by Christopher Jou ‘12

A medieval fantasy series? Mature audiences only? It’s about time. With the majority of television shows either family-friendly sitcoms or reality television, I had been waiting for a series that makes me want to watch TV again. “Game of Thrones” premiered on April 17 and so far has been met with critical acclaim. A fairly amazing series actually, it was renewed for a second season two days after its premiere.

Set in the land of Westeros (think Middle-earth without magic and orcs), “Game of Thrones” offers an initially confusing yet coherent plotline of approximately seven groups fighting for control of the throne, thus “Game of Thrones.” There is also an alternate plot where evil from times past/the north is returning to wreak havoc on the land, accounting for one of show’s other taglines, namely “Winter is coming.” While disjointed, it remains comprehensive to viewers paying attention, as it flits from prince of land Y to queen of nation A to princess of Kingdom M.

This show is not for lazy viewers who do not want to think. For devoted watchers, “Game of Thrones” rewards them by building suspense until the breaking point. And then the terrific cliffhangers leave viewers wanting to tune in next week.

Due to the extensive amount of characters, I will only be naming the important ones. First, we have Eddard Stark and his loving wife, two sons, two daughters and illegitimate son. Next, Robert Baratheon, the king, and his family which includes one queen (who is plotting a coup alongside her twin brother with whom she has an incestuous relationship), a son (who is oddly reminiscent of Malfoy from Harry Potter) and the younger brother of the previously mentioned queen, who happens to be vertically challenged. Then, we have Viserys Targaryen, prince of the deposed king of Westeros, with his sister Daenerys who is being married off to Khal Drogo, who is leader of a Mongol-like tribe called the Dothraki, because Viserys aims to enlist his help in taking back his kingdom. It is worthy to note that they created a Dothraki language just for the series (maybe the next Klingon?). Though it may seem a burden to remember all the characters listed here, it is quite easy as they all have some identifiable trait and therefore succeed in captivating the audience.

The HBO show is based on a series called “A Song of Ice and Fire,” written by George Martin, of which the first book is “A Game Of Thrones.” I haven’t read the series recently, so I cannot attest to the faithfulness of the show to the original, but the author has been cited as saying that it was.

This series is not for the easily distracted. Watching requires that you focus on the setup so that you will understand what goes on later. If you succeed, you will be rewarded with a bounty of enjoyment. And what the future holds can only be better. Perhaps it can form a fan base as rabid and spirited as Trekkies or froods, while still maintaining its cult status.