Feeling Abandoned

[Windflwr]

I, like some others of you, have really been struggling with this season of BATB. Many things have already been said and re-hashed to death, I know, so I'm probably repeating some of that, but until now I've been fairly quiet. Trying to wait. Trying to stay hopeful. But the latest news from BK just turns my stomach. They are going to continue down the road they've been going and truthfully, the show I love is all but gone.

We all obviously don't agree, but I know this is a place where I can pour out my concerns and still feel loved. We all came together because we love this show. But now there is quite a rift between fans - those who love season 2 and those who don't. I've been a loyal fan since I started watching in season 1. And while I can't say I'm the best tweeter, I have participated in nearly every campaign they've had for the show by writing letters, voting, sending books, sending roof notes, voting, doing video greetings, sending my photos, (did I mention voting?), even writing music and spending hundreds of hours writing fan-fics just for the love of BATB.

I just read an article on one of the websites that regularly writes about BATB, and you could see from the comments that the fans are extremely divided between the happy and the disappointed. I'm definitely on the disappointed side. In fact, I feel, as many who commented do, that the writers and producers basically abandoned their season 1 fans. Whoever made the ultimate decision to fundamentally change the show (and characters) did so at the risk of losing many dedicated, original fans.

While I understand those who wish to remain hopeful and even those who appreciate what the new show offers, I feel abandoned. The CW does not care about me; my opinion doesn't matter to them; I am a casualty of ratings/greed. Small or big, I've played a role in getting them this season and possibly the next, as many of you have. What's worse is the I also feel many of the fans who like season 2 also don't care about me or the people who loved season 1 and can't let go of that. They say things like, 'you need to move on,' or 'get over it' or even 'stop watching.' Not necessarily here on this forum, but in many places I've seen. Disappointed fans are still fans - some have been extremely instrumental in keeping the show on the air. To dismiss their feelings so easily is harsh and unfair. We're not trying to tear down the show - we just don't understand and wish there was some way we could have a voice about it. But no one seems to want the unhappy fans to say anything to the showrunners, writers or cast. But if we don't, how will they know how we really feel? Just sending them happy notes does nothing to solve the problem (not that it can be solved, at this point, I realize).

I just wish there was a venue where we all could have an honest dialog with Sheri Cooper or Jennifer Levin about why they have made some of the decisions they've made for the show. Were they forced into it by the network? Are they happy with how everything has gone down or do they have doubts themselves? How do they really feel about so many upset fans and potentially losing them? Why have they insisted on going with the Vincent/Tori and Cat/Gabe story lines when they KNOW how we feel about it? WHY did they abandon their tenants of 'he will never hurt me' and 'you always do the right thing?' and, basically, epic love? Do they truly believe there was no other way to keep the show on the air? Did they honestly have no other choices than those?

Help me out. Is there any way we can respectfully talk with them about it?

Can someone tell me the address to write to Cooper or Levin?

[crazyforbatb_has season 3]

Hi Windflwr
What news did you hear about BatB and the direction the season is going in?

[Windflwr]

Feb 1, 2014 21:26:10 GMT -5 crazyforbatb_has season 3 said:

Hi Windflwr
What news did you hear about BatB and the direction the season is going in?

Nothing more specific than the persistence of the Cat/Gabe relationship arc and Vincent and Catherine taking longer to get back to VinCat than we were led to believe, Vincent having his memories back but it not really mattering, etc.

[Deleted]

Hey hun. Just because you don't like this season or where the show is headed doesn't mean you aren't a fan. I am against labelling because if we are either voicing our concerns or our enjoyment about the show, we obviously care. All of us here are passionate fans, whether we are happy or whether we're sad. My only hope is that the future episodes really make a turn around where we are all satisfied and rejoicing. Personally, I get upset when I read how disappointed people are this season, not because their views upset me but because they are sad. I really really hope that things get better soon and that we all are here rejoicing when our VinCat fall in love again and share their 'first' kiss. I hope that the writers redeem Vincent's character in the eyes of those who see no hope for him.

I know that Jen and Sherri have twitter accounts but not sure they read all the tweets. Also, nearly everyone on twitter have great things to say about this season so it's no wonder that the writers think they are pleasing everyone.

I really hope I could help you find someone who is able to hear your concerns and take into account your views and disappointment.

This is such a great fandom. Each and every one of us is a loyal and true fan whether we are happy or disappointed.

But please hun never feel that you are abandoned. Always voice your opinions freely and I really hope that the remaining eps give your heart reason to beat wildly again

[Deleted]

Feb 1, 2014 21:59:08 GMT -5 Windflwr said:

Feb 1, 2014 21:26:10 GMT -5 crazyforbatb_has season 3 said:

Hi Windflwr
What news did you hear about BatB and the direction the season is going in?

Nothing more specific than the persistence of the Cat/Gabe relationship arc and Vincent and Catherine taking longer to get back to VinCat than we were led to believe, Vincent having his memories back but it not really mattering, etc.

My biggest disappointment so far has been the whole Vincent memory loss and how it has been handled. I hate that we have to 'assume' that he has all his memories back. I wanted V to fall in love with C first THEN get his memories back.

As for G/C, I hate that C has even given Gabe a thought. I would have liked to see her meet someone else, not fall in love but just to make V teeny weeny bit jealous. I think that the pics we saw are either meant to rile us up or are part of V's nightmare. Either that or I hope just before the eeewwww kiss happens Vincent throws a huge snowball at Gabe that knocks him unconscious

[Deleted]

Dear windflwr, I feel your pain and I wish I had solutions to offer. If I knew where Jennifer and Sherri lived, I would bring them cookies, as they did with KK, (and a bottle of wine to loosen their tongues), and have a sit down session with them to try to come to the bottom of all the questions you have, which are my questions too.
Are you feeling abandoned by the fandom or primarily by the show runners? Because I hope you know that you are very much loved and respected in this forum. 
I have felt, for quite some time now, that Sherri and Jennifer no longer have much of a say with the show. Given all the things they said at the beginning and throughout the first season, I do not see how the new season could be in keeping with their vision. Even KK and JR spoke about collaborating during the first season, clearly that seems to have ended too. (i'm basing this on comments they made at one of the Comic Cons.) 
If someone can offer us an avenue to follow, you can count on my support. For now, join us on the SS Hopeful; we will never abandon you.

[Windflwr]

I guess I felt "tricked" into accepting the first few eps of the season with promises that things would turn around. We're still getting those promises, but the time to show our outrage is past. There really isn't much left to do at this stage other than accept it or move on now because it's too late, and that is the real tragedy to me. The "old" show (season1) is simply gone.

P.S., I don't feel abandoned by the people here. Everyone has been very good about listening to both sides and helping each other out. A really great place to be!

[Deleted]

Feb 1, 2014 23:38:21 GMT -5 Windflwr said:

I guess I felt "tricked" into accepting the first few eps of the season with promises that things would turn around. We're still getting those promises, but the time to show our outrage is past. There really isn't much left to do at this stage other than accept it or move on now because it's too late, and that is the real tragedy to me. The "old" show (season1) is simply gone.

P.S., I don't feel abandoned by the people here. Everyone has been very good about listening to both sides and helping each other out. A really great place to be!

Yep they spent too many episodes showing us how far gone the characters are. I hoped that they spent about 4-5 episodes 'tearing' our couple apart, then the remaining episodes showing them growing 'independently' and falling in love all over again. But like you said, they've chosen to go this route which IMO isn't all bad but not what I would have preferred. But then again, S1 didn't go the path I wanted it to either, yet it still had the power to draw me in and captivate me.

Thank you Jay and KK

[anapi -season3baby :)]

hey people - just read all the comments here. i have to be really honest about how i feel and i guess this would be the thread to do it.
my honest view is if sherri or/and jennifer were approached with concerns etc (even if by 100 fans) nothing would be done as a result. the problem is that all episodes up to 18 have now been written (i think they are currently writing 18 and filming 16). so we could say whatever we want to say, nothing will happen as a result. i also think that jennifer and sherri are not necessarily the "bosses" anymore and this does not help either.
regarding which seasons I like more - there was magic between vincat in season 1 which there is not as much now but there are other elements in season 2 which are definitely better than season 1 so i am just hopeful and trying to patiently wait for the magic to be as apparent in season 2 as it was in season 1 hoping to see this episode `13 onwards...after season 2 finishes i can draw my verdict and say which season i preferred the most. i could not do that now, midway through the season though as i said above these are my current thoughts, less vincat magic (which is obviously extremely important for us fans) and more of other things which if the vincat magic reappeared would make an amazing season 2. let's see
what is the hardest thing for me at this stage is knowing that season 3 is highly unlikely, which makes me think the writers have already decided exactly how season 2 will play out and how it will end. i for one am hopeful that many of the issues that worry beasties will be resolved in the next couple of episodes but whether they can bring the magic back, well we have to wait and see...

[Savana_ Dying for season3!]

I still think that s2 will become very much as we expect (vincat magic) and agree with Anapi that other things improved from s1. I understand and share many of the concerns I've read here, but I prefer to wait and see.
As some of you said, what is done it's done and we can't change that. We can only look forward.

I suggested few weeks ago that we should do a trending party requesting Sherri and Jennifer to be the main writters and leaders of the show IF more seasons are to come. i stand by that suggestion and think it would be heard by TPTB ... I'm all in for a trending party!!

[Deleted]

If that serves you of any consolation, I feel the same. Maybe to me, it's even harder than to most people because I feel betrayed and mislead. It's not a secret that this show only had a 2nd chance because of us. If beasties hadn't manifested the amount of passion and fighting spirit we had last season, there wouldn't be a reason for renewal. And, when the time for our reward came, I feel like there was no reward at all.

I'm not blind, I understand that the production's quality improved exponentially. I dare to say that, if the show had this quality of production in S1, we would rival TVD. Unfortunately, that's all I have to say about it.

I feel like I was tricked about supporting the show when TPTB never intended to give me anything in return because I was never their target audience. I don't really know what they expected, but to me it's really clear that the fandom that was formed on S1 wasn't the one they wanted. I feel deluded into accepting the drastic changes of S2 with empty promises. As you, by the time I realized that what I payed for wasn't what it was delivered, there was no time to demand a refund. And the company wasn't really interested on delivering the right product in 1st place.

I don't think there's anything we can do at this stage. In fact, I don't think there was anything we could have done. Period. I saw the fandom's reaction when they 1st announced “new love interests” to both Vincent and Cat. Yet, they payed little to no attention to it. The only thing they did was to change the way they referred to she-beast. But what they wanted for her never changed, as well as Gabe.

I'm particularly appalled about Levin & Cooper. In a way, I feel like they just surrendered all they had of good without any fight as soon as they realized they would be out of job. I have an opinion about it, but I would be breaking the forum's rules if I voiced it.

My main hurt is to feel that not only me, but every S1's beastie was irrelevant to the show runners. If you pay close attention, you'll see that all the other shows tried their hardest to please their audience. BatB was the only one that completely alienate theirs. It's sad and it hurts, but that's what they wanted for the show. I feel like they never wanted me.

And my question remains the same. Was it worthy to throw me away?

[Deleted]

I wish my arms were long enough to reach out to where you all are: GROUP HUG, AMIGOS!   ALL!!!!!!!!

[Windflwr]

Feb 2, 2014 9:29:57 GMT -5 @locaxbatb said:

I wish my arms were long enough to reach out to where you all are: GROUP HUG, AMIGOS!   ALL!!!!!!!!

If only that would help, @locaxbatb! You're very sweet!
To be honest, part of me wishes we didn't get them a second PCA win because that sent the wrong message, IMO. Just my opinion, of course. I also feel neither Cat nor Vincent needed to "find themselves." There was nothing wrong or smothering in their relationship last season. Cat was a strong woman whose love was also strong. She didn't give up her life for him, although they both had to make sacrifices to be together. But that's part of life and love. I agree with @vincentchandler that season 2 got better, production-wise, but at the sacrifice of so many other things. I guess I will content myself with a favorite one-season show and call it good, because season 2 is a completely different show with different characters and a different storyline. It feels good to have a place to talk about it out of the line of the episodes thread, so I encourage anyone else who just needs to vent to do it here, lol. xx

[VinCat❤Destined]

I see how everyone here is expressing your feelings and that's always been a good thing..

Now let me tell you ONE thing I know for sure ...

Sherri Cooper and Jennifer Levin even though still are exec producer's are NOT the main voices anymore.. I can assure you that they aren't happy either with the VinCat storyline and how all has been going down...So much so that I believe that if there were a season 3 they wouldn't be exec producers of the series anymore..

There's an inner riff in the fandom but also with the powers that be...
Cooper and Levin also haven't written that many episodes this season since this isn't about VinCat we know they write episodes about them...

They've written only 2 episodes this season including next week's Til Death... So they not only lost ranks but also writing VinCat and that's where the problem lies.

As much as many are disappointed for the way they 'changed' Vincent and made him unlovable the last few episodes have given me hope..

I don't expect people to stick around and watch it play out if it's that disappointing but as many have said I’ve invested many hours of watching. ..rewatching. ..voting..petitioning. ..making clips ....voting to just let this show go..

I'm not blind either to the way they messed up with Vincent and how they've erased not only Vincent memory but also the entire first season ...but like I said in a previous thread .. We can't get season one back..All we can hope for is redemption of the characters and a stronger more defined love... Epic? I dunno that word is overused.

It seems that as Catherine's family has betrayed Vincent in one way or another..TPTB have done the same with the fans who've been with them since day one..yours truly included.

[Reyna]

However, I will tell you this though, if we do miraculously see a season three in the future, “TPTB”should know now not to take the Beasties for granted again!