This Sunday, kicks off the start of the hotly anticipated second season of the HBO show “Game of Thrones.” The show’s first season sent even the most conventional TV viewers into what can only be described as a nerd-gasm. The HBO show, an adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s book series A Song of Ice and Fire is something like a Machiavellian Lord of the Rings with a healthy helping of sex and violence. The show’s first season prominently featured “Boromir” from the Lord of the Rings actor Sean Bean, playing the protagonist Ned Stark here. The series draws on English royal history, like the War of the Roses, and follows the conflicts between royal families competing for the throne of Westeros.
“Game of Thrones” also delves into the sordid histories of ancient monarchies – think incest, betrayal and illegitimate children. Naturally, this probably is not a show you’d like to watch with Granny, but for most of the TV-viewing public, this show – despite its often graphic content – will have you hooked.
Unlike Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings and other popular fantasy adaptations, “Game of Thrones” has only really hinted at its characters’ magic powers and the various elements of the supernatural in the world of Westeros. There are the dire wolves (pets that can telepathically communicate with their owners), the insistent warnings of the “wildlings” north of the wall and the frequent allusions to dragons, but notwithstanding, the supernatural in “Game of Thrones” is something more whispered about than actually encountered. For the uninitiated, it is probably best to try and catch up on the first season, read the books or have a friend catch you up on the first season before venturing on to the second season. The show’s earnest depiction of medieval fantasy can verge on the comedic if the viewer comes in without a reference point, and the show really rewards those that keep up with the various plot twists from the beginning.
The span of the show’s houses, families and histories is something to marvel. The book series that the TV show is based on comes with a detailed geographical map of the locations of towns and an intricate family tree for the series’s central families. What makes this especially impressive is that the show’s creators have made compelling TV out of the methodical structure of Martin’s world and the cast of thousands that inhabit Westeros. From my understanding, the author has a penchant for creating a detailed history for a character, inserting the character into a scene and then never mentioning the character again. Although I suppose the aforementioned fate is better than introducting a character, making it a prominent part of the story and then promptly killing said character off – which Martin also has a knack for.
From what I hear, the new season of “Game of Thrones” looks to hold much more military battles, more political backstabbings (if that is possible) and hopefully more elements of the supernatural. Either way, I’ll be on the edge of my chair come Sunday. As the characters often ominously say, “Winter is coming.”