Game of Thrones: Why is it loved so much?

[AlexWinter]

1. Plot
2. Characters
3. Nudity
4. Mystery
5. Popularity - what I mean by this is that because GoT is so popular it draws even more people in.

Blood and Gore, you forgot blood and gore.

Oh yeah. Sword fights.

Oh you'd hate his descriptions then. Seriously though, some of the way he describes food actually has me salivating while reading.

Really? I find them ranging between bland and creepy.

 

[piinyouri]

I just now realized that the first two episodes of season 3 had barely any T&A at all. And you know what? I don't even give a fuck. Looking back at the previous seasons, it now seems like an unnecessary distraction that has no bearing on my enjoyment of the show. I hope they continue to tone it down.

I don't mind it toned down, either. I expect they don't really need it now, though we still saw Bronn & that woman almost go at it.


The books do feature it, but not as heavily. The love between Ser Loras & Renly was implied rather than explicit, for example.

And one delightfully insane ************.

Oh! You mean Joffrey. Or Melisandre. Or Aeron Damphair. Or maybe Thoros, Ramsay Bolton, Oberyn Martell, Leyton Hightower, Pyat Pree, Kraznys, Viserys, Aerys the Mad King, the High Sparrow, Archmaester Marwyn, or Lisa Arryn (or her son).

Wait, did you mean Euron Greyjoy?

Hahahaha yeah, that's true.

I meant Jaime though, he was the first I saw of the show, and it was the scene where he goes from giving an uplifting talk to a young lad with whom he's imprisoned, to violently and unceremoniously strangling /or beating his face to death.

One hell of a first impression.

 

[Tirak]

I've read the books cover to cover and I want to say it's the Vorkosigan Saga as written in the medieval era with more incest, pedophilia and disturbing imagery simply because the only well balanced competent if slightly manic person left is Tyrion, who has so many parallels with Miles I have to think that Martin was cribbing notes from Lois McMaster-Bujold. Seriously, their both dwarfs, they're both extremely quick witted and charming. Tyrion tames the mountain folk, Miles creates the Dendarii Mercenaries. Both are members of extremely powerful families. The list goes on.

That's being generous though, for characters, seriously, every single Stark is a Mary Sue. I can't tell you how without giving spoilers, but they can do no wrong, and yes I know what happens to Rob, but he fills his Mary Sue archetype to a T before it happens being the only good king, Kind brave strong and smart ect.ect.ect.

 

[Aramis Night]

From what I'vge seen, it's just another show that advertises itself as some epic mid evil saga yet it's just talking and nudity.

Basically, it's popular because of fanservice. And yet people hate Anime for doing the same thing.

No. Just No. I love the show. And i tend to be turned off to anything at the first sign of base manipulation. Nudity on TV or in movies tends to turn me off from a show. Only time i take any pleasure in seeing a woman naked is when i'm in the bed with them. Otherwise, what's the point. In a show its just an annoyance that i either sit uncomfortably through or take the opportunity to get up and get a drink or use the restroom, assuming i like the show enough to put up with it at all(rare). Then again, i'm not big on porn either. Its not me having sex so why should i be excited?

But GoT is an amazing show that i find is well worth sitting through the nudity because of the story and seeing how it all fits together like an elaborate puzzle where the shapes themselves move and change shape. You find yourself identifying with and rooting for different characters and sometimes they will even change your mind about them for better or worse. Its just so much awesome character development. And you just want to see how it all turns out and who manages to survive. It is just a great series of personal stories all intertwined.

 

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

Spoiler: Just wait for the Littlefinger dance parties

Seriously though, I love the books. So glad I got into it. Fantasy is one of my favorite genres and George Martin weaves his world well. The television show I have far less experience with. Haven't seen season 2 yet...

 

[WouldYouKindly]

Because George RR Martin is a fucking wizard

Spoiler

He made me like Jaime, a character who's first meaningful action is to push a child out of a window because he saw him fucking his sister who also is the queen. Cersei can still fuck right off, though it will be fun to watch what happens to her

I also enjoy the way it injects real world medieval politics into a fantastical world without everything fitting together in a disjointed way.

 

[AlbertoDeSanta]

It's just damn good. The characters are nicely done, enough that you like them alot or loathe them to the core (Fuck you Joffrey). The acting is amazing. The script is amazing. It is amazing. One of the best shows on TV.

Peter. Fucking. Dinklage.

Really is there anything else to say?

Literally this.

 

[Zeraki]

Two words... Tyrion Lannister.


The plot and characters are the reason this show is so loved. It's a very complex plot with many, many characters and stories to keep track of. It's a very addicting show once you start watching.

 

[Soviet Heavy]

Because it isn't another fucking Cop Drama that are plaguing TV channels. That alone makes it worth watching. That it is also a smart show with downright incredible production values and a strong main cast are just bonuses after passing the first hurdle.

 

[Yuuki]

Think of Witcher 2 but 1000x better.

 

[RyQ_TMC]

I'm guessing well-made, high production values and such. A lot of my friends love the show. I don't really share that sentiment, but that might be because I read the books first so I know what will happen.

As for the popularity of the series in book form... One, it's well-written. Two, it plays into "OMG REALISM!!!!", which means that instead of romantic medieval stereotypes, it has modern medieval stereotypes (so a modern audience considers it more historically realistic*). Instead of shining armour, everyone's covered in shit from head to toe. Three, it does a pretty good job of portraying a feudal society - something a lot of ostensibly feudal fantasy settings have trouble doing. Four, it probably gets a lot of mileage from gore & titties.

To be fair, it gets predictable after a while. GRRM absolutely loves "challenging genre conventions", but he only knows one way to do it, so after the 500th time a protagonist's life goes to shit because they were betrayed by someone they put their trust in, you have to stifle your yawn.

I still enjoy it, though. Looking forward to the next book, but I won't be camping out in front of a bookstore for 4 years or so.

* Yes, I know it's fantasy. But medieval fantasy is often judged on how close it mimics real-world history.

 

[bartholen_v1legacy]

Because it proves that high fantasy can still be interesting, well made and have good characters. And it has tons of mind-bending twists that only fuel the fire of its awesomeness.

 

[Bat Vader]

I like it for the plot, the characters, and how no character is really safe. Plot armor doesn't seem to really exist in Game of Thrones and I like it. The main three reasons I like it are Tyrion Lannister, Petyr "Little Finger" Baelish, and Varys "The Spider". I think George R.R. Martin needs to make a spin off with those three characters planning and taking over the world.

 

[DarkhoIlow]

I love Game of Thrones because:

- Characters and their personalities are very well rounded and it's quite hard to root for only one person.

- Politics from all sides of the seven kingdoms that want to rule over everyone else, along with all the schemes and plans to win the war and the Iron Throne.

- The supernatural element or magic that is going on which is very subtle and not fully developed adds more intrigue to the whole matter, letting your imagination run wild.

- The setting, although not high fantasy, it is still a genre that is one of my favorites. I really like the medieval times with knights and everything that revolves around that period.

- DRAGONS, -THERE ARE DRAGONS IN IT!!!!!- . I can't stress this enough. Who here doesn't like dragons? Let's be serious now...

- The mystery is fantastic, letting you think when certain things happen and they don't quite explain it. I really love a series that makes you speculate about what's going on.

These are but a few reasons why I love this series so much. I will get around to reading the books eventually, I just have to finish the StarCraft novels first which take forever for my busy scheduel.

 

[DementedSheep]

I read the books, I like them even though in my opinion they are starting to drag on too long, pissing about too much and I don?t need to know exactly what everyone is damn well eating! Most of the characters have their own motivations and justifications rather than into being strictly good vs evil (though there is the white walkers who presumably are going to be the big bad at some point but they still haven?t done a heck of a lot), I like that it has red hearing and doesn't point everything out and politics are fun.

The show I watched some of but I didn't really get into it.I don't watch much tv in the first place and tend to get bored of it. I've all ready read the books and I don't like watching awkward sex scenes...or reading them for that matter but the books I can just gloss over that part. I don't have a problem with them showing it for moral reason or anything like that. I just don't like watching them.

 

[Kenbo Slice]

Snip

You know, I tried getting into Spartacus but I just couldn't. I didn't care for the style. It worked for me in 300, but I honestly can't watch a whole series of it.

 

[Amaror]

I think a lot of people are in it for the tits. I liked the props and costumes, but everything else was meh to me. Also, WHY DO YOU CONSTANTLY HAVE TO SHOW SOME RANDOM WOMAN'S TITS?

Of course, because we all know that everybody get's immensily emotionally invested in something, because there are tits in it right?
I can't remember where they show some random woman's tits. Evertime you see female breasts it makes sense for the story, or it is to show something about the characters, like what an a**hole daenerys brother is.
So i guess you haven't really seen the show and just pick on something that someone said, or what you have seen in some random trailer.
Btw. when i want to see tits, i DO NOT wait a week for a new episode of a series that might show some.

 

[Jamieson 90]

The acting is superb; even the kids are good actors! In fact I think I might be enjoying the TV series more than what I've read of the books because of the acting, and do I need to mention Peter Drinklage? Then of course we have the complex plot and sophisticated characters with busy episodes, whether it's action packed or full of lots of skullduggery or most of the time both, and to top it off we have sex, boobs and nudity, and even some male on male and female on female scenes if you play for the other team, so what's not to like?

 

[Ryan Minns]

Well... basically everything I can say has been said a lot. I just enjoy it. The characters you hate are hated because they're doing their job so well and it's rare for me to hate a character because they're supposed to be.

When i want to see tits, I DO NOT wait a week for a new episode of a series that might show some.

Although I see nothing wrong with it there is ONE thing about what you said I need to reply to. What is this might you speak of??