Why Is Game of Thrones So Damn Popular?
No one can dispute that HBO really have hit the jackpot with Game of Thrones. For the past 5 years, millions of devoted fans have tuned in eager to watch the next instalment.
This season has been no different. Even the slaughter of most of the initial cast hasn’t deterred support. No other TV show has killed off so many popular and unpopular cast members and survived. So what makes this myriad of medieval hardship, nudity, fortuitous sex and violence so damn popular?
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The setting
This fictional land created for Game of Thrones resembles the past but has an element of fantasy. There’s Kings Landing where the throne sits. This is where the struggle for power and domination reign supreme. There’s the wall. A cold bleak place inhabited predominately by men. Forgotten by society this misfitted bunch of protectors have a reasonably grim existence.
North of the wall white walkers and wild-lings live. It’s a dangerous place. Then there’s the foreign lands being freed of slavery one city at a time. Plus ancient places where dragons once inhabited with gigantic ancient structures in ruins. Combined it’s a perfect setting for this epic story to unfold.
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The costumes
Game of Thrones wouldn’t be at all believable if the cast weren’t transformed into their fantasy land with flawless costumes. When photographed in their civil attire away from the office their characters instantly shrink away. Take Sophie Turner for example. Gracing the catwalk for Karen Millen she looks nothing like her popular character Sansa Stark who’s costumes are spoken off regularly.
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The cast
This eclectic group of the young and the old, the hot and the homely and the tall and the short really do bring the characters of Game of Thrones to life. Image for a second that Tyrion Lannister aka The Imp or The Halfman wasn’t played by the extraordinary Peter Dinklage? Or that Daenerys Targaryen aka The Mother of Dragons wasn’t played by the stunning Emilia Clarke. In fact many fans have come to know the characters so well that their real names remain a mystery!
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The story
Keeping fans on the edge of their seats and coming back for more, the story behind the Game of Thrones has kept viewers thoroughly entertained. They can appreciate loosing yet another long term cast member if the story continues to develop. For example the Stark Family, where the story began has dwindled down to all but a few precious souls. Spread throughout the lands each has endured their own hardship and hellish journey since the beginning.
Other characters are then carefully introduced to take their place in our heart or in our nightmares. Each one then has a journey of their own to tell amid following the plot of who will eventually take over the precious throne.
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The throne
The throne has become an international icon. Not an ordinary seat by any means. This creative structure is the foundation of the story, even if viewers become too captivated with the latest installment and temporarily forget for a moment that the entire plot centers around the quest for the throne. Obviously this is where the story will lead.
However the twists and turns, challenges and triumphs along the way make it very clear that the destination isn’t necessarily the most interesting part of the journey. Viewers are very content at the moment to put thoughts of the throne aside as they watch the struggle for power and preservation unfold.
Who will end up on the throne? Right now it’s anyone’s guess and what’s the bet it will take a few years yet to be decided. It certainly doesn’t look like this popular TV saga is going to conclude any time soon. Luckily viewers have been assured season 6 is being organised and HBO will continue to enjoy this success for quite a while longer.
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Feature image via watchersonthewall.com
