the shOemon chronicles

why we love Game of thrones?

in which I attempt to decipher why we are so hooked to the TV super show- Game of thrones.

If you dont’t know what ‘Game of thrones’ is. Well, you are extremely indifferent to the world of literature or tv shows or awesomeness as such.

Here are a few reasons why I love it!

Fantasy world

Everybody loves fantasy. Well, almost everybody. The thing about a made up world is, it’ll either engulf you or repulse you completely. A fictional place has its own rules, its own physics , own failures and successes. Its almost every time different than our reality and hence loved or hated.
In Game of thrones, every sphere is covered. Wars, dragons, death, darkness, zombies, different Gods etc. It is sort of an entire new world, and drives us mad until we know every detail.

Politics

Lannisters are responsible for almost more than half of all the politics that take around Westeros. Tyrion’s admirable strategies and Tywin’s surprising power, it all adds up for a deep intellectual stimulation.
Also, there are other Politics-gone-wrong situations, like Theon’s or Stanis’. Its a great balance of whats obvious and whats not.

Dragons

It is statistically proven isn’t it? I don’t know one series with dragons and not popular. Inheritance, Harry Potter, How to train your dragon, Percy Jackson etc.
They add a majestic appeal of power and grandeur.
What I love about dragons in this show is, they are shown evolutionary. I mean, they are born weak, and they need to feed and grow to become powerful. And they also need their mother to be around to be at optimum power. Its the only natural way to depict a mythological creature. Extremely smart of the author I must say.

Characters

Aarya, Tyrion and Jon Snow. These are my favorite. Every character in the show is different. I don’t know how it is even possible to make so many varied people in spotlight in one series. Even small characters like Gendry and Jaqen(faceless man) have gotten their dues and been able to make me want to know more about them. Lady Brienne and Lord Varys are few of the characters you rarely find in books or movies alike, having such central roles to play. I can keep going on naming every character and have something to say about them.

Brutality

Violence and Sex. Two ingredients when boiled up in a golden cauldron can create the most delicious stew. Though people flinch in the scenes of men being cut or heads being carried without the body, or horses being sacrificed or women giving birth to shadows, its intensity truly mesmerizes us, making us want even more!
At some sadistic level, we all love gore and disgusting human mutilation. Well, at least when it is happening on screen.

Language and Accent

Being sprinkled with Irish and British actors has the best effect in terms of- Accents and words. From the simple “My Lord”,”Hand of the king”, to creations like “Men of the Nights watch” or the frequent mention off “Honor” and the Khalisi’s Dothraki commands. It all syncs itself in creating a parallel speak-o-zone which we strive to understand, and often, adapt.

Amazing Cinematography

From the visuals of ‘The Wall’ to the scenes inside Qarth, and the Wild fire destroying Stanis’ ships. The cinematography grips you in something bigger than reality. The special effects are more than believable and sometimes cracks your guts. Brilliant.
There have been so many scenic shots which I went back and saw again.

“Coming soon” approach

The best example of this is “Winter is coming”. This show loves to keep us in cliffhangers and rapidly progressing the story. Its been 2 seasons but still winter is nowhere to be seen, nor will it show up before at least 3 more seasons( readers will know), but they make us believe that it can come any moment now.
Though the changes that happen are rapid, the story moves very slow overall. But due to the “coming soon”s, we hang on dearly.

Sexuality

Oh c’mon. Being humans, we all like sex. Many don’t talk about it or express it openly, but hell we cherish it. We won’t be alive if that wasn’t true.
Moreover, the endless ‘whoring’ in the show makes it immensely honest to how we believe things would work in those times(fantasy fiction ofcourse).
I mean, think about it. People do NOT wake up dressed after a night of sex, like soo many movies and tv shows proclaim. In reality, they wake up naked, and that really makes sense.
After a few episodes into the show, you stop thinking of it as a big deal anyway. It speaks of the fact that sexuality and nudity is natural to human.

After watching two seasons, I cannot wait for the next season which comes April 2013. So I am off, reading the entire A song of Ice and Fire series.

Cheers-

ps- No, HBO or George R.R. Martin aren’t paying me.(Like they need to publicize anyway)

ps2- HBO India plays it on Mondays 7:40 pm. But you know the Indian censor board. I suggest ‘getting’ it from friends.