MURDER, MAYHEM AND MAGIC – THE STORY SO FAR
It may have dragons, prophecies and magic, but Game Of Thrones, set in the mythical kingdom of Westeros, is, at its heart, about politics and forbidden love – and there was plenty of that going on as the series began in 2011. Westeros at that stage was ruled by Robert Baratheon, who’d stolen the kingdom’s Iron Throne 17 years before from the Targaryen dynasty.
As season one began, Robert’s closest adviser had died and he’d travelled to ask his friend, Ned Stark, Warden of the North, if he’d take the job. Ned reluctantly agreed, but also began digging into his predecessor’s death – a search that pitted him against the powerful Lannister family and, after King Robert was murdered, led to his own downfall and that of many of the Starks. The beheading of Ned, played by Sean Bean, set the tone for the series – it was one that would always deliver shocks, usually in brutal fashion. Over the next few series the Lannisters, including King Robert’s widow Cersei, her twin and secret incestuous lover Jaime and their younger brother Tyrion, came to the fore, taking hold of the kingdom – and now Cersei herself rules Westeros. Meanwhile, the remaining Starks took back their northern lands and allied with another contender for the throne, Daenerys Targaryen, who’d escaped the massacre of her family years before and gathered an army across the sea, as well as three deadly dragons. While the Starks and Lannisters were fighting each other, another enemy was massing – the army of the White Walkers, left, a race of beings who live in the furthest northern reaches behind a colossal wall of ice, and are able to raise the dead. In this new series the White Walkers, led by the Night King, are on the march. The Starks and their allies in the north know what’s coming. But Cersei, less convinced, is still playing politics. And there’s one other conundrum, involving Jon Snow, raised as Ned Stark’s illegitimate son. He’s leading the northern forces and has fallen for Daenerys – but is, as viewers know, actually a Targaryen after all…