I . . . don't quite know what to say . . .

[feliciakw]

Now that I've seen the season finale, I'm surprised at how many spoilers Jensen hinted at during the con in Rome.

Case in point:

I'm also trying to suss out what this says about him as a person. Because unlike some of his co-stars, he . . . is honest about it. Like, his answers are honest, even if he does play them low-key. *quirks brow* So . . . is he a good barometer for stuff that's already been shot? Hm . . .

Comments

[helenorvana.livejournal.com]

Actually, the thing I love most about that video is how patient he was with the last question.

[feliciakw.livejournal.com]

Jensen is so incredibly patient with the fans (as is Jared). And with the added complication of the language barrier . . . He's just a gracious, gracious person.

I've never really thought about the language issues before getting involved in this fandom, and now they kind of fascinate me. I have the advantage that the source material is from my country and written by my countrymen and women and performed (for the most part) by my countrymen or the next door neighbors (Canadians). The closest thing I can relate it to is my watching British or Australian or New Zealand productions. But I still speak source language, even if I sometimes miss some of the idioms or have to ask Geo to "translate" because I didn't understand the dialect for a moment.

I'm just amazed that something so . . . American . . . translates so well into other cultures. But otoh, when you're dealing with the BIG issues, like Good vs. Evil or family relationships and love, those things are universal. And every culture has a supernatural lore. (Heck, a lot of American lore is imported, while some of it is purely American.)

Sorry for the ramble. Got all thinky there for a moment. :-)

Anyway, yes. Jensen is a class act. 'Tis one of the reasons I'm so enamored of him.

[fufaraw]

I think people from other countries get interested in US shows for the same reason we watch things like British mysteries. The flavor and atmosphere--whether something like Wire in the Blood, MI5, Waking the Dead, or Cracker, dealing with gritty urban Britain, or something cozy like Midsomer Murders or Rosemary and Thyme--or uniquely British comedies, it gives Americans a new POV and a little insight into someone else's culture.

I know there were tons of non-US fans of things like Dynasty, Dallas, later 90210, Friends, Gossip Girl, shows that are glitzy and glamourous. There's often the impression that all US citizens live in high-rise luxury apartment buildings or on vast ranches or in charming cul-de-sac suburban neighborhoods.

I think SPN may be the first--certainly one of the few--blue-collar export. I've always felt it to be a uniquely midwest flavored show, particularly the first two seasons. I think Kripke envisioned that car traveliing through the landscape Kim Manners gave us, of empty farmland, depressed small towns, fences flaking paint and towns rusting at the edges. Aside from the metaphysical questions and answers, the show gives non-USians a glimpse of what life is like in the great spaces between Manhattan and Los Angeles.

[feliciakw.livejournal.com]

I knew what you're saying about American culture being popular outside of America (but haven't thought a lot about it recently). It makes sense.

But what I think fascinates me with the international audience of SPN--the cons, for example--is the language differences. SPN is so full of American-isms and American contexts that . . . how do you translate that?

I don't know if you've ever seen the con clip wherein a girl from . . . Germany? Austria? (I think Austria) . . . asked Jensen what terms or catch phrases from the show he thought would be important for her to learn. He laughed and said that he couldn't think of any that would be appropriate. He also loved the way she said "pig in a poke" with her accent. He thought it was very cute.

Given the option of dubbing or subtitles, I prefer subtitles because so much of the actor's performance depends on vocal/aural as well as visual. (Though with Jackie Chan movies, they go so fast that I usually need the dubbed version because I can't keep up with the subtitles.) But I know that foreign airings of SPN are dubbed. I just . . . it's so fascinating to me that things seem to translate from language to language so well.

(There's also a hilarious clip from last year's con in Birmingham wherein the guys are trying to sort through the British accent the attendees speak in. Separated by a common language! Hee!)

Very interesting point about the blue-collar export. I know a lot of our crime dramas get exported (I've had N3 fic translated into Chinese, for example), and our sit-coms get exported, but the midwestern blue-collar is an interesting observation!

[blacklid.livejournal.com]

LOL! I love his style. While Jared usually just blurts it out and then tries to backtrack, Jensen loves to come up with ways to tell you without telling you. He'll walk around and around it for months and you won't know that he did it until after you've seen it. Sometimes after one airs, I feel smart for having figured it out... only to realize that HE DONE DID IT TO ME. *snickers*

[feliciakw.livejournal.com]

Dude! I know! In the finale, when Castiel tells Dean that Dean got exactly what he wanted--no Heaven, no Hell, just more of the same--I kept thinking about this clip (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptrxoeUjtu4). I kept thinking, "Jensen told us that!"