Game of Thrones is easily one of the most widely-loved TV shows in recent years, with all its epic fur coats, giant dragons and savage one-liners.
It's a geeky concept that's had enough budget behind it to push it into the mainstream - but maybe that's the issue. Behind all of the special effects and big-name actors, remember, after all, that it's a still a big fat nerd-fest. And nerd-fests can be fucking confusing - just try explaining the whole Marvel vs. DC thing to anyone who doesn't read comic books, only to tell them that that's honestly just the tip of the iceberg.
Turns out it's not just us. Actor Stephen Dillane, who played Stannis Baratheon on the show from season 2 through to season 5, admits he had absolutely no idea what was going on with the script.
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He recently revealed that the whole thing left him 'rather disheartened', as he actually had a hard time understanding what his scenes were about - and often had to rely on his co-star Liam Cunningham (that'll be Davos Seaworth) to explain WTF was going on.
"Liam Cunningham is so passionate about the show. He invests in it in a way I think is quite moving, but it wasn't my experience," Dillane said to The Times, while he waspromoting his new UK drama The Tunnel.
"I was entirely dependent on Liam to tell me what the scenes were about - I didn't know what I was doing until we'd finished filming and it was too late. The damage had been done."
"I thought no one would believe in me and I was rather disheartened by the end," he added. "I felt I'd built the castle on non-existent foundations."
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He also said that since finishing with the show, he's tried to flick the show on to see if he 'could figure out what was going on', but still couldn't.
Credit: Game of Thrones / HBO
We sympathise, fella. What also doesn't help is just how many characters there are. And of course, pretty much 90% of those are white men with beards, meaning everyone looks pretty similar. That and all the incest, which doesn't exactly make anything easier.
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Then, of course, as with all cult shows, there's all the sodding fan theories - so that when you think you've just about grasped it, someone comes along and shatters everything.
Then again, the fact that Game of Thrones is still cool as fuck even when you have absolutely no clue what's going on, probably just reinforces just how badass it is.
Featured Image Credit: Game of Thrones / HBOTopics: Entertainment, TV and Film, Celebrity, HBO, UK Entertainment, US Entertainment, Game of Thrones