Game of Thrones' Producers' next move: Confederacy. Sigh

Cafe Society
21

Of course - totally your right. And I agree with LHoD that this could be an area rich to mine - especially in self-contained movies or books.

For these producers, I just want an escapist fantasy, where the big plot arcs speak to big themes, but in a Sunday night, last bit of fun before the week sort of way. With dragons, sand worms or FTL travel.

We had a thread earlier where we nominated books for the GoT producers to adapt next. Folks picked different sweeping world-creating epics. I am adjusting to what feels to me like a very different direction.

When Euron shows up with a magically large fleet after his clan’s original fleet is absconded by Yara and Theon, we gripe about it and point to Plot Magic, but roll with it because this is a swords and dragons fantasy.

I can’t see how a multi-season series can avoid those types of plot magic twists as different story arcs split off and re-converge. Adding that into this type of topic feels like a recipe for not good things.

Westworld is still a bit up for grabs because they are trying to tackle the Big Questions about Free Will and Humanity. Not sure if and how they will pull it off and I find myself engaged by the story and the quality of production, but holding my breath as I get a feel for what big, profound points they think they are making.

22

Last time I checked, I had a lot of German ancestry, but okay.

Sure, scorn and contempt for the traitors. I get that. I just don’t get why you’re so certain this show won’t do that. Do you have similar objections to historical fiction set during the Civil War? Should, say, Michael Shaara have been an outcast from all civilized people and died penniless?

23

The scriptwriters for the show are Black and will certainly be aware of the pitfalls of the portrayal.

Being able to accept any portrayal of this – sight unseen, no less – is another example of a failure of imagination. You can make a good story out of any subject (or a bad one), but nothing is automatically off limits.

24

If you’re okay with a show about an alternative Britain with dragons, then this is nothing.

25

I read the thread title and the OP in quick succession while distracted and for a moment thought it was gonna be the plot of one of those Game of Thrones spinoffs and was thinking that it sounded worse than stupid.

Now I realized it’s an alternate history series and think it sounds awesome.

26

Exactly.

I see no reason to think that the showrunners are so dumb that they’re not going to tread extremely carefully about this and have an actual plan to do this.

You think they just woke up one day and went “Hm…if the south won the civil war? Let’s announce a tv show tomorrow!” No. They had/have/were given the idea, thought it out, planned a TV show, and are now going through with it.

27

Me, too.

Me, too.

28

Yeah, the Nazis winning WWII and the Confederacy winning its independence in the Civil War are far and away the most common alt-hist scenarios. D&D are talented guys and I’ll certainly take a look at this show when it’s on.

29

My god, the comments.

30

Here’s hoping that they have a serious problem getting black actors to take part.

31

I’ve never agreed with the “Close your eyes, poke your fingers in your ears and pretend it never existed” philosophy.

I managed to watch Man in The High Castle while keeping my sensibilities in place.

32

But I’ve never been impressed with their ability to use nuance.

33

The people who are going to be watching and cheering the Confederacy, no matter how vile, depraved and disgusting it is, don’t do nuance anyway.

34

Nor I, and there are countless works of art that have slavery in their narrative that I love, like Octavia Butler’s Kindred, Toni Morrison’s Beloved, and others.

I worry more about the format. Multi year series have yada yada their way through plot points and character arcs. I would love to be proven wrong and they handle it well. You’d be welcome to revive this zombie and mock. I just think it will be fraught.

35

I don’t understand why. Black actors did 12 Years a Slave. Obviously the show won’t glorify Slavery. If it does that is different but I find that impossible.

ETA: As I wrote above, I imagine the loudest protests will come from Pro Confederacy people because this will show how awful that system really was.

36

THIS is why it’s a bad idea, and im not attacking Sil.

But, the slightest hint of apology or framing even the most innocent of Southern civilians will result in a shitstorm of unprecedented magnitude.

And heaven help them if they insult Lincoln even if every word is true.

I mean who cares if its fiction and no one is being forced to watch…the level of outrage is going to be through the roof.

37

They do nuance fine…it’s the audience who can’t get past a ginger singer.

38

So will there be any hot white female characters sharing forbidden love with reasonably handsome male black characters? Those numbers won’t paint themselves, after all.

39

Don’t forget the lashings of torture porn.

40

Who gives a fuck about them?

You’re essentially giving veto power to the lowest common denominator. The chances of this show actually being pro-slavery are nil. I don’t know enough about the producers to understand if this is likely to be broad and obvious dystopia or something more nuanced and plausible. The latter, in my opinion, is likely more horrific and biting, and touches on interesting themes about society.

But you’re saying because there exist stupid people who won’t get it the producers should be shunned for making it. That is in my opinion a terrible position to take. The producers have every right to make this show. If I watch it I’ll judge it myself using a “do I think this is pro-slavery” criteria, not a “if I was a stupid person, would I think this is pro-slavery” criteria.