The night was dark and full of cameras in New York City last night, as the long-awaited Game Of Thrones series eight premiere took place at Radio City Music Hall. The “dragon wagon” rolled into Manhattan in full effect, accompanied by a cavalcade of Westerosi names both past and present (even Sean Bean and Mark Addy, the big names from series one, showed up).

This, as showrunner David Benioff told the lucky few assembled within the cinematic sept, was the end of an era. And what an era it’s been: encompassing nearly a decade of storytelling, while captivating millions of viewers across the globe.

GQ was one of only a handful of publications to have a (strange, holographic) ticket to the screening. Here’s what we learned from the first episode of the last series of the biggest TV show in history.

1. Somehow, this show is still improvingWinter is here and the end is coming but still, somehow, like an elite long-distance athlete, Game Of Thrones has found an extra gear in the final furlong. Even the credits have had a surprisingly major upgrade. Apparently, budgets were increased significantly for the final season – and the result is movie-quality TV.

Another bold claim, but this is a genuinely humorous episode

2. This is the best season opener in GOT historyThat’s not a title handed out lightly (who could forget Arya Stark and the massacre of the Freys from last series). But for the sheer speed and quality of storytelling, for the amount of unforgettable moments and surprises, this is easily the best of the eight first episodes. Forget just moving pieces into place and laying groundwork for later: this is a proper episode that can stand shoulder to shoulder with any other, packed as it is with truly momentous, series-defining scenes. Judged against the 67 episodes that preceded it, this is almost certainly going straight into the overall top five. It’s that good.

© HBO/Helen Sloan

3. The pace is increasingThe pace is near-relentless. There’s no time for any fillers – it’s straight for the narrative jugular throughout.

4. Length isn’t everythingOn this evidence, rumours of six feature-length episodes were sadly wide of the mark. This one came in at an entirely normal Thrones length of just under an hour.

5. This could be the funniest episode in the history of ThronesAnother bold claim, but this is a genuinely humorous episode, with a number of unexpected, laugh-out-loud moments. They begin with the very first line and continue through a series of running jokes ranging from elephants and dragons to onions and testicles.

**6. There aren’t enough lines to go around ** Some previously big names have little or nothing to say; there just aren’t enough lines to go around. George RR Martin has teased that this final season will be “bittersweet” and those two factors surely bode ill for the suddenly muted. For readers of a betting disposition, Varys has to be high on the death list now, closely followed by Missandei, Grey Worm, Podrick and – whisper it – Tyrion?

7. Everything’s gearing towards the next battle of WinterfellTechnically, this will be the third Battle of Winterfell we’ve seen in the series and the biggest by far. According to insiders at the premiere, the big showdown will finally happen in episode three – and it will be utterly epic.

8. Even with an undead army approaching, there’s always time for sex in WesterosGuest star Ian McShane famously said the show’s defining characteristics were “tits and dragons”. The predictable news for purists is that both make multiple appearances in episode one. Without getting too deep into spoiler territory, let’s just say the former are more numerous than the latter.

9. Answers are comingTelevision has been changed forever by Game Of Thrones and there are now only six new episodes left to be enjoyed. The good news is that, based on episode one, showrunners David Benioff and DB Weiss aren’t pulling any punches whatsoever. There will be no wishy-washy Lost-style anticlimax here. Like Lannisters, these men pay their debts. All we have to do is sit back and cash in as the world waits to discover who, if anyone, sits on the Iron Throne once the snow melts.

Game Of Thrones series eight premieres exclusively on 15 April on Sky Atlantic at 2am, repeated at 9pm the same day.

Read more:

Game Of Thrones survival odds: who will live and who will die?

All the theories about Game Of Thrones’ final season you need to know

Everything you forgot happened in the Game Of Thrones books