Writer and performer Natalie Bochenski is not ready for her favourite TV show to end.
For nine years, she’s been writing about ‘Game Of Thrones’, with her ‘Raven On’ recaps attracting a cult following.
Now, she’s bringing all of that fangirl devotion to the stage, debuting the live version of ‘Raven On’ at Fringe World. Expect to be brought up to date on where key characters stand, what we might see happen in S8, and most of all, Natalie’s own journey through obsessive fandom – particularly when it comes to Jon Snow.
We sat down on the Iron Throne with Natalie to get her top five most traumatic moments of HBO’s notoriously shocking show. Careful – spoilers are coming.
One
Ned Stark’s beheading near the end of the very first series threw me into deep shock. How could a show kill off a hero like that? Why did nobody come to save him at the last minute? The realisation that honour saved no one in Westeros confirmed my obsession with the show.
Two
Sure, in hindsight the Red Wedding makes sense. Having killed off his heroic dad, there’s no way Robb Stark could be allowed to continue his unbeaten streak of wins against the Lannisters. He had to be got rid of by treachery. But still, the merciless attack on the Starks by the Freys at the end of season three sent me into paroxysms of grief.
Three
Hodor was a rare thing in Game of Thrones – a character you always loved and cheered. The revelation that Bran was responsible for creating both Hodor’s name and his child-like nature through his green-seeing time loops was devastating, coming as it did as Hodor sacrificed himself to the wights to allow Bran to survive. Your name lives forever, Hodor. Hodor.
Four
The phrase ’emotional roller coaster’ was invented for The Battle Beyond the Wall in season seven. Jon Snow and his merry band of misfits captured a wight out in the frosty wilderness, only to be ambushed by the White Walkers and their army of demon zombie monsters. At the bleakest moment, they were saved by the roaring fires of Daenerys’ dragons – only for the Viserion to be brought down by the Night King’s spear, and then reanimated as a zombie ice dragon.
Five
There are those who are onboard the Jon Snow/Daenerys Targaryen love boat. I am not one of them. They’re related, people! Just because it’s aunt/nephew and not twincest like Cersei and Jaime, and just because they don’t yet know about their shared DNA, doesn’t make it better. So the sight of Jon and Dany having steamy boat sex at the end of the final episode of season seven was deeply distressing for me. Say no to boat sex in season eight!
