Game of Thrones
Starring: Peter Dinklage (67 episodes), Lena Headley (62 episodes), Emilia Clarke (62 episodes), Kit Harington (62 episodes), Sophie Turner (59 episodes), Maisie Williams (59 episodes), Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (55 episodes), Iain Glen (52 episodes), John Bradley (48 episodes), Alfie Allen (47 episodes), Conleth Hill (46 episodes), Liam Cunningham (42 episodes), Gwendoline Christie (42 episodes), Aidan Gillen (41 episodes), Isaac Hempstead Wright (40 episodes), Rory McCann (38 episodes), Nathalie Emmanuel (38 episodes), Jerome Flynn (37 episodes), Daniel Portman (35 episodes), Jacob Anderson (34 episodes), Ben Crompton (34 episodes), Kristofer Hivju (33 episodes), Julian Glover (31 episodes), Carice van Houten (29 episodes), Charles Dance (29 episodes), Hannah Murray (27 episodes), Natalie Dormer (26 episodes), Jack Gleeson (26 episodes), Michelle Fairley (26 episodes), Ian McElhinney (25 episodes), Stephen Dillane (24 episodes), Joe Dempsie (24 episodes), Kristian Nairn (23 episodes), Anton Lesser (22 episodes), Mark Stanley (22 episodes), Richard Madden (22 episodes), Finn Jones (21 episodes), Sibel Kekilli (20 episodes), Iwan Rheon (20 episodes), Michael McElhatton (20 episodes), Owen Teale (19 episodes), Michiel Huisman (18 episodes), Diana Rigg (18 episodes), Dean-Charles Chapman (18 episodes), Rose Leslie (17 episodes), Tom Wlaschiha (17 episodes), Hafpor Julius Bjornsson (17 episodes), Brenock O'Connor (17 episodes), Ian Beattie (17 episodes), Natalia Tena (16 episodes), Gemma Whelan (16 episodes), Ellie Kendrick (16 episodes), Ian Whyte (16 episodes), Eugene Simon (16 episodes), Dominic Carter (15 episodes), Donald Sumpter (15 episodes), Esme Bianco (14 episodes), Art Parkinson (14 episodes), Brian Fortune (14 episodes), Indira Varma (13 episodes), Ron Donachie (13 episodes), Richard Dormer (13 episodes), Roger Ashton-Griffiths (13 episodes), Rupert Vansittart (13 episodes), Josef Altin (13 episodes), Amrita Acharia (13 episodes), Jonathan Pryce (12 episodes), James Cosmo (12 episodes), Richard Rycroft (12 episodes), Ian Gelder (12 episodes), Luke Barnes (12 episodes), Ben Hawkey (12 episodes), Oona Chaplin (11 episodes), Peter Vaughan (11 episodes), Faye Marsay (11 episodes), Roxanne McKee (11 episodes), Staz Nair (11 episodes), Sean Bean (10 episodes), Paul Kaye (10 episodes), Tara Fitzgerald (10 episodes), Thomas Brodie-Sangster (10 episodes), Kerry Ingram (10 episodes), Michael Condron (10 episodes), Jason Momoa (10 episodes), Pilou Asbaek (9 episodes), Tobias Menzies (9 episodes), Rosabell Laurenti Sellers (9 episodes), Bella Ramsey (9 episodes), Lino Facioli (9 episodes), Gethin Anthony (8 episodes), Noah Taylor (8 episodes), Keisha Castle-Hughes (8 episodes), Joel Fry (8 episodes), Jessica Henwick (8 episodes), Hannah Waddingham (8 episodes), Charlotte Hope (8 episodes), Steven Cole (8 episodes), Callum Wharry (8 episodes), Aimee Richardson (8 episodes), Josephine Gillan (8 episodes), Mark Addy (7 episodes), Pedro Pascal (7 episodes), Franics Magee (7 episodes), Clive Russell (7 episodes), Will Tudor (7 episodes), Elyes Gabel (7 episodes), Sara Dylan (7 episodes), David Bradley (6 episodes), Joseph Mawle (6 episodes), Mackenzie Crook (6 episodes), Deobia Oparei (6 episodes), Susan Brown (6 episodes), Tim Plester (6 episodes), Da Salim (6 episodes), Tony Way (6 episodes), Nell Tiger Free (6 episodes), Philip McGinley (6 episodes), Paul Bentley (6 episodes), Megan Parkinson (6 episodes), Harry Lloyd (5 episodes), Jamie Sives (5 episodes), Kate Dickie (5 episodes), Ciaran Hinds (5 episodes), Robert Pugh (5 episodes), Alexander Siddig (5 episodes), Nonso Anozie (5 episodes), James Faulkner (5 episodes), Tim McInnerny (5 episodes), John Stahl (5 episodes), Ralph Ineson (5 episodes), Elizabeth Webster (5 episodes), Toby Sebastian (5 episodes), Vladimir "Furdo" Furdik (5 episodes), Jim Broadbent (4 episodes), Mark Gatiss (4 episodes), Patrick Malahide (4 episodes), Tom Hopper (4 episodes), Richard E. Grant (3 episodes), Max von Sydow (3 episodes), Miltos Yerolemou (3 episodes), Ed Skrein (3 episodes), Joseph Naufahu (3 episodes), Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (2 episodes), Ian McShane (1 episode), Ed Sheeran (1 episode),
Directed by: David Nutter (9 episodes), Alan Taylor (7 episodes), Alex Graves (6 episodes), Miguel Sapochnik (6 episodes), Mark Mylod (6 episodes), Jeremy Podeswa (6 episodes), Daniel Minahan (5 episodes), Alik Sakharov (4 episodes), Michelle MacLaren (4 episodes), Brian Kirk (3 episodes), David Benioff (3 episodes), D.B. Weiss (3 episodes), Neil Marshall (2 episodes), Jack Bender (2 episodes), Daniel Sackheim (2 episodes)
Rating: TV-MA
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
2011-2019
Seasons Seen:
Tim: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8
Summary: In Westeros, a number of factions fight for control of the Iron Throne, even as a supernatural menace from the North threatens the entire population.
Review:
Tim: It's easy for me to make the claim that "Game of Thrones" is one of the greatest television series of all time. George R.R. Martin is especially responsible for this, as he wrote a series of incredible, complicated, expectation-shattering novels (and we're still waiting for the last two!). You have to give David Benioff and D.B. Weiss credit for adapting the sprawling epic to HBO. This is easily one of the most complex television shows ever filmed. The scope of the locations, the size of the cast, the required visual effects, the battles- everything here is epic and the series does a fantastic job of capturing it all. In an age where almost all the television I watch is on DVR at a convenient time, "Game of Thrones" is the ultra rare show that was required viewing live. There was no way I was going to wait even a day because I didn't want to be spoiled. Not since "Lost" has a show been that essential to watch live. The series was elevated to a true cultural moment. Towards the end of the series, it felt like everyone I knew was a fan of "Game of Thrones". This is absolutely one of those rare series that transcends demographics and expectations. I loved this series.
It is fascinating to track how this series progressed as it followed the novels, verses when it passed Martin's books by. The bulk of the series is firmly rooted in the novels and is a major reason why it is so good. Martin's books are dark and sordid and oftentimes leave little room for hope. Beloved characters die unexpectedly. It's as if Martin knows exactly what the audience wants to happen and intentionally delivers the opposite. And yet we love him for it. Whether it's Ned Stark, the Red Wedding, or any of the long series of unexpected moments, this series kept us on our toes. Anyone could die at any time. Now, to be fair, the series lost this once the source material ran out. The later seasons tended to give in too much to fan service- the best characters felt protected and safe. There were some incredible, shocking moments, but the end of the series felt like everyone involved realized they had a lot to lose. Still, taken as a whole, the series is almost beyond description. You have incest, dragons, ice zombies, conflicting religions, betrayal, political intrigues, an evil shadow creature thing, a precognitive three-eyed raven, and so much more. If you tried to explain even the basics of the story to someone who didn't watch, they would look at you askew. But for those who follow the series, you just inhabit this world.
The characters are fantastic. Ned Stark, Jon Snow, Daenerys Targaryen, Tyrion Lannister, Arya Stark. They are some of the best characters ever. Can you name more hated characters than Cersei Lannister, Joffrey Baratheon, or Ramsay Bolton? The books and the television series both were able to do something stunning- introduce characters that we absolutely hate, and then over multiple seasons/books, make you love them. This is the case with Jamie Lannister and The Hound. That simply doesn't happen. I could go on because I'm leaving out so many characters, but it would take me forever to name them all. Suffice to say, this is one of the largest, most diverse, incredible casts I've ever seen. I dearly loved so many of the characters and the actors who played them.
Again, I don't have time to discuss everyone, but I want to hit a few highlights. The best actor on the show (in my opinion) was Peter Dinklage. His performance as Tyrion was masterful. Full disclosure- I've always been a little uncomfortable with dwarfs or little people (I'm not sure what they prefer to be called, but I understand it's not 'midget'). Dinklage's performance was so damn good that I no longer feel that. His ability to act through his face is astonishing. His emotions- how he made you care for his character- it's something I'll never forget. It's one of the greatest television performances I've ever seen. Kit Harrington and Emilia Clarke felt similar to me- neither is as talented an actor as Dinklage, but both were perfect in these roles. I loved them in this series and can't imagine anyone else playing these characters. Maisie Williams was absolutely a standout, as she made Arya one of the most beloved characters on the show. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau did amazing things with Jamie and made us feel a huge array of emotions for his character over the course of the series. Rory McCann created some of my favorite moments with his performance. I probably should go on, but there's dozens more I loved and I can't mention them all.
The visual effects here were stunning. Whether that's the majesty and awe of the three full-sized dragons or the sheer enormity of the Wall in the North, this series was gorgeous to look at. The cinematography was top notch and it drew audiences into Westeros.
The series was one of the most decorated in history. I read it won 47 Primetime Emmy Awards. It's without a doubt one of the greatest series ever created.
Now, all this being said, it's obvious I am a massive fan. I do need to admit that the series stumbled in its final season. A lot of people overreacted to the last season. I have to believe serious mistakes were made. First off, limiting it to 6 episodes was an epic misstep. There wasn't enough time to wrap all the stories up. It felt rushed, illogical, and oftentimes idiotic. While I thought the series finale was "fine", it's a shame that one of the great television series ever had to go out with such a whimper. I didn't want to focus this review on that last season, though. Even though it was disappointing, it doesn't take away from the achievement of the series as a whole. I won't go into more details, but the last season was pretty bad. Too much was rushed, which created confusion. It's like Benioff and Weiss didn't realize the cultural importance of what they were doing and allowed things to unravel.
Besides that, "Game of Thrones" is a stunning achievement, one of the all-time great television series. I loved watching these episodes and this is a series I will dearly miss.
Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: N/A
If You Enjoyed This Series, We Recommend: Lost, Band of Brothers