If you follow a lot of Game of Thrones commentary, you’ll probably hear the occasional complaint about the amount of sex in the series. In fact, critics have even come up with a cute word for it: Sexposition. I’ve never really understood the complaint, myself. Why would anyone complain about having to endure a sex scene? I mean, it’s SEX, people. Priorities.
Even better is the fact that the so-called sexposition in Game of Thrones actually advances the plot. Given the density of the series, sometimes exposition is necessary to help explain things and move it along. The fact that the exposition is married to a sex scene? WHY ARE WE COMPLAINING? Remember that extended scene with Littlefinger in the brothel, where he’s going on about losing Catelyn while Ros and another woman are pleasuring one another? A lot of people complained about that scene. My take? We got to learn more about Littlefinger’s history while WATCHING TWO WOMEN HAVE SEX. We should be celebrating!
I’m sure that every interviewer that sits down with George R.R. Martin eventually gets around to the sexposition criticism, and I can only imagine that the voice inside of Martin’s head throws up its hands and exclaims, “What kind of people complain about too much sex in their backstory?”
Critics, that’s who.
In an interview with Reuters, George R.R. Martin addressed the issue.
I can describe an axe entering a human skull in great explicit detail and no one will blink twice at it. I provide a similar description, just as detailed, of a penis entering a vagina, and I get letters about it and people swearing off. To my mind this is kind of frustrating, it’s madness. Ultimately, in the history of [the] world, penises entering vaginas have given a lot of people a lot of pleasure. Axes entering skulls, well, not so much.
EXACTLY. Penises entering vaginas is what makes the goddamn world turn. How many shows could be considerably improved with the occasional sexposition scene? If Annie and Britta made out while Jeff went over their Spanish homework, would anyone complain? If Don Draper and his wife banged uglies while talking about their day at the office, would viewers fuss? Of course not. It’s not just a trivial complaint, it’s a complaint that GOES AGAINST HUMAN NATURE.
Perspective, people. Perspective.
