Why <em>The Witcher</em> Is Better Than <em>Game of Thrones</em>
Netflix’s new fantasy drama—full of elves and magic swords—is cheerfully silly.
The best verdict on Game of Thrones came from one of its guest stars, Ian McShane. With the nonchalance of an actor who spent the ’80s making rent by playing a semimystical antiques dealer in a British teatime drama, McShane declared that everyone needed to calm down about George R. R. Martin’s epic saga. It was, after all, “only tits and dragons.”
The reaction from the HBO program’s more hard-core fans was predictable outrage. How dare McShane point out the innate ridiculousness of a show where everyone had names like Lord Eagleclaw of Thrustgarden and Radrik the Arse-shaver? (These are not real names. However, HBO, they are available to license for a small fee.) He was making a mockery of the artistic integrity of all
