Doctor Who vs Game of Thrones
Guest contributor Anna Rinaldi pits the Wooden Box against the Iron Throne.
As I stare vacantly at my computer’s monitor, I catalogue the various activities with which I could occupy myself during this unexpectedly idle span of time. Writing an article? Nah – my ideas have gone stale (although I hope this article won’t give that impression). Perusing YouTube? Tempting, but I’ve already relinquished so much valuable time to that notorious site. My predictable train of thought then chugs towards a TV marathon. Game of Thrones or Doctor Who? The two enticing prospects sift and revolve in my mind. Hmm… Decisions, decisions.
Game of Thrones was once this distantly popular show, the way obsessions usually tend to begin. I had glanced past action figures in local bookstores and saw Internet articles rave over its recent proliferation, but in a short-lived act of rebellion, I refused to surrender to its steadily-growing fan base. I never really considered investigating this unfathomably popular televisual phenomenon until Maisie Williams, the iron-willed Arya Stark, was cast to play a mystery-shrouded role in Doctor Who Series 9.
The media was buzzing at the sight of this cryptic scrap of news. Two prevalent fandoms were being merged, and joint viewers were fantasizing about how this unforeseen auspice could possibly signify a Doctor Who/Game of Thrones crossover – something we only dared to dream.
To be honest, I initially felt a bit excluded from all of the hype. From my perspective, Maisie Williams being enlisted was the same as any other guest star announcement. As stated previously, I never had the privilege of assessing her Game of Thrones track record, but could only hope for a stellar, one-off performance, being that it’s Doctor Who (and my hopes have not been disappointed to date). Yet the resoundingly noble title “Arya Stark” continued to haunt me in speculative articles I read about Williams’ cameo appearance in the Series 9 trailer.
Fate kept nudging me towards the unexplored territory of Westeros. I thought to myself, “this Arya-meets-Doctor business is not going away any time soon,” so, against my better judgment, I decided to acquire the necessary prerequisites, join the throngs, and give this ostensibly-incredible TV series a go. And there you have my Game of Thrones origin story, the events that prompted me to now gaze bemusedly at my computer’s monitor and contemplate a TV marathon. I have found myself darting between Game of Thrones screenings and Doctor Who extravaganzas, forcing me to juxtapose these two very different TV chronologies.
Perhaps it’s because this is my first viewing, but I never feel as secure with Game of Thrones as I do with Doctor Who, which is most definitely not a criticism. Even though Doctor Who swaps lead roles regularly, the show’s innocent exploration of the human qualities exhibited by a time-travelling alien is a very endearing and imaginative premise. To then be confronted with decapitations, incest, and the scandalous plots of murderous gentries, all angling to usurp the throne, can be very… disillusioning. There are almost no endearing facets of characters who would readily venerate their superiors only to subsequently slash their throats. “Ah, the human race,” as the Doctor would say.
Harsh reality and escapism characterize these two prevalent TV shows, which is why the latter can be a breath of fresh, balmy air in the midst of an oncoming winter. Game of Thrones has its intrigue, back-stabbing suspense, and well-crafted wizardry, but one can become jaded after a few consecutive viewings. At least during Doctor Who, you can rest assured that geysers of blood won’t splatter the screen tonight. And although Doctor Who most certainly has its darker moments, it never transgresses a certain boundary that Game of Thrones very nimbly zigzags across.
These approaches can be both equally appealing, depending on what type of mood you’re in. In Game of Thrones you genuinely have no idea as to what could possibly happen next, what shrewd schemes a Lannister or Stark may instigate, and suddenly, you’re enraptured by this volatile power complex existing across seven kingdoms. Just how far will these grappling houses go? How little honour do they really possess? And so, the catastrophic feuds continue… (with a few dragons and White Walkers tossed into the mix) In Doctor Who the template is set, but the possibilities are innumerable. You can never foretell when or where the Doctor and his gallant companion will be visiting, but you always know who will be triumphant in the end and that there will definitely be some witty remarks, sonic screwdriver-ing, and defeated Daleks.
The only recallable instance in which Game of Thrones has had a somewhat Whoish atmosphere is during the Night’s Watch’s foreboding, indirect encounters with the White Walkers. These icy monsters seethe with alien menace, leaving frost-bitten carnage in their wake. An eerie range of chords tinkles whenever word of their legendary malignity reaches the screen. At this point in my Game of Thrones experience, I have only caught a brief, yet disturbing glimpse of the White Walkers as they appear in the pilot episode, when a porcelain doll-like girl turns her piercing blue eyes toward the audience. Perhaps what makes these villains beyond the Wall so unsettling is their ambiguity and enigma; we barely even see their corpse-like visages and can only imagine what type of threat they may pose. Doctor Who teases monsters in much the same fashion during episodes such as “Father’s Day,” “The Impossible Planet,” “Midnight,” and especially, “Listen.”
Now, I’m not trying to discriminate here, but Doctor Who will never cease to leave me with a sense of warm, fuzzy nostalgia after bracing against the frigid atmosphere that is intrinsic to Game of Thrones. I recently finished the episode entitled “The Ghost of Harrenhal” in which King Renly is brutally murdered by Stannis’ “shadow-child,” and Arya recruits Jaqen H’ghar to assassinate three targets of her choosing. Subsequently, I played a personal Doctor Who Series 8 favorite of mine, “The Caretaker.” From the Doctor’s terrible disguise to Clara’s good-natured squabbling and Danny’s flummoxed reactions (“he’s your space-dad” always sends me reeling), it was a cheerful, thoroughly-enjoyable 45-minute session. Why, then, you may inquire, would I go back to Game of Thrones, where I find myself cringing more often than sniggering? The lavish, panoramic views of Ireland, the betrayal and intrigue, and yes, even the development of irredeemable characters, are just a few reasons.
Returning, then, to my dilemma presented at the beginning of this article, Doctor Who or Game of Thrones, perhaps it isn’t a matter of which show to watch, but in what order you should watch them.
