TMC
06-10-2015, 01:36 AM
http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2015/06/09/game_of_thrones_is_a_classical_tragedy_don_t_be_so_shocked_my_the_deaths.html
The problem with critiques of this week's death, says Amanda Marcotte, is that many viewers aren't conditioned for classical tragedy. "There's not a lot of truly tragic storytelling in modern TV and movies," she says. "We are trained to expect, especially when it comes to action-packed fantasy and sci-fi stories, that just when things look bleakest for our heroes, they will perform some amazing feat and save the day at the last possible minute. That is the plot of Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, Mad Max: Fury Road, every DC and Marvel superhero movie, and nearly every B-list thriller on the market. As the Dothraki might say, it is known that the heroes emerge triumphant." PLUS: Some viewers have a "pain threshold" (http://time.com/3914125/game-of-thrones-hannibal-violence/) when it comes to GoT violence, why Stannis made the right call (http://www.vox.com/2015/6/9/8751523/game-of-thrones-stannis-shireen-burned-alive), and Carice van Houten reacts (http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/06/09/game-of-thrones-murderous-red-priestess-carice-van-houten-on-melisandre-s-child-burning-ritual.html?) to Sunday's episode.
The problem with critiques of this week's death, says Amanda Marcotte, is that many viewers aren't conditioned for classical tragedy. "There's not a lot of truly tragic storytelling in modern TV and movies," she says. "We are trained to expect, especially when it comes to action-packed fantasy and sci-fi stories, that just when things look bleakest for our heroes, they will perform some amazing feat and save the day at the last possible minute. That is the plot of Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, Mad Max: Fury Road, every DC and Marvel superhero movie, and nearly every B-list thriller on the market. As the Dothraki might say, it is known that the heroes emerge triumphant." PLUS: Some viewers have a "pain threshold" (http://time.com/3914125/game-of-thrones-hannibal-violence/) when it comes to GoT violence, why Stannis made the right call (http://www.vox.com/2015/6/9/8751523/game-of-thrones-stannis-shireen-burned-alive), and Carice van Houten reacts (http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/06/09/game-of-thrones-murderous-red-priestess-carice-van-houten-on-melisandre-s-child-burning-ritual.html?) to Sunday's episode.