You just watched the season finale of your favorite TV show. Whether that show be Doctor Who, Sherlock, Supernatural or just about any other dramatic television show, it invariably left you feeling a little bit (or a lot) sad and emotionally drained. Comedy shows can also leave you feeling disappointed, heck, How I Met Your Mother has been doing that to us for weeks! Point is, we’ve all been there.
You now have to wait anywhere from months to a whole year to see the next season. While it’s never good to obsess over anything for long, it’s hard to simply walk away at the end of an episode once the screen goes black. So, while you wait for next season’s premiere, here is a list of ways you can recover from the finale and prepare yourself.
1. If you are left on a cliffhanger: speculate about the plot.
The best way to do this is to turn to sites like Tumblr, or, right here on Hypable for the user-submitted theories and opinions. People approach problems differently, so someone might look at a cliffhanger from a different angle than you. This is not only a great way to get a new perspective, but it’s fun to see what other people come up with. If you’re a fan of Sherlock, you’re probably trying to figure out how he survived the fall. I’ve read many different pieces suggesting one way or another, some meticulously thought out, some ridiculous, but it makes the return of the show that more exciting.
2. Rewatch the season, looking for clues or foreshadowing you forgot.
Did a character jokingly hint to something like this happening? Was this a character’s worst nightmare come true? When we watch episodes for the first time throughout the season, we don’t catch these kinds of things. It’s only when we go back to rewatch the season over the break that we get that “ah-ha!” moment. For an example of this, see: Supernatural (and, well, Harry Potter). Hindsight is 20/20, people.
3. Do some online snooping.
Is your favorite guest star returning? Is the show filming in a strange or new location? These clues can help you figure out a very general idea about what is coming up for the next season. The closer next season’s premiere gets, the more clues there will be; see what you can find. IMDB.com is a great site to look at actors’ resumes because it says what projects they are working on, are in pre-production, etc. So, I’m sorry to say, if the actor of your favorite character is signed on to do a movie the same time the show is shooting, I don’t think you can expect them in the new episodes.
4. Eat and cry a little.
It’s called “comfort food” for a reason. Pull out the “only for emergencies” ice cream, bag of M&Ms, whatever floats your boat. If it was a particularly tumultuous episode for you to watch, there’s nothing wrong with indulging yourself. Personally, I won’t lie, I cry after watching the series finale of Gilmore Girls every time, and then proceed to help myself to anything that would make me feel better that that moment. Hey, if it works, that’s all that matters, right?
5. Turn to friends and other people in the fandom for comfort.
They understand, because they’re there, too. It helps to have a friend who is just as obsessed with a show as you are, to text/message/tweet incomprehensible garble to them. Entertainment websites post recaps of popular shows the day after, and you can find many die-hard fans in the comments section. There will always be people who agree with you, but, there will also be people who disagree with you.
6. Accept that a person died/left/lost their memory, etc.
It’s hard to accept sometimes, but you can’t change the past. Unless the show has not been renewed for the next season, have some confidence in the showrunners and writers to most likely provide an explanation either during the hiatus, or during the next season, why that-thing-you-didn’t-like happened. Unless it was a complete surprise to viewers, hopefully you’ve had some time to prepare. We’ve known for months, but I still don’t know how I’m going to be able to watch Amy and Rory’s last episode on Doctor Who.