And Now My Watch Has Ended...

It's been almost a full week since the final episode of Game of Thrones aired - I've had plenty of time to mull over the episode - to mull over the series as a whole. I can honestly say, without hesitation that Game of Thrones will easily always be my favorite television show - from the near flawless first seasons, the uncertain middle portions and through to the hiccups and stalls of the final season - the story that was told was nothing short of spectacular and I will always be glad for my time spent in Westeros!

I don't actually remember what inspired me to start watching Game of Thrones - I originally signed up for HBO because I was an avid watched of True Blood and somewhere along the way, a friend recommended Game of Thrones to me as something to watch while I waited for True Blood to return. I remember sitting in my computer room at home, watching the first episode on my computer via the HBO website and being instantly intrigued by the honorable Starks, the crafty Lannisters and the far flung Targaryens... and the Iron Throne they were all vying for.

Shortly after watching the first episode of the first season - I hit Amazon Prime and purchased the first two seasons on DVD with that two day shipping - if I was going to keep watching this show, I would do it on a screen much larger than my computer monitor. After binge watching the first two seasons, I also purchased a box set of the first four novels in Martin's A Song of Ice & Fire and immediately devoured them.. By the time the media campaign for the third season began to premiere, I was well and truly hooked and there was no looking back...

 

When the third season premiered; mostly spurned by my reading of the books - which at this point were well past the show's story lines, I'd become fiercely loyal to three characters: Jon Snow, Jaime Lannister and Brienne of Tarth. Granted, on Game of Thrones it was a dangerous practice to get too invested in any one character - the first season taught viewers that anyone you loved could be snatched from you at any moment. The world of Westeros was a brutal place and as Cersei Lannister told Ned Stark: "when you play the game of thrones, you win or you die - there is no middle ground."

I began watching the show in real time when the third season premiered in March of 2013 - I lived in central Mississippi and watched the show each week curled up on my couch, with only my dog to listen to my commentary as the events played out on screen. I braced for Jaime's hand to be cut off and watched enrapt as Nikolaj Coster-Waldau translated the unburdening of Jaime's biggest secret from the pages of Martin's novels to the screen with absolute perfection; cementing the bond between Jaime and Brienne. I "swooned" as I watched Jon Snow forsake his vows and fall in love with the wildling Ygritte... their chemistry was perfect and it would only be years later that fans would discover their chemistry was so real because they were literally falling in love on screen. I watched The Rains of Castamere with tissues on hand, knowing the fate that would befall Robb and Catelyn in the ill-fated Red Wedding... and even knowing it was coming, sobbed all the same. 

I relished the fourth season in the midst of great changes in my life - as the show began to move past the books, I boxed up my home and prepared to move past my life in Mississippi and forward into a new life in Virginia. When my move necessitated my cable being cut off almost a week before my move, I joined my friend Lilah at her house to witness the ninth episode of the season: "The Watchers on the Wall" and while the fourth season had begun in Mississippi... I watched the final episode of the season from Virginia - bidding farewell to the characters for another year. I opened a new chapter in my life - and I knew when the show returned again, it would be starting a new chapter: with no new book material to pull from, the show would step beyond the books and into the unknown. 

I jokingly reference that Game of Thrones helped me get my job here in Virginia - during my interview, the office manager and I discussed Game of Thrones and my Mom was certain this meant there was no way I'd get hired. However, a month before the fifth season premiered - I started my job and when the new season began I had a co-worker to discuss the ins and outs of each episode with! Season five was a tough one...some of the narrative choices were less than stellar and I spoke out each week at work about how "out of character" Jaime's story lines (really all the story lines related to Dorne) were... but with "Hardhome" and the "Dance of Dragons" near the end of season five, the show proved it's mettle once again and managed to close out on a poignant and stirring note with "Mother's Mercy". 

Season Six was the final season to have ten episodes and they filled those ten episodes with rich story lines, sweeping character arcs and some of the best moments in the entire series. I will never not get chills when I see Jon Snow unsheathe Longclaw as he faces the oncoming Bolton cavalry charge in the season's ninth episode, the "Battle of the Bastards". The swell of the score combined with the cinematography make it one of the most memorable moments in the show's eight seasons - and it's not hard to see why. 

Ramin Djawadi's use of piano in the final episode of season six was a clear signal to fans that something big was about to happen - piano had never been used in the show's gripping score and it made everyone watching sit up and take note. The season six finale, Winds of Winter is consistently voted the best episode of the series and with it's explosive start, uplifting finish and a reveal in the middle of the episode that fans had speculated on for years - it's not hard to see why it's a favorite. 

The seventh season arrived and saw characters who had never laid eyes on one another becoming regular scene partners and characters who had been separated for years finding their way back to each other. The story that had spanned the continents of Westeros and Essos were all finally situated solely in Westeros, alliances were forged and familial bonds tested as the game became ever more intense and the cost was higher than ever. One of the largest casts in television was finally brought together in one extended scene that forecast the beginnings of the end of the series. And with that end in sight, the reveal of one of Thrones' greatest mysteries - much to the delight of eagle eyed book readers who pieced together clues years before the show premiered - vindication that R+L = J was true. 

The Wall fell - and suddenly the wait for the final season began - almost two years.

 

The final season of Game of Thrones finally arrived in April of this year and while it started with an absolutely stunning episode that was filled with callbacks to the premiere of the show, the second episode of the season called "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" was absolutely the best episode of the final season. The dialogue and heart, the character moments so beautifully brought to life as the episode unfolded - it was Thrones at it's best and reminded watchers how much these characters meant to each other and to the viewers.

I seem to find myself in the minority where the third episode of the season is concerned - I thought it was excellent and thoroughly enjoyed everything about it - even that shocking twist near the end that had me yelping in surprise at my TV. Sadly, the fourth and fifth episodes of the final season were fairly disappointing - while the fourth episode started with promise, the final half fell of the edge (for me) and the fifth episode continued the spiral - seeing character arcs that had been put in place for sometimes years be cut down in a single line of dialogue. It was; quite frankly, a little heart-breaking.

I went into the finale of the show bracing for - perhaps the worst? I'm not sure what I thought but when the dust settled (the ash? the snow?), I found that I was perfectly pleased with how the end wrapped up. I know now that I'm also in the minority where that is concerned but I find that I don't care - having spent almost ten years with these characters and in the world of Westeros, I am more than happy to find that I consider the end of it all to be perfectly fine by me. The ending was certainly bittersweet - but I think that's the reality of life, isn't it? Most all aspects of life tend to be bittersweet to one degree or another and so I think at it's end, Game of Thrones was true to that.

The finale of the show also gave us another scene that will no doubt become one of the most iconic shots of the series as a whole...

The characters I latched on to from the start - well perhaps you're reading this and you've never watched Game of Thrones, which would lead me to believe you've been living under a rock - but my parents are only halfway through the series at this point, so there are certainly people who have no clue how things will play out... yet. The characters I latched on to from the very beginning held my mind and my heart throughout the series eight year run and I'd probably defend each one of them all day, every day in a conversation...ha-ha!

So - I'm probably in denial here after the final episode has aired. I know that there won't be any new episodes but I have tickets to Game of Thrones: The Concert Experience in September and so I'm telling myself that the concert will be the real ending to my Game of Thrones journey... ha-ha! My parents have finally decided to jump on the band wagon and they're currently in the midst of season five.. so experiencing the show through their eyes makes for a new and different experience. And don't even get me started on the music from the shows: I have all eight season soundtracks that total up to almost eleven hours of glorious music that will likely always be my favorite musical option for all time.

I do think I've likely rambled on about Game of Thrones enough in the past week - hopefully you've enjoyed it but if it's not been your thing, that's cool too! Fear not, I'll be back at least in September with a post about the Game of Thrones concert - but until then I'll try to keep the Thrones talk at a minimum...ha-ha! So until then, if you've never watched - go ahead and jump on the band wagon...it's a wild ride for sure!