37/43

George RR

Tale

Nine noble families fight for control over the lands of Westeros, while an ancient enemy returns after being dormant for millennia.. Martin's wife once said that she will leave him if he kills off Arya or Sansa.. Tywin Lannister: Any man who must say “I am the king” is no true king.. During the opening credits, each cast member's name is accompanied by the insignia of his/her character's house..

What's the consensus?

Featured in Hollywood's Top Ten: Critics' Choice Nominees: Drama (2011). Main Title(uncredited)Written and Performed by Ramin Djawadi. Let's say you're reading these reviews and haven't watched GoT yet, but now that it's finished are considering the marathon. In this case, the consensus is accurate, and that is:Seasons 1-6: outstanding.

There are inexplicable ideas, inconsistent characterisation and soap-opera dramas

Deep world-building, intelligent dialogue, epic set-pieces worthy of Hollywood, expert acting, detailed plotting, genuine surprises, great soundtrack used sparingly. GoT is worth watching for these seasons, definitely.Season 7: you suddenly notice the writing and plotting has taken a sharp dive downwards in quality. But at least the entertainment value is still very high, so it gets a pass.Season 8: this drop chasms down to depths you didn't think possible. The writing has got so amateurish that the still-fantastic production values are no longer enough to save it.

Fatal for fiction

If you ever enjoyed Lost but were amazed at how bad the final season was, you're in familiar territory here.The biggest problem with the final season was it took us out of the story and got us thinking about its many weaknesses. We lost our suspension of disbelief. It also ruined the series-arcs to the point where a rewatch of the entire series is pointless.So can I recommend a GoT marathon for newcomers? Yes, the first 6 seasons are worth the disappointments later on.

But best series of all time it is not

It could've been, but dropping the ball in the final stretch puts it behind the following superior series more worthy of your marathon:Battlestar Galactica (2003-2008)Twin Peaks (all 3 seasons, plus the movie)Breaking Bad