Society & Politics

10 reasons you should be watching Game of Thrones

NO MAJOR SPOILERS I PROMISE!


10 reasons you should be watching Game of Thrones


1. First things first, it’s very geeky. It’s got kings and knights, crowns and swords, dragons, and ghosts. Medieval drama is a genre we get precious little of on television (or in movies, for that matter), and Game of Thrones has nearly 10 hours of it. Plus, the series of books boasts fans who are as serious about the happenings in Westeros — where most of the book’s action takes place — as any hardcore Trekkie or Star Wars geek is about those sagas.


2. And the show is ad-free. No need to fit into the rhythms of commercial breaks. Shows don't even need to stick strictly to the 50 minute playing time, although they usually do.


3. One of the best reasons to watch The Game of Thrones are, of course, it’s characters and I still find it difficult to believe that they’ve actually managed to pain a perfect picture of almost each one, despite the obvious lack of those precious inner monologues. You can see true fear in Sansa’s eyes replacing the dreamy gaze as she realizes how monstrous her “true knight” is, feel the love building between Dany and her Khal, see how sad and truly lost Cat is despite her best efforts to keep her composure and understand that Cersei could have been a completely different queen, if she had not been denied the place in Robert’s heart.


4. The budget is $6 million per episode. Compare to Walking Dead at $2.7 million per episode. And while GoT‘s budget is somewhat average for a big production series, the fact that HBO committed these resources toward an unproven show says a lot about the network’s confidence of success. Early shots of sets, special effects and the cast show the money is being well spent.


5. Befitting an incredibly popular series, the books are packed with chapter after chapter that abruptly end in cliffhangers. The dialogue is often funny, acerbic and sometimes even heart-breaking. Though the books are as thick as phone directories, the story moves quickly, and it’s almost guaranteed to surprise you. In all my years of reading, seldom has a plot twisted so suddenly that I am shocked enough to say something like “Holy —-” out loud. A Song of Ice and Fire has done that to me many times, and HBO’s adaptation looks to follow.


6. Martin weaves an incredibly complex story that encompasses thousands of miles, dozens of characters and a history that spans thousands of years. Yet, it’s easy to follow and just as compelling to read. To tempt you further, Martin was called “the American Tolkien” by Time Magazine. This is mentioned not to start a flame war or suggest he is the be-all, end-all of fantasy, but to illustrate how good his writing is. Further, Martin is credited, along with executive producers David Benioff and Dan Weiss, as a writer of the series.

10 reasons you should be watching Game of Thrones


7. Because Game of Thrones is so driven by character development, casting needed to take precedence over everything else. And it appears that casting director Nina Gold understood this imperative. There are few household names in the cast, much like HBO’s other huge success, Band of Brothers. Plus, most of the choices seem perfectly spot-on at first glance: e.g., Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister, John Bradley as Samwell Tarly, Kit Harrington as Jon Snow, Conan Stevens as Gregor Clegane …


8. Now, I’m no hater of fantasy, but it’s hard to argue that it is not a genre that’s gotten a little… well, stale. What creativity! You know the score. GoT on the other hand, whilst not re-inventing the genre, typically avoids the all-so-often jarring clichés that are associated with it. For one, it has strong female characters that don’t just wear strange spiky bikinis. Take Daeneryes Targaryen for example. Or Arya Stark.


10 reasons you should be watching Game of Thrones


10 reasons you should be watching Game of Thrones



9. Being based on a best-selling series of novels is always a good start, but the pacing of Game of Thrones, from episode one of season one, has always been perfectly measured. Granted, there are some episodes that focus more on character development than plot, but these are meaty enough to keep you sustained until the plot starts rolling again. Key to this, I think, is the lack of a singular main protagonist for the show. Of course, the show does focus on significant groups of characters, but their breadth, scope and variance is extremely refreshing when compared to limited casts of most identikit TV shows, and even films of a similar genre, like Lord of the Rings.


10. The last on my list of reasons to watch The Game of Thrones might not mean much to some, yet it definitely makes the picture perfect! All of those wonderful lands and landscapes used really make a medieval-looking Westeros seem unbelievably real, helping even the least attentative of Martin’s readers see what the author has seen himself. This world of dragons, knights, kings, castles and magic is something you’ll definitely enjoy being a part of from time to #time, yet we’re talking about a really serious, believable story here, one that would not mock your wits and will be welcomed by more mature audience. Here's a real setting used in the show.


10 reasons you should be watching Game of Thrones



This setting is in Northern Ireland about 1 hour and 30 minutes north of Belfast (63 miles) to Downhill beach. This beautiful 7 mile stretch of beach offer’s it’s visitor’s many great opportunities for nature walks to waterfalls, and dunes, water sports the Mussendon Temple is one of the most photographed building’s in Northern Ireland.


Seriously watch Game of Thrones. I will be waiting for season 6.


10 reasons you should be watching Game of Thrones


10 reasons you should be watching Game of Thrones
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