Game of Thrones

I am sure I am far behind on becoming a fan of the HBO series Game of Thrones, but I just got the first two seasons on DVD for Christmas. I spent much of the weekend watching the twenty episodes of the first season. If I subscribed to HBO, I’d probably have already seen the series before, but I don’t so I had to wait to get it on DVD. As soon as I watched the first episode, I knew I was hooked. Now I need the third season and can anxiously await the fourth season on DVD in February.

If you are not familiar with the HBO series, it is an adaptation of A Song of Ice and Fire, George R. R. Martin’s series of fantasy novels, the first of which is titled A Game of Thrones. I’ve never read the novels, but hope to one day. The novels and their adaptation derive aspects of their settings, characters and plot from various events of European history. A principal inspiration for the novels is the English Wars of the Roses (1455–85) between the houses of Lancaster and York, reflected in Martin’s houses of Lannister and Stark. Most of Westeros, with its castles and knightly tournaments, is reminiscent of High Medieval Western Europe. I am not an expert on Medieval Europe, but I have been fascinated by Medieval England since I took a class on it from a woman who I consider to have been one of the greatest history professors to ever live. She was also my mentor until her death, and she encouraged me to continue my study of history.

That being said, Game of Thrones has many redeeming qualities. There are a massive number of characters to keep up with, but the male eye candy is tremendous. With gay knights and nobles, there is a bit of gay sex thrown into the mix. The male nudity is not nearly as numerous as the female nudity, but each time it appears on the screen, it is well worth it. Amazingly, or maybe not so amazing, the most well-endowed actors tend to show frontal nudity, but there are plenty of male backsides to enjoy as well.

Game of Thrones star Finn Jones stated the obvious in one interview: There’s “not enough hot gay sex” on the show. Jones plays Loras Tyrell (pictured on his back in the above screenshot), a rather unique character for American television. He is unreservedly gay, but fierce as any other Westeros warrior.

Actor Kristian Nairn is best known as the dim-but-loyal Hodor on Game of Thrones. His character carries a crippled child around and only utters the word Hodor. Hodor is said to have giant’s blood in him and by the looks of his nude scene in season one, he’s a giant in more ways than one. But more interesting than his prodigious member is that he is openly gay. In an interview he said of being a gay man, “I had an upbringing to respect other people’s privacy, and their right to be and choose what they want, and I expect—no, demand—no less for myself. It’s a very small part of who I am on the whole, but nonetheless, in this day and age, it’s important to stand up and be counted. I have and always will stand my ground. So, yeah, people have been great, on the show, but I don’t see why it would be an issue.”

If you enjoy semi-historical television with a mix of fantasy, Game of Thrones is well worth watching.