The fight for the throne is finally over.  In the grand finale of all seasons in HBO series Game of Thrones, the fallen has been avenged, karma provided justice, and production features impressed many, but expectations were not met.  

Game of Thrones is a medieval fantasy television series that is an adaptation of A Song of Ice and Fire, a series of novels written by George R. R. Martin.  The show’s producers David Benioff and D. B. Weiss successfully debuted the series on HBO in 2011.  The most recent episodes have had viewers on the edges of their seats, eagerly anticipating the grand finale that was scheduled to air in mid-2019. 

The series takes place during a fictional time period similar to the Medieval times in Europe on the imaginary continents, Westeros and Essos.  As Game of Thrones gradually reached a grand production scale, the show as filmed around the world in some of the most beautiful locations, such as Belfast, Northern Ireland, Malta, Croatia, Iceland, Morocco, Spain, and more.  On top of this, gorgeous backdrops and handcrafted sets were used during filming where the complex characters in the Seventh Kingdoms would eventually vie for the Iron Throne.  Viewers have enjoyed the unique cinematography as massive castles and dark dungeons embellished the show’s features, along with the charismatic features of each character who did the rest.  However, viewers not only appreciated the visuals, but couldn’t help but be infatuated by the unexpected plot twists, as well as the themes of victory and defeat, friendship and betrayal, and vengeance and redemption. 

“I have started to watch the show and it’s really drama-filled and intense,” said senior Nick Kapoor.  

Interestingly enough, each episode introduces new characters and ultimately a new protagonist takes over the previous one.  Benioff and Weiss regularly kill off characters throughout the series as they compete for the Iron Throne.  A notable moment of this analogy includes when Eddard Stark helps Robert win the throne from the Targaryens.  He later discovers that Robert’s children with his wife Cersei are illegitimate, leaving his brother brutally murdered.   Another character loved by many Game of Thrones fans, Arya Stark, operates as an assassin for the House of Black and White, as her priorities are to develop fierce training and advanced skills to avenge the deaths of her loved ones.  These swift and cruel executions have set a tone of fast-paced, cut-throat rivalry that is seen repetitively throughout the HBO show. 

Further into the series, the show had played a game of tug of war as the premise of evil soon spinned out of control, making the show more interesting than it had been already. Another main character, Jon Snow, is killed in season 5 but resurrected in the next season.  Cersei Lannister, the show’s antagonist during these seasons, coordinates the death of her husband, King Robert Baratheon. Viewers cannot help but gasp when Lannister is revealed to be responsible for the deaths of all three children.  Another shocking moment shared amongst viewers is when Daenerys, also known as Mother of Dragons or Breaker of Chains, invades Westeros to capture the Iron Throne from Cersei Lannister with an army and her dragons. She soon orchestrates a massive massacre, killing mostly innocent people to avenge the deaths of her family and friends.  With the series creators Benioff and Weiss delivering relentless brutality through unforgiving acts of vengeance, these curveballs have not appealed to everyone’s taste. 

“In overreaching for an epic finale, it threw out character development and even logic in favor of unwarranted plot twists and cheap spectacle,” said senior Maya Leong.

As the final episode nears, more excitement is shown with an important question looming over viewers: Who will ultimately win the Iron Throne?  During the heart-stopping process, endless theories and predictions were made, whether Daenerys’ position of control will be maintained after she savagely murdering thousands of people, Jon Snow could possibly defeat Daenerys and capture the Iron Throne, or Arya Stark’s return and vengeance would eventually win her the throne. The answer: no one could ultimately take a seat at the Iron Throne and rule Westeros. Although many people enjoy the show for its drama and vigor, some found that the show lost the spark in its plot, adding unexpected disappointment in the last episode and series.  

“It is sad how Game of Thrones is able to build up a character for seven seasons and then ruins them in the last season,” said senior Harry Sanders. 

Despite a lacking ending and unanswered questions, memorable moments were shared amongst viewers, garnering a huge fanbase from fans all around the world. This provided a once-in-a-lifetime, fantastical, medieval experience for all.