Game of Thrones: A review of the past 8 Seasons (Spoilers ahead!)

8 seasons have passed, 8 years have flown by and the most epic TV show has finally come to an end. Game of Thrones has definitely been one of my favourite shows and I must admit, I got wayyyy too invested into the characters and the story as a whole. Over the years, I’ve cried tears of joy, sadness and even disappointment. No other show has ever made me go through such a whirlwind of emotions but hey, it’s Game of Thrones. I must admit, I have very strong opinions about the latest season and I may even start ranting unconsciously (bare with me). But I would also love to reminisce the past seasons and spotlight my favourite moments of the show. As always, SPOILERS TO COME. So click off if you haven’t completed the series (what are you doing if you haven’t??).

5 All-time favourite moments

1. Ned Stark’s death

So I actually refused to get on the Game of Thrones bandwagon, but one of my friends convinced me to give it a shot. Oh my, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. It was this first shocking death that made me realise that Game of Thrones was such a grim, sadistic and ruthless show and I bloody loved it. I knew I could not trust this show anymore but it just made me fall in love with it even more. Which series kills off their main character??? GAME OF FRICKING THRONES.

2. The Red Wedding

Weddings on Game of Thrones are not much of a happy affair (I did enjoy the Purple Wedding though), but this one might have been the worst of all of them. Again, they killed off their main characters just as you were rooting for Robb Stark. A stab to a pregnant woman’s stomach and a slit of the throat, they really outdid themselves with the brutal killings. Yes, I cried in shock. Don’t lie, I bet you did too

3. When winter came for House Frey

Arya has always been my favourite character but after this scene, HAIL ARYA!!! I think all Stark rooters got goose bumps when she took off that mask and gave the most epic speech. I think it was the best scene to open Season 7 with and it made us all so excited for the future of House Stark.

4. Battle of the Bastards

With a rating of 9.9/10 on IMDB, what more can I say?? This episode was beautifully filmed and took me on a rollercoaster of emotions. From Rickon’s bitter death to the most satisfying death of the series – Ramsey getting mauled by his own hounds, this episode presented both impressive cinematography as well as an epic story line.

5. WYLD Fire

They continued their epic streak from the Battle of Bastards and gave us another legendary episode, The Winds of Winter (also 9.9/10 on IMDB). Again, beautifully shot with an amazing soundtrack that kept us on the edge of our seats. You may hate Cersei, but you gotta admit, that lady is ruthlessly cunning yet brilliant. Wild fire? Genius.

Season 8 Review

As I said I have very strong opinions of Season 8 that others may not agree with but hey, to each his own. Okay, I’m just gonna say it. I hated Season 8. Seeing my favourite show go on a downward spiral was painful to watch and yes, I cried out of disappointment (I’m quite an emotional person). Season 8 was badly written and way too rushed, it almost felt like the writers were sick of the show and wanted it to end quickly. I felt that the essence of the show was completely forgotten as well as the characters’ development. Here are some moments of the season which made me groan and roll my eyes (I know… I’m so dramatic).

1. Battle of Winterfell

Maybe I’ll blame my high expectations because I really hoped that this battle was gonna be so epic with deaths of main characters. However, I found it totally unsatisfying and even boring at times. There were some fun parts like Drogon’s fail at burning the Night King and the resurrection of the dead but the build up of 8 seasons just for this impersonable and incomprehensible (I could barely make out what was going on in the dark) episode was disappointing. Don’t get me wrong, I loved who ended it but the story line of the Night King as a villain was so compelling but his arc didn’t feel complete before he was stabbed to death.  

2. The Mad Queen

I know lots of fans are ~mad~ about this but I’m not. Fans thought that Dany had been written to be an empathetic and kind ruler and did not expect her to become like her father. However, I must say the signs of a deranged Targaryen has always been there just maybe not developed enough so it seemed too rush. I’m not sure why the writers chose to condense the season into 6 episodes because I think 10 episodes would have been just right to show Dany’s spiral into insanity.

3. Jaime’s ruined character development

Probably the most disappointing moment was when Jaime’s beautifully constructed development over 8 seasons was destroyed in just one episode. I totally understand that Jaime will always love Cersei but I kinda hoped that his new sense of morals and values would make him see his sister as the evil tyrant she is and then kill her in grief (similar to Jon and Dany’s scene).

4. Cersei’s death

I just can’t believe after everything, some rocks killed her.

5. Bran the Broken

I have soooo many questions. One moment Bran says he doesn’t want to be king and the next he says he came all the way to King’s Landing so that he can be king?? The fact that Bran can see the future, this means that he orchestrated all these events so that he could rule the 7 kingdoms and the Starks could take over Westeros. This completely goes against the Stark values of honour and loyalty and makes them seem like scheming villains. Also, why is Jon sent away to the Night’s Watch? What is he watching exactly?? The Night King is dead and there’s no need for the protection of the wall anymore. Retirement party maybe?

 

I guess it all does make sense. Sansa becomes the queen in the North, Drogon flies far East, Arya sails West and the series goes South.

My watch has ended,

xx Shona