Game of Thrones is a 2011 fantasy drama created by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, starring an large ensemble cast including Lena Headey, Emilia Clarke, Kit Harington, Maisie Williams, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Diana Rigg, Peter Dinklage, and Max von Sydow.  Based on the fantasy novel series A Song of Ice and Fire written by George R. R. Martin, the story is set on the fictional continents of Westeros and Essos.  The series focus on three primary story arcs; the first centers on the alliances and conflicts among noble families concerning the Iron Throne, the second on the exiled last descendant of the realm’s deposed ruling dynasty plotting to return to the throne, and the third follows the brotherhood charged with defending the realm against various threats that lie far north.

Seasons: [Season 1][Season 2][Season 3][Season 4][Season 5][Season 6][Season 7][Season 8]

If ever there were a show with great story to tell, it’s definitely this series.  There are three major storylines with the rest falling within them.  The first follows the various conflicts of various families, Houses, royalty, noblemen, and bureaucrats concerning the Iron Throne and rule of Westeros.  The second follows a young princess sold into slavery but gradually comes to power to claim her birthright.  The third follows the arrival of White Walkers and the brotherhood’s attempts to stop them.  There’s a lot of side stories that not only support the main ones but also give more insight into the mechanizations of the world itself.  Some of the best stories follow the clash between the Stark family and the Lannister family.  If you want lots of twists and unpredictability.  This show has it.  There is a lot to the content and its written on such a complex level that first time viewers would be hard pressed to understand if they don’t watch from the beginning.  The White Walkers story is gradual and although they have their appearance their story isn’t fully realized till later on in the series.  Each episode is guaranteed to tell a compelling story, whether it’s on the battlefield or in a council chamber, in a desert or in a forest, with one person or many, there’s a lot to the storytelling that’s great. (4 out of 5)

Some of the most well-written and memorable characters in television. The show features an incredibly large cast of great characters.  At the head of the cast are House Stark of Winterfell (Lord Eddard and Lady Carelyn, Robb, Sansa, Arya, Brandon, and Warden Jon Snow), House Lannister of Casterly Rock (Lord Tywin, Cersei, Jaime, Tyrion), Daenerys Targaryen, Theon Greyjoy, Jorah Mormont just to name a few of the best ones.  There’s hardly a character that doesn’t show some interesting quirk, moment, or line that’ll either make you hate them or love them.  The best thing about the show is that it does explore that gray area between good and bad.  Aside from the majority of the main cast I do like Sandor Clegane, Brienne of Tarth, Bronn, Osha, Jaqen H’ghar, Samwell Tarly, Grey Worm, and Ygritte.  There are some jackasses in the series (who’re not necessarily villains but assholes still the same) as well including characters like Ramsay Bolton, Cersei Lannister, Joffrey Baratheon, Melisandre, Stannis Baratheon, and Viserys Targaryen.  (5 out of 5)

The casting and performances are just awesome, some of the best that I’ve seen.  There are not only some of the well known such as Charles Dance, Jason Momoa, Sean Bean, Liam Cunningham, Peter Dinklage, Lena Headey, Iain Glen, and Natalie Dormer, but a great cast of talented performers.  The list also includes Kit Harington, Emilia Clarke, Maisie Williams, Sophie Turner, Jack Gleeson, Michelle Fairley, Gwendoline Christie, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Rose Leslie, Richard Madden, Rory McCann, Alfie Allen, Isaac Hempstead Wright, Michiel Huisman, Pedro Pascal, Stephen Dillane, Iwan Rheon, John Bradley, Natalia Tena, Indira Varma, Kristian Nairn, Tom Wlaschiha, and the list just keeps going. (5 out of 5)

There is a lot to appreciate about how great this series looks.  First, it’s got a great production value behind it that gets better as the series progresses.  The costume designs are exceptional, great care was taken to make the the characters look and feel authentic.  The different factions have different color themes and designs and definitely take inspiration from historical eras and a variety of cultures.   The special effects are good but it does get better.  The camera work is fantastic.  It ranges from close and intimate, to wide and encompassing, to direct and on the nose for the action. Wide shots of the artistically designed cities, the grand battles, and the beautiful landscapes make the series great from a cinematic stand point.  (4 out of 5)

The music and sound design are actually top notch and Ramin Djawadi’s handling of it is brilliant.  The main theme is quite beautiful, and gives the series a very classical, Middle Age feel to it. There’s good depth especially for the action scenes and for more personal ones more nuanced and meaningful. One of the best scores is during the season 8, episode 3 “The Long Night” that’s heavy with dread making the action much more intense. (4 out of 5)

There’s a lot to be said about the writing and direction and how it develops over the course of the series.   First, it’s hard to come up with a better setting (unless you’re talking about Middle-Earth). The world’s fleshed out, it’s alive, it’s thriving, it’s diverse and well detailed. It’s hard not to get invested in the different cultures, cities, landscapes, creatures. Even when it comes to magic and how reserved it is. It’s incredibly violent and there’s a lot of nudity which the show does not shy away from. It doesn’t hurt it at all, and only adds to unkept nature of the show.

The characterization is what the show has in spades. Whether good or bad, strong or weak, main or supporting, male or female, adult or child, it’s hard as hell to not find any interesting. Characters are given depth, motivation, interesting traits, cool backstories. This leads to some great developing arcs, conversations,  and impactful deaths. There is good dialogue to be had, particularly when it comes to conversations between characters. Some episodes are better than others dialogue is meaningful and expressive, but there are some where it feels like it doesn’t contribute to any meaningful.

Perhaps the show’s biggest issue lie in the direction and pacing. For the most part it works. But there are many instances where the show is heading in a good direction only to be derailed due to poor writing. Or character arcs end with no real closure to it. Pacing is another problem and it’s more prominent in the last couple of seasons especially with some of the major arcs and some of the character arcs. The writing is good but it does have its share of problems. However, the show as a whole is actually pretty good. (3 out of 5)

In the end, Game of Thrones is not only a great show but one of the absolute best. The series does have its share of ups and downs which mostly are prominent with the writing and direction. But the series makes it up with the characters, the setting, the story, and of course, the absolutely great cast and performances. It’s no wonder it’s been said to be one of the greatest shows of all time. Game of Thrones deserves 4 out of 5.