It all started when the penultimate episode of season one of “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms”(the next installment in the Game of Thrones universe) debuted on IMDb as a 10/10. Breaking Bad fans were quick to act, “review-bombing” the episode with 1-stars so as to keep the episode from breaking the record of Breaking Bad’s season 5, episode 14 “Ozymandias”, the only episode on IMDb to hold a 10/10 rating. This led to a “review war”, as Game of Thrones‘s fans rushed to review “Ozymandias”, ultimately resulting in the loss of both shows’ 10/10 rating. Within hours, the IMDb page of each show looked like a battlefield: thousands of defensive perfect scores colliding with thousands of one-star attacks. Social media blew up, reinvigorating memes and references from each side, and a mutual realization that no show would ever get a 10/10 rating on IMDb again. Media covering the war labeled it as “stupid” with many on social media calling it “the Battle of the Unemployed.” When two shows are thought of in the same playing field constantly, it’s understandable that the fans of each show would ironically “go to war” for their show. People become emotionally invested in defending their favorite media. IMDb scores attempt to quantify something subjective, but different audiences value different things, and different experiences impact preference. The moment perfection becomes measurable, it also becomes contestable. I believe that this “war” offers a unique perspective on the subjective interpretation of perfection.
Though I am personally biased in my preference between the two shows, it is clear that the two iconic shows both offer different things and attract different fanbases, which have become naturally competitive. Game of Thrones is praised for its political intrigue, dramatic storytelling, expansive worldbuilding, and complex characters. Comparatively, Breaking Bad focuses on the transformational character arc of just one character, which is regarded as one of the greatest arcs of all time. It is praised for its precise storytelling and the generational work of its directors, as demonstrated in one of its greatest episodes, Rian Johnson’s “Ozymandius”. Breaking Bad was an original screenplay by Vince Gilligan, unlike Game of Thrones, which relied heavily on source material from George R.R. Martin’s book series, “A Song of Ice and Fire.” While we may never be able to pinpoint the exact reason each “Breaking Bad” fan felt they needed to submit a review, the 10/10 on “Ozymandius” clearly became more of a trophy than a rating in the end.
Can art ever really reach the standard of perfection? Of course, perfection is a subjective quality, one that can only be ascertained by the viewer. When attachment to one thing comes in, a fan may not review other shows unbiasedly. Therefore, it is possible that there is no need for rating platforms like IMDb when they can so easily be manipulated by fanbases. We cannot be sure this weighted rating system is wholly accurate when “review-bombing” is now a prevalent concept. The most important part of all is the irony of the event. By trying to defend perfection, each side ended up destroying it. The relentless pursuit of standard devalued the “trophy” they had prized for so long.
No episode now holds a 10/10 on IMDb, and IMDb ratings in general do not hold nearly as much significance. Breaking Bad fans have, for years, left one-star reviews on any episode that might touch “Ozymandias” in ratings. As of February 22, “In the Name of the Mother” has 14,000 1-star reviews. Fans of several shows that neared 10/10 ratings on certain episodes (until Breaking Bad fans attacked) left 88,000 1-star reviews on“Ozymandias”. Still, this isn’t about blame. A 10/10 episode is seen as perfection, and after the war, there may never be another. The fact that Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones had such a profound impact on their fans is testament enough to the beauty of both shows. Maybe “winter has come for Ozymandius,” as IMDb user bobbycollins-80914 points out, or maybe “Winter never reached Albuquerque,” as TheGuliyevMurad mentions. Maybe both shows deserved 10s, and now neither has one. At the very least, we can all agree that both shows are treasured by many; to an extent, very few shows would have the power to create.
