I Like It So Much, I Don’t Want It To Be Over
These are the words Admiral Adama used to explain why he has never finished his favorite book, and they are a beautiful peek into the pain of a man who has had too much loss in his life.
They are also words that describe many fans’ secret feelings about their favorite pop culture obsessions. For a long time I thought I was the only freak who could not bring herself to watch the final season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, or to read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows.
But I recently discovered there are millions of people out there, just like me and Bill Adama, who just can’t say goodbye to their favorite characters.
When you really love something, it is hard to watch the series finale or read the final installment because you know that after that … there is no more. It’s like how anticipation is half the fun of a vacation or a holiday, or looking forward to a party is almost as much fun as the party itself.
But because it is an ending, there is a bittersweet element as well. A sharp pain, like the death of someone who you admired from afar or loved from a distance. And since life can deliver enough death and pain on its own, it is understandable that some fans do not want to face the natural ending of their favorite characters.
Sometimes it is easier to avoid the end then it is to get creative closure, especially when the characters are ones that you have grown attached to over time. I understand why Adama would not want to read the end of his favorite book, and admire him for the sacrifice he is making by reading it nonetheless.
May 14th, 2008 at 3:36 am
[...] more fans out there are like that, and if there is not something larger at work? Perhaps, like Admiral Adama, my friends want to prolong the end. Perhaps they are not alone. So I ask the readers of this blog - are you watching [...]