Is Game of Thrones Worth Watching (& for the Second Time?)
Game of Thrones is no doubt one of the most popular TV shows of our time. Whether you have read the books or not, you probably know something about the story. You must have seen countless scenes, spoilers, and Tweets about the last season. But is Game of Thrones worth watching and should you re-watch it?
Game of Thrones is definitely a show worth watching. It is intense, bloody, political, and dramatic. Don’t get too attached to the characters, however, since every episode is a major risk for your favorites. But, since it can take up a lot of your time due to its long episodes, maybe it is not worth watching twice.
Why is it worth watching and how long is it really, find out in this article. Whether you are a fan or quite the opposite, it is the story that can get you addicted – even if the execution is not satisfactory to you!
Why is Game of Thrones worth watching?
Game of Thrones is an American fantasy drama series aired on HBO. It is based on the book A song of ice and fire by George R.R. Martin. This series is created by David Benioff and D.B Weiss. This series has 8 seasons to date.
First of all, the characters are very interesting. They are portrayed as real people with flaws, motives, traumas, and ambitions. The relationships between the characters are complex and if you have read the books you know exactly why someone acts the way they do.
The show itself can’t explain every detail and can leave you wondering or hating characters just because you don’t understand them well. But what the show does well is changing your mind about them – sympathy happens once a certain character reveals his backstory. The best thing about this show is that nothing is black and white. Every event happens in shades of gray to seem more real and to let the audience decide how they feel about it.
The characters are very diverse, and many can relate. Dwarves, orphans, bastard sons… they are the main characters. They are not perfect and they are not the typical stereotypes of mighty heroes and powerful men. They show that everyone is able to get success, revenge, and be a beloved character.
Unfortunately, the last season does not really do it that well. The characters act completely unexpectedly, make decisions based on the moment and it seems like all the character development has been destroyed. Last season is a big no and it makes the show not worth rewatching.
The storyline is just beautiful. While the basic storyline is that many royal families fought for an iron throne, that is not all. You might think it sounds boring and dull but there is so much more happening.
Sharp and brilliant writing of the creators will always make you crave for more. The script is intelligent, the jokes are witty, the consequences are always there for everyone. Fortune favors no one in this series.
The effort did not go unnoticed. The series has received 47 primetime Emmy awards, including outstanding drama series in 2015, 2016, and 2018, more than any other primetime scripted television series. Its other awards include three Hugo awards for best dramatic presentation 2012 to 2014, a 2011 Peabody award, and five nominations for the Golden Globe award for best television series – drama.
Game of Thrones was filmed in some of the world’s exotic places, which include Northern Ireland, Croatia, Spain, Scotland, Morocco, Malta, and Iceland. The visuals are a real treat!
The home base for the production team of the Game of Thrones TV adaptation is in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Most of the interior sets are located at their studios in Belfast, including the massive Paint Hall studio. The King’s Landing exteriors were filmed in Dubrovnik, Croatia. The executive producer David Benioff even claimed Dubrovnik was exactly the place they had in mind after reading the descriptions in the books.
The City Walls of Dubrovnik are the medieval walls of Dubrovnik around the Old City are a UNESCO World Heritage site. The massive stone walls are located directly on the coast, similar to descriptions of King’s Landing in the novels.
This allows fans to visit the realistic exterior of King’s Landing and make the story come to life. Croatia and Spain were the countries with the most locations used for Game of Thrones. This ensured the rich exterior which looked so powerful on the screen.
Honest Characters
The immense pantheon of diverse characters are locked in a race stick their tushes on the Iron Throne. If there is one single reason the show is so successful, it is because these characters feel so real, their actions so honest.
Ned Stark, dutiful and honor-bound, is tragically beheaded because he is unwilling to lie. If he had made even the smallest concession with his words, the spy Varys tells him, he could have lived to see his daughters. But he cannot. It is his nature to die for his word.
This leaves his wife, Lady Stark, who before had been a revered leader and loving mother, to descended further and further into madness. Unable to cope with the loss of her husband, she seeks revenge by capturing Tyrion Lannister, who she fails to kill anyway.
A final and perhaps best example is Arya Stark, who at the outset of the series is little more than a helpless child. Once she witnesses her father’s execution however, she sets out on a path of becoming the most dangerous and lethal version of herself.
She ends up making a list of enemies to be murdered – her revenge list. In the course of crossing off the names, Arya even serves one of her victims a pie containing the bodies of his family members. At that point, she’s certainly no longer hapless.
The characters are alive with emotion – hatred, love, resentment, resignation. And it’s these emotions that drive them to rape, murder, kill, steal and lie their way onto the Iron Throne. It’s a mad, lovable mess.
You’ll Recognize Parts of Yourself
Another reason that the show is so popular is that there are so many characters to love – or hate. If you’re the dutiful type, then you’ll be drawn to Ned Stark and Jon Snow. Perhaps you’re a bit more chaotic, pensive and strategic, you might root for Tyrion Lannister.
If you’re full of will and capable of doing whatever it takes, you’ll love Daenerys Targaryen or Cersei Lannister. Or maybe you’re the loyal supporter type like Sir Jorah Mormont or Jaime Lannister. Even if you’re sinister and sneaking, you can root for Little Finger.
Quiet and bookish? Samwell Tarly. Arrogant and horny? Theon Greyjoy. Looking out for yourself and getting laughs? Bronn of the Blackwater. Patient and altruistic, if a bit sneaky? Varys.
The point is this: you’ll have a team to root for. Episode by episode, the characters will capture your heart and agitate your moral compass. You’ll be infuriated with Jamie and Cersei for maiming Bran Stark. But you’ll appreciate how Jamie treats Tyrion.
Game of Thrones is worth watching because it provides so many examples of the best and the worst traits that lay dormant in all of us.
How did Game of Thrones become so popular?
The Pilot episode was aired on 17th April 2011. here are some of the reasons behind the hype over Game of Thrones.
- The books were already popular and well known so the TV adaptation was already anticipated. The fans were looking forward to it and were ready to stream it on HBO as soon as the first episode aired. The Pilot episode left a lot of open-ended questions that forced people to speculate, talk about it, make some fan theories.
George R. R. Martin even worked on some episodes so the fans were not afraid of being disappointed. The books were not copied but only served as the basis.
- The show was brutal and bloody, it was very engaging and set up the political wars right from the start.
- It was real and raw, there were blood and nudity which made the show seem less artificial and also gained popularity among the younger viewers who wished to see the forbidden fruit.
- It was aired on HBO which is one of the biggest platforms for TV shows. Additionally, many Youtubers and influencers were talking about it on their platforms such as YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
- This fantasy world became appealing to the crowd as it had many factors the audience would appreciate: Army of dead, wolves, Knight King, Kingdoms, White Walker, Red Woman, Lord of Light, Dragons, Dragon Eggs, Dragon glass, Greyscale, Dothraki’s, Slavery, A huge ice wall, Ravens, Children of Forest, Betrayals, Deaths, and Dragon Riders.
- It had surprising plot twists and exciting surprises like the Red Wedding episode and Ned Starks killing.
- Its high-quality music and the famous iconic theme of the show quickly became recognizable.
- Famous and good actors: Emilia Clarke as Daenerys, Kit Harington as Jon Snow, Peter Dinklage as Tyrion, Sophie Turner and Maisie Williams as Sansa and Arya Stark, Jason Momoa as Khal Drogo, Natalie Dormer as Margaery Tyrell, Sean Bean as Ned Stark, Lana Headey as Cersei, and many others.
Many were already known for other roles in shows, films, and music videos, which helped the popularity of the show.
Why is Game of Thrones not worth watching for the second time?
Why is it not worth rewatching? Well, the last season killed the mood for many of the fans. The story could not follow the books since the series we not yet finished, so the creators had to improvise.
The last season was disappointing. Not because of the lack of effort or visuals, not because of the dialogues or exterior, but simply because deus ex machina solved the show. However, it was less of a Deus than usual.
Everyone acted out of character. Daenerys was perhaps the most noticeable for her actions that were completely opposite of everything she stood for and everything she created. It was shown poorly if the intention was to show her losing her mind like her predecessors.
In short, there was something missing. And the viewers were not happy about it. So we think once is enough. If you haven’t read the books yet, make reading your re-watching and enjoy the whole story in its original form.