It’s very awkward when your parents decide to watch "Game of Thrones" with you—especially when they watch the very graphic scenes and then ask, “Why do you watch this?”
To give them credit, I don’t always like the violence in the show, especially the scenes involving women and children. Others use my shy, sensitive personality as a basis of judgment in comparison to the violent power struggle that is "Game of Thrones."
So, why do I like it? Well, maybe it’s because I’m a sucker for the fantasy genre. I grew up reading fantasy books and they inspired me to become a writer.
The show itself capitalizes on the fantasy genre by pulling together a multitude of myths and legends, with characters such as dragons and animated corpses. Apart from the fantastic fables, the show also does an amazing job of creating complex characters whose storylines are intricately woven together. It is easy to become attached to these characters when—almost inevitably—something horrible happens to them. You really feel for them and truly hope that they'll be okay. In most cases, these hopes are futile.
Still, as the audience, we cling to these hopes—even though the writers have proven time and time again that when you play the game of thrones, you win or you die. Now that the numbers of viable winners are dwindling, the golden questions are: who will be left, and who is going to take the iron throne? I’m not sure who will win, but personally have an unshakable image of Daenerys storming Westeros flanked by her dragons (another favorite mythical species of mine).
Aside from dragons, the show also introduces its own equivalent of zombies (called White Walkers), wolves, witches, people who can look through the eyes of animals, giants, and much more. "Game of Thrones" also has really impressive special effects, so seeing these creatures on screen—even as they murder your favorite characters—surpasses expectations.
Still, this show is definitely not for everyone. It’s violent, dark, graphic, and horrible things do happen. The treatment of women is wildly upsetting, for one. My dad watched on in horror as one of the characters was assaulted, and believe me, I struggled to explain that the show isn't always this disturbing. My dad, being the understanding person he is, believed me and continued to watch with intrigue. However, not everyone may be able to stomach such excitement.
For me, this excitement fuels my adrenaline. I’m still always wondering what’s going to happen after each episode, theorizing who might die next, and reading other people’s reactions on social media. However, I think the most pressing question is: who is going to sit on the iron throne in the end? Will there finally be peace in the world after years and years of violence? Or is war inevitable no matter who sits on the throne? Will there even be an iron throne after all of this comes to an end?
My theory is that the iron throne will get destroyed by the dragons, making it impossible for anyone to sit on the throne at all. This way, the houses would have to rule their respective parts of land instead of interfering with each other and inciting conflict. This is just one theory among many others that may argue for the complete opposite outcome. Still, it's fun debating what might happen and hearing what other people have to say.
"Game of Thrones" is also an entertaining way to learn history. Some aspects are based on real events such as the War of the Roses, which was a series of wars for control of England's throne in the 15th century. It’s cool to watch this historical fiction as it plays out, because who else doesn’t want to see dragons while also learning about how messed up British rulers were back in the day?
