Trying to Become a Game of Thronie

Every Monday night during their respective seasons, I watch the Bachelor or the Bachelorette with my neighborhood girlfriends. We chat, catch up, eat dessert, and of course, critique the show. When our daughters were younger, high school age, we used to use the show as a way to tell them to “never act like that,” “never wear that in public,” and “NEVER do that in a hot tub with a guy,” all the while unable to stop tuning in to the outrageous behavior ourselves.

But eventually, our girls grew up and went away to college, and watching this show became a way for all of us moms to stay connected. We often gab through most of the show. I mean, we know when to be quiet for the important parts, but let’s just say we have a lot of fun. Plus did I mention the dessert part? 🙂

Game of Thrones with my husband is an entirely different experience. Long ago. I watched the first two seasons, until the blood and gratuitous violence sent me running away screaming. But hey, it’s the most popular show in the world. I began to feel like I was missing something.

So I made a deal with my hubby. “Okay, okay,” he said. “You can come down to the man cave and watch. But NO QUESTIONS.” After missing four seasons, it was HARD to keep all the questions for the end, but I’m proud to say I pretty much did it. Until last week, when I learned a meeting was set up between Jon Snow, King of the North, and Daenerys Targaryen, Mother of Dragons.

Now, Kit Harington and Emilia Clarke are two of the most beautiful people on earth, not to mention both very heroic characters, and my romance lover’s mind could barely contain itself with all the possibilities of their meeting.

“Have they ever met before?” I asked my hubby (during the show, of course, for which I got a semi-dirty look).

“No,” he said, without any inflection to his voice. As if the two most beautiful people on earth meeting up were nothing special (yawn).

Afterward, I explored the internet, which had erupted with speculation about the meeting. “The internet is exploding about this. You do know that, right?”

“Yeah,” he said.

“Well then, why didn’t you tell me? I mean, this is a BIG DEAL”

“I wanted you to experience it for yourself.”

Is this a guy thing, saying as little as possible? As a romance writer, guys definitely have different dialogue patterns than women, and we’re taught that. Typical guy-speak is more to the point, less packed with emotion-based words. And they simply speak…less. I suddenly had a vision of my husband and his friends gathering to watch The Bachelor…and the room being dead silent.

Too bad my girlfriends don’t watch GoT. We’d laugh and discuss and diss the bad characters. And consider (out loud) the endless possibilities of romance between these two. Uncensored. And, of course, eat dessert.