For the two people on earth who don’t already know, HBO’s adaptation of George R. R. Martin’s “Game of Thrones” premieres tonight. Meaning no disrespect to those third-run movies that play on an endless loop each month, or to acclaimed original series such as “The Sopranos,” “Deadwood,” “Rome,” and others, which I hear are quite excellent, tonight is when I finally understand why HBO was invented in the first place.

Let the game begin!