Like what you read here? Sign up for our twice-weeklyEditors’ Note: This piece assumes some knowledge of the HBO drama series “Game of Thrones.” It includes spoilers.
I came to “Game of Thrones” late in the game. Feeling lame about the hundreds of pop culture references flying over my head — “Winter is coming?” Huh? — I gifted my husband the “GoT” boxed set for his birthday, and we spent a year catching up with the dragons and giants of Westeros. The eighth and final season of"Game of Thrones" starts Sunday. But my moment of realization — when"GoT" morphed from entertainment to existentialism — came inAbout halfway through the episode, hero Jon Snow tries to convince warring factions to join forces against a common enemy: an army of zombies assembling in the north. But the various leaders don’t believe the zombies exist, and the discussion deteriorates into sniping and name-calling.
To prove the point, Snow’s strongman unchains a wooden box and releases its contents: a screaming, rag-clad zombie who runs full-tilt, hissing and jittering, toward the enemy queen. Jon Snow kills the zombie with a shard of obsidian, and turns to the queen: “There is only one war that matters. The great war. And it is here.”“You think everything is about climate change,” he said. “This,” he pointed at the screen, “is about zombies.”and Mother of Dragons, I am an expert on climate change and “Game of Thrones.”A huge, icy structure crumbles… And forces people from their ancestral homesIn “Game of Thrones,” the climate is getting colder; our own is warming, but whatever.
WBUR What I learned from reading these comments: no one has actually paid attention to the content of this show. Politics is politics, not “stuff I don’t agree with”
WBUR I’m sure liberals will be all over this as more “evidence” of global warming. I definitely trust experts like authors who write fiction and failed presidential candidates with massive carbon footprints🙄
WBUR Also every single character is now gay and has some form of disability.
WBUR Nothing says 'climate crisis' like 'winter is here.' LOL! 😂😂😂😂😂
WBUR Yoooo why was I literally thinking this earlier it's kinda true
WBUR 'Its popular. Lets do a story.' -NPR before getting eaten by dragons
WBUR Is it political to talk about scientific fact now? At this point, I hope humanity burns alive.
WBUR The replies to this tweet are fucking madness. They’re insane. It’s not like this is a new thing. The white walkers have always been an allegory for climate change. Sorry to burst your bubble. Also literally every work of art ever is political in some way.
WBUR Looking at the comments I guess people really are dumb enough to believe there were no political overtones in GoT.
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WBUR I've always thought the white walkers were supposed to be Nazis/Trumpsters, and Cersei was supposed to be neoliberals like Pelosi completely underestimating the threat, but this works too.
WBUR So when The Red Wedding happened, it was because of hungry polar bears?
WBUR Proof that is bought and paid for by TheDemocrats DNC georgesoros. Everyone knows that ClimateChange is the biggest fraud and hoax of all time.
WBUR Parallel fictions.
WBUR Reading the replies to this reveals a deep well of extraordinary idiocy. The dude who wrote the books specifically drew parallels with climate change and the books are ultra political. You nitwits.
WBUR These mentions are a gigantic barrel o yikes
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WBUR Please, god, no. GOT airs on HBO, not on Twitter. Please don't politicize my Sunday nights.
WBUR Can we just get the next book?
WBUR My advice for GRRMspeaking .....less politic and more ✍️
WBUR Except we don't have an ice breathing dragon who the lets the White Walker King ride him as they destroy the Kingdom of the North!
WBUR Canadians are parallel to white walkers. They get the best deal as global warming occurs and the white walkers move south cause they get warmer weather lol
WBUR Yeah, that climate is not static and continually changes. I get it, too bad you don't.
WBUR John snow is maga. Being attacked by the liberal mob.. white walker*
WBUR Lol. The climate change deniers are losing their shit, calling this a political statement.
WBUR 11 years and 145 days to go. 😉😂
WBUR If this doesn’t prove what I suspected from book two, this guy has no damn idea where he’s going just tossing crap on the pages.
WBUR Cersi is Nancy Pelosi, trying to hold onto power and killing anyone in her way. AOC is the night King, influencing the helpless people into mindless armies of dead followers. Trump is Jon Snow, he didn’t want the crown, but out of reluctness wears it and leads in times of strife
WBUR Why ? Was it filmed in China ? The worlds largest polluter
WBUR Can authors and actors just stick to their craft and keep out of politics. It makes normal people like you less!
WBUR The new J. K. Rowling, everybody!
WBUR Fits. Cept we can't hope for something near as cool and exciting as the white walkers coming to wipe us out.
WBUR 🙄
WBUR 🙄 even this guy has Trump Derangement Syndrome
WBUR The show is literally about politics and you guys ask to not make it about politics? What the actual fuck? He's the author and it's his work. He can do whatever he wants with it.
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WBUR I thought The Onion closed down?
WBUR Staaahhhhp can we please just enjoy things without it having anything to do with politics?! Ffs I just want to escape reality every once in a while. Isn’t that what art and stories are for
WBUR Don’t ruin a good thing by making it political.
WBUR Is nothing sacred?!
WBUR Is he in the tank for the Democrats to?
WBUR And just like that, I no longer have a desire to familiarize myself with the series.
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WBUR Is it the need for a big strong wall?
WBUR Of course. There are dragons. It's super scary.
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WBUR And what exactly is our climate crisis?
WBUR Don’t.
WBUR Don’t. You. Dare. 😐
WBUR Oh ffs can we leave a few things as just entertainment and not a political metaphor. Political culture is well on it's way to ruining everything.
WBUR Dur dur climate change dur dur
WBUR Nope. Both are fantasy...
WBUR Sure he did 🙄
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WBUR Let's not ruin the show pls.
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WBUR How about you stop giving interviews and just finish the book series? Interview after
WBUR Problems with this: GOT has global cooling, and we have no climate crisis, we have normal climate change that we have no influence or control over.
WBUR Must you poison everything? 🤦♂️GOT is for everyone. StopBeingCrazy
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WBUR Well since he believes in climate change and has paralleled in the show, I guess he believes that hooking up and having kids with your sibling is ok too...even just casually picking up your brother on your horse that hasn't been around for years let's a finger slip in....
WBUR No no no no. EVERYTHING DOESN'T HAVE TO HAVE A POLITICAL PARALLEL!! Just let me watch and enjoy my show and time away from politics!!
WBUR Can I just watch shows and movies without politics thrown in it?
WBUR Yep, the next stage keeps coming and the narrative keeps changing in an effort to keep people invested with the end goal of making money.
WBUR No. Stop. Immediately.
WBUR It is a story about incest, rape, and degenerate lifestyles clashing...in other words not worth the time.
WBUR Less political crap in entertainment not more! Every show with a political anything and I STOP watching. Empire is already a problem please don’t make GOT one too.
WBUR Bullshit!!!
WBUR Great way to lose 40% viewership overnight
WBUR How about stop doing interviews about the show and finish the book.
WBUR Stop
WBUR What climate crisis?
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WBUR My god... Please don't. At least not on purpose.
WBUR Less talking, more death & boobs. p.s. Gendry is the rightful heir to the throne.
WBUR both fiction?
WBUR So dragons are real?
WBUR Political BS is coming, for the left lies and is full of terror.
WBUR He should be in the gym working on his free throws!
WBUR Like the health of most authors: critical.
WBUR Both are influential works of fiction
WBUR So, so wrong. This fantasy epic is about one thing. It is about the fat kid who read books. That's it. The entire GoT story is about the Fat Kid Winning. It is GRRR Martin personified. Samwell Tarley will be the last person you see at the end of Season 8.
WBUR OMG! Completely glossed over the fact that story line revolves around the 'climate changing' randomly between long and short summers and long and short winters. But hey. The Social Justice Crybabies had to fake their knowledge of the story to get noticed.
WBUR Since I fully intend to enjoy this last season of Game of Thrones, I’m going to pretend you didn’t just try to make this fantasy show political. With all that is holy, please let us have ONE. FRIGGING. THING. that is not about politics.
WBUR Yes they are both Great Fiction
WBUR Tell him to just finish his book, he’s pathetic.
WBUR This is such bullshit.
WBUR Oh gawd. Please don't ruin the last season.
WBUR There is no climate crisis
WBUR Murder and sex?
WBUR I thought this was the onion for a second, but alas... the author is serious
WBUR Schumer is the night king?
WBUR Yes, they are both fiction.
WBUR 😂😂
WBUR They're both works of fiction created by fat people?
WBUR This feels like J.K. Rowling giving us political tidbits after the fact that she didn’t put in the books. Tomorrow we’ll find out that the Night King is an anti-vaxxer.
WBUR This news story is incredibly stupid.
WBUR No NPR, you don't get to make this political. Take a break, go to a park, just stop typing for a while. WinterIsComing
WBUR They need to industrialise to melt the fucking snow with Global Warming! I knew it!
WBUR . .WBUR Uh huh. I'll believe it, if when Cersei orders the execution of Deanerys...only to have the Royal Decree overturned by a Judge in Qarth. THEN...the Game of Thrones would parallel today's political climate. GameofThrones
WBUR I think that means everyone is going to die, and the whitewalkers win.