You're listening to imaginary worlds show about science fiction and other fantasy genres.

I'm Eric Polinsky.

Speaking of fantasy genres, you know, friends who listen to this podcast have sometimes

asked me, where's the magic?

I mean, like literally, like why aren't you doing stuff about magic and sorcery and wizards?

And the thing is, my favorite fantasy worlds usually involve some kind of science fiction,

technology, superpowers.

You know, a pre-industrial world of knights and castles where you just kind of have to live

by your whits in your sword.

It just doesn't do it for me.

But then this show came along.

By the way, I'm going all the way up to the present with this episode.

So if you're waiting to binge on Game of Thrones, spoilers ahead.

The thing that kind of turns me off about a lot of medieval worlds is that everybody is

so earnest.

Like, you know, in Lord the Rings, Sean Bean's character dies because he's morally compromised

in a world of good and evil.

But in Game of Thrones, his character Ned Stark dies because he's too moralistic in a world

that's all shades of gray.

I wasn't sold on it until they killed Ned.

Dan Dresner teaches international relations at the Fletcher School of Diplomacy.

It was when they killed Ned that they made it clear, people can die in this show.

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