Thus Began Zarathustra’s Down-Going

Worth seeing, yes; but not worth going to see. — Samuel Johnson There are many things I admit I would probably enjoy if they were placed directly in front of me by a benevolent valet. But life is full of small gates, and I am remarkably good at stopping before them. So it has been with Game of Thrones. On paper, it seems like the sort of thing I would enjoy (though I’ve never read the books either). But I never had HBO, and I’m too cheap to pay for yet another streaming service. And when it comes to free time, writing, reading, lifting, and even occasional video games rank above TV watching in the entertainment hierarchy. Then a friend, who has watched the whole series three times, said wistfully that she had no one to talk about it with. That changed the calculation. Very well, into the breach we go. There are many things I have missed in this way. I have never seen The Sopranos, Breaking Bad, Seinfeld, Friends, or the Lord of the Rings films, either. I was never opposed to them. I…