding. "No One" delivered Jaime Lannister's finest scene in years, a thrilling chase, and set one Stark on an exciting new path."
Each ten-episode season of "Game of Thrones" has four to six directors, who usually direct back-to-back episodes. Alan Taylor has directed seven episodes, the most episodes of the series. Alex Graves, David Nutter, Mark Mylod, and Jeremy Podeswa have directed six each. Daniel Minahan directed five episodes, and Michelle MacLaren, Alik Sakharov, and Miguel Sapochnik directed four each. Brian Kirk directed three episodes during the first season, and Tim Van Patten directed the series' first two episodes. Neil Marshall directed two episodes, both with large battle scenes: "Blackwater" and "The Watchers on the Wall". Other directors have been Jack Bender, David Petrarca, Daniel Sackheim, Michael Slovis and Matt Shakman. David Benioff and D. B. Weiss have directed two episodes together but only credited one each episode, which was determined after a coin toss.
The eighth and final season of the fantasy drama television series "Game of Thrones" was announced by HBO in July 2016. Unlike the first six seasons that each had ten episodes and the seventh that had seven episodes, the eighth season will have only six episodes. Like the previous season, it will largely consist of original content not found currently in George R. R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" series, and will also adapt material Martin has revealed to showrunners about the upcoming novels in the series, "The Winds of Winter" and "A Dream of Spring".
The soundtrack album of the fourth season of HBO series "Game of Thrones", titled Game of Thrones: Season 4 was released digitally on June 10, 2014, and on CD on July 1, 2014. Season 4 of "Game of Thrones" saw the Icelandic band Sigur Rós perform their rendition of "" in a cameo appearance at King Joffrey's wedding in the second episode, "The Lion and the Rose".
On Metacritic, the season (based on the first four episodes) has a score of 91 out of 100 based on 29 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". On Rotten Tomatoes, the fifth season has a 95% approval rating from 52 critics with an average rating of 8.65 out of 10 and the season also received a 93% average episode score. The site's critical consensus reads, "Bloody action and extreme power plays return full throttle, as "Game of Thrones" enjoys a new-found liberation from the world of the source material, resulting in more unexpected thrills." One notable exception is the sixth episode, "Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken", which was heavily criticized due to the showrunners' decision to have a well-liked character suffer a sexual assault. It received a rating of 58% on Rotten Tomatoes, lower than any previous episode of the show. The eighth episode, "Hardhome", received significant praise and was immediately regarded as one of the best episodes in the series. According to "Business Insider", "Despite the attacks, "Game of Thrones" remains a steady hit."
Bennett Madison of "Vanity Fair" wrote, ""Game of Thrones" has spent so much time building up tension and drawing out plots that many of its ongoing story lines have literally been brewing for years ... With this episode, 'The Queen's Justice', we're finally starting to see some real payoff." Andy Hartup of GamesRadar similarly gave praise to the episode for granting victories to antagonists like Cersei and Euron, while criticizing the character dynamics in scenes taking place at Winterfell and Dragonstone. Sean T. Collins of "Rolling Stone" wrote of the episode, "As befits its title, this week's installment asks us to consider what it means to be a ruler ... and what it means to seek justice." Kevin Yeoman of Screen Rant praised the final scene of Olenna Tyrell, writing "As much as a momentous encounter between two major characters grabbed the spotlight, "Game of Thrones" proved that a character's last words could be just as important as their first." Alyssa Rosenberg of "The Washington Post" praised the performances of Rigg, Coster-Waldau and Dinklage, but was critical of Emilia Clarke and Kit Harington's scenes together, writing that "in the Dragonstone scenes, Clarke and Harington mostly served to bring out each other's most wooden line readings". She also addressed the way the episode approached themes of female empowerment, writing that "if any show has been a cautionary tale about the difference between female empowerment and true social change, "Game of Thrones" has been it".
Delays in availability apart from HBO and its affiliates before 2015 and the cost of subscriptions to these services have been cited as causes of the series' illegal distribution. According to "TorrentFreak", a subscription to a service for "Game of Thrones" would cost up to $25 per month in the United States, up to £26 per episode in the UK and up to $52 per episode in Australia.
Matt Fowler of IGN wrote in his review for the episode "'Dragonstone' sublimely set the stage for "Game of Thrones" Season 7 with some righteous revenge, a new alliance, a dramatic (and quiet) homecoming, and a surprisingly great sequence from The Hound as he began to atone for his old life." He gave the episode an 8.8 out of 10. Erik Kain of "Forbes" similarly gave praise to the episode, writing "This was easily one of my favorite season premieres of any season of "Game of Thrones". It's a testament to the show's staying power and quality that even this far in, a season's first episode could be so good. So much of it was just setting the stage, and yet I was reeled in, hook, line and sinker, from the opening moment to the closing credits." Jane Mulkerrins of "The Daily Telegraph" also praised the episode, writing "One might wonder whether the biggest, bloodiest, most Dragon-heavy show on television would still have the ability to shock and surprise. The answer, happily, is yes." Matthew Gilbert of "The Boston Globe" said "The season premiere of Game of Thrones was thoroughly satisfying, a transporting hour that brilliantly reestablished the chessboard for the new, penultimate season."
Series creators and executive producers David Benioff and D. B. Weiss serve as showrunners for the seventh season. The directors for the seventh season are Jeremy Podeswa (episodes 1 and 7), Mark Mylod (episodes 2 and 3), Matt Shakman (episodes 4 and 5) and Alan Taylor (episode 6). This marks Taylor's return to the series after an absence since the second season. Shakman is a first-time "Game of Thrones" director, with the rest each having directed multiple episodes in previous seasons. Michele Clapton returned to the show as costume designer, after spending some time away from the show in the sixth season. She previously worked on the show for the first five seasons, as well as the end of the sixth season.
"Home" is the second episode of the sixth season of HBO's fantasy television series "Game of Thrones", and the 52nd overall. The episode was written by Dave Hill and directed by Jeremy Podeswa.
The title is a spoof of "Game of Thrones", while the episode as a whole makes many references to "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" and "Inception", and the plot contains many similarities to "".
Asked in a separate interview about the overall process of composing the music and how it is used in the episode, Djawadi revealed "I sit with David and Dan and we do what's called a spotting session where we watch the entire episode and then discuss when music should start and stop. Everybody's very involved with that. And it constantly gets played with. What I love about "Game of Thrones" is that the positioning of the music is so well done, because it's not overdone. When the music cuts in, it really has something to say." "Light of the Seven" reached No. 1 on Billboard's Spotify Viral 50 chart on its release.