HBO’s “Game of Thrones” is a television adaptation of a George R. R. Martin fantasy series. The series of novels chronicle the Seven Kingdoms and the multifaceted fight for the “throne.” On June 2nd, HBO aired the 29th episode of the series. “The Rains of Castamere” is one of the most important and shocking episode to date for the series. The penultimate episode of the season may very well be my favorite.
As a fan of the show it pained me when it no longer was feasible to retain my HBO subscription. Aside from having watched the first episode of this season I had missed the roller-coaster that is “Game of Thrones.” The past few days I binged on eight episodes (thanks to a great friend!) and I am now “caught up.” And what an episode I just finished watching. I have decided to refrain from explicitly detailing major spoilers in this blog post. If you choose to seek spoilers you can search elsewhere. There are hundreds of sites with the details of Sunday’s episode.
What I will say is that Sunday’s episode is the reason why I love “Game of Thrones.” Sure the show has fantasy elements, dragons and other elements. But, what I love most in a series is the unpredictability of the plot. It is the same reason why I watch AMC’s “The Walking Dead.” I admire and seek shows in which writers aren’t afraid to kill off main characters. As a television aficionado (a fancy way of saying I watch too much TV) I have sadly witnessed many disappointing story-lines.
Well if you seek a show in which NO characters is safe then this is the show. The show killed off a major character, and probably their most famous actor, halfway through the first season. It is risks like this that I am drawn too. Yes, I know many people have threatened to boycott the show. But, c’mon seriously it is just a show. More so a show based on a book! So if a character dies in the book don’t you think that person(s) will die in an adaptation of the book?
All I can say to those weeping over dead characters:
Get over it.
It’s just a show.
Additionally, I would like irate fans of the previous episode to think about these questions:
In the grand scheme of things isn’t the episode the epitome of why you love the show?
Don’t you love the fact that NO ONE is safe and don’t you love the unpredictability of the plot?
If you reply no to any of my questions then I really don’t think this a show for you.
After all remember, this is a time of war, and in war no one is guaranteed their lives.
Sadly death is a reality of life. If you deny that truth then you deny authenticity of reality. Would you really like this show if only minor characters were ever killed?
What did you think of the last episode?
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Twitter: @adrakontaidis & @talkrealdebate
