Winter came and went: ‘Game of Thrones’ is over
- Melissa Herrera: Not Waiting for Friday
- May 20, 2019
- 1157
Scene: Middle Earth or Westeros or some faraway mystical land, Missy enters scene in full leather-bound gear. Her horse awaits, and behind her a brooding castle sits near the edge of a vast forest. Her sword securely at her side, she looks to the darkening skies that portend impending doom. She rides out, alone and ready for whatever travails may befall her.
I can’t quite get back to life in good order until I’ve watched the final episode of “Game of Thrones.” It’s this Sunday or tomorrow or yesterday, depending on when you read this little write-up of my obsession. I’m ready to gnash my teeth at the culmination, the finale, the terminus. I wanted to write about something else this week, something more exciting for my readership, but I cannot move on.
I resisted watching this series for a very long time. Reasons: I didn’t have HBO, too many seasons, everyone is watching it so why should I. Two years ago I caved and binge-watched seven seasons in one month, and just like that, the gilded ever-changing silver goblets of red wine in my hand haven’t been empty since.
It is an incredible series, full of adventure and intrigue and lots of questionable choices by the characters. I have not read the series of books, and for that I cry shame on my head, just like Cersei, although not for the same reasons. Mother’s Day yielded me a gift of said books, and I will soon delve into their pages.
Since I’ve watched, it seems as though Arya, Jon Snow, Tyrion, Sansa and Daenerys haunt my everyday dreams, their fantastical realities seeping into my thoughts like a cold draft from the north. Have you ever been swept away by something?
I think too often we tell others, or our children, to keep their heads out of the clouds, to get back to the realities at hand. I am quite proficient at completing my work and duties, which leaves enough time to let myself dissolve into another world. I encouraged my children to dream and travel through books, movies, TV series and more. There’s more than enough time to be serious in life without taking away a bit of mystique.
Good story-telling tucks you under its wings and allows you to see with eyes not your own, to find magic when it might not exist for you in this world. GoT took its time developing characters, seasons at a time, and I became invested in their well-being and how their story lines would play out. I have to say I’m a bit disappointed, for that reason only, in this final season.
It’s been rushed and crammed together as if the end couldn’t come soon enough. For that I feel despair, especially because it’s been reported HBO wanted it to play out over 10 seasons, not eight.
Yet I have engaged in the thrills it incites, the rush of a dragon’s wings and the icy blue glare of the undead as they raged toward battle, the ululations of the Dothraki and the splendor of the castles and thrones dragging us headlong into each episode like it was our job. As an author, I can’t imagine having your words turned into a TV series.
I know somewhere in the run of the show they somewhat parted ways with the advice of the author, his insights and suggestions. Movie and TV seem to do that, to rewrite what has been written for better consumption of it on all platforms. And yet I consume.
Check in on me Monday morning and make sure I’m not floating away on a slow boat to Naath, embittered by how the series ended, by who sits on the Iron Throne. Warm waters may be the best place to be, because after all the cold winds of winter have been coming for eight long seasons. And I survived to live another day.