And you call yourselves fans?
Jul. 28th, 2008 02:44 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
raloriaThe following fannish rant is not aimed at anyone on my Flist. It's in response to comments left at an online article about the Comic Con. This all came pouring out of me because I just had express my opinion, dismay, and yes, anger, in some way. It may not be popular opinion, but it's how I feel. My LJ, my opinion and views.
I posted this Zap2it.com article about the SPN Comic Con panel earlier. Warning: It has S4 spoilers if you haven't read it yet. Well, now there's a bunch of comments over there and sadly not all of them are positive.
How on earth do we end up with these people that talk crap about the show, call the writers & Kripke derogatory names, and then say that they're doing it because they "love the show"?????? WTH????
Just when I think this fandom can't get any crazier. *rolls eyes* A lot of them claim that S1 was the best and its all been downhill since then. They think the CW tightening the purse strings on the show's budget has not only dictated the casting of the female characters, the creation of the roadhouse, the lack of "expensive, shadowy lighting", but the lack of classic rock music on the show. Sure, the smaller budget has had some effect on all of those points, except the lighting (puleeeeze....the lights are already there, they use them, and the show still has excellent moody, dark lighting).
But um.....I'd like to introduce you to someone. His name's Eric Kripke. He happened to come up with this cool little idea we all know as Supernatural. Despite what you "so-called fans" may think, he's got a fair amount of power. He's the show's creator, producer, writer, and one time director. You all talk about him like he's some little puppet that the CW controls with a flick of their collective wrists. Sure, the CW controls the money and because of that certain concessions must be made, such as with the music. Kripke's mentioned this a few times. However, the CW only wanted to add one female character in S3. Kripke & the writers had already created one all on their own. For my own two cents, I liked both Ruby and Bela. I think their lack of some major character development can be attributed to the disruption of the season by the writer's strike. Ruby got the better end of the deal, as she was in more episodes because of the show's mythology. Sadly, Bela's character was almost forgotten and then swiftly eliminated. We'll never know what could have been.
So many of these "fans" complain about the writing. I'd like to know if they could do better? How about writing TV episodes on a tight schedule, a tight budget, all while keeping track of the show's rich mythology? How about writing episodes for 8 or 9 months straight? Think you can do it? I've been working on a screenplay for over 3 years now and I'm still struggling. I can't imagine writing scripts on the schedule they have to keep. Granted, there's a team of writers, but they all help to contribute and brainstorm ideas together. I happen to think Supernatural has some of the best writing on TV today. It's no small task coming up with interesting stories and sparkling dialog week after week.
Has SPN had weak episodes? Sure. I love all the episodes, but even I can find faults with certain ones. It doesn't mean the whole episode didn't work. If you look at S1's "Bugs" you'll see the weak plot, the fake bugs, the poor continuity. But it also gave us some nice scenes between the brothers, developing more of their backstories as we learned Sam's perspective about their childhood. In comparison, I'd like to point out an "X-Files" episode..."Space". In my book, that episode could go down in history as one of the worst hours on TV. It was boring, the NASA scenes looked nothing like NASA, the plot sucked, and Mulder acted like an idiotic schoolboy. It was just bad in so many ways. There are countless other episodes from other series that I could also point out as awful. Almost every series has some duds. Overall, SPN produces winning episodes every time. I can't pick out one as a real stinker.
As far as one season being better than another, I think Seasons Two & Three were the best, not S1 as so many of these "fans" claim. Season One was nice, but the show was still really finding it's way. Sure, it worked, but they weren't spreading their wings yet. "Devil's Trap" started to point them in the right direction. The depth was suddenly there and it showed. They then built on that throughout S2 & 3. I don't agree that every season should be like S1. Why stay there? It was fun, it had some great episodes, but it was like SPN Light compared to season's Two and Three. There just wasn't much character development for Sam and Dean in S1. It was all about finding Dad, as Kripke has stated. Season One also didn't really push the envelope as far as violence and gore goes. I often found myself wanting more, for them to take that extra step that the "X-Files" found so easily. In S2 & S3 they did go there and the show was much better for it.
In order for a show to grow it has to progress, not stay stagnate. The "so-called fans" say that they miss the brotherly relationship, the classic rock, and the boys hunting demons and such. I don't know what show they're watching, but all of that is still there. Everything is being built upon, not taken away. Adding characters to the show helps populate the environment around the brothers. They don't live in a vacuum and we can't just have Bobby be their sole ally. It also enriches the show and ultimately builds more character into the boys because they're no longer just dealing with each other. And one thing SPN does better than any show I've ever seen is deal well with elements that end up not working. They get rid of them. So many times I've seen shows languish on and lose their fans because they either couldn't see what they were doing wrong or simply refused to admit their ideas weren't working. Once Kripke & Co. recognize that an idea hasn't caught on, they dump it. They take that knowledge and use it when trying the next idea. And, yes, we fans do have a voice and we should be thankful that Kripke listens to us. But he also respects and acknowledges us for being the passionate fans that we are. In the end, though, the decisions are his and bravo to him for seeing the opinions of fans while keeping his own vision intact.
I think what irks me the most is that when other fans confront the "so-called fans" about their issues with the show, they claim they love the show and that's why they're so loud with their complaints. How can you love a show you find so many faults with? Why keep watching a show you clearly aren't enjoying? If I'm watching a TV program that I don't like I don't sit there and complain about it while I keep watching it. I change channels or turn it off. If you don't like the way the show is supposedly going, quit watching it. Not a hard concept to grasp. Do you sit through movies you can't stand? Why watch TV that you disagree with? You either like what you're watching or you don't. It's an easy decision. I'm all for respecting people's opinions, but as the old adage goes "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all". The rest of us love this show. We're enjoying it. If you can't, get out of Dodge and let the rest of us have our fun. We'll be hanging out with Sam & Dean in the Impala and leaving you in the dust.
I posted this Zap2it.com article about the SPN Comic Con panel earlier. Warning: It has S4 spoilers if you haven't read it yet. Well, now there's a bunch of comments over there and sadly not all of them are positive.
How on earth do we end up with these people that talk crap about the show, call the writers & Kripke derogatory names, and then say that they're doing it because they "love the show"?????? WTH????
Just when I think this fandom can't get any crazier. *rolls eyes* A lot of them claim that S1 was the best and its all been downhill since then. They think the CW tightening the purse strings on the show's budget has not only dictated the casting of the female characters, the creation of the roadhouse, the lack of "expensive, shadowy lighting", but the lack of classic rock music on the show. Sure, the smaller budget has had some effect on all of those points, except the lighting (puleeeeze....the lights are already there, they use them, and the show still has excellent moody, dark lighting).
But um.....I'd like to introduce you to someone. His name's Eric Kripke. He happened to come up with this cool little idea we all know as Supernatural. Despite what you "so-called fans" may think, he's got a fair amount of power. He's the show's creator, producer, writer, and one time director. You all talk about him like he's some little puppet that the CW controls with a flick of their collective wrists. Sure, the CW controls the money and because of that certain concessions must be made, such as with the music. Kripke's mentioned this a few times. However, the CW only wanted to add one female character in S3. Kripke & the writers had already created one all on their own. For my own two cents, I liked both Ruby and Bela. I think their lack of some major character development can be attributed to the disruption of the season by the writer's strike. Ruby got the better end of the deal, as she was in more episodes because of the show's mythology. Sadly, Bela's character was almost forgotten and then swiftly eliminated. We'll never know what could have been.
So many of these "fans" complain about the writing. I'd like to know if they could do better? How about writing TV episodes on a tight schedule, a tight budget, all while keeping track of the show's rich mythology? How about writing episodes for 8 or 9 months straight? Think you can do it? I've been working on a screenplay for over 3 years now and I'm still struggling. I can't imagine writing scripts on the schedule they have to keep. Granted, there's a team of writers, but they all help to contribute and brainstorm ideas together. I happen to think Supernatural has some of the best writing on TV today. It's no small task coming up with interesting stories and sparkling dialog week after week.
Has SPN had weak episodes? Sure. I love all the episodes, but even I can find faults with certain ones. It doesn't mean the whole episode didn't work. If you look at S1's "Bugs" you'll see the weak plot, the fake bugs, the poor continuity. But it also gave us some nice scenes between the brothers, developing more of their backstories as we learned Sam's perspective about their childhood. In comparison, I'd like to point out an "X-Files" episode..."Space". In my book, that episode could go down in history as one of the worst hours on TV. It was boring, the NASA scenes looked nothing like NASA, the plot sucked, and Mulder acted like an idiotic schoolboy. It was just bad in so many ways. There are countless other episodes from other series that I could also point out as awful. Almost every series has some duds. Overall, SPN produces winning episodes every time. I can't pick out one as a real stinker.
As far as one season being better than another, I think Seasons Two & Three were the best, not S1 as so many of these "fans" claim. Season One was nice, but the show was still really finding it's way. Sure, it worked, but they weren't spreading their wings yet. "Devil's Trap" started to point them in the right direction. The depth was suddenly there and it showed. They then built on that throughout S2 & 3. I don't agree that every season should be like S1. Why stay there? It was fun, it had some great episodes, but it was like SPN Light compared to season's Two and Three. There just wasn't much character development for Sam and Dean in S1. It was all about finding Dad, as Kripke has stated. Season One also didn't really push the envelope as far as violence and gore goes. I often found myself wanting more, for them to take that extra step that the "X-Files" found so easily. In S2 & S3 they did go there and the show was much better for it.
In order for a show to grow it has to progress, not stay stagnate. The "so-called fans" say that they miss the brotherly relationship, the classic rock, and the boys hunting demons and such. I don't know what show they're watching, but all of that is still there. Everything is being built upon, not taken away. Adding characters to the show helps populate the environment around the brothers. They don't live in a vacuum and we can't just have Bobby be their sole ally. It also enriches the show and ultimately builds more character into the boys because they're no longer just dealing with each other. And one thing SPN does better than any show I've ever seen is deal well with elements that end up not working. They get rid of them. So many times I've seen shows languish on and lose their fans because they either couldn't see what they were doing wrong or simply refused to admit their ideas weren't working. Once Kripke & Co. recognize that an idea hasn't caught on, they dump it. They take that knowledge and use it when trying the next idea. And, yes, we fans do have a voice and we should be thankful that Kripke listens to us. But he also respects and acknowledges us for being the passionate fans that we are. In the end, though, the decisions are his and bravo to him for seeing the opinions of fans while keeping his own vision intact.
I think what irks me the most is that when other fans confront the "so-called fans" about their issues with the show, they claim they love the show and that's why they're so loud with their complaints. How can you love a show you find so many faults with? Why keep watching a show you clearly aren't enjoying? If I'm watching a TV program that I don't like I don't sit there and complain about it while I keep watching it. I change channels or turn it off. If you don't like the way the show is supposedly going, quit watching it. Not a hard concept to grasp. Do you sit through movies you can't stand? Why watch TV that you disagree with? You either like what you're watching or you don't. It's an easy decision. I'm all for respecting people's opinions, but as the old adage goes "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all". The rest of us love this show. We're enjoying it. If you can't, get out of Dodge and let the rest of us have our fun. We'll be hanging out with Sam & Dean in the Impala and leaving you in the dust.
