I stumbled across a YouTube channel called Nerd Soup as it came up in my feed due to my Game of Thrones fandom. I enjoyed their in-depth analysis of the show and subscribed to the channel. As the show’s final season pressed on though, they have become more and more critical and today, I finally had enough. Here’s my main point of contention:
The primary criticism is that the leads are not acting in an expected fashion. That somehow, Arya’s decision to go to King’s Landing with Sandor Clegane to kill Cersei was out of character for her. Meanwhile, Arya has had a running “kill list” the entire show, which of course included Cersei. That having a change of heart after Sandor convinced her Cersei would not live through this day and she didn’t need to live on revenge anymore was somehow shocking.
They are upset that Daenerys–who has shown a willingness to kill people without much empathy or remorse for the show’s entirety–while in the midst of an all out battle against her mortal enemy, while riding on the back of a fire-breathing dragon, pissed as hell that literally everyone has either betrayed her, or wants to see Jon Snow on the throne instead of her, wouldn’t be rational, logical and reasonable in that moment, contemplating the consequences of her actions and how they would be viewed by others. That she wouldn’t say to herself, “self, I hear bells ringing and I remember Tryion, that treasonous little fuck, say something about bells meaning surrender. I’m sure Cersei can be trusted to faithfully surrender because someone rang a bell.” Give me a break.
Did she go a little overboard on her murderous hellfire ride through town? Of course. Does that ruin the show? Don’t be ridiculous.
I can be critical too. If you don’t believe me, read my review of the Batman series of films. However, my criticism isn’t about people’s behavior. These Nerds are acting as if human beings are rational creatures. It is well documented that we are anything but. We are prone to innate biases that screw us all up. We are greedy, fearful, selfish, paranoid and more, and that’s just in day to day life. Add a little wartime adrenaline and stress hormones and the expectation that we’d all apply critical thinking skills before sticking a dagger in someone’s gut is absurd. If you want to be critical of the writing, here’s an example of something that was cringe-worthy: Euron Greyjoy swimming up at the exact location, and the exact time, that Jamie Lannister was arriving at a small section of pebbled beach. An absurd and completely unbelievable coincidence.
Game of Thrones has never bored me or driven me to shut it off mid-show. By contrast, I’ve got a long list of movies I couldn’t get through, shows I bailed out on and even a popular series of books that I discarded like a rotten apple. I remember throwing the paperback against the wall as Anne Rice droned on about how the night was as black as ink, like a dark tapestry against a bleak wall, and so forth.
There is no such thing as perfection, and those looking for it are bound to be disappointed. Those who then share their disappointment with others as if they’ve been personally wounded by an unexpected turn of events are bound to get unfollowed. I guess unsubscribed is the proper vernacular for YouTube.
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