Merry Geekmas! Why This Weekend Will Be a Geek Holiday

Happy Geekmas! This weekend is shaping up to be a spectacularly nerdy event with the Doctor Who premiere, the Game of Thrones premiere, and the season finale of the Walking dead all lining up on the same night. While many people will be spending this fine Easter Sunday hunting for eggs or watching football, I’m going to be sobbing into a bowl of popcorn as three of my favorite shows assault me with feelings.  And honestly I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Game of Thrones is kicking off it’s third season on Sunday at 9pm on HBO. This season should cover the first half of A Storm of Swords, George RR Martin’s third installment in the A Song of Ice and Fire series. Yes, I’ve read the books, and yes, I know what’s coming, but I solemnly vow I will not speak of it in the open until it airs. However, for those of you who have read the books, message me, man, I’ve got some feels. HBO started teasing us early with an amazing series of trailers followed by a ton of bonus content on their youtube channel. Hell, they are even hauling the costumes around the globe to stir up buzz (nowhere near me, sadly). I’m practically vibrating with excitement. No, seriously, I sit at work and tap my fingers on my desk and kick my feet back and forth and generally bother everyone around me because I am just that excited.

It’s difficult to explain why I’m excited without alluding to spoilers, but I will certainly try. A Storm of Swords has several pivotal moments for many characters, including a shockingly brutal (even for Westerosi standards) flashpoint moment that caused me to set my book aside for several weeks. The Starks are scattered to the wind across Westeros, Winterfell has been destroyed, and a sadistic adolescent sits atop the Iron Throne.  Westeros has been thrown into chaos.  Across the Narrow Sea Daenerys prepares to invade the Seven Kingdoms and “take what is hers.” North of the Wall the White Walkers have awoken and Jon Snow has left his post with the Night’s Watch to infiltrate the Wildlings. I might vomit from how anxious I am to see all of those story lines progress.  Seriously, someone come hold my hair.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1pbtBX9Kok]

Meanwhile, the BBC is bringing back Doctor Who for the latter half of its seventh season. New companion Clara Oswin Oswald, played by Jenna-Louise Coleman, will be returning as a regular after her surprise debut in the first episode of the season and her co-starring role in the Christmas special. Jenna-Louise endeared me and much of fandom to her with her ”I was holding an avocado” reaction to getting the part. So far she’s died twice, clearly aiming to snag Rory’s title of “Most Character Deaths in a single season (on this show, anyway. Dean Winchester died several hundred times in a single episode of Supernatural).

The circumstances of her resurrection are mysterious and I honestly have absolutely zero ideas about what is going on. I know a lot of people aren’t fans of Moffat’s convoluted plots, and people who will defend him are few and far between these days.  The timelines are a bit messy, the evolution of the Weeping Angels has irked me, and there have been lines that have bothered me (Oswin Oswald is “going through a phase?” Bisexuality isn’t a phase, dude.  Way to perpetuate stereotypes). But I’m enjoying the mystery surrounding this newest premier, and the wibbley-wobbley timelines are part of the appeal for me. Plus, I admire how he so effortlessly makes me fall in love with these characters and then breaks my heart over them. The Angels Take Manhattan had me sobbing for a very very long time.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXqXZepqgMQ]

The Season 3 finale of The Walking Dead airs on AMC on Sunday at 9pm PST. This season has been less about zombies and more about the dangers of other people (a theme that has been slowly building since season 1). I’ve very much enjoyed what this season has brought us (Michonne, the prison), but there were many episodes that were basically just a bunch of emotionally damaged people talking to each other for a long time. It’s hard to fault the show for this, however, as one of the things that sets the story apart from other zombie stories is its longevity and ability to steadily develop its characters. The first two seasons also had lulls in action in the middle, but their premieres and finales (both of the season and the mid seasons) were always some of the most exciting.

Michonne has by far been my favorite addition to the season. She started off badass, but when her personality and subtle sense of humor started to shine through she became something even more amazing. Her “it’s too damn gorgeous” line after rescuing that cat statue had me laughing for a good five minutes. Last episode had me worried that we were about to lose her to the governor, but she somehow broke through to Merle and got sent packing back to the prison. Merle, on the other hand, pied-piped a herd of zombies to the Governor’s little outpost and got himself zombied (oh Daryl I’m so sorry I just want to hug you).

Meanwhile, my other favorite character, Glenn, proposed to Maggie and now I fear for their lives. Nobody is safe on this show so I’m preparing to have my heart ripped out. As I have not yet read the comics, I plead with those who have to keep their mouths shut just as I’ve promised to do with A Song of Ice and Fire. Come on. It’s just the nice thing to do. But if either of them dies, I will be horribly and disastrously upset. Please let me just have one happy canon couple? Please? Come on, universe. You owe me one after what you did to Jack and Ianto in Torchwood.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UD3-4ZduFa0]

To pass the time waiting for Geekmas to arrive you might want to consider watching the Zombie Apocalypse Marathon on AMC, where they will be airing every episode from the beginning starting on Monday at 8pm. Or maybe you can catch up on Doctor Who or Game of Thrones bonus content. Or, you know, go to work and do stuff. Either way, next weekend is gonna be busy.  Easter?  What?  Sorry, I have television to watch.

Author: Angel Wilson

Angel is the admin of The Geekiary and a geek culture commentator. They earned a BA in Film & Digital Media from UC Santa Cruz. They have contributed to various podcasts and webcasts including An Englishman in San Diego, Free to Be Radio, and Genre TV for All. They identify as queer.

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