You really do not want to miss the best show on TV and here is why!
The long-awaited premier of Season 5 of Game of Thrones aired last Sunday, surrounded by yet another leak scandal. But the epic number of downloads in less than an hour proved something we already know – the George Martin-based fantasy epic is now firmly a part of our pop culture. So if you do not know what the show is about, I do not know what you’ve bee doing for the last five years.
Still if you are wonder whether to give it a try or not, here are eight reasons why you will fall in love with Game of Thrones!
The cast
We have seen the Renaissance of TV in the last few years, with Oscar-winning actors not shy to show their skill on the small screen. Game of Thrones makes no difference, but the executive producers also understood the importance of betting of fresh new faces. This way the cast of the show relies on a blend between superstars like Sean Bean, Lena Headey and Charles Dance and completely unknown faces like Sophie Turner, Maisie Williams, Kit Harrington or Emilia Clarke.
What sets Game of Thrones apart from so many other shows is the fact there isn’t a single poor casting choice. And we are not talking about the main characters – even secondary roles receive a well-deserved attention. Take for example heroes like Jorah Mormont or Melisandre – who are played by outstanding and accomplished actors like Ian Glenn and Carice van Houten. Add to that the fact that the young actors have all done a fantastic job and you will understand why the quality of the show is so high!
The story
Hats off to George Martin here, but we should also not underestimate the creative role of executive producers D.B. Weiss and Daniel Benioff. HBO was the right company to take on the project because there are very few other broadcasting channels that would invest in such a complicated project with so many plotlines, important characters, different settings and the length of the material. To be honest I cannot think of another TV show that deals with such a complicated story and at the same time remains fast, action-based and sprints through the story as a racing F1 car.
The settings
Speaking of the settings – the show is utterly unrivaled in this regard. Game of Thrones feels much more like a big screen movie than a regular TV show when it comes to production design and the material background. Can you think of another TV series that shoots in Croatia, Iceland, Spain and Ireland all at the same time? When you see the stunning vistas of the Wall and Castle Black, King’s Landing or Mereen you know this cannot be CGI – at least not all of it.
The settings feel almost like a character of their own – especially when it comes to depicting the harsh conditions of the North. It also adds an extra level of authenticity that no film studio can reach.
The shocking turns
OK, I promise I will not give you any spoilers here – after all you have not watched a single episode of the show. Be advised though – do not settle down on your sofa, waiting happily for the next episode. Because it is very likely to break your heart or freak you out – depends on whose side you root for.
Game of Thrones redefined terms like “shocking” or “surprising turn” when it comes to television. Again, all of this is based on the books so the readers were prepared for the mind-blowing plot turns. But there were people who were left perturbed and thought there was a mistake and all this would come undone later in the story. Nope, all the death is real.
The level of screenplay
Once again – unrivaled on television. Borrowing much from George Martin himself, the screenwriters expanded the dialogues, inserted some momentous monologues and overall set the bar as high as possible.
The actors themselves have praised the material they work with and even veteran Charles Dance went as far as saying this might have been the best script he has ever seen in his career.
And as Robin Williams once said there is no better sign of the quality of a movie than the lines that remain after it. Well, think about “Winter is coming”, “You know nothing, Jon Snow”, “All men must die” – you get the picture?
The characters
So easy to fall in love with at least two or three of the main characters, if not all of them. It is even easier to root for them and then cry when they lose (that’s what usually happens on the show, sooner or later). And it is so because despite depicting a fantasy world, Game of Thrones remains mainly about the interaction of characters, about purely realistic emotions, about choices that most of us have faced at a certain stage of our life. The realism of characters like Tyrion, Jamie Lannister, Sansa or Catelyn Stark is so vivid you almost feel you know them better than your friends and family.
The action
Game of Thrones is hugely entertaining because it never stops at one place, it keeps going at a furious pace. And most of it comes with a banging amount of action – sword duels, massive battles, dragons burning anything within reach. Not to mention mountain climbing a 700-feet wall of ice and depicting one of the most epic naval battle sequences ever seen on TV.
Just because it is too cool and trendy not to like it
If any or all of the aforementioned reasons have not yet convinced you to start watching the show, consider this. If you go out for a coffee with your friends and you are under the age of sixty, there is a good chance at least half of the people present are die-hard fans of Game of Thrones and the rest have watched it. I myself do not know anybody in my circle who does not follow it. So unless you want to be the odd one out for no good reason, I suggest you make some amends right away!
