Game of Thrones - The Undisputed Best Show Ever

The Song of Ice and Fire

Game of Thrones – The Undisputed Number One

Intro

Based on George RR Martin’s clinical book series ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’, GOT has been a household name for some time now with most watchers considering it one of the best shows of all time. Our crew has run the numbers through the system & double checked the arithmetic by hand and are proud to formally declare ‘Thrones’ as the best television show to have ever been created. Our GOT writeup may appear different from some of the others as we will take you on a summative and analytical season by season journey, rank and evaluate the best characters, quotes, seasons & episodes and provide links to the best scenes & merch.

The Story

Season 1

Allow the scene to get set. One of the few negatives regarding this riveting series is the lethargic start. As I mentioned in the Thrones description, I actually stopped watching after a couple episodes because I thought it was uninteresting and too slow paced. After rewatching a couple years later, I learned that patience truly is a virtue and art sometimes takes time to get into its purest form.

Central to season one is the concept of power: who holds it, who seeks it, and at what cost it is attained. The beginning of the show centers around three noble families: the Starks, Lannisters and Targaryens. House Stark serves as our main protagonist family: the commonsensical group with honorable values hold down the Northern domain of Westeros in Winterfell, represented by the gray direwolf sigil. Led by the teachings of their father Ned, the Starks encourage stability and act as an antidote to the power-hungry nature of other families who unleash chaos in the pursuit of influence. The dutiful yet stern family consists of Ned & Caitlyn and their factors of production (oldest to youngest): The Young Wolf Robb, precious Sansa, tenacious Arya, i-can't-walk Bran, and the least important character of the entire show - Ricon Stark. And of course the honorable mention goes to Jon mf Snow - the bastard filled with king’s blood. House Lannister is symbolized by their infamous golden lion and features the incestual duo of Cersei and Jaime. Upon the end of the pilot episode, we see this very duo, doing what they duo best. However, we weren’t the only ones to see as Bran’s ability to walk (and climb) pays the price for Jaime’s desire to keep this information a secret. The rest of the family is made up of the almighty, politically savvy old head Tywin and his mini son Tyrion who does indeed Drink and Know Things. The last of the three primary families, decimated by Beer Belly Robby B, consists of Daenerys and Vicerys - the last of the dragon’s blood who have fled to Essos (we could give Jonny Snow the honorable mention here too or we could just keep typing). The noble but naive House Stark is counteracted by the natural antagonist - the cunning and ruthless Lannisters. The northern house is adaptable but the Casterly Rock family is manipulative and will do anything in the pursuit of their legacy and power through wealth. The Taragryens fill the missing piece to the puzzle as an otherworldly 3rd party, touched by both greatness and madness.

The context of the world we are thrusted into gets released intricately but eventually we learn its foundational facts: King Robert Berathean sits upon the Iron Throne (alongside the despotic Queen Cersei) after successfully leading ‘Robert’s Rebellion’ around 15 years prior to the events in season one. The rebellion transpired upon Rhaegar Targaryen (the son of The Mad King, Aerys Targaryen II) seemingly kidnapping Lyanna Stark (who was betrothed to Robert at the time). We later learn that it was quite the opposite of a kidnapping and the rebellion that overthrew the centuries-long Targaryen dynasty was indeed based on a lie. BeerBellyBerathean naturally teamed up with Uncle Ned and the two slayed their way into ruling the seven kingdoms of Westeros. But the most important slay goes to Jaime, the Kingsguard, who beheaded The Mad King, and forever earned himself the nickname The Kingslayer (if this was 2011 you could call him Dirk Nowitzki).

As the game of thrones is being played over in the mainland, Viserys plots the return of the Targaryen dynasty from across the pond. He finds manpower in the form of the civil and sophisticated Dothraki led by the double biology and applied math major, Khal Drogo. The Great Stallion has his way early with Daenerys until her Dothraki friend encourages her to take the reins in the sheets and she hits the big guy with a modernized cowboy routine that he had no clue existed – or could exist. As the two dragonites march on with the Harvard & Oxford clan, Daenerys gains respect from the Dothraki while Viserys feels marginalized. The juxtaposing levels of respect coupled with Viserys’s arrogance, entitlement and lack of understanding of the Dothraki culture, lead to his mere 6 episode survival. The tipping point occurs during a feast at the Dothraki capital (Vaes Dothrak) where Viserys enters the hall a drunken buffoon and wields his sword, threatening the unborn baby between Khal Drogo and Daenerys and demanding he get his crown. Khal wasn’t exactly messing with his vibe… he does indeed give him his crown but he forgot to consolidate the gold. The molten Au cuts the Targaryen bloodline in half and Daenerys realizes her brother was never the true dragon he claimed to be and that it’s her turn to carry the boats.

The Golden Crown episode is tailed by ‘You Win or You Die’, which showcases one of the most shocking scenes in tv history as Ned goes from Ned to no-head Ned and undoubtedly learns that you do indeed either win or you die. House Stark thought they were simply traveling to Kings Landing to feast and drink with their old pal King Guzzbag but they learn the water in the capital is treacherous and incest baby Joffery is a full on menace. King Boozehound gets gutted by a hound while off the booze on a celebratory hunt which acts as the catalyst for essentially the plot of the entire show. As the king bleeds out he names Ned as Lord Protector of the Realm until his ‘son’ Joffrey comes of age. Curious Ned ultimately figures out that Joffrey is no Berathean but a demented inbred and mistakenly confronts Cersei with this information who cannot even deny it anymore. Joffrey doesn’t want to wait and Cersei doesn’t want that explosive knowledge to spread, so the bot with infected genes and the cunt with a stone for a heart start the War of the Five Kings by executing the guy who was the main character of the show up to this point. Unfortunately the rebellious and victorious duo that took down the longest standing dynasty in the history of the seven kingdoms are only around to play for seven epis. Both deaths signify the end of the stable era and the beginning of the chaos that will engulf Westeros in the coming seasons.

We quickly learn that polarization is the result of cosmic insignificance as the looming supernatural threat beyond the wall continues to grow. As the United States and Russia engage in the Cold War in Kings Landing and China plots their domination plan from afar, the extraterrestrial zombies, whose existence is capable of turning enemies to friends, are getting hungrier. The aliens make the game look silly but the game is the game and the throne is now heavily contested. Season one ends in dramatic fashion as Daenerys emerges a Khaleesi upon the birth of her dinosaur birds (Drogon, Rhaegel & Viserion) who emerge while Drogo disappears. As season two marches forth, and the competitors' ambitions mount, I am obliged to describe the 5 players vying for the throne and give you guys a look into Vegas’ insights as to who they liked to come out on top.

1. Robb Stark. Ned’s eldest son, The Young Wolf, is out for blood following the tragedy in the capital. He’s hungry but he’s patient, a combination that Vegas values. Idk if it’s because they were emotionally touched by the The King in the North scene, but prior to the start of the War of the Five Kings, Vegas had Robb at -125 to be king (the caveat predicated on him being the king of the independent north). +600 for the whole salami as they know he doesn’t want the throne as much as he wants Joffery’s head on a spike.

2. Stannis Berathean, the middle brother of King Robeer Beerathean. He has the truest claim to the throne as he knows Joffrey is illegitimate. He’s an unyielding fella but Cersei sees him as a fly on the wall and Vegas knows it… +450

3. Renly Berathean, Stannis’ little bro. The chiller, handsomer, and gayer brother only has a reasonable chance at the throne because he is backed by the Tyrells, one of the richest and thus most powerful families in the realm. Vegas knows the value of the Tyrells but they also had the insider info that he liked to express himself creatively behind closed doors… +700

4. Balon Greyjoy, the lord of the iron islands. Balon knows he has no true claim but he’s a big dick swinger and seeks to carve out at the very least an independent kingdom in Westeros by raiding the coasts. Vegas knows how desperately he wants to establish the old ways of the Ironborn and how tactical his clan is on their floating horses. They also know he has no chance. +1550

5. Joffery Berathean sits on the throne for the time being, but the predators are lurking. The incestual product is cruel, sadistic and mainly a puppet king controlled by the other Lannisters. He sits in the seat for now, but Vegas knows he just aint got that dog in him. +375

   
   

Vegas isn’t too keen on any of these fellas sitting on the chair of royalty as they see the queen is playing the long game from a distance. The 5 kings combined have roughly the same odds as The Khaleesi who garners an impressive +165 line. The multi-faceted conflict inevitably leads to shifting alliances, betrayals and deaths by the thousand. The stage is set and the game is to be played by all those who seek to play.

Season 2

The war rages on and it’s bedlam in Westeros. The Young Wolf is looking fierce, but he seeks to negotiate his peace terms with Tywin, holding the Kingslayer captive as his leverage. As he improves his record to 3-0 on the battlefield, Jaime contests that three wins does not make him a conqueror and that his father will never negotiate with him, to which Robb responds “it’s better than three defeats”. Tywin straps on the battle gear and seeks to maintain his perfect war record and so he hands off his political duties of Hand of the King to Tyrion who is also tasked with taming King Botfrey. Tyrion makes the trek down from The Wall where he demonstrates to Jon Snow that he’s not like the other Lannisters and indeed possesses a non-malicious soul. He shows this best during the initial exchange between the two where they learn who each other are and, despite having families at war with each other, find some common ground as fellow bastards pronouncing that all dwarfs are bastards in their fathers eyes and that they should “wear it like armor, so it can never be used to hurt you”. Tyrion quickly finds his niche as the hand and is the unsung hero during the Battle of Blackwater against Staniss’ fleet. It was his Don't Fight for your King speech that turned the tides of the battle and kept Casterly Rock under the control of House Lannister. Tyrion is graciously rewarded after the war by being stripped of his title of Hand of the King as Tywin is back in town.

Season two also shows us that some players don’t like to play by the rules of Newtonian physics. We are introduced to Stannis’ piece – the red priestess Melisandre – who uses her dark magic powers to kill Renly, creating an ominous and mystical dimension of the series. The Livvy Dunne of the World of A Song of Ice and Fire, continues her journey through the desert and finally reaches the wealthy city of Qarth. She is met with initial dismay but is subsequently treated with admiration upon the existence of her supposedly extinct dragons. Admiration quickly turns to theft as her birds are stolen by Xaro Xhoan Daxos who orchestrated a coup to make himself the King of Qarth. Unscathed, Daenerys ventures into the House of the Undying where goofy ah Pyat Pree attempts to chain her up with her dragons. Inevitably the tables turn and Pyat is met by a lethal dragon breath while Daenerys escapes with her flying dogs and enough riches to buy her ships. Her claim strengthens.

As the show really gets going, we see that the storylines are numerous and the characters are now by the dozen. In his first semi-respectable action, King Botfrey sets Sansa aside and instead decides to marry Margaery Tyrell (understandably so… Margaery>Cersei>Daenerys>Sansa), as the Tyrells have now allied with the Lannisters. Sansa is only temporarily relieved as she doesn’t need to marry the menace, but is nowhere near free from the Lannister’s clutches. In other marriage news, Robb marries Talisa Maegyr (also bad), breaking his vow to marry one of Walder Frey’s daughters which proves to have disastrous consequences in the future. The Starks are properly scattered about as Arya fends for herself in Harrenhal. After being captured by Lannister troops alongside King Robert’s bastard (Gendry), Arya serves as a cupbearer to Tywin Lannister who fails to recognize her true identity. There, she meets Jaqen H'ghar, a faceless man of Braavos and mysterious assassin who helps her escape and begins to train her to become a faceless man. As the Starks are scattered, Winterfell is vulnerable and Theon Greyjoy knows it; His short-lived seizure of Winterfell comes to an end when attacked by the Bolton forces, causing Bran and his group to flee to the Wall.

Up North, Snow shows clinical character development upon the Night’s Watch ventures beyond the wall and the growing threat of the White Walkers. The culmination of his growth is marked by his killing of Qhorin in front of the Wildlings in a sacrificial duel so Jon can gain insights about their enemy and meet the King-Beyond-The-Wall, Mance Rayder. Jonny boy shows his commitment to the greater good by making a difficult decision and sacrificing his honor. His experiences amongst the Free Folk ultimately shape him into a more worldly and compassionate leader. This killing by Snow represents an important theme of the season – moral ambiguity. We learn that it’s difficult to categorize characters into ‘good or evil’ and that each character has their set of morals and motivations, which sometimes leads them to take questionable actions. Snow’s expedition beyond the wall and first hand encounters with the aliens also remind us of the impending threat, which the warring factions of the South remain blissfully ignorant of.

Season 3

The King in the North won several significant victories and gained a reputation as a skilled and charismatic leader but you know the saying – in the game of thrones, you either win or you die. Robb learns this the hard way, in an equally shocking manner as his dad, and he reaches the same fate during the infamous Red Wedding scene. His decision to marry Talisa Maegyr proved to have lethal effects not only for him but also for his mother Caitlyn and for Talisa and their unborn baby. As a Young Wolf aficionado, what was my guyyyy doing!? Why couldn’t he just have a political marriage with Lord Frey’s ugly daughter and have his real relationship with Maegyr on the side? Especially during wartime like cmon bro know the score and time for chist sake. Tie ball game in the state title game with the 4th quarter approaching and Robb is out here following his passion (left hand floaters and behind the back passes) instead of sticking to the fundamentals (working the shot clock, penetrating the zone and getting good looks)! And how was he not conscious of the possibility of House Frey and House Bolton teaming up with the scumbag Lannisters after he pulled such a move?? Unfortunately enough, that is the Game Of Thrones … marriage needs to be political in order to form alliances. Robb tried playing by a different set of rules and paid the price in a big way. The massacre demonstrates that the cold game doesn’t lend itself to pursuing true love; it also shows the fragile nature of alliances and the ruthlessness of the political landscape during wartime. With the northern rebellion seemingly wrapped up, The Red Wedding effectively consolidates Lannister control over the throne.

Across the Narrow Sea, Danny’s journey continues as she solidifies her position as a powerful contender for the throne upon her resourceful acquisition of the Unsullied. With her dragons growing, freeing the slaves from Astapor and Yunkai, looting the riches of Xaro Xhoan Daxos in Qarth, and now acquiring an army of trained soldiers, we see that Vegas was spot on in their analysis. She now even has three right hand men, Sir Jorah Mormont of Bear Island (classic exile-by-Yes-Head-Ned for repping illegal slave trade ‘to support his wife’s expensive taste’ situation), the honorable Barristan Selmy (classic retard Joffery dismissing his most respectable knight from the Kingsguard) and Grey Worm of the Unsullied. Danny discusses the procurement of the Unsullied with her main right hand man Jorah and they ponder the morality of such a maneuver. As Danny questions what type of leader she truly is if she owns an army of slaves, Jorah reassures her, “The Unsullied are a means to an end, they’re not men. Not anymore. They’re better off serving you than some deranged slave cultivator like Krazyns”. ‘Mhysa’ continues onward with her morally permissible troops in Essos, itching closer to the inevitable conflict at Casterly Rock.

In other news, The Kingslayer undergoes a character transformation as he is held captive in transport by Breanne of Tarth who served Lady Stark. During life as a prisoner, Jaime develops a complex bond with Breanne and contemplates his family’s values: his loss of a hand is symbolic of the shift in his identity. By the end of the season he returns back to King's Landing, though no longer the best swordsman in Westeros. Tyrion develops a complex bond of his own with newly wed Sansa. He solely pursues a platonic relationship with her because as Sansa puts it “he’s not like the other Lannisters”. In addition to mini man’s virtues of respect and kindness, his pursuit of a platonic relationship is also due to the fact that he has his other needs met by common whore Shae, whom he actually catches some feelings for. Tyrion’s most fascinating relationship however, may be with one of my personal favorite characters - Knight Bronn. The two formally meet in The Vale of Arryn when Bronn consciously steps in for Tyrion during his trial by combat. Tyrion finds himself fighting for his life because Caitlyn Stark received a letter from her sister, Lysa Arryn, who claims the Lannisters murdered her husband Jon Arryn. Additionally, Lady Stark is misled by the always-cunning & playing-both-sides, Petyr Baelish AKA Littlefinger who tells her the dagger used in the assassination attempt on Bran belongs to Tyrion. I say Bronn stepped in consciously because he knew damn well that a Lannister always pays his debts. Yeah that all happened in season one but the relationship between the two blossoms in season three with Bronn acting as Tyrion’s hired sword and protector. The transnational dynamic evolves into an engaging friendship and the two serve up some of the show’s best chats and vibes, commonly bonding through drinking and discussing women, the comedic aspect of the big game & others’ inability to see the forest through the trees.

Beyond the wall, Jonny “Lowkey Kingsblood” Snow integrates himself into the ranks of the Free Folk for means of survival. As a byproduct, his relationship with Ygritte deepens and the guy finally loses his virginity in the tundra, breaking the Night’s Watch ludicrous oath (the actual oath goes hard #TheSwordinDarkness #TheHornThatWakesTheSleepers #TheShieldThatGuardsTheRealmsOfMen). In the final episode of the season, he escapes from the Wildlings and returns to Castle Black, although physically impaired from getting clipped by Ygritte. However, Jon isn’t the only key player who is hustling in the north. Stannis, aftering being convinced by the prudent Sir Davos and The Red Woman, directs his army northward in order to defend the realm against the unifying/existential/all-encompassing threat. His decision marks a big time shift in his character and the storyline as he begins to see the bigger picture beyond the Iron Throne. This judgment is pivotal and lends the audience to a sense of optimism, hoping that more will follow suit. Well done by Stannis’ crew, but it may have been the fat (yet intellectually sound) bastard Samwell Tarley who made the most impactful contribution in the north, as he discovers that the Walkers can be killed by dragonglass.

Season three is a riveting blend of political intrigue, personal ambition, treachery, and emerging threats. It marks a turning point in the series, where no character, no matter how central, is safe. The intricate narrative, character development, and unflinching portrayal of the grim realities of power dynamics make it a standout season. The consequences of actions and choices made by characters play out in stark and often tragic ways, as the struggle for the Iron Throne continues against the backdrop of larger, more ominous challenges.

Season 4

S4 begins in the aftermath of the Red Wedding, which puts the Lannisters in sole control of the Iron Throne & The Red Keep for the time being. Tywin, the true mastermind behind the Lannister power, is seen forging new swords from the Stark’s ancestral sword, Ice, symbolizing the downfall of House Stark and the current supremacy held by House Lannister. However the supremacy is short-lived as The Red Wedding is soon tailed by The Purple Wedding and all Thrones viewers let out a calm fresh breath of air when Joffery’s face turns purple and starts gushing blood. I, for one, was pleased that Queen Margarie, known for her warmth and compassion towards the less fortunate, didn't have to spend her days amidst Joffrey's cruelty and sadism. Although his death is believed to be orchestrated by Tyrion and/or Sansa, it was Old Head Lady Olenna Tyrell (sneaky great character) and Littlefinger who conspired to poison the peasant king. Olenna could not stand to see her precious granddaughter married to that beast and, although the Lannisters and Tyrells had a political alliance, Olenna’s worldview and playful soul sharply contrast the views held by Cersei & Joffrey; she realizes she must take action in order to protect her own kind from their coldness and abides by ‘Specter Mentality’ – “sometimes good guys gotta do bad things in order to beat the bad guys”. Petyr Baelish has his own motives for being involved in the assassination as his aims are largely driven by a desire for power & chaos, which he believes can create opportunities for him to advance his own position. After all, Mayor Carcetti is notoriously known for his manipulative tactics and for coordinating events behind the scenes to further his own agenda. House Lannister continues its descent from an untouchable dynasty to a mere fly on the wall, as the family is destroyed from the inside when the little man guts the big man while he’s on the shitter in the szn 4 finale. Tyrion is trialed for Joffery’s murder and sentenced to die by Tywin who likely never even believed that Tyrion was guilty. The little guy invokes his 1st amendment right to a trial by combat during his riveting speech, loaded with anger and resentment, as he tells his father and the rest of the onlookers, “I should’ve let Stannis kill you all”. The cocky and crafty Oberyn Martell of Dorne volunteers as tribute to defend the past injustice of Elia Martell and to carry out his personal vendetta against the Lannisters. This brings us to an instant classic, The Viper vs The Mountain… a tale of deceptive skill and speed against sheer power and strength. The Viper dances early but before he’s able to lay the last venomous bite he realizes that mountains don’t fall that easily. The Mountain (Ser Gregor Clegane) is still breathing after a couple snake bites and Tyrion would have been wrongfully killed if not for brother Jaime who finds some compassion and sets the little kiddo free. Upon his escape, he finds Shae in his father’s bed and strangles her to death while feelings of deep betrayal, rage and heartbreak flow through him. When confronting his father afterwards with a crossbow, Tywin still refuses to acknowledge Tyrion as a serious individual; his lack of respect toward Tyrion and his repeated calling of Shae a whore is what ultimately motivates the oompa loompa to pull the trigger and execute his own father just as he was about to do to him. Some would call Tyrion’s actions a double homicide but Thomas Hobbes would mark it up as a brilliant display of self preservation. The Royal Wedding, Mountain & Viper, and crossbow on shitter all serve as marquee death scenes that alter the power dynamic in the capital, escalate the rivalries between players and force the audience to realize that the truth is sometimes hard to find in the Game of Thrones.

Meanwhile, the remaining Stark children continue their respective journeys. Sansa dips face out of Kings Landing during the purple weddy and is taken by Littlefinger to her aunt in the Vale. She learns the extent of his schemes and ambitions as he marries then murders Lysa. Arya continues her journey with Sandor ‘The Hound” Clegane; they form an uneasy bond, and Arya's exposure to the Hound’s ruthless world view furthers her transformation into a vengeful, capable survivor. Bran’s journey continues to be one of mysticism and discovery as he ventures beyond the wall in pursuit of the Three-Eyed Raven whom he believes can help him understand his visions and warg abilities (the ability to enter the mind of an animal). Accompanied by Hodor, Jojen Reed, and Meera Reed, his group is mainly focused on keeping Bran safe and guiding him towards his ‘Visions Through the Weirwood Tree’, a mixture of past, present, and future events. Their group is captured at Craster's Keep by the Night's Watch mutineers led by Karl Tanner, putting them in a precarious situation until Jonny Baseball Snow comes to the rescue. The group is steady Northbound en route to the magical tree until Bran finally meets the Three-Eyed Raven, who tells him that while he will never walk again, he will learn to fly. Snow returns to Castle Black and prepares the Night’s Watch for the coming attack by Mance Rayder’s Wildling army. The Watchers on the Wall do their best to transform into the shields that guard the realms of men and, ​​ with the much needed assistance of Stannis’ formidable army, they take down the wildlings in an epic clash.

Daenerys continues her conquest of Slaver’s Bay as she captures Meereen and decides to stay in the city to practice ruling before moving onto the Big Dance. She learns that being a sovereign isn’t all that easy all the time; she struggles with governance as she must adjudicate disputes among her subjects and confront the consequences of her liberation campaign. In season 4, the stakes of The Game continue to be raised and the unpredictability of the show acts as a catalyst for its captivating nature.

Season 5

The fifth seezy is characterized by political machinations, revelations and major character developments as the overarching themes revolve around the struggle for power, the complexity of leadership and the personal journey of characters in the midst of tremendous challenges. Things pick up with Stannis’ crew at the Wall, where he seeks support of the Night’s Watch and the wildlings in his quest to reclaim the Iron Throne. Stan the Man lowkey goes from an undeserving clownshow to the one true king of Westeros as he proves to be a fearless war leader and a rational thinker. His momentum, however, comes to a screeching halt when his plans to seize Winterfell from the Boltons turn on a dime as Ramsay’s army charges at them in the open battlefield. The season 5 finale marks the end of The Stannis Era as his crew is walloped in battle; the defeat is punctuated by personal tragedy as he fruitlessly sacrifices his daughter Shireeon, which leads to the desertion of his troops and the suicide of his wife. After some clinical momentum & growth up north, the last standing Berathean endures a suboptimal day as his daughter, his wife and finally Stannis himself all perish.

Stannis isn’t the only other leader to emerge and then perish (seemingly). Snow is selected as Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch, but his decision to let the wildlings cross the Wall into the Seven proves to be quite controversial. The season ends with him being murdered by his simpleton brothers of the Night’s Watch; they repeatedly take turns stabbing the Snowman while uttering “for the watch” as propagated by Allister Thorne, the fellow frontrunner but loser candidate for Lord Commander. The old conservatives of the Watch cannot rationalize the decision to let their centuries-long enemy through the gates in the pursuit of the common good and so they conspire against their elected leader.

Whilst Danny continues to steal reps practicing the duties of a Queen, her struggles mount in significance. She faces resistance from former slave masters who are unhappy with her breaking the socio-economic structure of Essos and an insurgent group called ‘The Sons of the Harpy’ begin to terrorize the city and attack her Unsullied soldiers. She is forced to flee Meereen on the back of Drogon and is subsequently captured by a Dothraki Horde. Before she flees, ​she meets Tyrion and, to his surprise, appoints him to be another one of her advisors. As Tyrion and Lord Varys were making their way to Meereen to join forces, they were captured by Ser Jorah Mormont who expedites their process but suffers a soon-to-be-fatal bite by the Stone Men. This season serves to be an important phase in Danny’s development as she realizes that freeing a city from slavery is not nearly the same as successfully governing it; her political naivety and strict ideals clash with the complexity of Meereen’s culture and politics, and through the trials and tribulations, she begins to embrace more of her Targaryen lineage while facing the harsh realities of leadership.

In King's Landing, Cersei’s journey takes a dark and humbling turn. Tywin’s death leaves a major power vacuum in the capital and obviously the Wicked Witch attempts to fill it. She feels threatened by Margery’s naturally evolving power and increased control over Tommen, and, in her desperation to regain control, she mistakenly attempts to undermine the Tyrells by empowering the culty religious group known as The Sparrows. She allows The High Sparrow to re-establish the Faith Militant (an armed force serving the faith of the seven) and orchestrates the arrest of Margery and her brother Loras, but this move backfires spectacularly. The Faded Bird shows that he is not one to be easily manipulated and Cersei finds herself arrested for her past sins of incest and conspiracy to murder King Robert; the extent of her psychological and physical abuse culminates during her infamous ‘Walk of Atonement’, a moment of utter defeat, humiliation and vulnerability for a woman who has long prided herself on her untouchable status and ‘Power is Power’ mindset. This degradation fuels her subsequent thirst for vengeance, setting the stage for the dark and ruthless path she follows in the coming seasons. Her attempt to assert dominance and manipulate the other players around her proves to be similar to the nature of fat people body positivity – counterproductive. She’s ensnared by her own schemes and the everlasting volatile political landscape that is the Game of Thrones.

The other incestual being pairs up with Bronn as they go to Dorne to rescue Princess Myrcella in order to fill the void of their missing incestual product. Although they secure her release, their efforts are futile as she dies on the ship back to King’s Landing from some backdoor Sand Snake venom. Oberyn’s gruesome death ignited the call for vengeance and the rivalry continues to build between the Martells and Lannisters.

Arya arrives in the House of Black and White in Braavos to become a Faceless Man, but during her training with Jaqen H’ghar, she struggles to abandon her identity. She kills Meryn Trant out of personal vengeance and is punished by being made blind. Sansa continues her unfortunate path of a political pawn. The sadistic & egotistical nature of Littlefinger is evident when he promises to protect Sansa but actually arranges for her to marry the even more sadistic Ramsay Bolton. After a tough runout of abuse from Joffrey and then Ramsay, she finally escapes Winterfell with the help of Theon “Reek” Greyjoy amidst the chaos during the battle with Stannis. Notably, Bran and his storyline do not appear at all during the fifth season.

Season 5 shows that life is an imperfect world as Daenerys’ idealistic views clash with the harsh realities of governance and Snow pays the ultimate consequence for making a brave decision for the greater good of mankind. Through Cersei's plotline, the show explores the dangerous mix of religious fanaticism and politics as her short-sighted moves demonstrate how empowering religious extremism for political gain can backfire. The theme of personal sacrifice is notably explored in Stannis’ storyline. His ambition drives him to make unthinkable sacrifices, which illustrates the devastating lengths individuals are willing to go to for power, and the personal toll it can take. S5 takes on a darker and more tragic dimension of the show yet is consistent with the other seasons in that it brings us closer to the ultimate battle for the Iron Throne and allows the threat beyond the wall to continue its evolution from distant problem to present existential crisis.

Season 6

Chapter 6 is especially interesting for all those book-reading losers as it’s the first season to surpass the storyline of George RR Martin’s novel series ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ and sets the stage for the final conflicts of the series. Several characters return to the forefront, new alliances form and old scores are settled. Naturally, let’s dive into The Snowman Respawn. After Stannis died, I thought to myself it was going to be Jonny boy that lead the eventual apex war in KL after a gritty take back of the old stomping grounds in WF, but I was absolutely appalled when he was gutted by the animalistic actual-bastards and had no clue what the future storyline would become (I probably should’ve had the foresight to realize that Melisandre was about to do her best Gordon Ramsay impression). The Red Woman must’ve had pack-a-punched ballistic knives because after a short period in which Snow “saw nothing. Nothing at all”, he does his best JC on Easter Sunday impression. After the fake-bastard (who is technically relieved of his Night’s Watch duties through death) realizes he actually might be He Who Guards The Realms of Men, he hangs those who betrayed him and begins to embrace his role as a leader in the North. The ensuing season 6 storyline in the north is some of the highest quality television that has ever been produced. After Stannis’ crew saved Jon against the Free Folk, and with ‘deranged cunt’ Ramsay Bolton lurking in his homeland, the Battle of the Bastards seemed like inevitable payback for the culture. As indicated in my episodes rankings below this writeup, The Battle of The Bastards is surely one of the best episodes in the history of television. Ramsay sets the tone off the rip with a surgical bowshot that takes out Ricon. Things are looking grim for Snow and his right hand man Ser Davos (great transfer portal pickup) until the Knights of the Vale arrive. Baelish finally does something for someone else and Sansa gets her sweet sweet revenge on the gremlin bastard as she gets a hillside view of the men of the Vale turning the tides of the war, making her the Lady of Winterfell. Young Lady Lyanna of House Mormont serves as the catalyst during the riveting declaration of The White Wolf as the new King in the North, a scene with enough gusto to make a grown man cry. Sansa instills herself with some much needed swagger and one-ups her hillside war view as she is liberated by watching Ramsey’s own hounds tear him apart. Stability in the North returns alas but Jon continues to urge the northerners that Winter Is Coming and that the true enemy does not stop in the storm, they bring the storm.

Bran returns and shit keeps getting weird as he’s now trained by the 3-Eyed-Raven and capable of exploring the history of Westeros. He hops into some type of heroic-psychedelic-dose duffel bag and has the revelation that Jon Snow is actually the son of Lyanna Stark (Ned’s sister) and likely Rhaegar Targaryen; The vision tells us that not only is the once-believed-bastard a legitimate Targaryen, but he is the rightful heir to the throne and a dangerous threat to Daenerys’ ambitions to rule. His interactions with the past reveal that his abilities can have unexpected consequences as evidenced by ​​Hodor’s tragic fate on some Everything Everywhere All At Once type ish. Arya, still in Braavos, continues with training with the Faceless Men, but refuses to fully abandon her identity. She regains her vision and defeats the Waif, asserting her identity as Arya Stark of Winterfell; She returns to Westeros and uses her training to exact revenge on Walder Frey in the epic #TheNorthRemembers scene, “when people ask you what happened here, tell them winter came for House Frey”.

Cersei, stripped of her power, faces the growing influence of the High Sparrow who manipulates King Tommen with ease. Shit has officially hit the fan for the once feared majesty, but before she is trialed for her sins, she decides that she would rather not suffer the repercussions. She orchestrates a decisive and ruthless move to use wildfire to destroy the Great Sept, killing the High Sparrow, Tyrells and countless others. Instead of getting trialed for her gruesome sins, she buys a box ticket to her new play, “Kill Everyone and Reclaim All the Power” and gulps down the most sadistic, savage, ‘I’m Her’ sip of Pinot Noir that anyone has ever taken. She does suffer some repercussions as her actions cause Tommen’s goofy ass suicide but they also cause her coronation as Queen of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm. In a fascinating turn of events, Cersei Lannister shows her cunning ability to play the game of thrones like an elite pianist plays the piano; her ability to hit contested shots like such show why she might very well get the MVP trophy at the end of the season.

Daenerys eventually ascends after being captured by the Dothraki. She turns the tables by killing the Great Khals, assuming leadership of the horde and forming an alliance with the Greyjoys who contribute their Iron Fleet, fulfilling the last step en route to Westeros. Prior to finally setting sail across the Narrow Sea, she returns to Meereen which has been under siege with Tyrion attempting to run shit. Her return is timely as she arrives just in time for the slavers attack launch on Meereen; she responds to the attack by using her dragons to destroy the slavers’ ships, quickly quelling the rebellion. She solidifies her control over Slaver’s Bay and renames it The Bay of Dragons. At this point in the story, we think of Daenerys as a moral goddess who is also capable of making tough decisions as a political leader, but we see once she gets to the capital in season 8, that much of it was a facade in order to quench her growing hunger for power. Although it remains well hidden for the time being, her holier-than-thou persona and virtue signaling nature (similar to the NFL putting “end racism” in end zones and Apple flaunting equality mission statements while exploiting Congolese children mining cobalt for 14 cents a day) gets revealed when all the cards are on the table. After breaking ties with the charming Daario Naharis (urging him to maintain the peace in Meereen) and naming Tyrion her Hand of the Queen, The Queen of the Andals finally mobilizes the tantalizing Iron Fleet alongside her Unsullied, Dothraki & fully grown dragons while also possessing secret alliances with the Tyrells & Martells, facilitated by Varys. Season 6 emphasizes what Vegas knew after week 1 – she is now not only a major power player in the World of Thrones, but she is the on-paper favorite to sit in the Iron Throne when it’s all said and done.

Chappy 6 of Thrones is a crucial turning point in the story as it shifts away from the political machinations that characterized the earlier seasons and begins to build towards the ultimate conflicts between the living & the dead and the final war for the Fe Throne. The pace quickens as characters who have undergone long arcs of development begin to assert themselves in positions of power. The stakes raise once more as the series moves into the final acts that we all knew were coming.

Season 7

The 7th season begins with the Mother of Dragons & co arriving in Westeros at Dragonstone, the ancestral seat of House Targaryen. It’s a triumphant moment as her pipe dream of ruling the sev is now more realistic than ever. Throughout the season she tries to balance her natural inclination toward fire & blood with a desire to be a just ruler, guided in part by her advisors Tyrion and Varys. One of the significant moments is her attack on the Lannister army which shows that the combo of the energized PhD students on the ground with the fire breathing air raid is a force to be reckoned with. The attack epitomizes the dichotomy of the willfulness and ruthlessness she possesses. As the man of snow seeks allies against the Night King, he accepts his invitation to Dragonstone where The Unburnt asks for his fealty. To her dismay, he refuses to bend the knee and instead alerts her of the common enemy in the north, exclaiming “We’re children playing at a game screaming that the rules aren’t fair” on some Apocalypse Now, “you’re an errand boy, sent by grocery clerks, to collect the bill” type shit. Jon understands he needs to form an alliance with Danny as her dragons alongside the ample dragonglass embedded in her homeland is the only chance of survival for the human species. After the initial tension, they eventually find common ground and Jon mass mines the glass and convinces Stormborn that the threat up north is indeed real. Their alliance naturally evolves into a romance by the end of the season and she values Jon’s advice (for the time being), “Maybe you can build a world that’s different from the shit one that they’ve always known. But if you use your dragons to melt castles and burn cities you’re not different, you’re just more of the same”. The Breaker of Chains starts playing hard ball and the game becomes ‘bend the knee or die’ as evidenced by the Tarly’s stubbornness.

In an attempt to convince Cersei to join the fight against the dead, Jon leads an expedition beyond the wall to capture some stone cold proof. His crew finds themselves surrounded by wights but they are saved by a knight in shining armor (AKA a princess on a dragon’s back). She saves most of the group by letting them climb aboard Drogon but Jon stays behind to take some more Nazi scalps. He’s later saved by his uncle Benjen Stark, who sacrifices himself so Jon can escape on his horse. The Great Khaleesi saves the day but the Night King’s precision with his ice spear kills Viserion, whom he resurrects and uses to dismantle The Wall in the season finale. The season ends with the army of the dead marching southbound through the broken wall while the Queen of the Andals and the King in the North engage intimately on a ship towards the White Harbor with the intertwined ambitions of saving mankind against the true enemy and taking over the realm from its distasteful current ruler.

Speaking of the current distasteful ruler, Cersei prowls in the Red Keep, but her rule is shaky and largely driven by fear. Instinctively, she forms an alliance with the Euron Greyjoy who is fiending for vengeance after being betrayed by Reek and Yara. Euron has a signature performance as he defeats part of Daenerys’ fleet in battle and then presents his captured trophies (Yara Greyjoy and Ellaria Sand) to Queen Cersei, where he hints at a desire for their marriage. Cersei agrees to a truce with Daenerys and JS to fight against the Night King but we learn that she has no intentions of sending her army north. Instead, the season ends with Euron en route to Essos to ferry The Golden Company (group of mercenaries) back to Westeros to fight for Cersei in the inevitable final war. With Jaime back in town, he begins to see the cruelty deeply entrenched in his former lover and their relationship starts to strain. He’s disgusted by her deceit and unwillingness to help fight the White Walkers and so he leaves King’s Landing to join the forces in the North.

In Winterfell, Sansa assumes control in Jon’s absence and the gang finally gets back together as Bran and Arya return to the northern capital. Tensions arise between Sansa, Jon and Arya, but they soon realize these tensions (amongst many others) were manufactured from buttons pressed by Littlefinger’s little fingers. The Starks unite and the truth all comes out for Pipsqueak Petyr; he planted the knife believed to be Tyrion’s and ordered Bran to be killed, he conspired to murder Ned, he started the conflict between the Lannisters and Starks by murdering Jon Arryn and forcing Lysa to write a letter to the Starks claiming it was the Lannisters, he killed Lysa to gain control of the Vale, he sold Sansa to the Boltons after pretending he’d protect her and the list goes on. Sansa admits that she is a slow learner and it took her a while to learn that “that's what you do. That's what you've always done. Turn family against family and sister against sister”. The Lady of Winterfell thanks Lord Baelish for his many lessons and her sister, the now highly trained assassin, creates an aura of justice as she slits his throat. Samwell ‘The Boy’ Tarly chops it up with Bran about Jon’s true parentage and becomes only the second person to know the ever-powerful knowledge that Jon Snow’s real name is Aegon Targaryen.

S7 is an acceleration toward the series’ conclusion as the pace of play goes from NCAA level to the big leagues. The season is marked by the new alliance between The Dragon and The Wolf and their opposition to both the Night King and Cersei. The current queen’s descent into madness and tyranny is eerily reminiscent of the Mad King and the broken relationship with Jaime foreshadows future conflict. The Starks come together and chop off the PinkyFinger in a satisfying closure to his manipulative plots which lowkey ignited many of the events and conflicts displayed in the series. The wall is down and the White Walkers have gained a fire breathing asset, building toward the final stand between the living and dead at Winterfell. The seventh part of Game of Thrones is a prelude to the series' end, bringing characters together, setting up alliances, and preparing for the ultimate battles for the future of Westeros.

Season 8

The curtains open for the final act with the wolf and the dragon arriving in Winterfell with their combined forces to finally prepare for what’s been coming the whole show. The North is skeptical about Daenerys being their queen and tensions rise but tensions are just tensions and everyone is just gonna have to figure it out in the eye of existentialism. Sansa, now a savvy and strategic leader, is particularly cautious of the Unburnt but does a good job uniting the north as she understands the extent of the threat. The first episode ends with Jaime Lannister coming face to face with his favorite rock climber Bran The Broken upon his arrival in WF. The players prepare for the most important game of their professional careers the night before by drinking and singing as Podric gets some of the troops emotionally aroused via his ​​touching and poetic display of Jenny’s song. People are saying their potential last goodbyes and doing things they’ve never done before as GreyWorm (No Worm) kisses Missandei (lowkey bad) and Arya explores the human condition with Gendry. Bonds continue to be formed and renewed as ​​Brienne of Tarth defends Jaime during his trial; apparently the sole member of the Lannister army in the north did enough to right his wrongs as Brienne willfully expresses that Jaime is lowkey a man of honor citing his hand loss when he saved her from being raped as evidence. Although he literally killed The Mad King (Danny’s dad) and rivaled the Starks, Sansa abides by Brienne’s opinion and The Warden in the North chimes in, “we need every man we can get”. Jaime pays the favor back by knighting Brienne in a touching ceremony, making her the first female knight in the seven. The-Bastard-That-Never-Was comes clean to Daenerys about his true identity as he tells Danny (who is clearly troubled by the fact that she’s no longer the rightful heir) that her brother Rhaegor didn’t rape Lyanna Stark, but rather they were in love. He tells her the truest truth: the last thing his mother Lyanna did while bleeding out post-birth was give the wolf/dragon pureblood hybrid to her brother Ned to raise it on his own as his bastard in order to avoid the baby’s execution by BeerBellyRob.

After these theatrics, push finally comes to shove and the long night arrives in Winterfell. Naturally, the Dothraki are the first line of defense and (despite being literally ignited by The Red Woman) get absolutely decimated. The Long Night episode is dark, both in tone and visual style, and many characters meet their ends including Reeky Greyjoy and Joarh Mormont. The battle of the living vs dead climaxes (and comes to an end) when Arya calls game as she makes the greatest bobble catch of all time with a retro Valyrian dagger. After The War, the survivors mourn the dead and celebrate their dub but the tension grows between Daenerys and The Starks, namely Sansa. Jon’s true identity begins to spread and Danny is big stressing over her newest threat.

As many different groups of people come together harmonically in lieu of the common enemy and successfully fight for the survival of their species, Cersei and Euron plot away in the Red Keep alongside their newest billion dollar acquisition in The Golden Company. One of their plots included Euron ambushing Dany’s fleet and killing one of the two remaining flying puppies, which technically kicks off the final war. Push comes to shove one last time as the two armies are now face to face in King’s Landing and (despite Tyrion’s waffling) Cersei orders The Mountain to get things going with a ceremonial cut Missandei's head off, leaving Dany (and GreyWorm) devastated and enraged. The Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea responds with a “fuck it, we ball” maneuver by lighting up Kings Landing like a Christmas tree (despite their surrender on some Mad Queen shit) and burning the Red Keep to the ground which kills the incestual couple, after Jaime outlasts Euron in an instant classic duel. Speaking of instant classics (AKA beating each other to death) the marquee matchup of the day might have to go to the display of brotherly love between The Hound & The Lobotomized Mountain. One of the longest running subplots in the show is the deep-seated hatred between the two brothers, which culminates in an epic clash in the Red Keep; The Cleganebowl is capped by Sandor ‘The Hound’ Clegane kamikaze-ing Gregor ‘The Mountain’ Clegane through a wall and into the pits of hell. We learn that Gregor burned Sandor’s face as a child for playing with his toys leaving him permanently scarred physically and mentally as per his life-long phobia of fire. The Hound’s bitterness toward the world was a result of his brother’s brutishness, and the rivalry ends poetically, both beginning and ending in flames.

The series finale, ‘The Iron Throne’ opens with characters surveying the carnage of the old capital. The Mad Queen Maneuver of killing thousands of innocent, causes Tyrion to resign as Hand of the Queen and get imprisoned. Once Daenerys refuses to forgive the midget bastard, Snowman realizes what must be done in the name of anti-tyranny. Juxtaposing the naive wish of a Romeo and Juliet moment in the Throne Room, The Snowman celebrates their future ruling the world together by gutting her like a pig. After the Wolf eats the Dragon, the ​​actual Dragon melts the throne, symbolizing that it wasn't Jon who killed her, it was her relentless desire to sit in the chair made of swords.

As the primary lords and ladies of Westeros convene to decide the future of The Seven, they decide to elect Brandon of House Stark as the new King upon Tyrion’s nomination speech. The mini man catalyzes the breaking of the successive wheel, asserting that “from now on rulers will not be born, they will be chosen”. Sansa declares the North an independent kingdom, becoming Queen, while Arya decides to explore what’s west of Westeros and Rhaegar ‘Snow’ Targaryen is fittingly sent back to the Night’s Watch. The Starks go their separate ways once more and there is a sense of a new beginning in the world of the Game of Thrones.

The last season was largely criticized for its pacing and handling of character arcs, particularly Livvy Dunne’s turn to tyranny, which was felt not adequately built up to by many. Some fans expressed that the political intrigue, complex characters and careful storytelling that defined the first seven seasons of the series were sidelined in favor of spectacle. Others (myself), argue that the seeds of Daenerys’ descent were lowkey hiding in plain sight throughout the series and her tragic arc is a powerful commentary on the corrupting nature of power. Some thought Bran should never have been elected king because he’s “kinda a freak” but others appreciated the shift towards a more thoughtful leadership and equitable future as per the North’s values of resilience and autonomy. In my professional opinion, I heard way too many people of limited-intelligence complain about season 8 of Thrones and how it ‘didn’t live up to the hype’ because The Long Night episode was a little too dark for their liking. Yeah maybe the character complexity, political chess and storytelling died down a bit in favor of spectacle, but the whole point of the 8th season was to show off the Two Great Wars that the whole show had been building towards. I’m not sure if it’s because I binge watched the whole thing years after its release (while others were caught in the system’s week-by-week viewing), but I thought season 8 was critiqued way more than it should have been and that it actually did live up to the hype, ending the story of the greatest tv show ever in a cohesive and emphatic manner. The utterly sprawling and ambitious series that is Game of Thrones will continue to be debated viciously and have a cultural impact like no other show has ever had before.