The Inner Circle Round Up: Media News You Can Use (special GoT edition)
If your office is anything like ours, the water-cooler talk is all about the final season of Game of Thrones. We at House Circle are taking things a bit further and dedicating our blog and social media channels to our obsession, while also finding creative ways to connect GoT to PR and communications. If you haven’t yet, check out our piece analyzing the communication styles of the Iron Throne contenders and be sure to check back every Monday for our GoT Communicator of the Week.
So in the spirit of our GoT takeover, we bring to you a special edition of the Inner Circle Round Up, with just some (because there are A LOT) of our favorite media sources to get the latest episode wrap ups and commentary. What’s your favorite? Let us know over at Twitter: @ScottCircle!
The New York Times: Game of Thrones Watching Guide
The Times has a comprehensive watching guide including an option to sign up for the newsletter for the latest recaps and explainers (or even delve into the past seasons for more analysis). They also include links to favorites to win the Throne with statistical odds and other commentary stories.
The Inner Circle Take: This is a great source if you want access to multiple takes and analysis in one place. We also like the countdown clock (to the second!) to the next episode.
Washington Post: Pop Culture Analysis
WaPo’s pop culture reporter Travis Andrews (@travismandrews) provides analysis of the show, with pieces diving into the most head-scratching moments (e.g. an Ed Sheeran cameo) and even how HBO manages to keep spoilers secrets.
The Inner Circle Take: It’s a tough job, but someone’s got to do it. We appreciate Andrews’ dedication, especially for this recap of the previous seven seasons (of which he commented: “my soul died writing this”).
The online newspaper branded as “pop culture obsessives writing for the pop culture obsessed” provides various episode recaps and analysis for fans of varying obsession levels. The “experts” recap the show from the perspective of someone who has read George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Fire and Ice, while the “newbies” section is for those who have not (and attempts to remain spoiler-free).
The Inner Circle Take: AV Club brands itself well and provides a great resource for those who are indeed, obsessed. Beyond the recaps, you can expect almost daily content from the site providing some kind of analysis for example, how the season 8 premiere mirrors the very first episode or questioning if the show even needs Tyrion anymore.
Sometimes, you need a lighter take on such a serious and intense show, and for that, we turn to the Emmy Award winning Gay of Thrones, a web series featuring Erin Gibson (of the popular podcast Throwing Shade), Jonathan Van Ness (of Queer Eye) and various celebrity special guests. [editor’s note: not suitable for work]
The Inner Circle Take: Where are my dragons!? Who wouldn’t love to gab about GoT while getting a haircut? We appreciate this hilarious show for its many zingers. Where else could you find someone comparing the latest plot twist as Jon Snow’s “23andMe results came back, ancestry.wrong…”
Leslie Jones (Twitter: @Lesdoggg)
Jones is SNL’s resident GoT superfan. Just check out the promos from the Kit Harington-hosted episode or the “Game of Jones” segment on Late Night with Seth Meyers. Jones is without a doubt one of the show’s biggest superfans, a status she gained after her live-tweeting of the show went viral. [editor’s note: DEFINITELY not suitable for work]
The Inner Circle Take: While watching the show with Jones would involve lots of shouting and intensity, it would be a guaranteed good time. We’d have a viewing party with her any day.
POLITICO is hip to the GoT hype, and in turn has created a Westeros Playbook. Authored by Cristiano Lima and Zack Stanton, the weekly playbook will provide an overview of the episode, walk you through the main talking points, and prepare you for the office banter we all have come to expect.
Inner Circle Take: Wonks of Westeros, rejoice! In DC, Playbook is the must-read newsletter our Variety, and we look forward to a policy-forward review published each Monday. Perhaps a Jon Snow sighting at Café Milano?