Confessions of a casual Game of Thrones fan

I’m a casual Game of Thrones fan. I’m not going to lie and say I know everything there is to know about the show. I don’t know everyone’s name and probably never will. I skipped a whole season and really don’t feel like it caused me to miss out on my viewing enjoyment. In spite of all these things, I still consider myself to be a fan and I don’t think my experience is unique.

I remember the buzz surrounding Game of Thrones before it debuted. By summer 2011, the show was on the air and the marketing blitz was in full force at San Diego Comic-Con, where giant banners graced the hallways. You couldn’t leave the Sails Pavilion without spotting the massive sign over the exit doors.

The message was clear: If you’re not watching Game of Thrones, you’re missing out.

Despite the buzz and the messaging, not everyone was tuning in. For me, it took a while to catch on, and when I did I had my own way of enjoying the show.

Life as a casual Game of Thrones fan

From my vantage point as a casual fan, Game of Thrones fans seem to fall into two general categories: Those who read the books by George R. R. Martin, and those who have only ever watched the HBO series. (This is common for any franchise that is based on comic books or novels.)

Among the series-only fans, there are those who endeavored to learn as much as possible about the show so they could participate in the water cooler conversations. After all, at the height of its popularity, Game of Thrones was the show to watch, and if you weren’t then you could find yourself on the periphery of conversations among friends, family and colleagues. (Best Monday morning icebreaker circa 2013: “So, did you catch Game of Thrones last night?”)

Even now, years after the show’s finale, people still talk about Game of Thrones and make comparisons and references to it because it’s become part of our cultural fabric, so it pays to know enough to get through those conversations even when you have no idea who died in that one battle or who killed who during that invasion.

I started watching the show when it premiered, and then somewhere around Ned Stark’s tragic demise I stepped away. I didn’t return to the fold regularly until the fourth season, and I did a quick binge of the third season to get caught up. There was a little recap of season 2 that helped me get up to speed for season 3 and I vowed to go back and watch season 2 eventually…but I never did.

I know I missed things. Melisandre’s shadow baby. The Battle of Blackwater. These are major events, but they were referenced enough later on that I know what happened without watching them. I don’t think missing an entire season diminished my appreciation for the series. Game of Thrones is a show that relies heavily upon forward momentum; while history is important and explains why relationships are as they are in the present timeline, it’s what happens in the moment and moving forward that really matters. It’s true that “the North remembers,” but from my casual fan-perspective it doesn’t matter what they remember so much as what their memories meant when it came time for the epic final battle in season 8. (I also tried reading the books and found myself more confused than I was watching the show, so I decided to stick with the show and eventually it all worked out.)

How to watch fantasy when you can’t get into fantasy

In retrospect, my Game of Thrones experience taught me something about myself: It takes me a bit longer to really appreciate the world-building of high fantasy series. I have to approach these kinds of shows from a different angle because I don’t know the source material, and high fantasy takes me a while to appreciate. (Is this where I confess that I’ve never seen Lord of the Rings? I know, I know. I should. I’ve watched every Star Trek movie a gazillion times, but Lord of the Rings loses me every time I try to watch and honestly I think it’s my old boss’ fault because he talked LOTR all day for weeks on end, but I digress.)

Case in point: I wanted to watch The Witcher (because of Henry Cavill, of course) and I had no idea what was happening in the story through several episodes. Then, miraculously, it all kind of clicked around Episode 4. I had to stay the course, though, and now I “get it” and can follow the show. I won’t be running to buy the books, though. The show is enough for me.

As with anything in life that involves spectators and fandoms, there will always be dedicated, die-hard fans of a book, series, sports team or movie. That’s how it works, and when the attraction is there it’s a magical thing. On the other hand, it doesn’t mean you can’t casually enjoy a show and pop in every now and then to see what’s happening; you might decide to dive in more, or you may back off again and return later.

The magic of television these days is that we have so many options. You can binge an entire series or enjoy it at your own pace, and it’s fine either way. The important thing is that you enjoy it. I suspect that there are many people like me who know enough about Game of Thrones to engage in conversation, but couldn’t give you an oral history of the Lannister family or explain why the Targaryen family was destined to claim the Iron Throne.

I really enjoyed Game of Thrones and am happy that I was able to follow the journey through the end of the series. My path may not be conventional, but I arrived at the series finale and had a good time along the way, and in the end that’s what matters.

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