Not that it wasn’t already, but by the end it’s fifth season HBO’s phenom of a TV show Game of Thrones had shot straight up to the front of the list for most talked about television shows of all time. Memes, references, and general fandom surrounding the show become embedded in pop culture all around the world, with one very big, looming death becoming the focal point of it all. There are obviously SPOILERS ahead.
Those who haven’t read the book but follow the show have sure been put through emotional turmoil since the very beginning. First, Ned Stark, who many thought would be the “main character” was killed off at the end of season 1; and then Rob Stark, who many thought would be the “main character” was killed off; and now, at the end of season 5, Jon Snow – yep, “main character” – was shockingly stabbed multiple times by his supposed brothers of the Night’s Watch and left to die in the snow, staring up at the camera as it zoned in on his eyes, watched blood trickle down his side, and then cut off, leaving us with one behemoth cliffhanger, the kind even Sylvester Stallone wouldn’t be able to survive. Theories began as soon as the credits rolled and despite us being used to watching these narrative breaks come up and surprise us, we all collectively reeled from what looked like a certain death for yet another Stark. It was harrowing, it was extremely well done – if not a tad rushed due to time – and threw Game of Thrones back into that increasingly small category of pioneering shows which say “hell no” to narrative convention and seek to lead, not follow, when it comes to the annals of television history.
Leading up to that big death scene was scene after scene of just why Game of Thrones deserves to be as highly regarded as it is. The pacing was excellent, the juggling of multiple storylines was – all things considered – impressive, the production was stunning, and the acting was – mostly – continuing to benefit for some incredible on-screen chemistry and pair-ups (examples being between Bronn and Jamie, even if their arc was the weakest of the season, or Tyrion and Varys).
Season 5 was also unique in the Game of Thrones universe because we reached several points where the show began to overtake the source material, setting up Season 6 to be the most interesting yet where even book readers know little about what’s going to happen (no more getting smug about knowing what happens next!). Several big deaths were remixed from the books (like Shireen’s heartwrenching and hard-to-watch murder at the hands of her own father) and in Stannis’ case, one of the biggest players in the show was killed off which hasn’t yet happened George RR Martin’s story. We also got some huge leaps of character development for Reek/Theon who was thrown into a storyline with Sansa, further solidifying the Boltons as unequivocal villains, and we finally saw more of the White Walkers than ever before in one of the shows most ambitious sequences to date, capped perfectly with a chilling eye-off between the Night’s King and Jon Snow.
Indeed, Game of Thrones just keeps ramping up it’s often overwhelming scale as the series continues to an end-game. Overall, violence, sex, and nudity was scaled back a bit for season 5 (possibly to curtail the show in the face of past criticisms) but there was no lack of shocking, controversial, and provocative moments in what has gone down as one of the strongest, and most important, seasons for Game of Thrones.
Season Review Score: FOUR AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
The special features on this DVD and Blu Ray set are essential, as they always are for GoT home releases. There are a few deleted scenes but none which shed extra light on any of the storylines. The most notable features here are the episode-long commentaries which are included for all 10 episodes. They range from technical and very interesting when some of the behind-the-scenes crew chat about the various happenings during the episodes, to downright entertaining and hilarious, when members of the main cast – particularly the ones who have scenes together – are narrating. For example, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jamie Lannister), Gwendoline Christie (Brienne), and Daniel Portman (Podrick Payne) all converse over the second episode and mainly fill it with insightful banter that really gives you an idea of what these actors are like in real life and how much fun they must have behind-the-scenes; Christie especially could easily get work as a comedian. Other actors come and go over subsequent episodes, but I won’t spoil any surprises!
There are additional featurettes colouring the incredible effort that goes into making each episode. “Anatomy of an Episode” gives insight into how the finale, “Mother’s Mercy” was put together – including that infamous walk of shame; “A Day in the Life” looks at the production process and juggling the various locations of the show; and “New Characters/New Locations” looks at the huge expansion of the Game of Thrones universe that is forever growing as we push towards the very end of the story.
Special Features: FOUR STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Game of Thrones Season 5 is now available to own on DVD, Blu Ray, and HD in Australia.
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