Bold Stance: ‘The Wheel of Time’ is poised to be better than ‘Game of Thrones’
Season 1 isn’t even over, but the groundwork is laid to mark itself as the superior fantasy show
Bold Stance is a new column that makes a bold statement about something in pop culture that might not be the consensus and then defends it.
The Wheel of Time is going to be better than Game of Thrones. There, it has been said. Now, this is truly a bold stance, because, at a time, Game of Thrones was regarded as one of the greatest and most epic shows ever to grace the screen.
This take is not to say that Game of Thrones wasn’t great — because it was. But, what The Wheel of Time has done in its first six episodes of season one makes it poised to be better than what Game of Thrones did at its best.
There are a number of reasons for this, which I’ll get into, but to understand why this bold stance exists, you need some context. And of course, there will be spoilers for Game of Thrones and The Wheel of Time (show only) thus far. Consider this your warning.
SPOILERS BELOW!
Background
The Wheel of Time is based upon the Robert Jordan series of the same name, which was published from 1990 to 2013 and consisted of 14 books! Game of Thrones was based on the five novels in the series A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin, first published in 1996 and still waiting to be finished.
This bold stance column is not about comparing the books. In fact, I’ve only read the first book in The Wheel of Time series, The Eye of The World, and I’ve read the first three books of A Song of Ice and Fire. For me to compare the books is not fair. So, this comparison is based entirely on the shows themselves.
Game of Thrones
When Game of Thrones debuted on HBO in April 2011, my wife and I were fans immediately. My dad had read and loved all the Martin books and alerted us that we should watch the show, which of course we did. And to say we were hooked is an understatement.
What made Game of Thrones effective was that it felt and was, unpredictable. The story, thanks to Martin’s source material and his direct guidance on the early season of the show, was unlike anything we’d seen on TV before.
When episode one ended with Bran being pushed from a window after witnessing twins Jamie and Cersei Lannister having sex in a tower, you knew that we were in for something different.
By the time the show had really got off and running, everyone was so emotionally invested in Sean Bean’s character Ned Stark, that when he was beheaded at the order of Joffrey, his death left us stunned, which honestly doesn’t begin to describe it. It seems like we should have expected the main characters as vulnerable, after all, Prince Viserys was killed mid-way through the season. Then the next episode, King Robert died.
Viewers knew right then and there that any character, no matter how significant they appeared to be to the story, could die — and they did (if you want to see all character deaths from Game of Thrones, this list covers them all).
The cultural impact of the show also cannot be understated. From constant critical analysis, fandom, conventions, merchandising, the skyrocketing of the cast’s fame and opportunities for other work, etc — it was absolutely, unequivocally, and forever will be, a cultural phenomenon.
But, it is not without criticism. And this is where The Wheel of Time separates it from its televsion predecessor.
Game of Thrones Criticisms
I am not the first, and won’t be the last, to point out that Game of Thrones had significant issues with its depiction of sex and sexual violence against women.
There were criticisms made that it, along with other dramas at the time, used “sexposition” too often and too casually — essentially nudity for the sake of nudity. And despite what Martin said about his books representing a reality of the times they were based on (medieval practices and norms like rape), there are ways to tell a story where such a horrific act doesn’t need to be seen.
Rape occurred more than once in Game of Thrones, and it was widely criticized every time.
The treatment of women, in general, was of regular criticism as well. One opinion piece, by Alyssa Rosenberg of The Washington Post, noted that the series could be seen as a “long-arc revenge fantasy about what happens when women who have been brutalized and raped gain power.”
Regardless of if the show was representative of the historical role of women as Martin has suggested, the show was a fantasy story. In a show where dragons, magic, White Walkers, zombies, and other fantastical things exist, the demeaning take on women loses ground to stand on.
As the show progressed past the books as source material, and theoretically worked on an outline we can only assume that Martin provided, the show gained harsher and harsher criticism from critics and fans alike.
The rush to end the story, a lack of source material, bizarre character choices and motivations, etc. all lead to the last season being horrendously rated by the internet rating systems, including a near-universal panning of the series finale.
Game of Thrones had some big issues along with its success. So, what makes The Wheel of Time poised to be better than Game of Thrones?
The Wheel of Time
The Wheel of Time is so fresh, you could absolutely argue this bold stance is waaaay to bold and too early to make a case like this. But, here we go.
The series debuted on November 19, 2021, so as of this publication date, it’s still less than a month old and only six episodes through its first eight of the season.
But, the brass at Amazon knew they must have had something special, because the series was renewed for a second season five months before the series even debuted, and filming is already halfway through production.
What makes The Wheel of Time so successful so quickly can be boiled down to one word… patience.
There are certainly similarities to Game of Thrones, and who can blame the team behind them? It’s easy to want to follow the success of a show like that, and bringing those fans into this one requires sharing similar elements to be attractive. But, you’ve also got to land the plane better than Game of Thrones did.
The showrunner, Rafe Judkins, and producing team most certainly watched Game of Thrones, and they most certainly watched how culture moved around it and how the show ended. And they listened and they learned.
The most obvious point of this comes from statements made by Judkins. He understands the benefit of a completed series to work with and he knows the end goal and how the series will end (obviously book readers do too). He knows that the outline is for eight seasons, but that the journey needs to be malleable as necessary, even though the finish will stay the same.
There is something different about having the basis there and an entire story to work with. The same could be said about why The Lord of the Rings worked so well too, its own epic storyline was complete allowing the production to go exactly where it needed to.
And because of that story being completed, The Wheel of Time has the benefit of patience. So many of the episodes have long-drawn-out conversations between characters that allow for growth, background, and realizations without feeling rushed.
The scenes feel more carefully designed, more willing to allow them to speak on their own terms.
The first episode, “Leavetakings” is extremely patient. Set almost entirely in one village, the main characters are methodically introduced, their friendships and relationships established. The magic that Aes Sedai possesses is immediately presented as well known and established, not shied away from like Game of Thrones tended to do as the series unfolded. The Wheel of Time isn’t afraid to truly be a fantasy show.
It isn’t until the climax of the episode that the monsters alter the futures of our characters and push them onto their journey after Trollocs tragedy strikes.
This episode also quickly sets women apart as highly respected, powerful, dominant, intelligent, and equal parts of what is typically a male-dominated world of many fantasy stories.
Women were important too in Game of Thrones, but they were never treated equally, at least not until the end. And by then, for every good grace that Sansa or Arya was given, The Mother of Dragons was stripped of all of those and turned instantly villainous.
The casting is dynamic, diverse, and full of equally fresh faces, along with well-known anchors like Rosamund Pike.
The show understands that time is its ally in storytelling. The stakes are big too, The Dark One looms over everything as an ever-present ominous threat. And then there’s the Dragon Reborn, someone we don’t know if they’re an ally or enemy.
And just as the show was taking these characters on a new adventure together, they split them up, threw them through some rough times before bringing them back together. Each character learned something about themselves, discovered something new they could do, and raised new questions.
Finally, at the end of episode six, “The Flame of Tar Valon”, just as the group was reunited and at full strength, they readied to enter the Ways and instantly teleport to The Eye of The World, Mat stayed back as the portal closed!
When you consider the story in terms of show time spent, the characters have only moved from their village to the White Tower in one month. Some could suggest that as a criticism that not much has happened, but consider the following:
- Mat got possessed after finding the cursed dagger
- Perrin discovered he can communicate to wolves
- Rand seems to have some sort of super-strength
- Edwene is stronger with the One Power than she realized
- Nynaeve is the strongest channeler the Aes Sedai have ever seen
The Bold Stance
The show spent six episodes building relationships, building characters, building the threat and journey, building the stakes — and now, it’s off to the races.
If that isn’t patience, I don’t know what is.
The Wheel of Time feels smaller in scope than Game of Thrones, and so far that works to its service. While it lacks the unpredictable nature that made early Game of Thrones so enticing, it makes up in a fantastical thematic embrace.
The Wheel of Time isn’t afraid to be a fantasy show, it isn’t afraid to take its time telling the story, and it isn’t afraid to let characters talk. Every episode doesn’t need a huge battle scene, as fun as they are. People in the world are flawed and imperfect. They make rash decisions, they make poor ones, and there are plenty of political aspirations (looking at you Liandrin).
After six episodes, the groundwork is laid, and the pieces are moving. Everything is set to make The Wheel of Time better than Game of Thrones.
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