Game of Thrones 2011

I can tell you that Game of Thrones is phenomenal, visual beautiful, fantastic, exhilarating and action-packed thrilling rollercoaster that in many ways has not been seen yet in a tv show. I could say that and be absolutely right about it, but unless you have been living under a rock without an internet connection for the past 2 years than no doubt you already heard, seen or read for yourself what a masterpiece the books and/or this tv series is.

Game of Thrones is exactly like the title says: A game for the throne. Played by the people who think its their right to claim, conquer or inherit it. They all have different goals and different ways of getting to that point, but their goal is in essence in one way or another the same for all of them: to be recognized and remembered for their deeds. Off course that is not so weird since everyone in real life at some level thinks like that. But the main characters in Game of Thrones are different, either through noble descent, the power and money they have, intelligence or sheer luck they have become a member of one of the noble houses that rule the countries and can decide the fate and lives of hundreds of thousands, maybe even millions of people within the fictional continents of Westeros and Essos.

The story, setting and characters are all taken from a broad range of European history. Most of what we see of the continent Westeros (castles and tournaments) is taken from High Medieval Western Europe from around the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries. But the story takes bits and pieces from other time periods as well. For example the wildfire that was used in season 2 in a brilliant strategic move of "The Imp" Tyrion Lannister during the Battle of the Blackwater is in fact Byzantine "Greek fire" which was invented and first used in the 7th century during battles between Muslims and Byzantines. This and other historical events, devices and characters based on real people out of history are all as it seems perfectly interwoven into each other into the fictional world of Game of Thrones by the author of the books George R. R. Martin.

For the actors who play the characters i have nothing but utmost respect. The performance they manage to show episode after episode is definitely what makes this tv show so popular. There is one in particular that without a doubt is one of the more popular stars of this tv show: Peter Dinklage who plays the role of "The Imp" Tyrion Lannister. In the 1st season he was portrayed as nothing more than someone who took advantage of his noble status and money to do whatever he wanted. But in season 2 (and hopefully the next seasons too) he transformed despite his disadvantage of being born as a dwarf (who during medieval times and in this fictional world are considered "lesser" humans) into a brilliant military and political strategist and someone who can very good and enjoys as he so very accurately said himself "play the game".

Game of Thrones is without a doubt the hit tv show of this decade. It started out with a story about medieval times, but slowly with every episode we see the world of the Seven Kingdoms transform into a place where mythical creatures exist, magic and dark powers are used as a weapon against enemies and where the dead are once more walking again.... Winter is coming, and i have no doubt it that it will be as spectacular and story-wise phenomenal as we have have seen in the previous seasons.

I didn't give this show a chance until recently because I've never been a huge fan of the genre and I heard the last season sucked. What a mistake! A little context - I tend to like dramas like Mad Men or Better Call Saul. I despise shows that have limited backdrops (zombies, vampires, etc) and I've never been a fan of movies like Lord of the Rings.

Season 1:
The opening scene of the first episode gives you a false idea about what the next several seasons are about. The season is generally good and then late in the season you get your first feel for how the series is going to go for you.

Seasons 1 - 4:
The show settles in to a nice pace and there are ebbs and flows along the way. Some storylines are better than others but I can say there are few bad scenes

Season 5:
I started to get a bit itchy. The season is very good but because there are so many storylines it feels like the plot is moving forward ever so slowly. This series really could have gone on forever if they wanted it to.

Season 6:
We start to see the end in site and storylines start to converge (or end)

Season 7:
And then it happens. All of the sudden the episodes went from "this is really good" to me wondering if I could call in sick tomorrow because I want to binge the rest of the season. It really is that breathtaking. It really was a joy to see the storylines come together and to see actors who had not acted together in the series working together. But more importantly, you began to see the results of all of the setup that had been done in the previous seasons. There is probably a stretch of 10 - 12 straight episodes that are just ridiculously good.

Season 8:
There are few shows where you feel like you are losing an old friend when it ends and this show ended up being that for me. I could not imagine that I would ever feel that way about it. Anyway, I can't fathom why this season is so reviled. The finale was only "good" given how poor series finales tend to be I was happy with that. The ways that the stories wrapped up were true to the overall series. I can't imagine what people expected - more fighting? The show was never about that. Anyway, I felt a huge weight off of my shoulders during a certain episode ended - I can imagine that others did as well. It may not have reached the heights of Season 7 but it was still really good.

Overall I would put this series in the same place as Mad Men, The Wire, Breaking Bad / Better Call Saul.

A show that left me waiting every minute for the next episode for the past 9 years, binged watched Season 7 in one night leaving me in a zombie state the next day but well worth it. Seeing the end coming had me anxious and we would religiously watch each episode of Season 8 as it is released, and the episodes were damn good. It was so good it brought people who are not into this Genre to love it and be invested in it as the story unfolds

The ending is not what I was expecting, and I was left unsatisfied and wanting more. I still loved every season of the show but for a show that always set the standard high, it wasn't what I was expecting at the end for such a phenomenal show which was true thrilling roller-coaster. I'm trying not to ruin it for anyone with a spoiler but I loved this show and still do even with the ending that we saw

Lets hope that a show can match the story telling of Game Of Thrones, with an ensemble of fantastic actors, amazing visual effects, and fantastic story telling to fill this void at HBO

#GOT #GameOfThrones #TV #2019 #Seaon8 #NoSpoilers #HBO #GeorgeR.R.Martin #KingsLanding #Books #Fantasy

5/5 Rating for the entire series and overall review: A show like this was always going to end in a way that wouldn’t please everyone, but Game of Thrones really polarized viewers and critics alike with how everything got wrapped up. Like Star Wars: The Last Jedi, it became very trendy to just dismiss it all as unequivocally rubbish. But like that infamous Star Wars film, the truth of Game of Thrones is more complicated and not as bad as some say. Overall, this is without a doubt one of the best series ever made, and one I was majorly obsessed with throughout the past decade. Pretty clearly seasons 1-4 and 6 are where most of the best episodes reside. Below is a breakdown of general thoughts about each season.

Season 1
Not one of my favorites until years later when a rewatch with perspective on where the show went reveals a restrained, wonderfully written introductory season with complex, developed characters and increasingly dramatic political deceptions in the second half that gives way to the more anarchic and scattered later seasons. 10/10 Best episode: Baelor

Season 2
Has a lot of strengths and also ups the brutality from season 1, especially in the first half of the season. I love how dark and increasingly fantasy-centered this season is, with an incredible battle episode to cap it off. However, I have to deduct a point for butchering the amazing Danaerys in the House of the Undying scene from the second book, A Clash of Kings, and the muddled climax to Jon’s storyline where he gets captured by the wildings, which is far more exciting in the book. 9/10 Best episode: Blackwater

Season 3
The fan favorite, this fantastic season sets up the increased action and face-offs that’re plentiful in season 4. The Rob Stark storyline and tragic ending to him and his mother is heart wrenching, and I absolutely love all the amazing Icelandic scenery throughout. I don’t like the Theon dungeon scenes in the middle episodes, but everything else being so perfect still means this is a 10/10 season. Best episode: tied with The Rains of Castamere and Kissed by Fire.

Season 4
Perhaps the juiciest season yet, comprising of the climactic second half of A Storm of Swords, the best book of all five. Suffice it to say, there are numerous highlights across nearly all episodes, especially involving Tyrion Lannister. Really no weak moments aside from maybe 1-2 random scenes. The season that cemented the show as one of the all-time greats. 10/10 Best episode: The Lion and the Rose, with The Mountain and the Viper, The Laws of Gods and Men, The Children, and The Watchers on the Wall as runner-ups.

Season 5
Oof, this season was a doozy which began the second half of the series with fallout from all that happened in seasons 3 and 4. 5 here meanders around from one miserable nightmare of an episode to another, including Sansa and Theon's storylines, Jon Snow and what eventually happens to him, and Stannis and his daughter. The only real highlight is Hardhome, and I suppose the final scene in the following episode with Drogon escaping captivity in the gladiator arena. 8/10 Best episode Hardhome, duh.

Season 6
The other side of the coin that was season 5. Season 6 is a monumental achievement, finally doing away with the unnecessary “sexposition” and rivaling 4 for being an amazing climax of a season with one highlight episode after another. Sure the Arya storyline is weak, but literally everything else is excellent. High 10/10 with Hold the Door, Battle of the Bastards, and The Winds of Winter all tied for best episode in the season and basically of the whole series.

Season 7
Aaaand here’s where it starts to go downhill. But there are still some amazing moments to be found! The Loot Train Attack and Lady Olenna’s final appearance are without question two of the finest scenes of the entire series. The Beyond the Wall episode is full-on fantasy schlock, but at least it’s fun and enjoyable to watch so I don’t mind. I also like how the extended season finale emphasized character interactions and development, which was very interesting to watch. 7/10 Best episode The Spoils of War

Season 8
A shaky final season with filler episodes and some bewildering climactic episodes too. The Long Night was well executed, but felt anticlimactic after just how much the show built up the white walkers, and they don’t even fight any humans the whole time! The real problem though is with The Bells, a miserable slog where Dany suddenly decides to be a violent mass murderer because seeing the capital of King's Landing made her crazy? Why didn’t she just fly over there and burn it down with Cersei inside and then declare herself queen, instead of doing what she ended up doing. I’ve heard some say she was slowly getting crazy but we didn’t notice, like making her dragons execute people, but come on. It’s an insane jump to go from executing traitorous prisoners of war to slaughtering a city of innocent people. And Grey Worm immediately joining in on it is even more far-fetched. I don’t know, all of that just didn’t work for me. It was well done on a technical level, but I just did not buy the writing on The Bells. The final episode I actually like, call me crazy. Was a nice breather after all the aforementioned craziness, the dragon melting the iron throne was a series highlight, and I thought where all the characters were left was satisfying. I rate this season 6/10 with the best episode being the series finale, The Iron Throne.

Top 25 episodes ranked: 1. Battle of the Bastards 2. Hardhome 3. The Door 4. The Winds of Winter 5. Baelor 6. The Lion and the Rose 7. Blackwater 8. The Mountain and the Viper 9. The Spoils of War 10. The Rains of Castamere 11. You Win or You Die 12. Kissed by Fire 13. The Laws of Gods and Men 14. The Children 15. And Now His Watch is Ended 16. A Golden Crown 17. The Watchers on the Wall 18. Oathkeeper 19. The Wolf and the Lion 20. First of His Name 21. Two Swords 22. Book of the Stranger 23. Winter is Coming 24. The Queen’s Justice 25. Second Sons

Absolutely loved this series from start to finish, the ending can be seen as a little bit of a let down but I found it very satisfactory. If you are looking for a high fantasy series to get in to then this show is definitely for you. It's full of complex storylines and amazing script writing.

The acting by this massive cast is also superb, some of my favourite being, Emilia Clark as Danerys Targeryen, Maisie Williams, as Arya Stark, Sophie Turner as Sansa Stark, and Lena Headey as Queen Cersei, and Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister but honestly every actor stood out in their own right.

some episodes are slow throughout the eight seasons but it's definitely worth it when you reach the big battle sequences such as the Battle of the Bastards in S6 and the battle of Castle Black in S4.

Look below to find a more in depth review.

Season 1: I will admit that the show took my a little while to get off with and I think that it is down to the slow start of season 1. We are introduced to a mass amount of characters including the entire Stark family and the Lannisters among others. I struggled to understand what was going on for a while but still found mass enjoyment from the show. It really picked up in this season for me at around episode 5 when we have the whole crown of gold scene - this first established for me that Game of Thrones knows no bounds and that is why it became the iconic staple of fantasy television that it is today.

Season 2: I found season 2 to be rather slow if I'm being completely honest, sitting here and writing this review I can't think of any major that happened in this season apart from the battle in about episode 9. The amazing acting and storytelling did still persist however. I just found everything to have a slower build.

Season 3: This is where my love for Game of Thrones became well and truly established, we had so many amazing moments here. From Danaerys gaining the unsullied, and showing her true power as heir to the iron throne, to the Red Wedding near the end of the season. This season had so many iconic and heartwrenchincg moments.

Season 4: Such a great season with so many great moments but sitting here, thinking back on season 4 all I can think about is how great the battle of castle black was and that is my best memory of this season.

Season 5: I only have one thing to say about this season and that is: where the hell was Bran?

Season 6: Hands down the peak of Game of Thrones. Iconic moment after iconic moment including the Battle of the Bastards and the Destruction of the Sept of Baelor. We also got a lot of Aryas character arc in this season which I loved.

Season 7: Notably this is where Game of Thrones started to take a step down. It hit it's peak with season 6 but it's still going strong. The standout moment of this season however is Olenna Tyrell's confession to Jamie.

Season 8: The most hated season of TV in history but I have to say I didn't mind it. With a show like Game of Thrones they were always going to struggle to find that perfect ending so they chose something and they went with it and whilst I don't think many of the choices they made here were great ones I saw that because of how great the show had been I don't think it was destined to have that brilliant ending. The main thing about this season that annoyed me though is how much of a broken record Jon Snow was. How many times could we hear him say, 'You are my Queen'

It is not by oversight that I have not written a review of this series, before today. I was a late adopter, having been initially repulsed by the lasiviousness, lewd, violent coarseness of the show (I think I watched one random episode and recoiled). Then, when the popularity of the show skyrocked, my curiousity lead me to start at the beginning and give the show a chance. I binged what I'd missed, then watched it episodically as it was broadcast, then, just before the beginning of each new season, I would binge the previous season, just to be caught up and ready to go. All those things that originally repelled me where still all there in abundance but the story telling, the characters, the acting, the quality of the production, and the human drama, on an epic scale, held my fascination and it became a guilty pleasure (so, watching, but not reviewing). Then, the production overshot the source material and the direction became less crisp and the characters struggled to find their footing. Finally, the end was near, and production values soared to Movie-of-the-Week standards. The last season ended and the audience was stunned. Some with disappointment (wounded by the trajectory of the plot and their beloved characters). Some with grief (no more GAME OF THRONES!?!). Some with sense overload (What did I just see?!?). I was in that category. It took days to reconcile what I had just watched. My only clear thought was, "Well...they had to end it some way." I was sure they could not have ended it in a way that would have satisfied everyone. Is there ever a good time or way to watch a beloved thing die? So, now, 53 days after the last episode was broadcast, I have summoned up the courage to write my review. This was a landmark series. It set the bar for non-network television productions: the story, acting, technical magic, locations, international cast, budget, quality were all the best of the best. For me, it will always be about story and characters: George R.R. Martin's concepts were epic and compelling; I can't imagine a better cast or better performances (indeed they harvested from some of the greatest while also forging a new generation of talent). No matter where you land with the ending (and I'm still not sure how I feel about it) this has been a tremendous ride and it has change our landscape of expectations. I can give this series no less than a 10 (watershed moment) out of 10. [Epic Fantasy Action Adventure Drama]