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Reason One: Fan Service
People who watch Game of Thrones know how this show works. The important characters never really die. No matter how brutal they may be treated, the really vital players live to the end. Most of the Starks who were murdered were not that vital to the end game, but Jon Snow is. In fact, in season 5, episode 8 titled “Hardhome,” he could have died when he was fighting one of the others when he was attempting to get the dragon glass.
“Lannister. Baratheon. Stark. Tyrell. They’re all just spokes on a wheel. This one’s on top, then that one’s on top and on and on it spins. Crushing those on the ground. I’m not going to stop the wheel. I’m going to break the wheel.”
And just like that, Daenerys enters the Game of Thrones monologue hall of fame. Let’s be clear, Dem Thrones is the most interesting TV show on, period. You wanna battle out for that “Best” title? Go ‘head, homie. I’ll be over here enjoying some Arbor Gold in the brothel that Petyr Baelish left behind in King’s Landing while you’re working out those semantics. Don’t worry about the fact that half of the most compelling characters we started with are dead now, season 5 expands the world even more on top of a world you needed a TI-86 calculator to keep track of anyway.
Now, my fellow Senators, I’ll direct you to the gentleman from New York, Mr. Calhoun, who is less than optimistic about Thrones moving forward because of the quality drop-off of the books in the series. I would counter that the goodwill that David Benioff and Dan Weiss (the showrunners) have built over the first four seasons and the problems with the source (Books 4: “Feast for Crows” and 5: “Dance of Dragons”) give these cats a lot more license to go way left and improve upon the mythology. These dudes are prime to go off script. Think of this as every time Kanye West shows up at an awards show without the white tears and 40 think pieces the next day.
As I’ve written before, your boy is still pretty excited for what is coming this season because Westeros and Essos are still the best vacation spots every spring; as long as you don’t actually have to visit there and can people watch from your couch.
0:20 – I know he’s like, 14, but Tommen is probably a terrible kisser. Him getting the greenlight with Margery Tyrell is like being born with a silver spoon in your mouth while kissing one of the most beautiful women on TV before you’re 15th Nameday.
0:30 – Tyrion sees a dragon flying overhead and is in equal awe that HBO expanded its CG budget.
0:36 – Pretty sure the dragon getting his Smaug in (pre Desolation) is Drogon, the one that Daenerys named after her late husband Khal Drogo. You know, the big black one that is perceived as the most dangerous and unruly of the dragons. Gotdamnit George. Really? Sigh.
0:49 – Brienne…in the snow…ok.
1:08 – Yo Chess Game!
1:16 – If you don’t read the books, you may not know them yet, but the Sons of the Harpy got no chill whatsoever. They’re like the Guilty Remnant from The Leftovers with swords and birthright.
Source: Read more from William Evans at Black Nerd Problems
With Telltale games redefining the adventure video game over the last few years, when they announced that Game of Thrones would be one of their 2014 releases (along with Tales from Borderlands), it seemed like a perfect match. While sword clashes, pushing boys from four story towers and really, really terrible weddings are often the flashy takeaways from George RR Martin’s epic tale, the political maneuvering, alliances and betrayal are what define it. With a game that focuses so much on choice, who remembers those choices and its consequences, then Game of Thrones fits snugly into that play style. In the opening episode of Telltale’s latest, they hit the mark on most things and miss the target on a few.
It’s hard to explain the plot too thoroughly without spoiling how it develops, but you begin the story as Gared Tuttle, squire of Lord Gregor Forrester. House Forrester is loyal to Rob Stark, The King in the North, before his unfortunate…circumstances. This causes chaos in Westeros, of course, but especially for the Northern Houses that have are now left scrambling for allegiances and protection. The story doesn’t just stay in the North, however, as we are treated to the capital of political entanglements, King’s Landing.
While the story jumps around between characters, they all center around the internal and external machinations of the Forrester family and trying not to get the Forrester House decimated any further. Familiar faces show up for Thrones fans throughout, all with the vested interest in who the Forresters align themselves with and the plan to use their much talked about ironwood as a resource. The story takes the best of the Thrones political maneuverings and puts you squarely in the middle of them. Rarely is there a “good” response or action as opposed to “one that you don’t think will kill you immediately, even if it does down the line.” Every decision is treacherous, and like the show, you will seldom know what domino effect a choice makes in the world until it comes back against you from a different angle. Even in this first episode, the alliances and motivations of the characters you deal with weave in and out of each other. At some point you have to trust someone, but there’s no clear choice who that should be.
There are three separate “acts” or “characters” that you will play through alternately throughout the first episode and that might be why it feels a little over-long.
Read More from William Evans at blacknerdproblems.com