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When it was announced that George R. R. Martin’s famous novel series “A Song Of Ice And Fire” was getting a TV adaptation, expectations went through the sky. The show was named “Game Of Thrones” after the first book of the series named ” A Game Of Thrones”. After a lot of hype, Game Of Thrones was released on HBO in 2011 and it was everything that fans had expected, and more. The show quickly turned into a fan-favorite and rose the ranks in ratings as well. It received paralleling critical acclaim as well which led to Game Of Thrones being considered as one of the best television shows ever.
Game Of Thrones did not have just a single key attraction but it was a combined result of an exceptional story, awe-inspiring designs and a talented cast.
Game Of Thrones followed a branched story arc with all of them culminating into one at the end. All of them revolve around the Seven Kingdoms and the Iron Throne to those kingdoms. The kingdoms are spread across two continents called Westeros and Essos. There are various houses across these continents, that are vying to get a hold of the Iron Throne. Out of these houses, there are nine great houses with the highest claim on the throne.
These are House Stark, House Baratheon, House Lannister, House Targaryen, House Tyrell, House Greyjoy, House Martell, House Tully and House Arryn. While the show first seems like being centered around politics, the landscape changes with the introduction of the long winter. Beings known as White Walkers are considered a part of the history of the Seven Kingdoms. These undead entities feed on all living things, humans and animals alike, and can not be killed with regular measures. Walkers had appeared centuries ago and terrorized humanity. As killing them all looked impossible, a huge wall was built by Bran The Builder of House Stark to keep the Walkers away.
However, in the present day, sightings of Walkers beyond the wall are reported but dismissed as just rumors. As the Houses focus on politics and their obvious enemies in the form of the other houses, an army of White Walkers looms over them, led by The Night King.
Considering the huge number of characters, Game Of Thrones featured the biggest cast ever seen on any television series ever. House Stark Of Winterfell was led by Eddard Stark, played by Sean Bean. The family included his wife Catelyn and five children; Robb, Sansa, Arya, Bran and Rickon. Michelle Fairley starred as Catelyn while Richard Madden, Sophie Turner, Maisie Williams, Issac Hempstead-Wright and Art Parkinson were cast as the five children. Kit Harrington starred as Jon Snow, a bastard son of Eddard and the family’ sixth child. House Stark also houses the heir of House Greyjoy,Theon, played by Alan Alfie.
House Lannister resides in King’s Landing, the capital of Westeros. The king ks Robert Baratheon (Mark Addy) who is married to Cersei Lannister (Lana Heady). Cersei and Robert have three children Joffrey, Tommen and Myrcella. Cersei has a controversial relationship with her brother Jaime ( Nikolaj Coster-Waldau ). They have another brother Tyrion ( Peter Dinklage), a dwarf who is looked upon by his sister and father. Charles Dance plays the role of their father Tywin Lannister.
The third contender to the throne is Robert’s brother Stannis Baratheon (Stephen Dillane). He is accompanied by a priestess Melisandre (Carice van Houten) and Davos Seaworth (Liam Cunningham).
Fourth and the highest claim to the throne is of Danaerys Targaryen, played by Emilia Clarke. She is accompanied by her brother Viserys (Harry Lloyd). Soon she finds company in her husband Khal Drogo (Jason Momoa), leader of a nomad clan Dothrak, and Jorah Mormont (Iain Glen).
Viewers are introduced to various characters over time that quickly became fan-favorites. It includes Bronn Of Blackwater, Samwell Tarly, Oberyn Martell, Olenna Tyrell, Tormung Giantsbane, Ygritte etc.
The show has been critically acclaimed since the first season. The first four seasons of Game Of Thrones were unmatchable in the story, acting and character development. The things begin to slightly dwindle around season 5 as the story began to fall weak. They received flak for a disappointing portrayal of House Martell along with other pacing and story problems. However, it was still praised on overall through season 5 and 6.
Things got worse with the season 7. The show had to stick with original content instead of the source from the novels as George R.R. Martin had not yet written past this part. Despite criticism, the season was still well-received.
The show hit rock-bottom in the infamous season 8. Season 8 was rushed and full of plot holes, inconsistencies and plot armor. The season was highly criticized for almost all of its aspects from the starting to the beginning. In the end, season 8 proved out to be a disappointing end to an epic series.
Despite a poor end, the Game Of Thrones is a journey worth all the time. Awe-inspiring visuals, chill-inducing music and an award-winning cast make this show worthy of having a place in the top ten shows of all time and if you are looking for some series like Games of thrones, then you can check out this cool list.
