Post-Object Fandom by Rebecca Williams

Author:Rebecca Williams [Williams, Rebecca]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Performing Arts, Television, History & Criticism, Guides & Reviews, Social Science, Media Studies
ISBN: 9781501319983
Google: UkqvDAAAQBAJ
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Published: 2016-07-28T03:33:16+00:00

Conclusion

For these fans of Lost and The West Wing, discourses of anti-fandom are used to articulate a sense of rejection at the end of the series. They are those who have, at other times, occupied the role of more appreciative and positive fans, highlighting that ‘anti-fans must find cause for their dislike in something. This something may vary from having previously watched the show and having found it intolerable; to having a dislike for its genre, director or stars; to having seen previews or ads, or seen or heard unfavourable reviews’ (Gray 2003, 71). These posters exemplify fans who have become dissatisfied with certain aspects of the show (e.g. the writers, the storylines) and who have chosen to occupy positions of anti-fandom that are ‘performed with close knowledge of the text and yet be devoid of the interpretive and diegetic pleasures that are usually assumed to be a staple of almost all media consumption’ (Gray 2005, 842). This intimate knowledge of specific shows is highlighted by the fact that, while rejection can be seen across the two fandoms examined here, the discourses of dislike and anti-fandom are specific to each show. Thus, while West Wing fans were conscious of a split between the personal and political aspects of the show and Lost fans appeared to share a similar concern regarding the character and mystery division of their show, the latter’s issues around narrative premeditation were the most pronounced. This may well be an issue of genre – Lost’s borrowings from fantasy and science-fiction and its status as a ‘cult blockbuster’ series (Abbott 2009) always set up mysteries that it promised to resolve, whereas The West Wing’s political drama never offered such complex enigmas to its audience. However, it does demonstrate that disparate fan cultures may share broad axes of distinction and rejection, even if these are closely linked to the different implied promises set up by the producers of favourite fan objects. In the case of Lost, such disappointment did not necessarily diminish over time; in 2013, Lost’s Damon Lindelof shut down his Twitter account, allegedly in response to the ongoing negative tweets he received about the series finale (O’Brien 2013). This was, apparently exacerbated by the ending of Vince Gilligan’s drama Breaking Bad, which was widely heralded as the ‘right way’ to end a series; disgruntled Lost fans bombarded Lindelof with tweets critiquing the ending of that programme. As Lindelof (2013) himself noted, ‘my Twitter feed was pretty much a unanimous run of, “Did you see that, Lindelof? That’s how you end a show”’.

The ongoing consternation over Lost’s finale and the responses of many West Wing fans suggest that it is important to consider how some fans may, rather than displaying sadness or grief, demonstrate pleasure or relief at the end of once-beloved television shows and that they might work to distance themselves from their fandom. Furthermore, this allows broader understandings of anti-fandom and how it operates across fandoms at different times. If, indeed, ‘In the context of television

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