GOT Milk? This 1993 marketing campaign was the first to emphasize the verb GOT. It’s made the three letter word very powerful, but anymore if you Google GOT you GET Game of Thrones, the modern-day GOT. Admittedly, I was not quick to jump on the GOT bandwagon because I didn’t have to the time to be hooked on what was sure to be additive TV. Now, in retirement, I’ve GOT nothing but time.

We recently took a Mediterranean cruise that stopped in Dobrovnik, Croatia where some of the series was filmed as King’s Landing. Fort Lovrijenac Fortress sits high above the city. Honestly, I didn’t know what the series was about but I became curious. It now makes sense that it’s all about the quest for the throne – I never GOT it, but now I GET it! I’m aware of the Iron Throne and the brutal games involved in sitting on it. As a result, I’m now committed to 7 seasons, 67 episodes and over 100 hours of viewing. That is until the Season 8 finale is available! I was struck with this quote from Queen Cersei Lannister as she’s addressing Eddard (Ned) Stark, her King’s Hand: “When you play the game of Thrones, you win or you die – there is no middle ground.”

I’m not a person who has any sense of patience, so I will not be content until I’ve watched every episode several times. When the term “binge-watching” was created, I fit the very definition. My friends tease me about this need to “just get it over with” rather than savoring the experience, as they prefer. They know that I will driven like I’m on a mission to know the characters, understand the story, and see the end. In fact, I will be tempted to cheat by reading the spoilers.

One of the elements of this story that is particularly intriguing to me about this game is the value of the family name. As Tywin Lannister, the wealthiest man in the Kingdom, explains to his son Jamie, “It’s the family name that lives on. Not your honor, not your personal glory…family.” Lineage determines who gains the throne and who controls the power. GOT Money? GOT Power? Unless, of course, you’re a bastard son! In that case, it’s a game changer. Like any good Soap Opera, the King dies before he knows that his sons are bastards. On the other hand, protagonist Ned Stark’s son, Jon (Lord Snow), thinks he’s a bastard because he doesn’t get his father’s last name. Personally, I can put myself into the story. As a fellow bastard, I was born a Bannister, not a Lannister, so my name was never associated with wealth or power. If the father who adopted me was King, I would not be an heir to his throne. From what I understand, the Royal title would be passed on to his oldest brother, another Johnston. You can achieve many things in this world, but you simply can’t be King unless you’re a direct male offspring. Bastards cannot be Kings, but Kings can be Bastards! GOT DNA?