Bingeing on Game of
Thrones was a positive experience for the students who selected this popular TV
show. Here is what the students who participated had to say.
One student, Suzanne,
reported:
One of the great things
about any TV show based on a different medium is watching how a world you’re
already familiar and in love with is visually interpreted. The Vale and the
Eyrie were breathtaking, Vaes Dothrak looked and felt perfect, and King’s
Landing hit the right combination of sewers and silk banners to make it feel
like a realistic capital of Westeros. But the actors outshine the scenery.
Whoever was in charge of casting and costuming did a wonderful job, in my
opinion. One of the joys of reading the books is getting to direct the story in
your head and give each character a distinct voice and appearance. One of the
joys of watching the show was discovering that the portrayal of some of my
favorite characters in the live series either matched or exceeded how I had
envisioned them in my head while reading. I never knew who Tom Wlaschiha (Jaqen
H’ghar) or Jason Momoa (Khal Drogo) were before watching the GoT TV show, which
was perfect - I had no prior experience by which to judge them or how suitable
I thought they were to play their characters, making it even simpler to believe
that they genuinely were their characters in every detail. The similarities I found
made the TV show really feel like it was bringing the book series to life, and
discovering new actors whose other works I might later peruse is an added
bonus.
Got Eyrie
Heather, another
student, said:
I was excited to do this
binge. I had never binged on anything before. Usually I have to move around
every hour or so because I have ADHD as well as Aspergers and I need to keep
stimulated. I had looked forward to this class the whole break because I want
to push myself and this sounded like a fun and great way to do it. I was
nervous because I had never binged before so I worried that the time commitment
might be intense. My hope was that since it's new on all levels that my brain
would find it stimulating enough to want to stay focused. My thoughts on GoT
and binging right now are that I loved it. I was extremely focused on the show
and never felt disappointed or cheated. I did get attached to characters who
ended up dead or seriously injured. But one of my favorite characters, Daenerys
Targaryen, becomes more powerful and a ruler. She also brings back dragons that
are super awesome, and adds more to her power.
GoT Daenerys Targaryen with one of her dragons
Yuki also gave his thoughts
on the show:
One of the most memorable things about the show for me was the
variety of characters and their respective backgrounds and personalities.
Two of the most memorable characters for me are Eddard Stark and Jon
Snow. Eddard's character strikes at me with great interest primarily due
to his strong belief in honor and upholding a certain moral code in day to day
life. He doesn't enjoy killing others (i.e. the deserter from the Wall)
and he tries to find an honorable and peaceful solution to issues and conflicts
(i.e. refusing to acknowledge Joffrey's ascension to the throne).
However, the evolution of Eddard to me is watching his interaction with
his family and others, specifically comparing Winterfell and King's Landing.
His personality drastically changes from a man of confidence to one who
is constantly feeling uneasy and wary of his surroundings, though not fully
understanding what he's getting himself into. Jon Snow's character primarily
catches my attention because we know very little about him besides the fact
he's Eddard's bastard child. We don't know who his mother is or
essentially anything else about him. His unknown character allows fans
and viewers to create a world for him on their own since there is no definite
story behind him.
Jon Snow
Will talked about the
narrative approach and said:
Bingeing on the TV
series Game of Thrones was a very interesting and rewarding experience, not only
in terms of the plot, but also in how the plot was presented to viewers. After
watching the first two seasons of the series over the course of three days,
viewers can see that there are many twists in the plot and it is honestly
nearly impossible to predict what is going to happen next. Even though the plot
does maintain a certain level of complexity, it is presented in a way that does
not bore the viewer but keeps them invested and engaged, and viewers can follow
as long as they give the show their undivided attention. The story is told
using a proairetic approach which the creators of the show use magnificently by
showing a series of events and how one thing leads to another. This makes the
viewers want to see the resolution of these events and thus continue to watch
the show. A proairetic narrative essentially shows how one event leads to
another and how the characters reach the resolution at the end of the
narrative. This type of approach to storytelling fit perfectly for Game of
Thrones and keeps the viewer interested and engaged.
Overall these students
thoroughly enjoyed bingeing on Game of Thrones, and at least a couple students
are hooked and will continue watching!
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