Luke Kalamar – Game of Thrones

I like to describe each season of Game of Thrones as a full course meal. The first several episodes are the appetizers, in the fact that they primarily build up to the major events coming in later episodes. The April and May episodes of Season 5 were basically this for the most part. Quality was high across the board as you’d expect from this HBO hit (Game of Thrones is rarely ever “bad.” It’s just “not as good.”), but what was presented was simply preparing us for the future. Arya entering the House of Black and White? Dany debating the morality of the fighting pits? Jon worrying about the Wildlings? Important for sure, and yet still just a taste.

It wasn’t until the outstanding June episodes, technically starting on May 31st with “Hardhome,” that we reached the Season 5 entree. Those final three episodes is what makes Game of Thrones such an incredible program. The incredible set pieces that clearly required a significant portion of the production budget. Surprising character deaths that even people with book knowledge couldn’t have seen coming. Jon Snow’s shocking murder (that absolutely won’t stick because, c’mon, there are so many reasons why) that nearly broke the internet. Cliffhangers that both left viewers salivating for more and gave George R.R. Martin a few extra months to finish The Winds of Winter before the show completely passes the books. These truly were Game of Thrones at its most excellent.

“Hardhome” is unquestionably the standout episode. After repeated claims that winter is coming, this episode showed us that it’s actually here. It’s also now my favorite episode. With a solid 15+ minutes where tension never stopped growing, “Hardhome” completely rendered every other conflict pointless. Absolutely nothing matters now with this overwhelming force coming down from the north. Jon, after witnessing it all first hand and even killing a White Walker leader with Longclaw, became one of the most important people in Westeros. He’s the only main character with intimate knowledge of what’s coming. Now everyone just needs to listen.

This is also when Tyrion and Dany, two favorites among the stellar cast, had their much anticipated face-to-face meeting. It was, obviously, amazing. Peter Dinklage and Emilia Clarke truly laid their talents out on the table to completely deliver something the audience has wanted for such a long time. It almost felt like we were watching Westerosi history in the making too. Tyrion and Dany are unquestionably two of the main show stars (and two rumored characters to survive the end), and their partnership can change the world. One is a man with a silver tongue who is a master at persuasion and political maneuvering. The other is the last living female of her lineage and owner of the only three dragons in the world. Together they can be unstoppable.

The best part is that both of these events are actually appetizers for the show itself. The Night’s King attacking Hardhome and Tyrion conversing with Dany are just a taste of what’s to come in future seasons. If anything, the White Walker assault was a show of force, not even close to a full attack. You can bet there’s plenty more to come with the Imp and the Mother of Dragons too. I personally cannot wait for more material just so I can see what happens on these two fronts. Season 6 or The Winds of Winter cannot come soon enough.

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