My issue is that it’s almost always gratuitous now. I so rarely see a sex scene in a TV show or movie and think that it could have easily been skipped, but they felt the need to show an actress’ breasts and have her simulate an orgasm.
I don’t get titillated by it. I have porn if I need that.
I didn’t get past the first episode of Game of Thrones because I found all the sex and nudity too gratuitous for my tastes.
I don’t think I’m a prude. I have no problem with sex scenes and nudity in films where they make sense. Basic Instinct wouldn’t make sense without them. Last Tango in Paris wouldn’t make sense without them. They’re both movies worth watching.
I think, at least in the GoT example, sexual situations can be used to communicate a lot about the attitudes and culture around sex and nudity in the universe of the show or movie. It’s much more interesting than somebody saying, “Hey, person who already knows this: it’s considered normal for men to use brothels, isn’t it?”
It’s much less interesting and necessary for something set in the “current” world, since the audience doesn’t need as much education in the social mores. However, it can make the work have better instructive longevity if it’s an accurate depiction of the time, since people fifty years in the future can watch and understand what was different.
But I do agree that overall there has been a lot of gratuitous nudity and sex, just the same with violence, etc.
In the one episode I saw? No. It seemed almost entirely gratuitous. I don’t need to watch a prostitute sucking off Peter Dinklage to know he’s having sex with a bunch of prostitutes what with him already being in bed with them.
I often find sex scenes to be gratuitous and unnecessary, but I would never let sex prevent me from watching an amazing TV show or movie. I think that’s just foolish.
When there are countless other good things to watch that don’t involve those? Why spend my time on the ones that do just because they’re also considered to be good? I won’t enjoy them as much, so obviously they won’t be as good for me as they are for others.
I could be missing all kinds of amazing things to watch for all kinds of reasons. So could you. There’s only 24 hours in a day. You have to pick and choose.
Just a trivial and silly way to limit your exposure to different types of film/TV.
A sex scene might make me take a point off of my score for a movie, but I’ve seen far too many flat out incredible movies/shows with unnecessary sex scenes to know just how much I’d be missing if I removed such a large chunk of content from the pool right off the bat like that.
No thanks. I will watch something without regard for its sexual content, because I’m an adult. And then, if it turned out to have a gratuitous sex scene, that will factor into my opinion of the thing.
The thing about gratuitous and unnecessary sex scenes is, by definition, they are unnecessary. So if you really care that much, why not just fast forward through them? You would miss nothing (otherwise it wouldn’t have been unnecessary).
I recently watched “Jeanne Dielman…” after seeing it top the BFI Top 100 list. That movie has quite a bit of sex, but it was well worth the watch, and it would be a shame to have prevented myself from even having that opportunity because it contains sex.
It wasn’t a sex scene in the case of the first episode of GoT.
I don’t have a problem with a sex scene. Especially if it serves the plot.
I literally said so at the beginning of this comment chain:
I have no problem with sex scenes and nudity in films where they make sense. Basic Instinct wouldn’t make sense without them. Last Tango in Paris wouldn’t make sense without them. They’re both movies worth watching.
Yeah I understand that and agree that most sex scenes are unnecessary. And I am talking about movies and TV shows that are considered some of the greatest media ever created, that might happen to have unnecessary sex in it. I’m not going to arbitrarily limit myself and miss out on watching that stuff because there might be 90 seconds (of a 2+ hour film) of unnecessary sex. Again, because I’m an adult.
Using your example, you are missing out on one of the best stories ever told on television (until the last season at least), because the first episode of the show had sex in it that you found to be unnecessary (and btw, while most of the sex in that show is unnecessary, there is at least one or two *very important" sex scenes in season 1 that one might not recognize as being important… Yet).
As someone who read the books, I was able to tell which sex scenes were important, and which weren’t, but not all of it is unnecessary.
I understand your position, I just think it’s silly (and kind of sad).
And, as I said, you might be missing out on one of the best stories ever told on television for some other reason, what with “one of the best stories ever told” being a very subjective measure. I often disagree with things that people consider to be the “greatest ever” when it comes to movies and TV. As someone who is only mildly interested in high fantasy, I doubt it would have ever elevated it to that level for me.
I was told that Breaking Bad was the greatest ever. I watched more than the first episode. I didn’t like it. I don’t like shows where everyone is irredeemably awful.
You should suffer through it. The series is pretty primo. Books are good too, but season one is less time investment than book one and they run pretty parallel. Book two and season two… Different story.
To be honest that particular sex scene is pretty central to their story and Bran’s story. It could have been less gratuitous but the actual point of him catching them in the act drives the rest of their story lines.
There were multiple sex scenes in the first episode, not just one. If I remember correctly, the scene with Peter Dinklage getting sucked off was right near the beginning.
I went back to look at the parents guide for the first episode and holy shit. There was so much that I forgot about. 90% of it was completely gratuitous.
My issue is that it’s almost always gratuitous now. I so rarely see a sex scene in a TV show or movie and think that it could have easily been skipped, but they felt the need to show an actress’ breasts and have her simulate an orgasm.
I don’t get titillated by it. I have porn if I need that.
I didn’t get past the first episode of Game of Thrones because I found all the sex and nudity too gratuitous for my tastes.
I don’t think I’m a prude. I have no problem with sex scenes and nudity in films where they make sense. Basic Instinct wouldn’t make sense without them. Last Tango in Paris wouldn’t make sense without them. They’re both movies worth watching.
I think, at least in the GoT example, sexual situations can be used to communicate a lot about the attitudes and culture around sex and nudity in the universe of the show or movie. It’s much more interesting than somebody saying, “Hey, person who already knows this: it’s considered normal for men to use brothels, isn’t it?”
It’s much less interesting and necessary for something set in the “current” world, since the audience doesn’t need as much education in the social mores. However, it can make the work have better instructive longevity if it’s an accurate depiction of the time, since people fifty years in the future can watch and understand what was different.
But I do agree that overall there has been a lot of gratuitous nudity and sex, just the same with violence, etc.
You didn’t think it made sense in game of thrones?
It’s olden days in a hostile world. All there is to do is have sex and die. What felt inaccurate to life about that?
In the one episode I saw? No. It seemed almost entirely gratuitous. I don’t need to watch a prostitute sucking off Peter Dinklage to know he’s having sex with a bunch of prostitutes what with him already being in bed with them.
I often find sex scenes to be gratuitous and unnecessary, but I would never let sex prevent me from watching an amazing TV show or movie. I think that’s just foolish.
When there are countless other good things to watch that don’t involve those? Why spend my time on the ones that do just because they’re also considered to be good? I won’t enjoy them as much, so obviously they won’t be as good for me as they are for others.
I could be missing all kinds of amazing things to watch for all kinds of reasons. So could you. There’s only 24 hours in a day. You have to pick and choose.
Just a trivial and silly way to limit your exposure to different types of film/TV.
A sex scene might make me take a point off of my score for a movie, but I’ve seen far too many flat out incredible movies/shows with unnecessary sex scenes to know just how much I’d be missing if I removed such a large chunk of content from the pool right off the bat like that.
No thanks. I will watch something without regard for its sexual content, because I’m an adult. And then, if it turned out to have a gratuitous sex scene, that will factor into my opinion of the thing.
The thing about gratuitous and unnecessary sex scenes is, by definition, they are unnecessary. So if you really care that much, why not just fast forward through them? You would miss nothing (otherwise it wouldn’t have been unnecessary).
I recently watched “Jeanne Dielman…” after seeing it top the BFI Top 100 list. That movie has quite a bit of sex, but it was well worth the watch, and it would be a shame to have prevented myself from even having that opportunity because it contains sex.
It wasn’t a sex scene in the case of the first episode of GoT.
I don’t have a problem with a sex scene. Especially if it serves the plot.
I literally said so at the beginning of this comment chain:
Yeah I understand that and agree that most sex scenes are unnecessary. And I am talking about movies and TV shows that are considered some of the greatest media ever created, that might happen to have unnecessary sex in it. I’m not going to arbitrarily limit myself and miss out on watching that stuff because there might be 90 seconds (of a 2+ hour film) of unnecessary sex. Again, because I’m an adult.
Using your example, you are missing out on one of the best stories ever told on television (until the last season at least), because the first episode of the show had sex in it that you found to be unnecessary (and btw, while most of the sex in that show is unnecessary, there is at least one or two *very important" sex scenes in season 1 that one might not recognize as being important… Yet).
As someone who read the books, I was able to tell which sex scenes were important, and which weren’t, but not all of it is unnecessary.
I understand your position, I just think it’s silly (and kind of sad).
And, as I said, you might be missing out on one of the best stories ever told on television for some other reason, what with “one of the best stories ever told” being a very subjective measure. I often disagree with things that people consider to be the “greatest ever” when it comes to movies and TV. As someone who is only mildly interested in high fantasy, I doubt it would have ever elevated it to that level for me.
I was told that Breaking Bad was the greatest ever. I watched more than the first episode. I didn’t like it. I don’t like shows where everyone is irredeemably awful.
You should suffer through it. The series is pretty primo. Books are good too, but season one is less time investment than book one and they run pretty parallel. Book two and season two… Different story.
To be honest that particular sex scene is pretty central to their story and Bran’s story. It could have been less gratuitous but the actual point of him catching them in the act drives the rest of their story lines.
There were multiple sex scenes in the first episode, not just one. If I remember correctly, the scene with Peter Dinklage getting sucked off was right near the beginning.
I went back to look at the parents guide for the first episode and holy shit. There was so much that I forgot about. 90% of it was completely gratuitous.
Oo! Link please!
IMDB Parents Guide
Thanks!