No more torture porn

“Game of Thrones” (GOT) is easily the most popular TV series in the world just now. Aired on HBO and based on George R R Martin's “A Song of Ice and Fire” fantasy novels, the plot is set in the fictional lands of Westeros and Essos. The ruling families of Westeros are involved in a complex power struggle over control of the Iron Throne at King's Landing, while the *real* heir to the throne is plotting her return from exile in Essos. Martin's idea is to write realistic or “low” fantasy, and most of the milieu is obviously based on Antiquity and the Middle Ages. As the story have progressed, the supernatural elements (derived from Norse mythology) have become more important, as have the three dragons of one of the main protagonists. At an early date, the TV series became notorious for its amoral characters and general brutality, often sexual in nature. This is the seventh season of “Game of Thrones”. An eighth and final season is projected for 2018-2019. Since Martin didn't complete his novels in time, the HBO series is no longer based on the original stories.

It's interesting to see how GOT has changed since Martin lost effective control of the production. On the one hand, the torture porn and constant rapes and brothel scenes are gone, which I would consider a positive. On the other hand, the latest season has *major* plot holes. Most of the characters have morphed from evil or grey-zone schemers to good guys (with Cersei as a notable exception – the series still needs a villain). The dialogue is almost as chivalrous as “Ivanhoe”, and there is an air of political correctness. In the older seasons, the PC stuff was obviously hypocritical, now the early medieval land of Westeros has suddenly turned into a feminist paradise. In a sense, Cersei has become the most interesting character of the show, her dialogue with Tyrion in the last episode being a morally ambivalent tour de force.

Many suspect that Martin's dystopian story would have ended with the Army of the Dead laying waste to Westeros, leaving no one alive, had he found the time to complete the novels. Or perhaps Daenerys Targaryen would finally have embraced her destiny as Über-genocidal butcher extraordinaire, laying waste to the land on her own behalf. Instead, I wouldn't be surprised if the last episode turns into a morality tale about evil Braavos bankers and Muh Russian collusion… But then, I suppose Martin could always return from the dead in a dozen or so spin-offs. Let's just hope he leaves the torture porn and sex-with-animals out of it!