"Game of Thrones." What more can I really say about it? It's absolutely amazing. Its suspenseful story, its characters and battles, everything about it has been masterfully handled. I was only recently introduced to the series, but once I started, I just couldn't get enough of it. So naturally, as season six has just come to a close, I'm freaking out a little bit. It was like an adventure that I'm not ready to put on hold just yet. It had me on the edge of my seat with its action, crying for characters that I felt shouldn't have died, and cheering for those I thought should have. But in addition to all the gore, character development and satisfying deaths the show provides, the show has also taught me many meaningful lessons on life and the hardships that come with it. I'll try to make the spoilers as light as possible, but I can't guarantee you that everything on here will be completely free of them.
1. Not Everyone You Meet is as They Seem
Joffrey Lannister
Joffrey Lannister is about as good an example as you can get in this show. This little guy started off decent enough when he was first introduced. He was a prince, set to marry Sansa Stark, one of the show's leading females, and seemed relatively well-mannered and respectful towards her. Then episode two happened and all of that quickly went out the window. This twerp went a full 180 on us and transformed into one of the most hated and cruel characters on the show. Even now, I'm sure people are STILL glad about what happened to him in season four. I know I am!
2. Good Doesn't Always Win
Flag of House Stark Burning After the Events of the Red Wedding
The Starks are the family we're all rooting for, but can never seem to get a break from heartache and mass murder. The Red Wedding in Season Two is an example of this, and is still one of the most painful scenes I've ever had to sit through. You watch as a huge chunk of your favorite characters, people whom you've seen watched since the beginning, die in some of the harshest ways imaginable. Not every outcome is a good one, not every victory is won by those that deserve it.
3. A Goal Can Only Be Accomplished through Patience and Perseverance
Daenerys "Stormborn" Targaryen: Mother of Dragons
Daenerys Targaryen is the perfect example of someone that started from the bottom only to ascend--in some cases literally--to the top. At the start of the series, she was timid and hardly spoke, and obeyed her treacherous brother's commands without question. Though technically a princess, she had nothing but her name and three small dragon eggs. She was given away by her brother, to a barbaric chieftain as a means of expanding their kingdom. She was a prize. But as the series progressed, so did her character. She became more independent and aware of her place in the world and what she wanted from it. Her journey gave rise to many followers, and many satisfying takeovers--especially when the dragons came along--and now, she is a queen in her own right. Looking back on how much she has progressed since then, I realize that her story is one of the most inspirational ones within the show.
4. Life is a Fragile Thing
Hodor
Unless a character has Melissandre on standby, when a character dies on this show, they stay dead. The ways in which these people are killed off, be it by fire, a sword, an arrow, poison, or hungry hounds, only show just how delicate we really are and that death can literally come from anywhere.
5. Life Will Always Carry Surprises
Jon Snow
George R. R. Martin has a habit of killing off some of the most beloved characters within his series. As much as I hate that as a reader and viewer, as a writer myself, I understand why he would take such a dark route. It's to show that no one is invincible, that no matter how powerful a person is, something along the way will get the better of them. It also teaches the viewer to expect the unexpected, because, before they know it, someone like Jon Snow might wind up dead...again.
6. Happy Endings Are Hard to Come By
Ramsay Bolton
No matter how the show ends, there's no way you could be on a happy note. As the series goes on, there is no guarantee your favorite characters will achieve their goals, assuming they live that long. Given all that has happened since the start of the show, and everyone that has died before reaching theirs, who is to say that the fates of these characters will be any different? These characters have all been through so much, even if your favorite does reach the end of their journey, there is no way it will end as simply as that.
Like with real life, all people have aspirations, but only some are able to see them through. And even then, should they succeed, the change within them that took place during that time will alter the overall appearance of what they once desired more than anything. It will also give them insight to themselves, whether they are the same as when they started out, or completely different.
