After 10 years and 8 seasons, the critically acclaimed and very popular HBO series of Game of Thrones has finally come to a conclusion. I was a bit late to the hype and just started binge watching the show the past few months during winter. I watched the series twice through and luckily had them all on file. However for the last season I had to subscribe to HBO just so I could follow the show in real time, something I have never done in this age of Netflix. My willingness to pay a subscription and wait a week for the next episode goes to show how I felt about Game of Thrones. To put it simply it is my new all time favorite Television Series.
The first season opens as a dispute of power between three main dueling families (also referred to as houses or dynasties). There is the Lannister family who sits on the coveted Iron Throne of Kings Landing which is the centerpiece of civilization within the Realm. Then there is the Starks from the northern region of Winterfell, who are an honorable people. And finally there is Daenerys Targaryen, whose father was ousted from the throne and she is on a mad quest to re-take the crown. These main 3 parties drive the game for the throne, and every character is either associated to one of these houses or an alliance with one.
The second season continues with the ongoing war against the Lannisters from multiple opponents. Robb Stark is marching south with his army taking key posts in the Riverlands and Westerlands. Meanwhile Stannis Baratheon, the brother of the recently deceased Robert, is building his army to attack Kings Landing, with the guidance of Sir Davos and a red witch named Melisandre. In the east Daenerys continues her quest to amass funds and resources to build an army against the Iron Throne.
In the third season Robb Stark continues his march on Kings Landing and makes an alliance with Walder Frey, lord of the Riverlands. He however falls in love and marries a woman named Talissa, breaking his vow to Walder that he would marry one of his daughters. The outcome is the tragic episode of the Red Wedding where Walder Frey invites the Starks to a banquet and kills Robb Stark his lover Talissa and his mother Catelyn Stark.
Now in this post I'm going to break down each season and it's characters (so beware of the spoilers!) But first I'm going to describe what made Game of Thrones so great and unique. I think the first and most obvious thing that made the show so popular was the writing. The story is based off the novel, A Song of Ice and Fire, by George R. R. Martin and was adapted to the HBO show by various writers and producers.
The premise is a mixture of Lord of the Rings fantasy with historical elements from the Tudor dynasty. As the title suggests it is a tactical game for power thru politics, war, love, and any other means necessary. Each of the show's main characters are extremely multi-layered which makes for some very suspenseful drama. It is one of the most unpredictable show's I have ever watched.Then of course there is the production in general from the settings, the acting, the music, and so forth. It is pure artistic cinema.
As great as the show was, to be honest the final season was quite disappointing. It was rushed and had some very poor endings for the main characters. And this wasn't just me who felt this way yet was the general consensus among fans. I'll get into this more as I break down Season 8 but feel that it should be mentioned in summary. However as disappointing as the final season was, I still want to reverberate how much I enjoyed this show. It was unlike anything I've ever seen before. It was dark, poetic, romantic, heroic, and quite glorious. I experienced just about every emotion watching this show and that's what makes it so special.
Season 1 Summary
The first season opens as a dispute of power between three main dueling families (also referred to as houses or dynasties). There is the Lannister family who sits on the coveted Iron Throne of Kings Landing which is the centerpiece of civilization within the Realm. Then there is the Starks from the northern region of Winterfell, who are an honorable people. And finally there is Daenerys Targaryen, whose father was ousted from the throne and she is on a mad quest to re-take the crown. These main 3 parties drive the game for the throne, and every character is either associated to one of these houses or an alliance with one.
Robert Baratheon sits on the throne in season 1 and is married to Cersei Lanister, who is in constantly scheming and is in love with her brother Jamie. King Baratheon calls aid for his war-pal Ned Stark from Winterfell to be his chief counselor. However the conflict of power reaches a new boiling point when Robert is killed by a Cersei plot. Her young son, the wicked Goffrey takes the throne and Ned plots to overthrow him. However Ned's plot is exposed and he is assassinated by the young King Goffrey, and to make matters worse Goffrey takes Ned's daughter Sansa as his wife-to-be. Thus begins an open war between the Lannisters and the Starks led by Ned's son Robb.
Meanwhile the bastard John Snow of Winterfell is sent to defend the northern post of Castle Black. While Daenerys, the young daughter of the slain king Aerys Targaryen, is cast off to the far lands of Essos to hide from assassins. She later marries a Dothraki war-lord named Drogo in hopes that he will help her take the Iron Throne. He is killed however by a witch and Daenerys leaves the Dothraki people with a few followers, a loyal protector named Jorah Mormont, and 3 baby dragons.
Season 2 Summary
The second season continues with the ongoing war against the Lannisters from multiple opponents. Robb Stark is marching south with his army taking key posts in the Riverlands and Westerlands. Meanwhile Stannis Baratheon, the brother of the recently deceased Robert, is building his army to attack Kings Landing, with the guidance of Sir Davos and a red witch named Melisandre. In the east Daenerys continues her quest to amass funds and resources to build an army against the Iron Throne.
The clever dwarf Tyrion Lannister is appointed as King Goffrey's chief adviser and brings a prostitute named Shay with him in secrecy. He is constantly at odds with his sister Cersei who blames Tyrion for the death of their mother during his birth. To make matters worse for Cersei, her lover Jamie is captured by Robb Stark's army. Tyrion is able to prove his worth at the Battle of Blackwater in commanding the Lannister Army against the Baratheon siege. However it is his father Tywin, who eventually saves the city from ruin and squashes the attack. The ruthless, Tywin replaces his son as Goffrey's chief counselor.
Theon Greyjoy betrays the Starks and captures Winterfell and kills several of the locals, while the young Bran and Rickon are able to escape. Arya Stark goes into hiding from the Lannisters and travels through the Riverlands with a band of outlaws. John Snow goes on an expedition outside the northern wall to fight off barbarians known as "wildlings". There he is captured by a band of wildlings and falls in love with one named Ygritte. He promises to aid them in a mission against his own people, however this is all just a ploy to gain their trust. He is however conflicted with his love for Ygritte and his devotion to his people.
Season 3 Summary
In the third season Robb Stark continues his march on Kings Landing and makes an alliance with Walder Frey, lord of the Riverlands. He however falls in love and marries a woman named Talissa, breaking his vow to Walder that he would marry one of his daughters. The outcome is the tragic episode of the Red Wedding where Walder Frey invites the Starks to a banquet and kills Robb Stark his lover Talissa and his mother Catelyn Stark.
Before she is killed at the Red Wedding, Catelyn Stark has Jamie Lanister returned to King's Landing in hopes that he will return her daughter Sansa back to her. Jamie is escorted by the tall female warrior, Brienne of Tarth. Arya Stark is able to leave the brotherhood however is later captured by the Hound, who is a renegade guardsmen who wants to sell Arya for ransom. John Snow leads a band of wildlings over the wall, only to turn on them and return back to Castle Black. He is shot three times by an arrow from his lover Ygritte, yet survives. Winterfell is now run by House Bolton, and Theon Greyjoy is tortured by the deprived Ramsay Bolton.
In Essos, Daerneys is able to collect an army of 8000 warriors known as the "Unsullied" led by Greyworm, as well a counselor names Missandei. She then begins a campaign to free slaves throughout Essos. Meanwhile in Kings Landing, Tywin oversees the affairs of the kingdom, while the King Goffrey is cruel to everyone, especially Sansa. Goffrey is eventually paired with the beautiful widow Margery of House Tyrell. Margery's grandmother Olenna, the Queen of Thorns, has a scheming power to match Tywin and Cersei. Tyrion is forced by his father to marry Sansa, which further complicates his love for Shay.
Season 4 Summary
In the fourth season, Kings Landing prepares for the massive wedding of Goffrey and Margery by inviting many powerful families such as Oberyn, the prince of Thorne. During the wedding Goffrey is particularly cruel to Tyrion, and in a shocking twist the king dies of poison. The guilty culprit is unknown however Goffrey's mother Cersei insists that her brother Tyrion is behind the murder and has him imprisoned. The sweet Tommen becomes king and is paired with the twice widowed, Margery. Daenerys leads her army on the city of Mereen and takes over to rule as queen. She dwells in the city's pyramid, puts down various revolts, and listens to the concerns of her people, and even puts her dragons in dungeons to keep her people safe.
Sansa is able to escape Kings Landing with the help of Littlefinger to the Eyrie. There she is reunited with her spiteful aunt Lysa Arryn, the lady of the Vale, and their spoiled prince, Robin. Brienne of Tarth returns Jamie Lannister to Kings Landing, whom Cersei is very happy to see again. Brienne is sent on a new mission with the aid of a squire named Podrick, to find the two missing Stark girls. Arya is still journeying with the Hound who is teaching her how to fight and survive. That is until Brienne finds them, and defeats the Hound in combat. Arya leaves the Hound to die and rather than joining Brienne she journeys to Braavos.
John Snow returns to Castle Black to inform the watchmen of the planned wildling invasion lead by Ryder. He is poorly received by commander Allisor Thorne yet still put in charge of expeditions and leads the defense against the massive attack. During the battle John's lover Ygritte dies in his arms, and his friend Tormund is taken prisoner. Knowing that Castle Black cannot continue to withstand Ryder's attacks, John Snow journeys alone to meet him. While attempting to negotiate with Ryder, the wildling camp is engulfed by Stannis Baratheon's army. Ryder is taken prisoner while Stannis and Sir Davos make camp at Castle Black.
Meanwhile back in Kings Landing, Tyrion faces a trial lead by his father. Knowing that he is wrongfully accused and cannot find fairness, Tyrion calls for a trial-by-combat. Cersei chooses the Mountain as her champion, while Oberyn volunteers to fight for Tyrion. The Mountain defeats Oberyn in the combat, and as a result Tyrion is left to be executed. The Mountain is severely wounded and poisoned by Oberyn's blade. As Tyrion awaits his execution in his prison cell he is freed by his brother Jamie. As Tyrion makes his way to his escape ship he murders his ex-lover Shay who betrayed him, and then kills his father with a crossbow. Tyrion joins his friend Varys on a ship to Essos.
Season 5 Summary
In the fifth season Cersei is furious with the escape of Tyrion and finds herself losing power with the death of her father. Her son Tommen is gentle and easily manipulated by the beautiful Margery and her scheming mother Olenna. In order to regain authority Cersei empowers a religious cult lead by the High Sparrow, however she is later humiliated by making a naked walk of atonement thru the streets. Cersei also sends her lover Jamie on a mission with Bronn to bring their daughter, Myrcella back from Dorne. However Ellaria Sand, seeks vengeance from the death of her lover Oberyn. With the help of her assassin daughters she kills the king of Dorne and later poisons Myrcella on their journey back to Kings Landing.
Tyrion has arrived to Essos with Varys and after months of travel Tyrion is eager for some fun. They go to a brothel where Tyrion is eventually captured by Jorah Mormont, who was exiled by Daenerys for being a spy. Jorah is eager to regain the favor of his queen and believes offering Tyrion as a captive will do so. Jorah later discovers that Tyrion is also looking to meet Daenerys and on their journey to Mereen he is infested by a stone disease. They eventually do unite with Daenerys at a gladiatorial event in which Jorah Mormont displays his valor.
At the gladiator event Danerys is attacked by rebellious Sons of the Harpy and at the face of defeat she is rescued by her missing dragon, Drogon. Drogon takes her the valley of the Dothraki where she is later captured by the Dothraki hoard. Jorah Mormont and Danery's lover Daario Naharis set out to find her. Meanwhile Missandi, Grey Worm, and Tyrion are left to govern the city of Meeren. In the city of Braavos Arya trains under a master killer known as Jaqen Hghar.
In the north Sansa has been paired with the wicked bastard Ramsay at the bequest of Littlefinger in order to strengthen their interests. However she quickly grows disgusted by his demeanor and cruel treatment of Theon Greyjoy whom he refers to as "Reek". Meanwhile Stannis Baratheon is on the march from Castle Black to take Winterfell. In an effort to win favor with the gods, the red witch convinces Stannis to sacrifice his daughter. This horrific act is all for nothing as Stannis is easily defeated by Ramsay's army at Winterfell. Stannis is later killed by Brienne of Tarth.
Following his valor at defending the wall against the wildling attacks, John Snow is elected as commander of Castle Black. He spares Ryder a quick death and offers Stannis Baratheon's army a place to camp. However he quickly divides the watchmen when he decides to form an alliance with the wildlings. Snow believes an alliance with the wildlings is necessary to defeat Ramsay and also the growing threats of the "White Walkers".
Snow later sets off on a campaign with his wildling friend, Tormund, to bring the wildlings across the sea and beyond the wall. However as they begin loading the ships of wildlings, their camp is attacked by a swam of White Walkers. They are able to escape just barely before they are overwhelmed by the Night Kings army of the dead. John Snow horrifically witnesses the Night King rise all those that were recently killed in battle to join his force. As John returns to Castle Black with thousands of wildlings he is quickly despised by his fellow watch-men. In a shocking end to the fifth season he is murdered by Allisor and other members of the watch for bringing the wildlings past the gate.
Season 6 Summary
In the sixth season John Snow's dead corspe is discovered by Sir Davos and his loyal friend Edd. Together they lock themselves in a room prepared to fight Allisor and defend John's body. Sir Davos is able to convince the red witch Melisandre to attempt to resurrect John Snow, which she does. Upon being resurrected John Snow is able to win back Castle Black with the help of his wildlings and hang those who conspired against him, including Allisor. Meanwhile Sansa Stark and Theon are eventually rescued by Brienne of Tarth. Sansa joins her brother John Snow in Castle Black, while Theon returns to join his family in the Iron Islands.
Daenerys is taken prisoner by the Dothraki however is able to gather their leaders in a tent and burn them all alive. She is then escorted by Jorah and Daario along with the Dothraki army now serving under her command, back to Mereen. She arrives to the city under siege, by the slave's master, and sets their ships on fire mounted on Drogon. She later has a formal meeting with Tyrion and decides that he shall be her chief counselor. She sends Jorah on a quest to find a cure for his sickness and leaves her lover Daario in charge of Mereen. She makes a treaty with Yara Greyjoy to amass a fleet large enough to sail across the Narrow Sea with her army Unsullied and Dothraki soldiers.
After her walk of atonement, Cersei is confined to the red keep with her loyal bodyguard the Mountain and awaits trail by the High Sparrow. Her son Tommen has lost authority in the kingdom to the religious cult while Margery has also been tried for indiscretions. Jamie has been sent on a mission to secure the Riverlands. Unwilling to face her trial Cersei is able to plot the total destruction of the High Sparrow, Margery, their uncle Kevan, and the Grand Maester Pycelle in an explosion of wildfire. In response to the death of his wife, Tommen commits suicide, and Cersei left with no more children, thus takes the throne.
Bran Stark makes his way to the Three-Eyed Raven where he learns the history of his family as well as the history of the White Walkers. His brother Rickon is captured by Ramsay's soldiers and his protector Hodor dies defending them from a White Walker attack. He eventually arrives back to castle black to reunite with his family. Arya continues to train and learn from Jaqen Hghar and continues to kill those who wronged her. She kills Walder Fray and all those who took part in killing her family at the Red Wedding.
John Snow is able to rise an army with the help of his sister Sansa against Ramsay Bolton. They march their forces, which consist mostly of wildling soldiers to take back Winterfell from Ramsay. Ramsay kills Rickon by an arrow in front of John in order to instigate him. The battle thus ensues and the Stark army is quickly overwhelmed. However Sansa comes to the rescue with an army of the vale that is able to drive the Bolton army back. John then takes a group of soldiers into the walls of Winterfell to take the city. Ramsay is captured and fed to his hounds. John Snow is made King of the North by his people.
Season 7 Summary
In the seventh season Daenerys Targaryan arrives to Dragonstone to begin planning her attack on Kings Landing. She has formed new alliances with Olenna Tyrell and Ellaria Sand and is counseled by Tyrion, Varys, Grey Worm, Yara, Theon, and Missandei. Together they plot to attack Casterly Rock. However their plot is quickly thwarted when Euron Greyjoy attacks the Iron fleet and takes Yara and Ellaria as prisoners for Cersei. Euron has now formed a new alliance with Cersei and has built the largest fleet in the realm. Cersei poisons Ellaria's daughter and leaves her in a cell to suffer.
As newly appointed King of the North, John Snow believes the single most important matter at hand is defeating the White Walker army. He is informed by his intelligent friend Sam that the best to way to defeat the dead army is with dragon-glass and that there is a large deposit at dragonstone. John Snow thus decides to attempt to make an alliance with Daerneys and at the disapproval of Sansa and other leaders of Winterfell he travels with Sir Davos to meet her.
Meanwhile the Unsullied army easily take Castelry Rock, while Jamie Lannister easily takes Highgarden and kills Olenna of House Tyrell. Having loss several battles now, Daenerys decides to take matters into her own hand and takes her dragon and the Dothraki army to attack Jamie and Bronn on their return to Kings Landing. Jamie and Bronn manage to escape while Daenerys burns most his army as well as several commanding officers, including Sam's family of House Tarly.
Back in Winterfell Bran reunites with Sansa and Arya and together they govern the city. However they are quickly at odds with their ever scheming of Littlefinger and attempts to turn Sansa on Arya. Arya is however aware of his scheming and devises a plot to expose him. Together they are able to display Littlefinger's guilt and have him executed for conspiracy.
Jorah Mormont is healed from his stone curse by Sam at the Citadel and returns to Dragonstone to aid his queen. At which point John Snow and Sir Davos also meet with Daerneys and are eventually able to convince her to allow them to mine for the resource. John Snow and Daerneys develop a strong affection for one another. They decide the best way to prove the existence of these white walkers is to capture one and so John Snow sets off with Jorah Mormont, Sir Davos, and Gendry back to Winterfell.
At Winterfell John also enlists the Brotherhood without Banners, lead by the lightning lord Beric and the drunken priest Thoros. They have also enlisted the Hound who survived his combat with Brienne. Tormund also joins the campaign of warriors as they set off into the north to capture a white walker. They fight off a zombie-bear that kills Thoros and are eventually surrounded by the white walker army. John sends a raven to Daenerys to send help and after some time of waiting, she arrives with her dragon to rescue them all. They are able to take back their captive white walker, however one of Daenerys' dragon's is killed by the Night King.
John Snow just barely escapes with the help of his ranger uncle and returns to Castle Black in very sick condition. He is however comforted by Daenerys as the two share their love for one another. John Snow and Daenerys demonstrate the captive walker to Cersei in an attempt to ally with the Lannisters and fight the White Walker army together. Cersei however lies to Tyrion, John, and Danearys in an attempt to weaken them. Jamie is disgusted by his sister's treachery and deserts her to join the fight against the dead. The Night King is able to turn the dead dragon into one of his own and uses him to destroy the wall and march on Winterfell.
Season 8 Summary
In the eighth and final season, John Snow and Daenerys arrive to Winterfell with the armies of the Unsullied, the Dothraki, and three dragons. They begin to fortify the city for the oncoming assault from the White Walkers. Both Sansa and Arya are very disapproving of Daenerys perhaps for their own personal interests yet know that they need her army to survive. Meanwhile Euron transports a new Golden Company army from the Iron Banks to Kings Landing. Cersei takes favor with Euron, meanwhile Theon rescues his sister Yara from Euron's ships. Theon goes to fight for Winterfell while Yara returns to the Iron Islands.
The Battle of Winterfell takes place at night, and is very hard to see what is happening. However the Red Witch arrives to rally the soldiers and light the Dothraki swords who charge at the White Walkers and suffer instant annihilation. John and Daenerys provide aerial assaults thru their dragons spitting fire upon the walkers. The Unsullied and Northern soldiers are quickly forced to retreat into the walls as the onslaught continues. Theon attempts to protect Bran, however he is eventually defeated by the Night King. Jorah Mormont also falls in battle and the Night King revives the fallen soldiers. When it appears all is lost, Arya saves the day by killing the Night King with a dragon-glass knife, and bringing an instant end to all his army. The battle is won and the white walkers are finally defeated.
Sam and Bran inform John that he is not a bastard yet the son of Lyannia Stark and Rhaegar Targaryen, and the rightful heir to the Iron throne. When Daenerys discovers this she pleads that John keep it secret, however he cannot keep it secret from Sansa and Arya, who later share it with Tyrion, who later shares it with Varys. Knowing that the secret has quickly begun to spread Daenerys begins to lose trust in her advisers as well as John Snow. On her journey back to Dragonstone her dragon is killed by a spear from Euron Greyjoy who also captures Missandei.
Danerys attempts to reason with Cersei before attacking however Cersei's response is to behead Missandei. Daenerys has now grown mad with vengeance and leads her dragon on Kings Landing from the south while John Snow and Grey Worm attack from the north. The city quickly surrenders but Daenerys refuses to stand down and burns many citizens in her madness. The Hound faces the Mountain in an epic standoff that sees them both fall to their deaths. And Cersei is forced to retreat into her dungeons where she reunites into the arms of her lover Jamie, all before the castle collapses and kills them both.
Following these catastrophic events both Tyrion and John conspire that it is in the best interest to kill Daenerys which John reluctantly does. Grey Worm demands justice for this act and the counsel of leaders of the realm agree that he should be sentenced back to Castle Black. Tyrion is able to convince the counsel that Bran should now be king of the 7 kingdoms. However Sansa declares that the North shall be it's own independent kingdom with her as the queen. Tyrion become Bran's hand, Sam becomes the head maester, Brienne becomes the kingsuard, Sir Davos becomes the naval commander, and Bronn becomes the master of coin. Arya sets off on an expedition west of Westeros to explore an unknown world. John Snow reunites with his wild-ling friend Tormund to settle into the northern wild lands.
