I had a social life once, but a fandom broke into my house one night and said, "Dad's on a hunting trip and hasn't been home for a few days."
Dear Supernatural Cast, Writers, Producers, & Tech (if I missed anyone else please know you are included here),
At the beginning of this semester for the ENC 3930 class, otherwise known as the TV as Literature: Supernatural course, our professor asked all of us to write an "autoethnography" which is like a self-reflexive statement that discusses how you personally relate to a given topic, your knowledge of it, and how you wish to understand more about it. I originally wrote mine in January, before I attended the Supernatural Convention in Jacksonville, Florida, and I talked about how I entered the fandom and how my "fanness" developed over time. Let me tell you, I couldn't be more happy about being a Supernatural fan now than ever before.
Walking into the hotel for the Convention, I was overwhelmed with all the people, but it was a good feeling. People were dressed as angels, demons, Winchester family members, and more. I've never seen anything like it before. I immediately felt like I was part of some paranormal empire. It was amazing to see how everyone interacted with each other and to see how down-to-earth the cast was, was incredible! I was so grateful for the opportunity to experience it. I remember my heart pounding against my chest as I walked up to the microphone to ask Gil McKinney (Henry Winchester) a question and told him about the class. His reaction was priceless and to hear what he had to say about Henry as a character academically was inspirational. I never thought that would happen again, but lo, I gathered up the courage to ask Mark Shepphard and J2 questions for the class and to see their reactions to it was amazing. I never, ever imagined that I would be able to come close like that. From there, I knew that Supernatural was home to me in terms of fandom, but I knew by being a part of the class I was going to work hard to learn the inside and out of what makes Supernatural, Supernatural.
The Supernatural fandom is like no other. It is a complete entity that thrives off of the Supernatural universe, which is ever-expanding. The way the story is written, going from the "monster-of-the-week" road trip narrative to the Heaven versus Hell "be a good solider" fight is some of the most unique prose to exist in the entertainment world. Throughout the semester, we were assigned certain episodes to watch and write an analysis on. I had a good bit of some of my favorite episodes (Changing Channels being one of them) and I devoured every single detail. I listened to the music choices, broke down cinematography sequences, did background research on certain lines in the script, and even did research on certain symbols or cultures that were represented in the show. I really feel like my whole academic world was changed by this. I'm an English major and recently I've felt very discouraged by it because a lot of people told me that it's worthless and that I can only become a teacher. No. As I studied and did research I noticed that I was applying skills learned from my composition and literature classes that were helping me understand what was going on and be able to write it out with strong diction and concise sentences. For the first time in a while, I felt passionate.
We even had to review a whole season for this class. I chose season 2, mostly because of the simple pleasure of having a "monster-of-the-week" and seeing hope in Sam and Dean's eyes. But because I've seen every season now, going back and watching older episodes was strangely beautiful. To see how much the show has grown and to see what Sam and Dean have fought through, to see the world intertwine in ways no one could ever think of except the writers was mind-blowing. I never realized there could be so many minute details in an episode that would mean so much later. And to see how even the lighting used in a sequence could help with the plot! To see how specific angles and cuts help with character development! I never thought of it before. The craft of Supernatural is intricate.
Knowing that the show has been renewed for a 12th season gives me hope. I feel safe being in this fandom and I don't want it to end. I see Sam and Dean as protectors when I am afraid and as comforters when I am sad. I want you all to know that you have done an excellent job at creating a show that can relate to anything at anytime, and have helped shape a fandom to truly become a family unlike any other out there. Seeing your faces on screen and knowing in our hearts there are faces off-screen working hard has brought a lot of people joy. Thank you for not giving up. Always Keep Fighting.
No comments:
Post a Comment