My Review of "Game of Thrones: Season 1"

Game of Thrones: Season 1 came out back in 2011. It's hard to believe it's been that long ago when this show first started. This is the season that kicked it all off and revisiting it I can see why. There's so much to talk about in terms of the storytelling and the character development of each character in this show. It's unbelievable.

The season kicks off with a bit of a scare. There's men of the night's watch surveying the woods in the north and stumble upon a horrifying murderous site. They initially play it off as wildlings of the north being primitive but quickly realize that's not the case here. Somehow one of the men escapes the zombie creatures and heads south to safety. The problem is he took an oath as a man of the night's watch to stay in the north.

He eventually gets found by a nearby house called the Starks. There they assume he's just a deserter of the night's watch as most of them are criminals sentenced to a life of duty. Although he tries to warn them they have nothing of it. This kickstarts the real backstory behind the whole overarching drama that is about to begin.

We quickly get to learn about over 20 characters in a span of a few minutes. I don't know how they did this but they're able to get us to understand who they are, where they fit in the picture and what their personal characteristics are. It's all pretty impressive. I have seen this more than once. Maybe a brand new viewer may become a bit overwhelmed when they first get introduced to this many characters. Watching it this on multiple viewings certainly gives you even more insights into the show.

You can see a whole bunch of foreshadowing and nuggets they placed in this first season that will have some significance later on in the show's progression. From the very beginning you can see Ned Stark's struggle with his commitment to his family and duty to the realm. There's so much conflict with him and a whole slew of characters as secrets slowly get revealed. I swear this show gets better and better each time you view it.

This season also centralizes on the conflict between duty and honor. Soldiers are trained to follow duty however honor is something that seems innate to all of them. Honor gets everyone into trouble. You can see the youth and the untrained value honor more than those grizzled veterans. That makes them do a lot of stupid things. The older individuals are trained in duty and they are much more calculated. Though if you follow duty by the book and don't consider your surroundings you might be the fool.

In this aspect the show is quite relatable and I felt reflected on a lot of the scenarios we see in real life today. It's just so entertaining to see it done in such an exaggerated way and I love the calculated plans and tricks everyone plays on each other. There are so many highs and lows in this show that you feel like you're on a roller coaster ride you never want to get off of. They will play with your emotions and as you get to know each of the characters they play on your assumptions as well.

Overall, this was one heck of a freshmen season. I could watch this over and over again and not get bored. Even though I know what's going to happen the characters do such a great job in bringing me into the story and I never want to leave. Production values were already so high up there with this one that the show really stands the test of time. I have to give this season a 9.5 out of 10. The only setback is for newcomers to the show. It might be a bit intimidating to learn about so many people in such a short period of time but it's definitely worth it!