Arya Stark from Game of Thrones played by Maisie Williams
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The past three Mondays when I’ve walked into class, I’ve been greeted with wide-eyes and inquisitive looks on the faces of my students that suggest…WELL???? WHAT DID YOU THINK????
I’d like to tell you that my darling students are eager to discuss public relations writing, but at 9 a.m. when I walk into the classroom, what they want to discuss for the first few minutes is Game of Thrones. And so we do.
You see, up until January, I was one of those people who for years said she didn’t watch Game of Thrones, that it wasn’t my cup of tea. My husband and I tried the show a couple of years ago, and I guess at the time, we just weren’t in the mood for it.
But this winter, we got in the mood because, well, Winter Was Coming. And now we are more than hooked.
And here’s the thing, you guys, as I’m writing this blog post two days after Season 8, Episode 3 aired, which left us all with A LOT to talk about…I can honestly say to you that it’s the best show I’ve ever seen on television. It’s intelligent and provocative; it makes you think and it asks you to think about the characters. The characters drive the plot, and it’s oh-so-interesting because they are oh-so-great, even the ones you despise.
I’m not a huge television watcher, and there are a lot of shows I haven’t seen, but some of the shows I’ve dedicated time to watching that required a huge time commitment included Downton Abbey, The Tudors, Call the Midwife, The Crown, Victoria, Grantchester, and 24, just to name a few (with 24 being the BIGGEST commitment of all, as each season had 24 nail-biting episodes).
But Game of Thrones makes me think…and I do think about it a lot. I’m caught up in the characters and what will unfold as they all have some stake in sitting on the Iron Throne. I’m glad I binge-watched the series and was caught up with Season 8 as the final episodes began to unfold.
I’ve even roped one of my best friends into watching it (and I promised her I would not spoil anything for her, and I am keeping that promise), and I no longer have to be one of those people who didn’t watch Game of Thrones.
As well, I’ve learned that I actually do love the fantasy genre, and plan on taking a peek at more stories like this in the future. I’ve got George R.R. Martin’s book sitting next to me right now and plan to read his series. Over the past few years, I have written contemporary romance novels, but I’m thinking about perhaps trying my hand at something entirely different at some point in the future.
I just need some of Arya’s courage to do it.
