Game of Thrones is one of the most highly rated TV shows of all time On IMDB it falls just right behind Breaking Bad. I can see why. A very well thought out fantasy world and with very well developed characters with depth, it’s enough to keep us watching.
I however stopped watching after the first 2 seasons. Here’s why? (Note some spoilers may follow).
1) They make you fall in love with the good guys…..
ONLY TO KILL THEM IN THE MOST BRUTAL WAY POSSIBLE. Then they do the same thing over… and over… and over again. In the mean time….
2) The BAD guys always get away until 10 good guys are killed….
Then they kill one bad guy. And when they do it, they don’t do it in a satisfying manner anyway. You can’t help but feel “hey I think this evil bad guy that I’ve hated for so long got it too easy”.
3) The Red Wedding
I stopped watching Game of Thrones in Season 2. You see since Season 1, the Starks have been marching to war for the longest time. A march that lasted two whole freaking seasons. At the end of Season 2 I was a little frustrated because they haven’t even yet reached the battlefield.
So I sighed in disappointment at Shorty and she gave me a kind of look that made me realize that something was up. So I kept probing her on what would happen since she knew because she had read the book before. Finally she told me about the Red Wedding.. and how they never actually get to the battlefield. After that I was like “OKAY THAT’S IT! I’M NOT WATCHING ANYMORE!!!”. You spend two seasons marching to war and then never even get there to see the satisfying outcome? Talk about anti-climatic.
When the episode of the Red Wedding came out it, it hit a social media uproar. Everyone was shocked at the twist. Most positive though…. but there I was reading all the reactions and thinking to myself ok I’m glad I didn’t watch it.
Now I understand from Shorty that it’s the author’s intention to make this as close to real life as possible. That means in real life, not everything ends with a conclusion. Sometimes things just go on and are left hanging.
I understand that and I can understand why some people or the majority of Game of Thrones fans will love it. For me my personal preference is that I watch movies and TV for an escape from real life. Not to be faced with the same frustrations we face in real life.
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Now don’t get me wrong. I think Game of Thrones is a great show and it’s so highly rated for good reason. For me it’s a matter of personal preference and the above is why I don’t watch it. On the flip side I’m watching TV shows now like Spartacus. Goodness watch Season 1 of Spartacus and that’ll tell you what kind of season finale I think is awesome.
But that’s just me.
Timothy Tiah – Co-Founder of Colony, Kuala Lumpur Co-Working Space