A Series Finale Conundrum

Arun (name deliberately changed) had been an avid follower of the Game of Thrones series from the day of its inception. After following the episodes, week in and week out, he was all the more eager to see what happens at the series finale. However, he was disappointed as it had not reached his expectations. Over the past few months, there have been many cases just like Arun who have been disappointed with the series finale of the recently concluded Game of Thrones series. Many of them had even fallen into depression because they did not know what to do after the series ended. They were left with absolutely no motivation to do anything else because of their addiction to the famous TV series. Recently, in Goa, there was an event organized to help these people to come out of depression. But the fundamental question we could ask ourselves is, “Will this solve the underlying problem?”

I would say no as the matter one needs to investigate a little further. Most people get addicted to their favorite TV series that they seem to feel emptiness when it all ends. They get attached to it that they begin to believe that it is all real and true. However, the effect of this addiction reaches its peak when these series end. They tend to become like mindless zombies who are learning to get accustomed to the real world (in metaphorical terms). A recent article in a daily newspaper had even mention about the effects that ’13 Reasons Why’, a Netflix original, had on the rate of teenage suicides. CNN had a featured article addressing the issue of the spike in teen suicide rates after the release of ’13 Reasons Why’. They said that the increase was primarily driven by boys, whose rate of suicide went up by 28% in the month following the premiere of the show and that the rates remained considerably stable among the girls in the same month. It seems quite absurd that a fictional TV series can have such a huge impact on people’s everyday lives.

However, along with suicide there are many other symptoms that take place when watching a TV series. These effects are lasting even after the series ends. Some of these would include delayed verbal skills in children, increased aggressive behavior and withdrawal symptoms like anxiety and irritability. And so, the addict would find it difficult to relate with others later in life. It damages one’s relationship with others.

After reading a few articles on this topic, I reflected and jotted down a few solutions to this slowly emerging conundrum. Firstly, fictional TV series are acts of pure imaginations and need to be treated as such. Treating them as a record of a real-life incident just adds fuel to the fire. Secondly, the characters portrayed in every series are actually only actors!! They have a life of their own and are not living the life of the characters they portray in real life. And lastly, avoid attaching these TV series to your life as if you were living with them. I cannot fully say whether this would solve the problem. But, it would definitely ignite the spark of change. So, let’s work towards eradicating the growing ‘Series Finale Conundrum’.