Reflection is perhaps the right way to explain what I am about to say.. because Game of Thrones is impossible to write about in one post. First, I have to explain that I was late to the Game of Thrones fanfare. I began watching the series in late 2016 and only came across it because one of my friends logged into her HBO account while staying at my house and I didn’t get the obsession until I got past the first season. I was bored one Friday night so I decided to put on the first season then by Sunday evening I was dropping Visine in my eyes and trying to rationalize why I just spent 2 1/2 days on my couch watching unabashed violence from fantasy fiction.

Game of Thrones is a slow-moving freight train that hooks you into the narrative and takes you on a beautiful ride. The story structure follows the Hero’s Journey like a science and weaves several character’s lives in a beautiful complex circle. The Hero’s journey is Joseph Campbell’s explanation for the base structure of all myths and religions. A hero starts out young and naive and restless, there is a call to adventure, supernatural aid, the Threshold (no going back to naivety), the meeting of a mentor or guide, abyss or the darkest moment, true transformation (the good stuff that makes a hero moral and just), atonement, return to home or sense of home.

Game of Thrones weaves several characters together to become heroes. Here is my list of those who made it through the cycle and was better for it. Jon Snow, The Hound, Sansa Stark, Arya Stark, Bran Stark, Theon Greyjoy, Tyrion Lannister, Jamie Lannister, Jorah Mormont, Samwell Tarly, Brienne of Tarth. Each of these characters faced a significant change in comfort (especially the Starks), fell into utter despair, somehow saw a way out, and became better people in the end. The non-heroes in this story had a dedication to who they were (underlying selfishness) and showed no sign of change in the shaming or changing of their overinflated egos. Tywin Lannister, Robert Baratheon, Stannis Baratheon, Walder Frey, Little Finger, Grand Maester Pycelle, Daenerys Targaryen and Cersei Lannister.

So here is where the weaving of heroes with non-heroes becomes the beauty of the series. Why do we like heroes? What is it about the Hero’s Journey that pulls a character to us? A quick answer — trust. We trust people who have been through adverse events—-losing a father to murder, nearly being killed, pushed out of a window and permanently handicapped, raped, thrown in a jail cell, betrayed, beaten, tortured, mutilaied, and somehow by miracle they are strong enough to make crucial decisions that do not only serve themselves. They still are able to make decisions that serve the better good. This unique quality in a person is one of the most heartwarming and inspiring effects in a good story. As what my good friend Brian McDonald calls the Golden Theme — its the god information of a story.

A non-hero is not always clearly an enemy. This was shown painfully (and perhaps not well enough) in Daenerys Targaryen. Daenerys went through the hero's journey — literally transformed by fire and birthing dragons— but while she seemed to be doing good deeds her own self-promotion was more important. This was not always obvious throughout the story and could seem to show bad writing but rewatching the series knowing the end---it was laid out that Dany was a true dragon. Ruthless. She was willing to kill to get her way, even though at times she showed graceful generosity and a wisdom to judge good from bad. Her freeing of slaves and killing the masters. Where she lost was in her inability to accept Jon Snow as Aegon Targaryen. Season 8 needed more time to show this inability to accept Jon — I must agree with disappointed fans on this point.

Cersei followed a similar path to Daenerys. Although Cersei seemed to be evil the entire time she had a love for her children that made her character softer than the typical enemy. And she truly suffered watching her entire family fall before her. While I wanted to hate her, I found myself understanding her.

Aside from the individual hero journeys, the other story structure is the story arc. It is like a thematic rainbow that looms over the entire narrative. GOT story arc is the Quest for Power. Who will sit on the iron throne? A throne of melted swords mythologized with a story of ancestry and magic. The sub-arc theme is Death. GOT showed a double rainbow with the Knight King representing the pure malice of death.

Game of Thrones has one of the most delicious narrative hooks I have ever bit onto. I have binge watched the show a couple times now. And each time I seem to come away with a new understanding of the story. The weaving together of characters becomes a gorgeous display of humanity and redemption when we see in the end Theon (and Jamie) apologizing to Bran and essentially dying for Winterfell. The smallest of warriors in Arya take out the largest threat the Night King. We see Daenerys unravel and Cersei watch in denial as Kings Landing burns. We see the silencing of an already humble Jon Snow who is the true prince of the seven kingdoms. And a love of country and common good win out in the end with Samwell Tarly and Tyrion Lannister directing the next chapter for the seven kingdoms.