sickchirpse.comAmidst all the madness of late spring season finales, television addicts like myself were treated to an unexpected surprise in HBO’s newest show Game of Thrones. Based on a critically acclaimed series of fantasy novels by author and screenwriter George R.R. Martin, Game of Thrones has been highly anticipated since the early stages of its production. It doesn’t disappoint; producers David Benioff and D.B. Weiss put immense effort into re-creating Martin’s intricate fantasy world on screen.
The show takes place in the kingdom of Westeros, where a vicious war of subterfuge for control of the throne is taking place. But while Martin’s world bears many similarities to our own—the plot draws inspiration from the historic War of the Roses in 15th-century England—it also involves a number of supernatural elements. In the first episode we are given a glimpse of the mysterious Others, creatures who live in the forests of the north behind the Wall, a massive edifice of ice built on the border of Westeros.
Even with these kinds of twists, it is the characters that drive the show. The protagonists are divided between two of Westeros’ warring noble houses, the Starks and the Lannisters. The murderous conflict between the two families prompted Benioff to describe the show as “The Sopranos in Middle-Earth.” Sean Bean (The Lord of the Rings) leads the cast as Lord Eddard Stark, who manages to be both sympathetic and infuriating in his naiveté. Set against him are twins Cersei (Lena Headey) and Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and their dwarf brother Tyrion (Peter Dinklage), who steals the show at times with his easy wit and wry delivery.
