Not just a Game of Fucking and Fighting - Why Game of Thrones is cool (spoilers)

I know, sex and violence draws in an audience. It doesn't draw me in though. I barely watch television. Violence does very little for me. Sex....I won't lie, its fun to watch. From the mother of dragons, to her recently freed advisor Missandei, to the wildling Ygritte who popped Jon Snows cherry and was a badass, to the backstabbing Shae, to scheming Queen Margery, I have found myself drooling many times throughout this HBO production. I even had man-crushes on Kahl Drogo and Grey Worm (dude, I don't care how straight you are, if Jason Momoa as a Dothraki warrior doesn't make you question your sexuality just a little bit, there is something wrong with you). But no, I don't waste my time looking at beautiful people who I haven't met every week just to fantasize, I have important shit to do.

image link me at the wall

Zombies and dragons in the same place.....this did get my attention, for sure. I do have a little time to spare for truly epic fantasy, especially if it's directed well, has a thick plot AND lots of beautiful people to boot. The way both dragons and zombies (let's call them what they are even if the books and the show don't, they're zombies) were slowly teased rather than show upfront....certainly sucked me in. But none of this explains why I watch every episode twice because I rarely watch anything twice, certainly not TV shows which are more time consuming than movies.

So what is it that draws me so deeply into the world of Ice and Fire?

I usually only spend time on media that can somehow educate me or that seems to express something that I can connect with, either spiritually or politically. There is only one other show I really care about and that's Mr. Robot. That show sucked me in with its not-so-controversial political undertones (Elliot's first monologue is so awesome) and the fact that I couldn't believe anyone could get away with creating a television show that was so critical of large corporations (I still find it a bit fishy). But when Angela starts to turn to the dark side and we see into the mind of Terry Colby, a corporatist who knowingly caused immeasurable human suffering for profit, it became clear what really impressed me about the show. There is no fairy tale good vs. evil. The very same can be said for Game of Thrones, but over the course of 7 seasons, it's gone much deeper into the complexity of human nature.

"Good and Evil" is a choice and a complicated one at that.

George R R Martin has said in various interviews that he enjoys characters who are not clear-cut good or evil, but morally grey. We all find these characters more interesting because they are more realistic. Nothing sounds off my BS detector like the whole good vs. evil cliche. It's shallow. It's not how life works. It's how some of us seem to think life works because we've seen too many stories that reinforce this shallow understanding of the world. It's really fascinating to see how Martin and the directors of the show explore the grey areas, giving us a wide palette of characters to empathize with.

Good to Bad

While there are a bunch of characters whose humanity is far too gone to ever imagine being salvaged like Walder Frey, Littlefinger or King Joffrey (it would have been nice to get more of a backstory on the kid, how did he become such a little shit?), some of the most "evil" characters show us that even beneath the worst personas, there still resides the potential for good. My favorite example of this is Jamie Lannister who goes from being an arrogant asshole who could throw a young Bran Stark out of a window without a second thought, to someone with a conscience who is looking to do the right thing. It does cost him his arm to become a decent person, but even before this, we are able to see glimpses in his humanity with his love and devotion to his family, even his brother, Tyrion, the Imp, who is seen as an embaressment by the rest of the family. When he loses his hand, he is forced to step outside of his inflated ego, and through his connection with Brienne he is able to become more empathetic, causing him to question his actions. He is still torn when it comes to many decisions, as his own position makes it difficult to determine what is right at times, but once the seed of empathy is planted, it continues to grow.

Good to Bad (to Good?)

Arya and Sansa Stark are both children when they witness their fathers death and are sent down two very different but equally tumultuous paths. They both lose their innocence; one learns to kill and ruthlessly exacts her revenge for the crimes against her family while the other becomes conniving enough to participate in the game of thrones as she pleases. One is kidnapped and later goes blind, the other forced to marry against her wishes multiple times, the last to a monster who rapes and tortures. It's easy to understand how either of them could become capable of doing totally fucked up things, and so we don't root against them (maybe Sansa a little for being such a whiny brat in the beginning) even when they act morally questionably. Arya first slaughters a single man and later an entire room full of people out of revenge for her family. Under other circumstances, we'd think of her as a monster, but as we've seen what she's been through, we empathize, at least enough to see her humanity. In last nights finale It was extremely relieving to see that she is still capable of loving her family, as it confirms that she hasn't been lost to this lust for revenge and gone fully to the dark side even if traces of it still reside within her.

Those who insist on morality

Ned Stark is probably the most morally sound character that we are introduced to during the first season and it costs him his life. We are surprised because he was being set up as the main character, not because we find it hard to believe that bad things happen to good people. In a world where people are vying for power, those who insist on morality always seems to get the shit end of the stick, at least until different forces come together around morality and a viable plan can begin to take form, one that can "break the wheel".

The two characters who emerge as main protagonists also try to uphold a certain level of morality and perhaps the only reason they are able to do so is because they have both been exiled to far corners of the earth, where they are free to cultivate their own sense of justice and dignity (Being free to insist on your own morality by distancing yourself from your culture is something I can very much relate to). Within the constraints of their native Westerosi society, neither of them would have gone far, Danny would have been killed from the start for the sins of her father, while Jon would have been a nobody with a noble father.

Ice

Jon Snow is put at a disadvantage by his name. The archaic traditions of Westeros leave him with few options, but as his destination is The Wall, the closest he can come to leaving society without leaving it, he is able to make a name for himself while insisting upon the values his father instilled in him whenever he can. He only reaches his true potential by leaving his society entirely and exploring beyond the wall, where anything goes. The only place he can overcome his restrains and be a decent person is out in the wild. It's here that he is able to build a reputation and gain the allies and influence neccessary to be himself. He is still killed for it and only magic and a cheesy prophecy are able to save him.

Fire

On the other side of the world, Danny has her own struggles. She is also out in the wild, far away from the sins of her father and her only way to gain the army and ships that she needs is to combine her decency with wits and a certain level of ruthlessness. She is constantly struggling with the complexities of the world, playing an almost impossible balancing act between strength and integrity, none of which is made easier as a woman and a foreigner in a sexist and xenophobic environment. Even she thinks Jon Snow is just too damn obsessed with honor when she meet someone him, but she likely envies this in him. Had she been able to, she would have also liked to be as upstanding as he. Luckily, she keeps good company so she never strays too far from goodness.

In Summary

Frankly speaking, this article has just been my attempt at justifiying so many hours spent in this fictional world, since I tryvto be poverty productive with my time and I'm not one to follow whatever is trending. That is not to say that this time hasn't been well spent. As I see it, the difference between art and entertainment is that art carries a deeper meaning or significance, and by that definition, A Song of Ice and Fire and it's subsequent television series are works of art. Perhaps you have come to your own conclusions about the deeper meanings behind this brilliant work of fiction and I'd very much like to hear them. Please comment.

And since he was hardly mentioned here, let me just add.... mad love for the imp, Peter Dinklage is a total boss!

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