My 22-year-old friend has been asking me to watch Game of Thrones. He and I love movies and good TV series and often this 50ish year old gets him to tag along to some of my entertaining diversions at our local theater. I'm not particularly choosy, but strong violence and horror is my least favorite genre. Hearing that GOT was extremely violent, I have been hesitant to watch the series.
I made a declaration to him recently that I would watch the first two episodes of Season 1 and report back. Season 1, turned into Season 2, 3, and 4...
Reporting back, where do I start?
Its hard for me really to know where to begin. I was appalled by it all: the in-your-face, blood-spurting violence; the gratuitous torture; the rape of practically all women; the pornographic nudity; the celebrated incest; the betrayal of every character alliance; but I think most of all the brutality toward women and the way that women are portrayed throughout bothered me the most. Even the Mother of Dragons (a strong woman who leads thousands) had to learn to love her rapist after being sold to him by her own brother...
So why watch it, you say? I have asked myself that question many times while watching it. I can only say it tapped into a dark place in my mind, like watching a train wreck or a bad accident, you can't stop watching it. I would turn it off and think, I'm not going to continue and then I would start thinking about whether the young Braun will make it to the north, or whether Tyrion (by far my favorite character) could finally achieve respect and admiration.
After I finished the series, I was surfing the channels and I stumbled upon "Steel Magnolia", a campy, but lovely movie about a southern wedding: love, friendship, death, and life told through a group of middle aged women and their families. I watched the whole thing, even though I've seen it many times and I cried, even though I've cried many times watching it. But it took me to a place that the Game of Thrones will never take me...a place where love lives and women are strong and respected and loved. It made me happy, even though it is very sad.
Maybe GOT is just for men to watch, a combination of Braveheart meets Lord of the Rings meets Gladiator meets Lord of the Flies meets pornography.
I'd like to go on record then...I watched all seasons, and I hated it and I loved it, but I'm gonna live in my fantasy world too, just one that has a little more happiness.