On April 25th, at 9PM on Sky Atlantic, Game Of Thrones will return for its sixth series (punches the air) but for many, the show sits rather neatly in a cultural black hole. Apparently dragons and medieval fantasy aren’t everyone’s thing? Think again.
With Game of Thrones series 1 – 5 currently being shown on Sky Box Sets and Now TV, it’s set to become the biggest show on TV (again) in the coming months. There couldn’t be a better time to jump aboard the bandwagon. Here are eight reasons to start watching the show (if you aren’t already) and why winter is always coming and Jon Snow knows nothing. Trust us, once you start watching, you won’t be able to stop.
1. It’s basically a soap opera featuring dragons
Ignore the naysayers who write Game Of Thrones off as simply a medieval fantasy. It’s so much more than that. Boil everything down and this is a soap-opera writ on a grand scale. Think EastEnders crossed with Lord Of The Rings. It’s about warring families, relationships, and betrayal; Big, violent, saucy, intriguing, infuriating and very, very exciting; the dragons and other fantasy elements are a light touch and often irrelevant.
2. Girls rule the show
Granted, there are some very bad men, who do very bad things to women, but there are also some very powerful ladies in the show. See Lena Headey’s Queen Cersei, Michelle Fairley’s Catlyn Stark, Emilia Clarke’s Daeanerys Targaryen and Maisie Williams’ Arya Stark. Tough doesn’t do these women justice.
3. 50 Shades Of Grey has nothing on this
The raunch-factor is extremely high. You name it, it’s all on show here. Some of the sex scenes are tender, sweet affairs. Others, like the one between a brother and sister which results in a nosey child getting shoved out of a window… yeah, not so much.
4. You’ll find yourself swearing allegiance to a family
There is a lot going on in Westeros (the continent where the show is set) and it all revolves around the battle (sometimes physical, mostly mental) for the Iron Throne between numerous powerful families. These include the Starks, Lannisters, Baratheons, Targaryens, Tyrells, Greyjoys and many more. You will find yourself warming to one family and actually feeling like a relative of yours has actually died when someone is killed off – which happens A LOT.
5. There are no boundaries
In most shows the goodies always end up winning and the baddies get punished, right? Not so here. Nobody is safe in the game of thrones, and you’ll find your favourite characters being killed off in the most gruesome way when you’re least expecting it. Incest is also explored (brother and sister as well as father and daughter) and the language at times can be rather colourful. Basically absolutely anything can happen. This of course makes it all the more gripping.
6. There are a lot of catch phrases
‘Winter is coming’, ‘You know nothing Jon Snow’, ‘A Lannister always pays his debts’… there are many catch phrases in the show. Five series in, we’re still not entirely sure what half of them mean. But we still say them all the time anyway.
7. It’s like watching a film in every episode
Game Of Thrones is epic, big-budget, and they film all over the world in locations including Croatia and Iceland. Every hour long episode of the show (based on a series of best-selling fantasy books written by American author, George R R Martin) feels like you’re watching a film.
Whether you’re partial to a rugged Northerner like Robb Stark, or prefer a classically clean cut Southerner such as Jaime Lannister there is someone for everyone on the show. Also look out for Oberyn Martell, Tyrion Lannister, Theon Greyjoy and our favourite character, Jon Snow.
***Watch every episode of Seasons 1-5 of Game of Thrones on demand through Sky Box Sets and NOW TV. ***
Series 5 will premiere on Sky Atlantic in the United Kingdom and Ireland on April 13, 2015.