SPOILER ALERT: This article contains spoilers to past seasons of “Game of Thrones.”
Making a joke about winter having technically come and gone is almost too easy for the spring premiere of the fourth season of “Game of Thrones,” which airs Sunday, April 6 at 9 p.m. Time to get your viewing group together because spring term Sundays are about to get a lot more epic.
It is difficult to avoid season four spoilers while Googling “Thrones,” but judging by The Telegraph’s review headline this season will be “the most brutal yet.” It is not surprising, considering the season’s official slogan is “All men must die” or “Valar morghulis” if you prefer High Valyrian. Brutality in “Thrones” is as expected as nudity in “GIRLS.” Yet it’s hard to imagine anything more graphic than the Red Wedding or even Jaime losing his hand.
In case you forgot what happened at the end of season three: the finale episode concludes with shot of Daenerys as she is surrounded by thousands of people proclaiming her their mother, as well as her three almost fully grown dragons flying above her head. Arya makes her first kill. Jon Snow returns to Castle Black. Jaime Lannister is back in King’s Landing. Tyrion and Sansa are married and not getting it on. Bran Stark is planning to go after the White Walkers. Yara decides to rescue Theon after receiving a disturbing package. And of course, there was the Red Wedding.
“I’m looking forward to seeing which of the many different plot lines finally start to come together,” junior Brad Burke said.
According to Entertainment Weekly, “intensely serialized dramas like ‘Thrones’ often steadily decline in the ratings, especially after the first or second season, since it becomes increasingly tough for new viewers to just dive-in mid-way.” However, the number of “Thrones” viewers have only increased, which is impressive for an adult fantasy show on a premium network. These statistics most likely don’t surprise fans who all cling to different aspects of the show.
“My favorite thing about the show is that there are absolutely no rules. I think what makes it so popular is that for a fantasy show it’s more about the characters than the fantastical elements of the world,” senior mathematics major Colby Adamson said. “People are intrigued because they can’t predict the outcome.”
“I like that none of the protagonists are morally untarnished — the line between ‘good guys’ and ‘bad guys’ is blurry in a way that keeps it interesting. Even the characters that I like the best are put into these impossible situations where they have to decide how to compromise themselves,” Sanjay Srivastava said, an associate psychology professor.
On top of earning high ratings, an official HBO mix tape called “Catch the Throne” was recently released, featuring beats made from samples from the show mixed with rap and singing. Lyrics include: “White walkers can never be trusted/ Exile across the sea/ I spit fire like Khaleesi” in “Win or Die” by Bodega Bamz. Whether or not you have time to binge on the show before Sunday, be sure to check out the mix tape.