I begin my morning like I always do: A quick check of the messages I missed while in dreamland, before settling down with a cup of tea to scroll through Facebook. It is a mindless activity that merely involves liking or shrugging and moving along. This was before Game of Thrones embarked on its final season. Now every other post is either a Buzzfeed list of why GOT’s ending was a mess, or Mary Sue getting triggered that women didn’t get strong endings. This does not even include the thousand and one gifs of my friends reacting to an episode, or memes of Bran being weird. So yes, I have nothing to contribute – not because everyone else has pretty much said it all, but rather, it is due to the shameful fact that I stopped watching after Season 1.
“But why?”, you ask in agony, especially after you scratched your eyes out because of the Red Wedding. The answer is a simple one: I just did. I remember enjoying Season 1, though the show did stun me in a clutch-my-pearls kind of way with Ned Stark’s beheading and the twin-cest. The freakiest thing was probably seeing a woman breastfeed children who were far too old, but hey, if that’s your parenting style then power to you. The world carried on watching, and I didn’t.
The strange thing is how much I picked up without watching anything. There is always buzz surrounding big events, like Hodor’s death, Jon and Dany getting it on, the revelation of Jon being Dany’s nephew after they got it on etc. But you see, there is a benefit to being so lacking in GOT knowledge. People can actually rant to you without worrying that they will spoil it for you. My friend started reading the spoilers for the last episode while she was seated beside me, and she looked visibly distressed. After I assured her that I didn’t care, she spilled the ending, so I knew everything.
It is clear that she, and a whole lot of other people, are frustrated at the ending. I mean, yeah, I can see why.
Bran is really a walking meme (his title is ‘Bran the Broken’, the memes basically write themselves). That scene where he just sits there staring at Jaime sends me into fits of laughter, even though the context is serious stuff. Dany or Jon were more obvious choices for the Iron Throne, though clearly neither would have panned out. Power is best held by one who has no desire for it. And yes, we wanted better for Sansa and Arya, but ultimately, they both end up in positions where they get to determine their fates. The North was always going to be where Sansa ended up, it is after all home for her. And Arya gets her life of adventure. Both are far better options than being an emotional void like Bran.
Oh look, I do have something to contribute. So you see, for all the flaws you see in its ending, what truly frustrates you is that it’s over. All the griping and ranting is a cover for the sadness that will eventually come from acceptance. I am here to tell you that it was a good show, perhaps the most culturally relevant show to appear in recent television history. I am evidence of that, having watched nothing yet experienced everything. Now that, my dear friends, is a powerful thing.
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