Supernatural Celebrates 200th Episode With An Homage To Fan Fiction

from the cwf dept

We were just talking about fan fiction, that most sweet expression of fandom, and why the subjects of that expression shouldn't bother freaking out over it. After all, all fan fiction really is is a love letter to the original creators. Besides, if it's good enough for our founding fathers, it should be good enough for us. More importantly, allowing a fandom to grow and flourish through that kind of expression can literally keep a show going when it otherwise wouldn't. Case in point: Supernatural.

If you're not familiar with the show, Supernatural is the ridiculous story of two brothers who kill supernatural things, befriend angels and demons, and generally exhibit the acting chops of a two-day-old potato salad. It's a fun little distraction, but it ain't Breaking Bad as far as the critics are concerned. Oh, and by the way, it's lasted ten seasons, twice as long as originally planned, in part because of a dedicated group of fans that have made the show the 2nd leading television subject on FanFiction.net, behind only Glee (shudder). And it seems the creators of the show know how much they owe to these fans, because they celebrated their 200th (!) episode by making it entirely an homage to fan fiction writers.

There are many things that Supernatural does well, one of which being the very idea of using meta episodes to take a trip down memory lane and even make fun of itself occasionally. And no episode was more focused on "The Road So Far" than the show's 200th. Taking a break from the drama of the Mark of Cain and Cas' fading grace, the hour was all about the fans, and more specifically, the fan fiction that has come after 10 years of saving people and hunting things.

Yes, the setting for the episode is on the set of an "all-girls production of Supernatural The Musical." Yes, the cast made up of mostly men is represented by female actors, a not-so-subtle nod to the show's demographic. The production is built around a caricature of fan fiction tropes, including everything from sexual tension between the brothers (slash-fic) and the kind of angsty dialogue that is common in fan fiction of this kind.

It's over the top and ridiculous...and it's exactly the kind of thing fans of the show will eat up. This is connecting with fans in a wonderful way: not only not hating on the fiction they write, but actually acknowledging it in the show. That's how a campy little show that was planned to last five seasons is on its tenth and counting.

Filed Under: connect with fans, fan fiction, supernatural