Thank You & A Perspective

Published May 17, 2019 · Updated July 6, 2022

Dear Dick & Gene:

I want to thank you for your thoughtful podcasts on Game of Thrones. I came to your podcasts for the first time during Season 8 in an effort to extend and deepen the season that has just been flying by. Whether I agree, disagree, learn something, scoff or snort laugh at your opinions, I truly enjoy the passion, research, intelligence and commitment you have shared in all of your podcasts.

I have a somewhat different take on GOT from what appears to be most fans out there, or at least those that write into you. I read “A Song of Fire and Ice” as the books came out. The first two books literally transformed the fantasy genre for me with the level of violence and sudden death of major hero figures, then GRRM wrote the next three books. It appears that you may have enjoyed all the books, I think books 3-5 are undisciplined, repetitive and reek of an author writing to reap huge profits, much like the Harry Potter series from Goblet of Fire on. I honestly don’t care at this point if GRRM finishes the series because the writing is very inconsistent. I was so disappointed by the last 3 books that it kept me from ever watching the show until a friend gave me the box set of seasons 1-6 9 months ago. My wife and I started watching and we were hooked, but unlike many who watched over 9 years, we soared through the series over the last 9 months, literally finishing the final episode of season 7 two days before season 8 began.

Both of you have made it clear that you most appreciate the political machinations of the series. I appreciate that this series has stayed true to the original nature of the first two amazing books: political intrigue, moral ambiguity and real danger embedded in the landscape of soaring high fantasy. At various points in the series, different focus points rose to prominence: war, sex as power, Machiavellian politics, etc. and now in season 8, high fantasy has arrived. I think this is a particular reason so many are wringing their hands and gnashing their teeth. Pure high fantasy is still not something the mainstream public has a true taste for, with perhaps the exception of the Lord of the Rings movies. It still is the province of so-called nerds. As long as GOT stayed under the comfortable roof of political intrigue, treachery, and acceptable softcore porn, the general audience is comfortable, but bring out the dragons, white walkers and such, the fear of being declared a nerd arises.

A metaphor for season 8 I propose is that we are in the endgame of a chess match. Most of the pieces are off the board and the remaining pieces are chasing each other around an open board. The moves come fast and furious and are not all that interesting as the moves were when the game had more pieces on the board. What is interesting is the chase and the action as the players hurtle towards a conclusion. I agree that there have been some goofy moments – although I never hated them – this season, I have been riveted to the action and cinematic grandeur on the screen, watching as pieces are taken from the board often in very unexpected ways. I’m taking the ride rather than wanting the writers to confirm my theories and I am loving it. Unlike many, the speed of the season is not frustrating or concerning me. This is the end game when everything happens like an out of control train pounding down the rails toward a train station and final resolution.

I know this e-mail is long. I don’t expect you to read it on a podcast. I just want to offer a different perspective than I’d heard up to now.

P.S. Gene, thank you for your tears on Friday’s podcast. As a D & D player who literally played with the first three stapled together D & D rulebooks and collected comics in the late 70s and through the 80s, we live in a special time when our heroes and dreamscapes are appearing in incredible ways on the silver screen. GOT, the Marvel movies, Netflix’s Daredevil, Lord of the Rings and so many more are coming alive before our very eyes and I feel like a kid meeting his heroes and seeing his dreams in real life!

— Carl Flink

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