Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Game of Thrones
While I will be the first one to admit that I was a hater from the start, three days after I decided to finally dive in HBO's new hit show Game of Thrones, I was caught up to this current season. Through these 11 hours of mystic battles and back stabbing, I sat there, completely engaged and infatuated by the story of the 7 Kingdoms. While the scenery and costumes are spectacular and the casting could not have been more appropriate, the plots within plots of this show is truly what has intrigued me to watch up until the point where I could only wait until Sundays at 9 to watch a new episode.
I feel that while there are too many subplots for anyone to keep track of, the ultimate theme of this show is exactly what we have spoken about in this class; that life is truly a game. Throughout Season 1, each of the four major families back stab and scheme there way around their land and every single action they take has a strategic reasoning behind it. Each family has aspirations of gaining the throne and marriages are set up and prisoners are taken in order to secure a chance at taking the throne. Relationships are made and are broken all because of the "game of thrones", every single decision must be well thought out to make sure that nobody is outwitting or outplaying them in the ultimate game of power. On top aspect of the show is the lengths at which the "players" of the show will go to assure victory or at least maintain the status quo. The directors do a fantastic job of showing just how brutal the game of thrones can be in medieval times as they have no mercy in getting rid of or killing off major characters of the show.
What nobody knows is who will win this game, or how long it will last. But what we do know is war is coming and the Starks, Lannisters, Targarians and Baratheans better get their armies ready because based on just the first 12 episodes of the show so far, I can guarantee that the game of thrones takes precedent over everything and all decisions and all other aspects of life revolve around the throne, directly or indirectly, intentionally or unintentionally. The only question that remains is who has the strategy and capability to win the game of thrones and take over the 7 kingdoms.
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First off, I am also a huge fan of the show. As I was reading this post, I started to think of the various "games" that have taken place in the show thus far. In almost every episode there are examples of trickery and backstabbing in order to gain power within the kingdoms. One of the times I related the show to game theory was when Rob Stark lead his army against Tyrian Lannister and his army. The Lannister’s were expecting an opponent of 20,000 men, when in reality they only fought off 2,000 soldiers. While they thought they were slaughtering the enemy, Rob Stark led a secret mission to capture the brother of the queen. Jaime Lannister certainly means more to the Starks alive than dead, so they keep him as a prisoner and a trading tool. Another example of gaming in the show is when Tyrian Lannister is in court and requests a trial by combat. He, as a dwarf, cannot fight himself, and then asks the crowd if anyone would fight for me. At first, it appears like no one will fight for him, as the crowd laughs and brushes off his offer. Everything changes when Tyrian states that his father is the richest man in all the kingdoms. He also states that the Lannister motto is that “A Lannister always pays their debt.” So, after the possibility of becoming rich is brought into the equation, everything changes. A man steps forward to defend Tyrian, and kills the man defending the King’s widow. The show is based off a series of games within games. The large game focuses on keeping the “white-walkers” and mutants out of the seven kingdoms. The smaller games lie south of “the wall.” Families and groups of people are forming armies and making demands to try to gain access to the Iron Throne. Time after time, power shifts and new families come into power. It will be interesting to see where the power lies after this season.
ReplyDeleteRight now its Sunday at 10:30 at night and I just finished watching the third episode of the second season. I have to agree with your experience with this show. At first I thought that this was a weird mideivel show that would be of no interest to me. Then of course after watching the first few episodes I was hooked. The plot of the show is fantastic and very suspenseful. Its really intriguing to see how all of the different "players" make decisions and manipulate others in order to gain power. My favorite character in the show was Lord Stark from the first episode. I really enjoyed his personality and I was devastated when King Geoffry killed him for treason, when in reality Stark was the most loyal to the king of all. I hope King Geoffry gets killed at some point during this season because I strongly dislike him. I am already excited for the episode next sunday @ 9 PM.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with what you guys are saying. I think Game of Thrones is one of the most well-made and interesting shows on television today. The quality of the camerawork paired with the amazing costumes and sceneries makes you feel as if you were living in the medieval age. The amount of persuasion and wit required for success keeps the story interesting. The anticipation for the massive war builds as each episode ends with the viewer curious as to what will ensue. Game of Thrones adds the element of fantasy with the white-walkers, witches, and dragons to make the show more interesting for its viewers.
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