Why I Watch Game of Thrones

Well it's here, season 6 of Game of Thrones is only days away and right in time for dead week/finals week (thanks HBO). I have papers galore, a test to study for and a room to pack up but I am going to make time to watch the premiere of my favorite show on television. This will be a very basic, very spoiler free post so you guys can experience it unlike what my friends had to endure when i tried to get them to watch Breaking Bad. So why is Game of Thrones my favorite show I watch?

Characters

Too many names to so who everyone is, and this isn't even half of the cast.

Normally, a show has maybe at most 10 really strong characters that are considered main or supporting characters that you either love to root for or love to root for their demise. GoT really goes against this generic plot as there are twenty characters pictured above and there are even more characters that have recurring roles with them like Davos, Shyreen or even Hodor! Each character brings something different to the story and nobody is just "filler" characters. Even characters in the same "roles" they have traits that make them incredibly different from one another.

Take Cersei Lannister versus Daenerys Targaryen for example.

Cersei Lannister (played by Lena Headey)

Daenerys Targaryen (played by Emilia Clarke)

Both women are powerful rulers in their own respects and both queens at some point or another, (trying to remain accurate and as spoiler free as possible), but each rule very differently. Daeny is much more compassionate than Cersei is and her story arc shows how that works to her advantage and causes problems that due to her youth, she doesn't know how to combat. Cersei is a cunning, manipulative and stubborn ruler who knows how to get what she wants from those around her as well as the people of the kingdom. On top of that, Cersei is a very troubled person overall. She has problems in relationships, gaining respect and to be seen as the most powerful Lannister. Daeny wants to eventually take the iron throne, but also knows that she must be different than her father dubbed the mad king and has a daunting task ahead of her.

Only one person can sit on top of the iron throne but who will it be? Any of the characters have a shot at it throughout the series so your guess right now is as good as mine.

Violence:

"The Hound" versus Brienne of Tarth in a violent fight. Photo: HBO

The choreographed fight scenes are awesome and the stunt/actors to get it just right. The fights are brutal, personal and emotional even when it comes to armies fighting against armies. The big battles are similar to Saving Private Ryan in brutality as the emotions of being in battle and its effects are apparent as the actors portray their characters. Even extras in the final battle of Blackwater, as Tyrion is looking around are able to look disparaged, downtrodden and as scared as Peter Dinklage is portraying Tyrion.

Episodic:

There are few shows that I don't attempt to binge watch if I have the option. With netflix and youtube for example, I can find full series online and just catch up there or they are released all at once and my lack of self control has me waste an entire weekend enjoying the show then falling into a depression knowing I have to wait for another season a year (or longer) from that point. GoT is different though. Enough drama, plotting, action and comedy all occur in one episode for me and when the first episodes of season 5 were leaked early, I still waited for them to air on HBO before I watched them. The show, like the books, is so much better a little at a time and I for one wouldn't have it any other way.

Scenery:

The locations used to film Game of Thrones are in a word, stunning. As the show jumps around to the various lands of Westeros, different outdoor locations need to be used. From frozen wastelands of the north, to the southern peninsula of Bravos and the crowning jewel of Westeros King's Landing, every location is entrancing and doesn't look like it could be anywhere in existence today.

Daenerys Targaryen's kingdom of Mereen

The foreign nation of Dorne's royal palace. Photo:HBO

The Wall, the gateway to the populated/civilized North. Photo: HBO

 Check out my other post to get you ready for season 6 this Sunday on HBO.