Was Game of Thrones a little too dark and gruesome?

Was Game of Thrones a little too gory and had a little too much sex for you? The series took the world by storm when it debuted on HBO in May 2011. The books by George R. R. Martin had already been in the public eye since 1996. Prior to the show airing, the series, A Song of Ice and Fire, had 4 books. This epic fantasy set in a medieval-esque world called Westeros contained a large number of characters, and even with reducing them for the TV version, it could still become overwhelming. The story, for the most part, revolves around the Stark family group, even as they are split up and scattered around the world.

I found myself mostly drawn to Arya, the youngest girl of the Stark family who consistently railed against the sexist attitudes and expectations of her gender. Her strength really shows when she begins to take “dancing” lessons with the fencing instructor. This proves to be an important skill set as she ends up alone and needing to survive. In Arya’s case, she knew that she was in a precarious situation and needed those skills.

Game of Thrones was great, but there were many aspects that pulled me out of my comfort zone for casual TV watching. There were sexually charged scenes that felt forced, the amount of blood and gore was appropriate, made its point properly, but instances such as the fight between Martell and the Mountain...well...it was very well done, but also quite shocking. I would not be able to classify it as a relaxing, feel-good show. Relaxing, feel-good shows are how I like to unwind. Maybe I just shouldn’t engage in GoT right before bedtime. It wasn’t until a few years later where I found a similar show with both the gore and the sexual encounters turned down to a level which I could enjoy.

Outlander, much like Game of Thrones, began as a book series. Written by Diana Gabaldon, there were seven novels prior to its TV showing with the first one being published in 1991. Unlike the A Song of Ice and Fire series, Outlander takes place on our planet, post-WWII and whisks us back to the 1700s. The first book in the series, same as the title of the series, Outlander, focuses mostly on the time spent by the main character, Claire, in 18th century Scotland.

As much as Game of Thrones is a period piece, taking inspiration from medieval Europe, but remaining completely fictional; Outlander is a period piece hundreds of years later, but still far enough to feel removed from present-day. The modern-ness of the beginning of the series in 1940’s Scotland still feels too familiar, especially if one has travelled in Europe. The amount of time passed between the story’s setting and present day is a key element to its fantastical elements. While this is historical fiction, Gabaldon put in a lot of research into Scottish clans, the battles fought and the politics involved in the Jacobite uprising. This is a serious diversion from the completely fictional world of Westeros, but some of the political intrigue has the same overtones.

Again, I find myself drawn to the strong, female character; Claire. Her skill set wasn’t in self-defense, but rather in healing others. The feeling that Claire is in a more precarious situation than Arya is interesting--Arya is known in the land and is being actively searched for, but has the freedom to go where she needs to in order to be safest. Claire is a complete stranger with strange knowledge, but is being kept under close watch with veiled threats of being tried as a spy or just remaining as an imprisoned healer for Clan McKenzie. Perhaps it is the age of the characters, but hope seems much less likely for Claire than for Arya.

While there is some sex in Outlander, it is more sensual than forced--although there are a some non-consensual instances. The blood and gore is significantly dialed down with more signaling prior to showing you the images; thus preparing you for a potentially disturbing moment. Both TV series are rated TV-MA, for mature audiences, but there most definitely is a sliding scale for the sexual content and violence as well as the blood and gore disclaimers.

If the likes of Claire and Jaime’s consensual intimacy and the wartime battle scenes are still too graphic and intense, it might be wise to jump on down out of the TV-MA shows and maybe something more palatable. Anne with an E is rated TV-PG, but even that does contain some sexual themes, including non-consensual situations.