Weiss and Benioff Aren’t Ruining Game of Thrones. You Are.
I’ll start this by saying that part of my thought process here is no doubt influenced by my extreme love for Game of Thrones, A Song of Ice & Fire, and for George R. R. Martin’s writing. I’m not sure I’m a “fan boy,” and I largely avoid Reddit theories and getting really into the weeds, but I do really love this story and the world we’ve been introduced to. After HBO aired the first season, I immediately plowed through the books. So now that this show is ahead of Martin’s work, everything is a surprise to me. I get to gasp and shout and cry and nervous-puke with all of my other friends in the room.
And just as I am now on the same level as my friends, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss (“D&D”) are now on their own. Writing is not easy, it becomes harder when you know the destination but you have to make up the route. Even Martin, who obviously knows where his characters will end up, is/was admittedly having a hard time getting them there. But while he is on his own schedule, albeit one in which he’s constantly being rushed by his fans, D&D are not. I’m not here to say the writing has been perfect. Or to apologize for the use of some cliches or corny pieces of dialogue. I’m here to tell people to chill the fuck out.
OBLIGATORY SPOILER WARNING FROM HERE ON:
In this season’s episode 5, “Eastwatch” we saw what was probably the most rushed and contrived plot development in the series. The Gendry-is-back-and-now-Tyrion-has-convinced-us-to-go-beyond-the-wall-to-grab-a-wight-to-convince-Cersei-to-hold-off-for-a-second-so-we-can-save-the-realms-of-men plan. Oy. It was…spastic. I’ll grant you that. But what this (valid) criticism became was the ember that sparked dozens of other very…well…shitty takes.
In the wake of episode 5, I read through reviews and articles that questioned and criticized a number of things. How could Jamie and Bronn get to the surface with all that armor? How did they float that far from the battle? How are the whitewalkers traveling so slow? And, perhaps most importantly, where did Davos get all of that fermented crab meat?
These overly analytical critiques continued after this past episode, “Beyond the Wall.” How did ravens/dragons/Gendry travel that fast? Where did the whitewalkers get those chains? How is Dany not cold in that dress? Is Tormund bisexual? (I actually think the last one is worth exploring, but I think we’ll have an entire offseason for that. And I’ll leave it to someone else.)

All of this brings me to my main, and frankly only, point. You’re making Game of Thrones not fun. I’m not telling you not to question things. I’m just telling you that you may have more fun the less you insist on nitpicking. We have all signed up to live in a world in which dragons exist, men are brought back to life, and a young paraplegic boy can inhabit anything from a tree to a crow to another human being. Suspend your disbelief. Does the fate of Westeros rely on the average air speed of a raven? None of us know how this will all shake out, but I can say, almost undoubtedly, the answer is no.
Let’s set aside for a moment the fact that the showrunners have mentioned they were forced to cut the seasons short due to budget constraints, and therefore have to snip some corners and speed things up in terms of both storytelling and perceived travel time within the story itself. Even if that wasn’t the case, I’m not sure we should be focusing on exactly how many miles per hour Gendry would’ve had to run, or how a smuggler acquires a boatful of old crab (uhh, he’s a smuggler that used to carry around onions…)

It’s hypocritical for me to sit here and tell people not to write think pieces about Game of Thrones. What I can do is encourage those who have a problem with D&D’s storytelling to look at the bigger picture. You’ll have more fun, I promise. People embraced this story because of the mystery behind the way in which it was told. Start analyzing the motivations in the Arya/Sansa/Littlefinger situation. Ponder why, with less than 10 episodes left, we’re being told Cersei is pregnant. Discuss how awkward it might be if Jon & Dany, an aunt and her nephew, fly their dragons all the way to pound town.
It’s good to critique and question storytelling. It improves it, and it inspires people like George R. R. Martin to twist it and toy with it. And in some cases, I agree — it hasn’t been as strong as in the past. With the loss of the foundational story that the books provided, we have seen the emergence of some superhero-movie-esque tropes. All I ask is that you let yourself shed this tendency to quibble with every possible detail.
Allow yourself to see the forest for the trees.
Just as a lion does not concern himself with the opinions of sheep, a happy audience member does not concern him or herself with the weight of an average dragon, given added water weight, and the required muscle mass it would take 58 reanimated corpses to pull it from a frozen lake.
