There is a reason why big things like TV shows and blockbuster movies and anticipated novels hit during the summer when audiences are more rapt than usual thanks to the leisurely nature of the season. For entertainment companies, it is a time to capitalize on the bored and sweaty summer demographic, and for that demographic, it is a time to capitalize on the excuse of staying in because of the heat. It feels unfair to say “thus, ‘Game of Thrones’ (GoT),” but thus, “Game of Thrones.”
I am pained to concede that I have not watched GoT. I have a lot of lame excuses about why I haven’t—I’ll spare you them now but am happy to discuss any time. We are living in an era when obsessiveness about books and movies and TV runs high, spurred on by things like Comic-Con and social media and a generally hysterical populace, and I, too, get massively obsessed with things. This includes, just recently, a pseudo-obsession with GoT which again, I have not seen. I am a great lover of TV and also of medieval fantasy stories, and there was already so much GoT condensation floating around in the muggy air that I couldn’t help but breathe a lot of it in. So, all summer I felt like I was part of the glee of a new season of a hit show even when I pretty much wasn’t at all.
Like the actual obsession of an actual GoT fan, my faux-obsession lingers now that the season has wrapped up. The natural thing to do would be to buy the DVDs on Amazon and watch the thing, but it’s not so simple. Suddenly we are facing the end of summer and the return to the frenzy of the school year, and it is the time of year when most students feel like they won’t have time for new shows or book series until winter break. It’s not a good feeling.
But we could all use reminding that that doesn’t have to be true. The next few months are sure to be frenetic ones, but there should always be time to spare for indulgence of imagination. It is a lesson I learn again every fall. Read a book while you wait for the light rail on the weekend. Sacrifice half an hour of sleep to finish your day by watching something that will make you excited to wake up in the morning. When you have something to let your mind wander to in between classes or friends or exams, campus won’t feel so small. And that is my justification for watching GoT during the school year.
Stay obsessed, kids.
