Ten Reasons Why Game Of Thrones ROCKS!

It is getting close to the final season of Game Of Thrones so I figured it would be fun to share the ten reasons why I love this TV series! Be advised that you need to be up to date with the series so far as there are plenty spoilers in this post!

1) Humour
This series works so well because of the humour throughout. Tyrion's confession to Lysa really cracked me up, Tyrion's chair scrape at Tywin's council meeting had my dad howling, Varys and Tyrion after Joffrey threatens to behead Stannis ('I am trying!'), Joffrey every time he was slapped, The Hound telling Joffrey he was done with him, Olenna's barbs, Tywin's horse shitting in the Throne Room, Walder Frey not remembering the girls names, Tyrion's rusty Valyrian, Tyrion leading the battle and getting knocked out, Pod and the prostitutes.

2) Battles
The battles show the true horror of the carnage of war. Remember the men burning at the Battle of the Blackwater, Tyrion looking at the horror of the aftermath of the dragon attack, the men being crushed as Jon led the fight to take Winterfell, Stannis and his troops freezing in their fight at Winterfell, the White Walker attack on Hardhome and the Army of the Dead attacking the band of brothers in the north...the battles were exciting to watch and I love them. At least one more big one to come...

3) Tears
Maester Aemon might have been the only one to die a natural death and it was sad! Maester Luwin, Ygritte's final words to Jon *blubbers*, the heroic death of Hodor which destroyed me. Hold The Door *sobs* The end of Drogo, poor bloody Ned and Renly, and every poor wolf that bit the dust. What Stannis did to his daughter was shocking *whimpers*, Grenn's heroic ending below Castle Black and the brave Ser Barristan Selmy...that one hurt. I liked him! The Red Wedding, Myrcella's murder after that lovely scene with Jaime. I even had a lump in my throat when the Tarly's were burned by Dany.

4) Strong Women
I love how strong the female characters are, rather than just being love interests. Amazonian like Brienne, Catelyn holding her family together and Cersei destroying hers, Olenna's plotting, Dany finding her strength, Arya surviving against the odds, Sansa finding her spine, Margaery getting what she wants-at least to start with. Yara Greyjoy is totally kickass and brilliant. Ygritte was a great character and Ellaria Sand takes no crap from anyone. Despite their backgrounds Gilly and Missandei have guts and Melisandre is plain scary!

5) Betrayals
Some betrayals were expected-Ned was the only one unable to see what Littlefinger was doing-and others were shocking. I wanted to kill Theon for taking Winterfell and killing Ser Rodrik! The Night's Watch are a dreadful bunch betraying both Mormont and Jon-I mean who wants THAT job! Naughty Jorah betraying Dany to Robert, Jon betraying Ygritte and leaving her, Roose Bolton betraying Robb, Davos frequently betraying Stannis to save people, Sansa betraying Arya over the wolf attack on Joffrey, Lyanna betraying Robert, Edmure betrays his family...the list is pretty much endless but it keeps us watching.

6) Classic Scenes
One of my favourite dramatic moments was Jaime recounting how he became the Kingslayer-it was a great moment. Bronn v Drogo was nerve shredding. Tyrion's trial. Oberyn's fight with The Mountain. Tormund flirting with Brienne. The Band of Brothers bonding as they go to grab a dead guy, Ned's attempted coup, Olenna's confession, Varys shows Tyrion his prisoner, Sam kills the White Walker, all the deaths and battles, Sam proposing Jon for Lord Commander and insulting Thorne...so many great moments!

7) Partnerships
The partnership aspect of the series has led to great interactions. I loved the dynamic between Arya and The Hound on their travels. Bronn and Tyrion were great together and I enjoyed seeing Bronn pair up later with Jaime. Brienne and goofy Pod were very funny together. Jon and Samwell are like Frodo and Samwise from LOTR. I enjoy every scene that has Tyrion and Varys together and like Jon and Davos too. I liked the relationship with Stannis and Davos and the Littlefinger v Varys rivalry. Jaime and Brienne were great on their road trip and I liked Jon's interactions with Tormund and The Hound with the Brotherhood.

8) Satisfying Deaths
Who didn't want to throw Lysa through the Moon Door? Who failed to cheer when Joffrey died in agony? Who didn't love seeing Ramsay eaten by his own hounds? I cheered Arya killing Walder Frey and loved seeing poor Tyrion kill Shae and Tywin. It was great to see Littlefinger beg for his life too! Was it wrong to enjoy seeing The Mountain kill that Septa? *shame shame* Dany's revenge on her traitor handmaiden was fun. Olenna's final confession was great! Stannis deserved his ending but I wanted to see remorse! Viserys getting his crown was such a sweet moment!

9) Shocks
Repeat after me, Red Wedding!!! WTF happened there! I was also stunned by the death of Drogo at the end of season one and pretty shocked by Roose Bolton's death. The murder of Oberyn horrified me as I really liked him and I wasn't expecting Lord Commander Mormont to be murdered by his men. Cersei's revenge was riveting to watch but killed a few characters I liked. The Purple Wedding was a shocker. Joffrey sentencing Ned to death, Theon's escape being just a game...so many great moments.

10) Redemption 
Who hasn't enjoyed the redemption of the Kingslayer? Watching Jaime go from attempted child murder and incest to what he is now has been great! I've loved seeing The Hound go from grizzly killer to being in the Brotherhood and fighting for good. Theon's torture led him from betrayal to saving Sansa, and now trying to save Yara. Jorah going from spy and traitor to try and get Dany to forgive him.