SPN Flisters! Need your help!

[moonshayde]

SPN Fans! This is a call to arms!

Well, not really. But I need your help.

aurora_novarum has recently tried out SPN after swearing she wouldn't. She's been watching S4 and she's having a hard time getting into it. She doesn't get the hype. She doesn't understand the appeal.

Mind you, but she hasn't seen the rest of the series! *shakes her*

Your mission, if you chose to accept it, is to convert aurora_novarum.

I can't do this one alone. She's being stubborn.

But I mean, she missed so much of the build. She's in the middle of the action, but none of the build. She missed the hearty John stuff. She missed a good chunk of Yellow Eyes. She missed Dean's prior heartbreaking stuff. She missed Sam's conflict. The entire ON THE RUN FROM THE LAW arc.

So, post links here. Persuasive essays. Tell her why she should keep trying. Post pictures. Vids. Whatever. I don't care. Whatever it takes to meet the objective.

I do ask that you try to keep spoilers to a mimimum. S4 is a HUGE spoiler in and of itself, so she's ruined some of the fun for herself, but in the event she finally sees the light *snicker* I don't want to spoil the series for her. Unless she is okay with spoilers. But I want to be on the safe side.

Don't scare her off!!

stargazercmc don't make me come after you next...

Comments

[maychorian.livejournal.com]

This is a really long but really awesome look at exactly why the SPN Pilot rocks so hard.

http://community.livejournal.com/spnematography/17877.html

[larienelengasse.livejournal.com]

Wow... that's pretty incredible. Thanks for posting the link - I joined the comm!

[moonshayde.livejournal.com]

I'll have to check this out later myself :)

[aurora-novarum.livejournal.com]

For the record, I did try a few times back in Season One and/or Two, and...the show grossed me out too much I couldn't take more than a couple minutes. I have low ick factor. Which includes eyes rolling back in skull.

Mind you, I may have just happened upon the grosser eps, but it happened all the time.

And I wouldn't have watched it in S4 except I forgot to turn my vcr off after taping Smallville a few times and the classic b&w horror movie intro spoof intrigued me. I'm casually continuing because...I like the angel dudes.

*waits to get stoned*

"Rory_Elizabeth", huh? Cool name! ;-)

[moonshayde.livejournal.com]

That excuse is unacceptable. You watch Fringe. That show is way way grosser. ;)

You probably just hit the grosser eps.

I'm doing my best here. You. Are. Being. Difficult.

The emotional investment in the show is what I'm there for. Granted, I like ghosts and things that go bump in the night, but the family stuff is gold. Poor family.

And it's a gen gal's dream. Limited ship ;)

Waaaatch it.

[aurora-novarum.livejournal.com]

For the record, I quit Fringe after the second ep and have only watched a couple nongrossy eps via Hulu (my new favorite website ever).

"The Mentalist" has my full love now Tuesday nights.

Besides, with Fringe, you could predict the gross stuff and just close your eyes at autopsy/medical scenes, like I do with NCIS. I just listen to the dialogue.

With SPN, it's more unpredictable when someone's going to vomit smoke or go buggy eyed or splatter pea soup everywhere or something. :-p Actually, I've since realized I've seen a lot of the same scene, because they love showing a previous with little girl being demon weird eye thing and whenever I saw that...click! Creepy kids are creepy!!!!

I'm doing my best here. You. Are. Being. Difficult.

:-D You love me anyway.

[moonshayde.livejournal.com]

You can turn away with SPN too ;) I've done it a couple of times. You can usually see when something is coming. It's a horror show. They are predictible like that.

Honestly, it's no worse than the other shows on TV right now. I think SPN's grossest season was S3. So I make no excuses for some of the stuff in that season.

And for the record I quit this show in the past. Once I finally gave it a chance, I was hooked ;)

*stops now*

[jedishadowolf.livejournal.com]

Really? I haven't noticed that so much. Season 1 was the most "horror" oriented for me - the whole Monster of the Week was creepy and occasionally gross, especially the bug ep, but the gross is totally and completely outweighed by the relationship between the brothers and the mythos the show creates.

[moonshayde.livejournal.com]

S1 had many of the old skool horror and urban legend themes, which I LOVE. I miss it, actually. But I found the gore level to be higher in S3. Even my bro was like huh.

But it's realy nothing compared to other shows I've watched.

And yes the relationship outweighs everything.

[jedishadowolf.livejournal.com]

Gotta agree, as much as I have really really enjoyed the overall storyline this season I loved the MotW episodes from season 1.

[moonshayde.livejournal.com]

You said it so beautifully.

But I didn't want you to feel bad about "selling" it. Honestly, normally I hate when people do it to me. I resisted SPN for like a year because people wouldn't leave me alone. Ironic and hypocrtical of me, I know.

I just couldn't help but share the love this time. And she's been watching, but in S4 which just...the impact isn't the same LOL

I just wanted to share something I love with others :)

[aurora-novarum.livejournal.com]

There, I've done my duty, lol. I hate trying to "sell" a show; people have been bugging me to watch/read Battlestar Galactica or Twilight, and I just know what I like and what I don't. Well, there's grey area with BSG in that I'll watch it eventually when people stop blabbing about it, but Twilight simply ain't happening. ;)

Hee. No worries. I've watched BSG old/new. The latter is well acted and produced, but it's definitely not everyone's bag. And a lot of my flist has caught the SPN bug, so shayde isn't alone in her soft/hard sell conversion attempts.

I know she (and you) are just trying to share the love.

[larienelengasse.livejournal.com]

This is a show that you just can't come into the middle of. I mean, a lot of why it works is the history and the relationship between the brothers, and you can't get that without seeing the whole arc. She definitely needs to start at the Pilot and work her way forward - it will be so much better and so much more powerful if she does. I mean, she can't form her own relationship with these guys without taking the time, you know?

[moonshayde.livejournal.com]

I know. It actually took me a while to fall for it, though. I was very stubborn. My flist was so into it and I thought it was overrrated. I mean, just two brothers who fight things? How could that be so so awesome? And on CW.

Boy was I proven wrong.

[larienelengasse.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I don't think I got hooked until the 5th or 6th episode, then it was the start of a love affair. Right now, this is easily my favorite show on television.

[superbadgirl]

SPN had me at hello, so I'm always baffled when people don't take to it. LOL, you're all supposed to be just like me! People need to read that memo. ;)

It's a show, I think, where it's pretty crucial to see the then before you watch the now. Without the context of the first three seasons, S4 would be very confusing indeed.

It's a show about ridiculous things on the surface, but deep, hurty things below. In that way, it's a far more realistic drama than, say, Grey's Anatomy. It's about family. It's about good. It's about evil. It's about good being evil, and evil being good. It's got pretty guys and pretty cars and loveable rednecks and monsters. Win/win/win/win.

I don't read meta, so I can't even point in that direction.

[aurora-novarum.livejournal.com]

SPN had me at hello, so I'm always baffled when people don't take to it. LOL, you're all supposed to be just like me! People need to read that memo. ;)

Hee! I'm like that about so many things.

I understand it is an arc-y show in many ways. I'm actually not going into it totally blind because it's amazing how much I pick up just from the flailings of the numerous SPNfen on my flist, (and no, I know it's not the same.)

In that way, it's a far more realistic drama than, say, Grey's Anatomy.

Yeah, I'll definitely give you that point. ;-)

My Take

[banana-cave.livejournal.com]

I think part of the appeal of Supernatural is that you *don't* have to have seen all of it to like it. Two brothers hunting demons, ghosts, if it's evil and supernatural - they'll kill it.

Granted, I have watched the show since the second episode aired. But my favorite episodes are always the ones that stand-alone that don't tie in with the overarching plot. And that's how most of the show is. The Winchesters are always in a different town, using fake names and identities, trying to go after the evil things that go bump in the night.

So jump in! The water's fine. If you like a good mix of action, humor, suspense and family relationships, this show is for you!

[maychorian.livejournal.com]

There's also my story of how I was skeptical at first, then fell and fell hard.

http://maychorian.livejournal.com/18808.html

I know it persuaded me!

[aurora-novarum.livejournal.com]

LOL! Okay, that I will definitely read, maychorian. :-*)

[annj-g80.livejournal.com]

Dear Aurora! Uhm, you should watch it from the beginning!

Just because!

(You'll get the very special meaning of this pretty soon, I promise!)

[aurora-novarum.livejournal.com]

Hee! I love your logic!

[aurora-novarum.livejournal.com]

You are so evil when you're bored and spazzy, you know that?

"Whole run from the law" huh? This wouldn't be because they appear to impersonate federal agents all the time, would it? ;-)

stargazercmc, where's your pillow fort! Help! ;-)

[moonshayde.livejournal.com]

On the run from the law! One of the awesomest arcs ever!

And yes. How did you guess? Did you think they wouldn't ever get caught? ;)

I am not evil. I gave you fair warning.

You need to watch the show from the beginning. Then you'll love S4 more *nods*

The vids that meg_tdj provided below are very very good.

All joking aside, like I've told stargazercmc... I wouldn't recommend the show so passionately to people if I didn't think it was worth it. It has everything I loved about SG-1 in it: that sense of family, duty, love, humpr and drama and a bunch of unfortunate incidents that have desperate consequences. It's something to invest in. That is why I recommend it :)

You don't see me pimping out other shows on my flist ;)

(Accept for SG-1. I have pimped that in the past.)

[meg-tdj.livejournal.com]

What about some of the awesome music vids that are out there?

Run For Our Lives, possibly the best vid ever for showing how much our boys care about each other and the awesomeness of their brotherly relationship - http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=HOZZlFZ5FgY

May Angels Lead You In. This one is brand new, all about Dean feeling unworthy of being saved when so many people he's cared about have died. Lots of John and Mary in it, making it especially heartbreaking - http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=kMSmbXNd3zo

(Btw, Kerri, I was planning on sending you that one next time we chat. It's GORGEOUS.)

Once I Was Real. This is my fave for Sam, showing from Dean's POV how dark he's becoming. Makes me cry every time - http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ShYOzm48KSc

Hopefully those will make the season 4 arc make more sense, at least on an emotional level. But if angst isn't what you want to see, here are some funny/cute vids...

Channel Hopping! Awesome, hilarious vid showing all the different aspects of the show, set to a variety of familiar theme songs - http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=FzQPbleK-GM

One of the funniest SPN vids ever, One Week. The ending KILLS ME every time, LOL - http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=RlHvlSaKNtk

And, of course... Supernatural Cantina ;) - http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=xz_7Ggecmhg

[grooni.livejournal.com]

I can't post any links or anything really cool, because I'm just a newbie myself. And I'm staying away from anything SPN until I'm caught.

I love the show and it's currently the only one this tv season I'm really enjoying. You should definitely try and watch from the beginning though, it's made of all kinds of awesome. I think the show is made in a way that you can follow it even if you don't know all the background, but it's really not the same. Plus there's only 3 seasons to watch, it's not like ER or something that's been on for ages.

As for the ick factor, let me tell you I'm easily scared. I don't usually watch horror, I don't like too much gore and I hate the creepy stuff. I admit s1 was about as much as I could take, so much so that I watched a whole bunch during daylight only. (yes I'm a whimp) Not sure if it's less creepy these days or if I've just gotten used to it and know what level of creepiness I can expect from the show, but I'm perfectly fine now.

Really though, the show is awesome. It's so well written and well acted. Much better than most shows on tv.

[moonshayde.livejournal.com]

I love your posts because you are so new to the show :)

Just be careful. There are some spoilers in the comments here.

[aurora-novarum.livejournal.com]

Aw, thank you. I have heard I've hit bad moments re: the ick factor and it's more X-Files levels, which I could take a lot of the time.

Thanks for giving your newbie perspective! :-D

[louisiane-fille.livejournal.com]

I can only tell you this, aurora_novarum. This show ROCKS. It is totally worth the time and effort to get to know. That being said, you've missed a lot of the buildup that took place prior to this season. You need to rent the first 3 seasons pronto and get caught up. S4 is paying off on a lot of the things that were introduced in previous seasons. You won't be sorry if you stick around, believe me.

I became a convert last season. I had been a die hard CSI fan up to that point, but I was really "meh, whatever" about that season and the writers' strike didn't help matters any.

I started watching around, say, the third ep of S3. Week after week, I kept coming back for more. What can I say? Pretty boys, the family drama, and the monsters kept me coming back. I ended up renting S1 and S2 through Netflix. I even got my husband hooked on this show, and he normally doesn't watch stuff like Supernatural.

Is this show worth it? Definitely. And I, like maychorian, would sometimes like to slap John Winchester upside his head. Man, that guy pushes my buttons!

Just watch Supernatural and you will learn to love it like the rest of us.

Jeez, I didn't mean to get so long-winded here!

[aurora-novarum.livejournal.com]

So you started watching in the middle. Did you find yourself totally lost or were able to follow stuff pretty well?

I don't have Netflix so accessing past seasons is sometimes harder (my video store's idea of tv rentals is spotty).

And no worries about long-winded. Trust me, I babble with teh best of them. :-D

[louisiane-fille.livejournal.com]

I was lost on some of the background stuff, but as I started watching the S1 eps, some stuff started to make sense. And when I got to S2, stuff REALLY started to make sense.

But the basic stuff? I got it and loved it. Those boys, with all their issues...*smushes the boys in a hug*

Who wouldn't want to watch two modern day cowboys kick ass and take names? :)

I really think somebody who owns some of the previous seasons needs to burn you copies. Any volunteers?

[grav-ity.livejournal.com]

How I Came To Supernatural (Really, Just To See What Meg Was Going On About)

I am something of an unorthodox SPN fan. I started at the end of season two when, bored during my thesis writing, I mainlined the entire run of the show one weekend. I was not a huge fan of either of the boys (something of an anomaly in this fandom!), and often, the treatment of my religion makes me want to thrown up my hands and leave in disgust.

So, you ask, what keeps me?

Originally, I was in it for the music. And the car. And Jo, because she was AWESOME. But as the show progressed I realized that SPN's writing staff had PLANS and that they were GOING PLACES and that they were all sort of unified about it. Also, it's usually pretty funny (though it sometimes tries too hard). So even when I was all "A racist TRUCK?!?!", I still had some faith in the vision of the show.

And HOLY CRAP has it paid off this season!

I think a bit of it is like Torchwood, where season one was pretty and sort of dumb, but season two was JUST BRILLIANT.

So watch them. Some of them are bad. Some of them are legitimately terrifying. Most of them are good TV.

[platysseus.livejournal.com]

saiariddle is my latest friend to succumb to the wonder of our show. After a couple of years avoiding it, despite me and others squeeing over it, she just happened to tune into "Wishful Thinking" and loved it. Now she's watching Season 1 thanks to Netflix, and even bought Seasons 2 & 3 on sale. I know she wanted to avoid watching any more Season 4 until she's seen the rest of the series, but she fell for the repeats and watched "Lazarus Rising"... She's also fallen for Jensen Ackles. All my fangirling on LJ has finally paid off. :D

Anyhoo, I don't know how to help you and your friend. I haven't tried to convert anyone; they've done so on their own... with my example. ;)

[moonshayde.livejournal.com]

Fangirling...one of the best conversion tools? LOL

[stargazercmc.livejournal.com]

*hides in a cave*

I think whatshisname (jared? jensen? the one in my icon here - AHA! Jensen) is pretty. does that count?

[moonshayde.livejournal.com]

*yanks you out of the cave*

Sure Jensen is pretty, but no it doesn't count.

*jabs at DVDS* Watchy, watchy!

[jedishadowolf.livejournal.com]

OK, this is coming from someone who didn't start watching the show until last year when I picked up the 1st season on sale. I've watched everything I can get my hands on for it now so here's why should you watch Supernatural...

#1 - the boys are pretty and that's always a good reason
#2 - the relationship between the brothers and their father figures is absolutely awesome and very realistic. Sometimes they are absolutely ready to kill one and other, but will jump in and defend each other when attacked from the outside.
#3 - Intricate overarcing plotline that builds an entire mythos through little hooks and hints dropped in a variety of episodes
#4 - humor. even in the most dire circumstances and angst filled episodes there is a hint of humor that will peak out just when it's starting to get so deep and painful that the humor comes across as a brilliant ray of much needed sunshine.
#5 - Supporting characters are so well developed. I'm still missing Missouri, Ash, and Ellen. I adored Bella, Jo had so much potential...they don't skimp on their supporting characters at all.
#6 - them villains is EVIL - seriously, I don't think there's been a MoW or season villain yet that didn't totally deserve what they got. Yet at the same time some of the villains are very charismatic in an odd sort of way.
#7 - solid writing - for the most part the writing team is top notch and put together really well crafted episodes
#8 - the characterizations are consistent. Sam and Dean have quirks and you see these quirks pop up in several different episodes.
#9 - continuity is king - something that happened in season 1 or 2 is referred to in seasons 3 & 4, there isn't a sense that prior seasons don't matter
#10 - See #1 :)

[a-phoenixdragon.livejournal.com]

My GOD - what reason is there to NOT watch!! Go!! Rent from NetFlix, from Borders, from BlockBusters - something!! Just pop some corn, prop your feet and give it a whirl!! Literally - from Season 1 to 3!! Then angst yourself out with the new season! SO worth it!! I persoanlly have converted 10 people in under two years alone - and none that I haven't been able to convert!! SOOOO GOOODDD!!!!

*hugs*

[sinofmind.livejournal.com]

New potential converts = always a good thing :D

Supernatural had me at "Easy, tiger." so watching from the beginning definitely works :)
I'm really squeamish so yeah, the gore is not my thing. I'm in it for the angst :D This is one messed up family. Those two poor, pretty, seriously screwed-up boys (who can do angst very, very well). And the cliffhangers of doom :P

My mom actually started watching this season to see what all the fuss was about and yeah, it can definitely be confusing (not nearly as confusing as Lost, to me, because wtf!island and I've watched that since the beginning. God, that show is weird.) and she just went back and watched from the Pilot.

Plus, we're like what? 50 days away from a new episode, so you know, the time is right to catch up :D

[shardsofblu.livejournal.com]

Cookie & chocolate bribes are usually enough to make me sit down and watch any show, SPN is a special case though. But I do love all the squee -- I watch the show vicariously through my flist. ;)

[aizjanika.livejournal.com]

I suggest going back to season 1 and the first episode. The best of the show is all there in that episode, IMHO. View it as a family show.

A lot of people dislike the early episode Bugs, but it's actually a meaty episode in which viewers discover how each guy views their dad and his place in their lives and there's an anvilish parallel with another family there, which I also found revealing. There's also some adorably cute moments, umbrellas, towels, etc.

My point is that even one of the most universally panned episodes is still pretty awesome and has some really cool stuff in it. :-)

SPN is a combination of great angst, humor, and more angst. :-) The first two seasons were the best, IMHO.

One other thing: I know that you may be concerned with the scary. I found the X-files too scary and CSI way too disgusting. SPN has fewer of those moments. I never find it scary or the tension too much, and I am easily scared and easily grossed out. We've talked about this before, but I don't believe in ghosts or creatures or whatever, so I don't find them the least bit scary. I don't think this show does the scary tension bit well at all, so I don't think that's concerning, but we're all different. This is just my take on it. :-)