The series finale of “Game of Thrones” divided viewers, but if you’re on the side that just can’t believe how the series wrapped up, there are counselors and therapists now on call to help you dial down from your “Game of Thrones” depression.
The New York Post reports that the online service-match application, Bark.com, which helps users get into contact with service providers (like dog walkers) in their area, is offering a special one-time deal, helping fans connect with a “Game of Thrones counseling service” that is designed to “help bereft fans seek support and get the help they need through this tough time.”
Bark.com claims that they’ve amassed a team of qualified counselors who will take calls and Skype sessions with sad Game of Thrones fans for a special rate — about $25 per half hour session. The Post reports that counseling service users can expect counselors to help them “digest their feelings and interpretation of the show, which could range from anger and confusion to sadness and grief.”
“We watch them to escape our daily lives and immerse ourselves into the ‘unknown,'” Lynette, a counselor from Bark.com told CNN in a written statement. “This is the very reason why we sometimes become addicted to watching them, the stories they tell become part of our identity.”
The demand may, in fact, be high. According to Thrillist, around 11 million people are expected to take off work Monday to “process their feelings after their watch ends on Sunday night” and around 5.8 million people who work on Sundays skipped out on their usual duties in order to catch the show on its first airing. An additional 27.2 million people were expected to show up late to work Monday or work remotely — so Bark.com may have some customers.
The purpose of the system is to promote Bark.com, obviously, but based on social media’s reaction to Sunday night’s finale, grief counseling may be in order for some fans of the show, and Bark.com says users can continue to take advantage of the “Game of Thrones” counseling service for as long as is necessary — though individual counselors might suggest that they transition to more expansive therapy sessions, looking at why they were so deeply affected by what is, at its core, a work of fiction.
If you do need therapy for “Game of Thrones,” you are in good company. The show’s star, Kit Harrington, who plays Jon Snow, has been in therapy for several years as a result of his role, People Magazine reports. He began seeing a therapist after his character was brutally murdered and then resurrected in a season-ending cliffhanger.
“My darkest period was when the show seemed to become so much about Jon, when he died and came back,” he told the magazine in an interview. “I really didn’t like the focus of the whole show coming onto Jon — even though it was invalidating my problem about being the weak link because things were about Jon.”
The poor guy will now have to adjust to being out of a job.