Review: Game of Thrones
Television: Game of Thrones (2011 – )
How Game of Thrones broke the internet.
If anything ‘broke the internet’ it definitely was NOT Kim (who?) Kardashian’s arse, it was the last episode of Game of Thrones.
No point saying ‘beware spoilers!’ as if you haven’t seen it by now, and you’re a fan, where the hell have you been? North Korea?
I’m not your typical fangirl – Firstly I’m not a girl, I’m a woman, and secondly I don’t watch Dr Who, Grimm, Supernatural, vampire… something, that programme with John Barrowman in and… Buffy.
Nope, I’m more your Sopranos/ Breaking Bad/ Sons of Anarchy/Hannibal type. BUT I do like fantasy films and (amazingly) read the first two Game of Thrones books before the series started (then listened to all the audio books superbly read by (except one) Roy Dotrice).
So on watching series one of Game of Thrones I was delighted, a series that followed the book, didn’t leave the gore/sex/murder/incest out and had some new and great actors. Giving the role of Tyrion Lannister to Peter Dinklage was a no brainer. Dinklage had already proved his serious mettle with The Station Agent, and his comedic chops with Death at a Funeral (the much funnier UK version). He can also do cross dwarf (The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian) amongst others. He is also damn sexy. Talking of sexy Game of Thrones is chock full of sexiness, even the less attractive characters are appealing, chubby chasers adore lovely caring Sam Tarly (John Bradley), pant over hulking but so hurt and fragile and gorgeous (Gwendoline Christie) Brienne of Tarth (maybe not Hodor… ?).
How about the real gorgeous ones? All the female leads, especially untouchable blonde Empress, and possibly bonkers dragon mum Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke), willowy Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner) and titastic Margaery Tyrell (Natalie Dormer). Then there’s the fellas; sister-banging king and kid crippler Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), that cruel, handsome socipathic (Iwan Rheon) Ramsey Bolton, and… Oh yes…. Jon Snow. Mmmm lovely Kit Harington, who performed the only instance of oral sex on TV that made me blush, and feel a bit… ohhhh….you know.
Blame it all on Jon Snow, he broke the internet.
Episode 10 of season 5, the finale, filled with shit, a tired dragon, leaping off ramparts, death by poisonous lips, horsies, atonement, blindness, child abuse and Cersei crying REAL TEARS, but more shocking than any of that, was the wooden sign saying ‘TRAITOR’ and the gruesome stabbing of the last good man (okay maybe not, Sam Tarley is alive and Tyrion would be disgusted at the idea of him being seen as good), Jon Snow. Bastard son of Eddard Stark, Lord of the North.
The shock of Ned’s beheading at the end of series one sent fans into a frenzy
‘You CAN’T kill off the lead’!
But yes, you can. You can do more than kill one of them, you can kill LOTS of them (the Red wedding).
Every season Game of Thrones clears house and now the Starks are all but diminished. This is the genius of David Benioff, D.B. Weiss and George R.R. Martin, they are not afraid to kick out the jams. The last Book By Martin ends with Daenerys adrift, carried by Drogon she’s supplanted in an unknown land (could be Essos, the dragons were born there), and this is more or less how season 5 of Game of Thrones has ended, nothing is settled, there is no clear winner, because if Jon Snow is dead, then no one is safe.
What does the future hold for our beloved seven kingdoms? Who will finally sit on the Iron throne? And importantly, with Martin’s next book unfinished, the tv series will definitely be free of the books bonds and go it’s own way, will Benioff and Weiss’s vision of Game of Thrones be similar to Martins? Only time will tell. When the series started the creators promised 8 series, so we have 3 left to find a King/Queen, the one to rule them all.
And I had all my bets on Jon Snow……..
Review by Tina (co-host of 60 Minutes With)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ND-52epNs-g
