Sadly, the timing of last week’s The CW’s The Winchesters didn’t celebrate All Hallow’s Eve with a special. Instead, it concerns other ghosts, but they’re not the type to be frightened over. Instead, it’s the trauma. This prequel has a lot of the classic Supernatural direction which I adored before it jumped the shark. Even though the focus is on two young adults trying to figure out what’s going on in their hometown, there’s a greater concern which I’m just waiting for the series to eventually manifest.
The Wild West vibe Dean Winchester instils as that narrator is perfect. He’s on his parents’ lives as though he were there, watching it all unfold. It’s possible Jensen Ackles will fully reprise his role. For now, he’s merely a voice as he reflects on how his mom, Mary Campbell (Meg Donnelly), has been the guiding force and the true hunter in this family.
As the pilot episode revealed, she’s motivated to keep on dealing with those monsters that go bump in the night, because her father, also a monster hunter, was trying to figure out what their master agenda is. But after John Winchester (Drake Rodger) comes home to Lawrence, Kansas, to resume a normal life, he gets caught in this conspiracy and decides it’s better to help than hide. He’s a complete neophyte, and it’ll be up to Mary to teach him.
The event showed no signs of operating at half capacity since a few days prior, the latest health protocols said it was okay to be at capacity. I firmly believe the organisers got lucky. Plus, entry to the event was perfectly handled and there was enough staff throughout the day. You walked in, showed your vaccine card and id, and you’re in. There was no bottleneck. All that was asked for is for everyone to continue wearing a face mask. Travellers from afar were enjoying other events this city offered and were unaware this event was happening. I chatted with a few who were curious about the cosplayers walking around the inlet.
The team behind this event were certainly cautious in how much should be spent advertising because all I saw around town were ads on poster cylinders. I can’t speak for newspaper or television since I didn’t look, but I feel that’s needed as this part of the world is getting back to normal and leaving the pandemic behind.
Even though there were overlaps with panels and when I had to be present for a photo op, there was plenty to see and do. I enjoyed chatting with the talents in Artists’ Alley and when there were no lineups for the celebrities, got to talk to them. Like previous years, there’s always going to be some kind of representation with the locally made television shows, namely Legends of Tomorrow, and this aspect is always appreciated. This year, it was about the latest, Superman and Lois.
The CW’s Supernatural is a strange beast. I once truly loved the show, especially the super early years. When it decided to go meta, my interest faltered. I accepted the idea of their story being chronicled by a third party and the episode, “Changing Channels” was cute. However, the later seasons lacked a certain je ne sais quoi which original creator/producer Kripke imbued into the series. He remained as a producer, but with the control in other hands, the foundations were shaky. Not every mythological figure was nicely adapted for pop culture appropriation.
When the series went too crazy meta with “The French Mistake (season six),” I did not know if I should always tune in for the next episode. Some ideas were terrific, but others, like season ten’s “Fan Fiction” just went too far; enter the Scooby-pocalypse. Originally, I just did not know about this crossover with Scooby Doo, a beloved property from my youth. Mystery Incorporated easily rivals Supernatural for its grande scheme and does it right. With a nervous finger, I finally triggered the play on the PVR with this episode.
By Sandy Sheehan (Guest Post)
(Photos used with Permission and are copyright)
Creation Entertainment is best known for hosting and having exclusive guests from certain television shows, namely Xena, Warrior Princess and Star Trek. I have been to a handful of The Next Generation events back when they were young and they have come a long way from simply spotlighting one or two stars and showing a blooper reel. These days, they are focussing on Supernatural, Riverdale and Stranger (to name a few). This for-profit company differs from most other similar events and non-profit conventions such that it tours. Most casual fans are turned off by the high price of a pass, and it is tiered (the more you pay, the better access you get). Unlike non-profit conventions, the vendor area (at least at the Seattle conventions) are minuscule, except, for the huge tables full of photos to be signed and some fandom related items.
Since they currently have the monopoly on Sam and Dean Winchester from The CW’s Supernatural, I have been to the last two they had in Seattle, WA (technically it was Bellevue). Plenty of fans go this show multiple times, and the consensus is that Seattle was the best, mostly due to the smaller size.
The variety of nerdy interests represented at Fan Expo Vancouver every year will differ. They have certainly become the crossroads of where all kinds of pop culture can converge, hence the X in their #FXV hashtag. While previous shows may feel more jam-packed than recent, this year’s event only affirms what I suspected from 2016 — this local event is getting connected with various television productions which film around the Lower Mainland of British Columbia. This event is settling into a groove most will approve and I can only imagine it will get better. Although years away, I’m sure the organizers will have something grand planned when year ten hits. But that’s four years away.
This festival moved from April to November two years ago, making the expense of staying at hotels a touch better during the offseason and offering to both exhibitors and fans a chance to rest before setting up for the next show. Epic Photo Ops deserves special mention for effectively managing the lineups for those seeking a memento with their favourite group of (or with a particular) performer.
Grant Gustin does not appear at many conventions so those hoping to meet him will have to do so at this show. As The Flash in The CW‘s flagship show, I can imagine he’s not easy to meet. To see both him and the entire STAR labs team (minus Jesse L. Martin) on stage is usually a San Diego Comic Con Hall H scale event, and fans of the show got it at Fan Expo in Vancouver, BC Canada! This panel was packed, and anyone there saw the sweet chemistry he has with Candice Patton in real life too. The star of this panel, however, was Zoe Patton, a cute canine which no doubt won many hearts. Viewers who saw this week’s episode, “When Harry met Harry,” got to understand what the Council of Wells was about, and Tom Cavanagh talked about how this segment was pieced together.
When considering the number of television and film productions going on in this corner of the world, folks hoping for a celebrity sighting will find attending this event better than to wait during a film/television shoot. A chance to interact with a star is never guaranteed when the set is a workplace. From the massive list of CW comic book based shows (Riverdale, Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl and iZombie) to movies like Deadpool 2 — which ended production the month before — just who will attend are decided months before. Attendees will have to hope there are no sudden changes the week before due to work (or family, like Stephen Amell had) obligations coming up last-minute. I’m sure there were attendees hoping to spot Ryan Reynolds or Kevin Smith (who did appear in 2016).
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Sadly, the timing of last week’s The CW’s The Winchesters didn’t celebrate All Hallow’s Eve with a special. Instead, it concerns other ghosts, but they’re not the type to be frightened over. Instead, it’s the trauma. This prequel has a lot of the classic Supernatural direction which I adored before it jumped the shark. Even though the focus is on two young adults trying to figure out what’s going on in their hometown, there’s a greater concern which I’m just waiting for the series to eventually manifest.
By Ed Sum
By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)
