The thing I liked most about Lost was how intricate the story was. There was a lot going on beneath the surface of what we were seeing, and a complex mythology that the show’s creators designed as the show matured that became a relatively cohesive thing. Where Lost lost me a bit, however, was in the actual show, from scene to scene. While I enjoyed the show on the whole, I felt more like I was listening to a bunch of people telling me a story around a campfire or something rather than seeing a story play out before me, if that makes sense. The execution too often did not do justice to the big ideas the storytellers wanted to make real.
Game of Thrones is a marvel because its intricate story is less about an overarching story and more about a plethora of stories woven together to hint at ideas that may be graspable for a moment but are then challenged by something happening to someone else. And it does all this in the midst of creating this world of Westeros and neighboring continents that contains magic and mythical creatures with a medieval vibe. So it takes on the challenge of period elements, fantasy, interweaving hugely diverse storylines, and adapting a beloved group of novels for a television network that demands high quality output. Degree of difficulty matters when you’re evaluating a show, and matters very much to those of us who appreciate art and entertainment that takes real risks, particularly when those risks pay off. That this show is able to satisfy on both the artistic and entertaining ends of things is a testament to the skilled hands of those driving the ship.
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