How to fix a broken fangirl

[sholio]

Step one: Hang out with other fen! I had lunch yesterday with livrelibre and thingswithwings, who are very nice and very fun to hang out with; we had a good time and then livrelibre took me to the campus art museum to see a talk on Japanese surimono prints, after which we hung out at the museum for a while looking at the Asian art wing. Among other things, we talked about SGA and fic and things of that nature, and it really helped a lot to remind me what I loved about the fandom and the show in the first place. (Which reminds me that I haven't posted *anything* about the completely awesome and happymaking NYC excursion with derry667 and tipper_green earlier this month! Derry has pictures up at her journal. Fangirl tours FTW!)

Step two: Squee!

The really funny thing about watching a show I haven't seen for twenty years is when I remember things wrong.

My sister and I both remembered the Lynchboro storyline ending in major catastrophe and death. Since that's how most of the Wiseguy story arcs end, it's not an unreasonable assumption, but it was making it extremely nail-biting to watch these episodes, because these characters are really likeable (even Volchek in his heartbreaking crazy way), and the more we saw of them, the more we wanted a happy ending for them and the more we were convinced they weren't going to get one.

But they did! And, okay, the Scrooging of Volchek was monumentally silly, and we couldn't believe it actually worked (we were both yelling "Bad idea! Bad idea!" at the screen during the scene where Lococco suggested it). But all the reconciliations, and Volchek finally shaking himself free of his domineering father, and Rogo being so adorably protective of him at the fight, and Lacey being so pragmatic about her happy ending ... oh, EVERYONE. This was absolutely the happy ending that I needed right now. I think that Wiseguy makes me appreciate happy endings much more than a lot of shows; if they're always handed a positive outcome, there's no suspense, no sense that they earned it. But on this show, so often they don't get one, or their victories are spectacularly Pyrrhic, so to have the episode end with all the single-arc characters alive and well and loving each other, especially when I was absolutely convinced there was betrayal and death in their future -- well, I'm still floating around on a cloud of warm, happy fan-glow.

I'm not precisely done with the series. We skipped ahead from the middle of season two to the last arc of season three, because my sister (and fandom enabler for the show) had stopped in the middle of the arc so that she could watch it with me, and we wanted to make sure we got it done before I have to go home. We have a few more episodes from the earlier seasons that are downloaded to be watched, and then I'll be on my own to hunt down the remaining story arcs and get caught up.

Comments

[abyssinia4077.livejournal.com]

Hee. I did the "remember things wrong" thing when I rewatched Earth 2 last spring - and that was only a ten year gap after the first watch. So glad you're finding glee!

YAY to finding glee again!

[friendshipper.livejournal.com]

Yay for fan glee! :D

It's so funny what I do remember of the series, and how much of it is completely distorted by the twenty intervening years and all the life experience I've had since then. (Not to mention some utterly WTF things, like remembering the deaths of characters who actually live.)

[valleya.livejournal.com]

Hey! Haven't said much lately on your journal, mostly because other people state it so much better than I could, but I have to say I'm glad things have improved in your outlook on sga. It really made me sad to think you would be leaving the fandom, really sad, but I didn't want to sound like I was whining for you to stay

There is so much good in this show to love. I do believe after the series ends next month, I'm going to be having a sga marathon! LOL! I do so love marathons! Immersion in the characters and fun does my soul good. Just like you rethinking your outlook. Just this soul a lot of good.

As for Wiseguy, I remember loving the show, but never getting to watch it nearly enough. I'll have to check it out.

Take care and Merry Christmas!

[friendshipper.livejournal.com]

I'm feeling a lot better, but in a very tentative way; I don't want to risk puncturing my bubble of happiness. Things have just been so good in other ways the last couple of days, though; I think I feel awfully silly whining about fandom when I'm having a sort of awesome RL, and my feelings are spilling over into the fandom and making me happy there, too.

Here's to hoping it continues!

[livrelibre.livejournal.com]

It was awesome to hang out and I'm glad we could help recover the squee. It's like the tide; it ebbs and flows on various shores but it's always around :)

Happy holidays!

[anniehow.livejournal.com]

May the New Year bring you lots of fangirl!glee :-D

Merry Christmas! :-D

[winter-elf.livejournal.com]

Yea, I can understand the feeling caught up stuff you didn't want to know that drags one down, and the reverse, spending time with those who love shows like you do. I went to a con, were SGA had some panels and I was looking forward to meeting and hearing everyone talk about what they loved... and OMG, how WRONG I was. I ended up sitting there quietly while arguments over all sorts of things happened. Later I felt really small and searched out my friend and had to talk about what I DID love to her, and found a few other, small, groups to hang out with to talk with.

So, what I was trying to say, I really understand.