In the Hollywood Top Ten: Critics’ Choice Nominated: Drama (2011)
Narrative
Nine noble families fight for control of the lands of Westeros, while an ancient enemy returns after lying dormant for millennia. George R.R.’s wife Martin once said he would abandon him if he killed Arya or Sansa. Tywin Lannister: A man who has to say “I am king” is not a true king. During the opening credits, each cast member’s name accompanies the signs of his character’s house.
What’s the consensus?
Main Title (uncredited) Written by and starring Ramin Djawadi. Let’s say you’re reading these reviews and you haven’t seen “GoT” yet, but now that it’s over, you’re considering running a marathon. In this case, the consensus is correct, which is: Seasons 1–6: Extraordinary. Deep world-building, intelligent dialogue, epic scenes worthy of Hollywood, professional acting, detailed plotting, genuine surprises, a great, sparingly used soundtrack.
GoT is definitely worth watching during these seasons
Season 7: Suddenly you notice that the quality of the script and plot has dropped off a lot. There are inexplicable ideas, inconsistent characterizations, and soap opera drama. But at least the entertainment value is still very high, so it gets a pass. Season 8: This fall plunges to depths you didn’t think possible.
Fatal for the fiction
The writing has become so amateurish that the still-fantastic production values aren’t enough to save it. If you ever liked Lost but were surprised by how bad the last season was, then you’re on familiar ground. The biggest problem with the last season is that it distracted us from the story and made us think about its many weaknesses. We lost our suspension of disbelief.
But it’s not the best show ever
It also ruined the show’s storylines to the point that rewatching the entire series is pointless. So can I recommend a GoT marathon for newbies? Yes, the first six seasons are worth the disappointments that follow. It could have been, but dropping the ball in the home stretch puts you behind the following superior series that are more worthy of your marathon: Battlestar Galactica (2003–2008), Twin Peaks (all three seasons, plus the movie), Breaking Bad