Game of Thrones is 10 years old … and already feels irrelevant
The Irish Times says Game Of Thrones has reached its 10th anniversary.
In 2011 HBO put its reputation on the line by bringing to the screen an unfashionable fantasy novel (all fantasy novels being at the time unfashionable). And HBO is keeping the Throne fires burning – with prequels planned and a Broadway musical in the works.
But how do we feel about Game of Thrones turning 10? Is our nostalgia tempered, for instance, by the fact the final seasons are now agreed to have been pretty dreadful?
“Two years ago, the world was transfixed by the TV fantasy show. Now we see how shallow it was
What, moreover, of the casual use of sexual violence as a plot device? Here we arrive at the awkward truth that much of what made Thrones Thrones is now regarded as problematic. Emilia Clarke is one of those to speak out about feeling “pressured” into appearing naked in the show.
Game Of Thrones’ first episode concluded with Daenerys weeping, unclothed and being forced into non-consensual sex. In 2021, there would have to be a persuasive reason for such a scene. With early GoT there’s a sense it’s there because it spoke to “prestige” television’s adolescent instinct to tick the box marked “edgy”.
What’s strange about Game of Thrones’s legacy is how invisible it is already starting to feel. Game of Thrones has stepped back into the fantasy wardrobe and shut the door behind it.
Who is to blame? George RR Martin may be planning a multitude of spin-offs, yet there is little indication when he’ll finish the final two books. The Game of Thrones universe feels inert – its cultural footprint fading before our eyes.
Back then, before the internet, fantasy was on the margins. And then, suddenly, Game of Thrones ushered it into the big time. The world-building, the lore, the sense of wonder –people were genuinely into it all.
This was just an illusion. Game of Thrones finished and everybody moved on. There were new obsessions, but they were rooted unmistakably in reality.
How did we ever get so swept up in Game Of Thrones? Just look to the pilot
AV Club writes ahead of the 10th season Micheal Walsh decided to look back on the show’s first episode and it hooked him back in.
The reversal means someday the superb storytelling that made up the show’s first six seasons will eventually be what fans remember most.
After a decade of immersion in the Seven Kingdoms, it’s easy to forget how good the pilot is. “Winter Is Coming” does the impossible: It makes the sprawling saga accessible to viewers who know nothing about A Song Of Ice And Fire, all while setting the stage for a story defined by the TV-shattering idea that truly anything can happen, and will.
The premiere opens with a giant wall of ice, blue-eyed zombie children, and ice demons. It ends with the dashing knight, who’s been caught having sex with his twin sister, the Queen, pushing an innocent child out of a tower. And in between, it successfully introduces a ridiculous number of characters, all with complicated relationships and histories, spread out over two enormous continents.
The premiere works because the hallmarks of what made the show great were immediately in place.
After their first shot at a pilot resulted in a $10 million disaster, they quickly figured out what changes needed to be made for the series to succeed. The second pilot, with its liberal use of wide shots and impressive real-world sets, establishes the grandeur of the many incredible places the series would explore.
None of that would have mattered if not for the performers and the script. Though no one knew it at the time, the cast, made up primarily of non-stars and newcomers, is a murderer’s row of talent. That impressive group was able to excel right away because the writing was sharp, funny, insightful, and delivered needed exposition without feeling forced or heavy-handed.
You couldn’t hope for a better pilot. I didn’t forget any of that before I sat down to re-watch it. But what I did forget is how “Winter Is Coming” made me feel.
GoT will never be able to escape its last two seasons. But seeing the pilot again makes you realise that one thing will improve with time: our ability to appreciate everything that came before them.
Game Of Thrones Fans Hoping For Season 8 Remake After Cryptic Tweet
LAD BIBLE says Game of Thrones is getting ready for it’s 10th anniversary and fans are hopeful that a mysterious tweet from the show’s account means the final season will be remade.
The account posted: “Winter is coming,” and fans are quick to jump to assumptions.
In response, one person wrote: “Between us I’m ALL IN on us pretending it’s early 2019, season 8 hasn’t happened yet, and doing the damn thing fresh. Our secret!”
“Remake the god awful Season 8 and make it actually good and I’ll be coming.
A third seemed sceptical but into the idea, writing: “Never before have I seen a series nose dive so hard and be abandoned by its fans and viewers. I’m currently re-watching the show and it physically hurts to know how unrewarding the finale is. If y’all can revive this franchise, it would be a miracle.”
However, another fan suggested it might be more complicated than that, writing: “Truth is, they would have to remake season 7 too. In the first season it took three eps to get from Winterfell to King’s Landing. In season 7 it took Daenerys a few hours by dragon. Season 7 sucked too.”
Not everyone was on board with this, though.
One fan defended the final season, writing: “Some of the responses here are crazy.
“Yeah, season 8 was a bit rushed and possibly not what some fans wanted but it was still amazing with some epic scenes. Acting like spoilt brats who didn’t get the season they wanted is just embarrassing.
Another added: “I personally really enjoyed S8. I’ve been watching the show since early 2013. It’s my fav show of the decade.
“I do wish some of the bigger Mysteries were unravelled but personally I love having questions left unanswered.
But this tweet cold just be there to tease the 10th anniversary – dubbed The Iron Anniversary.
HBO will be screening a marathon of all eight seasons, and there’ll be special edition products for fans to feast their eyes on throughout the month too.
This will be perfect for fans wishing to rewatch the entire thing and also newbies who will use this opportunity to get up to date with what the world has been talking about for the past decade.
There’s also the forthcoming prequel series House of the Dragon to look forward to.
Truly, a great time to be a GoT fan.
Go Deeper into the story
‘Game of Thrones’ at 10: Its popularity is rooted in a mix of qualities rarely seen in conjunction – Scroll In
Game of Thrones star reveals similarities with new Netflix series Shadow and Bone – Digital Spy
The 20 Best Game of Thrones Characters Ranked – Esquire
How Line of Duty’s Ryan Pilkington became the most punchable TV villain since Joffrey from Game of Thrones – The Telegraph
How did ‘Game of Thrones’ become such a ‘phenomenon? – Global Times
George RR Martin feeling ‘increasingly oppressive’ after falling ‘hugely behind’ with Winds Of Winter: ‘The bad stuff that is happening has been very, very, very bad’ – METRO
Quick Facts
Who is the most loved character in Game of Thrones?
- Daenerys.
- Arya Stark.
- Olenna Tyrell.
- Qyburn
- Sansa Stark
- Bronn
- Grey Worm. Just the best.
- Cersei. Yeah, she’s a terrible person, but she’s the product of a terrible father and terrible environment.
Game of Thrones books
How many Game of Throne books are there?
Five books
- A Game of Thrones (1996)
- A Clash of Kings (1998)
- A Storm of Swords (2000)
- A Feast for Crows (2005)
- A Dance with Dragons (2011)
- The Winds of Winter (forthcoming)
- A Dream of Spring (forthcoming)
Game of Thrones prequel
Is there going to be a game of thrones prequel?
House of the Dragon: release date, cast, and more about the Game of Thrones prequel. … House of the Dragon is set 300 years before the main Game of Thrones series and is based on George R. R. Martin’s Fire & Blood, which tells the story of the Targaryen civil war that became known as the Dance of the Dragons.
Game of Thrones season 8
Game of Thrones season 9
Is Game of Thrones Season 9 coming?
Now that we know that season nine of GOT won’t be happening ever let’s discuss the spin-off prequel of the series. HBO announced the series “House of the Dragon” in October 2019 as soon as the last season of Game of Thrones ended.
