Game of Thrones - Review

Winter is coming – a review of Game of Thrones. 

There are fantasy shows, and then there’s Game of Thrones. Based on the books by George R. R. Martin, there was a time when you couldn’t go anywhere without hearing about how great the most recent episode was, or theories on who would eventually sit upon the Iron Throne. It wasn’t just popular, it was beloved… and then that last season hit our screens.

Set in the fictional world of Westeros, Game of Thrones is a complicated story to explain. Multiple narratives run alongside each other, with simultaneous plotlines conjoining them to create an epic fantasy adventure. Noble families fight for the throne of the Seven Kingdoms, alliances are made and broken, White Walkers rise to threaten civilization. Morally ambiguous characters sit in the center of political intrigue, and death waits around every corner.

The separate Houses in Game of Thrones is one of the many aspects that made this show so intriguing. Each with their own issues and loyalties, controversies and victories, each House brought something interesting and pivotal to the show. The nine great houses make up the majority of the plot; the Targaryens, Starks, Lannisters, Baratheons, Greyjoys, Tullys, Arryns, Martells and Tyrells, who all have their own motivations and loyalties. Each house has their own history, and their own powerful allies and enemies, which makes up the incredible political intrigue of the show.

Whilst the show was grounded in reality, and often a dark one, the magical nature of the show cannot be ignored. From epic battle scenes which see dragons soaring overhead to the supernatural White Walkers, Game of Thrones did an excellent job at showing a fantasy world that was just too dangerous for you to want to go to. That’s not to say it wasn’t excellent escapism, but if I was given the ability to go and visit a fantasy world, Westeros would be pretty low on my list of places to visit.

When this show was dark, it was really dark. Bloody battles, beheadings, murders and torture were a common thread which continued through each season. Whilst this was often gruesome, there were times it was also satisfying – after all, watching a villain get what they deserve makes for an enjoyable watch. On the other hand, Game of Thrones had the ability to rip your heart out, as you watched characters, you’d grown to love to get tortured, murdered, or even fundamentally change in order to survive. You could never count on a happy ending for anyone, and you could never tell who was going to survive until the end.

There was so much to love about Game of Thrones. It was excellently cast and acted, the music was iconic, the cinematography was spot on. Filming locations helped you to feel like you really were in another world, and the character development which happened throughout was remarkable, whether characters became better or worse people. How I loved the intrigue, the betrayals, justice being served. If only it had all been perfect.

That brings us to the writing. The writing was often fantastic, with plot lines containing unbelievable twists which would have everyone talking. Having to watch this show weekly added to the suspense, although the idea of not just being able to binge a whole show over a weekend sounds unusual now. The problem was that the show caught up with – and overtook – the books. To this day, Martin still hasn’t finished the series, meaning that the shows writers had to take matters into their own hands.

Oh, that ending. I don’t think I have ever been more disappointed with an ending in my entire life, and that includes the “and then they woke up and it was all a dream” endings of books I read as a child. I won’t spoil it here, but of all the people to get the throne…really? The writers of the show seemed to go for a style over substance script, with even actors involved being resistant to defending the last season.

That’s not the only issue. Watching Kingdoms burn in dragon smoke may have been visually incredible, but you couldn’t help but feel like if this is where the story was heading, why did it take so long? It felt like a cheap way to end what had been such an incredible show, and audiences agreed that the ending of Game of Thrones wasn’t just disappointing, it was downright bad.

So, do I recommend Game of Thrones? It’s difficult, because I really loved it when it was good, but when it was bad it was something else. I think any fantasy lover would truly enjoy it but would be left with the bitterly disappointing ending. That being said, with spin off “House of the Dragon” getting pretty good reviews and more spin off shows in development, it may be a good time to catch up if you somehow missed the original hype. Perhaps you’d better watch sooner rather than later, though.

After all, winter is coming.

Written by Tam Page

Posted by Mr. Tomney

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