Does the success of Game of Thrones mean we‘re ready to see our heroes die in movies?

If you'll forgive me, I'm turning my attention away from films (kind of), and talking TV again.  I've already written once before about how movies could look at what's happening in many of the best and most popular series on TV at the moment; well I've been watching the reactions to the current series of Game of Thrones with some interest.

Now, two things to start with: firstly, there'll be SPOILERS for Game of Thrones up to date, and for other TV series, so proceed with caution!  Secondly, I should point out that I don't actually watch Game of Thrones.  You see, I have a problem with dealing with people that do bad things in films and TV programmes.  I get very, very impatient waiting to see a villain/antagonist get the come-uppance they deserve for their terrible deeds.  This exhibits itself in some, well, less than sociable behaviour; I basically start shouting at the screen/TV, exhorting the protagonist/hero to afflict all sorts of terrible, horrible pain and injury upon the villain.  I also cheer very loudly when said villain finally receives that mortal blow.  My wife will attest to how bad I am with this; I actually, literally, made a couple who were sat next to us sprint from the cinema at the end of 'Elysium' (after I cheered at one bad guy getting spectacularly pulped by a railgun)!

So why does this mean I can't watch Game of Thrones?  Well, I find it very difficult to watch anything if I know a villain/antagonist is going to go unpunished for committing terrible acts.  I've been known to get half way through a series of '24', getting so angry that the villain keeps getting away, that I just put on the last episode and skip to the point where they finally get caught/killed.  Heck, I did the same with BBC's recent 'Happy Valley' - after watching the first episode I knew I wouldn't be able to wait another 5 hours to see the antagonist get the beat-down they deserve, so tuned in for the very final few minutes of the last episode this week, just at the point that he does (and pretty satisfying it was too - though if I'd have written it, he'd suffered quite a bit more..!)

I watched the first Episode of Game of Thrones (just before the current series started), and at the end of it I was pretty indignant.  I then had a conversation with a friend about it:

Me: "So when do those evil, child-murdering Lannister bastards die?!?!"
Friend: "Errr.... they don't actually..."
Me: "What?!?! But when do the Stark's get revenge on them???!"
Friend: "Well... the Starks all get murdered, pretty much..."
Me: [rages like a mid-transformation Bruce Banner]

I decided at that point that if I wanted to watch a programme about evil, murdering, raping, scheming gits committing terrible acts and NOT being brought to task for it, I'll turn on the news and watch our elected representatives in their office of government, thanks George RR Martin!  (Yes, thank you, thank you, I'm here all week - please, try the fish...)

Last week‘s Episode ('The Mountain and The Viper') is another example of this.  It's been drawing no small amount of controversy because of a shocking and bloody moment of violence, but what I found staggering about it was that the 'victor' in this scenario was basically confessing to the rape and murder of the wife and children of the 'victim'.  Reading about this has made me glad that I haven't been following this programme - unless I had fore-knowledge that the murderer in this scene was at some point going to die a suitably slow, painful, torturous and humiliating death in the near future for their wrongdoings, this scene would have infuriated me quite spectacularly!  It's had a lot of the fans reeling too, as this series is becoming infamous for basically killing off the characters that the fans warm to and embrace the most.

Your favourite character goes up against a ‘villainous‘ one - you know how this usually turns out in the movies, right?  Well, not in Game of Thrones...

However, the more I've thought about this over the following days, the more I've come to appreciate, and even applaud, what this series, through George RR Martin's storytelling, is doing.  Basically, it is breaking down the biggest narrative conventions that is prevalent in TV and Cinema:

That is, the villain must receive some sort of punishment for their evil acts, and the hero can never die.

Now, it should be said that the reason so many great stories (regardless of medium) are so treasured and memorable is because the hero/protagonist succeeds, despite the trials and tribulations thrown their way - their motivations (love, redemption, revenge, survival) help us to empathise with their plight/quest/mission and cheer when they finally succeed.  And it helps if in doing this there is a detestable villain/antagonist who deserves to be foiled/punished/avenged by the hero.  Also, it can be pretty depressing to have a story where the hero ultimately fails.  Of course, there are notable exceptions to this, and where it is true to the genre, or the intentions of the storyteller, having the hero(es) not succeed can be the right thing (see, for example, 'Seven', or 'The Usual Suspects').

But what is interesting about how people are compulsively following Game of Thrones is that, despite the clear shock at seeing a sympathetic or apparent 'heroic' character die at the hands of a more villainous one (although I do appreciate that for the  most part the characters are generally somewhere in the middle morally), people are sticking with the series - and they can't seem to get enough.  This makes me wonder whether a) movie makers should be more daring and embrace 'darker' storytelling like that, and if b) audiences in general are now ready to accept this?

I know I harp on about the Marvel Studios movies a lot, but let's face it their linked approach to move-making is paying off dividends at the moment, both in terms of box-office success and quality of film.  Now, let's say, they took one of the major characters - and killed them off.  And I mean, ACTUALLY killed them off (there's that joke about the only character that stays dead in Comics is Uncle Ben...).  If done correctly, in a way which made sense, and wasn't done in a 'cheap' or 'weak' manner, it would be a completely epic and unforgettable moment - not just for the franchise, but for cinema in general.  The only other time I can think of something like that happening is in the 1980's animated 'Transformers' movie with the death of Optimus Prime - although that had little to do with storytelling than with highly cynical marketing on the part of the company making the Transformers toy line ("hey kids, you know your favourite Transformers characters, like Optimus Prime?  Well, they're all DEAD, so you have to buy these new toys, okay?").

Once again, I think move makers should look at Game of Thrones and be emboldened.  Heroes are dying left, right and centre in that series, but the fans are staying with it - in fact, it's becoming more popular all the time.  When done correctly, audiences can completely embrace an ending which is not the conventional 'hero wins/villain fails' one - take for example, 'Empire Strikes Back' recently being voted the greatest film of all time by a large number of movie fans.  You might argue that it was only after the trilogy that film was part of was completed - and the heroes had defeated the villains - that appreciation of that film began to truly flourish.  Even so, it remains a favourite amongst move fans, and not just of that particular film series.

Turns out we don‘t mind if the villains come out on top now and again...

Coming back to the Marvel movies, following on from the recent Captain America sequel, many comic fans have pointed out that certain characters have been introduced in to the franchise that have key roles in a comic storyline which sees Captain America assassinated - yes, he actually dies (though, yeah, Marvel did bring him back after a couple of years...).  Interestingly those who have made these connections are actually in favour of this happening in the movies - and I must admit, I agree.  Chris Evans is only contracted for one more Captain America and Avengers move after next year's 'Age of Ultron'; if he did want to leave the role, and Marvel chose not to re-cast, then the death of Captain America could be a truly unforgettable, heart-breaking, but nonetheless epic moment in that series of films; IF it is handled correctly, and done in a way that still makes for a satisfying story.  Whether they will is yet to be seen - I'm sure that the merchandising opportunities that Captain America presents may affect this final decision ultimately...

So I think that movies should take HBO's and George RR Martin's lead, and perhaps start killing a few more of their heroes off - when done in the right way, this needn't drive audiences away.

And does this mean I will start watching Game of Thrones?  Well, I might have to wait and see what the final outcome of the series is down the line, before I decide whether to give it another go; just so I know I'm not going to have any more outbursts at the TV screen..!