Fandom Is Love - Part II - Supernatural
Entry #2 for selenic76's February Fandom Fest, and the next part of my journey through my years in fandom. Hop in and enjoy the ride!
After the M7 fandom swallowed me, it should take again a few years before I would get into a new fandom. Sure, I watched a bunch of shows, stopped watching another bunch, but none of them really could get to me like the seven gunmen did. Well, until the year of 2009.
I remember as if it was just yesterday: It was Wednesday, and while reading through the TV listings of that day, one single word caught my attention:
I was quite intrigued after we see the first (of many) "Monsters of the Week", the Woman in White, in action. But the second we see Sam and Dean Winchester in the persons of Jared and Jensen on screen for the very first time, I took the bait - hook, line and sinker. And pretty much from that very first scene on, Dean was and is my favorite character. Don't get me wrong, I love Sam, Bobby, Cas and all the other wonderful characters we encountered over the years just as much, but there's something about Dean that draws me in like a strong magnet. From the beginning, Dean is a "bad boy" by the book, doing all the things we got warned about by our parents. But the more you get to know about him, the more you see the "real" man behind that facade - a young man who cares deeply about the people he loves, and who tries to keep them together and alive, even if he has to sacrifice his own life in the process.
Adding to that is definitely Jensen's acting. He portrays Dean in so many shades and ways I can't even begin to count, and thanks to him, we see so many sides of the man with the weight of the world on his shoulders that probably would stay hidden in the dark. One of my favorite scenes ever is Dean's monologue to a dead Sam in the final episode of Season 2, and the main reason that "The End" from Season 5 is my #1 favorite episode to date is the one-man-show that Jensen delivers in that episode - even though he has to play two Deans. Last but not least, it surely doesn't hurt that he's very nice to look at.
Another part of the show that had me from hello was and is the music. Before Supernatural, my knowledge about Classic American Rock, as the music from the late 1970's to the early 1990's is often labeled as, was pretty limited. Sure, I knew some of them, like the Stones, or AC/DC or Bon Jovi (who, according to Dean, only rocks on occasion - well, I beg to differ), but thanks to the show, I got introduced to bands like "Kansas", "Led Zeppelin", "Foreigner" and many, many more. Even though we only get glimpses of the songs in the episodes, it's most of the time enough for me to "hunt" for the full song.
A real "highlight" in music is, at least for me, when Jensen starts to sing. The first time happens in Season 2, when Dean brings back the good old days of REO Speedwagon. And it's a nod to Jensen's acting abilities that, while he himself has a killer singing voice, Dean struggles a bit with it. But nonetheless, it's a guarantee for fun, as the following, already legendary video of Jensen lip-synching Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger" proves so nicely:
One of my main common grounds for all three entries is "bromance". And while there aren't as many different pairings here as there are with M7, the show has one of the most differentiated in TV.
1.) Sam/Dean: Hands down, the center of the show. As it is pointed out, both by behind-the-scenes interviews of cast and crew as well as by various characters in the show, Supernatural's main premise is about family. By times a very dysfunctional one, but a family nonetheless. And especially Dean shows it at numerous occasions that he would die for his family, blood-related or not.
The bond between the two brothers goes beyond anything we would consider "normal", but with the life these two are leading, "normal" becomes quite a different meaning. Both of them has died several times, both of them has come back from the dead, but one thing remains the same - they are brothers, and they fight together, come what may.
2.) Dean/Castiel ("Destiel"): From Season 4 on, we get another strong bromance - Dean and Castiel. Even though with a rocky start, the hunter and the angel form a bond that rivals that between the Winchester brothers by times. Or as Cas points it out to Sam in Season 6: "Dean and I share a more profound bond." They both get the other thinking about things, questioning behaviors of others - up to the point where Cas rebels against heaven for Dean. And the way Dean pleads to Cas to give up the wrong way in the last stretch of Season 6 is another hard evidence for the strength of this bromance.
3.) Dean/Sam/Bobby: When we first meet Bobby in the finale of Season 1, the bond between the three is a very familiar one - like they are teaming up with their favorite uncle. But over the years, this "bromance" shifts over to a father/sons one. And like in any other family, they get on each other's nerves, they pick at each other, they give advices when the other doesn't want to hear them - but in the end, when it matters the most, they stand united. And like the boys, I was shocked to the core after the mid-season finale of Season 7.
Last but not least, some random favorite things about the show:
A) costumes: Over the almost ten seasons, we saw Sam and Dean in a multitude of aliases, ranging from maintenance workers and nurses to various LEO's, priests and up to FBI agents (who, in most cases, have the names of famous rock musicians). Which means that the boys have to dress up - suits, coveralls, robes - we've seen pretty anything on them, and watching them juggling both acting professional and getting accustomed to their "costume" is just downright funny.
B) Outtakes and Gag Reels: One of the main reasons for me to buy the DVDs to the show are the outtakes and gag reels. Getting a chance to see behind the scenes, to see their hilarious antics (which get better and better (or worse) by every season) is a gift we get blessed with and which brought a broad smile to my face on many counts. Just type in "Supernatural Gag Reel" in your search engine, lean back and watch the show. I promise you a lot of fun, but I warn you not to drink or eat anything while watching. It might get dangerous.
As I type up this entry, Supernatural is the second half of its tenth season, and Season 11 is already ordered. I only can hope that we get some more seasons, and that Dean is wrong with this prognosis:
Once again, I deliberately refrain from reccing any stories, but I do advise anyone who reads this here to follow one of the links I provide afterwards and explore this wonderful fandom on your own.
AO3 (more than 95,000 stories)
Fanfiction.net (about 100,000 stories, including crossovers)
Drawing this entry to an end, I hope you liked it. And if you have any questions about the show or think of a site out there that I should check out, please tell me in your comments.
To all fandoms, because Fandom = Love
Sources:
youtube
deviantart
home of the nutty
Google Image Search (with no intented copyright infringement to the rightful users)
After the M7 fandom swallowed me, it should take again a few years before I would get into a new fandom. Sure, I watched a bunch of shows, stopped watching another bunch, but none of them really could get to me like the seven gunmen did. Well, until the year of 2009.
I remember as if it was just yesterday: It was Wednesday, and while reading through the TV listings of that day, one single word caught my attention:
I was quite intrigued after we see the first (of many) "Monsters of the Week", the Woman in White, in action. But the second we see Sam and Dean Winchester in the persons of Jared and Jensen on screen for the very first time, I took the bait - hook, line and sinker. And pretty much from that very first scene on, Dean was and is my favorite character. Don't get me wrong, I love Sam, Bobby, Cas and all the other wonderful characters we encountered over the years just as much, but there's something about Dean that draws me in like a strong magnet. From the beginning, Dean is a "bad boy" by the book, doing all the things we got warned about by our parents. But the more you get to know about him, the more you see the "real" man behind that facade - a young man who cares deeply about the people he loves, and who tries to keep them together and alive, even if he has to sacrifice his own life in the process.
Adding to that is definitely Jensen's acting. He portrays Dean in so many shades and ways I can't even begin to count, and thanks to him, we see so many sides of the man with the weight of the world on his shoulders that probably would stay hidden in the dark. One of my favorite scenes ever is Dean's monologue to a dead Sam in the final episode of Season 2, and the main reason that "The End" from Season 5 is my #1 favorite episode to date is the one-man-show that Jensen delivers in that episode - even though he has to play two Deans. Last but not least, it surely doesn't hurt that he's very nice to look at.
Another part of the show that had me from hello was and is the music. Before Supernatural, my knowledge about Classic American Rock, as the music from the late 1970's to the early 1990's is often labeled as, was pretty limited. Sure, I knew some of them, like the Stones, or AC/DC or Bon Jovi (who, according to Dean, only rocks on occasion - well, I beg to differ), but thanks to the show, I got introduced to bands like "Kansas", "Led Zeppelin", "Foreigner" and many, many more. Even though we only get glimpses of the songs in the episodes, it's most of the time enough for me to "hunt" for the full song.
A real "highlight" in music is, at least for me, when Jensen starts to sing. The first time happens in Season 2, when Dean brings back the good old days of REO Speedwagon. And it's a nod to Jensen's acting abilities that, while he himself has a killer singing voice, Dean struggles a bit with it. But nonetheless, it's a guarantee for fun, as the following, already legendary video of Jensen lip-synching Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger" proves so nicely:
Click to viewOne of my main common grounds for all three entries is "bromance". And while there aren't as many different pairings here as there are with M7, the show has one of the most differentiated in TV.
1.) Sam/Dean: Hands down, the center of the show. As it is pointed out, both by behind-the-scenes interviews of cast and crew as well as by various characters in the show, Supernatural's main premise is about family. By times a very dysfunctional one, but a family nonetheless. And especially Dean shows it at numerous occasions that he would die for his family, blood-related or not.
The bond between the two brothers goes beyond anything we would consider "normal", but with the life these two are leading, "normal" becomes quite a different meaning. Both of them has died several times, both of them has come back from the dead, but one thing remains the same - they are brothers, and they fight together, come what may.
2.) Dean/Castiel ("Destiel"): From Season 4 on, we get another strong bromance - Dean and Castiel. Even though with a rocky start, the hunter and the angel form a bond that rivals that between the Winchester brothers by times. Or as Cas points it out to Sam in Season 6: "Dean and I share a more profound bond." They both get the other thinking about things, questioning behaviors of others - up to the point where Cas rebels against heaven for Dean. And the way Dean pleads to Cas to give up the wrong way in the last stretch of Season 6 is another hard evidence for the strength of this bromance.
3.) Dean/Sam/Bobby: When we first meet Bobby in the finale of Season 1, the bond between the three is a very familiar one - like they are teaming up with their favorite uncle. But over the years, this "bromance" shifts over to a father/sons one. And like in any other family, they get on each other's nerves, they pick at each other, they give advices when the other doesn't want to hear them - but in the end, when it matters the most, they stand united. And like the boys, I was shocked to the core after the mid-season finale of Season 7.
Last but not least, some random favorite things about the show:
A) costumes: Over the almost ten seasons, we saw Sam and Dean in a multitude of aliases, ranging from maintenance workers and nurses to various LEO's, priests and up to FBI agents (who, in most cases, have the names of famous rock musicians). Which means that the boys have to dress up - suits, coveralls, robes - we've seen pretty anything on them, and watching them juggling both acting professional and getting accustomed to their "costume" is just downright funny.
B) Outtakes and Gag Reels: One of the main reasons for me to buy the DVDs to the show are the outtakes and gag reels. Getting a chance to see behind the scenes, to see their hilarious antics (which get better and better (or worse) by every season) is a gift we get blessed with and which brought a broad smile to my face on many counts. Just type in "Supernatural Gag Reel" in your search engine, lean back and watch the show. I promise you a lot of fun, but I warn you not to drink or eat anything while watching. It might get dangerous.
As I type up this entry, Supernatural is the second half of its tenth season, and Season 11 is already ordered. I only can hope that we get some more seasons, and that Dean is wrong with this prognosis:
Once again, I deliberately refrain from reccing any stories, but I do advise anyone who reads this here to follow one of the links I provide afterwards and explore this wonderful fandom on your own.
AO3 (more than 95,000 stories)
Fanfiction.net (about 100,000 stories, including crossovers)
Drawing this entry to an end, I hope you liked it. And if you have any questions about the show or think of a site out there that I should check out, please tell me in your comments.
To all fandoms, because Fandom = Love
Sources:
youtube
deviantart
home of the nutty
Google Image Search (with no intented copyright infringement to the rightful users)