Good Question, Mazznet!
My “handling” is the understanding that even those that seem to have negative reactions to an episode, character or moment are – in the end – reacting, and that’s fandom. Sometimes the nature of whatever connects you emotionally to a show allows for more trolling.
Shows like Lost were mystery shows, so the fandom was in crazy theory land most of the time. The reason we go so deep with speculation on Korra is that the creative team has proven they’re putting enough thought into the world-building that we can speculate based on dramatic action and “rules” of the universe (plus a healthy dose of pop-culture comparisons like last seasons many parallels to different Batman stories).
Because I’m a an of many things and I’m a geek (or nerd) in the sense that I have a completist, obsessive approach to shows, movies, music and comics that I’m into, I used to fall on the negative side of fandom. I was even part of a fan-fiction writing circle around the short-lived Heath Ledger period series ROAR that went on long after the show was cancelled.
My point is that judging fandom only hurts that fandom. People can have pretty visceral reactions to things, especially when they’ve been attaching their own emotions and experiences to it for over a year (Good ‘Ship Makkora), and who am I to tell them to care less? I’m doing the same thing they are when you come down to it, which is bridging the gap between episodes by keeping my connection to the series alive.
Tomorrow (TUES Sept 17th), Matt Patches and I will be talking about this on the third segment of our pop culture podcast OPERATION KINO (OpKino.com). It’s a 17-minute segment where we discuss the positives and negatives of TV Criticism and the fandom that surrounds it. Lots of talk of Mad Men and Breaking Bad abound.
But I think what we come down to is no matter how annoying or seemingly disrespectful fans are, they are still fans. If you actually dislike a show – like myself with Two and a Half Men – you only watch 2 or 3 episodes ever. Coming back to Korra every week and having strong opinions about Korra is fan engagement, and I try my best to treat it like a sect of fandom I can disagree with, but should never discount.
I hope that answered your question.
Thanks for listening!
-Da7e-
