This “Game of Thrones” superfan delved deep inside the brilliance behind all the show’s deaths, and it’s morbidly informative
All you GoT fans know that there’s something special about the series that keeps us coming back for more. But what exactly is it about the fantasy-based roulette game of a show that keeps us hooked?
This one YouTuber set out to answer that very question.
Superfan Will Schoder made an über-impressive YouTube video that explores the important role that death plays in the Game of Thrones series, titled, “The Repercussions of Mortality”.
The video sets out by establishing one of the major themes of show is death. (Of course, anyone who watches knows that isn’t a hard thing to prove in the least.)
The 15-minute video reminds us of one of our favorite phrases from Arya’s sword teacher, Syrio Forel.
He said, “There is only one god — the god of death.”
Schoder also posits the High Valyrian phrase of “valar morghulis” as VERY important in the series. The phrase translates to “all men must die” in English, and Schhoder goes on to explain that the sentiment is carried on as a theme throughout the series.
“[George R.R. Martin] wanted to show that in war, the truth is good or bad, all people have an equal opportunity of perishing,” Schoder says.
And all those unexpected, unpredictable deaths? Despite upsetting fans, they’ve actually served to increase viewership of the show.
Schoder cites that watchers grew from 5.39 million viewers at the end of Season 3 to 7.09 million viewers at the end of Season 4. That number skyrocketed to 8.89 million by end of Season 6 (even after Jon Snow’s untimely betrayal and murder). So the very fact that this show doesn’t follow traditional TV narratives of who lives and who dies could actually be part of the reason it’s so popular, according to Schoder.
He also points out Martin’s affinity toward the writer William Faulkner, who famously said, “The only thing worth writing about is the human heart in conflict with itself.”
With that in mind, Schoder continues.
He says, “[Martin] believes all of us have it in us to be angels, and all of us have it in us to be monsters. What matters is the decisions we make at the crucial periods and times of our life. And it’s with death that he masterfully creates so many conflicts of heart, of good and bad, of the light and the dark, that influence each character’s decisions. It’s [the show’s] greatest tool in making us experience the feelings of emotional and moral complexity that are not so different from those we experience in our everyday lives.”
We have to admit that he makes some pretty fascinating and valid points, even if we hate to see our favorite characters go.
