Too Serious

The actual title of this post is "Are We Taking Supernatural Too Seriously, or Did the Show Just Get Too Serious?" but it was too long. :)

Before I launch into my topic, I want to clarify that "we" means all of fandom in a general sense, and doesn't mean anyone specifically. I'm amalgamating a lot of things I've read over the last several weeks, and I don't want any particular person to feel targeted.

For three seasons, I've loved Supernatural so much that watching one episode a week wasn't enough, and I've sought solidarity with fellow fans all over the Internet. The drawback is that when I adore an episode, then read several disappointed blogs about it. Man, do I deflate quickly.

This season is unique, and the complaints attack all aspects of the show. It's too dark--but it's always been billed as a weekly horror movie, and it started with the mother of an infant and a young child being burned alive on the ceiling. It's too light--how dare they match the AntiChrist with a fart joke? The mytharc is heavy, and difficult to get away from, which makes people complain that they want standalone episodes. Then we get standalone episodes, and they complain that it makes no sense to have one, don't they know there's an apocalypse going on?

What drove me to choose this topic this week was what I saw about the most recent episode, the name of which I will not type because I had the freakin' song stuck in my head for five days! My Internet trolling for Supernatural stuff is fairly limited nowadays, with about half a dozen sites and blogs on my list. I was kind of shocked to find universal displeasure with 5.06. The very same things people loved in "Mystery Spot," they hated in this episode. The combination of humor and pathos struck so many people wrong, and it baffles me.

So I wonder if we're taking the show too seriously. Have we lost touch with our overwhelming love because of that love? Most TV shows I watch are just surface enjoyment. I like them or I don't, and I don't spend a lot of time discussing them or even thinking about them afterward. Supernatural is, and always has been, different, but in sharing viewpoints, are we destroying our ability to just watch and enjoy? It seems we're always digging so deep we can't help but find dissatisfaction.

Perhaps the fault lies not with us, but with the show's writers. Maybe Kripke's taken a turn so serious it departs too far from the show's core and renders us unable to connect with the things we loved, even when they're present. But is it even possible to contemplate that? Because it's just as likely that if season 4 hadn't gone down the road it had, if they'd just continued with everything the way it was in seasons one and two, we'd have been unhappy with its lack of maturity and evolution. Few things that stay the same satisfy us for very long.

Another possibility is that our rabidity may have simply run its course. Passion, by its very nature, can only be sustained for so long.

I know there are individuals who have loved every minute of season 5, and some who have hated every minute, so my thoughts here aren't valid on that level--maybe not even on a global level. But I'm interested to hear what you all have to say. What is your temperature reading of the fandom as a whole, and how do you feel about it?

Hiatus Survival Tips

Well, here we are. Deep into the summer, but really just starting. The premiere of season five is sooooo far away!

So how do you cope? Some of the typical fan coping mechanisms are:

1. Re-watch the first three seasons--four if you DVRed and kept the last one.

2. Keep up with goings on with the Supernatural official magazine by Titan.

3. Read the Season Companions for the first three seasons, and all the companion books. Depending on how fast a reader you are and how much time you have, this can get you through the whole summer!

4. Read or re-read the comic books and novelizations.

Let's face it, though, we've a lot of that already, having suffered through three summer hiatuses and way too many mid-season breaks, not to mention the writer's strike. So how else can we make it through?

Immerse Yourself in the Beauty

The season 4 DVD cover art is out, so you can download that, print it 150 times, and wallpaper your room with it.

Or you could bid on Supernatural posters on eBay. 39 came up in my search, and some were at well below-market prices.

Venture Beyond

It's a joke that Jared and Jensen do a lot of horror movies between seasons, and some of us can't handle that without a lot of support (i.e. taking a gaggle of friends to the theater). But Devour, House of Wax, Friday the 13th, and My Bloody Valentine aren't the only other options out there. Give Gilmore Girls a try, and marvel at how Jared's boyish mannerisms haven't changed, regardless of how much he has. Check out Dark Angel for a much more happy-go-lucky Jensen, or Smallville season 4 (though I have to warn you, most of his scenes are with Lana *gag*).

And in the dark, lonely days of early September, when you're desperate and don't think you'll make it, go ahead. Give in. Rent New York Minute and Blonde. It'll be okay--no one else has to know.

Let the Fandom Get You Through

There is fanfic galore out there, everything from canon-focused, general fiction to hard-core slash. But that's not all. There are cartoons, stop-action doll theater, and many other creative outlets (themed picture sets, videos). Even laundry lists! A great place to start is Supernatural Wiki, which links to fan offerings.

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Anyone have any other hiatus coping mechanisms to offer?

Things That Would be Worse Than Bad Supernatural

A little while ago, we talked a little bit about the possibility of a season six without Eric Kripke. Many people would rather have no SPN than bad SPN, but I thought there are some things that could be worse:

1. Jared and Jensen in other jobs…that film in Vancouver.

2. Jared on a show like According to Jim.

3. Jensen on a generic crime drama.

4. J&J never get another real gig, just spend all their time traveling around to Supernatural conventions, becoming a better-looking but even more pathetic version of the Galaxy Quest crew.

5. Jensen joins Star Trek. I couldn't imagine Jensen in that world. Then I pictured him in uniform. At attention. And...um...yeah, never mind.

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Okay, so...I'm not very good at this. That was all I could come up with.

So then I thought, well, I'm in the minority, but I'd be okay with Kripke-less writers and half-hearted stars. I don't think the show would stray too far from what makes it so compelling for me. But what would make the show too horrible to watch?

1. They replace Sam and Dean.

2. They bring back Bela (that's a bone for the Bela-haters--I liked her).

3. The boys decide they're tired of traveling, sell the Impala, and settle down with the 90210 kids.

4. To nail ghosts in a daycare center, they pose as teachers. ... Wait, that could be funny.

5. They do an episode where the "fight" is cringing in an attic spraying fire at bees while the fastest night in history passes.

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The thing is...

First, we don't get to say "stop now, the show's on top, it can't possibly be as good next year." So that leaves us to either watch it or not. Secondly, we can't know what a season six would be like. What if Sera Gamble gets promoted to showrunner? Doesn't she do much of that already? She oversees the writing and seems to be of like mind with Kripke.

I personally can't cut off my nose to spite my face and say I wouldn't watch it, at least to find out how they do.

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Now it's your turn. Tell us what you think:

a. would be worse than bad SPN

and

b. would render SPN too bad to watch.

Other TV: Can it Compare to Supernatural?

Don't forget about our contest!

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I love Supernatural more than any other show, but it's not the only show I love. My favorites tend to have humor, adventure, mind-bendingly serialized plots, and characters I fall for on day 1.

None of them measure up completely. SPN is the only show that's appointment TV for me. But if you take all the good stuff from each of my other current favorites, it might come closer:

1. Rick Castle's wisecracking (Castle)

2. Reaper's bad guys from hell

3. Prison Break's brothers who would do anything for each other--except right now.

4. The "where the hell are we going?" factor from Lost

5. The fake ID element in Dollhouse

6. The young buck asserting his power and a beguiling young woman who's probably untrustworthy (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles)

7. Intense co-star chemistry (Bones and, in a totally different way, Big Bang Theory)

All of those shows are ones I'd miss, but somehow, the synergy that is Supernatural is the only one I'd cry over. In my bed. With the covers over my head. For a week.

There's only been one other show my entire life that I've watched over and over and over, and carry on my iPod. Firefly had humor ("I'll be in my bunk") and depth (brother who would do anything to save his sister, captain who would do anything for his crew) and complex interpersonal relationships. If it had been allowed to continue for five seasons, I'm guessing it would trump SPN on my all-time list. As it happens, it wasn't. So I'm going to have to put them neck and neck with humor, adventure, drama, and characterization.

But there's only one show that has ripped my heart out, asked me to stuff it back in, and ripped it out again. Then stomped on it. And had me beg for more.

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Since this week is sure to do that again, let me end on a lighter note. Thanks to AuthorM for the vid!



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What elements do your other favorite shows share with Supernatural? Which show does it better? Weigh in with a comment, and remember that commenting enters you in the contest for a bag stuffed with goodies!

Wearing Your Fandom

I wear my Supernatural fandom on my sleeve. Okay, so it's more on the torso. When I find a show I like, I tend to obsess about it, and that obsession usually leads to the purchase of T-shirts related to the show. I have ones that celebrate Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Twilight, Battlestar Galactica and, of course, Supernatural! Let's just say that the T-shirt vendors at Dragon*Con like to see me and my credit card walking toward them.

Wearing these badges of fandom is a great way to find kindred spirits. They're great conversation starters, and they're memorable. Tanya and I had to laugh at Dragon*Con last fall when we went to a fan panel about Supernatural and met two ladies who were wearing simple black T-shirts -- one said "Bitch" and the other said "Jerk." Only Supernatural fans would get the reference, but when you are a fan it's hysterical.

To prove my devotion, I'm even willing to put up a photo of me -- gasp! -- sans makeup and with I-didn't-leave-the-house-today hair. Here's my Winchester Demon Tour shirt.















And here's the genius of the shirt on the back. It looks like a concert shirt, but instead of concert dates and cities, it has the bad dudes and towns where they're located listed.

















Here's the one that says "Winchester Bros: Hunting Evil Since 1983"











And finally, a silhouette of of the boys and the words "Wow! I'd say we've finally crossed over into weird."

If you can't get to a fan con, you need go no farther than your computer to add to your fanwear. One great option is...

CafePress -- My personal favorites here are:

"Dude. You Fugly."

"Hope your apple pie is freakin' worth it."

"I lost my shoe." -- Sam Winchester

"It's okay. I'm a teddy bear doctor."

"a proud walking encyclopedia of weirdness"

"Driver picks the music. Shotgun shuts his cakehole."

"Is it Thursday yet?"

"Vampires. It gets funnier every time I say it."

Scrolling through the offerings is sure to induce laughter, which is half the fun of shopping there.

So, do any of you have any fun Supernatural shirts of other attire?

Favorite Supernatural Vids

If you're reading this blog, you're probably at least somewhat familiar with YouTube. YouTube is everything you've ever wanted to see on video. Looking for high school football highlights for Tom Brady, superstar NFL quarterback, from nearly 15 years ago? They're there. Maybe you were born later than 1984 but wanna know why your parents keep yelling "Where's the beef?"

But YouTube is also a repository of creativity, and a great deal of it is dedicated to our favorite show. A simple search brings up 162,000 hits. Here are some of our favorites (some not safe for work):

This one is my fave, because it has excellent timing and matches the clips with the lyrics. You'll notice they've added an "advertisement" that allows you to purchase the music used (assuming that carries over from the main URL to the embedded video). That makes me squee with joy for the musicians being (well-meaningly) infringed upon by the fans.



There are probably a hundred Supernatural drinking games on YouTube. This one is magnificent for its action choices, its music, and its "interactivity" with the boys:



There's a sequel here.

Here's a short one you'll have to watch over and over, and then you'll curse me for days for the earworm:



I'm not the only Supernatural Sister who hangs out a YouTube! Mary also recommends the previous two (and heck, she might have pointed me to them in the first place!). But her favorite favorite is a South Park mix with magnificent alignment:



It's probably not a surprise that Trish said the ones Mary listed are some of her favorites, too. Plus, she is routinely cracked up by this (embedding is disabled on that one) and this:



Those two have been available on TV, of course, but thank goodness for YouTube when we want to go back and giggle.

I could fill another couple of webfeet with videos, but Tanya's got the truth of it:

"I try to stay away from them because once I'm at a place like youtube watching Winchester vids, I can lose an entire day of writing before I realize it! But when I am there, I tend to watch Dean's eye of the tiger performance and different interviews, including one of the boys at a convention talking about Texas accents :-)"

There you go! I've probably wasted a good half hour of your time there. Now it's your turn. What excellent videos have we missed? I need some replacements for the "Dude" and "Son of a Bitch" Dean videos that got taken down! Share your favorites in the comments!

Jump the Shark

Remember before season 3, when it Bela and Ruby were announced? If you're at all tapped into "the fandom," you saw the uproar it caused. People were afraid they'd be love interests, or riding around in the back of the Impala, or something.

Then there was the synopsis of "The Kids Are Alright," the episode where Dean wondered briefly if he had a son. Same uproar. People were afraid a kid would interfere with the hunting, or he'd be riding around in the back of the Impala, or something.

In the case of the son, the episode was excellent--the way it was handled fit perfectly into the structure of the show. Since Ruby and Bela were recurring characters, that was a little tougher. Many people hated them--the acting, the characterization, the way they...

...messed with the brothers.



I think that's the element that drives this outcry every single time. The fans fear any development that would interfere with the brotherly dynamic, and the central conceit of the show--two guys on a road trip to fight evil.

Which brings us to this season's uproar.

STOP READING HERE IF YOU DON'T WANT SPOILERS. I MEAN IT. YOU'VE BEEN WARNED. (ALSO, AVOID THE COMMENTS.)

It all started back on January 5, when Kristin of E! Online posted this teaser about Jeffrey Dean Morgan's character, John Winchester:

"Turns out, Jeffrey may be a daddy to a secret son on a certain show, and this certain show will be changed forever because of this upcoming plot twist."

In the comments trail of that post, once someone said flat out that it could mean a third Winchester brother, all hell broke loose. Furor may have continued in certain forums, but for the most part, people blew it off as "TV-reporter hype" where she planted seeds that don't connect to reality.

On January 14, in Mega Buzz by Matt Mitovich et al (of TV Guide.com), we got the following bit:

I heard a rumor that Supernatural is adding a new lead — and it's a long-lost Winchester brother?! Please say this is just a rumor! — Jessica M.

MATT: Consider the CW forewarned (literally, by yours truly) that Supernatural would be playing with hellfire if they went this route. Asked to address this near-sacrilegious buzz, series creator Eric Kripke will only say, "Stay tuned." Sources, meanwhile, tell me that whatever the truth is here, it's going to make for a very interesting story arc.

On February 9, Kristin confirmed the casting of Jake Abel as an 18-year-old, third Winchester brother for the episode airing on April 23. This was also reported on many other TV sites, apparently first by TV Guide, but this was the one I saw. There were details that made it harder to blow off, and also turned up the lamenting. It's a one-time casting, the brother won't be seen again. It's the result of an affair, and John knew about him.

I personally have never thought about, worried over, and feared a spoiler as much as I have this one.

If this is exactly as described, I think it will take a lot to make the fandom accept it. Some will probably not buy that John would have been unfaithful to Mary's memory a mere 7 years after her death, not when he was still totally obsessed 22 years later. Others, who are more pragmatic, will admit it's unrealistic that he didn't sleep with other women during those years.

Personally, I think I could handle the boys finding out they had a brother in a focused sense, but not a global one. The emotions of them meeting, etc., would be well done, I have no doubt, especially because it seems likely Adam would be in danger and Sam and Dean have to save him. But after that, what? If the stories are right, we don't have to worry about the whole "back seat of the Impala" thing. But Sam and Dean wouldn't leave him behind, unprotected and alone. Of course, he could have a good family situation, but still. I'm sure Lilith and Alistair would love to have something to use against the boys, and do they really need more conflict? The show is loaded already, and the specter of brother versus brother is more than enough, in my opinion, without making it a triangle.

This could be a "trick," like The Trickster or the djinn, with an alternate reality or something like that. When the first rumors surfaced, this was what most of us figured. We trust Kripke and Co., especially this season, because even though there have been a few standalone episodes we didn't care for, and some chemistry and acting issues in some we loved, the road they've been taking us down has been marvelous, even if we hate every step of the way.

But even the most beloved showrunners/creators can misstep. Is this one going to be Kripke's? All we can do is wait until April 23 and judge for ourselves. In the meantime, Kripke did do an interview here that doesn't really tell us anything but is pretty funny.

So what do you think is going to happen? What does this mean for the brothers and for the show going into season 5? Weigh in in the comments!

Adjunct Interests

I know, stupid title. But...

One night a couple of weeks ago, I kept waking up with memories of odd dreams. I dreamed of this blogging and of my fellow SPN Sisters, and of some woman who wanted to blog here but I had to figure out how because we weren't going to make her a permanent member.

At one point--I think it was at 4:48 a.m. when I carried the door-scratching cat down to the bathroom--I thought, "Adjunct interests. I've got to blog about that!"

And guess what? When I went to log it on the schedule, I found I'd somehow skipped a week, and had no topic for today! How fortuitous!

I just love when things fall into place like that.

Okay. Adjunct interests. Like I said, weird title, but I felt I had to be true to the dream inspiration.

When fans are passionate about something like a TV show, they create a demand for more. Smart powers-that-be seek to fulfill that demand through tie-in products and events. Supernatural is no different.

Some official products include:

Supernatural Magazine

Each month, either in your mailbox or on the newsstand, you can find this big, glossy magazine full of interviews, articles, analysis, and reminders of past episodes. Lots of insider information. Lots of typos, too, but we won't mention that.






Tie-in novels

When you can't get enough of Sam and Dean's adventures, you can turn to these novels that describe some of the "episodes" that never make it to screen.











Official Season Companions

These are kind of like extended versions of the magazine. They break down each episode in a full season, talking about the legends that inspired the story, and interviewing all of the players--big and small--who build the Supernatural world. The Season 3 companion goes on sale next week.







John's Journal

This book is modeled after John Winchester's "real" journal (real in the context of the show) and has exorcisms, notes about jobs and monsters and the boys' childhoods. Talk about diving into the meaty details...







We've already talked about some of the other stuff spawned by Supernatural:


With a bit of investment, you can travel around the country to see our favorite stars and guest stars speak on stage, and get personal autographs and photos with them. Some conventions are specific to the show, some are more genre-oriented, with several fandoms intermingling, and some are gigantic fests, like Comic-Con.


There are two sets of comic book prequels so far: "Origins" and "Rising Son." Ask your local comic book store to order them, or find them online.

And, as discussed in yesterday's review, you can find fan-centric essays combined in such volumes as In the Hunt: Unauthorized Essays on Supernatural.

Then, of course, there's actual merchandise. Some official, like mugs and calendars you can obtain via The WB, or posters, patches, and T-shirts offered by places like Creation Entertainment. Some unofficial, like you'll find at Zazzle and Café Press. There's some pretty clever stuff out there, and you can find everything from bumper stickers to thongs.

Sometimes, this demand for more leads fans to broader interests. My favorite, most personal example is Jason Manns. I don't spend a lot of time surfing for new stuff on the show and its people. But a while back, a friend linked me to a video that shows Jensen Ackles singing "Crazy Love" at a friend's wedding. The video was posted on the accompaniest's MySpace. Wondering how I knew the song, I went to iTunes to see who had also recorded it (turns out it's like, eleventy-hundred people) and saw that Jason Manns had an album. I listened, loved, and bought, and he quickly became my favorite singer/musician.

I'm not the only one. His popularity has grown since that video got passed around, and he's been asked to do concerts at Supernatural conventions (including the one I'm going to next week!). Steve Carlson is another singer/musician who has gained the same benefit of being friends with Jensen Ackles.

Trivia note: In the episode "Lazarus Rising," when Dean gets into the Impala and there's an iPod hooked up, the music playing is one of Jason's songs.

Another ripple in the pool of entertainment comes from the "six degrees" phenomenon. Casual watchers of any particular show might have a vague feeling that some guest star looks familiar, but passionate fans will recognize them right away:

"Hey, the son was Michael in 'Something Wicked,' season one! And his dad was in 'A Very Supernatural Christmas'!" (The Mentalist, 1.12)

"I'm so watching Leverage. The computer guru thief is played by Jake! You know, the guy who knifed Sam in the back!"

"I don't care if Kristin at E! Online can't recommend Harper's Island. Can you believe it's got Jim Beaver (Bobby) and Katie Cassidy (Ruby season 3) and Gina Holden (That Haley Girl, "Wendigo") and Chris Gauthier (Ronald Reznick, "we're not working for the Mandroid!") and Amber Borycki (Sophie Carlton, "Dead in the Water") and Julia Anderson (hooker at bar in "Sin City") and Ben Cotton (some Businessman in "The Magnificent Seven" I don't know) and Anna Mae Routledge ("we're walking, we're walking, and we're not touching that" in "Long-Distance Call") and Sean Rogerson (maybe fileted by a hooker from God in "Houses of the Holy," and can you believe I just looked all that up?"

Some upstart TV shows get a bigger percentage of their following than they know from people like us, who love a show so much we'll follow its stars and guest stars and even extras just to see what they're doing now.

It works for movies, too, as we've attested to before. How many of us would have seen Friday the 13th last week without the draw of Jared Padalecki, or even known about Ten Inch Hero (starring Jensen Ackles, now available for rent at Blockbuster and to preorder for purchase here)?

Because of my love of Supernatural, I wound up here!

So what "adjunct interests" have you developed due to your love of the show?

The Synergy of Fandom

Tanya's post yesterday fits nicely with mine, because cons are part of the synergy of fandom. That's what I call the phenomenon that takes a show you like and turns it into something joyous and fulfilling, not just a piece of entertainment that fills an hour once a week.

My first obsession passion was Brendan Fraser, shortly after the second Mummy movie came out. It only lasted long enough for me to rent everything he'd ever done. I didn't know anyone else who liked him, but a forum on a fan site gave me an outlet for a few months. Then Brendan kind of had a lull in his releases, and my obsession passion faded.

A few years later, The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring came out. I'd never read the books, but oh, man, did I become obsessed with the movie phenomenon. That went on a long time, as long as new information from behind the scenes was released, and past the Oscars. I started watching Lost only because Dominic Monaghan was on it. (He played Merry, in case you never made the connection.) This was my first foray into "fandom," the world surrounding a great piece of entertainment. There were places I could go to get news every day, and tons of articles and interviews and videos to feed my obsession. But it could only climb so high, because back then, even the worldwide connection that is the Internet wasn't all that personal.

I have other passions. I'm a Browncoat. I listen to Pottercast and bought Harry, a History. From September to January, you'll be hard put to have a conversation with me that doesn't contain a football analogy. All of these have a commonality with my Supernatural obsession passion, but none come close to the intensity with which I love this show. And I blame the fandom.

When I first started watching the show, I had one friend (waves at AuthorM) who'd already been watching it. Slowly, we enticed some mutual friends, and some non-mutual friends, into giving it a try. They in turn found some more. I talked about it on my blog, and discovered some existing acquaintances (waves at Mary and Trish) who also liked it. When the show wasn't available to me (stoopid hiatuses), I put out feelers to find places that expanded on the experience of just watching (Plastic!Winchester Theater, Encyclopedia of Weirdness (comic), and an LJer who did Ten Things I Love About Episode X lists that numbered in the dozens). Through those, I made some new friends (waves at Gail). Sharing the experience enhanced it, gave my love some fertilizer and room to grow.

Then it got bigger. After season two, some of us held "Supernatural Summer," where we watched the first two seasons, a few episodes every week. We drew a new fan into the fold (waves at Ava) and did it again last summer, packing three seasons into about 12 weeks. And during season four I started weekly chats immediately after new episodes, and joined a blog with a group of brilliant writers who are fans like me (waves at Terri and Tanya, Trish and Mary).

All of that seems pretty extreme for a TV show, but I'm obviously not alone. There are huge forums like TWoP and Buddy TV, destinations for massive groups of fans of various shows where they dissect and analyze and discuss to levels far beyond what you find here. Tanya mentioned the fan conventions--Creation Entertainment also does them for Twilight, Stargate, Farscape, and Xena, as well as genre events for scifi and horror. Seven years later, there are still events being held for Firefly/Serenity, the Joss Whedon TV show that was canceled after 14 episodes and spawned an awesome but low-box-office movie. Do you think anyone would have cared this much 20 years ago, back before we could communicate with each other so easily?

No matter how much a person loves something, whether it's knitting or a game or sport or a TV show, if their love is self-contained, never shared, there is a limit to how big that love can get.

But put it out there, share it, and it can grow to infinity. It can make you cry at the prospect of losing it, or spend hundreds of dollars to go to a convention to get closer to it. The love can last far longer than the creation that generated it.

If I was alone in my love of Supernatural, it would still be there. I'd watch the show eagerly every week, and I'd watch it over and over. Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki would still be on my List (you know what one I'm talking about!), and I'd still watch their horror movies and Jim Beaver's reportedly terrible new TV show (Harper's Island, starting in April!).

But it would be enough. If there weren't others for me to reach out and touch, I wouldn't spend hours analyzing the ramifications of a single line of dialogue. Thinking about the show from perspectives of my fellow bloggers or my friends or people over at Buddy TV whose opinions make me goggle inspires a host of new feelings as well as deeper thoughts.

The love, the excitement, grow logarithmically the more people I bring into my obsession passion.

That's synergy.

And I never want to be without it.

Pay No Attention to the Fandom Behind the Curtain

So yesterday, Natalie talked about Supernatural's passionate fandom. Isn't that the dream of every writer/creator/showrunner--to build a base of fans who care so much about the characters that they never miss an episode, dissect every plotpoint, perhaps even set up a blog to discuss it? *g* Now, please understand, I am part of that passionate fandom, very much a fangirl. Yet, as a writer, I cannot imagine the creative pressure such a fanbase might put on you. Is it tempting to second-guess yourself mid-stream if hundreds of people go on line to hate on a character? Do your own ideas get muddled in the bombardment of input?

I think that the Internet has revolutionized the way people watch TV and the interaction between viewers and writers. Ten-fifteen years ago, was there even any mainstream interaction? For most of the shows I watched in high school and college, I could barely name any of the writers. But then mentions cropped up more and more in chat forums, on-line reviews and website interviews; you didn't just hear about Buffy and Angel, people were throwing around the name "Joss" like we know him personally; people didn't just argue whether they thought Rory should be with Jess or Dean (of course Dean! *g*), they would actually say stuff like "what is ASP thinking?" ASP being Amy Sherman-Palladino). Now I realize that with television series, there's often a team of writers and maybe even some freelance scripts, but there's usually one name that you recognize as being in charge of the whole thing and where it's going--Shonda, Sorkin, Team Darlton, Kripke. In rare instances, the writers become stars themselves; a lot of BSG fans would be as excited about going to hear Ronald Moore and David Eick talk as they would Edward James Olmos (esp. if Moore and Eick were to spill where the frack the colonists go from here...)

At the best of times, it's a two-way street. Writers not only reach out through their shows, but directly, personally, to the audience--they blog, they go to events like ComicCon and DragonCon, they do interviews with sites like Television Without Pity. They show their appreciation for the passionate fans and sometimes give us gifts like inside jokes in an episode or shout outs, making the show feel almost like a collaborative process.

Except, it's not. Is it? More importantly, should it be?

Fans start to feel proprietary about "their" show. To the extent where they have very strong feelings about where plotlines should or should not be going. And oh boy do they make their feelings known! (Natalie, you're excused from this rant since yesterday's blog proved you to be more forgiving than hypercritical *g)

Before I sold my first book, I worked with a critique group--I was writing mostly comedies at the time and met each week with four wonderful women. Who happened to have different senses of humor. Two might smile at a joke, one would laugh uproariously, the other would strike the entire paragraph with a red pen because she found it politically incorrect. I learned quickly that if I left in only the stuff that the majority of people smiled at, eliminating anything "risky" that could offend, I watered down my stories. I shudder to think what we'd be left with if showrunners tried to accomodate all the "advice" hurled at them from fans. (Who can write a story with a critique group of hundreds second-guessing them? Besides, not even all the fans agree on what they want to happen or which episode they like/dislikes.) Exacerbating the issue is that TV series unfold one episode at a time, unlike a book you can sit down and read straight through. TV Guide critic Matt Roush has noted before audiences' tendency to pounce on a show they claim to love after one episode they hated; he'll get all kinds of mail demanding to know if he thought the show "jumped the shark." I for one prefer to see how a storyline plays out. Sometimes people react negatively before something even airs!

I never really understood why, whenever a rumor surfaced of a possible love interest for Sam or Dean, a large number of SPN fans came unglued. Okay, wait, I take that back. It's because the dynamic between the brothers is so crucial and we don't want that to take a backseat to something else. Still, we don't want that dynamic to stagnate either, do we? So far, the boys have only been allowed hasty one nighters--a little Impala action just before the girl goes all nuclear angel, falling for a girl in one episode and having to kill her werewolf butt in the same forty seven minute time span. It might be fun to watch Dean try to have an actual relationship. (Can't you just hear the sensitive advice Sammy would try to give? And Dean's subsequent mocking of said advice?) Not that I'm saying they both need girlfriends, but I trust the writers. If writers I like think they can bring a story, I'm willing to wait and see where it's going. (And, if where a show is going is that four episodes later a neurotic surgical resident is still trying to sleep with the ghost of her deceased boyfriend/patient, I change the channel--no matter how much I love Jeffrey Dean Morgan!)

There has always been entertainment reporting, of course, but I think another area where the Internet has changed the television viewing dynamic is in the amount of spoilers we recieve. Some of my fellow fans come unglued after a hint of something that might happen, decrying it as terrible months in advance. (Which in my humble opinion is a lot like my seven year old insisting he doesn't like a food before he's even tried it.) Obviously, this wouldn't be the fans Natalie discussed yesterday, but different, less rational ones. If WE do nothing but bash our show, how can we expect to win over new fans?

Which isn't to say that I don't enjoy good discussion and heated debate and that sometimes I think the angry fandom is right--why, yes, perhaps a certain episode of Heroes was a muddled mess, perhaps the addition of a certain pair on Lost was not only flat but unnecessary. But so far, Kripke & Co. have not committed, IMO, any unforgivable errors, so I'm willing to gripe to friends about an episode I didn't like but hope that, when it's time to sit down and plot the next story arc, those writers ignore me completely and just go about doing what they do best!

The Expectations of Truly Passionate Fans

Note: I made an effort to keep big spoilers out of this post in deference to overseas fans who are behind a season. I do have some mild references, however.

Another note: When I say "we," I know I'm not speaking for every fan, and even for the ones "like me," nothing is universal. But I think there's enough commonality to justify use of the plural.

I've never been a fan of a television show like I'm a fan of Supernatural. Two came close: Firefly and Lost. The former was too short-lived to sustain forever, and the latter subsided after the novelty wore off.

But somehow, my passion for SPN has endured, and even grown. I've spent the last two summers gathering with friends every week to watch the entire series over again, beginning to end. I save each season on the DVR until the DVDs come out so I can watch them anytime I want.

I love this show beyond any other show I've ever watched. And that creates unique expectations. Expectations that non-fans just can't understand, and that manifest in two ways.

(photos Sergei Bachlakov/The CW ©2008)

1. Every episode should be better than the one before.

We all love the show because of Sam and Dean and their chemistry. On top of that, it's been fairly well written, with interesting mythology, excellent guest stars, and a superb blend of drama, humor, suspense, and action. Each season has improved, but as season 4 started, we didn't expect it to get even better. We were wrong, and episodes like "In the Beginning" and "Monster Movie" have us anticipating the deepest emotions and cacklingest humor every week.

When a show gets analyzed ad nauseum, it's got to be difficult to come up with twists that surprise us. The truth about Mary did that, big time. Dean's description of what happened in hell wasn't surprising, but the purity of emotion ensured that the impact of watching him reveal it was still strong.

So now, every Thursday, we're giddy with eagerness. We can't wait to see what they'll come up with that beats existential teddy bears. How much we'll laugh at Dean and want to cuddle Sam (or vice versa!). Kripke and Co. know how to bring it. They've set us up, so they had damned well better make sure they deliver, every time.

Of course, such overwhelmingly high expectations have a flip side. Or do they?

2. If an episode doesn't live up to the ones before it, it's okay.

You'd think high expectations would mean easy disappointment. After all, no one and nothing can deliver every time. SPN isn't unique in that regard. There's occasional clumsy blocking or weak/stiff/hollow acting or even (gasp!) illogical or convenient writing. Nothing's perfect.

But somehow, SPN never disappoints, even when it does. I mean, for how many other shows will we say, "I didn't like that one" and then watch it again? And maybe even again?

I have shows that aren't my favorites ("Metamorphosis" from this season, for example). But SPN has so much going for it that a slip in one area is shored up by something great in another. There are always brotherly moments, funny lines, scary scenes, cool special effects, fun guest stars, intriguing camera work, and meaningful music. Even when an episode is weak by comparison, it gives us stuff to talk about.

Which brings me to Entertainment Weekly and the review for last week's show.

SPN doesn't get enough media/promotion love, so I was delighted to see a full review in the "What to Watch" column. The reviewer is either a casual watcher or a non-watcher who meant well, but really shouldn't speak for us fans. She said:

"Sometimes a show just feels like a rerun...Superfans deserve more from the series than rewarmed horror-trope leftovers."

Let us decide what we deserve. "Family Remains" wasn't season-changing. It didn't advance the mythology, or deal with angels or demons or brother-versus-brother. It was a classic episode that brought us to back to the show's roots, to what made us fall in love with it in the first place. We need episodes like this, that make us sleep with the lights on and go up the stairs with our backs to the wall. And maybe we need an episode, once in a while, that isn't as intense with the awesomeness. Maybe it makes us appreciate the best ones more.

Every Thursday night after the show airs on the East Coast, I chat online with a bunch of friends about the episode. This week, most of them used the word "disappointed" and referenced the things they didn't like. But when I said, "so you all agree with that Entertainment Weekly reviewer," they all shouted "NO!"

Megan Hart put it most eloquently when she said, "Even when they dip below the surface, they're still heads and shoulders above everyone else."

That's everything a passionate fan can ask for.