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Winter is over: HBO brings down curtain on TV phenom ‘Game of Thrones’
NEW YORK, April 11, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Who will win the battle for the Iron
Throne? Millions will be perched on the edge of their own seats to find out
as “Game of Thrones,” set in a turbulent medieval fantasy world of dragons
and sword fights, reveals its final political twists and action-packed turns.
Bets on the ultimate ruler of the fictional continent of Westeros are well
underway, according to British bookmaker William Hill, with wilful, powerful
Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead-Wright) the current favorite.
Ten days ahead of the season eight premiere, more glamorous candidates
such as King in the North Jon Snow (Kit Harington) and Mother of Dragons
Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) are also very much in the conversation. In
the 20 months since the last season aired, fans have debated non-stop the
eventual ending of the unusually expansive, ambitious show, filmed at a cost
of $15 million an episode.
The first of the new season’s six episodes will air on US cable channel
HBO on April 14, as well as on the network’s streaming platforms.
Lauren Christison, a supply manager in her 30s who lives and works in New
Jersey, said she was “beyond eager” to see what unfolds, and plans to watch
with her sister, who turned her on to the program.
“I am so excited that I went out and purchased the limited edition white
Johnnie Walker scotch whisky — and I don’t even drink whisky,” she told AFP.
“Game of Thrones,” which has aired 67 episodes, premiered in 2011 based on
George R.R. Martin’s expansive “A Song of Fire and Ice” book series. The
first installment, “A Game of Thrones,” was published in 1996.
Well known for its record-breaking audiences across the world, the show
has also proven a critical darling and an awards juggernaut, its first seven
seasons garnering a staggering 47 Emmys.
“I think there may have been other shows in the past that hooked people,
but never like this,” Christison said.
– ‘Power, love, family, conviction’ –
The website Archive of Our Own counts more than 22,000 “fan fiction”
entries in which devotees have produced DIY stories based on the series’s
universe. The 2018 “Con of Thrones” fan convention attracted around 5,000
people to celebrate the show in Nashville, according to organizer Melissa
Anelli of Mischief Management, which plans to repeat the event in July.
“The level of engagement is enormous,” Anelli said.
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Dark, complex, violent, medieval — “Game of Thrones” doesn’t fit the
typical profile of a cultural phenomenon, but its sweeping storylines and
epic themes have pulling power beyond the geek clique.
The show builds on the witty, wry and sometimes adult approach to nerd
culture popularized by Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe, which treats its
audience like grown-ups and has been rewarded with $18.5 billion in ticket
sales.
“The Marvel movie franchise really made nerd mainstream,” said “GoT” buff
Senia Hardwick, who revealed that she met her wife at a fan gathering.
For Christison, the universality of its appeal is obvious.
“In the end, I think ‘GoT’ resonates with people because the themes of
power, love, family, and conviction are woven into each of the characters as
they vie for the Throne,” she said.
– Life after the end? –
“The story arc is so vast that it can appeal to a variety of viewers at
once,” added Lisa Woolfork, a literature professor at the University of
Virginia who teaches a “Game of Thrones” class.
“Those interested in political intrigue, family drama, historical fiction,
sword and sorcery, costume drama — all of these representational styles are
present in ‘Game of Thrones.'”
Despite being fantasy, the series does an incredible job of commenting on
the modern world, according to Valerie Garver, a medieval studies associate
professor at Northern Illinois University.
She cited the show’s iconic tagline — “Winter is coming” — an ominous
warning about the harsh weather ahead, but perhaps also a portent of the end
of the world — and an allegorical nod to the real-life climate change
emergency, Martin has acknowledged.
The motif returns in the upcoming season, with characters facing threats
from the sinister Night King and his army of frozen zombies — the frankly
terrifying White Walkers.
“What do people do when there seems to be an unsolvable problem that could
mean the destruction of humankind?” Garver asked. “Will they try to solve
that or will they pay attention more to the things that seem more immediate?”
Though some fans are pulling for another season or two, most seem to have
accepted the impending conclusion and, like Christison, are “ready for the
shock of who will live and ultimately who will die.”
For Anelli, the passion of “GoT” will live on past its final episode,
airing on May 19.
The publication of Martin’s much-anticipated sixth “A Song of Fire and
Ice” book ought to ignite fans’ devotion all over again, as has the teased
possibility of a prequel series, set before Martin’s first book.
Anelli says a 2020 “Con of Thrones” gathering isn’t yet planned, but added
that “much like Harry Potter, ‘Game of Thrones’ fandom will continue to exist
past the core content expiration.”
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