After I wrote my reply, I wished I'd added a note that fanfic is included in the "entertainment that explores much more complex themes." It's definitely the main reason why I haven't left the fandom entirely already.
I do, definitely, see the shows as springboards for fic. But I also find the themes in the shows increasingly repulsive, and if I'm repulsed by a story, I'm less likely to want to see it explored in fic. My favorite fic is based in/around S5 and some S6; I'm not at all fond of S7 or AtS S5 fic unless done exceptionally well.
The biggest thing influencing my (lack of) enjoyment of the show is the fact that Spike got a soul and became unrecognizable to me. Second to that is probably the disgusting themes that ME makes prominent in their stories, which is closely tied to the problems I have with Spike getting a soul. And the writers' (and actors') interviews, expressing how they wanted to show these themes, does reduce my enjoyment even more, because once they explain it, I can see many of the ways they specifically tried to push a certain idea.
I don't think JM is toeing the company line, btw; I think he's genuinely repulsed by Spike's behavior. (I also think the guy has a major madonna/whore complex, but it's not really my place to psychoanalyze his thought processes). But what he says (and he's certainly much closer to the writers than we are, though of course not always correct--witness his confusion about the soul) allows me to see more of what the writers were going for. And every bit more that I see, the more repulsed that I get.
And, of course, JM (plus Vulkon's unethical business practices) completely put me off celebrity conventions. I'd be quite happy never to hear JM speak again.
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After I wrote my reply, I wished I'd added a note that fanfic is included in the "entertainment that explores much more complex themes." It's definitely the main reason why I haven't left the fandom entirely already.
I do, definitely, see the shows as springboards for fic. But I also find the themes in the shows increasingly repulsive, and if I'm repulsed by a story, I'm less likely to want to see it explored in fic. My favorite fic is based in/around S5 and some S6; I'm not at all fond of S7 or AtS S5 fic unless done exceptionally well.
The biggest thing influencing my (lack of) enjoyment of the show is the fact that Spike got a soul and became unrecognizable to me. Second to that is probably the disgusting themes that ME makes prominent in their stories, which is closely tied to the problems I have with Spike getting a soul. And the writers' (and actors') interviews, expressing how they wanted to show these themes, does reduce my enjoyment even more, because once they explain it, I can see many of the ways they specifically tried to push a certain idea.
I don't think JM is toeing the company line, btw; I think he's genuinely repulsed by Spike's behavior. (I also think the guy has a major madonna/whore complex, but it's not really my place to psychoanalyze his thought processes). But what he says (and he's certainly much closer to the writers than we are, though of course not always correct--witness his confusion about the soul) allows me to see more of what the writers were going for. And every bit more that I see, the more repulsed that I get.
And, of course, JM (plus Vulkon's unethical business practices) completely put me off celebrity conventions. I'd be quite happy never to hear JM speak again.