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I love the idea of the House internet fandom. Every week, it is honestly fun to get together and compare notes on what we thought of the new episode. In the past few years in which I've been involved in this fandom, I've met the most amazing people from all over the world. Many of you have become part of my support system, and I know that I couldn't deal with the show and with life nearly as much as I do if I didn't have y'all around.
Except. Except, except, except. Fandom has gotten out of control. I more than understand that this show is not the exact same show as the one that premiered five years ago. Focuses have changed. Characters have become revealed, and new characters have been added. Relationships have emerged. It happens on every show, and that's one of the oddities of a television series versus movies or books or plays; it is constantly in flux. And... there's nothing fans can do about that. Absolutely nothing. Yet somehow, by virtue of this thing called the internet, we think we should have a say. We have become desktop quarterbacks.
Many fans have come to personalize the show. Nicknames like "my baby Wilson," "my Cammy," "my Cuddles," and so forth are common. Many posts to LJ comms and other message boards start with "I want" or "I don't want." And if a show runner or an actor hints that something one may want is possible for the future, and then doesn't follow through in canon, a fan may feel that he or she has been "lied to." Bitterness ensues.
ETA: And it's hard to have a discussion with the "I want" people. Because when you disagree with their views, it's taken personally when it's not meant to be. When someone disagrees with one's view of a ship or a character, it doesn't mean that he or she is being called less of a fan; it's just disagreeing. And so long as someone isn't personally attacking you (and so long as you're not personally attacking anyone else), it's. not. personal.
Shipping dominates this fandom. I'm just as guilty of it as anyone. Generally speaking, it's harmless. It's fun. It's even natural. But, we have factioned ourselves off into groups and generally refuse to interact. Then when we do interact, it's to put down the "competing" character for House's affections and ever so occasionally, those characters' fans. Well, I have news for everyone: HOUSE IS NEVER GOING TO HAVE A LONG-TERM ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP. With anyone. Not Cuddy. Not Wilson. Not Cameron. No one. It doesn't matter how good the fanfiction is written; good fanfiction does not necessarily translate to good "canon." That's not to say House can't have romantic encounters with these characters. He's human, his potential partners are human, and sex is a part of television -- it happens. It's a part of exploring fictional relationships, but sex does not necessarily equal a permanent relationship. It certainly doesn't on House.
What should we expect and demand from the show? Good entertainment. What shouldn't we expect and demand from the show? That entertainment to fit our individual views of what the show should be like. I, personally, wouldn't mind demanding that Hugh Laurie wear those sexy reading glasses all show, every show, and making out with Cuddy AND Wilson during DDX sessions. Luckily for everyone here, I'm not in a position to demand anything that I personally want from "The Powers That Be." And neither are you.
Internet fandom exists for squee and criticism. But too often these days, in every segment of this crazy place, constructive criticism seems to be replaced by borderline if not full on temper tantrums, and squeeing looks more like the bashing of characters, actors, show runners, and fans. No wonder people are leaving.
Except. Except, except, except. Fandom has gotten out of control. I more than understand that this show is not the exact same show as the one that premiered five years ago. Focuses have changed. Characters have become revealed, and new characters have been added. Relationships have emerged. It happens on every show, and that's one of the oddities of a television series versus movies or books or plays; it is constantly in flux. And... there's nothing fans can do about that. Absolutely nothing. Yet somehow, by virtue of this thing called the internet, we think we should have a say. We have become desktop quarterbacks.
Many fans have come to personalize the show. Nicknames like "my baby Wilson," "my Cammy," "my Cuddles," and so forth are common. Many posts to LJ comms and other message boards start with "I want" or "I don't want." And if a show runner or an actor hints that something one may want is possible for the future, and then doesn't follow through in canon, a fan may feel that he or she has been "lied to." Bitterness ensues.
ETA: And it's hard to have a discussion with the "I want" people. Because when you disagree with their views, it's taken personally when it's not meant to be. When someone disagrees with one's view of a ship or a character, it doesn't mean that he or she is being called less of a fan; it's just disagreeing. And so long as someone isn't personally attacking you (and so long as you're not personally attacking anyone else), it's. not. personal.
Shipping dominates this fandom. I'm just as guilty of it as anyone. Generally speaking, it's harmless. It's fun. It's even natural. But, we have factioned ourselves off into groups and generally refuse to interact. Then when we do interact, it's to put down the "competing" character for House's affections and ever so occasionally, those characters' fans. Well, I have news for everyone: HOUSE IS NEVER GOING TO HAVE A LONG-TERM ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP. With anyone. Not Cuddy. Not Wilson. Not Cameron. No one. It doesn't matter how good the fanfiction is written; good fanfiction does not necessarily translate to good "canon." That's not to say House can't have romantic encounters with these characters. He's human, his potential partners are human, and sex is a part of television -- it happens. It's a part of exploring fictional relationships, but sex does not necessarily equal a permanent relationship. It certainly doesn't on House.
What should we expect and demand from the show? Good entertainment. What shouldn't we expect and demand from the show? That entertainment to fit our individual views of what the show should be like. I, personally, wouldn't mind demanding that Hugh Laurie wear those sexy reading glasses all show, every show, and making out with Cuddy AND Wilson during DDX sessions. Luckily for everyone here, I'm not in a position to demand anything that I personally want from "The Powers That Be." And neither are you.
Internet fandom exists for squee and criticism. But too often these days, in every segment of this crazy place, constructive criticism seems to be replaced by borderline if not full on temper tantrums, and squeeing looks more like the bashing of characters, actors, show runners, and fans. No wonder people are leaving.
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And to add a smidge: there are those who break off from the larger groups to form smaller, more focused groups, groups without the animosity, and then they are criticized for dividing the fandom. Let us be clear: it is those people who are so full of bitterness that are dividing the fandom, not those who are trying to escape the bitterness. Individual opinions are great. Derogatory criticism based on someone's opinion because they do not share the same view is pathetic.
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Like people who bitch about the medicine and the POTWs: people SAY they watch it for the medicine - and yeah, that's true to a point. But the ONLY REASON PEOPLE WATCH IT FOR THE MEDICINE is because of the connection to the characters. That emotional connection. With the main characters, the arc characters, the POTWs, how House himself connects to the medicine as a person and emotionally... THAT'S THE ONLY REASON PEOPLE WATCH IT FOR THE MEDICINE, when it boils down to it.
And what people ALSO fail to keep in mind is that the longer this show goes on, the more in-depth into the characters it's going to go. And when you go in-depth, you go into their personal lives, into their relationships, their struggles, their faults and misgivings and the nasty sides to their character. THAT. IS. WHAT. HAPPENS. ON. TV. SHOWS. AND IN MOVES. AND IN BOOKS. IT'S CALLED CREATING EMPATHIC CHARACTERS. IT'S CALLED ENTERTAINMENT AND IT'S CALLED AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT.
In the REAL WORLD? House and Cuddy probably wouldn't touch each other with a ten-foot pole. In the REAL world, House would've been outta the job ages ago and Cuddy would be wearing much more acceptable corporate attire. In the REAL world, there would be a world for each of the people in that hospital OUTSIDE of the hospital.
But this show doesn't represent real life. It represents the world of House, and the world of House is narrowed right down to the hospital and those who work in it. That's the entire universe in House. Therefore, the way the characters connect is going to be so much more concentrated than in reality. They're all right in each other's orbit, so that's going to be the focus, RIGHT DOWN TO RELATIONSHIPS, because how the fuck would we connect as an audience to House getting a girlfriend from some random place if we didn't get to know her? TV just doesn't work like that.
(Edit: Not that I think House will ever be able to sustain a relationship nowadays, but my point being the somewhat-exploration of House having relationships in S5 with Cuddy - if he was exploring that with some character whom the audience hadn't gotten to know, then it wouldn't mean anything or have any impact on the audience. Therefore, in the word of TV, the characters that other characters usually end up orbiting around relationship-wise are those whom are a huge part of the universe the show is created around.)
And UGH. Ahahaha don't even get me started on shipping. You know, I don't even really call myself a shipper anymore. Because the term 'shipper' generally denotes to people being insane about "their" pairing. I put that in quotation marks because, hi, none of the 'pairings' are actually canon. Not House/Wilson, not House/Cuddy, not House/Cameron. Only Chase/Cameron and Foreman/Thirteen are canon (and House/Stacy). All the rest are FANON PAIRINGS. THEY'RE NOT CANON. So, I am not a shipper, I am an enthusiast. I am extremely enthusiastic about House/Cuddy and House/Wilson and every other FANON pairing out there. And if they go canon? Then yay! And if they don't, IT DOESN'T EVEN MATTER.
SPEAKING OF FANON, I hate hate HATE the way so many shippers supplant canon with fanon. Those are the people that make fandom really unpleasant a lot of the time, because you cannot argue sense with a person who is convinced their fanon interpretation of canon is canon. They're the exact same people who bitch and whine about how the show SHOULD be and how they'll "cut a bitch" if David Shore doesn't deliver what THEY want (as you pointed out in your rant).
And the subject of sex: Ausiello and the media are largely to blame about all the sex hype. Because sex sells. And the new generation of fans that have swept into the fandom have latched onto that, and now everything is ONLY about sex. Way to cheapen and make shallow very complex characters and relationships.
I could rant forever about all of this, ahahahahahahaaaa.
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It is SO HARD to identify as a shipper these days. Shipping now seems to be set on bashing everyone who isn't "your" character and finding deep, sexualized meaning in the stupidest of glances at one another. It also apparently means that if you don't ship forever and ever a certain pairing, don't even try to discuss such a pairing in that comm. GOD FORBID PEOPLE HAVE DIFFERENT INTERPRETATIONS.
FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE, THE WORLD DOES NOT END IF HOUSE AND CUDDY DO NOT HAVE SEX RITE NAO. OR HOUSE AND CAMERON. OR HOUSE AND WILSON.
I like your term "enthusiast." I think I'll steal it and use it from now on.
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It seems to be happening most in House/Wilson fandom atm: dark!House/Wilson, fluffy!House/Wilson, friendship!House/Wilson... etc. And the dark!House/Wilson sub-fandom hates the fluffy!House/Wilson fandom, and both !fandoms think their sub-culture is the right one, with the right idea about what canon is because they're supplanting their fanon into the canon.
But House/Cuddy fandom is starting to do it, too. There's currently two sub-cultures: the Huddy Must Have Sex Or Else sub-culture, and the We Look At House/Cuddy A Lot Deeper Than That sub-culture. And the former sub-culture is hating on the latter sub-culture for "harshing their squee", and the latter are hating on the former because we think they're a bunch of annoying fuckwits with all their self-entitled shrieking.
AHAHAHA, IT'S LIKE SOME KIND OF REVOLUTION GONE WRONG. LEFT-WING AND RIGHT-WING FANDOM EXTREMISTS, lmao lmao.
And yeah. That's the other thing that bugs me about the whole "THEY NEED TO HAVE SEX RIGHT NOW OR ELSE" attitude. I mean, sure. I'm totes not gonna complain if/when we see House and Cuddy get freaky. But what a lot of people seem to do is completely forget all about the characters' personalities and their baggage that they have with other characters, in order to plug their Character X/Character Y Must Have Sex mantra. Like, House/Wilson fans, for example. A lot of them don't even seem to keep in mind the kind of relationship House and Wilson have. Same goes for the House/Cuddy fans. And the House/Cameron fans. Why? Because they're supplanting their fanon with canon.
Nnnrgh d;dfgsdfg. And ALL OF THIS has amounted to the utter disunity of this whole fandom. There's simply no community to it anymore. And I miss that. I miss the way people ENJOYED discussing things with each other. Now it's like guerrilla warfare, lmao. PEOPLE LURKING IN THE FANDOM BUSHES, READY TO AMBUSH AT ANY MOMENT THE SECOND A FOREIGN FANDOMER ENTERS THEIR TERRITORY.
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From what I've seen, these characters (I'm going to pick on the House/Cuddy crazies at the moment, because that's where I've seen in terms of a reflection of actual canon recently) have ceased to be characters. There's been a lot of talk lately about whether or not OMG!TEH SEX is going to be real or a hallucination (I have my feelings about that issue, but will leave them out, because we're not talking about that). I've seen several House/Cuddy "shippers" say things like: "I don't even care if it's a hallucination, as long as I get to see the sex." "I just want to see them all naked and sweaty with each other." Etc., etc. And when I continually see comments like that, I think, "Why the hell don't you people just go and watch porn? Just picture House and Cuddy's faces, that's all." Because it really doesn't seem to matter who the characters are. I mean, really who they are. Character traits, development, other circumstances. None of it matters. The characters don't matter, the plot doesn't matter, the themes don't matter. None of it. All some people want to see is the softcore porn. That's the worst reason I've ever, ever heard for wanting and hoping and praying for two characters to fuck. And I know not everyone is like that, but those kinds of comments flood forums and comms and even those little comment pages in spoiler articles. It...kind of sickens me, honestly. It makes me hope that all those people just get their damn way so it can be over. But then, they'll just start harping on when they'll get to fuck again. And all those people who now say, "I've been waiting for five years for House and Cuddy to have sex" (as if that's something to be proud of and aspire to, admit that all you've waited for is for two characters to have a roll in the hay), will just move on to saying, "I can't wait until they do it again, and we get to see even more the next time". *rolls eyes* I don't even want to think about the ridiculous outrage if the sex itself isn't like in your face or if people don't see as much as they thought they would. The entitlement bullshit will fly.
Ugh, sorry. Ranting again. Anyway, but yes, the disunity is terrible. I love that I can still have some great discussions with and talk to lots of people on my f-list, but it's sad that I can't go do it in more "public" forums, you know? I just feel like I'd get cut down or ignored as soon as I tried. =\
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Seriously. Fandom is like customer service. IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW WRONG THE CUSTOMER ACTUALLY IS, THEY'LL INSIST THEY'RE ALWAYS RIGHT and there's nothing you can do about it except smile politely while silently wishing for someone to punch them in the face for you.
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...and now everything is ONLY about sex. Way to cheapen and make shallow very complex characters and relationships. I probably don't even need to tell you this, but that is has been my beef with fandom and the media this season. That has been what's single-handedly stopped me from enjoying much of the season, because I know how "shippers" would react to everything--I could hear it in my head and it pissed me off, and I know it shouldn't but it did, and it still does--and how much stupid attention it would get from people like Ausiello. It's so fucking ridiculous. It really does cheapen it. So much. And it's hard to really get down to what's at the heart of these arcs now, because all of that shit is getting slung around, so you have to dig through all of that first. It's fucking tiring. And the only times I can even think clearly about it is when I step far, far back, and talk to people like you and Chippers here. Respectful people. Intelligent people who can actually think and listen. God. It's so hard to come by in fandom these days.
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Remember Season Two? During that season on the show, Sex = Death! LOLOL
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HAHA! Maybe if it still did, shippers would think twice before demanding it, LOL.
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I feel like a huge snob when I say that I wish there could somehow be a qualifying questionnaire that let's people "in". For the sane and reasonable only, please. Crazy, insane, unreasonable shippers need not apply. Bashers need not apply. People who feel they're entitled to things on the show definitely need not apply.
The part of the audience is to view, observe, interpret, take in, complete the artistic "conversation" that goes on between creator and...receiver. We don't have a "say" and it's my opinion that an audience should never have a "say" in how a television show progresses, ever. (I've had conversations about this with others, and I've come across both agreement and disagreement, but I still hold to it.) I don't believe that writers or creators (of any art form or creative process, really) should consult (directly or indirectly) an audience or a part of an audience for direction. They collaborate with a certain set of people to create this work, and that set should never include the audience. I don't understand how fans in particular don't understand how this creative process works, or how they don't understand their part in it. The audience has every right to disagree, or analyze and uncover inconsistencies etc., and members of an audience can hope or want or wish (hopefully, based on what's previously been shown to them, not on ridiculous fantastical notions of fulfilling some kind of pairing kink or whatever) for things to happen, but they shouldn't believe they're entitled to it in some way. It's just absurd. It's that sense of entitlement that bothers the hell out of me.
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My long-winded way of saying I'm with you here. Thanks for being sane and awesome.
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Exactly. I have no idea what fandoms were like before the dawn of the internet, but surely show runners didn't have to listen to the wank that David and Katie have to deal with now. The great thing about Web 2.0 is that now people have more of a voice than they ever did before. Unfortunately, the sucky thing about Web 2.0 is that people think they should have a voice in everything. The only place where television is a democracy is American Idol and barely even then.
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I just wish that sometimes I could discuss episodes in a more general way. I love the focus on House/Cuddy, but although they are my main 'ship, that's never been all that the show is about for me. The major comms result in a bitchfest whenever you say anything more profound than OMG SQUEE and it's disheartening to see 4 pages of comments with people arguing about how they're disappointed by hypothetical sex before it even happens. Meanwhile, the show is being artful and the writing is deepening the complexity of these amazing and difficult relationships, chat about which seems to get lost in the ether.
I've even noticed a discriminatory vibe in the actor/actress fandoms, you have to be either a Hugh fan or a Lisa fan. God forbid you mention Lisa in a post about Hugh or vice versa. Now, I may be in love with Lisa but that doesn't mean I'm not totally bowled over by Hugh as an actor and personality. It's just creeping in everywhere and I'm tired of having to 'pick sides' just to have a conversation. What happened to a plurality of ideas?
Also, I am a snob and a bad person because when I read those 'entitlement' posts about how and when House & Cuddy MUST DO IT OR ELSE, it's always like, the lamest idea ever. Bwahaha.
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So thank you for this.
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Second of all, I agree with you, shipping has dominated the fandom. I don't know how some people just watch this amazing show just for their ship, as I love House/Cuddy & House/Wilson interactions, I do appreciate well-writing episodes like the last one with an huge amount of Cameron/Chase.
I cannot understand how people waste, I don't know, one and a half season complaining about the lack of Cameron or Chase, Amber's death, House/Cuddy relationship, 13, Foreman, yadda, yadda, yadda. Oh God, they really hate almost everything about the show, why are they still watching it? I don't get it. Well, now I'm being intolerant, people can do whatever they want, but the whining is so much.
(BTW, I'm one of these people who thinks that no matter if the House/Cuddy sex is real: seeing a little bit of House's subconscious once in a while is great.)
As a side note: I love the flailing so badly, I can't help my self, the totally non-sense key smash is wonderful when you have a whole week talking about politics, Machiavelli & stuff.
That's all, & thanks for this.
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Oh God, they really hate almost everything about the show, why are they still watching it? I don't get it. Well, now I'm being intolerant, people can do whatever they want, but the whining is so much.
I agree. If someone wants to take up an hour of their week watching something which only makes them angry, fine, it's their life, but why then come online and complain about it for hours at a time? That wastes even more time!! :)
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Internet fandom exists for squee and criticism. But too often these days, in every segment of this crazy place, constructive criticism seems to be replaced by borderline if not full on temper tantrums, and squeeing looks more like the bashing of characters, actors, show runners, and fans. No wonder people are leaving.
I know that I'm days late from your original day of rant, but I've been trying to find someone, anyone who has been feeling the exact same way regarding this fandom. Lately, I've been feeling disheartened regarding the way people have been reacting to this show, either directly from the episodes or through the spoilers. In HHOW's episode posts, I made a point to read every post, but now it's difficult to do because it's not very enjoyable. I really, really appreciate reading your take on the show and I can name a small few like Boffle. But on the other side, I can also name posters who I HATE to read. I consider myself a House/Cuddy fan, but I'm foremost a fan of the show. The reason I watch this show is because of House and the way he interacts with EVERYONE. So it's really trying to read the negativity that keeps pouring out of the threads and it seems it's mostly based on ships. I think I can say the last few days on the spoiler thread was the same people saying the same thing. And why is there bitterness for things that haven't been shown yet or maybe won't be even shown? If you rile yourself up regarding a spoiler that one fears has to do with a hated ship, then you won't enjoy the show WHILE you are watching it. And it's usually the anti-shippers of any pair who have the sharper eye regarding a certain scene that had nothing to be shippy about in the first place. Please don't think me crazy or rude for butting in your post, but I just wanted to express my happiness that I've found someone who STILL likes this show and can still have a discussion. Thanks again!
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When people post about the episodes, sometimes they make genuinely constructive criticisms about the quality of the writing, acting, and what not, and that is perfectly acceptable and a really helpful way to help frame the entire episode in one's mind. But, more often than not, as you said, it's based on ships. The Cuddy hate I've seen of late is sad. I personally think that the Cuddy we see today is the same Cuddy of S1 and 2, except that we've been allowed to watch her grow and we now know more of the motivation behind her reasoning with House. It's the same motivation that's probably always been there, but now that people see it, they hate it. They say she's worse person for it. Well, whatever. It's a TV show. Do I sometimes wish more of Cuddy's scenes these days were more professionally-based than "romantically"-based? Sure, but to be honest that's mostly because I'm sick of the wank that goes on otherwise.
I'm foremost a fan of the show.
Same here. I completely get that some people will always love Wilson/RSL and Cameron/Jennifer Morrison and Cuddy/Lisa Edelstein more than they love House/Hugh Laurie. Fine. Awesome. But, because of that "love," to demand that TPTB do more with them, or refuse to watch if they're not there, or refuse to watch scenes when there is interactions with other characters is in my mind ludicrous. Or, more succinctly, to feel the need to tell the entire world this fact. Repeatedly. It's grating.
Please don't think me crazy or rude for butting in your post
Never! That's the entire reason it's here. :)
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The Cuddy hate I've seen of late is sad. I personally think that the Cuddy we see today is the same Cuddy of S1 and 2, except that we've been allowed to watch her grow and we now know more of the motivation behind her reasoning with House.
I can't agree with you more regarding this statement. I too believe she's the same Cuddy as season 5 Cuddy. I hate it when I read people commenting over and over that they want season 1-2 Cuddy back. She's right there. I think I've seen the earlier seasons so many times over when it first aired, but what's weird is that it's hard for me to watch it now, especially when I see reruns on TV. It's almost difficult for me to go back to where the characters were from where they are now. They've all grown in my opinion. And I love that it's been planted from the beginning.
But, because of that "love," to demand that TPTB do more with them, or refuse to watch if they're not there, or refuse to watch scenes when there is interactions with other characters is in my mind ludicrous. Or, more succinctly, to feel the need to tell the entire world this fact. Repeatedly. It's grating.
YES! How about when they have to tell you that they're going to fast forward the scene when a certain character comes on? Or because based on certain spoilers it would be either Thirteen centric or Cameron centric or Cuddy centric so they're going to skip this one? Huh?! How can you enjoy the show then, especially when it's just based on spoilers?! What's been annoying me lately has been the fans that don't want a House/Cuddy scene in the final just because it's written by Doris Egan. I think she's a great writer, but I think the other writers are just as great. Just because she writes House/Wilson well, doesn't mean she can't write the other characters. Isn't that insulting to her talent as a writer? I personally think she doesn't or shouldn't have a property stamp on all the House/Wilson interactions. The property stamp belongs to David Shore. And I love him for creating this show!