As a way of introducing the rebuttal that Game of Thrones will mount against its predecessor Lord of the Rings, and the 5 punches of superiority it landed on the popular HBO show in our
first part, we have to ask an obvious question: have you seen "Rains of Castamere", the 9th episode of Season 3, yet? Do you get shivers down your spine at the mention of the words Red Wedding? Alright, compose yourself if you have and if you do. We know how it feels. If you haven't, we won't spoil anything for you from the last episode. However, it must be said that the 5 points Thrones has as a way of countering Rings's arguments couldn't have come at a better time. Last Sunday's episode highlights - with a big, fat, disgustingly red highlighter - the vast gap that lies like a bottomless abyss between the two giants of fantasy fiction. Martin and Tolkien approach the genre from completely different angles; Rings weaves its adventurous spirit on an operatic scale and with balanced catharsis brings about an unforgettable experience, while Thrones (based on George RR Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series of books, of course) has in many ways a more contemporary approach. Ultimately it will be up to you, our dear readers, to decide whether one can reign supreme over the other. With that in mind, as a quick reminder, this is the second part of the virtual debate club where guests Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones joust to see who remains on the horse and who's ends up with their face in the shit - see, if this was Rings's segment we'd say "mud" not "shit" so, you know, think about that. We'll be back with an epilogue of sorts that has some concluding points about the debate and leaves the floor open for your discussion. The motion put forward for the debate is "I Fantasize Better Than You" and here's what Game of Thrones has to say about that.
SPOILER WARNING: This is an article focusing on HBOs Game Of Thrones and Peter Jacksons Lord Of The Rings, not the books by Martin and Tolkien, so nothing from the sources will be spoiled. More importantly, nothing from Books 3,4 and 5 of Song Of Ice And Fire which we still havent seen on the telly will be spoiled. If you havent been following the third Season of Game of Thrones, stop reading if you care to know what happens. Having said that, Episode 9 (..sigh..) will
not be mentioned in any major details. Well assume youve already seen Lord Of The Rings for the sake of our collective sanity.