Another thing I’ve gotten hooked on are screencaps and picspams, because all those shots end up capturing in incredible detail the key emotional moments that define this show. These shots vividly point out the expressions that seemed subtle in the episodes, especially when these characters were experiencing things like doubt, despair, remorse, terror, devastation, bewilderment, angst, facetiousness, and of course, the patented Sam Winchester bitch face. I’ve seen plenty of sites that offer screencaps (many on LiveJournal), but no site gives a better selection of pictures than the gallery at Winchester Bros. There are 1132 files on “Mystery Spot” alone, which is needed for an episode in which every single facial expression mattered. The gallery gives pertinent file information for each picture and offers a slide show feature so one doesn’t have to navigate one by one through all the photos. Unfortunately, those detailed shots made me hate the Pussycat Dolls more (stupid CW onscreen promos). My only validation is that Girlicious is tanking.
Podcasts are big now, and Supernatural has a presence on BlogTalkRadio under the title of “Winchester Radio”. These podcasts feature not only episode recaps but some exclusive interviews, especially from the two recent fan conventions that took place. Another spot that I liked for episode recaps was the Supernatural Podcast.
And Now For Something Completely Different
I really should be shot for not mentioning this the first time around. In all the fan sites I’ve seen for any fandom, I’ve never witnessed anything more wildly inventive than the Plastic!Winchester theatre. If I had to break it down in one basic summary, I’d go with “a collection of captioned scenes starring two thrift store Ken dolls (aka Sam and Dean) acting out all new original episodes, complete with their own Impala, a MOTW, and cool special effects (plus plenty of hugs) while *rock music plays*”. For those who have seen this, that summary doesn’t do it justice, does it? Just click on the link and see for yourself. Not sure where to start? I highly recommend “Plastic!Winchesters: The Musical”. Beware though, it might cause too much physical harm from laughter.
There’s a site that allows you to dress paper doll versions of your favorite celebrities, and Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki are among them. I’m shaking my head on that one, and then getting some clothes on those boys for the animated drawings look far less sexy than the real thing (they could have at least given them sexy underwear or something). Also, BuddyTV has a new quiz, “Which Supernatural Character Are You?” Turns out I’m Bobby. That’s really cool. BuddyTV is also presenting a series of articles and interviews from their recent visit on the set, in which they got to see one of the Impalas (insanely jealous!).
Article comments
1 - Andi
I enjoyed your article very much, especially since you put the spotlight on a couple of my favorites: Plastic!Winchester Theatre and Bardicvoice's deeply thoughtful meta. For another approach to episode reviews, you might want to check out kroki_refur's Reviews of Doom and picspam on her livejournal. They are wonderfully entertaining.
You are doing a fabulous job capturing the flavor of this amazing fandom. I look forward to your next article!
2 - LindsayW
Be sure to also check out www.SupportSupernatural.com. :)
3 - MCM
I've been so busy avoiding spoilers that somehow I managed to miss this post. Well done, thank you!
4 - Mary (Bardicvoice)
Oh, my - thank you, Alice! I'm delighted and humbled that you not only enjoyed my work, but recommended it to others. I bow to you!
I've been enjoying your clear-eyed column for a while (even though I clearly miss it sometimes, as I somehow did this one!), ever since it started popping up on my regular Google alert. Thank you for helping to spread the "Supernatural" word across the Internet!
And thank you for making me blush ...