Game of Thrones Tv Show

[know_yourself_1234]

I have just seen the first episode of a TV Show called "Game of Thrones"; is is a kind of medieval pre apocalyptic epic tv show; here is the summary of what I saw:

Game of Thrones is primarily set in the seven fantasy kingdoms that make up Westeros. The show opens in the frozen, northern border of the kingdoms, where a giant ice wall, guarded by a league of men in black, protects everyone from whatever nastiness lives in the world beyond. The opening scene is a frantic, desperate one, where the tattered black rags of several of the Night’s Watch are shown whitewashed in the icy glow of the northern woods. The men come across a clearing full of dead, mutilated bodies. The scene is grisly and horrifying, but not as bad as what comes next; the bodies come alive, all frozen flesh and glowing blue eyes, and attack them. Only one young boy survives to tell the tale.

In the next scene we get that one survivor, traveled to the capital of the northernmost kingdom, Winterfell, to tell the patriarch of the land, Eddard Stark (Sean Bean), what he has seen. The boy gets his head cut off for his troubles. You’re not supposed to desert that wall, or ever leave the watch. Stark performs the beheading himself, merciless, and in front of his young sons. And he’s our defacto protagonist. Yes, Game of Thrones is that kind of show.

My friends were really not in opposition with the fact that the survivor had to be killed because he deserted his duty, in order to tell the "king" of what he had seen.

My friends told me that it was "because of the tradition", and it really shook me up to see that a life, whatever this guy may have done, could be taken by "law". It is really obeying a principle!

My friends told me "think about it, this is symbolic, if everyone did as this guy did, there would be no order at all..:"

I strongly disagree with the principle of "the right to take one's life", even in such a case.

The most curious is the modus operandi in this TV show: beheading; this reminded me of this "Nordic" propension of beheading, already spoken in the board.

I have read a passage regarding the Grail story yesterday night, speaking about this cruelty; and today I am being faced with this "beheading" question. Strange!

May I ask what you think? I was really unable to hold on to my opinion about if this is right or wrong. But for me this is not "going in the way of creation"; am I wrong?

Is the point there that I have to accept that this exists?

Just after that, when going back home, two strange guys asked my help to move their broken car("dead battery") to a place. I helped them. Just after that, thunder rolled and now rain is pouring.

 

[tschai]

Whether or not the acts described are "right" or "wrong" are subjective-it depends on the culture. To them it is perfectly "right" to punish someone whom the felt had disobeyed the "law"-Laws are created by men to control the actions of others, and do not always have the best interest of all in mind.

The Japanese samurai routinely took heads in battle as trophies, and in other cultures it was also done (South America, New Guinea to name a couple)-to them it was a perfectly normal thing to do and was not "wrong"

There are still cultures / religions today that find it "acceptable" to put to death a person they have felt had broken their "laws" either by custom or religious.

So we have to view the situation from the perspective of the culture. We of course do not have to agree with it. I hope that helps somewhat?

 

[Beau]

I think the point of that scene, and many others in the show, are to show what life was like in the Middle Ages. Their was no middle ground, the law was the law and even if you're king you have to do as the law says. It was usually brutal, savage, even uncivilized at times, but that's the point.

 

[anart]

I think the point of that scene, and many others in the show, are to show what life was like in the Middle Ages. Their was no middle ground, the law was the law [...]. It was usually brutal, savage, even uncivilized at times, but that's the point.

Sounds like today.

 

[Gimpy]

I think the point of that scene, and many others in the show, are to show what life was like in the Middle Ages. Their was no middle ground, the law was the law [...]. It was usually brutal, savage, even uncivilized at times, but that's the point.

Sounds like today.

I agree with Anart.

And I'll ask you (know-yourself-1234) this: Why does it bother you on a TV show? Does it bother you when it happens in today's world? Because acts just like it, and worse, happen all the time.

 

[NoChannelsOnMyTV]

It is fantasy. It has to be regarded as fantasy and not as life in the Middle Ages, even though the fantasy genre most often takes place in that particular stage of technological advancement. As so much else it is a distraction from the real world.

That said, Game of Thrones isn't bad fantasy. I saw some episodes not long ago. It's kind of unique in the way it's main theme is politics instead of the typical fantasy epo about how the John Doe destined for greatness and his journey to fulfil that destiny in the battle against the big bad evil ala Sauron.

The primary thought that I got from watching it was 'damn Sean Bean, ever since Boromir, you play "Boromir" everywhere'. To name two recent movies, besides the Game of Thrones TV-Series, I've seen him play Boromir in 'The Black Death' and 'The Lost Future'.

Keep up the good work Sean Bean!

You are the greatest actor there is right now together with Liam Neeson (the eternal father)!

Btw Boromir's father, John Noble, the King of Gondor, as Walter in The Fringe is great! He carries that show IMO :)

 

[Meager1]

Just about everybody in the show is a "scam" artist, the royalty even more so.
Yeah, not much different then people today.

What I find interesting is the "witch" woman that keeps trying to tell people that an ice age is coming and no one should go south, she was trying to get north!

Yet in the north is that huge ice wall, built specifically to keep something in the north locked out.
Can`t wait to see what that something, will be.

Cool show, but it`s just entertainment, though the different character's do offer a good study of personalities, it clearly shows the "royalty" as mostly power hungry nut cases.

It`s not what I thought it would be, I was expecting a lot of ancient technology due to the very beginning, where it shows the buildings with gears, elevators and all that, but it can keep your interest for 40 minutes or so, anyway.

 

[StrangeCaptain]

I must admit this is a piece of fluff I will keep for a long time. I have been reading the novels for years. Me and my brother both... And we wait impatiently for 2-5 years that occurs between each instalment.

The show is gritty and the books even more so. The royalty are mostly a bunch of dirty, nasty, power-hungry people.

The author used historical periods like the hundred years war as inspiration and tried to imagine what the constant scheming of all these lords grasping for power might have been like. The characters in the books are complex and well-developed which is why they are so addictive for me. The religion aspect is more important in the books with the "old gods" being obviously modeled on the eradicated pagan religions of Europe whose power rests only on in the wild places, "The Seven" modeled on catholicism, and another religion modeled on the monotheistic focus of Christianity.

But I can't say there is anything positive about it. It is essentially fluff. I mean I don't learn anything from it.

And yet I will watch the series just to see what they do with the books I enjoyed so much... And I will possible make an embarassing sound of ecstatic relief when I finally have the next volume, coming out in July, in my hands after 5 years of waiting.

 

[know_yourself_1234]

And I'll ask you (know-yourself-1234) this: Why does it bother you on a TV show?

As I do not watch TV show at all, it bothered me :

First, to discover what is actually being showed in TV - aka - "resolving violence by violence". We all loved the Lord Of the Rings, and there are some really nasty ideas poured in this kind of "Game of Thrones".

Because I like "Heroic Fantasy", I should "eat" these unholy ideas without thinking? The "beheading scene" happened within the first 10 minutes, but it is enough for me...

Second, to find that my friends (not the richest ones, actually quite starving) could support this :O

Does it bother you when it happens in today's world?

Yes it does. It really does. In my town, richest people walk along the poorest people, and they keep on thinking about Blu-Rays or Roland-Garros instead of looking at the guy next to them who is really STARVING. But when the poor people begin to interest themselves to Maserati, I think that we do have a problem. Not to mention what I can read daily on Sott...

 

[NoChannelsOnMyTV]

Yes it does. It really does. In my town, richest people walk along the poorest people, and they keep on thinking about Blu-Rays or Roland-Garros instead of looking at the guy next to them who is really STARVING. But when the poor people begin to interest themselves to Maserati, I think that we do have a problem. Not to mention what I can read daily on Sott...

...and their designer furniture, i-Phones and fashion trends. When they look at a poor person they don't think "poor him/her, I bet she could use 1/100.000.000.000 of what I just spent on these shoes on some food". I bet a lot of them think 'That guy dresses like a bum. He obviously knows nothing about fashion." Or at least they tend to act that way.

Alot of things are just wrong and rotten in the state of the world. And the worst part is that it doesn't have to be that way.

 

[know_yourself_1234]

But I remembered my father telling me:

"For the positive aspect in our life, there have to be a negative one"

And this is why I have a problem in my understanding. I understand the concept of balance, but couldn't there be a kind of "richness status quo"?
What did I not grasp? Is the concept of balance regarding the Spiritual and not about the Material?

Because I would then accept it as part of the normal world and then move with my own life, trying to do whatever I can to improve my life?

Please do not let me go on that one ;)

 

[knowledge_of_self]

I've been watching this TV show as well and I have to say that I really like it.

It does have some very shocking elements to it, as it's been stated, (the beheading is just one example of it) but for a show based in a middle age fantasy world, I think the producers and director got it down right.

I think the point of that scene, and many others in the show, are to show what life was like in the Middle Ages. Their was no middle ground, the law was the law [...]. It was usually brutal, savage, even uncivilized at times, but that's the point.

Sounds like today.

I have to agree! And I have to admit that when I watched the episodes I could not help thinking how- sadly, our world is really not that far off from what they are depicting on the show. How, the only thing that has 'advanced' in our society is the technological ways of life. Making it easier for the 'king' (the government) to maintain the 'sheep' and the status quo. But for the most part, the essence of man has not evolved, and they are as 'savage' as they were hundreds of years ago.

Of course, these are only my thoughts, and the show in its self is total fluff, as has been stated already, and highly entertaining. :P

 

[Mrs.Tigersoap]

I think some parts of the series are really well made (the opening credits animation is really beautiful and clever and the music also, the costumes, the hair, the sets), the intrigue is interesting (although not really what one would call fast-paced) but it is very violent.
I could do without some of the raunchy sex scenes as well. There is at least one in every episode and most of them bring nothing whatsoever to the story. I get that they want to portrait how depraved, sex-driven, etc. the characters are but a nod here and there would be enough imo. Some characters (mostly women) must not cost a lot in terms of wardrobe...

 

[Gimpy]

And I'll ask you (know-yourself-1234) this: Why does it bother you on a TV show?

As I do not watch TV show at all, it bothered me :

First, to discover what is actually being showed in TV - aka - "resolving violence by violence". We all loved the Lord Of the Rings, and there are some really nasty ideas poured in this kind of "Game of Thrones".

Because I like "Heroic Fantasy", I should "eat" these unholy ideas without thinking? The "beheading scene" happened within the first 10 minutes, but it is enough for me...

Second, to find that my friends (not the richest ones, actually quite starving) could support this :O

Does it bother you when it happens in today's world?

Yes it does. It really does. In my town, richest people walk along the poorest people, and they keep on thinking about Blu-Rays or Roland-Garros instead of looking at the guy next to them who is really STARVING. But when the poor people begin to interest themselves to Maserati, I think that we do have a problem. Not to mention what I can read daily on Sott...

A reality check is good once in a while. Apologies if I was too blunt. ;)

And this is why I have a problem in my understanding. I understand the concept of balance, but couldn't there be a kind of "richness status quo"?
What did I not grasp? Is the concept of balance regarding the Spiritual and not about the Material?

The rich are not stressed by basic needs. On a basic needs level, they do not have to worry about when they will eat next....so that means they do not feel its necessary to pay attention to other people. It is then 'okay' to ignore those who have much less.

Sott has carried articles about this kind of behavior recently. It does not matter what these rich people do, as much as it matters what YOU do and do not do, if that makes sense? In doing the Work, the only control we have is over our own machine, not that of others...

 

[Robson]

The most interesting quote from the series is, from my point of view - 'The winter is coming...'. This sentence, this dark prediction is often used in the show.It can be easily used today, in the real world, right? Haven't we read it all, many times, here on the forum?