As it stands there are many legendary shows and movies I have not watched up to this point. I’ve decided to make an effort to go back and watch some of these shows and movies and share my experiences on the site as I go along. I’m going to call this series “Better Late than Never” and give it its own tab on the menu.

With that said, I have finished Season 1 of Game of Thrones and I want to write about my thoughts so far. As I do with my reviews, I’ll start with an “elevator reaction” then move to my favorite/least favorite characters/events and finally get into my feelings overall.

Elevator Reaction

While I’m not really a fan of the genre, Game of Thrones has my attention. It took 3 episodes for me to find a character to care about and probably 5 to care about the story. With season 1 over, I’m curious where we are going from here and have no idea what to expect.

***Spoilers beyond this point if you’ve never watched the show. If you have seen the show the rest should be fun for you.***

Characters

Arya Stark

I mentioned that it took me 3 episodes to find a character to care about and that character was Arya. I love her energy and personality and it is likely because she is rebellious. She’s out of place, not only because she’s a tomboy but also because she seems to not care for the rules of society in general. The existence of her character keeps me from constantly rolling my eyes as I listen to talk about bloodlines, honor, and hierarchy. “You must address me as ___” or “how dare a ___ speak to me like this” would be unbearable if all of the characters I was watching were giving in to these ideals. I particularly began to love her character after she meets and practices with Syrio (pictured) for the first time.

I loved their last scene together and since I didn’t see him die I’d love to see him again at some point but I will not be holding my breath. We leave with Arya on her way to the wall with her hair cut as she’s been disguised as a boy. I expect she’ll see her half-brother at the wall but beyond that am not sure what to expect.

Cersei Lannister

She might be about the weirdest character I’ve seen in a show. There’s incest, the unexpected (at least to me) confession that she did love her husband in the beginning, her manipulative ways, and her seemingly unwavering confidence that she is in control. I feel like she’s selfish but at the same time think that she really does want greatness for her sons as well. She ensures that Joffrey is elevated to King but is surprised when he decides to start calling his own shots, clearly having underestimated his independence. I’m sure she’s plotting a way to regain control of the situation but as it stands Joffrey is just out here killing and mutilating for sport. I don’t want to do him the honor of his own paragraph so we’ll keep it moving.

Bronn

I’m thinking he’s a dark horse being included here but I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s dead or elevated to a higher status in later seasons. I simply enjoyed the character. He steps up for Tyrion in the duel and make short work of a man I assume was supposed to be a great warrior. He’s very nonchalant about it all and his disposition is what attracts me to his character. He’s similar to Arya in that regard I guess, he doesn’t feel like he belongs in this world and I love him for it. His loyalty to Tyrion after the fact has been fun to watch as well.

Tyrion Lannister

I haven’t decided how I feel about him yet but I feel like he needs to be addressed. Because of his stature I feel like he’s playing all sides of this game. As I see it he’s a survivor and he’s going to do whatever it takes to survive. I think he’ll ride with his family for the time being but he’s already dipped his hands into other pots, seemingly betting on people like Jon Snow by planting a seed for a later date that he’s a good guy out to help. When the Lannisters (I’m assuming obviously) lose power or become compromised in some way I think Tyrion will find a way out of going down with them.

Littlefinger 

I think this snitch a–… Let me chill. Littlefinger set my man Ned Stark up to die just because he wasn’t man enough to get with Caetlyn back in the day. If this ain’t against the bro code in the most legendary of ways then I don’t know what is. He was right that Ned should have never trusted him but they really gotta handle this man when the day comes. Sadly, I know that the day does not come before season 7 but there is hope yet.

Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen

Based on tweets I’ve read and things I hear people say I think I’m supposed to reaaaaaally care about these two but I’m not there yet. I like Jon’s story but his character I’m not sure how much I care for. With that said I do respect the watchers on the wall and I love his friends and think he’s in a great position for his character to grow. Perhaps that happens in the seasons to come and this is why you all love him so much.

As for Daenerys. I just can’t take her seriously. Initially I thought she was playing dumb and plotting on Khal Drogo but she seemed to actually come to love him by the end. Her brother was definitely always going to die but I feel like she did play him to a certain degree as well. By the end she has lost the army but hatched her dragons and now has a small loyal contingent that will ride with and for her. I don’t know what her goal is as of today though so I’m not invested.

Overall

So far I’m only rating the show an “I aint mad at it” on the Bib Scale. I’m not running to the hills to tell people they have to watch it but I’m also not telling anyone not to at this point. They’ve established the world and I’m invested in some of the characters. There’s hints of more to come with Jon and co going North of the wall, and also the introduction of the dragons. Most importantly though, I need to see the Starks get revenge for what they did to my man Ned. I was ready to mount up after that went down. I’ll be tuning in for Season 2 and will do another recap at that point. Stay tuned!

-Bibs