Revealingly Fannish Conversations

[feliciakw]

Conversation #1:

Over dinner, Geo and I were discussing H50, a show that we started watching because he wanted to check it out. Color me surprised. It's a remake, and such remakes are looked at with suspicion. But we checked it out. And we really like it.

Well, in my boredom at work (and the lack of SPN fic that captures me anymore), I've started surfing (bwah!) cursory info on H50. So, that was the topic of conversation--trivia I'd run across, trivia he'd run across, etc. But during the course of the conversation, I told him that the show hadn't captured me the way, say, CSI did back in the day, when I'd literally dance around the living room in anticipation of a new ep. (I used to do that for Farscape, too. And N3, I think. And probably SPN at some point.)

Conversation #2:

George and I are going to be traveling tonight, and I asked what the schedule was. He told me, and I said, "Oh, so we'll be back in our hotel in time for H50."

"Ten o'clock?" he says. "Yeah, we should be back by then."

I start hopping up and down with wavy-dancy arms.

"You're dancing for H50," he says.

*gasp!* "You're right!" says I. "Okay, the show is officially one of my favorites."

Now, here's the interesting thing. I said before that I never do two fandoms at once. Well, I'm still not getting into H50 fandom (no inclination, and can't find fic to my tastes), but my dancy interest would seem to indicate that the show does have the pull to draw me away from SPN.

But here's the thing. SPN has something that none of the other shows have.

I'll give you three guesses what that is, and the first two don't count.

If you said Jensen Ackles, you win an extra cookie.

Thinking back over my favorite actors is an interesting thing. I appreciated them all in much the same way I appreciate Jensen, and the majority of them have had long, strong careers. I loved their shows/movies, I loved their talent, I found them very attractive, and with the exception of one actor (who had a rather lackadaisical approach to his career and didn't really think of it as an art), I've loved their passion for their craft.

But apparently, there's something extra with Jensen. A certain je ne sais quoi. Just . . . something. An accessibility, maybe? And I don't mean accessibility to his work (though that's a big part). But . . . maybe a commonality of some sort with his background? I don't know.

It's just that . . . He's comfortable. I don't know how else to explain it.

These new guys . . . Under other circumstances, they might have the draw to pull me away from my current thespic infatuation. I mean, Alex O'Laughlin is from Australia. That right there is a point of interest. And Scott Caan's portrayal of Danny kind of makes me want to check out some of his other work, to see what sort of range or roles he might have had. (I've apparently seen him before, in Oceans Eleven, but I remember pretty much nothing about that movie.) And yet . . . I'm not quite interested enough to do that. I enjoy the show, I enjoy the performances, I enjoy the characters and dynamics, the continuing "mytharc" (does such a show have a "mytharc"?) is stressfully intriguing. I have a lot of fun watching the show.

And then I watch Jensen, and there's this familiarity. Like "coming home" (which, I know, sounds really weird. But I don't know how else to explain it). My previous fandoms have that same familiarity, I'm sure. For example, I'm sure that if I watch N3 this summer, it will feel like home. And I still really admire Rob Morrow as an actor.

But Jensen . . . I don't know. It's the whole package. I admire him as an actor, as an artist, and as a person.

I don't know. It's hard to explain.

Anyway. Yes, H50 can now officially be listed on my "new eps make me dance" list of favorite TV shows. I might or might not look into the careers of the two primary leading actors of the show.

But they cannot usurp Jensen's place in my fan!girl heart.

However, it would seem to behoove me to acquire a H50 icon. Hm . . .