don't be dull, be fannish

Obsession: I'm glad that, before the show was canceled, the writers were smart enough to answer the main question: Who killed Chris' wife and son. I so didn't expect it to be someone like that.

But what was most memorable about the whole thing? That it lead to the first severe conflict between Chris and Vin. It started with Chris' decision to stay with Ella - man, Vin was so angry! His expression, his head shake... And I can't believe that Chris didn't trust Vin. His "I'll forget you said that" was... ouch! Vin's face. I so cringed when he told Chris that in that case, he would be leaving in the morning. Ouch, ouch, ouch! But he did come back and he got so angry when Chris was shot. But their last talk... I still had the feeling that Vin was mighty pissed at Chris. If Chris hadn't been so blind, they wouldn't have gotten almost killed, all of them!

I now understand why there are so many Chris&Vin codas to this ep, Chris ruffled Vin's feathers pretty good. Of the six, I think Vin was the most furious. Never, NEVER before had Chris doubted his word. And then he chose Ella over him, even if just for a moment. I think it broke something between them. After all, Vin was the only one who wanted to leave...

And Buck's romance with Hilda was so sweet... What he told her before she died, I actually had tears in my eyes...

One thing, though - why was Mary so pissed? It felt like Chris' decision somehow personally affronted her. Why? He has never shown her more than a passing interest, even congratulated her on her engagement. Why was she pissed at him? I just can't imagine these two as a couple.

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I'm done watching Mag7 - and I feel all kinds of crushed. It's such an amazing little show, I could start watching it from the beginning again.

For those, who have never seen the show, here are at least the opening credits: link.

My favorite scenes were with Chris&Vin and Buck&JD, the actors and the characters clicked perfectly. I was glad that the show wasn't all doom and gloom, in every episode there was humor that balanced out the grimness...

I'm actually glad that the show didn't have a proper ending. Because there was only one way it could've ended - with the seven going their separate ways. And I'm glad we didn't get to see that. As it is, we can imagine them staying together for as long as we want to: weeks, months, years... Their separation was inevitable from the beginning, but we can decide ourselves where they will end.

My perfect ending? Chris and Vin leave together to hunt down Ella Gaines and try to somehow clear Vin's name - I mean, they are the only ones out of the seven with something hanging over their heads. JD marries Casey and becomes a real lawman in Four Corners, together with Buck who wouldn't leave his young friend. Ezra opens a successful establishment in San Francisco and marries Li Pong. Josiah becomes a preacher again, for real, hangs up his colt and all. Nathan marries Raine and becomes the doctor in her village.

My favorite fic genre? Gen, in this case. Mag7 slash is mostly locked in the Blackraptor adult archive, so it's hard to rec. But slashy pairings? Chris/Vin and Josiah/Vin. Yeah, as you may have noticed, I have a weakness for Vin.

And that was my Mag7 marathon... Man, I so want start watching it from the beginning again! *hands*

Achilles: A JD episode. I felt so, so sorry for him - and for the girl, of course. But as Buck kept repeating, that could've happened to anybody. I just loved how supportive Buck was. When JD decided to leave, Buck was crushed. His "You're my friend, what am I gonna do without you?" broke my heart. But the last part was awesome, how JD killed Achilles!

And Vin was tracking again, ha! I loved the part where he admitted to Mary that he really did not know how to read and asked her to teach him. That was beautiful.

And Ezra was a jerk again. I wanted to punch him when he started laughing in Vin's face. He was lucky that Vin didn't know how to hold a grudge. But Vin did have a laugh at Ezra's expense though, when Ezra lost all his clothing in a poker game. That was funny. And my, my, does Ez have an awesome body or what? Still, I'm not a fan of the conman, seriously. He has some redeeming qualities but overall, he's a jerk.

Penance: A Josiah episode. And partially Nathan's too - he and Raine are... weird. I'm not sure I like Raine all that much. Oh, don't get me wrong, I did like that she came to clear up things with Nathan. But! She told him that her village wanted her to marry a guy they had chosen for her - on the other hand, she kept telling Nathan that it was not the reason why she came. I don't know, it felt really... like she didn't know what she wanted :( But honestly? I think that if the show had lasted longer, Nathan would have left in the last episode and went to Raine.

But back to Josiah. I was surprised that Chris didn't stick with him. He kept saying that they didn't know much about Josiah etc. and I was so happy that Vin was adamant about Josiah's innocence. He was convinced that Josiah did not do it, no matter the evidence. Stubborn like a mule, he made Chris stand up for Josiah too. That was awesome, how determined Vin was to clear Josiah's name.

And Josiah's backstory. 'Ouch' doesn't even begin to cover it. And I'm glad that he told Vin. Their last scene was awesome, so intimate. I would've liked to see more scenes with these two characters.

In this ep, there were really unusual "pairings", as in Chris was partnered with Nathan and JD, Ezra with Buck and Vin with Josiah. Usually, it's Chris with Vin, Buck with JD, Josiah with Nathan and Ezra is usually... out there, doing his thing. I'm glad that they are mixing things up a bit as the show goes. Oh, don't get me wrong, Chris and Vin's scenes are my favorite, but I really do like all the characters and their interactions reveal new things about them.

Oh, and I find it a bit funny that Chris was so unforgiving when JD shot the girl and he had no trust in Josiah's innocence, but when Vin was arrested for murder, Chris didn't doubt him one bit. Or when Vin fought for Chanu - Chris yelled at Buck for doubting Vin. Or when Vin ran away with that married woman - Chris had his back the whole time. Hehe, he really does have a soft spot for Vin ;)

The Wagon Train 1&2: Ah, the (in)famous Charlotte... Vin fell pretty hard for her, didn't he? Do you think she was THE one for him? I don't know. I think he loved the idea of her more than the real her. I mean, it was pretty much established that Vin had a soft spot for women in peril. Charlotte obviously didn't know what she wanted. And I was glad that Vin realized it in the end and that it was he who ended their affair. I mean, she kept saying how she wanted to run away with him but she was more concerned about her husband than about Vin. I mean, I kinda understood her too, as she said, her husband changed a lot after their daughter had died, still... I don't know. I do think that if her husband hadn't treated her like dirt, Vin wouldn't have noticed her in the first place.

I loved that Chris was trying to watch Vin's back throughout the episode, that he tried to talk some sense into him. And when Charlotte's husband swore to kill Vin, I LOL'd at Chris "Oh, boy..." Vin really knows how to pick them, doesn't he? Another thing I loved was the part where Chris asked if Vin was staying for good, if Chris could count on him again. And then, at the end, when he asked if Vin was really okay. Aww, I love their friendship so much!

I LOL'd at Josiah and that clingy widow. And at Buck and JD's antics.

Oh, and Chris and Mary... I wonder if it was the actor's decision or the writer's/director's, but Chris acted really cool and unfazed when Mary told him that she was getting married. Chris was honestly happy for her. I think this pretty much killed any notion of Chris/Mary for me. IMHO, they are good friends but there's no true love, at least not on his part. I think he'll forever love his wife.

My favorite part? When Vin was caught in that explosion and Chris picked him up and made sure that he was really okay. Vin's "I feel better than I look." Aww...

The New Law: I really liked Mary in this one. Why didn't they write her this strong from the get-go? I loved the part where she interviewed the marshal and he told her that women shouldn't work or have the right to vote or drink, and she told him she would show him what she thought of his principles and gulped down a whole bottle of beer! Ha! That was awesome.

And the funniest part was, when Josiah asked God to give him a sign - and the village dog started barking! And Josiah turned his eyes up and asked, "You find it funny, don't you?" Or something along the lines. That was hilarious!!!

Sins of the Past: Poor Vin. I loved the episode, but poor Vin. Now he won't be able to prove his innocence anymore, he'll be a wanted man forever. Ouch. But I did love that he didn't blame Chris for killing Eli, that he accepted that Chris did it to save his life. I mean, Chris and the others were feeling bad enough as it was, their expressions... They all knew that Vin's last chance to prove his innocence was gone.

My favorite scene was the one in the jail, when Vin was raving about how he should have never stayed, how he should have moved on and found Eli, when he told Chris that he wasn't afraid of dying but he didn't want to hang for something he didn't do - and Chris promised him that he wouldn't, that he, Chris, would make sure of that. And when Vin told him no, that Chris should stay away from the whole thing, that if Chris got tangled up with the marshals, he would hang too - and Chris just looked at him and walked away. That was AWESOME!

Or the scene where the marshals were taking Vin away and the others could only watch, knowing that Vin's fate was now in Chris' hands...

I know that the part with Buck and the pregnant girl and with Ezra and his mother should've been comic relief but honestly? I felt sorry for both of them. Especially for Ezra. His mother ruined him just because she could, to teach him a lesson.

Also, it really felt like they were trying to pair everybody up, what with the appearance of Mary, Casey, Inez...

Nemesis: I'm glad that Buck stuck with Chris. The scene where he reminded Chris just how much he had liked Sarah and especially Adam was so cool. Yeah, sometimes, Chris really needs a kick in the head.

Jock Steele. LOL! I loved Buck's "Good God Almighty!" when Jock caught up with them outside Purgatory. And that Vin called him "little feller" XD

But, honestly, for me this show stands and falls with Vin. Don't get me wrong, I love all the seven, they are all unique in their very own way and that's why they work together perfectly. But Vin...

Not only is Eric Close gorgeous, I love his character: quiet and unassuming, reliable and always there when you need him. Oh, and a perfect shot - not for nothing do the guys use him as a sharpshooter and he's usually portrayed as a sharpshooter in AU fics.

And in this ep... First he shot one of the fleeing guys, then he tracked them to Purgatory and then he recognized Cletus Fowler in the photograph.

BTW, another bad guy called Fowler. LOL!

One Day Out West: I thought it was a nice touch to have Robert Vaughn, Lee from the old Mag7 movie, play Judge Orrin Travis here - he's the only one of the original Mag7 still alive, right? Of the actors, I mean.

I loved the scene with Chris a Vin in the saloon. Vin was determined to leave for Tascosa in the morning and when Chris couldn't persuade him to stay longer, he just decided to go with him. Sweet! And this is the scene, I guess, that inspired many fanfics - the tidbit that Vin's the only one who can call Chris 'cowboy' without Chris going ballistic.

And I laughed when Buck tried to convince JD not to be a sheriff. That scene was so funny! Dale Midkiff has a great comedy talent! Another funny scene was the one with Nathan and Josiah on the roof of the church.

But I don't like Mary Travis. I'm sorry but she's just annoying. She judges people, she sticks her nose where it doesn't belong... She's very irritating. I don't know if it's the character or the way Laurie Holden's playing it - she seems on the verge of tears all the time, anxious, nervous...

Working Girls: Is it just me or is it always Vin who does the risky stuff? I mean, seriously, the wagon ride was... Wow! Oh, and I just love how completely unaffected Vin was by the prostitutes. Everybody else was all wink wink, nudge nudge, even Chris had this little smirk on his face, and Vin was all politely disinterested. It was actually pretty funny.

Ezra in drag! The way he pushed up his 'breasts' and plumped up his 'bottom'... LOL!

And Mary and her small-mindedness again. And Mary in peril *head/desk*

But I loved the background info on Buck, that his mother had been a prostitute. I loved his respect for the 'working girls', how courteous he was and that he considered his mother a saint. Loved that. But his attempts to get JD in a sack with one of them were hilarious XD

Yes, Mag7, the short-lived TV show, was quite slashy and spawned many awesome fics, both gen and slash - and also one of the most amazing and wide spread AU in any fandom, the ATF!

I've never been a part of the fandom per se, but I read a lot of fics. My favorite character? Vin, of course. My favorite slash pairing? Chris/Vin. Not only were the characters incredibly slashable, Michael Biehn and Eric Close had amazing chemistry. And fanfic authors in this fandom loved to hurt Vin, so there's a huge amount of hurt!Vin/comforting!Chris fics out there, exactly the stuff I love.

What I never understood was the appeal of Ezra. Sure, I did like him a lot and I read the occasional Ezra/Vin story too, but the Ezra character itself? Meh. Never got the why people were so bonkers about him.

But Chris/Vin... Wow, I'm still smitten *swoons*

* Another bubble show canceled: New Amsterdam this time...

* How come that "Jim C. Hines" isn't an LJ interest? Did nobody here on LJ read his awesome "Goblin" series? *wibbles*

* ladyjanelly finished her awesome CWRPS AU "In From the Cold"! Jared works at a free clinic, Jensen is a homeless guy...

* OMG! Did you see the DVD sale Amazon's having? Stargate: Atlantis for 25 bucks a season (already ordered S1 and S2)! Stargate: SG-1 for 19.99! The Sentinel, S1 for 20 bucks! Charmed for 20 bucks too! The Pretender for 20! 21 Jump Street for 15 bucks! I want! I want! I want!

* It always surprises me how many people like Ezra on The Magnificent Seven! I am a Vin girl all the way. Although lately, I don't care if he's paired up with Chris or Ezra in slash fics. Though the gen stories about Chris and Vin bonding, about their awesome friendship always floor me *rolls in the pretty*