With the ending of last night's 9th GOT episode, Baelor, HBO and George R.R. Martin did what very few shows have ever done, so early on -They killed off the main character. Now, here's the rub on the statement that I just made; This show, as well as the books, really has a bunch of main characters, though 4 tend to stand out as focal points. Dany, Tyrion, Jon Snow and Arya are for the most part, the "main" protagonists. That said, the character that left us last night was a huge blow, and it killed me to watch them go.
Then again, the rest of the series is fueled by their death, so it serves a large purpose.
I give Martin credit for having the balls to kill off a character so important to the story, though it makes sense why he did so. This series isn't Frodo running to Mount Doom to save the world. One person isn't the hero here, and it can be argued that no one in the story really is.
This show has already been decried by some as being on the level of another HBO show, The Wire. When I think of the definitively perfect TV show, I think of The Wire. I won't go into why here, because this is a horror site after all, but if you've seen it, you already know. If you haven't, then I really wish I could give you all 5 seasons on DVD, hug you and say "You're welcome." It was that good.
Game of Thrones is already at the same level as The Wire, though I do say that hesitantly. There's still a lot for this show to prove, but I'll be damned if it hasn't already shown and proved on about every level thus far. We just need more. If HBO keeps up the high level of drama and characterization, and continues to translate the books so well, my claim won't be hesitant for very long. If this show can give me its version of Omar Little, I might even come to love it above all other shows.
First though, let's see how they handle the dragons.
