FANGASM: FINAL FANDOM

The final episode of Fangasm aired at midnight on Tuesday, October
22.  Midnight is the end of one day and the beginning of the next,
which is a decent metaphor for this episode.

The finale focused on the launch party for Stan Lee’s Comikaze and
the last chance for the seven interns to impress company CEO Regina
Carpinelli before she made her decision as to which intern would be
offered a full-time position.  From where I sat, every one of the
interns stepped up to get the party set up and to make sure it ran
smoothly.  The only blip was that the party started a little late,
but I blame that on the show’s producers manufacturing phony drama
by giving the interns a ridiculously tight deadline.  They should
have been prepping the party area from the start of the day and not
mere hours before its start.

The most impressive interns were Dani Snow and Sal Fringo.  Given
a chance to party at the party, Dani kept her eye on the Tardis and
the guest gifts contained within.  Sal shone on two occasions, the
first when he figured out how to change a tire and the second when
he figured out where a missing piece of equipment was and made sure
it got to the party on time. 

Molly McIsaac was a dynamo of energy, albeit a little pushy.  Paul
Perkins didn’t stand up for himself during a dispute about how to
place party elements, even though he had experience with parties
of this nature.  Andrew Duvall, Kristin Hackett and Mike Reed all
worked hard with Mike proving himself to be an effective greeter
for the event.

After the party, the interns went back to the house for their last
night and morning there.  Bittersweet moments with some drama from
Molly, some cuddling between Dani and Sal and an sense that these
seven had become friends through this shared experience.  The next
day would be their last at Comikaze and they would learn which of
them would be offered a full-time job with the company.

Before I get into that part of the show, I want to talk a bit about
Molly.  She hasn’t come off well in these commentaries of mine, but
I got the feeling she wasn’t well liked by the show producers...and
that they tried to show her in the worst light whenever possible.
That anti-Molly vibe is definitely present in the episode summaries
found on the Syfy Channel website.  Maybe she is as hard to take as
she appeared on the show, but she was clearly passionate about most
of the work and, in her own, perhaps sometimes misguided way, tried
to push herself to be the best intern.

Regina does an individual interview with each of the interns.  Dani
is first up. For most of the series, she’s been the one I thought
was the best of the bunch.  She’s personable, hard-working, ready
to learn and not overly distracted by celebrities.  When asked who
should get the job if she doesn’t, Dani names Kristin.

Sal started out as a goofball, but he improved considerably by the
end of the series.  He needs to spruce up his attire - says the old
guy who works in his pajamas - but I think he’d have been a decent
hire.  His choice for the job: Dani.

Kristin describes herself as organized and driven.  I think if she
had been able to come out from Molly’s shadow more and show off her
strengths, I would have rated her higher.  If Regina had a second
opening, Kristin would get my vote.  Her choice: Molly.

Mike, Andrew, and Paul aren’t particularly impressive in the one-
on-one.  Paul mentions his attention to quality in the work he had
done and I think it’s a plus.  But he had some social awkwardness
around some celebrities and I think that hurt his chances.  Their
picks for the job, respectively, were Molly, Dani or Paul, and, of
course, Kristin.  I think the interns got to see more of Kristin’s
abilities than the viewers did.

Molly was the last interview and, unfortunately, didn’t handle it
well.  She bad-mouthed the other interns, though Regina saw herself
in Molly.  Her choice for the job: Dani.

Regina picks Dani, which I think was the right call.  Molly wanted
the job badly and reacts emotionally, though I think she was glad
for Dani.  I also think Molly is determined to make the most out of
the next opportunity that comes her way...and I don’t doubt there
will be a next opportunity.

I want nothing but the best for all these young people.  I laughed
out loud at the little we were shown of Andrew’s standup routine.
I’ll repeat my early suggestion that Syfy put together some sort of
“Comedians of Fandom” special with comics doing routines based on
comics, anime, cosplay and the like. 

Molly and Dani both had swell ideas for comic-book heroines and I
hope they pursue those projects.  Mike’s teen mom super-hero would
make for a good comic book if he could come up with some original
stuff around the concept.

I hope Sal pursues his love of building props and such.  I see him
as a better fit in the workshop than in an office.

I don’t have any specific notions for Kristin, Mike and Paul, but
I wish them the best in their future endeavors.

At the end of the day, or, as it turns out, the series, I like all
seven interns.  I’d be happy to meet them at a convention down the
road and I hope they keep viewers informed on their post-Comikaze
lives.  As Stan Lee would say...excelsior!

I’ll be back on Monday with more stuff.

© 2013 Tony Isabella