Ned Stark slowly raises his massive Valerian steel sword above his head. With all his strength, he swings it down, beheading a soldier who betrayed him — separating his head from his body.  This intense scene in “Game of Thrones” happens in the first 20 minutes of the show.

Trust, revenge, violence and romance are just a few of the themes that take place in the show.

The HBO show, which airs on Sundays at 9, has won many awards, including a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor and more than 30 Emmys.

“Game of Thrones” has a complex and compelling story about different houses, or families, who fight to rule from the Iron Throne.  While most of the major houses, like the Lannisters and Targaryens, fight for power and the throne, they seem to overlook the bigger problem at hand, a race of the undead returning to destroy everything in their path.  

Many different characters with fantastic backstories are in each episode, filling the show with massive detail.  Each actor picked for each role portrays the character they are playing beautifully.

Sophie Turner, Maisie Williams, Peter Dinklage and Emilia Clarke are just some of the terrific actors that make the show more than just a TV series.

Jon Snow, played by Kit Harington, is my favorite character in the show because of his views on the whole undead army situation.  Snow, unlike most of the characters, sees that they must team up to defeat the army.

“Game of Thrones” takes place in a world consisting of the continents Westeros, Esos and Sothoryos.  Because this is a world with different creatures, like giants, the undead and dragons, the special effects have to be great– and they are.

When Daenerys sits atop one of her ferocious dragons, it looks very real.  All the special effects in the show are executed to perfection.

“Game of Thrones” ranks high on many lists of top shows ever made — number one, as far as I’m concerned.  Each episode is like its own detailed movie. You can see the individual scales on the dragons clearly.

If a show has a good story and cast, people will like it. If the show also looks beautiful, then people will love it. The show has changed the way I look at life, showing me that if I want something, I must fight for it.

The last season is predicted to start around the end of 2018, so you have plenty of time to catch up before the final episodes.