Game of Thrones: Bye. Bye. I Hate To See You Go
01/2015
This newest blog isn't about life, life lessons or any of that. It's about an amazing TV show.
I am the first to admit that I don’t sit down and watch every single hot new show on TV. I have my favorites and my list probably isn’t like yours. As a writer, I’m naturally drawn to great stories lines around great characters. Throw is in some awesome set design and luscious costumes and well, you have me in the first five minutes.
With the flood of reality TV (of which I have a few that I watch with passion), it’s nice to have real TV shows that aren’t based on people who live beyond the screen, but are simply the creation of some great writer’s mind. Having so many of my favorites go by the way of ‘series finales,’ I’m always on the look out for the next new thing.
A few years back I found it: Game of Thrones. I love GOT for all the reasons I mentioned in the first paragraph. GOT got it all (bad English used, on purpose.) I was mystified and thrilled by the premise (all those different little lands, ruled by all those different people and the ominous threat of ‘the night is dark and full of terrors’, which would eventually be replaced by “You know nothing, Jon Snow” later on.) Oh, Game of Thrones had me hook, line and sinker by Episode One, when a little one was thrown off a window sill with such a lack of concern, I had to know who these self-adsorb, totally indecent, and indiscreet people were! (Can we say Jaime and Cersei?)
I came to adore most of the cast and to intensively dislike others. That first season, I prayed that justice would nail Jaime to the wall, literally, and though it came really close, it never happened. That pissed me off to no end, but it intrigued me. Surely Karma was going to come a riding on a white horse and take off his head!
Well, by the end of the first season, there was a sword and a head, but not Jaime's--Ned's! Ned Stark's head! I remember sitting and staring at the TV, my mouth still opened from the long ‘what?’ that escaped my lips and being stunned all the way through Monday afternoon, where I was able to get comfort from others who had the same exact reaction.
HBO and author George R. R. Martin who wrote the book series, had done a sneaky thing. They'd presented this older, strong-willed, morally-balanced man (Ned Stark) who we all just knew would help bring true order to the realm; presenting him as if he would be a part of Game of Thrones forever (can you say ‘main character?’) and killed him off the very first season.
There would be others that followed. But I didn't feel the way I did at the end of the first season until they killed off Ned Stark’s wife, Catelyn and their son, Robb. I should have been prepared for it, but I wasn’t and it made me love Game of Thrones all the more. As I writer, I thought that was heartbreaking, daring, risky, mind blowing, but brilliant. I was upset but delighted, a feat not easily pulled off.
So, as I eagerly await Season Five after a long drought of not having GOT (seven months in, with nearly three more to go!), I am storing up my thrilled-ness with much anticipation.
I don’t know who they will do away with this season, but I know who I’d liked to see gone (can you say Cersei. She is played brilliantly by Lena Headley, but I'm in a real love/hate relationship with the character. I love the performances, but hate the character.) If someone must 'walk the plank' on the good ship GOT, let it not be Tyrion (he’d make a great king!) or Arya Stark (the little ‘sprite’ who is growing into womanhood, which her costumes can’t really hide anymore) and of course Jon Snow, because despite what Ygritte repeatedly told him, me feeleths that Jon Snow knows much!
Time will tell if I am correct, but in the meantime, as I count down to next season, I'm just grateful that such a fine story line, top-notch cast, amazing scenery and gorgeous costumes will grace my TV screen once more! And to the rest of various actors and actresses who did not get named- just know--yes, you all rock! (shout out to my Ladies Brienne of Tarth and of course Daenerys Targaryen!)
P.S. I've used the word "brilliant" a bunch of times in this post, because, in my opinion, that's exactly what Game of Thrones is...
I am the first to admit that I don’t sit down and watch every single hot new show on TV. I have my favorites and my list probably isn’t like yours. As a writer, I’m naturally drawn to great stories lines around great characters. Throw is in some awesome set design and luscious costumes and well, you have me in the first five minutes.
With the flood of reality TV (of which I have a few that I watch with passion), it’s nice to have real TV shows that aren’t based on people who live beyond the screen, but are simply the creation of some great writer’s mind. Having so many of my favorites go by the way of ‘series finales,’ I’m always on the look out for the next new thing.
A few years back I found it: Game of Thrones. I love GOT for all the reasons I mentioned in the first paragraph. GOT got it all (bad English used, on purpose.) I was mystified and thrilled by the premise (all those different little lands, ruled by all those different people and the ominous threat of ‘the night is dark and full of terrors’, which would eventually be replaced by “You know nothing, Jon Snow” later on.) Oh, Game of Thrones had me hook, line and sinker by Episode One, when a little one was thrown off a window sill with such a lack of concern, I had to know who these self-adsorb, totally indecent, and indiscreet people were! (Can we say Jaime and Cersei?)
I came to adore most of the cast and to intensively dislike others. That first season, I prayed that justice would nail Jaime to the wall, literally, and though it came really close, it never happened. That pissed me off to no end, but it intrigued me. Surely Karma was going to come a riding on a white horse and take off his head!
Well, by the end of the first season, there was a sword and a head, but not Jaime's--Ned's! Ned Stark's head! I remember sitting and staring at the TV, my mouth still opened from the long ‘what?’ that escaped my lips and being stunned all the way through Monday afternoon, where I was able to get comfort from others who had the same exact reaction.
HBO and author George R. R. Martin who wrote the book series, had done a sneaky thing. They'd presented this older, strong-willed, morally-balanced man (Ned Stark) who we all just knew would help bring true order to the realm; presenting him as if he would be a part of Game of Thrones forever (can you say ‘main character?’) and killed him off the very first season.
There would be others that followed. But I didn't feel the way I did at the end of the first season until they killed off Ned Stark’s wife, Catelyn and their son, Robb. I should have been prepared for it, but I wasn’t and it made me love Game of Thrones all the more. As I writer, I thought that was heartbreaking, daring, risky, mind blowing, but brilliant. I was upset but delighted, a feat not easily pulled off.
So, as I eagerly await Season Five after a long drought of not having GOT (seven months in, with nearly three more to go!), I am storing up my thrilled-ness with much anticipation.
I don’t know who they will do away with this season, but I know who I’d liked to see gone (can you say Cersei. She is played brilliantly by Lena Headley, but I'm in a real love/hate relationship with the character. I love the performances, but hate the character.) If someone must 'walk the plank' on the good ship GOT, let it not be Tyrion (he’d make a great king!) or Arya Stark (the little ‘sprite’ who is growing into womanhood, which her costumes can’t really hide anymore) and of course Jon Snow, because despite what Ygritte repeatedly told him, me feeleths that Jon Snow knows much!
Time will tell if I am correct, but in the meantime, as I count down to next season, I'm just grateful that such a fine story line, top-notch cast, amazing scenery and gorgeous costumes will grace my TV screen once more! And to the rest of various actors and actresses who did not get named- just know--yes, you all rock! (shout out to my Ladies Brienne of Tarth and of course Daenerys Targaryen!)
P.S. I've used the word "brilliant" a bunch of times in this post, because, in my opinion, that's exactly what Game of Thrones is...