It seems now that the words `Game of Thrones` are synonymous with disappointment, and that's a real shame, because at it's best, there are few shows that can match the blockbuster thrill ride that was Game of Thrones. After all, why throw the baby out with the bathwater and pretend that the show was never any good? Thrones captivated the world and set a new standard for blockbuster storytelling on TV, and it still stands as potentially the last true watercooler moment in an age of streaming, and I think that's worth celebrating, and it also just really means a lot to me as a TV watching experience, and what is this if not a list of my favourites?
Game of Thrones is a show that I didn't warm up to for years, slowly working through the fantastic but dense and deliberate first two seasons, but once I arrived at season 3, I was hooked, and the show did not let me go after that. It's been said so many times, but the world this show crafts is utterly insane, so intricate and full of constantly moving pieces, with an expansive cast of well-drawn characters flitting between factions that are in turn constantly navigating ever shifting power dynamics. That makes for undeniably fun to watch TV, especially once the fundamentals of the show have been established and it really feels like the characters are occupying a real, living space. These are regions with their own histories, customs and traditions, and the way the show introduces each faction is just so smooth and effortless. Everything belongs in this world, and everything feels so organically integrated.
It's peak TV spectacle, but not in a hollow way. There's a value to being able to capture your audience, to shocking people with devastating betrayals and unexpected deaths or blowing minds with some of the biggest action scenes ever put on television. And look, maybe this doesn't make it the deepest show in the world but personally I love the roller coaster quality of it all, following the pieces being pushed into place each season before the penultimate episode flips the board and makes you question the rules of the game. It's dense and smartly plotted, but the reason it connected with so many people is that it's fun. Game of Thrones is enjoyable television to watch, and even when the writing wobbles, it keeps up that white knuckle engagement and understands exactly how to get a reaction out of its audience
And look, I could point to a very long list of the show's flaws, and an even longer list of legitimate criticisms of how the story was told even before it went off-book, many of which I really feel myself. But plenty of people have put it better than I could, and there's a whole rabbithole of fantastic articles that you could go down that cover the show's more problematic aspects. This is one show on the list that I really understand just about every take on, because I think it invites that kind of discussion. I love it, a lot, but I understand that the way Thrones goes about handling its more sensitive themes is... flawed, to say the least. At least the show ironed most of these issues out as it went on, and ultimately ends up as an uneven but largely enjoyable package
And again, enjoyable is really the word here. Whether the show is getting you to engage in intense political discussion and military planning or exploding into full rock n' roll fantasy action, Game of Thrones is an absolute blast. Also worth appreciating just how intricate the show was in its prime, how that sense of lethality and brutality made it so no character was truly safe, and every move that the characters made affected the wider map of relationships. That's what makes the world of this show so exciting to navigate, and crucially, what made it resonate with so many people. Whether it was a terrifying avalanche of reanimated corpses or the venomous revelations of an old woman facing down her assassin, Thrones always knew the right notes to hit to get people foaming at the mouth for more. It's a tricky thing having such a command of your audience. This show made it look effortless
Hell, even in the last season, the show knew how much these characters meant to people. Take A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, an entire episode dedicated to the whole cast realising that this night may be their last, and the show exploring what makes each of them such an interesting addition to its world. Forget what came after it and appreciate how wonderfully that hour of TV honours the connections the characters built with audiences and each other over eight long years. The players here are varied and interesting, and everyone has their favourites. I gravitated towards a lot of characters but if I'm being completely honest with myself, there are few characters in any show that I love as much as Jaime Lannister. His arc (or most of it) is honestly some of the most rewarding character development I've ever seen, and it goes back to what I was saying with The Americans and investment, where a show trusts you to connect with a character early on and believe in the changes they undergo. That to me is just great storytelling
So there you go. Game of Thrones is a fantastic viewing experience that I'll never forget. It built a huge world that grew more with every episode, gave us some of the easiest characters to love and hate on TV, and had some utterly unforgettable episodes with some truly unbelievable moments. I love it, even with all of its flaws, but that's what being a fan of something is, right? Being able to accept the whole package for what it is and taking the lows with the highs. This is a show that I'll always come back to and always defend because I really don't feel that the experience of watching it and falling in love with it was entirely ruined by where the show ended up. Is it a perfect show? Certainly not, but it is one of my favourites without a doubt, and one I'll always go to bat for. The things we do for love
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