The North Remembers, but Can You Forgive & Forget?
Spoilers For: A skosh of the new House of Dragons
TRUST
It’s a vital thing in any relationship. But giving it freely is not always easy, especially when you’ve been wronged in the past.
Even in our television/film relationships, we must learn to trust the creators. After all, aren’t we offering up our time--a commodity that feels scarcer and scarcer these days. Shouldn’t there be solace in knowing that our sacrifice will be rewarded? For some of us, our loyalty to a show or franchise goes beyond just the casual viewership. It extends to purchasing merchandise, attending conventions, and arguing with strangers online about which character could win in a fight against another character.
None of this could happen if we didn't give some amount of trust. And, of course, we expect that in return these shows would produce reliable content that rewards out blind faith.
Sure, a bad episode is expected here and there. Maybe even a disappointing character arc or unexpected death. Even writers are humans, well except for that room of typing monkeys over there. But how do we as an audience come back from the betrayal of being forced to witness the destruction of something we loved? Are we supposed to forgive and forget? And more so, what if they come back into our lives asking for a second chance? How can we ever learn to trust again?
Trigger Warning: I’m going to say it’s name now. I know it’s painful but we need to face it if we are ever going to heal. Okay here we go....Game of Thrones Season 8.
Breathe. Breathe. There you go, let it out. Feel the emotions. Hold them, now let them out.
1…2… 3…. Phew, feeling better? Yeah, it’s a lot but we’ll get through it together.
70 hours and 14 minutes. That’s how much time we all gave to the series. For some of us, it was done like an IV drip over 8 years. And for some, a few days of binge-watching, forgetting what fresh air smells like. But whether you were there from day one or pushed into it at the last minute by the increasing FOMO, we all gave a lot of ourselves to the series. In return, we got Bran the Broken and a Starbucks coffee cup fuck up.
I won’t retraumatize anyone by going into what happened in season 8. Just know that it did happened, and your feelings are valid. And as much as we would all love to bury the pain and never face it, we have to forge ahead. Why? Because a silver-haired-dragon-riding-badass is waiting for us on the other side. She deserves a fresh start.
House of the Dragon is a different show. Say it with me: HOUSE OF THE DRAGON IS A DIFFERENT SHOW!
I know she looks familiar. Maybe like a character that broke your heart. But she is not that girl you remember.
Watch the first episode and you’ll see. It’s everything you still love. People fighting for that ugly ass throne, secret diabolical scheming, epic locations, and so many bouncing titties. I know what you’re afraid of— if the good is the same, will the bad? To be honest, it’s too early to tell. But how will we ever learn to fall in love again with small-screen fantasy if we don’t take a leap of faith?
We aren’t the Red Lady. We can’t see the future. For now, let’s focus on the what we do know for sure, shall we?
Rhaenrya (played by Milly Alcock) is already serving us looks and lewks. You can trust some awesome fashion from this one.
There are dragons EVERYWHERE. How can you not trust they will make every scene better?
Matt Smith is having so much fun with being the Loki-Wannabe-Little-Bro-Bro Daemon and I think we can trust him to stir the shitstorm pot.
Did they just say Dragonstone? Hey, you know where that is already! See you can trust that you won’t be nearly as lost this time trying to keep track of all the names of people and places.
MOST IMPORTANTLY: David Benioff and D. B. Weiss are not involved in this project.
Mending a broken heart is not a perfect line. There are going to be ups and downs. There might be a scene with stiff acting or rushed storylines that awaken unpleasant memories but push through it. Think about the alternative. Do you want to go through life without a deep meaningful relationship with High Fantasy narratives told through episodic content streaming through your phone?
I didn't think so.
How else are you ever going to get the ring. Of course, I'm talking about The One Ring to Rule Them All.
So whattya say? Are you ready to let go, fall back, and trust that a dragon will be there to catch you?
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