‘Game of Thrones’ keeps viewers on dagger’s edge

Game of Thrones
Airs on HBO
TV-MA

When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die. This tagline for HBO’s hit series “Game of Thrones” sums up the entire series. “Game of Thrones” is one word – addicting. For those of you who have become entangled in the complicated series, you know exactly what that means. From the first moments of Episode One up until the very end of Season Four, “Game of Thrones” fanatics are kept on edge.
The series takes place in the mythical lands of Westeros, Essos, and Sothoryos, where the seasons can last years at a time and mythical creatures roam the world. In Westeros, there are nine ruling houses who are battling to sit on the Iron Throne in King’s Landing and become King of the Realm.
The four main houses–The Starks, Lannisters, Baratheons, and Targaryens – are introduced in Season One.  These four families will stop at nothing to take what they believe is theirs.
Whether it is deceit, manipulation, incest, or straight up murder, these people will do anything to take over King’s Landing and rule Westeros.
This series is complicated. If an episode is missed or details are skipped over, it is easy to lose track of what is going on. There can be a lot of storylines going on at once and each episode jumps around from storyline to storyline. One minute the series may be focused on the Night’s Watch fighting the undead north of The Wall and then suddenly you will be taken to Essos, where the tribal Dothraki rule the vast desert.
Each episode introduces new characters, creatures, lands, and plots. This is part of the reason why “Game of Thrones” is so intriguing; it never gets dull or boring because it is always introducing something new or a crazy plot twist.
Unfortunately, “Game of Thrones” does not come on basic cable, Netflix or Hulu. If you are interested in watching the series you have three options: Getting cable with an HBO package, borrowing a friend’s HBO GO account, or ordering the series online.
The most budget-friendly option is to simply order the DVD set online. Ebay is an awesome website to shop around for the best price, with some box sets being as low as $12 per season. Currently the show is available to purchase for Seasons  One through Four. The fifth season is scheduled to premiere in April 2015 on HBO.
Overall, “Game of Thrones” is highly entertaining. The series is based on the best-selling novels “Song of Ice and Fire” by George R.R. Martin and also a bit of actual history. This show is not for children or people who are sensitive to less-than-polite language and graphic images. There are some scenes with extreme violence, nudity and language so it may be best to put the kids to bed before watching.
However, if things like medieval war, dragons, castles, manipulation and blood sound somewhat appealing, “Game of Thrones” is the show for you.
“Game of Thrones” can be extreme, it can be funny, it is definitely brutal, and although the Houses of Westeros appear to be oh-so polite, this show is definitely not.
Happy watching. game of thronesPhoto by HBO