I think now is a good time to pause and say: MAN - what a ride.
Me and my partner binge watched the first three seasons. We didn't intend to but once we got started... it was impossible to stop the train. There were some late nights. We got to 2:45am once when she had an early start but she insisted on "just one more". Might have been post-Red Wedding.
I was looking for something new to watch and kept seeing this image of Sean Bean sitting on a throne so thought "what the hell". It was a blessing my partner and I went into it knowing *nothing* about the three seasons we were about to embark on. When Ned was up on the chop block I just
assumed someone was going to intervene and save his skin; after all, he was one of the top billed characters. When Ilyn Payne's sword fell and it dawned on both of us he was dead, the show abruptly changed. I seriously couldn't believe and thought "now what?!" - if only I'd known.
As aforementioned, we got to The Red Wedding in the early hours of the morning. Once again, assumptions were made that, naturally, Rob and The Starks would win. That was ... how best to put it... completely fucked up.
IIRC we had about a 6 month wait for season 4 after our whirlwind introduction to the world of Game of Thrones. It was a hell of an adjustment enduring the wait for each episode week to week after our binge. Anyway, I would like to indulge and share a few of my favorite moments as they spring to mind:
Pretty much every scene with Tywin. Charles Dance was phenomenal in that role. His time at Harrenhal with Arya was especially gratifying. Out of all his scenes, the one I recall as most enjoyable was at the end of season 3. Joffrey was acting like a prized twat when Tywin pronounced matter of factly "Any man who must say I am the king is no true king". Joffrey slammed him down declaring his not-father as the true hero of the rebellion. The look from Tywin and the rest of the cast was priceless. Everyone kowtowed to that little shit but when he had a go at Tywin, you could hear a pin drop. I think even Joffrey realised he'd gone too far taking on his grandfather.
Other moments... Mountain vs. The Viper. Damnation, I really thought Oberyn had won. Cersei blowing up the sept and sipping her wine with smug satisfaction -- I found that pretty damn satisfying. Dany torching the ship in Slaver's Bay. Jamie proclaiming they can hold back the Dothraki, followed by Drogon's roar. Diana Rigg's sass (it was me). Yeah, I could keep going couldn't I?
So, here's to ya, GoT. Regardless of how you go out, you've been a topic of conversation if nothing else the past few weeks. Looking forward to Bran becoming The Night King and democracy spreading throughout Westeros tomorrow.
