Game of Thrones?

[Mendalla]

There has never been much discussion around here even though it's a hot topic in many places. I haven't seen the TV show and have only the read the first book of the novel series (which is called A Song of Ice and Fire with A Game of Thrones as the first novel) so have only been peripherally interested. Any fans on here? What did you think of the final season? It seems to be rather controversial on many of the sites I frequent.

I'm also tempted to start getting the season DVDs from my library just to see what all the fuss is about, though I'm also thinking of bypassing the show and taking another shot at reading through the novels that are finished. Maybe by the time I get there, The Winds of Winter, the long-gestating sixth book, will have been finished and published.

This is a bit of freewheeling thread where the show and novels are both open for discussion. Poll attached is purely for fun, not going to take names or compile statistics.

SPOILERS: I am cool with spoilers in the thread, but on the off chance there are fans of the TV show reading it who haven't finished season 8 (e.g. are binging it rather than watching it as it comes out), could we please put spoilers for the final season in spoiler blocks. It's not a rule, just a polite request.

The tags for "Spoiler" and "Inline Spoiler" may be found on the ... menu next to the smiley icon.

 

[Mendalla]

Interestingly, Homebrewed Christianity did a two parter on GoT with the authors of a book on GoT and religion. The first is with A. Ron of the media discussion podcast Bald Move and the second is with Dr. Anthony Le Donne, a professor of New Testament from United Theological Seminary.

A. Ron of Bald Move: Game of Thrones and Professional Podcasting

trippfuller.com

Anthony Le Donne: Learning Religion in the Game of Thrones

trippfuller.com

 

[ninj]

I"like get to the podcasts when I can load them.
I was one of those people proud of not seeing a single episode. I don't like excess gratuitous violence.
One episode after years of resisting, I was hooked. My hugest beef was the literally dark production value....to hide cgi?
Anyway, not for everyone certainly, but as a sometime fantasy fan, I found it irresistible.
I didn't see the final episode. I have heard it's a great disappointment, especially to those parents who named their girls Daenarys or Kaleesi.

 

[Lastpointe]

Our kids watched it and really suggest we start. As a general rule I like what they recommend so we might start it.

 

[Mendalla]

especially to those parents who named their girls Daenarys or Kaleesi.

Naming your kids after fictional characters who may or may not survive the story they are in is a bit of risk. They took it. It's on them. I hope their kids disown them and change their names to "Three-eyed Raven" or something else more suitable.

 

[ninj]

Our kids watched it and really suggest we start. As a general rule I like what they recommend so we might start it.

It's pretty edgy viewing. You need a thick skin and a sense of humour...sometimes tasteless humour. Words that might offend....lots of cautions.
Oh, and tons of violence of the "comic book" type.

Peter Dinklage owned the series IMO. Amazing actor.

 

[BetteTheRed]

My daughter convinced me to watch the first episode with her. It was fine, but it just didn't lodge in my psyche. I'm a bit 'meh' about violence in general, although I love Shameless, which is quite realistically violent, often, so it wasn't just that. Maybe I should try a book and see how that moves me.

 

[GO3838]

I never watched it (I'm trying to watch less TV, not more.)

A lot of posters on this thread have mentioned the explicit and gratuitous violence and language.
I would point out that most HBO dramas are like that. it's a hallmark of HBO drama.

I watched HBO's "Rome," and quite enjoyed the characters, the plots, and the irony. But I really had to look beyond the language.
(Seriously, would Romans, Greeks, Egyptians, and Zealots use the f-word as often as modern gangs in the hood?)

I watched the first two episodes of HBO's "Westworld" in a free preview, and was quite intrigued with the writing and filming challenge of showing the same scenario over and over again with only slight differences. But I really had to focus on the story, and try not to notice the language and violence (and the especially disturbing objectification of women.)

So I would say HBO dramas are definitely "outside the box" with their creativity, irony, location, and camerawork.
But you have to look well beyond the offensive language and violence to appreciate those features, and I expect "Game of Thrones"
is no exception to this HBO rule.

 

[BetteTheRed]

Funny enough, language rarely offends me, unless there's a threatening element to it. The F-bomb? No bomb to someone who visits family in the U.K. every few years. I have to retrain my tongue to a certain extent when I get back.

 

[ninj]

Funny enough, language rarely offends me, unless there's a threatening element to it. The F-bomb? No bomb to someone who visits family in the U.K. every few years. I have to retrain my tongue to a certain extent when I get back.

Mostly alternate names for lady parts in GOT... I have to curb the f bomb a lot. It's like the script to TrailerPark Boys is running in my head.

 

[GO3838]

The F-bomb? No bomb to someone who visits family in the U.K. every few years.

No bomb for me either who works in a high school.
(But at school I'm being paid to deal with the language. )

I push back on the pop culture expectation that a good drama has to have obscene language.
(I believe that "Rome" would have been even better than it was if they took out the modern
expletives and derogatory language.)

This year, I did assignments with "Jaws," and Hitchcock's "Dial M for Murder," and students commented on they were surprised that movies with simple, ordinary "clean" dialogue could be that good. I practically opened up a whole new world for them.

 

[Luce NDs]

No bomb for me either who works in a high school.
(But at school I'm being paid to deal with the language. )

I push back on the pop culture expectation that a good drama has to have obscene language.
(I believe that "Rome" would have been even better than it was if they took out the modern
expletives and derogatory language.)

This year, I did assignments with "Jaws," and Hitchcock's "Dial M for Murder," and students commented on they were surprised that movies with simple, ordinary "clean" dialogue could be that good. I practically opened up a whole new world for them.

Brave new worlds are closer than we could mortally imagine!