Kit Harington’s “Gunpowder” premieres tonight on HBO

If you’ve been living under a rock for the last little while, we’d like to remind all stateside Game of Thrones fans that the first episode of Kit Harington’s three-part Gunpowder mini-series airs tonight, December 18, on HBO at 10:00 p.m. EST, with episodes two and three airing on Tuesday and Wednesday at the same time.

It follows the events of the infamous Gunpowder plot, a failed attempt to assassinate King James I by blowing up a mountain of explosives underneath the House of Lords in 1605. Harington plays Catholic political activist Robert Catesby (who is actually one of Harington’s ancestors), the mastermind behind the scheme. Catesby led a group of radicals that included Guy Fawkes (Tom Cullen), who became the most famous member of the conspiracy. Liv Tyler (The Leftovers) and Thrones alumnus Mark Gatiss (Iron Banker Tycho Nestoris) also star.

The miniseries, produced by Kudo and Harington’s own Thriker Films, first aired on BBC One last month. It has received mixed but generally positive reviews from places like The Hollywood Reporter, The Guardian, IndieWire and Deadline.  There have been complaints about graphic violence, specifically in the first episode.

Violence probably won’t deter the average Game of Thrones fan — when you’ve seen a man get his head exploded, it takes a lot to shock you. We’ll be reviewing all three episodes here on WiC, so be sure to check it out and chime in. Take a look at the trailer for Episode 1 below:

Here’s hoping it’s gonna be a fun (in a grim, bloody, muddy 17th century kind of way) time!

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