Game of Thrones is Officially Back Tonight

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Winter is here, bitch!!!! Feels like it’s been 8 years since the last episode aired. I can barely even remember what happened anymore. Oh, yeah, 60% of the relevant characters died. Gonna be tough to top that.

As someone who’s been on the GOT Express since season 1, I’ve experienced every off-season, and, as is natural for what is now the most popular show in the world, the hype surrounding this season is at an all-time high. Literally everyone in the world is talking about it. From the fantasy geeks cool people like me to the trendiest socialites. It’s pretty much the only show left with such a massive following. It’s probably the most culturally-important thing on TV right now, and, naturally, people are excited for its return. And this season is going to be awesome. It has to be. There’ll be dragons and White Walkers and Sam reading books and lots of death. What else could you want? But, deep down in places I only talk about in my Safe Space (www.briansden69.com), I’m a little disappointed. For a show that prided itself on re-writing all the classic fantasy tropes and blurring the lines of morality more than Robin Thicke, I can’t really see a scenario where the series doesn’t end with a pretty standard “good vs. evil” final battle. It’s already taking shape: Jon Snow will inevitably join Daenerys when she arrives in Westeros, which will mean literally every good guy will be on the Targaryan side while every bad guy is either with the Lannisters or a White Walker. Doesn’t that feel kind of cheap? In the earlier seasons there were no good guys or bad guys (outside comic book villain Joffrey), just people whose unique circumstances surrounding them shaped their actions and outlook on the world. The whole point was that you had no control over your life and viewing morality as just “good” or “bad” was pointless because anyone could become the hero or villain. Now it’s going to end with all the good guys teaming up to fight the bad guys? I mean, it’ll still be awesome and I’m going to love it, but I can’t help but feel a little cheated. I don’t even know how I’d end it. Maybe George R.R. doesn’t either, and that’s why it’s taking him so long to finish the books. Either way, I wish the show writers hadn’t just taken the easy way out. I shouldn’t get ahead of myself, though. This is Game of Thrones, after all. And as the old saying goes, anything can happen on Game of Thrones.