Steve Titcomb marathoned 50 Game of Thrones episodes, sustained entirely on Chinese food. Here’s what happened.
By Steve Titcomb // Game of Thrones, up to this point, is a 50-hour journey of epic proportions. To sit through a marathon of such magnitude takes training, hard work and a bucket load of determination. Now, I have done marathons for everything from Firefly to Marvel to Star Wars numerous times, but the dedication to make it through this week is something that even runners training for a marathon would be envious of.
This year marked the first time that a whole week was needed, but the viewing couldn’t start until the Chinese food was bought and the buffet of all my favorites was served.
Season One
Season one of Game of Thrones remains my favorite season of the series and it is easy to understand as it sucks you in. Season one contains several key events that shape the rest of the story. FIve key deaths happen, with two taking place off screen that shakes up the future of Westeros and Essos. While the political games are in motion, the mystical world is waking up again. Beings thought gone for 8,000 years make their reappearance with no one believing the Night’s Watch of what is coming. In the east, after the death of her beggar King Brother and Khal husband, Danaerys uses the magic of fire and death to help the hatching of three dragons.
The first day of Game of Thrones viewing knocked eight episodes right off the bat with an excellent use of the crock pots to keep the Chinese feast fresh. Day two brought with it the closing of season one and the excellent enjoyment of leftover Chinese food. Season one taught us not to trust anyone and that the wall had ears and in King’s Landing anything can be used against you.
Season Two
For day two, I went in strong and knocked 10 episodes out, leaving the season two finale for day three. Day two was important for me to get up and move around. A key note for all future marathoners: don’t sit for too long, keep standing up, take frequent breaks.
Season two of Game of Thrones opens up the world to more environments and even more potential enemies. King’s begin popping up like flies and what becomes known as the War of the Five Kings breaks out. A difference to note here is in the book the Fifth King is Balon Greyjoy and while he has an important role in season two, the show alludes to the Fifth King being the King beyond the Wall.
The series has several key events, the biggest probably being the betrayal of Catelyn Stark when she sets free her son’s and the North’s most valuable prisoner–Jaime Lannister. You get a sense of it, but this action is the beginning of the end for the North, whose King had yet to lose a battle.
Another major element introduce was the Red Lady, otherwise known as Melisandre. A red priestess of the red God R’hllor, she has joined with Stannis Baratheon and filled his head with visions and destiny. It is because of her that Stannis ultimately decides to kill his younger brother, a move that puts Brienne of Tarth on her long journey to vengeance.
Season two is jam packed with action and while the rest of kingdoms never know it, it is thinks to Tyrion who has become temporary Hand of the King that the capital didn’t fall. His bravery along with dealing with his mad nephew and spiteful sister end up with him sliced in the face and left to fester in a room.
The second season is essential in the devolution of Theon Greyjoy. Slighted by his family, he yearns to prove himself. Unfortunately for Theon, he is a naive boy, and despite the sacking of Winterfell he ends up worse off than the ones he betrayed. Jon Snow and the Night’s Watch have an interesting season too. The free folk army is making their way south ahead of the White Walkers and Jon Snow ends up a Wildlings prisoner, meeting Ygritte and getting his eyes opened on the true threat face the Seven Kingdoms. Three blasts on the horn equal White Walkers.
Season Three
The final two episodes were saved for day three and another trip out into the world for more Chinese food to keep me sustained through another long day of 10 episodes. Game of Thrones season three sees Jaime Lannister loses a hand, the Red Wedding an event that the North won’t forget, Danaerys begins her journey to free Slaver’s Bay and Jon Snow climbs the wall and races to the wall with some arrows him to warn the watch. Season three see’s the Night’s Watch deteriorating when the less honorable brothers betray their vows and kill the Lord Commander. All these actions have effects on the future of the Kingdom’s yet no one is seeing the true threat hiding in the cold. You have many playing politics for the Throne, Baelish being one of the worse and have these wars ruining the Kingdoms killing the livestock and burning up all the food of the land while the biggest threat in 8,000 years is coming.
Season Four
Day four starts and surprisingly I’m not even tired of eating Chinese food yet. Drinking a few more caffeinated beverages than is probably healthy to keep me going as sitting and doing nothing for over three days isn’t as easy as it seems. Remember: make a trip to the gym or go for a walk, it’s not breaking the marathon rules, especially if you have Game of Thrones on Audible.
Things at least at a glance seem to be settling down. The House Lannister stands triumphant with the aid of house Tyrell and a wedding looms. Sansa is forced to marry Tyrion while Joffrey is set to marry Margaery in what will be known as the Purple Wedding. Baelish has continued his plotting and with help of the Queen of Thorns is able to put an end to Joffrey’s cruel rule. Jon Snow and the Night’s Watch prepare for war as Mance Rayder lights the biggest fire the North has ever seen. One of the best episodes the show has had takes place when Castle Black is attacked from Wildlings on both sides of the Wall. Jon Snow is the hero of the night but it comes at a heavy cost for him personally. He loses two close friends in Grenn and Pip and also loses his love, Ygritte. Danaerys army is growing as her presence becomes well known throughout Slaver’s Bay as the breaker of chains. Theon’s torture continues at the hands of Ramsay Snow and while you don’t want to feel bad for Theon after his betrayal of the Stark’s it is hard not to seeing what he has gone through. Arya travels continue with the Hound where she keeps finding that she had nowhere to go. Bran makes his way North with the Reeds trying to find passage North of the Wall and ultimately meet the Children of the Forest and a chance to control his powers. Danaery’s dragons are acting like dragons so she ends up locking two of them up. Not the wisest of moves as they are her true power and Drogon had gone flying off on his own.
Back in Westeros Stannis is still set on being the rightful King but is pulled in a new direction thanks to one of the last good honest men left in Davos Seaworth. Major happenings happen back in King’s Landing after the Purple wedding. Tyrion is accused of the murder and out in trail. Cersei does everything in her power to see him dead which results in a trial by combat. More than Tyrion’s life is in the line though when Oberyn Martell steps up to be his champion. A member of royalty from Dorne, his family has long seemed justice for the atrocities that were done to his sister and children during the sacking of King’s Landing during Robert’s rebellion. He battles the Mountain in the trail and while he lands a killing blow he gets too cocky and the Mountain pops his skull dooming Tyrion. Before his death sentence can be carried out his brother Jaime frees him only for that to back fire as Tyrion finds his liver Shae in his father’s bed. He finds his father on the privy and makes a decision that forces him to flee and puts the Kingdom in Cersei’s hands.
Season Five
By the fifth day everything is a blur. I’ve lost count of the Chinese food induced comas and have more soda and Monster energy drinks than I’ve had in the last year. Twelve episodes remain and I’m determined to finish so that I can free up my weekend to watch the fifth season’s extra features and give the Fifth season another viewing, but first I need more Chinese food making my fourth and final trip for the week to yet another restaurant, sampling the best dishes from all my favorite places in my living area. The fifth season has my favorite episode–Hardhome–and the most tragic of endings in the season finale. The death of Jon Snow along with the death of Myrcella can only mean good things for the approaching army of the dead and their White Walker commanders. By the fifth day my live tweeting has decreased as I’m too engrossed in the season that I’ve only seen once so far.
Sansa has a wedding night nightmare when Baelish sells her off to marry the slightly insane Ramsay Bolton, the family responsible for the betrayal leading to her brother and mother’s brutal death at the red wedding. Stannis gets abandoned by Melisandre as he leads their men to their doom. Arya is left blind as she trains with the faceless men and the faith militant has taken advantage of Cersei and taken over most of King’s landing with their religious law. Cersei’s walk of penance is both hard to watch and at the same time an event you can’t take your eyes away from. Danaerys has run into trouble herself with the Sons of the Harpy preventing any type of peace to come to Mereen. The last we see of her she is stranded in the Dothraki Sea surrounded by a Khalasar.
What have I learned after 50 hours? Besides that Game of Thrones is my favorite show on television, that it doesn’t matter how many times I stood up nor how many times I go to the gym, sitting for a majority of the week will leave you with a sore back along to go with sore eyes. This year might mark the last straight marathon, as I’m not sure that even I am willing to watch 60 hours of television in a week regardless of how much I love the show.
Game of Thrones teaches right off the bat not to trust anyone. The few honorable houses and men don’t last in a world this corrupt, and regardless of who sits on the throne, it doesn’t matter much when the dead move south and dragons stir in the east.