After two and half months, I finally finished “Game of Thrones” season one. I gave you my first impressions after a few episodes in a recent article, so go check that out (https://www.theodysseyonline.com/game-thrones-impressions). Now that I am officially done with season one…well I am still waiting for it to get to the level I was expecting.

I am by NO means disappointed about how it is going. It is an incredible series and is probably one of the greatest first seasons of a show I have ever seen. I wished I could continue watching each time I finished an episode until I was completely caught up. Yet, I hate binge watching (read this to find out why! https://www.theodysseyonline.com/stop-bingeing-television-shows).

Before I get to what is great about it, I want to get what is not so great about it out of the way (no spoilers ahead…if you want to know why I hate them, read this article! https://www.theodysseyonline.com/3-reasons-why-spoilers-are-frustrating). That’s right, I shamelessly put three other articles in this one!

The first thing that jumped out at me is that the characters die too quickly. I know that having main characters die is the norm for this show and I love that! I believe having main characters die is the perfect and easiest way to tug at the heartstrings. However, it must be done in the correct way. Unfortunately, I do not believe that the deaths were handled very well. At one point, they literally were like, “Oh him/her? He’s/she’s dead now.” Some deaths were handled beautifully. I would have cried if someone had not already spoiled it for me--oh well there are five more seasons of character deaths to go!

I also believe that the episodes could have used more length. That’s right, longer episodes. I felt as though some of the many story lines going on needed more screen time, since sometimes they were featured for only a few minutes or not featured at all. With the amount of plot lines twisting this way and that in the world of Westeros, a 55-minute episode is not enough. Take a hint from “Sherlock” and make each one 1.5 hours! You have the source material. Take full advantage of it and use it all.

Now to what I loved about it…PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING ELSE! I love stories with deep plot lines that rely on the story rather than just the shock value or cinematography. Additionally, I love fantasy and a good fantasy story is one that is not too over the top with its lore or too cheesy with its names. While “Game of Thrones” may have some elements of a generic fantasy, its grip of the constant no-holds-bar serious tone makes it work.

Additionally, you create a place in your heart for almost all of the characters. Most of them have great background development and they each have their own personalities and use those personalities in their everyday behavior. Unfortunately, I can foresee this being a problem because I hear that George R.R. Martin has a knack for killing main characters, but that is OKAY! MAKE ME CRY! That means you are doing your job.

All-in-all, I am impressed with the show, but I hope that it will make more improvements as the seasons roll on. I am certainly glad I am now getting into it before more of the show is spoiled for me.

What do you think “Game of Thrones”? Have I gotten you more interested? Let me know!