10 Weird Things That Happen in Every Fantasy Drama

Fantasy dramas are incredibly unique because they allow audiences to slip into a variety of different worlds without having to leave the comfort of their own sofas. Not to mention, a lot of these shows have helped the TV industry match up to its movie competitors, adding monumental special effects to relatively short episodes. Plus, without these beloved fantasy shows, a lot of fans wouldn’t be able to see their favorite book series come to life.

But with so many fantasy shows to choose from, it makes sense that many of the programs would adhere to the same themes. While a lot of these motifs are to be expected, a handful of them can really harm a viewer’s ability to suspend their disbelief. As such, these odd details can make even the most immersive fantasy show seem a tad unrealistic.

There’s an Excessive Amount of Nudity

In recent years, a lot of fantasy dramas have been keen to spice things up, and Game of Thrones was definitely one of the raunchiest TV shows of the 2010s. Even more modern shows like The Witcher, which came out in 2019, were given a 17+ rating due to its sexual content and mature themes. While the frequent sex scenes are acceptable given the nature of the shows’ plots, it’s hard to ignore the amount of unnecessary nudity found throughout the programs. In Game of Thrones, for example, even in the north where every house is covered in snow, the citizens still walk around in their homes with no clothes on.

Modern viewers may not bat an eyelid at this note, but it’s important for fans to remember that Game of Thrones is inspired by the late Middle Ages. Thus, the characters would have no access to heating, and it’s unlikely that their fires would stay lit in the freezing conditions. But, perhaps the people of Westeros have bigger problems on their minds than freezing to death.

Many of the Protagonists are Orphans

In general, families are complicated, and not everyone grew up in a traditional home. Yet, in a lot of fantasy TV shows and films, the vast majority of the protagonists are orphaned in some way or another. Of course, Harry Potter was forced to live under the stairs with Vernon and Petunia Dursley, and Merlin from the 2008 series was forced to live in Camelot after his mother abandoned him. Another strange detail is that these protagonists always end up losing their biggest parental figure.

For example, Eragon’s uncle Garrow is killed by the Ra’zac towards the beginning of the film. As such, even though he has already been through so much, he now has to deal with the loss of his father figure and protector. Thus, it sometimes seems strange that a lot of fantasy franchises find it necessary to orphan their main characters numerous times.

A Lot of Lands Are Inspired by Medieval Europe

Willow

Excluding more modern franchises like Percy Jackson, a lot of fantasy TV shows and movies take a lot of inspiration from Medieval Europe. Whether it’s the type of architecture used or social customs, a lot of creatives find this time period extremely attractive. Even the 1988 film Willow, which is supposed to be set in a fantasy world named Nockmarr, looks as if it has been taken from a history textbook.

Although it’s understandable that a lot of these stories take place in the past, it doesn’t make sense why they would look so European. Films like The Dark Crystal aren’t even based on planet Earth, yet the Crystal Palace has numerous chambers and defense mechanisms. As such, it just seems a bit odd that these shows would continue to hark back to these times, even when they aren’t associated with the show’s plot at all.

Witches Aren’t Impressed by Their Magic Powers

The Discovery of Witches

Generally, witches are female magic users and wizards are male magic users. However, it isn’t just gender that sets these two apart, because usually, witches don’t appreciate their powers as much as men do. While Professor Dumbledore is keen to learn as much as possible about his innate powers, women like Diana Bishop from A Discovery of Witches are determined to push away from their supernatural origins and lead a normal life.

But, it’s not just Bishop that feels like this. At first, Rowan Fielding from Mayfair Witches struggles to come to terms with her new abilities and actually finds them quite scary. Thus, even though wizards and witches have very similar abilities, it seems that women often fear their new potential while their male counterparts revel in it; possibly speaking to a much deeper metaphor about one coming into their power slowly vs. too quickly.

The Maps Are Always So Complicated

Inspired by Robert Jordan’s expansive book series, The Wheel of Time takes inspiration from a wealth of global mythologies to help create a deeply expressive world. The main plot revolves around Mairaine Damodred, a matriarch who is set upon finding The Dragon Reborn. The 2021 TV adaptation did a reasonably good job of bringing this confusing plot to the big screen, but the show follows a difficult trend of including too many fictional worlds. Not only does The Wheel of Time encompass various realities and places, but it also has a very convoluted geographical system.

Even films that are supposed to be set in the real world are overly complex. In Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Jack Sparrow uses an ancient map called the Mao Kum Map to kickstart his quest for the fountain of youth. Maps of this kind are very strange because they suggest that there is a range of hidden supernatural realms within planet Earth. However, the audience has never heard of them, and they aren’t discussed throughout the stories. Thus, maps can be a great asset to some fantasy dramas, but if they aren’t used correctly, they can leave the audience with even more questions.

Mythical Creatures are Never Fully Explained

Mythical creatures and fantasy dramas often go hand-in-hand. Narnia gave audiences Minotaurs, and the Harry Potter series gave fans dragons, ensuring that fans can have a deeper understanding of how other creatures fit into these nuanced worlds. However, certain franchises struggle to fully develop their beasts, leaving fans confused about their origins and even their appearance.

In The Lord of the Rings movies, the Orcs work as an army but seem like nothing more than mindless brutes who eat one another when necessary. However, in the TV series, Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, the Orcs seem to showcase far more intricate family systems and protectiveness for one another. Yet even with those details, it’s not enough to say viewers know them well. Audiences also aren’t sure how they eat or how they reproduce, raising questions about how they managed to form such a strong army. It sometimes seems like the show doesn’t want to go into too much detail about the Orcs as an attempt to drum up more tension, but in reality, it just makes these creatures seem a tad strange.

Soft Magic Systems Ignore Their Best Characters

Soft magic systems are very common and are prevalent in franchises like Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings. The whole point of these systems is that they don’t play by any hard or fast rules, and usually just expect fans to suspend their disbelief a little more than usual. However, since these systems don’t provide any context as to why their characters have access to magic, they risk leaving audiences in the dark.

Gandalf is a very powerful and prominent wizard, but his magic abilities are never really explained. In The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Gandalf uses his abilities to summon light in Moria, proving that he can control the distribution of light. Yet, the audience doesn’t know why he can do all of these amazing things, even with a deeper exploration in The Rings of Power. As such, this soft magic system doesn’t give the audience any context about Gandalf’s history and doesn’t really go into detail about how he became such an iconic wizard.

The Romance Arcs Can Sometimes Feel Forced or Questionable

While fantasy dramas tend to place a great deal of focus on world-building, they still have time to add in a bit of romance. Yet, for some reason, a lot of these films and TV shows provide audiences with a really twisted coupling. Whether it’s a relationship between two species or a huge age gap, some of these tropes make audiences feel very uncomfortable. In turn, it forces the audience to wonder why the relationships have to be so weird.

Buffy Summers is a bright, attractive, and fun young woman, so it seems that she could form a relationship with any one of her peers at Sunnydale High School. Instead, she decides to form a deep bond with Angel, a 240-year-old vampire with a very guilty conscience. There’s also the love triangle between Kili, Legolas, and Tauriel in The Hobbit trilogy, which seemed to slow down the story more than help any of the individual characters grow in a meaningful way.

Even the Weakest Characters Can Handle Weapons

Fans of The Chronicles of Narnia will remember the humorous moment when Lucy receives a small dagger from Father Christmas while her siblings receive a full-sized sword and shield or bow and arrow set. While it’s charming to think that Lucy was given the dagger because she was the youngest, it’s also strange to assume that these young kids could handle such weapons, especially Peter. In the same film, Peter is seen swinging a huge sword with just one hand while holding a large shield, something that would be very difficult for a teenage boy without training.

Overall, fantasy dramas like to showcase children handling weapons, but in reality, it’s unlikely that they would even be able to lift them up for more than a few seconds. This detail is also shown in Arya from Game of Thrones, who becomes a skilled swordswoman in just a few days despite being a very small girl. Thus, when fans actually consider the weight of these weapons, it’s quite funny to think that children can handle them.

Gods Always Live the High Life on Earth

Fantasy dramas often cross with religion and showcase Gods returning to Earth to complete some sort of quest. For example, in Good Omens, Crowley and Aziraphale come to our planet to stop the birth of the Antichrist. However, these stories fail to mention how these Gods live such luxurious lives on Earth without a stable source of income. Although Aziraphale owns a bookshop, he’s more focused on building up his collection of books rather than selling them for money.

Lucifer also experiments with this strange detail. The devil comes to earth because he’s bored with Hell and can somehow drive around LA in a vintage Corvette without a job. As such, while fantasy dramas enjoy discussing whether or not these Gods actually exist, they sometimes forget to explain how they can afford to live on Earth.