For The Love of GoT 

It’s no secret that while I appreciate GoT as a drama, I just don’t get the dizzy spells and trance like status that most do at the mere mention of the show or any of the characters. Well, an end date has been announced and the penultimate season cometh on Sunday, July 16. To join in with the festivities the fans have, I enlisted uber GoT fan, @ccents1 to do a write up on his beloved show.

Sidebar: If you have Xfinity Comcast, they are offering free HBO OnDemand access till July 16

Game of Thrones is the greatest show to ever grace the TV screen.   I should end my fan write up here but just because I like you guys, I will go further.   You cannot find a show with so many multi-dimensional characters.   The show is based on a series of books written by George R R Martin who I have concluded sold his soul to the devil.   The books were written in a POV format, the author picks different characters and tells the story of a made up world called Westeros in each of the character’s perspective.

While there are some specifically evil characters, most notable of which is Joffrey Baratheon.   Most of the characters are so real and so (brace yourself for the word again) multi-dimensional that depending on the situation or the opponent at that particular time, you can find yourself rooting for characters you hate or rooting against characters you love.   You hate the Lannisters but a part of you rooted for them when Stannis attempted to raid Kings Landing in Blackwater.  You were sad when Jamie’s sword hand was cut off.   You hate Theon Greyjoy but you got goose bumps when Yara Greyjoy started a voyage to rescue him.  And as evil as the Queen has been, you really can’t help but feel some kind of sympathy for her in general.

Nothing gets me more than well built up characters but the greatest thing Game of Thrones offers is that no character is safe.   We all know Dexter won’t die (until they say it’s the series finale)…we all know Hank Moody won’t end up in jail or dying of drug overdose (same clause as above)..so no matter how close they come to those situations in episode 4 of season 3…we all know they will get out of it….nope not GOT…the 2 main male characters in season 1 are dead…both died in season 1…Khal Drogo was built up as the greatest fighter of that era, we all had dreams of him and his men crossing the seas into Westeros…he died in the least heroic way…given a mercy death by suffocation because he became a vegetable.  Ned Stark was beheaded as a traitor.   Renley, Robb and Kat Stark are a few more major characters that met unexpected deaths.   The show introduced one of the most charismatic characters in Oberyn Martel, built him up as an essential character and someone to be hopeful about and then 8 episodes later, he was getting his head crushed by the mountain.  You just can’t relax watching this show.  This makes it always an amazing ride.

The biggest criticism a lot of people have with GOT is the lack of action.  It’s insane how a lot of people compare it to Spartacus (another one of my favorite shows) because they share the same kind of setting and began around the same time. Spartacus is a story about gladiators fighting for freedom…it’s an action series…Game of Thrones is a drama. The show is about conversations and plotting. Game of Thrones is by far the most amazing show to watch in terms of dialogue. The conversational battles between Varis and Little Finger, Tyrion and Tywin, Tyrion and Cersei, and one of the most classic dialogues of all time the “power is power” conversation between Cersei and Little Finger.   A lot of people miss the impact of these dialogues because they are waiting for the action, waiting for the sword fights and war battles.  That’s not what this show is and that’s what Spartacus was about.

Finally, the actors: I mean really I cannot imagine another show where I cannot pick who my best actor is, a friend asked me this “if a character’s actor absolutely had to be changed, which change do you think will have the biggest impact? Joffrey, Tywin, Tyrion or Daenerys”…. I honestly couldn’t pick one without still feeling off…the more hate I have for Joffrey the more I appreciate the kid playing the character, all his mannerisms, his excitement, his anger…everything about him screams evil.  No character on the show (and in the book) commanded fear and respect like Tywin and I don’t see too many actors pulling that off.   And Tyrion and Daenerys are just Tyrion and Daenerys.   And these are just to name a few of the exceptional actors that the show gives us.

I have now gotten to the point where I don’t know what happens next with most of the story.  I am as in the dark as the people that didn’t read the book.  I have to tell you this is a different experience.  I am not sure if its better or worse, but it is definitely different.  I am now going through the ups and downs without the slight comfort of prior knowledge.  I went through the highest of emotions seeing Sansa Stark and Jon Snow reunite for the first time (unbelievable to imagine) since episode 1.  The battle with Ramsay Bolton was one of the realest and most nerve racking experience I ever had to go through with a TV show.  The writing is still intense, the dialog –  still mind blowing.  There are 2  seasons left (15 episodes total) and I can’t wait to see how they bring this home:

Will Arya meet up with her siblings? Will she complete her kill plan?

Will the Starks go to war with the Lannisters?

How does Daenerys and her dragons fit in to Westeros when they arrive?

Will Yara seduce Daenerys (Ok maybe this is just me)

Will everyone realize that the real enemies are the White Walkers and join forces to give mankind (so to speak) a chance?

So many questions to be answered.  Sunday is the first step to finding out what these answers are.  I will be front and center, emotions braced even with nerves on fire.  Ready to hop back on the greatest ride in Television history.

written by @ccents1