Supernatural 4.18, briefly
So I get the general feeling of unease some people are experiencing at last night's episode's discussion of fandom and the associated coming out on national TV* but I didn't actually perceive it as a bad thing. On the contrary, I think the boys' reaction was in character (wouldn't you react that way if you found out somebody was fantasizing about you having sex with your sibling?) and written a lot more gently than it could have been. It didn't even occur to me that the scene might be interpreted as a bad thing until I read the flist this morning.
Actually, as I was watching the ep rather gleefully, my main thought process was more like: Oh my God, they couldn't have gotten away with this (would never even have thought about getting away with this) twenty, ten, even five years ago. And no network would have aired it, not even one with a cult following. Not even one with a TV show with a cult following. And what does it say about the state of our society that a TV show is even willing to write that scene into a comic episode! Look how far we've come! Both in terms of the greater sexual politics touched upon, and in terms of fandom. Seriously, have you ever before seen reference to gay, incestuous sex brought up on TV outside a very serious news report about abuse? Have you ever before seen gay, incestuous sex handled so lightheartedly? Have you ever before seen anything that even remotely suggested that gay, incestuous sex might be consensual and taking place between consenting adults, albeit in the imagination of a writer?
So basically, my reaction is more that TPTB made a shoutout to fandom, a very affectionate shoutout, all things considered, and they probably broke down a few barriers in the process.
(I'm now holding out for my imaginary SGA movie where John and Rodney meet their counterparts from an alternate reality and find out that they are in big, gay love in that reality, which makes them realize that they really are in big, gay love in their own reality, which they'll have to consummate immediately, obviously, onscreen, for the rest of the movie, oh yes.)
Anyway, just my two cents.
Let's just say when my Dad as Casperian Books' biggest supporter decided he wanted to order and read he Administation series, I had a small momentmonth of freakout at essentially outing myself as a slasher to my 60-year-old father