Game of Thrones

Walking with Cake: game-of-thrones-cast via Entertainment Weekly

(Game of Thrones publicity photo via Entertainment Weekly.)

With apologies to my friends and family, I am just not into fantasy.  Lord of the Rings makes me sleepy and Harry Potter just depresses me.  I can’t do elves with pointy ears and tiny creatures with hairy feet.  I just can’t.

But Ryan asked me to try one episode of Game of Thrones, and somehow (magically?) I was hooked.  We don’t have cable, so we’re watching via Amazon Instant and we’re halfway through the second season now.  After this, we’ll have to wait until next year for the release of the third season’s already aired episodes, and I’m really sad about that.  I never thought I’d get caught up in some ancient battle for an imaginary kingdom, but here I am.  Seriously, it’s a problem.

I can’t wait to watch the episodes at night after the boys go to bed, and I think about them during the day, too.  Ryan has the first book in the series by George R.R. Martin, and I’ve actually found myself pulling it off the shelf to scan every now and then.  What is wrong with me?

The show is incredibly violent and gratuitous, typical for HBO, but it’s also simply incredible.  After I watched the first episode, I told Ryan it reminded me of The Sopranos set in a time that never really existed.  Then, I was reading about the series on Wikipedia, and David Benioff, one of the show’s creators, called it “The Sopranos in Middle-Earth.”  I guess he had me pegged for a possible viewer.

There’s literally something for everyone in this series, and while it does have elements of fantasy in it, they aren’t completely in your face.  Yes, there are dragons and a creepy killer shadow thing, but they aren’t featured in every episode.  Plus, all of the characters are actual humans, at least so far.

I’m a big fan of Daenerys Targaryen, though I wish her blonde wig was better looking.  Check out this amazing tutorial to get her natural look.  And I’m loving the budding romance between Jon Snow and Ygritte, too.  It’s adorable and hilarious, and Ryan gets frustrated when I pause the show to laugh at some ridiculous scene, like when they huddle together for, um, warmth.

Since the first three seasons have aired, it’s hard to avoid spoilers, and I know tragic things are coming soon.  But I’m really enjoying the show, and I’m so incredibly impressed with it.

Are you watching Game of Thrones?  Who’s your favorite character?

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...