Before I start writing and sharing my RNM rewatch thoughts, I wanted to post a little disclaimer of sorts.
I subscribe to this theory I read years ago (back in the days of LJ and I wish I had a link to it) that we all watch our own versions of any given show. For example, I watched The Walking Dead for years. The main character at the time was Rick. I did not watch The Rick Show. In fact, I didn’t even enjoy The Rick Show. I watched The Carol Show. I loved her in a way I thought I could never love a fictional character (I may already be worse when it comes to Alex). Whether or not Carol was treated as a main character or even present varied wildly, I watched for her. I still remember the days of season 4, when she was gone for an incredibly stressful nine episodes in a row. The Carol Show was on hiatus then, even though The Walking Dead was still airing. If and when they kill her off, The Carol Show will have been cancelled (I stopped watching a while ago though). I watched the rest of the show, but I watched it more casually. It was that show you can turn off at the end of the episode and set aside. I couldn’t set The Carol Show aside. (I also started watching The Tara Show when she appeared.)
So, how does that apply to my RNM watching?
I watch The Alex Manes Show. And sometimes The Malex Show. I love the other characters. I actually love them enough that I’d still probably watch and love the show if we had never met Alex (if they got rid of him, however, it would ruin it for me). I might even be a member of the fandom. But I watch The Alex Show. I instinctively watch the scenes for how they affect him. For how he’s feeling. For his story arc. I can step back and watch for the others and focus on their stories, but it’s not where I naturally am. I cried through the finale because of Alex and he wasn’t even on the screen. I’m that emotional disaster.
You may watch The Alex Manes Show and see everything completely differently from me. And that’s cool. I’m not going to tell you that you’re watching the show wrong (if I do, please yell at me) and I’d request the same courtesy in return.
You may watch The Liz Ortecho Show, for example. Or The Echo Show. Or any other version of the show. And that’s awesome! I’ll happily read your thoughts (when I have time because I have a whole ton of meta to read in my drafts). I’ll reblog gifsets. I may even make gifsets for you (I’m not open for requests yet to anyone but my Roswell mom friends, but that may change in the future). But that’s not the show I watch. And I hope that’s okay with you. If it’s not, well, I’m not a fan of “You’re watching this wrong”. What we’ve been given on screen is canon. Our interpretations of that canon are ours alone.
We all watch it through our own lenses and our own experiences. So I may bring up my own life experiences when I feel its relevant to explain my feelings, understanding, or interpretation of the show.
Also, I don’t write traditional meta per se. I never have. I just watch the episodes and write out my thoughts and interpretations while watching them. So I’ll discuss many storylines in each post. I’ll also probably be referencing things we’ve seen in the past and/or things we’ll see in the future (of what’s aired anyway). I’ll also probably be addressing some criticism I have of the decisions the writers have made.
Lastly, if you haven’t noticed, I tend to ramble. A lot. So, I apologize. But I promise to use the “read more” in future posts. Or, as I refer to it “the cut”. Because I may have joined tumblr a long time ago and I may be finally adapting to its medium, but I was most definitely made for LJ. See the rambling.
