Nine noble families compete to control of the Seven Kingdoms in an ageless land where seasons last forever, all while fighting off an array…
Nine noble families compete to control of the Seven Kingdoms in an ageless land where seasons last forever, all while fighting off an array of magical creatures and ancient evils from beyond the protective wall protecting them from an equally lethal threat that lies beyond.
Game of Thrones opens with an introduction of the Great Wall: an enormous structure constructed of stone, ice, and magic that towers hundreds of feet tall and covers thousands of miles – designed to protect seven kingdoms against an ancient inhuman race known as Others. Manned by Night’s Watch warriors sworn to guard it forever – its construction begins as part of Game of Thrones prologue.
Robb Stark (Rory McCann) marches his army south after the death of his father and defeats a Lannister army at the Battle of Riverlands. To secure an important bridge crossing, Catelyn Stark (Michelle Fairley) arranges for Robb to marry off one of her sons with House Frey’s daughter as part of her plan to secure it.
Joffrey Baratheon (Jack Gleeson) continues his reign over the Iron Throne in season four, but after Tommen dies and Margaery Tyrell becomes queen their relationship becomes tenuous. Additionally, Margaery had once been betrothed to Joffrey but soon discovered she also has another suitor in Loras Tyrell – Loras was previously defeated Jaime Lannister in a duel and has an intimate interest in her brother Loras who once became Joffrey’s betrothed.
Melisandre (Carice van Houten), the red priestess from Westeros who worships the Lord of Light who battles darkness, revives Jon Snow (Kit Harington). Melisandre has visions about his future and magical abilities which help her connect him back with Sansa Stark (Maisie Williams) and Arya Stark (Maisie Williams), although Jon is ultimately helpless to save his family from Winterfell’s impending destruction in Northern America.
Game of Thrones saw its first major turning point during Season Five with the “Red Wedding.” This shocking scene, which involved beheadings and other bloody actions, helped it transition from being an obscure fantasy show into becoming a mainstream HBO hit show. Benioff and Weiss signaled their intent to expand beyond swordplay and betrayal to epic scale storytelling with this moment; yet its impact has become an icon of violence and shock value similar to The Wizard of Oz’s own Red Wedding in terms of shock value.