K&AJones

Hello


We don't have HBO and really have never seen a single episode of Game of Thrones, only highlights and clips. I've toyed with the ide of grabbing Season 1 just to see it but let the thought go away. I just looked on Amazon and they have Season 1 BD for like $20.00.

I've always been a fan of the "Medieval Lore" shows and movies....LOTR being a favorite. But I wanted to know is it really almost to late to get in and catch up? Seems a lot to take in and get up to speed on the current part.

aktick

I'd suggest getting HBO (or the new HBO Now for $15/mo) for a month or two and watching that way - on demand/HBO Go. It'd be the cheapest way to fly through them.

And definitely not too late. There's only 10 episodes per season. You probably wouldn't be able to look at the wiki or anything like that to get backstories, but I'm sure if you asked in this thread people would be happy to explain things without spoiling anything.

DeputyDave

If you like fantasy or "medieval lore" then it is never too late to get into the show. At $20 for the BD set I would say get it right now. The BD's are the best way to watch the show considering the deep and highly well done special features that really expand the world and your understanding of it.

DVD Polizei

Definitely not too late to catch up.

Not sure how much you know of GoT, however, this isn't LOTR, and you'll see more controversial sex, graphic fighting, etc.

Each season is fairly good, and my favorites are S1 and S4. Seasons 2 and 3 seamed to drag a little, but S4 was really good (probably because the previous seasons are setting everything up for the eventual crossroads of characters and events).

fumanstan

I don't see how any show is "too late" to get in to. Other then losing out on current discussion by not being caught up, it's not like it would be less entertaining starting now then it would have been a few years ago.

kgrogers1979

40 episodes total across 4 seasons. You could get caught up pretty easily with some dedicated binge watching. Some people binge on a whole lot more than that.

Osiris3657

I've been interested in getting into Supernatural (seen like the first 10 episodes), but what are they at now, 10 seasons and over 200 episodes? Seems so daunting that I doubt I'll ever jump into it.

But someone could knock out all of GoT in a week.

kgrogers1979

I have marathoned Buffy/Angel three times, and combined they are about 250 episodes total.

I have marathoned 24 twice, and it is 200 episodes.

I think those are the longest marathons I have ever done. I marathon other shows too, but they are generally shorter 10-13 episode seasons.

Osiris3657

24 is 200 episodes? Well, scratch that off my list too

kgrogers1979

Yeah, 24 episodes x 8 seasons + 12 episodes on the last season = 204 episodes

If you have never seen it, I would recommend at least the first 2 or 3 seasons. Those seasons are great, but it kinda falls apart after that. I still enjoy the latter seasons though most people don't. The show is serialized, but each season is pretty much standalone.

TheMadMonk

Did you read the LotR books? I was always a Tolkien fan; I've read the books many times (Silmarillion included). I liked the the LotR movies quite a bit. Loved the Hobbit book as a kid, but thought the movies were pretty bad.

For GoT, I have not read the books, so I won't compare them to Tolkien's books, but I think GoT the show is better than LotR the movies. You won't see battles with thousands of combatants at once, and there aren't as many monsters/creatures, but the characters in GoT are more complex, and much less clear cut good and evil than Tolkien's world. You'll love characters you thought you hated, pity characters you wanted to see get murdered, and so many more major characters are killed off (one thing I always disliked about LotR - rarely do any good, important people die).

If you really like "medieval lore" stuff, I think you'd be crazy not to watch it.

bluetoast

This isn't 1992, it's not too late to catch up on most currently airing shows. Hell it's not even 2008, you don't have to blind buy/rent the previous seasons. HBO Now, HBO Go baby.

OldBoy

winter is always coming so i would say it's never too late...

Hokeyboy

Is it "too late" to get into classic music, movies, books, etc? Never. Good TV is no different.

K&AJones

Well thanks to all. I was surprised at the amount of replies being the first day and all. I went ahead and grabbed the first season. Looking forward to it and the others later on.

creekdipper

While I have heard from a few who just "couldn't get into it...too many characters/subplots", they were few & far between. In fact, the richness of the narrative is what draws most in, IMO. Neither my wife or I had ever heard of Song of Ice & Fire before GoT aired on HBO, and we were immediately hooked. Unlike a lot of other shows that lean toward "formula", we knew the names of the many characters introduced & could easily follow the storyline after each episode...it wasn't a "what's-his-name" type of show. And there are so many great, dramatic moments in Season One that I'd say most here will expect that you'll be hooked, too...and will probably want to check out the books.

The writing, acting, sets, costumes, music, and everything else are major-feature-film quality.

Most people like us who were introduced to the saga (books) after seeing the show "came in" after the first four books were published, so don't feel as though you're too late to the game (especially since there are at least two more seasons & books remaining). Personally, I'd take my time watching in order to savor the show rather than binging (if you plan on buying the series). If you don't think they're keepers (you should know after the first 4-5 episodes of season one), you can always do what was previously suggested & get one of the services that allows you to watch previous seasons on demand.

Please check back and give your impressions after watching.

Groucho

Yes. Also, it's too late to apologize!

hanshotfirst1138

When I was in my high school years, I used to gobble up movies and TV, desperately recording everything I could on VHS and watching every rerun I could find in whatever quality or edited for TV version I could get onto video, watching, recording over, combing the TV Guide, and even reading comics and books whenever I could. Where the hell was all of this streaming stuff back then? It'd have been heaven for me. What the hell happened to me? I used to be so passionate!

Anyhow, I'd say it's hardly too late to catch up. The show's seasons are fairly short, only 10 episodes apiece. It depends on how you're watching it, but if you're using streaming or rented discs, you could probably burn through it pretty quickly. It's not like it's something like Star Trek or Dr. Who where there're hundreds of episodes and a big universe back logged. It's not even like the show has as big a back catalog as something which ran forever on broadcast TV like Smallville or Supernatural that has tons of episodes as a backlog. 40 episodes is a fairly small amount for a show like this, though apparently the mythology is quite complicated. Really, if you're interested and think it sounds like your kind of thing and will make you happy, go for it.

Eric F

24 and Supernatural are on Netflix. That's only $7.99/mo. Most people should be able to swing that, it's well worth it. Lots of good TV on there.

DJariya

24 is not on Netflix anymore. FOX signed an exclusive deal with Amazon Prime before Live another Day premiered.

Going back to the point here. Game of Thrones IMO is a fairly tough watch. I'm not the type of viewer who sits there and analyzes and picks apart every single scene, character and piece of dialogue. I have HBO and own all the BDs, but consider myself more of a casual viewer. I have never read the books nor do I have the interest or time to do so. I find the that GOT has so many layers of plot and so many characters to follow that IMO it would be a pretty difficult binge watch. So now it's not impossible to get into it, but you need to devote full attention to it and may have to use reference guides sometimes to understand who is who and what their motives are.

The Questyen

Yes it's not The Big Bang Theory you actually need to pay attention while you watch it.

mike7162

It's never too late in this day and age, but I would recommend that you avoid nearly all forms of media and any friends or co-workers who are watching until you are caught up. They will spoil it for you with impunity.

PhantomStranger

It's easier than ever to catch up with the best show on television. As long as you haven't been spoiled, the show is fantastic. I would watch one season per weekend for a month.

Lastblade

Watch it, it is easy to catch up.

silentbob007

GoT is more about politics and loyalties than fantasy elements. It's basically people screwing (literally and figuratively) and gutting each other in a quest for power. That it takes place in a fantastical world is generally a small part of the story.