Last night, I finished watching Season 5 of Game of Thrones. It left me emotionally wrecked. Honestly, the texts I sent my best friend were almost exclusively in all-caps. They were angry and hurt and full of a pain that only fictional situations can inflict.
I can honestly say that I don't think any televisions how has made me feel so much. Ever. And I watch shows written by Shonda Rhimes.
If you don't watch Game of Thrones, I implore you to give it a shot. Watch the first two episodes. If right now, you're thinking "Meh, it's just not my kind of show," you could be right. But if you like TV shows about politics, or justice, or war, family, love and hate, espionage and mystery, adventure, knights and kings, betrayal, society and class, coming of age, or gender roles, give Game of Thrones a real try. Not a "I'll make myself sit through the first episode and play with my phone most of the time so I can say I tried watching it," but actually try watching it.
Further, if you're at all interested in shows that have an exceptionally high production value, a brilliant ensemble cast, genuinely solid writing, gorgeous costumes and sets, a unique setting, and plenty of twists and turns, Game of Thrones is the show for you.
Yes, there's violence (some of it very graphic), yes there's sex (the show's on HBO, so it's pretty explicit), yes there's language (again, HBO), but it all adds to the show in a very well-crafted way. Very little feels gratuitous or thrown in just for shock value. I mean, sure, a lot of it is shocking, but it's not there just to shock you.
I could go on and on and on and on about how great this show is, and how much I can't wait for the next season, and yadda yadda yadda. But I can't, in good conscience, recommend this show to anyone without the following caveat:
This show will hurt. Characters die, often in gruesome, unfair ways. Characters that you love will go away and characters that you absolutely loathe will walk away unscathed. There will be times when you'll wonder why you're doing this to yourself, why you're letting yourself get so attached to a show that's just going to hurt you again and again.
The same could be said for a lot of television shows (*cough cough* Shonda Rhimes *cough cough*). BUT, if you're prepared going into things, you can lessen the heartache. Which is why I've written
A GUIDE TO BEING EMOTIONALLY INVESTED IN A TELEVISION SHOW
So, there's a show you're watching that has well written, believable, lovable and hateable characters. Congratulations! This show will most likely break your heart. Several times.
That's just the way the world works. Sorry. Fortunately, this guide will help lessen the inevitable blow that comes with such an emotional investment. So settle in, pour yourself a drink, and find something to cuddle, because you never know when your favorite show is going to emotionally gut you like a fish!
Step 1: Be prepared
I already mentioned settling in, getting a drink, and finding something to cuddle, but even that may not be enough.
Take some time before you start watching to center yourself. Think about all of the good things that have happened in this show, and try to convince yourself that they won't come to a horrible, heart-wrenching end. If you're about to watch a well-advertised "event" episode, a "very special episode," or a season final, you might as well dedicate your whole day to this. Just to be on the safe side.
Keep tissues, small fluffy animals, and comfort food and drink nearby, even if things seem to be going really well. If things don't seem to be going really well, warn anyone in the immediate area that things are about to get ugly.
Step 2: Do your best to keep things from impacting your everyday life
It's hard to separate the life you live with your TV or computer from real life, but you have to keep in mind that not everyone lost their favorite character the night before. Not everyone is feeling the emotions that you are feeling.
This is often the most difficult part of being emotionally invested in a TV show, but fortunately there is a solution:
Step 3: Find someone who understands
Finding other people who watch the show, and care about it in the same way that you do, is a godsend. Being able to discuss the intricacies of a character's story arc, the ways in which the show's plotline deviated from the books, the way things should have happened if the writer's knew what they were doing, is an incredible feeling. It's even better if you can watch the show with someone else and discuss these things while watching.
Warning: you can very well lose hours of your life discussing TV with someone equally as invested as you.
Step 4: Be prepared for its inevitable end.
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| Firefly never got a second season :( |
your Community,
it's tough when someone takes away your Glee,
but, honestly, that's just the way the world works. Shows come and go. If things don't naturally run their course and are artificially prolonged, they lose what makes them great (*cough cough Scrubs, Supernatural, Dexter, Grey's Anatomy cough cough*).
Personally, I think that it's better for a show to run its course and end on it's own, good terms than turn into something you don't even enjoy anymore. I'd rather the writers get to say goodbye in their own way than have to keep things going and going until the show is hardly recognizable. It's hard, sure, but when a show you love is ending, just be glad that you had the chance to watch it in the first place.
Step 5: Remember, it's just a TV show. Right?
...Right?
(We all know it's more than that)
End Log.
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