'Game of Thrones'? More like waste of time

[Zorro]

Thronies.

For those who must live and work among them, the next couple of months will be a challenge. Beginning this Sunday, these loyal subjects will return to Muggleshire, or Rivenmoore or wherever it is that HBO's "Game of Thrones" is supposed to take place. Prepare yourself for loved ones and co-workers shocked, outraged and generally agitated by the imaginary things that happen in this magical land that never existed.

Of all the successes HBO has enjoyed with its hour-long dramas, "Game of Thrones" is perhaps the most surprising. Who could have foreseen that fantasy, a genre that suppresses the horrors of middle school by escaping into the womb of Middle Earth, would emerge as the ratings champion of premium cable? Why have programming executives surrendered Sunday nights to those lost souls you see in the park eating turkey legs and jousting with plywood broadswords?

For those allergic to blood oaths and derring-do, HBO's decision to schedule "Thrones" in the wake of Mick Jagger and Martin Scorsese's "Vinyl" only compounds the humiliation. Just when all the cool kids were getting into grimy nostalgia for '70s sleaze, "Game of Thrones" arrives to rub our noses in the folderol of magic, dragons and pidgin Shakespeare. It's like being at a party where someone rips "Exile On Main Street" off the turntable and forces everyone to play Dungeons and Dragons.

http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-0424-sconce-game-of-thrones-takedown-20160424-story.html

[northernsouthern]

1. Wow, this person is bitter.

I could see people that do not like the violence or nudity. I can see people for making a claim (not a solid one, but some ground) that it is demeaning to women if they have not actually watched it and understood the point. But he is hating on kids that liked D&D, I since anger management issues.

[whatthehey]

2. meh. 70s cool guy wannabe has a sad for some reason

[Scootaloo]

3. How dare you like something I don't like! Argh yargle blargh argh!

[T_i_B]

4. That about sums it up

It's a bit like me writing an article about Morris Dancing. I don't like it, but does everybody else need to have that personal dislike rammed down their throat?

[Fumesucker]

5. The OP mistakenly placed this in Good Reads

It's not.

[nxylas]

6. It "Oo, those awful Orcs" for 2016

Same shit, different century.

[yardwork]

7. Vinyl was not all that. I mean, really.

Can't wait for Sunday.

[MADem]

8. LOL~I tried to like both of them, no sale, though.

I try to give the commercial free efforts a look, but neither one of those held my interest. For those that enjoy that kind of thing, knock yerselves out! Both just seemed too much of an effort to invest time in.

I am a fan of "Better Call Saul" though (love the dichotomy of personality that is the Future Saul Goodman!), and I also like the UK series offered on ITV/BBC that migrate eventually to PBS. I've slogged through BILLIONS and The Affair on Showtime (zzzzzzz), but I like HOMELAND better (even though there's a lot of awfulness--mispronunciations of pretty basic words, e.g.--happening in that effort). The pace/plot twists are interesting so I just force myself to ignore the gross mistakes.

This writer does have a sense of humor, though-I had to laugh at his Zombie Show assessment (couldn't get into those, either!):

No, what we really need are more TV shows about zombies. Unlike fantasy, zombie shows actually provide a valuable public service.

I can't help but notice some people are very proprietary about their TV watching--and if you (or this writer) don't like what they like, OFFENSE IS TAKEN!

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!

[Paladin]

9. "pidgin Shakespeare"

Verily, he hath struck a bullseye......

[Chan790]

10. The funniest part of this is that Vinyl is actually pretty mediocre.

I doubt it gets a renewal.

Also, no, the world doesn't need more zombie television or movies. There's one good zombie show, two decent ones and a lot of crap. It's a far more crap-speculative genre than fantasy.

[Throckmorton]

12. Yes we do, we need more zombies on the TV

Yes we do and I am horrified you think we don't. Here all along I thought DU was a safe space for zombie TV show lovers. I am weeping now.

[Chan790]

13. Zombie TV espouses Republican values.

Really. Everybody on TWD has to be out for their own interests and every time someone or the main group decides to work for the greater good, they get fucked over for it. It makes for compelling TV and encourages an objectivst worldview.

(I have a degree in Political Theory with a concentration in poli. comm. I can't shut off the critical analysis of media to just enjoy anything. )

♫ Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be political scientists.
Don't let 'em work in the primaries or get out the vote.
Let 'em be cowboys and lawyers and such.

Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be political scientists.
Cause they'll never enjoy entertainment and they're always critical.
Even with a show they love. ♫

[progressoid]

11. I tried to watch it.

Realized it was going to take a lot of time to watch it and decided my time could be better spent.

Like watching Kimmy Schmidt and The Good Wife!

[Chan790]

14. TGW is ending unfortunately.

Julianna Margulies wanted to leave and the producers decided they couldn't or didn't want to do the show without her.

I hope they give her and the show the kind of send-off that provides some finality.

[progressoid]

15. Two episodes left.

It's not a show without Julianna Marguelies.

It had a good run. It's time to end IMHO. Hope it's a good one.

[fred v]

16. I've never watched it

I had my hopes raised and dashed by The Armageddon Rag.

[FSogol]

17. LOL, love this part:

Ask yourself this: Is it worth devoting 60 hours of your life to a TV show that features a talking three-eyed raven? The third eye provides said raven the ability to deliver such gems as, "The strongest trees are rooted in the dark places of the earth. Darkness will be your cloak, your shield, your mother's milk. Darkness will make you strong."

Do portentous birds and beasts appeal to you? Why not try spreading some fortune cookies around in your backyard and pretend they are pearls of wisdom bequeathed by Quizzilneck the Enigmatic Gopher? That way you'll still have 59 hours free to rotate your tires, clean out the gutters and complete all the various other chores associated with responsible adulthood.

Whole article here:
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-0424-sconce-game-of-thrones-takedown-20160424-story.html

[Doctor_J]

18. I tried it on a "free HBO weekend" on cable

A bunch of people who don't smile wearing period costumes and having all variety of simulated sex.

I don't care for the fantasy genre so I don't get the obsession here.