Supernatural Fandom – A New Fan’s Perspective
(From Alice – We’re back from the Olympics induced hiatus today, and I received this new fan’s perspective that is always fun to share at the end of these long breaks. It makes us appreciate the show we fell in love with. I’m sure many of us are nodding, remembering our own discoveries and what the show means to us personally. Welcome back Supernatural!)
My involvment in the Supernatural fandom is very recent as I only began watching the show in August 2013. What made me begin watching, you may ask? The honest answer is social media. I kept seeing tweets about Cas and Dean, angels falling, and all of them having a deep love for this show that I had once disregarded (yes I know…big mistake). Seeing how passionate my friends were made me curious to see what the fuss was all about. I had a vague knowledge of Supernatural which consisted of the following: It was about brothers played by that one guy from Gilmore Girls and the other from Smallville, who fought scary monsters and tried to be cool about it with guns and cars. That was the knowledge I acquired from watching nothing but promos from the once WB network. Years of ignoring the promos as well as canceling my cable subscription led to many more seasons passing without my veiwership. After a while I didn’t even know the show was still on the air.
Everything changed when I got my subscription to Netflix. The world of online streaming was laid before me waiting to be watched. I kept seeing the banner for Supernatural as an option based on my previous viewing habits, but being the naïve fan (soon-to-be Supernatural fanatic) I was, I ignored Netflix’s suggestion. That is, until I saw the constant social media posts from friends freaking out over the finale of the eigth season…all that to say, I have not looked back since! I’m not usually a “horror” fan so the first season was the hardest to get through. Some of those monsters were terrifying (Bloody Mary!?) so I could only watch during the day or with all the lights on in my room. The bond between our favorite brothers kept me coming back though and that’s what still draws me deep into the current plot. It’s not a surprise to any regular SPN fan, but the love between the brothers is my absolute favorite part of the series. I could go on and on about the character development and excellent acting from both Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles, but I’ll save that for another time. Getting through the rest of the seasons was effortless because I couldn’t get enough! I had a few friends who had watched the show from the beginning and they would email me favorite episodes when I approached a new season and give me tips for watching the more emotional episodes. It was a fun time to be a new Supernatural fan!
Now I watch season finales start with “The Road So Far” and tear up thinking about the song lyrics and what that means for our Winchesters. I watched the ninth season premiere with baited breath to see how the previous cliff-hanger will resolve. I swoon when I see Dean protecting Sammy and equally melt when Sam tries to show Dean he can be trusted. I’m sure I’m not alone in any of these experiences as many fans go through those same feelings and angst. What I did want to share with you are my personal connections with the world that is Supernatural. Ever since I began watching, I’ve related to the plots and connected the story of the Winchesters to my own story. When I see Dean fighting a demon, I see him fighting his personal demons just as I fight mine. When we see Sam struggle with having demon blood flowing inside him, I see Sam struggling with his personal identity just as I struggle with who I am and what I can’t control in my life. I have never before watched a show that helped me deal with so many of my own personal angst and self-doubts, especially when it’s all about supernatural things that I’m not sure even really exist (to be discussed in another article I’m sure).
Coping with my own personal issues alongside Sam and Dean has been a true life-saver. Regardless of their fictional status, these brothers have helped me see that I can get through whatever life throws my way. They have showed me that life is hard (sometimes impossible) to get through…but to remember that I am not alone. I will always be grateful for finding this show at this time in my life. It seems perfectly planned that I would find a show about devotion, family, and fighting evil when I am battling my own demons and looking for some redemption of my own. To all the cast and crew, thank you for creating and continuing to write compelling stories that tug at my heartstrings and help me cope with what life has thrown my way. Here’s to more seasons of deep characters, angsty fights, good beating evil, and Winchesters sticking together through it all.
I just listened to “Wayward Son” a few minutes ago….still haven’t stopped crying. What a show! 🙂
I just listened to “Wayward Son” a few minutes ago….still haven’t stopped crying. What a show! 🙂
Misserikagannon, thanks for this! It is good to be reminded of why I fell in love with this show and of all the things that have happened in my life in the decade (almost) this show has been on. It has made me laugh often and tear up at times. It has always taken my mind off of my own problems. I don’t identify with their struggles the way you do but I love it in my own way. A place, once a week, to escape and get lost in the story of two remarkable brothers.
Cheryl, ” Wayward Son” gets to me every time!! I will forever identify that song with Sam and Dean. 🙂
Misserikagannon, thanks for this! It is good to be reminded of why I fell in love with this show and of all the things that have happened in my life in the decade (almost) this show has been on. It has made me laugh often and tear up at times. It has always taken my mind off of my own problems. I don’t identify with their struggles the way you do but I love it in my own way. A place, once a week, to escape and get lost in the story of two remarkable brothers.
Cheryl, ” Wayward Son” gets to me every time!! I will forever identify that song with Sam and Dean. 🙂
Hi everyone! Wow, it’s been a super-long while since I posted here. Life and other stuff got in the way etc, etc, but I’m hoping to find some time to devote to popping on here more regularly again. Anyway.
Thanks for this, Misserikagannon. It’s always nice hearing about new fans discovering our little show. I’m one of those old hands who watched almost right from the beginning-it’s almost actually been 8 years now! 8 friggin’ years, and I still love it as much as I always have. SPN was always going to be something I would be interested in(I’m a fantasy, horror, sci-fi kinda gal), but I never knew how much I could fall in love with a TV show until Sam and Dean came along. I’m so glad I managed to stumble onto it during a late-night channel-surf, cause I’ve never looked back. Sam and Dean are kind of part of my life now, and I don’t think I’d have it any other way!
Hi everyone! Wow, it’s been a super-long while since I posted here. Life and other stuff got in the way etc, etc, but I’m hoping to find some time to devote to popping on here more regularly again. Anyway.
Thanks for this, Misserikagannon. It’s always nice hearing about new fans discovering our little show. I’m one of those old hands who watched almost right from the beginning-it’s almost actually been 8 years now! 8 friggin’ years, and I still love it as much as I always have. SPN was always going to be something I would be interested in(I’m a fantasy, horror, sci-fi kinda gal), but I never knew how much I could fall in love with a TV show until Sam and Dean came along. I’m so glad I managed to stumble onto it during a late-night channel-surf, cause I’ve never looked back. Sam and Dean are kind of part of my life now, and I don’t think I’d have it any other way!
#3 Nice to see you back PaintedWolf!
#3 Nice to see you back PaintedWolf!
Thank you for sharing your story Misserikagannon. I’ve been watching SPN from the get-go, and it just grabbed me from the very beginning. Yes, the two guys are drop-dead gorgeous, but more so the familial bond between them is what keeps me coming back. I’ve always loved fantasy shows, but I never thought I would love a show this much, and I think what makes our fandom special is that we somehow can relate our lives to what Sam & Dean can accomplish together. My God, I love this show. 🙂
Thank you for sharing your story Misserikagannon. I’ve been watching SPN from the get-go, and it just grabbed me from the very beginning. Yes, the two guys are drop-dead gorgeous, but more so the familial bond between them is what keeps me coming back. I’ve always loved fantasy shows, but I never thought I would love a show this much, and I think what makes our fandom special is that we somehow can relate our lives to what Sam & Dean can accomplish together. My God, I love this show. 🙂
I AGREE!!! Like you I’ve not watched this show from the jump…its pilot season I was (wow!) a senior in high school and never heard about it (d’oh!). But from its second season and beyond I knew about it (“Hey! It’s Dean from ‘Gilmore Girls!'”). Ironically “Everybody Loves a Clown” was my first episode, but on TNT about a week after “Swan Song” aired. I loved it, but in an effort to curb my bills post-college grad I cut my cable. Then my roommate decided she couldn’t live without it in our new place. I saw “The End,” but was still trying to wrap my head around “Wait! Jared is NOT Dean?!” and it was so hard even then to watch these two get ripped apart.
DON’T JUDGE ME 😉 … It wasn’t until “Girl Next Door” that I followed this show week to week. I watched it Saturday mornings in my graphic design lab before getting down to work. I loved season 7’s sense of playfulness and giggled every time Dick made a new scheme (“Thanks, writers, for bashing the food industry for the excessive use of corn syrup–it makes living in America ridiculously hard!” That being said I also don’t drink coffee so poisoned creamer wouldn’t phase me…”You mean to tell me in their universe I could be a hunter by default of being the only person alive besides the Winchesters? YES!”). Let me say I loved season 7 right up to the moment they shot Bobby. Then I continued crestfallen as Sam and Dean picked up the pieces. I wanted them to beat Dick, dammit! (Yes, please snicker with me on word choice.) They did. They keep on fighting despite so many losses–losses we can identify with by paralleling their story with ours or simply by connecting with the talent J2 display to us. The wheels of the Impala keep on rolling, carrying them home to see their kin–as do mine. So I keep tuning in via web, syphoned CW/TNT, or crashing on somebody’s couch to see where they go next and what they listen to while they get there.
It will be a sad day indeed when this all inevitably ends. Misserikagannon, I just wish you’d been able to see season G8 live!
I AGREE!!! Like you I’ve not watched this show from the jump…its pilot season I was (wow!) a senior in high school and never heard about it (d’oh!). But from its second season and beyond I knew about it (“Hey! It’s Dean from ‘Gilmore Girls!'”). Ironically “Everybody Loves a Clown” was my first episode, but on TNT about a week after “Swan Song” aired. I loved it, but in an effort to curb my bills post-college grad I cut my cable. Then my roommate decided she couldn’t live without it in our new place. I saw “The End,” but was still trying to wrap my head around “Wait! Jared is NOT Dean?!” and it was so hard even then to watch these two get ripped apart.
DON’T JUDGE ME 😉 … It wasn’t until “Girl Next Door” that I followed this show week to week. I watched it Saturday mornings in my graphic design lab before getting down to work. I loved season 7’s sense of playfulness and giggled every time Dick made a new scheme (“Thanks, writers, for bashing the food industry for the excessive use of corn syrup–it makes living in America ridiculously hard!” That being said I also don’t drink coffee so poisoned creamer wouldn’t phase me…”You mean to tell me in their universe I could be a hunter by default of being the only person alive besides the Winchesters? YES!”). Let me say I loved season 7 right up to the moment they shot Bobby. Then I continued crestfallen as Sam and Dean picked up the pieces. I wanted them to beat Dick, dammit! (Yes, please snicker with me on word choice.) They did. They keep on fighting despite so many losses–losses we can identify with by paralleling their story with ours or simply by connecting with the talent J2 display to us. The wheels of the Impala keep on rolling, carrying them home to see their kin–as do mine. So I keep tuning in via web, syphoned CW/TNT, or crashing on somebody’s couch to see where they go next and what they listen to while they get there.
It will be a sad day indeed when this all inevitably ends. Misserikagannon, I just wish you’d been able to see season G8 live!