A couple seasons ago, we had to marvel at the fact that a television show about a faux-medieval world full of dragons, made-up languages, dwarves and rape had captured the hearts of the masses. Like, including your girlfriend and all of her friends. And us. Game of Thrones is an incredible show. But it hardly screamed "universal appeal" when it first premiered. The masses are fickle that way, as...less pleasant surprises have affirmed more recently.

With the penultimate season roaring at us like a winter army of the dead, let's get some perspective on just how crazy it is how much we all love this...