Wow, what a finale! I had certain fears and expectations for the Season 4 finale of Game of Thrones, but the actual episode blew all of them away! Every storyline seemed to get a really big bump in excitement, and I think it might have been the best finale in the show so far! So it’s a shame that I actually started writing this list before seeing the finale, heh, because that final episode kind of turned my feelings on the season around, at least little bit. Still, let’s not let that deter us, and let’s celebrate Season 4 of Game of Thrones!

I read a pretty good description of Game of Thrones online the other day. It basically pointed out that we missed the big, heroic, happily ever after story decades ago, when the heroic Robert Baratheon and his best friend Ned Stark battled the evil Targaryen family to save the kingdom from madness. That story had everything: handsome heroes, beautiful princesses, epic battles, glorious victories and good triumphing over evil. It also had happy endings. Robert got to marry the beautiful Cersei, and promised to be a just and fair king. Ned got to retire from war to go home and raise his family.

The lesson that follows, of course, is that life doesn’t have happy endings. Life doesn’t just end when the story is over. Life goes on, and it’s never as good as your glory days, and that’s Game of Thrones. It’s the bitter, petty, regretful life that inevitably comes after the Happily Ever After.

Join me after the jump for my thoughts on Season 4! And please note that there will be MAJOR SPOILERS for the entire season!

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