Years ago, a co-worker informed me that my last name had a reoccurring appearance in the extremely popular HBO produced television show called Game of Thrones (GOT).

I gave the show a try after that and I found it to be, interesting?

Reflecting on it now, I’m not sure why I made the commitment to watching every single episode.

Perhaps it was the alluded to, but heavily deflated notion of women empowerment? Maybe it was the cool dragons. Members of my family watched it, so maybe that’s why I tuned in.

The truth is, I was most likely receiving a kick of something called dopamine as I binge watched the entire series. According to an article issued by Northwestern Medicine (www.nm.org), 73 percent of people surveyed by Netflix reported having positive feelings when they “binge watch.”

“When you’re engaged in an activity you enjoy, your brain produces dopamine — a chemical that promotes feelings of pleasure, excitement and happiness. The release of dopamine helps us feel good, and it results in a ‘high’ similar to that induced by drugs and other substances with addictive qualities.”

The article also stated the human brain craves more and more, and as long as the person watching continues to binge, the brain produces dopamine.

Now, let’s associate that with what is actually being portrayed on the screen when a person tunes into an episode of GOT.

Personally, when I reflected and looked back on what I was watching, I noticed how conned I was after the final episode of the original show came to an end.

I was almost conned into watching the newest addition as well, House of the Dragon (HOTD).

The last episode of GOT aired back in 2019, so the feelings I had after watching it were eventually forgotten.

Luckily, the plot of the new show, HOTD, is simply a regurgitation of the first one, so I was eventually reminded of how I felt.

I actually sat through the first four episodes of the new dragon-themed series, but I’m proud to say I’m not interested in following along with the story any longer.

Feel free to disagree, if you’re into dragons, but I believe GOT has a nasty habit of objectifying women and promoting/normalizing incest.

According to an overall look at the linear and streaming data provided by the research database, Nielson, and HBO’s internal data, viewership of HOTD has reached over 20 million viewers, so far, and the numbers keep climbing.

The show has already been renewed for a second season before the first one is even marked complete. Millions of people are tuning in, but for what actual reason?

Plus, the overall production budget for the first season is over $200 million, with a marketing budget aiming high at $100 million.

Gadzooks people.

If I had a surplus of money at my disposal to create a massive body of work, such as GOT and HOTD, I wouldn’t spend my time re-creating the darkest parts of the society of yesterday and re-imagining new ways to promote a budding relationship between an uncle and niece.

What is going on HBO? The costume designs are spectacular and so is the flawless animation, but what’s the point? Where’s the hero’s journey we’re supposed to follow along with and pull from?

Does that kind of stuff even matter anymore? The real story should coincide with a massive boycott of HBO, because promoting the marriage of a 12-year-old is really beginning to lose its charm.


Note: This editorial was originally published in “The Mariposa Gazette” on 10-11-2022.