When The Show Must Go On But It Doesn’t

 

I want to talk about endings. Because they are hard.

This time of the year is difficult for me. At the risk of sounding completely dramatic, I will tell you the reason.

Two words: Comic Con

Why? Why is the ongoing San Diego Comic Con (SDCC) a tough time of the year for me? That’s a whole different blog post.

Like I said, I want to talk about endings.

Specifically, I want to talk about endings right now because this happened about a couple of hours ago.

SDCC always keeps me up, owing to different time zones, as I wait to devour even the tiniest bit of video about my favourite shows/cast. It’s 3.3o am in India as I write this because I just found out that Season 8 of my most favourite show, The Vampire Diaries, is going to be its last. And then I watched this reel. Curse it, I shouldn’t have.

I cried. Like not a random sniffle and tear; I actually cried a stream. I would have bawled if it weren’t for the ungodly hour in my country. Because Comic Con to me is discovering all this cool, fun stuff about my favourite shows and a bombshell like this is hard to take.

Look, I will be honest, it’s not an absolute shocker. I knew that with Nina Dobrev’s exit and creater Julie Plec’s statement about the show going on as long as Paul and Ian want it to go on was indication enough that the end was nigh. But this damn video clip!

I am still reeling from the sudden blow dealt by Castle ending! And that show was my life! Richard Castle was (and will always be) my soulmate. Add to that no more weekly doses of Damon Salavatore and his all-consuming love for Elena? Or Damon/Stefan, Damon/Alaric, Damon/Enzo? Basically, where do I get my weekly fix (barring hiatus) of Damon Salvatore? The fuck am I supposed to do without it?

Oh yes, I know. Reruns. But like, for how many shows? I already had Castle on the list. Now I’ve got to add TVD too. And who knows, there’s still a Supernatural panel due at SDCC. What if they too announce that Season 12 is their last? Or maybe Season 13, with the whole mythology attached to the number? Even Game of Thrones is to have a mere 2 seasons more. But somehow, I am not upset about that. Same with The Big Bang Theory ending. I mean, I love these shows, I do. But Castle, The Vampire Diaries and Supernatural are like The Originals for me, you know? THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO BE IMMORTAL!

I am aware how the storylines of these three shows have been criticised lately. They are getting boring, repetitive, blah blah boohoo. I did not care. I would still watch them because I fell in love with them like you ought to fall in love. Not at once, at first sight, but gradually. When that kind of love happens, it is forever. You don’t just restrict it to one medium. You don’t give up on it because of bad storyline. I read about the characters, watched interviews, followed the cast on social media, and watched entire series not just once but twice or thrice.

How do you go from that level of obsession to zilch? How do you find another show to fill that void? Is it even possible to do so?

The worst part about a movie or a TV series ending is not that the story is over. It’s that the characters you so loved are frozen in time while the people who played them are still moving on in their lives! You see them around on social media or other TV shows, and you look for reflections of that character you loved. You scrutinize their lives, searching for even the most negligible sign of that character in their behaviour, their choices, their actions. All the while, you’re hoping that by some miracle, a reunion of sorts happens, either in person or in another show or movie, which gives you that old feeling back.

That’s what makes letting go difficult! Trust me, I tried back when White Collar ended and I had to say goodbye to Neal Caffrey, the womanizer, and say hello to Matt Bomer, who is the reason I can never muster the courage to watch A Normal Heart ever.

If it were easier, I wouldn’t have spent an hour in the dead of the night pouring my heart out in this post.

So here’s to all the shows that have ended or are going to end, leaving their fans teary-eyed and empty hearted. We wish in your case, ‘The Show Must Go On’ were true.

As for The Vampire Diaries, it breaks my heart but I honestly cannot wait for the new and final season (Premiers Oct 21st on The CW).

#TVDForever