3. Contemporary Fantasy
Thrones manages to blend the supernatural with reality into a perfect concoction of contemporary fantasy. "But that's a paradox!" you say? Exactly. This is part of what makes the show so brilliant and fascinatingly appealing to watch and tune into. Even though most of the story is set on the fictional continent of Westeros, and even though there's all kinds of magical and fantastical stuff going on, the story is adapted faithfully from Martin's books to keep its immoral focus on the human elements. Dany has her dragons and we love her for them but it's, among other things; Ned's unfaltering honor, Arya's bravery, Jon's sense of shame, Robb's taste for revenge, Catlyn's maternal fear and Davos's unyielding loyalty that keep our investments captive. Though J.R.R could condemn allegories all he wants, Lord Of The Rings was obviously inspired in part by the atrocities of World War 2. Sauron and his minions represent Fascism, the Fellowship are the Allies and so forth. But hey, guess what? We're not in 1950 anymore. Game Of Thrones uses the sharpest tools from all-too-familiar political and religious sheds to carve out a story filled with insatiable lust and greed for power. Melissandre's religious manipulation to feed war-hungry lords is something we in the 21st century can relate to because we've probably seen something similar on BBC World the other day.