So I’ve decided to simply post 2 mini-reviews every fortnight for Game of Thrones. I know I called them mini-reviews last time and they were each about as long as a Song of Fire and Ice book, but this time I’m going try to be…dear God…..succinct (yeah, you’re right, it won’t happen). Continue reading
I noted in my review of Mad Men’s season 7 premiere that compared to Mad Men, shows like Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones are less thematically driven and more story oriented. This generalisation does something of a diservice to the way Benioff and Weiss shape the individual chapters of their Game of Thrones saga. Undoubtedly Mad Men doesn’t have the same narrative drive and sprawling scope of Game of Thrones, but neither is Game of Thrones simply a series that moves characters from A to B (very slowly) in order to fulfil the endgame of a complicated narrative structure. In the moments between the beheadings and wedding ceremonies, Game of Thrones episodes are cleverly composed to create, if not thematic unity, then at least a sense of cohesion that stops the show from becoming a series of disparate vignettes that just happen to take place in the same universe.
*There is very little in the way of spoilers here and I currently have no knowledge of events beyond Season 1, episode 4.
First off, can someone please change the show’s title to ‘Games of Thrones’ because that is how I always see it in my head and it ain’t changing anytime soon.
Anywho (greatest segue ever) it is clear that Game of Thrones has become a cultural phenomenon over the last 3 years. On top of being the most illegally downloaded television program in Australia, my Facebook newsfeed becomes a smorgasbord of people moaning about detested or annoying characters or posting horrified memes when a beloved character dies. Sometimes I’m inclined to take the pretentious route and ignore super popular shows just to be different and contrarian (as I’ve done with shows like Suits), but I also have a fear of missing out on significant moments and movements in popular culture and Game of Thrones with its legions of fans, HBO cred and critical acclaim gave me a massive FOMO pop-culture hard on (a phrase I swear I’ll never repeat).
I Likes What I Likes 