While it was running,Game of Thronesbecame a phenomenon, gaining a significant audience as it rebelled against fantasy troupes. But, especially afterfans were disappointed in the show’s ending, it has received criticism claiming many things were wrong with the show. It’s impossible to please such a large audience, but one repeated complaint is the lack of magic in the show, but this is baseless. WhileGame of Throneshas a reputation as a “realistic” fantasy series with all the blood and violence, the show is full of magical elements. From the central dragons tothe White Walkers, there is already so much going on in the series that it needs no more. No,Game of Thronesdoesn’t feature the classic image of a wizard with a hat and staff, but that isn’t necessary. Daenerys (Emilia Clarke), Bran (Isaac Hempstead Wright), Melisandre (Carice van Houten), Arya (Maisie Williams), and many other characters use magic throughout the series, and that doesn’t take into account the minor characters. With prophecies, resurrection,greenseers, and wargs, the series has magic covered.
It’s not as if there are no problems withGame of Thrones’use of magic. The show has many unconnected examples of magic, making the system confusing. But it is very present. There is no explanation of how Melisandre’s powers work, nor how the Faceless Men can change their appearance. While the source of magic doesn’t require a detailed explanation, the totally unrelated abilities make it unnecessarily confusing.But the biggest issue is the failure to use the established magic efficiently.While magic constantly appears, the characters often don’t reuse their powers, or the show hints at things it never develops further, like the concept of warging forthe Starksbesides Bran. Other kinds of magic are mentioned, then swiftly forgotten or even contradicted later in the show.Game of Thronesdidn’t lack magic. However, it needed to explain the magic already there.
Game Of Thrones
Nine noble families fight for control over the lands of Westeros while an ancient enemy returns after being dormant for millennia.
‘Game of Thrones’ Is Full of Magic
Within the expansive world, many types of magic exist. The show features plenty of magic in Bran’s storyline as he meets Jojen (Thomas Brodie-Sangster), a greenseer with the ability of foresight, and learns to warg,first into his direwolf, Summer, and later into Hodor (Kristian Nairn). Bran meets the Children of the Forest and the Three-eyed Raven (Max von Sydow), who have their own magic. This storyline explores the ancient powers of Westeros, highlighting the Old Gods found in the Weirwood trees, whose faces Bran can see through. Though many of the characters on the journey with Bran die, he returns with this ancient knowledge, and it grows in significance as he discovers the truth of Jon Snow’s (Kit Harington) parentage and becomes King himself. While Bran’s story may be one of the most magical sections of the show, it is far from the only one.The White Walkers are another prominent example of magicas they raise the dead to fight in their army. Created by the Children of the Forests' magic, these enemies tie directly into the magic that Bran discovers, but they bring in more characters. As the threat of the White Walkers grows, the Night’s Watch, the Free Folk, and eventuallythe rest of Westerosmust face them.
Yet the most obvious example of magic is Daenerys' dragons.Hatched from bloodmagicin Season 1, Daenerys shares a bond with these magical creatures, which she refers to as her children. The dragons grow rapidly, gaining the attention of all who hear of them.Drogon, Viserion, and Rhaegal are the only known dragons alive, ushering magic back into the world. Originally from Valyria, the dragons are a different kind of magic, unrelated to the White Walkers or Children of the Forrest. But their fire is capable of destroying the White Walkers. Asdragon glassis the best defense against the White Walkers, there seems to be a small connection, though they play by very different rules. The other element of fire magic is the Red Priestess, Melisandre, and the Red Priest, Thoros of Myr (Paul Kaye). These two worship the Lord of Light. Through their faith, they raise the dead and accomplish many other miracles. With prophecies and a range of magic, the abilities given by the Lord of Light are unique, yet as a force behind a religion, they parallel that of the Weirwood trees.
The final central example of magic inGame of Thronesis the Faceless Men, who train Arya to become other people. This is the most mysterious group, as the organization is a closely guarded secret. Serving yet another god, the Many-Faced God, the Faceless Men do not flaunt their abilities.The assassins change their appearance, morphing into another person to hide in plain sight, but they only do so secretly. This magic has no connection to the others, leaving both the magic and religions convoluted. Of course, there are other examples of magic in the show. The Warlocks of Qarth appear briefly, as does Maggy the Frog (Jodhi May),who foretells Cersei’s future, but both are so brief that they are easily forgettable.The fact is, whileGame of Thronesis full of magic, the different examples have little to do with each other, leaving so much of it a mystery. But they all share one thing – the fact that magic has a cost. Whether it’s the human sacrifice that hatches the dragons or Bran breaking Hodor’s mind through warging, no magic is used without consequences.
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“The blood of the dragon runs thick.”
‘Game of Thrones’ Doesn’t Make Good Use of the Magic
Game of Thronesnever needed any more magic, it simply failed to thoroughly explore the magic already there. Melisandre is a perfect example. One of her first big pieces of magic is using the blood of kings to cause the deaths of Stannis’ (Stephen Dillane) competitors. Whileother factors kill Joffery(Jack Gleeson) and Rob Stark (Richard Madden), this occurs slightly after her spell. Yet she never tries the trick with Tommen (Dean-Charles Chapman). Even more oddly, she births a shadow assassin to kill Renly (Gethin Anthony), succeeding in bringing chaos to his followers, but she never uses that skill again. It would have helped her cause when attempting to take Winterfell, which is the loss that kills Stannis and his cause. Thoros of Myr follows the same god as Melisandre but performs little of the same magic. Yes, he raises Beric Dondarrion (Richard Dormer) from the dead countless times and can see visions in the flames of a fire, but he never uses blood magic or any other of Melisandre’s tricks. Of course, this can be explained by Melisandre’s age, as she has had time to learn more difficult magic, but it’s still odd how rarely she uses the extent of her powers.A more complete explanation of what using these abilities cost could have fixed this, or just letting Melisandre use her magic more often.
But the most significant problem with magic inGame of Thronesis the examples that are introduced and instantly forgotten. This list includes the House of the Undying and the warlocks who run it. In Season 2, Daenerys meets this frightening group as she visits their city with her baby dragons. When one of the warlocks, Pyat Pree (Ian Hanmore), captures the three dragons,Daenerys enters the House of the Undying, experiencing several illusions that seem real. During their confrontation, Pyat Pree reveals that their presence has revived his magic. Though Daenerys kills him, there are other warlocks, but they don’t play a significant role in the story despite having a reason to chase after Daenerys and her dragons.
Another often-ignored element is the prophecies Cersei (Lena Headey) receives as a girl. This prophecy gives several pieces of information, each with a different level of truth in the show. First, Maggy predicts that she will not marry the prince but the king. This happens when she marries Robert Baratheon (Mark Addy) after the Rebellion. Next, she will have three children, while the king has twenty. Though there is no count of Robert’s bastards, this seems accurate at first glance. However, the show references a baby who died young,giving Cersei four children, not counting her pregnancy at the end of the show.
This prophecy predicts Cersei’s children dying before her, which is true. And that she will be replaced by a younger queen, which technically does happen, though Daenerys rules only briefly before she dies, and Bran Stark takes over. Though prophecies are shown to come true in the show, as seen by the prophecy of thePrince Who Was Promised, Cersei’s largely don’t. Of course, this could go back to the source, but it’s odd to include this without it having any relevance, and the plot comes across as if the creators forgot about this detail.Throughout its run,Game of Thronesintroduced many different magic systems, but none were given the attention they deserved in the series.Fans claiming the show needs more magic are wrong. It has plenty, but it doesn’t use the magic to its full potential, and that’s the real issue.
Game of Thronesis available to stream on Max in the U.S.
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