By Teréz Cairncross
Game of Thrones is the HBO series that took the world by storm ever since its debut in 2011. After 8 seasons, the TV show has captivated viewers with picturesque cinematography, memorable dialogue and unexpected plot twists and deaths. The show has also been a critic darling winning 38 Emmys, including four awards at last year’s 70th Prime time Emmy Awards. After a two year hiatus, the release of the eighth and final season created an enormous amount of anticipation and excitement. The final season has been nominated for 10 awards at this year’s 71st Prime time Emmy Awards in categories such as Outstanding Drama Series, numerous supporting actor and actress and lead actor and actress awards .
(SPOILER ALERT)
Season 8 allowed viewers to finally see the battle against the White Walkers, where, thanks to Arya’s’ bravery and super cool sneak attack, the army of the dead were defeated, and a brief sense of security was restored. This season also included Daenerys, Jon and Sansa strategizing to overthrow Cersei and rule Kings Landing. After two of Daenerys’s dragons are killed and her closest friend, Missandei, being decapitated before her eyes, the Mother of Dragons slowly begins to unveil some quite disturbing ‘mad queen’ tendencies- burning down the whole of Kings Landing even though the people of the city surrendered to her. Jon Snow kills Daenerys, before more innocent people die. The season ended with Bran the Broken becoming the new king , Jon being sent back to the Nights’ Watch, Arya leaving to explore the West and Sansa returning to Winterfell to rule an independent Northern Kingdom. However, viewers and dedicated fans were very displeased with the final season of the series. Many critiques stated that the character development of many important characters was problematic, and they were overall unsatisfied by how the story line played out. On the positive side of things, many said the final season had some epic moments and some amazing cinematography.
For the 71st Prime time Emmy Awards, Game of Thrones earned the following nominations:
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series – Sophie Turner
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series – Gwendoline Christie
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series – Lena Headey
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series - Maisie Williams
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series – Alfie Allen
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series – Nikolaj Coster-Waldau
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series – Peter Dinklage
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series – Emilia Clarke
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series – Kit Harington
Outstanding Drama Series
All these nominations are completely well deserved as the cast of the series as a whole is extremely talented. The series was the only show nominated for all the categories awarded for at the Prime time Emmys. As the show was undeniably popular during the release of the final season’s episodes, it is possible for the series to win an award for each category it was nominated in. On the 14th and 15th of September , the annual Creative Arts Emmy Awards ceremony was held, were Game of Thrones won 10 awards, which could be a possible indicator of how well the show may do at the Prime time Emmy Awards.
With the series we have grown to love at its end, what is next for the people of Westeros? Perhaps a prequel, or sequel? Well, it has been confirmed that HBO has agreed to have a prequel , which is still unnamed. The prequel series is inspired by the book series, A Song of Fire and Ice. There have also been rumours of another spin-off show ( rumour has it, it will be a Targaryen inspired series). Although fans will be waiting in anticipation for the release of the prequel series, the annual Prime time Emmy Awards are around the corner and we all cannot wait to see if Game of Thrones can break their own record of awards won.