Game of Thrones - a fan's ode.

Game of Thrones’ final season streams tomorrow 6.30 am India time. I am almost feverish in excitement. It is not often that a fictional world created for entertainment and storytelling, grasps you so tight. 

I only thought of F.R.I.E.N.D.S as must watch television (used interchangeably with streaming in the current circumstances), until Game of Thrones came along.  Is the content so strong and entertaining, that it is worth spending hours watching it?  This is serious amount of time.  FRIENDS is about 88 hours of content. I consider good content an investment. 

My discovery of FRIENDS came years after it completed its run on television. Until today, FRIENDS has remained a companion, in good times and bad. 

I remain invested with Harry Potter, years after I finished the books and the movies. I remain loyal to the characters and can get physically violent if anyone tries to brush aside fan sentiments or sensibilities.

What creates this investment into these worlds? Is it just the prolific imagination of the creators? The depth in the characters?  The profound nature of the fictional universe?   Is it a product of stellar visualization brought on screen?  Is richness in the writing and making? 

May be it is all of these. I believe it is because I draw principles and values from the characters I adore. The thrill and fun lies  in seeing them being brave, vulnerable, rising above odds, going through an arc over several years and coming out a better person, if not necessarily successful all the time. This holds for not just the protagonists but also all the participants that make up the storyline.  The world built around them aids this process. If it comes with magic wands, spells and mythical creatures, cramped NYC apartments or wolves, dragons and dead people - it adds to the experience. 

Enough with the digression?

Game of Thrones 

I started watching Game of Thrones late.  I think it was just before the start of Season 7. One fine day, I discovered it was streaming on Hotstar. It did not take long to spiral into a binge watch fest. I had not read the books, but decided to watch anyway.

For starters, Game of thrones is a medieval story of seven kingdoms and the fight to the throne to rule them all. There are different houses or families that rule these kingdoms, with smaller kingdoms sworn the larger ones etc. (Recall Middle Earth - Mordor, Gondor, Erebor et al from the LOTR).   

What struck me first was the graphic portrayal relationships, happenings and adult nature of the content. Once all that is set behind, the narrative is gripping, the production grandiose and the writing, spectacular. You cannot stop watching it. It is insanely addictive. 

Spoiler Alert.  Here on, I am going into some details. Those who have not watched yet, please stop reading right here. 

Season 1 ends with three dragon babies and insane things happening to people you thought would rule the world. Whoever thought the invincible Khal Drogo would die of a silly wound infection? The noble Ned Stark facing the axe? Ironically , that is the beauty of Game of Thrones. People die. Beloved people die. Lots of them.  GoT started thrashing all the stuff I had written about at the start – all your favourite characters die- however noble or brave. Just when you start rooting for someone, you are too late.    I remember watching the Red Wedding and going “I am sure this is a bad dream that Arya is having”, except it was not. Curve balls keep coming at you when you are least prepared for them. 

At the same time, the underdogs are making it up the ladder step by step. 

Some of my favourite character graphs in the series belong to Tyrion Lannister (played by an excellent Peter Dinklage) and Arya Stark (the spunky Maisie Williams).  Tyrion’s the one guy you want to believe - he is unapologetic , intelligent and in the strangest of ways, kind. Some of his best moments are with Shae , when he lies to make her leave, Jaime, when they talk about their father and his yearning for his approval . One of his most shining scenes is with Cersei after the dragon pit meeting, with the Mountain standing guard. When he joins team Daenerys, you are happy for the guy  - he is finally in a place where his intelligence is put to use.  

Arya is likeable right from the start, though she isn't one with too much screen time. She is a rebel and manages to train herself in combat, like she has always wanted. Her time at Harrenhal and Braavos, the epic revenge scene at the Freys and her non-chalant swipe at Baelish's throat, are some of my favourite Arya moments. Not to forget, the Brienne Vs Arya sequence. I am now looking forward to her meeting Jon.  Arya's theme "Needle" , is my favourite themes from all of Game of Thrones. It reflects at the same time, the free spirit of Braavos and Arya. I love dogs, but I now think I am ready to have a dire wolf like Nymeria - GoT makes them all look fluffy and cuddly and loyal- more like big sized Alaskan Huskies.

Jon Snow's meteoric rise in the series is a joy to watch. He goes from pretty bastard boy to Lord Commander to King in the North. When he hooks up with Ygritte, the audience is doing slow whistles , happy for him. 

Jon's standout moments for me, include the time he gives up the Night's watch, the Battle of the bastards and of course, his scenes with Daenerys. The first meeting in Dragonstone onwards, the looks he gives her are precious.

 After the death of Ned Stark, there was a huge vacuum for the "most honorable dude" spot.  ( Davos Seaworth and Jorah Mormont come close, but they've had shady pasts, so don't qualify) . Jon slowly fills it up. You can see Ned Stark in him . I loved the scenes where he defends his father's stance . He always does the right thing, even if it is something noone would approve of. His admiration for Mance, his dialogues with Maester Aemon (Kill the boy, Jon Snow. Let the man be born) , his trust in his fellow brothers, love for Samwell Tarly - Jon Snow's rise is inspiring on so many levels.  

Even after the truth of his birth is revealed, you feel Jon and Dany are better together. There, now that's the kind of hope I should not develop given GoT's love for killing people.

Daenerys - every season, she gets better and more badass. The first time she speaks Valyrian and takes the Unsullied, the time she mounts Drogon in front of the Dothraki and convinces them to follow her ,  blowing out the Son's of the Harpy with Dragon fire , killing the undead beyond the wall - she has her sparkling moments. 

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I particularly love this scene, where Jon strokes Drogon and Daenerys is relieved Drogon likes him. May be this was the first hint we got that Jon is Targaryen too. How else would Drogon be so much at ease?

Cersei Lannister is played so convincingly by Lena Headey, you actually start loathing her on screen

Main characters apart, there are standout ones like Olenna Tyrell of High Garden. Sassy beyond words, Lady Olenna is a fan favourite. 

Music in GoT

The music in GoT raises the experience to another level. The Original Sound Track is epic and is often on my regular playlist. What’s more, you have season after season of background score, individual character themes , sigil and house themes - the works.  

Watch how the open credits evolve with each season, showing each kingdom and landmark on the map, with the sigils. 

There are hundreds of renditions and covers of the epic title track online. 

Indian version .

Here is a link where you can watch Ramin Djawadi explain the music process for Game of Thrones. 

Special mention to " Light of the Seven" track, which Ramin explains in his video.

The winds of winter is one of my favourite season finale tracks –goose bump raising with the dragons and armada with 100’s of CGI ships  : 

For those interested in the Game of Thrones back story, here it is . HBO plans a prequel. These links will help you stay on top of the game. 

A few Back Story Links:

I could go on, but it I have already spent 5 hours writing and linking and editing. Time to call it a day.  The rest of the stuff I have to say all comes down to " watch GoT if you have'nt".  There lots of things that make an epic fantasy a fantasy, but a few that make it epic.

GoT has everything in it to stay an epic. In the years to come, more and more viewers will discover it. 

Bring it on final season, and stay good to us fans.



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