Fandoms.
We all have one that we belong to. Or two. Or maybe a dozen. Some
people are simply the devoted fans that support their show in healthy
ways. They watch the show weekly, write fanfiction, attend
Conventions, support charities that the actors raise awareness for,
etc. Others…well, if you run into someone covered from head to toe
in the fandom’s paraphernalia that decides to physically assault
you because you don’t “ship” their character choices while
they’re secretly carrying a lock of the actor’s hair in their
pocket the entire time…run. Run and never look back.
You
find the good and the bad in every fandom. It all depends on which
side of the coin you land and which side you choose to stay on
yourself after you flip it. Today I’m here to discuss one fandom
in particular and the show it focuses on. I have seen the scary side
of this fandom. I have seen its rabid side. I am proud to say,
however, that I have been a part of its positive and devoted side.
The side that chooses to make a difference and grow friendships, even
family. It’s why I feel this fandom calls itself the SNFamily.
Let us sit down and talk about Supernatural, shall we?
Let us sit down and talk about Supernatural, shall we?
Just
everyday people that can bleed and die when hurt, with no regular
source of income, who put themselves out there for the purpose of
keeping the rest of us safe and ignorant of what is really out there.
Revolutionary concept, and it resonated with viewers.
For
those unfamiliar, the Pilot episode of Supernatural sums up where
this story would go. In the first five minutes you see the story of
the two brothers (heroes) of the show, Dean and Sam Winchester, as
little children. Dean age four, and Sam, barely six months old.
Their mother is killed by a monstrous demon, leading their father to
raise them on his own. He raises them to hunt down not only what
killed their mother, but any and all paranormal creatures like it.
You see them grow up and take on this mantel, and you realize there
is an entire network of people like them out in the world who do this
work as well. They trained John (the father) how to do it, John
taught his sons how to do it, and so their origin story begins. They
start the show looking for their now missing father, who left on his
own to hunt down his wife’s killer. And so the story of the show
begins for two brothers raised in a very unconventional way. A
healthy dose of the paranormal, with a healthy dose of dysfunctional
family drama. An amazing blend.
The
show’s creator, Eric Kripke, pointed out that the core of the show
was about family. The relationship with the brothers, their
relationship with others and their father…that is the point. That
is one major thing that draws viewers in. Another thing that has
drawn me in from early season was attention to detail in lore. I
come from a family that spent time dealing with the paranormal as did
my husband and myself. While I have retired from this “line of
work,” it was refreshing to see that, at least in the early
seasons, you could look in your own research books and find that the
lore they referenced in the show was pulled directly from original
source material. They did their homework; they did not guess. And
the broad spectrum of creatures that they have ranged in on the show
amazes me. The standards that everyone who follows horror movies are
of course there; vampires, werewolves, etc. Yet they dig deep into
referencing or hunting creatures that one never would have thought
of. At one point I jokingly said to my husband, “I guarantee they
will never do an episode with a Pui-Pui or a Kitsune.” Six months
later, here came a Kitsune. I officially ate Crow and loved every
bite. Bless you, Kripke and Company.
I
can tell you, however, that real life paranormal investigations are
not guns blazing and bodies flying through the air; you sit, you
wait, you catalogue and record, and if there is a problem then
yes…you deal with it then. The ideal blend of real life hunting is
a mix between the lore research of Supernatural, the cleaning process
of Paranormal State, and the sit down and wait portion of Ghost
Hunters.
And yes, as Dean himself says, the pay does suck.
And yes, as Dean himself says, the pay does suck.
My
point is that while you have to include the “Hollywood hype” of
the action packed stories to sell the show, everything about this
wonderful, hour long weekly addition to the world of fandoms is well
rounded. It’s no wonder that this show has attracted such a
diverse group of people. Men and women, young and old. I sat in and
listened to a panel at DragonCon in 2014 with panelists that ranged
from regular fans, a professional writer, and a Priest of all people.
That’s diversity. It’s why the show is ten seasons strong, and
approaching eleven in the fall of 2015. They have outlasted shows
that have gone on the Time Magazine Top 100 TV Shows of All Time
list. They have won nearly every single online poll and award they
have ever been nominated for, and consistently sweep the People’s
Choice Awards. A parody of their show created by Hillywood Show and
backed by The Nerdists reached over one million views in just
forty-eight hours. The show has spawned countless books and even a
Japanese Anime series based on its episodes. Jensen Ackles and Jared
Padalecki (the stars of the show) recently headed several campaigns
online to raise money for charities that they support; they raised
hundreds of thousands of dollars for these charities. If that
doesn’t show the power of these actors and of this show I have no
idea what possibly could. They motivated their fandom to do all of
that. That’s huge.
Yes,
there are some freaky ones out there. Just try and argue with a
devoted Destiel supporter and see what I mean. They get downright
scary! But please do not argue with anyone that tells you that
Supernatural is a show that makes waves or has a fandom that truly
cares about each other or about its actors. They do. I’ve been in
a lot of fandoms, but I can truly say that I have rarely seen the
kind of devotion that these people show to the actors, to the fandom,
and to our show in general. It isn’t just for the plot lines and
it isn’t just for the “family business.” I have met people in
this fandom that have become my family and always will be. We have
survived births, marriages, divorces, illnesses, and even the deaths
of some of our own together. That’s family. And as Bobby Singer
himself said, “Family don’t end with blood.”
Oh…and
another thing. Don’t go back and watch the previous work of an
actor that played on Supernatural just after their character died.
Like, for example, watching an episode of “The Guild” just after
the end of Season Ten (Spoiler alert from hereon people!) and
listening to Felicia Day’s character Codex say, “I think I’m
going to go sleep in the bathtub now.” You suddenly have the urge
to scream, “Why Felicia? Why?!” Then you want to roll up in a
ball in the corner muttering, “For Dean” over and over again.
Just sayin’.
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