The Fluctuation of the Greatest TV Show of All Time

A condensed way to look at the latest Game of Thrones season is like comparing it to a roller-coaster. There were some heart-jolting ups and free-fall downs. It was a wild ride. Season 7 featured arguably the most hyped television episodes weekly throughout the summer. The finale “The Dragon and the Wolf” drew a record breaking 16.5 million viewers and that’s not taking illegal viewing into account which is another record feat the dragon-laced, feudal system fighting, zombie white-walker threatening, witchcraft spell-casting series has broken. It is THE most pirated show of all time! The popularity heading into season 7 was at an all time high and so were the expectations. Whether writers David Benioff and D.B. Weiss delivered is the question and the majority seem to feel exhilarated with the results.Darien High School is no different than the rest of the world when it comes to Thrones viewership and overall popularity. All walks of life from the school claimed to love the show. The opinions on the latest season, however, vary. A lot of you appreciated the action-packed moments, myself included. We were tossed and thrown for plot twists and character changes that altered future predictions (except for Cersei who has and likely will remain “evil” until she either meets the working end of a dagger or sits atop the five kingdom throne by the end of the run). How many of us despised Jaime Lannister early on (season 1…), but grew to love the now golden-handed “King-Slayer” as he proved to own a conscience? Didn’t we see the worst in Theon Greyjoy when he went all “anti-Stark” before re-joining the clan to strike out against common enemies? Now he has people empathizing with him (Even if he’s not the man he once was….literally).

Senior Alex Phillips, once Ramsay Bolton’s biggest fan, (really Alex? RAMSAY?) expressed his displeasure saying, “Overall I was disappointed with the storyline… It was honestly just dumb.” Phillips specifically mentions the “Beyond the Wall” episode where the so called “Suicide Squad” led by Jon Snow (I will never call him Aegon!) sets out to kidnap a wight (not to be confused with a white walker). Think about that plan for a second….the self proclaimed “genius,” Tyrion Lannister, proposes the most ludicrous of plans to kidnap a wight to bring to his infamously deceitful queen/sister Cersei in an attempt to convince her to join the battle and agree to a peace treaty (even if only temporarily). I don’t know about you, but expecting Cersei to make the right moral decision has NEVER worked. Note to self, Tyrion: if it walks like a duck and talks like a duck… Tyrion happens to know her the best, yet he still believes such proof that the “Long Night” was indeed coming, will miraculously turn her towards redemption. The very notion can be considered preposterous and honestly disappointing to anyone who likes consistency. But let’s all admit it… the world of Thrones is ever evolving and new strategies are what drives our interest. If we want to expect the outcome of a show, perhaps Keeping up with the Kardashians is more our style (now THERE’S a family that could use a good “walk of shame!”).

Let’s be fair. This whole last season was extremely tough for Tyrion. His first failure, back in Meereen leading up to his plan to sack Casterly Rock, sort of worked but then Euron burned down every ship they had at Casterly. It’s sad that Game of Thrones has made Tyrion into a guy who experiences constant struggle because he’s honestly one of the best characters on the show. His logical, often vindictive strategic mindset, casts him as the brains behind many operations that others employ. Senior Alex Dehmel spoke harshly on Tyrion’s plan that ultimately led to the loss of a beloved dragon. “I understand that this season was more a set up to the next, but Tyrion’s plan was inexcusable and the writers shouldn’t have made him look that bad.” Dehmel has a point. The writers should truly be the ones at blame. You have to wonder if George R.R. Martin would’ve made the same mistake. Then again, a flawless character never learns “new” information and perhaps Tyrion is simply building an arsenal for the ultimate battle of wits.

One of the toughest tasks for producers, writers, and directors is to satisfy viewers with an adaption of text to the big screen. J.K. Rowling, the author of the famous Harry Potter novels, struggled with the same task. The difference between Rowling and Martin in this case is that Rowling made sure she was heavily involved in the creation process of the movies, and Martin didn’t. George Martin even sadly told “Entertainment Weekly” that he “hasn’t had time to catch up” when asked if he watched the latest season. Reports state that Martin still influences a great deal of the TV show but viewers fell in love with Martin’s work, not anyone else’s. Now that the show is further along than the books, it’s likely that contrived plotlines finding opposing characters now collaborating and once bonded families torn apart will be hard to predict. Senior Mike Neary stated, “You’d like to think that George Martin would have handled things differently this year.”

Let’s assess the original Stark group from season one. Sansa, Arya, Jon, Theon, and Bran were not literally all blood related Starks but they were a family nonetheless. Senior Nick Green said, “I love the Starks but never forget Robb, he was the best character in the show. And now he’s gone” In season 7 we had some closure with the Winterfell gang. Starting with Arya and Sansa, it’s important to remember they haven’t seen each other in years. Both have gone through puberty and seen some crazy….stuff.  Arya was mentored by the Hound and Jaqen H’Ghar which is a pretty good crew to learn life lessons from. Bran finds his calling with the three-eyed ravens likewise and travels to the past and future on occasion. Overall, I think we loved to see a tangible representation of Arya’s growth when she goes head to head with Brienne and more than holds her own. She is now a seemingly impenetrable assassin which surprised older sister Sansa upon their reunion.  

As for Sansa, I think we are all proud of her for overcoming the obstacles she went through as a girl. The writers really made her life a living hell. She lost her father in a brutal public execution engineered by her psychopath husband to-be and was then promised to Tyrion against her will before being passed to Ramsay Bolton. How fun! To see and experience the character arc for both these sister-women was truly astounding. Senior Connor Tienken mentioned when talking about the Arya and Sansa reunion, “I loved the way they set up the reunion. Lot of emotions and satisfaction as a viewer. I also loved seeing Arya show her elite skills.” The fun didn’t last long though because Arya and Sansa did what they always did in Winterfell….fight. The petty dispute over “Whose life sucked more” got old quick and without the sweet, sweet execution of Littlefinger perhaps they’d still be at odds. Their mutual respect for one another now though is a force to be reckoned with. Senior Connor Percarpio had a bold take on the death of Petyr Baelish at the hands of the Stark power duo saying, “I think that Littlefinger’s death was one of the best scenes in the season and possibly the whole show!”

Bran had his cameos and his moments likewise. Once again, he remains the most important character that we care the least about though. Bran’s ability to warg and hop through time proved valuable and will continue to be extremely vital in the episodes to come. He is wildly underused as a character especially when considering his prophetic abilities. I’m not going to complain about his lack of usage but he should have been consulted on many issues to this point.

Let’s switch gears and focus on Jon and Dany, our latest tandem. As always, Daenerys was amazing and beautiful throughout the entire season. Anyways, politically she lacks experience and her skills as a diplomat are as bad as our very own POTUS… Mr. Trump (please keep the cell phones away from her as her Tweets might anger the Dothraki clan yet again). Nonetheless, her constant battle between doing what is morally correct versus vying for her family name in her quest for power is noteworthy. Some have theorized different outcomes for her and her scaly “children” but regardless, she’s involved in one of the shows leading stories. This season there were clues entertaining the idea of her becoming the “Mad Queen” but time will tell. Dany burning the Tarly boys seemed rash and was most likely a product of anger management when Dickon and Randyll refused to “bend the knee”. Seriously Dany chill out with the whole “bend the knee” thing. Likewise, we’re not yet sure if her claims to have a democracy and desire to “break the wheel” keep us wondering whether or not to trust or respect her. Her character arc has been immense and her story continues to captivate everyone as she learns the politics involved with raw power. In the first few episodes, many thought she was metamorphosing into a royal pain in the butt. English teacher and once Khaleesi lover, Mr. Miller, adds, “What’s up with Khaleesi?! ‘Bend the knee?’ What’s THAT about?? It’s Jon Snow for crying out loud! I don’t care about your dragons ‘mother’…show some respect to the raised-from-the-dead-hero!”. Miller’s aggravated tone rings true as she seems to abuse her newfound power. Will Daenerys prove to be corrupt? Or will Snow reign her in with his curly black locks and icy stare?

As for Jon Snow, it is truly clear that he is the “Chosen one.” “Azor Ahai.” “Aegon Targaryen.” “The Prince who was Promised.” “Lord Commander” “Rightful heir to the iron throne” Or whatever you want to call him, he embodies the title of the series “A Song of Ice and Fire” born amidst a Targaryen and Stark. The beloved leader (and the audience majority’s top 5 favorite character) continued to be as honorable as ever and once again resembled the man who raised him…Ned Stark. Although his family lineage is revealed, he still is one of the Starks through and through. He’d always wanted to be a Stark and instead he was raised a bastard with nothing promised for his future. The Stark relation crafted him though and kept him honest, humble, and true to his word. Today, he is the heir to the Iron Throne and no one deserves it more then he. Opinions on him being a leader are generally favorable. The debate for who should be the leader of humans through the “Long Night” is a tough one to call, but we can all expect “Dany” to be hustling for the iron chair and it’s far more likely Jon will die a hero for the greater well-being (how many GREAT characters has this show taken from us??!

Jaime and Cersei both were heavily in the mix and their relationship was taken to a whole new level with the alleged baby on the way. Cersei made it clear as day her intention is to do whatever possible to secure her future for her child. Jaime once again is torn between humanity and his sister whom he is starting to think he no longer loves. The motif of love between families is something only Game of Thrones could do. Their love is so wrong on many levels and hopefully Jaime had his climactic realization of how negative his relationship with Cersei has been. The writers in my opinion nailed this duo perfectly this season. Jaime’s development as a character has come full circle. He started season 1 as the most hated character in most people’s heads but now he is almost, dare I say, likable. Benioff and Weiss really intrigued me with their use of his golden hand. The recurring symbol could prove deadly for Cersei (If you don’t know google the “Valonqar prophecy”). One of the most beautiful scenes in the show is when Jaime in the last episode sits on horseback gazing back on King’s Landing as snow begins to fall. This scene fuels the premise for next year.

As always this season was absolutely insane. Senior Will Culliton wrapped up the summer beautifully stating, “A lot of stuff went down and I found myself getting very excited at multiple points in each episode.” It’s easy as a viewer to sit back and critique but, all in all, this season left us with our jaws agape quite frequently. Every episode was unique, unpredictable, and enticing. My prediction?… Bran realizes he is the Night King – Jon reluctantly kills Bran – Dany is on the throne – and Cersei dies horrifically. Realistically speaking though, I’m just a guy with a computer and a crush on Emilia Clarke… so what do I know?