Pardon me for being predictable. I know every TV writer in the world is writing about Game of Thrones about now - but it's the last time we'll get to, so please indulge us.
Game of Thrones became more than a TV show, it became an institution, with each year's season becoming an almost festive occasion akin to a holiday for fans. While it's running, forums and message boards are alive with discussion and the office water cooler probably has way more company than it does at other times.
Hell, even my sister likes it. It's the first thing we've had in common ... ever! And she retains the story almost as well as I do, which is a surprise. It's hard to believe it's ending.
So, as a refresher for those whose memory of the important events of season seven may have fuzzed a bit over two years, these are the crucial elements: Jon Snow pledged his allegiance to Daenerys Targeryn and together they managed to convince Cersei Lannister to set aside their war and aid them in combating the White Walkers and their army of undead, who are poised to cross the Wall way up north and sweep southward, killing every living thing and resurrecting them into their undead army.
It also turns out that one of Daenerys's dragons was killed by the White Walkers in the north, after which they resurrected it, so now they have a dragon of their own to use in the upcoming war. Yes, it looks like that's finally happening - though Cersei seems like she's getting ready to enact some kind of skulduggery. Also, in one of Bran's psychic visions, he saw that Jon Snow was not a bastard Targeryn, but a legitimate Targeryn, which Jon still doesn't know. Oh, plus Jon and Daenerys knocked bones near the end, which would make them two Targeryn's engaging in incest.
The more things change, eh?
There are two ways you can catch this show, the first being on M-Net, channel 101, Monday, April 15 at 3am, if you're desperate enough to watch it at the same moment as the yanks and are willing to stay up. Or you can wait until the evening broadcast at 10pm. You can also watch it on Showmax, where it will become available for streaming on Monday at 10pm. Take your pick.
My apologies to any non-GoT fans out there for whom that was gibberish. Let's see what else we've got this month. SABC's got something interesting running. Unfortunately, because of the timing of this issue, I was unable to mention it in time for the first episode, but there are seven more to go.
'McMAFIA'
McMafia is a crime thriller based on Misha Glenny's book McMafia: A Journey Through the Global Criminal Underworld. Alex Godman (James Norton) is a straight-arrow businessman in London who enjoys an ethical lifestyle. Unfortunately, his father was once immersed in the Russian criminal underworld, and it seems some of his old friends have come sniffing around looking for profitable ventures to co-opt.
Can Alex avoid being drawn into this seedy scene even though the bad guys are not asking nicely? Catch the show on Thursdays at 9:30pm. If you like it, you'll be pleased to hear there's a second season on the way.
'HOUSE OF CARDS'
Oh, and real quick, also on SABC3, Tuesdays at 9:30pm is House of Cards, the political thriller series starring Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright as a politician couple who are ruthlessly ambitious in their quest for political power in the US. It's pretty old, but it's good. (Spacey has since wrecked his career after being accused of sexual harassment).
GIYANI: LAND OF BLOOD
SABC2 has something pioneering this month too - the first Xitsonga TV drama series. That's great. I'm sure we're happy that a language previously unheard in the annals of TV drama is getting its chance - let's just hope the show itself is good too.
Giyani: Land of Blood sounds pretty positive, opening with a community in the city of Giyani, Limpopo, being awarded a stretch of fertile, banana-farming land in a restitution case. Sounds great right, land being given back to its rightful owners? Well, it would be, but unfortunately two feuding families have stepped up, the Mudau and Baloyi families, who both believe they have a disproportionate claim to the restored land.
The press release did list the actors, but not characters they played, so you'll just have to see for yourself, Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 9:30pm...