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I'm Shay! I’m a cookbook author, lifestyle blogger, travel agency owner, wife and mama who loves making every day special for my family.

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Mix & Match Mama

Shay ·

Game of Thrones.


Okay, today, I want to chat about Game of Thrones!!!

Back in March, I told Andrew that I would watch it as his anniversary present.  It’s his very favorite show, and he had been asking me for years to watch it, so I thought, what the heck, I’ll watch.  I mean, my mom loved it, my friend Brooke loved it, surely I would love it.

I didn’t.

At all.

Until the end.

Now, I’m one of those people who loved it.

It’s so twisted.

Now that I’ve finished watching it, I’m dying to discuss it.  So, that’s what’s happening today.  I’m going to give some thoughts here and then I hope we can chat more about it in the comment section.  I did not like the show at all for months, but now that it’s over, I’m going to eat my words and say, that I really loved it.  Now that I know how it all plays out in the end, it makes me really appreciate what I saw at the beginning.  Does that make sense?  I’m even contemplating starting over and watching it again because I really think I’ll enjoy it SO MUCH MORE now.  Yes, I don’t understand either…but that’s how I feel!  I really liked it.  If you’ve started it and stopped, I get that.  If it weren’t for my commitment to Andrew, I would have too, but I’m so happy now that I saw it through to the end.  I really liked Game of Thrones.  (I know, I’m shocked myself.)

Okay, moving forward.  THERE ARE SPOILERS ON HERE!!!  PLEASE STOP READING IF YOU DON’T WANT TO KNOW HOW IT ENDS.  I’M NOT HOLDING BACK, SO IT WILL RUIN IT FOR YOU.  DON’T READ THE COMMENTS EITHER.  

STOP READING.

RIGHT NOW.

ERIKA AND MEAGAN, I’M TALKING TO YOU.

STOP.

READING.

THIS.

POST.

I’M GOING TO SPOIL IT FOR YOU.

STOP.

STOP.

STOP.

Okay, if you’re still reading below this line, you’ve been warned.

After six months of watching and some 75ish episodes, I have all the thoughts about GOT.  This list is random, not in order and just a complete mix of what’s pouring out of my head, so bear with me.

Here we go:

1: I’m so glad that Andrew lied to me throughout the entire thing.  I would say “I don’t like shows with dragons” and he would say “You barely see the dragons; they don’t play a big part.”.  LIE.  I would say “I don’t like the mother of dragons.  She’s one of my least favorite characters”.  He would say “Oh, she’s not a main character.”. LIE.  I would say “I hate when those zombies are in the show!” and he would say “You never see them again.”.  LIE.  So, he lied, but it kept me watching.  Generally speaking, I don’t like any TV shows/movies that include: fantasy, violence, torture, dragons, excessive cursing, excessive nudity, everyone dying, shows that are set in the past, shows that are set in the future and zombies, so clearly, this was NOT a show I would watch on my own accord, BUT, I really did like it…after season six.

2: I had a hard time enjoying the show up until season six because EVERYONE KEPT DYING!  Once I realized that no character was safe (I mean, the two actors listed first in the opening credits of season one both died by the end of the season), I was like “no one is safe, don’t “like” anyone because they’ll end up dead”.  And then, I eased up a bit and started liking people thinking “surely at this point, they won’t kill off main characters”…and then there was the Red Wedding.  Sigh.

3: My favorite characters were Jon, Tyrion, Jamie and Sansa…but I lived in fear of their demise the entire time and couldn’t “relax” while watching the show.  Now that I know how it ends, I actually think I could go back and watch it from the beginning (words I NEVER thought I’d say!!!!) and enjoy it more knowing who lives and who dies.  I needed some sort  of program guide from the beginning that said “Don’t love Ned too much, he dies.  Don’t love Rob too much, he dies.  It’s okay to love Tyrion, he makes it through the series to the bitter end.”.

4: I truly only almost quit watching once and that was when they burned that poor little girl alive.  I hated that.  HATED IT.  I took a two week break from watching after that, but ended up resuming.  Other than that, even when I didn’t like it, I kept going.  That part was just horrible to me.

5: I love, love, loved so many of the “sub” characters and was so happy that in seasons 7 and 8, they all came together!!  So many of my favorites (like Sam and Brienne!) were great sprinkled throughout the series, but I was excited when they all were in scenes together playing off each other.  I loved how it ended with them around the table with Tyrion.  For a show that liked a lot of “shock value” when it came to killing people you liked, I thought it ended perfectly with those characters and Tyrion.  LOVED THAT.

6: Those first few seasons of GOT had SO MUCH nudity and sex in them.  Like so much.  I’m okay with bits and pieces, but it was, in my opinion, overkill.  I had so many of YOU tell me to keep watching because after the first few seasons, that goes away and you were exactly right!  I don’t exactly know when that stopped, but at some point, nudity wasn’t a part of the show at all and it was more about the stories than the sex.  Maybe season four or five?   I don’t remember exactly when it stopped, but I enjoyed it much more after that!

7: I really liked season one, I thought season two was okay, I didn’t enjoy season three (there were so many characters that it was hard to keep up), I didn’t love seasons four or five, but all of a sudden, in season six, I thought it got much better and then I loved seasons seven and eight.  It was like they finally stopped killing off people and the plot was really developed around the remaining characters.  (And you know, I don’t handle all of that “killing people I like” stuff, so 7 and 8 were right up my alley!)

8: Every time  the “many-faced God” thing showed up on my screen, I hated it. I didn’t enjoy that part at all.  It was just weird to me.  Now, I get that it made her a better fighter and in the end, it’s a good thing she had all of that training because she killed the main zombie guy 😉 , BUT those episodes weren’t my favorite, and I felt like they went on forever.

9: While I was watching the seasons, my mom would ask me how I liked it and I would say “oh, it’s okay” and her answer was always BUT DON’T YOU LOVE JON SNOW?  Every time.  My answer was always, you hardly ever see him!   Now that I know how the series ends, I would like to go back and watch it because I do love Jon Snow, and the seasons at the end where he is in almost every scene are some of my favorites.  In the earlier seasons, there were many episodes that barely showed him one bit, so I didn’t understand her “don’t you love Jon Snow” comment when I didn’t feel like I ever saw him…but now, I get it.  I do love Jon Snow, Mom.  A lot. 🙂

10: My only complaint really about the last two seasons were that I thought they might have used the CGI stuff a bit much.  You know I had a hard time with the dragons (because they’re so unrealistic), so to see Jon and Daenerys riding around on them like a horse and fighting off armies of people was a biiiiiiiit too unrealistic for me (not that any of this show IS realistic, but that might have been a bit of a stretch in my opinion).

I was super nervous when I sat down with Andrew to watch the final episode.  (We only watched two full episodes together…we watched season 6 episode 9 and the series finale together.)  Because I had witnessed so many great deaths all in the name of GOT, I just knew Jon and Tyrion would die.  I mean, what are the odds that my two favorite characters would live????  But they did!  I actually really love, love, loved how it all wrapped up.  I loved how Bran was now in charge, how Sansa would stay with the North, how Tyrion would be the hand and how Jon went back to the wall (which he had committed himself to at the beginning of the series).  It was all very full circle for me…Ned Starks’ kids all grew up to be honorable people just like him.  I loved it.  I thought they each went off to do exactly what they needed to/should do.  I thought this show was a true story of good verses evil, how love triumphs, how family sticks together…loved it.

Okay, all of you GOT people out there, I’d love to hear your favorite parts, least favorite parts, things you would change, things you thought were perfect…whatever in the comment section!  Let’s discuss 🙂 .

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Comments

    • Alexa M. says

      I avoided it like the plague and then was hooked at the end of the first episode when Bran falls. I went back and started watching the whole thing again. It’s great the second time but you know so much more and pick up on clues sprinkled in..especially Season 1. If you’re watching from HBO prime on Amazon..watch the inside the episode at the end of credits. Hearing the directors delve into the episode is very insightful.

  2. Lauren says

    So happy you’re talking about GoT today!! Here are my thoughts:

    – I also HATED the “a girl has no name” episodes and thought they dragged on way too much. It was boring. That was by far my least favorite season.
    – I loved season 8! Every single episode was action packed!
    – The episode with the big zombie fight was a little long. Too much fighting, not enough plot development.
    – I loved that Arya was the one who killed the Night King, but think that scene could’ve been done better. She just came out of nowhere? Literally, just flew threw the air. Out. Of. Nowhere.
    – I loved that Theon died protecting Bran. That felt very full circle to me and if he had to die, it was a good way to go.

    Can’t wait to read the other comments!!

    • Mix and Match Mama says

      Yes, yes, yes! I also thought the big zombie scene was very dark. At times, I couldn’t even tell what was going on!

  3. Lynn says

    Shay you and Andrew need to come to Northern Ireland if you are GOT fans, there are so many Game of Thrones places for you to visit. You can visit some of the areas where it was filmed and the views are stunning. You can also visit the set where some of it was filmed. You love to travel and Northern Ireland is a beautiful place to stay. We are the friendliest people in the world!!!!! x

  4. Charlotte Rowland says

    I loved the entire series till the last season. I felt the hype surrounding the long wait for it was an absolute let down. But I can tell you season 5 was probably one of my favorite. I had nights I would scream and want to throw something at my tv and times my husband would laugh because I was nearly traumatized. To me, nothing tops The Battle of the Bastards! I was yelling and so happy to see revenge well served and I felt it turned the tide of the rest of the show. I agree with you about the many faced God’s part. I almost fast forwarded those parts but at the end I was so glad I didn’t. To see Arya come back and surprise almost every fan with something we probably didn’t consider was awesome. But my husband and I both felt that it happened too fast for the last season. And Jamie and Cersei were dealt with too easily. For all the horror that woman caused to just drop a building on her was so anticlimactic. There should have been way more to it (maybe that’s just me). Ramsey Bolton was my favorite villain topping Cersei! He was played so well you were just left with this dislike or even hatred for the things he did but you had to love the actor for doing it so well! I cried with how it ended for Daenerys because I was rooting for her for so long till I could tell she was just as mad as her family. I could go all day debating the good and bad of this show because it was my favorite from the day my friend told me to watch. But I do have to say I am of the dissatisfied fans who was let down with how they concluded the show.

    • Mix and Match Mama says

      I was hoping that Arya would kill Cersei in the end!! I agree that she got off too easily!

      • Charlotte Rowland says

        Yes! We (my family) was rooting for that! To just have the building fall it was like “blink blink” seriously. Like that was it?? Crickets chirping kinda letdown! lol! I just sat there. ? I don’t know how to describe it properly!

  5. Sheaffer Sims says

    I haven’t watched…and I might…so I didn’t read your post. I keep putting it off because I remember how my life stalled when I binge watched Parenthood that month.

    • Michelle says

      Girl, I have watched Parenthood full series three times, the last season 6 times!!!!! Never gets old. Joel and Julia get me every. single. time.

  6. Brooke says

    So I’m an avid GOT lover. Didn’t think it was for me at first and didn’t fal into the hype a couple of seasons in. I don’t particularly love fantasy…

    BUT, I LOVE zombies (is that weird?? Haha) it stems from my love of Halloween, I think. So everything with the Night Walkers was right up my alley and I always said the Night King was my favorite character besides Jon!! He had so many intense scenes, like when he raised the dead all while staring at Jon, when he shot Dragon # 1 out of the sky and then later pulled him out with chains! Like WOAH. So I’m a dork and loved the Night Fight in season 8. The scene of Arya in the library almost did me in., I don’t think I breathed once.

    I hated the Girl with No Name episodes as well, but I see how it made her a better fighter and incredibly stealthy, hence how she was able to come out of nowhere undetected to kill the Night King.
    I still don’t understand why he was obsessed with Bran though. I really thought that whole Three-eyed Raven thing was going to go somewhere farther. Alas, it did not. I was alone in the fact that I loved the way it ended. Most people hated it and said that’s why they got snubbed at the Emmys the other day.

    All in all, an AMAZING series, and even if you don’t love fantasy, nudity, gore, sex, dragons, etc. everyone should watch if only for the AMAZING cinematography.

    Xoxo

  7. Brooke says

    Oh and my absolute favorite episode was Battle of the Bastards!! I have never hated another character more than I hated Ramsay.

      • Ashley Burns says

        Yes – that episode for me was the most gratifying episode of the entire series. I loathed Ramsey’s character and to watch Sansa walk away with a little smirk on her face as she let the hounds at him was the icing on the cake!

  8. Mahi says

    I loved the series but the ending was such a disappointment. I could not believe they picked Bran as the new king. At some point in the series he declines to be the lord of winterfell because he is the three eyed raven yet he calmly agrees to be the king of seven kingdoms!!! Totally undeserved. The big secret of Jon’s parentage turned out to be a damp squib as well. That didn’t matter in the end at all. I personally felt it could have ended on a better note.

    • Mix and Match Mama says

      I was okay with Bran being king, but I agree with you about Jon’s lineage. That really didn’t play out.

  9. Di says

    The best part is that Jon moves beyond the wall. He gets to live as a free man as he always wanted.

    Also I cried sitting in the bathroom after the red wedding. It took weeks for me to return.

      • Tracie says

        My husband had read the books, so when we start watching “The Red Wedding “ he calmly says, “Oh, this episode.” I was so mad that he didn’t warm me!
        I wish it had ended differently for Cerci, I hated Jamie left Brienne, and Jon should have been king.

  10. Amanda says

    I too came to GOT late in the game but once I started I was hooked! I watched with my husband but I’m not sure if I would have kept going just on my own.

    I enjoyed Arya’s “friendship” with the Hound as well as Brienne’s loyalty to Jamie. And I quite liked Bronn’s sarcasm!

  11. Kelly says

    I agree with all of your comments! Definitely go back and watch it again because it makes SO much more sense and you see how important people were in the beginning that you didn’t even notice at the times!

  12. Dawn says

    I felt the exact same as you about the first few seasons. Way too much sex. I feel like so many shows feel like they have to have that to get audiences, and they really don’t!! I almost quite also, but everyone told me to keep watching. So glad I did. My least favorite parts were: The red wedding,(I was so mad! Almost quite watching after that too), and the girl burning.
    I loved Jon Snow, and Sansa.
    I loved the ending bc it was more of a realistic ending.

  13. Dawn says

    I meant to add that I actually started rewatching it two weeks ago. So many things I missed the first time. It’s so much better knowing and understanding things better.

  15. Colleen says

    I agree with so much of what you said. I thought the last season was a bit too fantasy (like you said with the cgi) and not as much “oh my gosh moments” but the character development was amazing. I feel like the first few seasons you really have to pay attention to what every character said but towards the end they made it easier to follow which had plus and minuses. The red wedding is still one of the most shocking things I have ever seen in a series. And that young girl dying is still one of the worst parts of the whole series.

    It is the only show that my husband and I have ever considered re-watching. We started re-watching the first season and it is amazing how many things you pick up knowing more about the characters now.

    • Mix and Match Mama says

      Yes! I think that’s why I was disinterested in the beginning…there were too many characters to keep up with. I loved the final season minus all of the special effects.

  16. JazzyJen says

    Season 8 was a big letdown. It was definitely my least liked season of the series. If you needed a guide for the show there are several books you can read. Too bad George RR Martin didn’t have the final book complete. Probably would’ve made the last few seasons even better!

    • Mix and Match Mama says

      I really liked season 8, but maybe because I didn’t have wait a long time to watch it between 7 and 8? There wasn’t a build up or let down for me.

  17. Megan says

    I loved this show harder and more than I had loved a show UNTIL the last few episodes. I loathed how there were hardly traces of Dany being mad than Varys decided Jon was a better ruler and then she went mad. What and to who was on note he wrote before his death?? What was with the rings? Why wasn’t Jon’s parentage discusses more? Cersei’s death was not satisfying and she got to die in the arms of Jamie!!
    I hated how the entire series they built up the white walkers and destroyed them in one episode. The long night/prior to/the aftermath could have and should have been a season itself. I felt very let down by the production. It seemed they wanted to move on to their next project (Star Wars) and as a result they wrapped everything up too quickly. All of my complaints aside, I still consider it one of my favorite series. That last season tho is still a sensitive topic for me.

    • Mix and Match Mama says

      Hahaha! I can agree with everything you’re saying! We needed Arya to finally get Cersei in the end FOR SURE! Jamie could have lived in my opinion as well!!

  19. Alicia says

    I had a hard time at the beginning with everyone I loved dying. I mean how could you not love Rob? I agree with everyone else that Cersei got off too easy. But I love how the Starks stayed true to their family. I struggled watching Dani go nuts and burn the whole city. I had hoped she would survive the family curse and not go “mad”. ?

  21. Kim says

    I also just recently binged GOT because I got put on pregnancy bedrest for 3 weeks! I ended up doing a lot of research after finishing because I was so confused at first by the fan backlash after seasons 7 and 8. I would recommend watching the HBO documentary about the making of season 8 – it’s so good and shows you what went into making the final season – pretty fascinating. Other things I found interesting:

    The author only let the show makers do the series after he interviewed them and they answered the question of who was Jon Snows mother correctly.

    Because the author didn’t finish the books he told the show makers what he thought would happen at the end and it was up to them to write the last 2 seasons to get there. So they ended up having to take some weird turns to get there and people were really upset. I think there just wasn’t any way to do it justice in the two seasons they had and they had an impossible task. I wish he could have finished the books but the show makers couldn’t wait for him to do that.

    I’m obsessed that Jon snow and egret are married in real life and fell in love on the show. They’re adorable. Also love that egret and dany are best friends in real life.

  22. Brooke Richardson says

    Yes listen to your mom Shay! Now is the perfect time to start Outlander!!! Hahaha. But Yes GOT is an all time fav, I loved it the second time through, so much more made sense and I caught on to more. I’m surprised you didn’t love the Mother of Dragons, she was a fav for most but many didn’t love how she turned all mad queen at the end but I was overall happy with the ending too. I was kinda stumped and underwhelmed by Bran being king but that’s not really what John wanted in the end. I mean it’s GOT, it’s not going to be tied up in a pretty little bow with an ending everyone can predict!!!!

  23. Chrissy says

    Did you watch all of the “After the Episode” from the producers? We didn’t start watching them til season 5 bc my hubby watched up until that season and then they were new to both of us. Before that, I needed him there the entire time to tell me what the heck was going on!! And I loved every minute of it!

    • Mix and Match Mama says

      I’m going back and watching stuff like that right now! We just watched the two hour behind the scenes of season 8 over the last two nights and it was FASCINATING!!!

  24. Michelle Cheney says

    GOT!!!! I didn’t jump on the train until this year. Zombies, dragons, nah I’m good. Then my husband watched some of it and said “I think if you can make it through the first couple of episodes that you would really like it.” And boy did I. But felt so conflicted with some of the earlier seasons and things that just didn’t need to be there.
    I totally get what you are saying about holding your breath over your fave characters. I kept telling myself that if Tyrion died I was DONE. So glad he didn’t! He was my favorite character by far. Jon Snow next. You have to google Kit Harrington’s opening monologue when he hosted SNL. Hilarious! Did you know he was married to the girl that played the Wildling he was in love with? (she was also Gwen on Downton Abbey!) The last season was my favorite. So many scenes that were amazing. The one that stands out was a simple scene- they were sitting in front of the fire the night before the battle with the Night Walkers- when Jamie knighted Brianne. Loved!!! Great show. Great cast.

    • Mix and Match Mama says

      Me too!!!!! I loooooved Tyrion so much!!!! And yes, when he knighted her, I thought i might tear up! Hahahaha! Such wonderful camaraderie between that group!

  25. Kelly Lane Nation says

    I knew you would like it better after season 6….the end of that season, when Cersei blows up the Septre…so vindicating!

  26. Linda says

    I’m one of those who will NEVER watch GOT, but now I’m curious about the Red Wedding. What was that??. Great description of the series!

  27. Erica says

    One major tip I have is watch with the subtitles on! It really helped me understand what was going on. Without them, I was lost.

  28. Andrea Tyre says

    Game of Thrones is a show that I NEVER would have thought I would watch and love. I did it for my husband. He loved it so I decided to give it a go. It took me awhile to get through the series but I finished season 7 a few days before Season 8 started. I agree with you on all the parts you hated. The red wedding and the princess being burned were just awful. I actually looked at my husband after Shireen died and “yelled” at him for not preparing me. I just loved the show because you get so invested in the characters. It is a beautiful series. I didn’t like the ending at first but when I went back and rewatched it, I was satisfied that my favorite characters were doing what they loved and fulfilling their destinies. I do hate the way Dany died. She was truly my favorite character for a long time. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I love reading all the comments!!!

    Now its time for you to review the new Downton Abby movie Shay!!! 🙂

  29. ERIKA MILLS says

    ahhh I didn’t love the last season! I felt like we had spent all this time on character development and they had SO much time between the last two seasons that they not only cut it short with fewer episodes it felt like they were rushing to tie up ends and bring closure to characters! I also didn’t like that Jamie died with Cersei, because for how absolutely terrible she was I wanted her to die alone (is that awful?!) I love that Arya killed the night king but I agree it was way too fast, almost blink and you miss it episode! I wish Rob had stayed around longer, I really liked his character! Sansa I couldn’t stand the first few seasons but I LOVED watching her turn into this strong female character!

  30. Ashley says

    100% watch it again – I did it and things made SOOOOOOOOO much more sense the second go round. You will love it & enjoy it even more 🙂

  31. Robin says

    I loved the series right up until the end, and now I want a refund on my time committed to the show. 🙁 I’m disappointed that they built Daenerys up to be such a strong, beloved leader and then turned her mad at the end. I’m disappointed that John did everything nobly and was the rightful heir and for all that he was sent back to the wall. And Bran who did nothing and was the three eyed raven who could apparently see all that had and would happen (including the deaths of his family members and torture of his sister which he didn’t warn anyone about), he became the king?! It was a letdown all around. I did like that Aria killed the night king and I was a fan of Brienne. But all in all, I’m disappointed and wish I hadn’t wasted my time. The end ruined it for me.

    • Mix and Match Mama says

      Did you watch it in real time? I’m so curious if the gaps between seasons made people more disappointed with the ending?

      • Katie Compton says

        My husband and I watched in real time from the day it started. He had read all the books so that really helped me in the beginning! All the names sounded the same to me, ha! But yes… I think watching it in real time made the last season more of a letdown. We had waited for so long! But after looking back we see the reasoning behind some of the finale choices. All that to say… we will definitely watch the series again!

  32. Sara says

    Oh, I hated hated hated how they burned that little girl too, and I’m realizing that that’s where watching it in real time helped because I was forced to wait a week to watch the next episode and could mourn Shireen properly. And I also agree that the first few seasons were too naughty, and I think once the show caught up with the books and were telling their own original story it because less sexy/nudey. Once the show runners were on their own and free to tell the story as they wanted, they didn’t waste time on the sensational bits. And I loved Jon from the get-go…just love the underdog-ness. I think that helped keep me in, knowing that I wanted to see him finally get happiness. But when they killed him and I had to wait forever to watch the next season, I wasn’t so sure I’d want to keep watching!!! I like what one of your commenters said above, how at the end Jon was finally free to live beyond the wall. That helped ease the pain of not being able to watch him anymore.

  33. BrookeL says

    I watched seasons 1-5 for the first time with my husband in the months before season 6 came out. He had already seen it and would tell me things like “you are going to hate it one more time (the Red Wedding) and then it will get better.” I might not have made it through without that. 🙂 Then I loved it but was so disappointed in how it ended. I felt like so many charters had this great build up that never came to fruition. Sure Arya killed the Night King but we didn’t get to see her use her battle skills or kill Cersei. Jon was the rightful king in my eyes. He did so much to deserve to be king AND he had the lineage. I felt like he fulfilled his promise to the wall because he already died there once. I liked that he rode the dragon because only the Targaryens were supposed to be able to ride dragons and the dragon let him because he was one. Or at least that is what I thought. I agree with everyone that is saying the Battle of the Bastards was the best! I was happy with Tyrion’s and Sansa’s ending. I think Bran could have just consulted the king as the 3 eyed raven. I agree Sam and Brienne had good ending.

  34. shelley says

    I couldnt wait to comment and have so much to say, but first- as I read your re-cap I literally had chills. It was like you took me right back to Winterfell 🙂 Next, you should totally watch it again. You will be so surprised at how much you have missed, or things that make (more) sense now. It also helps connect all the characters. Im not ashamed to say I have watched it 4 times! …. and will most likely watch it again. Finally- absolute worst thing for me every time I see it- Ned’s death. Absolute favorite thing(s)- Tywin’s death on the toilet, Ramsey’s death (karma!) and Joffrey’s death- nothing heroic-just simple poison took him down- in front of everyone! And- MVP- Lady Olenna- “Tell Cersei- I want her to know it was me”. #housestark

  35. Erin says

    I’ve read your blog for several years. I found you when Sean was on the Bachelor and have loved following your family and all of your blog content. But I almost never comment on your posts. I have to today tho!! I’m so glad you finished it!! I love GOT and I’m usually on the same page with you on shows, I was so upset you weren’t loving it. lol. But I agree about watching it again. My husband and I rewatched the full series in anticipation of the last season and I loved it even more the second time. There’s SOOOO much foreshadowing I didn’t catch the first time around. I loved it even more the second go around. I loved Jon Snow and Tyrion. So much.

  36. Jen White says

    OMG Shay! Now I had to go back and find some of the names of people to comment. I think whether you liked the outcome of the show depended upon whether you watched it in real time, or binge watched it. I binge watched it with my husband so didn’t have a year+ between seasons to contemplate who should sit on the throne. The characters just draw you in even if it wasn’t a genre you would choose. So many thoughts…
    -Characters you love to hate… Viserys, Ramsey, Joffrey, Cersei & the satisfaction when they get theirs… the golden crown, eaten by his dogs, choking on poison, Cersei’s shaming but rather unremarkable death.
    -the creepiness of Lord Baelish
    -the welcome wit of Tyrion (that “boardroom” scene with the chairs was everything!), would love to have a list of his best 1-liners!
    -the sweetness of Sam
    -watching so many young women Daenerys/Sansa/Arya grow wise and powerful at a time that women weren’t empowered.
    -loved trying to follow the 5 Direwolves & their owners (would be fun to rewatch this)
    -can someone please teach Rickon to run zig zag?!?
    -the captivating, mesmerizing, not-bastard Jon Snow!
    Thanks for drawing me back in!

  37. Krista says

    You should definitely watch it again. There will be SO MANY things you will understand and pick up that you didn’t when you first watched it. They make references to lots of things that happen in future episodes and now that you are not spending the episode trying to figure out who is whom, you can relax a bit more and pay closer attention to the dialogue. I felt like I needed some sort of family tree flow chart to keep track of everyone in the very beginning, but it all came full circle in the end. How excited were you to find out Jon was a Targaryen???? Love this show and so sad it ended.

    • Mix and Match Mama says

      I was, but I thought that part of the story really never went anywhere, right? In the end, it didn’t matter. That being said, I started on episode one again today while I ate my breakfast. Hahaha!

  38. Amanda @ Cupcake N Dreams says

    I have so many of the same thoughts as you! I was one of the fans who liked the ending!! Go Sansa, Bran and Tyrion and Arya. Minus Jon’s ending a little bit. It was a little anticlimactic. I was a Stark fan throughout, so I was so happy the last four all made it out. Tyrion was always another favorite and I do really wish Cersei was shown more in the last season and received a bigger death scene. I think they needed to explain more of the Night King/Bran stuff and give more backstory too. The Dany stuff was crazy and I agree rushed but I also just didn’t have the attachment to her like other fans did. As I was reading your thoughts I realized you may have liked things better if you watched it in real time. This series was TOUGH with violence, deaths, etc. and watching it all together in one short amount of time would give me anxiety. I’m thankful I joined back in season 3 and only binged the first two seasons. I constantly worried my favs would die too and when Jon did at the end of season 5 I was LIKE OH HELL NO. The breaks in-between were really therapeutic!! Lol I watched the Emmys the other night and was so sad to watch the goodbye to this amazing show!!

  39. Alyson says

    Omg Shay!! I feel like I wrote that myself haha. I started watching (aka finally have in!) the week before the series finale. Dumb, right?! I felt like I could not avoid all of the spoilers on social media. I knew a lot of what happened in that final season and who survived for the most part but it was still fun to watch. Seasons 4-5 took me the longest because it was just so slow. I agree with your series finale assessment completely. My family thinks I’m crazy because in their eyes it was terrible. I think those of us that binge watched over a few months didn’t feel the same because we didn’t sit and read the conspiracy theories and hype up what could it should happen the way that others did over a decade. Thanks for sharing!

  40. Melanie M. says

    I have never seen even 1 episode of GOT and I doubt I will watch it. You made me laugh when you were talking about everybody dying. My favorite movie of all time is Gone With The Wind. Well, when my sister live with me for a while, I made her watch it. As we were watching it, she said, “gee, everyone is dying!” and she couldn’t believe how much I loved that movie. So, I guess GOT was not the first big show where everyone dies, LOL!

  41. Morgan Godbold says

    YES!!! I started watching Game of Thrones after binging the first 3 seasons and watching season 4 live! I can tell you the time, only getting 10 episodes and having a year (sometimes more) in between makes you want to go back and watch it! You know the plot, that’s all basic to GOT, it’s the detail, history of the first men, Targaryens, and Robert’s rebellion where the true story lies and makes us all nerd out (and I don’t get into anything fantasy like this either). Because of this, I can’t wait to see what they do with the spin off series!

    I can tell you every time I rewatch, I skip scenes of Theon being tortured and Shireen’s death. I watched Shireen’s death live (with my dad and sister, we would get together on Sunday nights) and you could feel the shock and despair in the room.

    I love the episode where Podrick sings Jenny of Oldstones, the way the finale comes together (Jon always wanted to be in the Nightswatch!), and that Bran and Sansa (Ned’s kids are ruling)

  42. Gina Puck says

    My favorite episode that I could just watch over and over is The Winds of Winter (Season 6) *Oprah voice* “you’re a Queen, you’re a King, you’re going to be Queen.”
    I actually tear up when Jon gets crowned King of the North…. ugh…

    Love and miss GOT!

  43. Lindsay says

    Best show of all time. My only complaint is that the storytelling and writing was so intricate and involved the first few seasons while they were following the books. The minute the writers passed George RR Martin’s storytelling it just felt too rushed. Now that I have seen the ending you can understand the major plot points they were trying to wrap up, but it just didn’t happen as organically (or as organically as fake, medieval dragons and zombie shows can be!). I am sure they were all a little burned out. It did take up 10 years of their lives! But I feel like the last few major character developments (hello Dany going mad) didn’t get the time to be fully fleshed out. But I did love how it ended. Great show!! What I loved most was that it was really a show about human relationships and the gray area between good and evil that we all can sometimes find ourselves in. Thanks for the fun recap!

  44. Lindsay says

    The books ended with season 5, so the last 3 seasons were written without that influence. George RR Martin was still involved with the show, but I feel like you can tell the pacing is just very different. I think it really goes to show you what a fantastic writer and creator he is.

  45. Julie says

    So I’m curious – I don’t understand why you would keep watching? If you really disliked so many aspects of the show, why keep going? It seems like such a waste of time. And as a Christian, how do you justify to yourself watching something that does have so much sex, nudity, and violence in it? Isn’t that contrary to your beliefs?

    • Mix and Match Mama says

      I kept watching because everyone kept telling me that it would get so much better (and it did!). Plus, I had told Andrew that I would watch, so I didn’t want to break that commitment. As a Christian, I viewed it as fiction/fantasy/entertainment/a TV show. That doesn’t affect my spiritual life one bit. I still love Jesus and He still loves me 😉 .

  46. Deannab1 says

    I’m 100% with you on this. I felt exactly the same way about everything. I only watched it because my husband really, really wanted me to. I loved how it ended and was surprised to find out that most people really didn’t like the ending. I think I liked it because I watched it from beginning to end, most people who didn’t like it watched it as each season came out. I think the end made total sense and it was probably my favorite episode. The only difference between you and I is that I wouldn’t go back and watch it again. I just can’t do it.

  47. Brandye says

    Okay, I enjoyed Jaime’s redemption arc. And I HATED that he returned to Cerci, dying with her. IMHO, I think they could have played Daenerys’ arc of demise against Jaime’s redemption, and had a better outcome. I agree, burning the little girl was too much. Loved the Battle of the Bastards and how it turned out. Yes to Arya killing the Night King, and Theon protecting Bran. BUT! I am not okay at all with Bran being king. It makes no sense! I get why Jon goes back to The Wall, what’s left of it anyway. The many faces thing was a drag on the series, but I agree it sets Arya up better. Sansa was one of my favorites from the beginning, something about her being so spoiled and demanding made me think she was going to be a fighter. Also, because I had not read any of the books (so not my genre), I looked at the Wiki pages for the characters, wanting some back story. Because of this, I knew about the Red Wedding. I knew it was coming….yet, when I saw the episode, I just sat there and stared at the screen after it was over. Like, I just couldn’t turn it off and walk away. I was overwhelmed. And, I think that speaks to how well the series overall was written, directed, and performed. Even though I was frustrated by how some stories played out, I still recommend it to friends and family. Like you, this is not at all a genre I seek out. Not. At. All. But it’s soooo good.

  48. Kristin says

    I have tons of thoughts and agree with you on a ton of comments. My main one is I don’t think I’ve ever hated a character as much as Geoffrey and I legit got off my couch and did a happy happy dance when he died!!!

  49. Rebecca says

    Ok, so I haven’t read ALL of the comments, but why isn’t Tormund mentioned more? 😉 I just loved him!! Plus, he’s a fellow scandinavian 🙂

  50. Abbie says

    You should definitely go back and watch it all over again!! I rewatched it all over again before the finale season and so happy I did! You learn so much more and understand so much more. It’s amazing to watch again once you understand everything!
    One of my favorite shows of ALL TIME for sure!! Season 6 and 7 are my favorites! I just thought they did an amazing job on those seasons!
    So glad you finally came around to liking it. Although I don’t like that Bran was on the throne

  52. Mary says

    I loved listening to the Cast of Kings podcast to go along with watching each episode. I wasn’t a book reader and hearing Joanna’s perspective was great. I sobbed like crazy when Shireen died too. It’s one of my all time faves. I thought there were some slow episodes but when things picked up, it was all worth it. Wonder if the prequel will be any good?!

  53. Kristy Moore says

    Hold on…aren’t there SEVERAL seasons of this show???? How did you manage to watch the entire series in that short amount of time? I can hardly find time to watch a Bachelor episode over the course of a week. The kiddos must’ve been fending for themselves! LOL

    • Mix and Match Mama says

      It took me six months to watch! I feel like that’s more than enough time to watch 8 seasons.

  54. Katie Stewart says

    Your #3 talking point was ME! I was Team Stark and the red wedding nearly had me in tears. I stressed every episode thinking Tyrion, Jon, Aria or Sansa would leave us. I swore through the entire thing that Ned Stark was somehow coming back. Was disappointed to be wrong ?. I was a little disapppointed with the overall ending, but can live in peace knowing my vision of Aria slaying the Night King was manifested! ??

  55. Heather says

    I also resisted watching it for years, but got curious with all the hype about the final season so ended up binging it all right before the last season started too. I also sucked in my husband who was a fellow resister, so we really enjoyed watching the last season together. After it ended, I missed my Jon Snow hero so much, I started watching the Last Kingdom and Vikings. Ragnar Lothbrook and Uhtred of Bebbanburg have filled the void for me. These are both historical dramas, so no dragons or zombies, but a lot of family drama and political intrigue surrounding the real actual history of the Viking invasion of the UK and how the country came to be one single Kingdom under Alfred the Great. They are both great. You would like them both and so would Andrew! Give it a chance when you are ready to binge again.

  56. Heather says

    Also, with regards to my comment above…just a bit of trivia that may be of interest to the ladies, Travis Fimmel who plays the lead role/hero Ragna Lothbrook in Vikings is GORGEOUS. He is actually who the Smith Jerrod role in Sex and the City was modeled after. He started as an underwear model and his billboard stopped traffic in Times Square. Looks aside, his performance in Vikings is mesmerizing and one of the best things about the show. You can stream Season 1-5 on Amazon but the last season will air soon on the History Channel.

    Here is Travis? https://images.app.goo.gl/sWk5YBMZYJf2k1hD6

  57. Courtney says

    I refused to watch it with my husband, then during season 7 I kept sneaking in and watching it behind him and asking him questions. Finally I caved and I watched the last few episodes of season 7 live with him, then he binge watched it from the beginning with me so it would all make sense to me. I agree with everything you thought! I did like how it ended, but I really wish the producers would have made the last two season longer (I vaguely remember hearing that HBO offered them up to 10 episodes per season but they only used 7 and 6). I think if they would have added in a few more episodes, they could have developed Jon and Dany’s love story, and even Jayme and Brianne’s story. It was hard to buy into those story lines with such little plot development. Either way, I’m ready to start watching it again haha…

  59. Kacy says

    Ok, so I was a late comer to GOT as well. My husband watched them all live and then finally talked me into rewatching seasons 1-7 right before the Season 8 dropped. We got them all in and then watched Season 8 live. I LOVE this show. I was able to over look the nudity, the swearing, etc. but I loved the story, the characters, the costumes, and the scenery. I also read through all the comments and can’t believe that no one has mentioned the Dothraki. Jason Mamoa. “Moon of my Life. My Sun and my Stars.” I hated how Khal Drogo and Dany started, but I loved the way they loved each other.
    -Other things: I thought Joffery was horrible (He was) Then he died. (YAY!) Then we got Ramsey Bolton. He was so much worse. So awful. Poor Theon, POOR SANSA. POOR RICKON. I hated Ramsey. Then he died. (YAY!!!!!) Then…we got Euron. UGGGG. Haven’t we had enough.
    -My husband told my brothers that we were about to watch the Red Wedding and they made him record me watching it. It was horrible. I hated that episode. I just knew something bad was going to happen. I didn’t think THAT was going to happen. I was so sad that we watched the next episode and it made me more sad because it just reminded me of the Wedding. UGH. That was not a good night.
    -Hodor. Poor sweet, devoted Hodor. That one absolutely broke me.
    -Battle of the Bastards. I thought Jon was going to die. Like for sure a goner. One of the best episodes.
    -Tormund. I love him. Him and Jon are the best
    -Pod and Brienne.
    -Bronn and Tyrion.
    -I’m here for all the Stark reunions. Arya and Jon. Sansa and Jon, Sansa and Arya. Bran. Ugh. I’m 100% House Stark.

    I’m rewatching it now for sure!

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