'The Walking Dead' and ‘Game of Thrones’ Are Kind of the Same Show

#1 Both Worlds Consist Of Large, Difficult To Traverse Tracts Of Land

The terrain on each show is extremely difficult to pass. Hostile tribes, roadblocks, and natural obstacles all get in the way of traveling. The TWD gang didn't make it out of Georgia for four and a half seasons (two years in ‘real time'), and in GoT Arya and the Hound bop around Westeros for two seasons just trying to find a safe haven.

If we dig a little deeper, might Westeros and Essos just be stand-ins for the United States? Essos is definitely reminiscent of the dry, unforgiving desert of the Southwest, and Westeros reminds me of the verdant but mountainous West Coast. And, like I mentioned before, ‘beyond the wall' is totally Canada. However, the Wildlings aren't as nice as Canadians. I guess I wouldn't be too nice either if I had to live in sub-zero temperatures with White Walkers and barbaric Thenns as neighbors.

#2 People Are Constantly Losing Limbs

Speaking of losing ears, characters on both shows are also at constant risk of surprise limb amputations. Surprise!  Your hand / leg / arm is gone!  (Side note Much less exciting than a surprise party. Obvs.) Adding to the fun of it all, since there are no doctors, these amputations are frequently done on the spot by amateurs with shoddy and definitely unsanitary equipment.

Hershel and Bob each lost important appendages on TWD, and Jamie Lannister was robbed of his arm on GOT. Life is hard enough for these guys without having to use a jerry-rigged prosthetic limb.

P.S. Bad news for the Kingslayer, all the amputees thus far on TWD have perished.

#3 Biting is Totally a Valid Move

Rick Grimes takes a big juicy bite out of Claimer Joe's neck when threatened, and Brienne of Tarth chomps into the Hounds ear during an intense fistfight. Mike Tyson would totally be proud, and both Brienne and Rick win points for being super badass.

Moral of the Story: If your iconic weapon is out of reach, your chompers are a consistently available weapon that keeps on giving.

#4 Animals Are Pretty Much Doomed

When people have to fight so hard to survive, where does that leave our four legged friends? Â Out of luck, amiright?

The poor horses, dogs, and probably cats of the world usually meet their fate quickly. Â There's no time for leisure on either show, and animal rights are a ways down the drain. Â PETA clearly doesn't exist in these worlds where horses throats are slashed and/or left as a zombie buffet. Â Two rules: Don't name the animals, and don't get too attached.

#5 Cannibals Who Aren’t Named Hannibal

The denizens of Terminus and the Wildling Thenns both love to nosh on human BBQ.

Admittedly the Thenns are much scarier looking, but is it scarier not knowing what you're up against, or coming face to face with the veiny-faced Styr?  At least you'd know you were in for some evil doing in a confrontation with a Thenn. Termites Gareth and Mary look like a hipster folk band compared to those hulking Smurfs. But the result would be the same.  Both groups would cook your limbs up, pick the bones clean, and never look back.

#7 War Is A Constant Threat

Both shows seem to agree with the Edwin Starr classic. War is good for absolutely nothing.

Sure, in the game of thrones you win or you die, but most often people die. No one truly wins, even when the wars are over. Frequently the losses are greater than the gain, and we are viewers lose at least one or two beloved characters. Cersei was wrong No one wins in the Game of Walking Dead Thrones.

#8 Main Characters Are Constantly Dying Off

Don't get too attached to your favorite characters, because they're probably going to die.

Both shows are set in a violent, unforgiving world with no safety net. Beyond that, they remind us that we're all mortal and nothing is promised. Tragedy can strike at any time, and the Grim Reaper lurks around every corner.

#9 Doctors and Medicine Are Hard to Come by

Doctors are scarce on both shows. Both GoT and TWD do have doctors, but they're few and far between, and often not available when the shizz hits the fan.

Example: When T-Dogg gets a wound in TWD Season Two, he's only aided by Merle's magic sack of drugs. Conversely, Drogo had no such bag of tricks when he got what should have amounted to a pectoral paper cut in Season One of GOT, and so the great Khal was taken down by a mere scratch. Where's Merle when you need him?

Furthermore, doctors on both shows are frequently portrayed as evil and as having ulterior motives. Maester Pycelle in Kings Landing is a skeevy, slimy old man who offers to give young women checkups as a guise for some old fashioned groping, and Doctor Stevens at Grady Memorial (aka: Slabtown) kills another known doctor as a way of ensuring his own usefulness to those in charge. Who can a sick person trust around these parts?

#10 Beheadings Are Totally A Thing

One of the most popular ways to die? Beheading, of course!

The old French revolution way of offing people is back in style thanks to do-gooders Ned Stark and Hershel Greene. Some of the most beloved characters on each show have made heads rollwhen their heads literally rolled off their bodies.

#11 Characters Get Kidnapped By Mysterious People

Beth and Theon were both abducted by sinister characters. Arguably Theon totally deserved his kidnapping, and Beth arguably didn't. Both of the captives were taken and then mentally broken down as per some larger plot.

Lesson Learned: People are grimy, so our characters need to watch their backs (and fronts) carefully.

#12 Puberty hits hard for a main character on each show

Each show has it's own puberty stricken main character. On TWD it's the eternally missing Carl Grimes, and on GoT it's Brandon Stark. Each is similar in the fact that they're constantly running away, an integral part of the featured family on the show, and don't really have any friends.

I'd like to think that if Ned Stark had lived, he would be screaming "Bran! Bran!" throughout the wilds of Westeros, akin to Rick yelling for his oft misplaced child Carl.

#6 Have You Ever Seen Bruce Wayne and Batman Together?

The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones air on the exact same day and timeslot, but never ever during the same time of year. GoT generally debuts exactly one week after TWD concludes for the season. Coincidence? I think not.

#13 Sex Position Abounds

These poor people have no TV (my worst nightmare), so of course they're going to seek entertainment elsewhere, usually between the sheets.

Because there's so much sexin' going on, GOT and TWD have found a way to integrate these sexy fun times while still moving the narrative forward.

Admittedly GOT does this more frequently than TWD, but both shows engage in the practice on a regular basis and help keep things spicy while keeping viewers informed.

#14 There’s No Electricity

Everything is dimly lit, with candles and lanterns. This is a lovely, complimentary type of lighting, and it's super effective at covering up the grime and filth. Okay, okay, I hear you saying that the TWD gang is at Alexandria and there's electricity now, but c'mon now, how long do you think that's going to last?

#15 Both Shows Originated From Beloved Book Series

Each series came to life on the page prior to becoming the multi-media behemoths they are today. The desire to see stories from the printed page can so often backfire, but both The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones have been generally received as faithful and engaging representations of the original material.

In addition, neither written series is complete, so the show runners for each show are able to take liberties with the storyline, allowing for an alternate construction of the story with similar building blocks. Â So, honestly, there's wiggle room for the two shows to exist together in the same universe. Â

#16 Zombie Walls

Walls play an important role on both shows, mainly to keep zombies out, and people safe.

The wall around Alexandria is admittedly an amazing feat given that the modern world had collapsed prior to its construction, but I gotta give this one to the frozen ice wall on GoT. As I mentioned in a previous Walking Dead recap, see above for how you really build a zombie wall.

Maybe our TWD gang will learn how to build this massive ice wall soon enough and my theory will come to fruition?

#17 Zombies Threaten Our Characters Way Of Life

Walkers and White Walkers They're even called the same thing! Mind. Blown.

Characters from both Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead are not only dealing with the scheming and machinations of other people (who, as Rick Grimes so succinctly says, "are the threat now") but they also must battle the undead.

In GOT, the white walkers are relegated to the wilds beyond ‘The Wall', but in TWD those suckers are absolutely everywhere, like white on rice.

Could GOT perhaps be a vision of the far away future where the walkers are wrangled beyond the borders of Canada and a wall is built? Think about it

#18 Characters Disappear On A Regular Basis

People go missing on both shows all the time. Where's Morgan? And for that matter, where are Gendry, Rickon Stark, Osha, and Shaggydog?

#19 Entire Settings Burn To The Ground

But this ain't no disco inferno. Winterfell and the Prison were settings that were considered to be strongholds for the good guys. Both the Grimes gang and the Starks had to relocate and scatter once their homesteads were burned to the ground by sinister outside forces.

Both worlds stress that the unexpected can happen at any time, and again, that nothing is promised. Â Man, when you think about it, these shows are kind of a bummer

#20 Everyone Is Filthy All The Time

All the characters are constantly covered in a thin (or thick) layer of grime. Recently the gang on The Walking Dead entered into Alexandria, a mythical land of toothpaste and showers, but that's just TWD's answer to King's Landing. Who has time to floss and manscape when running away from hostile groups and zombies?

#21 Iconic Weapons Become An Irrevocable Part Of Our Characters Personas

Survival on both shows means having your weapon at all times, like an extension of the body.  Daryl and Ygritte have arrows. Tyreese and Styr have hammers. Littlefinger and Merle have knives, and Michonne andpretty much every single character on GOT have swords. The characters in both universes each are attached to a weapon they feel comfortable with and have expertise wielding.