What makes Game of Thrones special isn’t the show itself -- it's the creative fan theories

Slate

Game of Thrones' wild success can be attributed to having a fan base more creative than the show's writers, says Lili Loofbourow. She says the Game of Thrones fan community helps reconcile the omissions and oversights that come from sloppy writing, offering far more interesting possibilities. "What makes Game of Thrones special isn’t the show itself (in my jaded opinion)," says Loofbourow. "It’s that people can’t stop talking about and puzzling over it together, and in this particularly fun-starved moment of history, we shouldn’t undervalue the privilege of seeing thousands of people come together to discuss something with a bubbly intensity that rarely devolves into fury or threats or genuine harm. This isn’t always true within fan communities! Some fandoms are harmful—back in 2013, Anna Gunn wrote about the experience of absorbing the vitriol of Breaking Bad fans who idolized Walter White, despised her character for getting in his way, and wished the actress herself dead. Star Wars and the original Ghostbusters turned out to have some of the most toxic fans on the planet. But Game of Thrones fandoms tend to be theoretical, nerdy, and more obsessed with map details than patriarchal archetypes. They analyze visuals. (Did you notice that the Night King’s symbol looks a lot like the Targaryen sigil?) They come up with fabulously weird theories. (Is Bran the Night King? Is the Night King a Targaryen?) They scour the opening credits for hints. Sometimes they even find them! I have long resented the show for failing to live up to a fandom this intense—in part because I’ve watched over the years as fans have tried to paper over shoddy writing with elaborate explanations that would fix obvious and egregious plot holes. It’s an act of love, really. And fun."

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