Brutal grace: 'Game of Thrones' under a spoiler-free microscope

MANILA, Philippines - For those deep in the know (and into Jon Snow), the Game of Thrones TV series is nearing old-news status already, having debuted in the U.S. April of this year – and, suffice to say, in the world of BitTorrent as well. Scores of opinions have been formed since then and to no surprise, there hasn’t been a great divide in terms of worldwide fandom: The show, in all its fictitious medieval trappings, is superb.

Based on George R. R. Martin’s bestselling fantasy book series, A Song of Ice and Fire, Game of Thrones was initially expected by critics to coast by as a brittle adaptation of its written roots – an assumption quickly snuffed out by its first ten-episode season. In fact, it’s reassuring to know that iconic author GRRM is currently involved in the show as co-executive producer. “If I could only clone myself, I would write three or four episodes instead of just one, and be on the set every day like (creators and executive producers) David (Benioff) and Dan (Weiss) are for the usual requisite 27 hours a day,” says Martin. “But unfortunately then, the books wouldn’t get written.”

Starring Lord of the Rings star Sean Bean as the stoic, duty-bound Lord Eddard “Ned” Stark, Lena Headey as the scheming Queen Cersei Lannister, newly Emmy-nominated Peter Dinklage as the ever-clever Tyrion “The Imp” Lannister, and newcomer Emilia Clarke as the strong-willed Princess Daenarys Targaryen, Game of Thrones follows the struggle of seven noble families as they battle for the Iron Throne. For control of this seat of power, they covet, conspire, and engage in a savage cat-and-mouse game that shakes all of Westeros. In a land where summers span decades and winters can last a lifetime, anyone has a stake in it as long as they survive: kings and queens, knights and renegades, conniving lords and honest men alike.

The show also brings to mind a grit and texture unique to HBO, something we’ve come to pine for over the past decade. The hit show Rome, for instance, has long set the tone for whatever period piece that was to surface in the coming years. Game of Thrones is obviously worlds apart in terms of plot but being a fan of both shows, it was moving to see a fantasy series surpass its predecessors. Moroccan Kingdom of Heaven-style props and CGI visuals were championed here just as much as its dialogue-driven substance. It also brims with anything but the tired approaches to medieval, Middle Earth-like storytelling. Where the likes of Camelot and Merlin have brought nothing but derivative re-workings to the table, Game of Thrones delivers a remarkably raw, unapologetic intensity consistently seen from its pervasive political intrigue (dubbed “The Sopranos of Middle Earth” by critics) to Khal Drogo’s primal performance (There is no word for “thank you” in their language, so they say) to the rabid incestuous ways of the Lannisters. The visual fiend will clearly enjoy this just as much as the audio fiend will.

Literary A-game: Renowned fantasy author George R. R. Martin promises a book-loyal approach to this massive HBO production

Clan friction escalates quite beautifully here as well, set off by no less than the morally ambiguous characters that rule the screen. “I’ve always been attracted to gray characters rather than black and white characters,” admits Martin. “You read about these people who perform a heroic act and then the next day or the next year, 10 years from now, perform a horrible act. And it’s the same person. So is that an evil person because they did an evil thing? Does that discount the good act? The questions of redemption and character change are very interesting to me and that’s what I’m exploring.”

As for all the violence and sexuality, Martin says that sex is a vital part of life. “It’s a huge part of human nature, part of history and people’s motivations,” says the author. “I think excluding sex is excluding a very important part of human nature. Critics will talk about whether it’s gratuitous sex. I’ve balked at that word gratuitous. What does that mean? What is gratuitous feasting and gratuitous heraldry and gratuitous descriptions of the clothes that people wear? I reject all of that.”

Martin’s goal here is simple, and that is to create a vicarious experience for readers and first-time viewers alike. “I wanna put them in the book, to get that transcendent moment where it’s not like you’re sitting in a chair reading but you’re living the book and it’s happening to you,” says Martin. “I wanna give my readers a feast.”

Sibling stars: Bastard child Jon Snow and half-brother Bran Stark have riveting side-stories of their own

You’ll have to see for yourself, though, as to why Game of Thrones rightfully deserves to be called epic, however loosely the word has been used these days. I would liken this story to a football match, devoid of rules and red cards. But as I’ve implied already, the show does not know how to disappoint to save its life. Besides, something that’s renewed for another season this early in the game shouldn’t be passed up on.

Game of Thrones premieres Sunday, August 28 at 10pm on HBO/HBO HD, with two back-to-back episodes per week.