- The characters. I don't really care about…any of them…And when I said this to a friend, she said it was one of the most character driven shows ever. Having watched a hell of a lot of television, I cannot say I agree at all, but I think I know why I don't. GoT has a lot of characters with a lot of backstory and I cannot care about that many people in a show. There is a reason most shows have principle casts of six or seven people and that is because most television watchers like to relate and form emotional connections with a small number of characters, not the entire bloody show. I can't remember most of the characters names, let alone form any sort of attachment to them. In addition, they all sort of suffer from what I see as the River Song complex, which is to say I am meant to care. The writers want me to give a shit about every little backstory and I feel like I'm being forced into it for some reason and I just don't.
- The shock value. It's HBO, so let's be honest, I saw this coming. I do not have a problem with sex or blood or gore, but this is just ridiculous. Every fourth shot is blood GUSHING from a body or blowjobs or rough sex or boobs and I don't feel like it adds to the story. There is a way to show gore and make it feel real. There is a way to have sex be sexy and not just there to show that THE MEN LIKE IT ROUGH AHHH MEN ARE TOUGH. You can write it off as historically accurate or whatever, but that doesn't make the format and way of going about the sex and the violence classy. HBO is a big fan of just over the top for the sake of shock and that's all I really feel when I watch these scenes. Blood does not squirt like that. God.
- And finally, I suppose the hype may have played into it. I was super excited by everyone talking about it and Sean Bean, who I adore, being involved. This definitely is not the only reason, though, so don't write off my dislike of the show as too much hype.
Days till London: 28.
9 comments:
I've never watched GoT because it's just not a show that appeals to me and from the sounds of what you said, I don't think I would like it at all.
On the upside, it is filming in lots of locations near me and the beaches I go to with my family so I will probably watch some of it just to see all the places I know :)
I agree with pretty much everything you've said. After the third sex scene I just put it on mute and do something else for a few minutes- I get that the characters have sex but I really don't need to be shown over and over and over- that's just crass. Plus close ups of blood literally squirting up out of someone's neck is over the top. I'm going to finish the series (the rest of my friends really like it) but I'm pretty much only watching it for Jon, Arya and the costumes. My friend tells me the books are good and that more is in store so it might get better next season :)
Hi! I think that the show is more graphic than the books in a lot of respects. I was a fan of the books before I knew a show was being made, and I have to say that in the books the reader is introduced to new characters with every book. I think some of the big characters in the books were cut down for the small screen, and the sex was hemmed in a lot of the time. If you want a feel for the characters I think the best episode is the one Grrm wrote himself - number 8 'The pointy end'. I think it's good that you aren't giving up on the show just yet, but my advice would be to check out the books if you want to understand the backstory and a lot of the characters - like Jon Snow.
I agree with your opinion about the characters, there are so many and it makes it hard for you to care about them too much. I think this is true, however, I don't agree with the idea that the show is character-driven. I think it's more about the families (the Starks, the Lannisters etc.) than the individual characters.
I also agree that the sex and the violence is not classy, but I thought that was the point? I think that most of the sex scenes are used for a purpose. Most of them are used to spout HUGE amounts of exposition and backstory. I feel that this kind of works because it's time/place where people let their guard down. Not to mention from a purely commercial point of view sex sells.
I like the show because of it's over-arching story line which is the game of thrones that the families play. I think it's interesting to see how and why they go to war with each other. As weird as that might sound.
Those are valid points to why you're not interested in the show but I do hope that you continue the first season because I feel that as it progresses, it moves past all these "shocking moments" and begins to work on the plot and characterization. I, myself, was confused with the massive amount of characters, but by the - though many characters did elude me - I did come to endear a select few.
To be fair to the makers of the series, all the blood, guts and sex are all included in the book. In that respect its one of the closest television adaptations of a book I've ever seen. But I kind of agree with you in that everybody seems to have their own stuff going on but again that was in the books as well. Still, I love the series :P
So I was just like you. I really didn't like this series, and it was so frustrating because I thought I should. I have such a love for Lord of the Rings and things of that nature. I couldn't get into this series. BUT. With that said, the last two, maybe three? episodes are really quite great. And shocking. I will certainly be tuning in for season 2 just because I'm so compelled as to where it will go. I think you'll know what I mean when you see it. It was pretty surprising just because of how the show was promoted, I didn't see it going that way! Just keep plugging away at it! I was glad I did.
I think you're the first person I've encountered who doesn't like A Game of Thrones.
And I think that first bullet point up there is a fascinating look into (partially) why. It's interesting how brains are wired differently. I've been a subscriber and reader for a couple of years now and our tastes in fantasy have pretty much run parallel, but where you say there are too many characters to care about, I fling myself wholly into the book series after the first four episodes of the show, which naturally supplies more characters and back story to care about than the TV show ever could. And I think this - "most television watchers like to relate and form emotional connections with a small number of characters, not the entire bloody show." - is part of the reason why it took me so long (until late high school/early college) to enjoy television shows and why this particular show really embedded itself into my brain.
Just thought that was interesting and felt compelled to share.
And your second bullet point for not liking the show made me chuckle. You should probably never read the books. Not that this review leads me to believe that you are rushing out to pick up the first book or anything, but if you were considering it, you should probably steer clear.
Sorry you didn't like it as much :/ I personally love it - the book series as well as the show. (although yes, like you said, HBO is horrible at depicting sex, blood, and gore!)
But I think this is one of those things.
You know how people hate on the HP films and LOTR films because "oh, they're so boring, and there are way too many characters and backstories and I really don't care for them and the situations are just not realistic at all whatsoever?" The thing is, they haven't even read the books, so how could they possibly hate on something that means so much to so many?
Perhaps the reason you didn't like this show is for that same reason - because you haven't read or haven't followed the books too.Maybe? Just a thought :)
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