Ways George R. R. Martin's New Show Will Be Better Than GoT
Don't get us wrong. We're huge fans of Game of Thrones. But when we heard that Cinemax ordered a pilot based on author George R.R. Martin's short story "Skin Trade," we thought Christmas had come early. Now, while there aren't many facts to go on about the show at the time of this writing, we're pretty sure that a show all about werewolf murder mystery is going to blow GoT away. Here's why.
We Get To See Martin's Take On Horror
Those of us who've watched Game of Thrones know that George R. R. Martin isn't too shy when it comes to blood and guts, even though GoT isn't a horror series. But Skin Trade is. Originally written as part of a horror anthology, Martin's werewolf novella was written specifically as a horror story/murder mystery. Not only that, the book that contained Martin's story also contained stories by Stephen King and Dan Simmons, which shows just how well Martin's talents lend themselves to the horror genre. That means the zombies, severed limbs, disembowelments, decapitations, conflagrated bodies, crucifictions, and crushed skulls we've seen in GoT will most likely pale in comparison with what's in store for us with this new series. We're pretty sure Martin has only shown us a fraction of what he's capable of. And considering since some early descriptions of the show include the fact that the story's murder victims are skinned, we're pretty sure that we can get ready for some splatter.
It'll Be A Show With No Family Drama
The main plot of Game of Thrones is the Starks, Lannisters, Targaryens, Greyjoys, Martells, and all the other families fighting and killing each other and their own kin to see who gets to sit on the Pointy Chair. It's basically a political drama crossed with a soap opera—with swords, dragons, giants, and zombies. Not that this isn't compelling television, but after a while that can get pretty tiring. We watch television to get away from all that. And we'll be able to get away from that with Skin Trade. From the descriptions we've read, families aren't the central focus. Seriously, if we wanted to hear siblings squabbling with one another, we'd go back home for Thanksgiving, instead of getting turkey dinner at Denny's.
It'll Have Fewer Characters
One of Game of Thrones' biggest drawbacks is all of the characters. It makes sense considering that the story spans two continents. And while all of them are vivid, fleshed out, and capable of making viewers love them, hate them, or love to hate them, it's problematic. There are just too many people to keep track of. We spent the whole first season trying to remember everyone's names. And then once we do, they get killed off. But while we don't know a lot about Skin Trade, we know that there are two main protagonists: private investigator Randi Wade and her friend Willie Flambeaux, who is both a collection agent and werewolf. While we know those won't be the only two characters in the show, there's no indication that the cast of characters will spread to the epic proportions of GoT. It should be much, much easier to remember who's who. Of course, since this is a show based on a George R. R. Martin story, we're pretty sure that you can still count on kissing your favorite character goodbye at any moment. That'll never change.
There'll Be A Simpler Plot, So To Speak
With a streamlined cast of characters comes a streamlined plot. Without a gazillion characters, there won't be a gazillion storylines. But that doesn't mean that the characters will be simple and flat. We're pretty sure the fewer characters on Skin Trade will be just as complex as any of the characters on Game of Thrones. Maybe the werewolf Flambeaux will have some sort of crisis of conscience in which he'll have to choose between his friend and the rest of the wolf pack. There may be a love triangle involving the two friends and a hot, sexy werewolf. There could be a twist where we find out that the regular human is the sadistic one and the werewolves are pacifists. Maybe we'll even see a werewolf give were-birth. We may even get to see what werewolf incest looks like! This is a show created by George R. R. Martin, after all. That's kind of his jam.
It's Another Show With A Strong, Female Lead Character
George R. R. Martin is very good at creating strong female characters, as evidenced by Daenerys Targaryen, Brienne of Tarth, Arya Stark, and Cersei Lannister, to name just a few. But as strong as they are, they're not the stars of the show—they're part of an ensemble cast. At best, they can stand out from the rest, which they tend to do. Skin Trade's protagonist, Randi Wade, is female. If the source material is any indication, the show will essentially follow her story. And while there are many shows that feature strong, female lead characters, if you ask us, we need some more. Plus, it's about time that we had another Buffy or Xena on TV.
We Won't Have To Worry About The Show Ending Before The Source Material Does
Game of Thrones fans constantly worry that the show will probably end before Martin finishes writing the novels. This troubles the novels' fans because they fret over the show straying too far away from both the source material and Martin's intentions. But that's not going to be a problem with Skin Trade because the source material is a mere novella—or short story, depending on who you ask. This means that there's not a lot of source material to begin with, so the show will have to extend beyond it. And you shouldn't let that scare you. If you're a true fan of the original story, then consider that an appetizer, with the show as the main course. Plus, we're pretty sure that there are people out there who have read the source material and already wish there was more of the story to enjoy. Now, if you're one of those people, then your wish has been granted. You'd better be thankful for that.
We Won't Have To Hear People Complaining About Continuity
Another complaint some have about GoT is that it doesn't follow the novels exactly. With Skin Trade, we needn't worry about that annoying guy who says, "That's not how it happened in the book!" Why? Because none of it happened in the book. Like we mentioned before, there's not a lot of source material for a whole series. But there's just enough to serve as a jumping off point and create a whole slew of amazing stories. Of course, that does open up the possibility of having to hear that guy say, "That's not how I would have done it!" We should probably just stop hanging out with that guy, honestly.
We Get To See Martin's Take On Werewolves
With Game of Thrones, we get to see Martin's take on dragons and zombies (sort of). But with the little tastes that we get of the dragons and zombies in Game of Thrones, that little that we get is very impressive. Now, just imagine if GoT consisted of even more zombies and dragons, like all the time. Now, imagine those zombies and dragons are actually all werewolves. That's what we're going to get with Skin Trade. Not having to divide the plot among different kinds of monsters leaves more time for werewolves doing whatever it is that werewolves are going to do. This'll most likely be the a lot of howling, flesh ripping, skin peeling, and rending people limb from limb. Which kind of brings to our last point about what's going to make Skin Trade better than GoT...
Werewolves Will Be Scary Again
Skin Trade is basically going to give us pure, unadulterated werewolves. It's going to do for werewolves what The Strain has done for vampires. It's going to un-Twilight them and right the wrongs that Stephenie Meyer has wrought. If you're like us, your stomach turned a little and some part of you died when Meyer made them into brooding, pensive love interests for girls who look like they'd rather be doing something else. There's nothing scary about that—if anything, it's depressing. The Wolf Man from 1941 is scarier than that dummy Jacob. Even the werewolf at the beginning of "Thriller" was scarier than Jacob—and that was Michael Jackson. Werewolves are meant to represent something primal and vicious that exists inside us all that gets unleashed once a month. In that way, they're kind of cathartic. They're not meant to be, annoying teenagers. Skin Trade is going to restore werewolves to the drooling, blood-stained creatures of the night that they are. We're howling with anticipation already...