GAME OF THRONES: A SONG OF TITS AND DRAGONS

The record breaking show from HBO ended a few weeks ago and with only two seasons remaining, the audience is surely set up for a roller coaster ride. For the casual viewership, the show may seem as a semi porn thing related to something like tits and dragons… and tits, but for people who genuinely follow the show,for people like me, we know that the show works only because of the solid writing and lively projection of characters by the actors who portray them.

The sixth season began right where last season had ended, Jon Snow apparently butchered by brothers of the Night’s Watch where even young lad Olly didn’t miss a chance to stab Jon Snow and this left us viewers wondering if our beloved Jon would ever come back, because lets face it, this is Game of Thrones where death awaits everyone and even the important of characters have been written off. (RIP Ned and Catelyn) . Thanks to Melisandre, the beautiful red head from I don’t know where and her light lord, Jon did come back but what I feel  as a different person. Now this might only be me, but this was not the Jon we all knew. However, the fact that he had experienced death, which he calls a dark place might have made him realise something which he didn’t earlier. We all remember the love he had for Arya but ever since he has met Sansa, he hasn’t mentioned Arya even once. Talking of Sansa, this season has to be the breakout one for her character as she evolved as a character. Having experienced the harshness of Westeros and men especially she has now turned into a really strong person. And Arya, you just got to love the little girl for her journey, as a young woman in a severely patriarchal society, has always been extremely compelling, but with every season, she gets more agency and strength, and in this season becomes even more captivating.

With the intriguing screenplay, stupendous CGI and some fabulous acting, Thrones makes for a complete package of a show but, I feel it to be an allegory of modern day politics. The fight for the Iron Throne, to be the one ultimate power that the world fears and everything the characters do in the show is essentially to enforce their claim for the Iron Throne. It is a story about the rise and fall of power even aided by religious extremism ( Enter High Sparrow). The Sparrows storyline has got a lot of contemporary resonance and in light of current threats of terrorism from militant groups like Islamic State. Thrones is not just a show, it is much more than that. It is a way of life that teaches you that no one in this world but you can protect yourself and if you aren’t agile enough you’ll be slayed the next minute.