# Game of Thrones. Am I missing something?



## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

Decided to watch GoT for a new evening wind-down ritual with my lady-friend. It's not easy for me, since I read semi-boring non-fiction as a pastime, and tend to veer away from getting stuck in a life-wasting series (and not in a hipster-doofus sort of way).

Anyhow, we gave it two seasons. Couldn't do it.

It seems like a high budget Days of Our Lives. Am I wrong?

I got shit on by a couple of people with a "Who do you think you are?" vibe. Why the frustration?

I'm trying to figure out if this is a "sheeple" thing, or if I'm losing the ability to appreciate TV. And, why do both of us feel the same way? That seems pretty odd as well.

Are we alone on this?


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## BlueRocker (Jan 5, 2020)

It takes a while to get into it, but maybe it's not for you. I had the same reaction to an Austin Powers movie years ago, watched it a few years later and laughed my ass off.


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## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

Love Game of Thrones (except for the ending).

There's some great shows on Netflix. Fargo, The Crown, The Queen's Gambit.


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## RBlakeney (Mar 12, 2017)

Took me a while to get into, the first season I found difficult because there were 50 main characters. 
once they started killing them it became easier to follow and more interesting for me.


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## jdto (Sep 30, 2015)

If you both get the same vibe from it, that could be one of the reasons why she is your lady friend, no?

I eat up that fantasy genre and enjoyed the books, so I enjoyed the series up until the last couple of seasons. That said, if it isn't your thing, why worry? There's a whole lot of entertainment out there for everyone's taste.


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## Erick1987 (Feb 16, 2017)

I'm a huge fan but it's not a great binge show in my opinion. Half of what made it great was it being a top notch "water cooler" show. Long waits between seasons, discussing plot theories because everyone was watching it at the time so there was constant hype. Not the same after the fact. That being said, of u do get into it, stop at the end of season 7


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

"You'll never go broke under-estimating the public." -- _Motto of Screen-Writers_


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## djmarcelca (Aug 2, 2012)

It's only good if you enjoy that version of sword and sorcery fantasy. 

Some of the plot devices are quite literally taken from the War of the Roses. (English Civil War) 

I won't spoil them for you, but they're all over the net. 


Personally I enjoyed VIKINGS more thanG.O.T.


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## TimH (Feb 4, 2006)

I enjoyed it...but I enjoyed it more when the action moved away from Kings Landing. When does that happen? I can't recall. The red wedding is about as early in the show as I remember...I think that's when I felt it really got great. That's season 3 finale.


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## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)

Guncho said:


> Love Game of Thrones (except for the ending)





Erick1987 said:


> stop at the end of season 7


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

Adcandour said:


> ...I read semi-boring non-fiction as a pastime


Not wishing to derail your thread, but I read totally boring non-fiction as a pastime.
What are a few of the books you have enjoyed (recently and in the past)?


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## Lincoln (Jun 2, 2008)

A friend of mine in Quebec sent me the first 4 seasons on a memory stick years ago. I'm no TV watcher, but the wife started watching them and I got pulled into it. While they were following the books written by that George RR Martin dude, it was a great series. When the series passed the point where they could no longer (loosely) follow the books and TV writers took over, everything went to shite. That was about season 6. I enjoyed the series up until the last 2 seasons. And the ending was just crap.


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## Alex (Feb 11, 2006)

Adcandour said:


> Decided to watch GoT for a new evening wind-down ritual with my lady-friend. It's not easy for me, since I read semi-boring non-fiction as a pastime, and tend to veer away from getting stuck in a life-wasting series (and not in a hipster-doofus sort of way).
> 
> Anyhow, we gave it two seasons. Couldn't do it.
> 
> ...


The 1st and last seasons are solid especially the last season is a must watch. There are a few seasons were I either napped or skipped watching. Hearing one of my kids blurting out "KING OF THE NORTH" was another highlight.


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## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

greco said:


> Not wishing to derail your thread, but I read totally boring non-fiction as a pastime.
> What are a few of the books you have enjoyed (recently and in the past)?


I'm embarrassed to say publicly, tbh.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

Adcandour said:


> I'm embarrassed to say publicly, tbh.


No problem. Thanks for (at least) responding.


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## boyscout (Feb 14, 2009)

Adcandour said:


> It seems like a high budget Days of Our Lives. Am I wrong?


I don't think so. Many offerings these days are just soap operas dressed-up - it's a well-proven formula for success. The costumes, sets and faces change but the plot devices, conflicts and resolutions - and especially their underlying foundations - come from formulas that have been around since the early days of the original soap operas. From Days of Our Lives, Dallas, Dynasty and Falcon Crest to Game of Thrones, Grey's Anatomy, Law and Order, and Virgin River, all from the same playbook.

Worth watching IMO (in no particular order excepting Breaking Bad as first) are

Breaking Bad
The Queen's Gambit
The Crown (first season only)
Mindhunter
Manhunt
Black Mirror (some episodes, others are just ostentatiously opaque)
Ozark
House of Cards (first 2-3 seasons)
Bloodline (first season)

Those are usually less-obvious in following the formulae, although the same-old devices appear in those too.

On a completely different track, last night I watched much of Pretend it's a City, which is a mega-dose of Fran Liebowitz as directed by Martin Scorsese - if you don't like her don't bother. Not a story-telling series like the above, but hours of quips from the interesting and funny sardonic writer.


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

Ive been meaning to check out GOT as well...feel like I missed out on a major pop culture phenomenon. all these new "famous actors" that I dont know from anywhere else lol
Not sure its up my alley, which is why Ive waited so long...i dont care for political dramas like house of cards etc either.
Ive been watching Ted Lasso lately. Its light but entertaining...deeper than a sitcom but not too deep.
Others ive enjoyed:
Sons of anarchy (US and Mexican-not as good)
breaking bad
weeds
rescue me
queen of the south
sopranos
The Pacific
Band of Brothers
Z-Nation was my post game ritual after coming home from Friday night hockey lol.

watched Westworld for 1 season...meh. Same with TWD.
Watched 2 seasons of Veep...ok, but overrated.
Also watched 1 season of Better call Saul and Boardwalk empire....these 2 have more potential for me.

Been meaning to watch The Wire.


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## allthumbs56 (Jul 24, 2006)

I rtead the first few books but gave up when it just kept going around and around. I've watched the series and enjoyed it but haven't watched in a couple years - I'll get to it at some point.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Conventional TV has basically fallen off my radar. I haven't become interested in a TV series since.....Seinfeld?


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## brucew (Dec 30, 2017)

Think of it as bubblegum for the brain. Have always been an avid reader of history. Sometimes I wonder if I don't enjoy these types of things more as I'm usually watching the backround props/construction/costumes as they're somewhat borrowed from history.


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

JHFC! 

Graphic incest. Throwing kids off balconies. And that's only the first episode. It kinda hooked my in the first few episodes, when they killed off the lead actor. That's the kind of unexpected consequence I hope to see in a series - no character is sacred. 

But I do think it was a 'time and place' kinda thing. People who weren't in the loop felt they were missing something the morning after an episode like Red Wedding. I just wish I would have used close captioning early on, to differentiate and lock in some of the oh-so-numerous characters with similar sounding names (and familial connections, important later on). That said, I doubt I'll ever watch it a 2nd time, like I did The Sopranos or The Wire or a few others.


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## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)

Preacher was a good series, tnx @mhammer for bringing it up way back.
The Umbrella Society
Political Animals
Rick and Morty


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## Okay Player (May 24, 2020)

Adcandour said:


> Decided to watch GoT for a new evening wind-down ritual with my lady-friend. It's not easy for me, since I read semi-boring non-fiction as a pastime, and tend to veer away from getting stuck in a life-wasting series (and not in a hipster-doofus sort of way).
> 
> Anyhow, we gave it two seasons. Couldn't do it.
> 
> ...


No, it's horrendously over rated. So are Breaking Bad and Ozark.

As a fan of history I appreciate how many cues GOT takes from the past, but the show wasn't for me. Breaking Bad and Ozark are almost funny in how quickly any of the characters would be dead if they existed in the world they portray. Narcos on the other hand, now that's a good show.


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## rforster (Sep 26, 2011)

i loved the show but had real trouble with the books, i think i got through 2 and half of them (including giving up after book 1 a long time and rereading it) but couldn't keep going. the books weren't for me.


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## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

Diablo said:


> Ive been meaning to check out GOT as well...feel like I missed out on a major pop culture phenomenon. all these new "famous actors" that I dont know from anywhere else lol
> Not sure its up my alley, which is why Ive waited so long...i dont care for political dramas like house of cards etc either.
> Ive been watching Ted Lasso lately. Its light but entertaining...deeper than a sitcom but not too deep.
> Others ive enjoyed:
> ...


Z Nation was a guilty pleasure of mine a while back. Tried it again, since I only saw the first season, but girlfriend couldn't handle it (understandably).


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## mawmow (Nov 14, 2017)

@Adcandour : I have no idea about you are all talking about.

Years ago, I was out of town at least a week a month : I gave up following any season long series.

Now, I casually watch a mini-series since I would record the chapter I would miss.

You see, TV and so on are just something I watch when I have nothing else to do. ;-)


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## mrmatt1972 (Apr 3, 2008)

I gave up part way into season 5. If you like getting interested in characters only to have them be gruesomlely killed have at it.


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## Jimmy Fingers (Aug 17, 2017)

Adcandour said:


> Decided to watch GoT for a new evening wind-down ritual with my lady-friend. It's not easy for me, since I read semi-boring non-fiction as a pastime, and tend to veer away from getting stuck in a life-wasting series (and not in a hipster-doofus sort of way).
> 
> Anyhow, we gave it two seasons. Couldn't do it.
> 
> ...


Give it a season more...it gets much better. You do have to pay attention as there is alot of characters. I didnt know what to expect, and resisted for a while. I was glad I got into it. An excellent series.


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## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

Tiddies and blood.


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## Jim DaddyO (Mar 20, 2009)

I enjoyed it...well except the last season seemed rushed, and dark. Still debating whether it is a soft core porn with an actual plot or a soap opera with boobs and swords.


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

Okay Player said:


> No, it's horrendously over rated. So are Breaking Bad and Ozark.
> 
> As a fan of history I appreciate how many cues GOT takes from the past, but the show wasn't for me. Breaking Bad and Ozark are almost funny in how quickly any of the characters would be dead if they existed in the world they portray. Narcos on the other hand, now that's a good show.


Re: Breaking bad, curious...did you get past season 2? I found the first 2 seasons painfully dull, had to get reassurance from coworkers who had seen the whole thing, that it would be worth it. The general consensus was, the first 2 seasons are a bitter pill but it does get way better...and that’s what I felt too, afterwards.
but, no it’s fiction, not a handbook on how to build a drug empire. Gotta have suspension of disbelief.


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## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

Diablo said:


> Re: Breaking bad, curious...did you get past season 2? I found the first 2 seasons painfully dull, had to get reassurance from coworkers who had seen the whole thing, that it would be worth it. The general consensus was, the first 2 seasons are a bitter pill but it does get way better...and that’s what I felt too, afterwards.
> but, no it’s fiction, not a handbook on how to build a drug empire. Gotta have suspension of disbelief.


BB was such a slow burn, for the first little while, but it gets excellent.


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## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)




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## Lincoln (Jun 2, 2008)

laristotle said:


>


OMG.....


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## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)

Lincoln said:


> OMG.....


Google ' Game of Thrones All Seasons, 1 Cartoon'.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShhZLyFpODg
You have to sign in to prove your age to view it though.


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## Okay Player (May 24, 2020)

Diablo said:


> Re: Breaking bad, curious...did you get past season 2? I found the first 2 seasons painfully dull, had to get reassurance from coworkers who had seen the whole thing, that it would be worth it. The general consensus was, the first 2 seasons are a bitter pill but it does get way better...and that’s what I felt too, afterwards.
> but, no it’s fiction, not a handbook on how to build a drug empire. Gotta have suspension of disbelief.


On a second try, yes. There's a few things with Breaking Bad. Right off the top, if you make a show, where even it's biggest advocates say "Well, you have to invest 24 hours into it before it's really worth watching." That's indicative of a show that just isn't that good. It used to be that those shows didn't make it past the first season. That being said, it definitely peaked during season 3 with Gus.

Regarding suspending disbelief, that I have no problem with, what irritated me most about Breaking Bad was that the characters were constantly painted into corners and then having near misses to escape. It becomes very predictable and to be honest is just lazy writing. The over plot was a great, and the characters and actors who played them were great, but the execution was terrible. My personal opinion is it was one of the first shows that had the hallmarks of an HBO show, but was on standard cable. That opened up its viewership to people who have never watched something like Boardwalk Empire or The Sopranos and at the risk of sounding like a cork sniffer, to those individuals BB probably seems like a very gritty show.


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## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)

I have not watched any of it, but, I have looked at a few pictures.








That's about it but more than I've seen about Vikings or Breaking Bad and a hell of a lot more than I'll see of Batwomen.


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## tonewoody (Mar 29, 2017)

Adcandour said:


> Anyhow, we gave it two seasons. Couldn't do it.


You gave it more than a fair chance. No shortage of alternate options to explore these days.

People who enjoyed GoT tended to rave about it.
10 minutes into the first episode, I knew I was not going to be one of them....


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## TVvoodoo (Feb 17, 2010)

you want brain gum? Cobra Kai. Got sucked into that a couple of weeks ago. 
So damn cheesy it leaves a Danish Blue aftertaste in your mouth, but we can't stop watching. 
Think Beverley Hills 90210 meets Enter the Dragon.


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

cboutilier said:


> BB was such a slow burn, for the first little while, but it gets excellent.


.......and one of the best endings I've seen in a limited run series (as compared to the lame ending of Sopranos). The ending also dovetailed nicely into the movie released a few years later.









El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (2019) - IMDb


El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie: Directed by Vince Gilligan. With Aaron Paul, Jonathan Banks, Matt Jones, Charles Baker. Fugitive Jesse Pinkman runs from his captors, the law, and his past.




www.imdb.com





Sadly, the movie was a letdown compared to the series, which was great.


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## colchar (May 22, 2010)

laristotle said:


> Google ' Game of Thrones All Seasons, 1 Cartoon'.
> www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShhZLyFpODg
> You have to sign in to prove your age to view it though.
> View attachment 345506


Yeah, because all Gmail accounts are legit!


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## Paul Running (Apr 12, 2020)

Electraglide said:


> I have not watched any of it, but, I have looked at a few pictures.
> View attachment 345525
> 
> That's about it but more than I've seen about Vikings or Breaking Bad and a hell of a lot more than I'll see of Batwomen.


Wait till you get a look at them Whitewalkers.


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## bolero (Oct 11, 2006)

GOT had some excllent potential, but they fucked up the last 2 seasons and the ending sucks

don't waste your time

great acting, and visual FX/camerawork though


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## zztomato (Nov 19, 2010)

Norsemen is a fun show. It's like Vikings but much shorter and funny. You can get your medieval fix with very little investment.


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## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)

Paul Running said:


> Wait till you get a look at them Whitewalkers.
> 
> View attachment 345581


Looks like my ex mother-in-law.....no thanks.


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## Lincoln (Jun 2, 2008)

the books that Game of Thrones is based on is an incredible storey. That guy must have smoked massive amounts of drugs while writing those books. I don't know how else you could set your mind that free.


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

I watched the 3 minute synopsis for game of thrones posted above; didn’t make it all the way through but it was more than enough. I’ve never really watched much television except maybe in grade skool and even then not that much.


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## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

TVvoodoo said:


> you want brain gum? Cobra Kai. Got sucked into that a couple of weeks ago.
> So damn cheesy it leaves a Danish Blue aftertaste in your mouth, but we can't stop watching.
> Think Beverley Hills 90210 meets Enter the Dragon.


I watched whatever free episodes YouTube was offering just for Nostalgia. I really liked it, but when it came to purchasing, I wouldn't do it.

Now I think you can watch it on Netflix , so maybe I will give that another try.


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

Chuck, have you watched Californication? That seems like a good couples series.


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## hammerstein (Oct 17, 2017)

I couldn’t get into the show for reasons I’m going to hell for.

I gave it a couple tries too, once several years ago, and then again last year. The first time about half an episode, the second I sat through nearly a whole season.


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## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)

hammerstein said:


> I couldn’t get into the show for reasons I’m going to hell for.


Not enough sex scenes to jerk off to?


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## colchar (May 22, 2010)

I watched several episodes of the first season and just couldn't figure out why so many people were so obsessed with the show. Haven't bothered to watch an episode since.


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## hammerstein (Oct 17, 2017)

laristotle said:


> Not enough sex scenes to jerk off to?


The dwarf fella.. I can’t take the character seriously.


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## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)

hammerstein said:


> The dwarf fella.. I can’t take the character seriously.


Maybe you need to get a Tattoo.


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## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)

Electraglide said:


> Maybe you need to get a Tattoo


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## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)

laristotle said:


>


Nah, more like this


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