TWITTER TRENDS: #SUPERNATURAL vs #FRINGE – Updated

Supernatural and Fringe fans tweeted their unique episode hash tags so hard last Friday that both topped Twitter Trends worldwide, with Supernatural’s #PartyonGarth trending at number two and Fringe’s #ChangeYourWorld at number three around the globe during the east coast broadcasts. Are there any fans more savvy about social media than these ones? It’s a pity that their shows compete in the same time slot on Friday nights. I watch both Vancouver-filmed TV series, but have been live-tweeting Fringe only during the west coast broadcasts. I have to say, though, that I would have really enjoyed live-tweeting Supernatural’s Party On, Garth last Friday night  It was a booze-fueled episode with quirky hunter Garth (DJ Qualls) calling on Sam and Dean Winchester (Jared Padalecki & Jensen Ackles) for help with a creature who can only be seen and fought when a hunter is drunk. That led to so many funny lines and drunken moments like Dean calling Thighslapper Premium Ale a “beverage for douchebags” and Sam asking Dean, “Can you even get drunk anymore?” Apparently Dean can get drunk, as we saw during his Samuri sword fight where he careened around the brewery trying to stab the Shojo, a “Japanese booze monster”. Later a sober Dean wondered “what jedi-ed that sword [back] into my hand?” We didn’t know how that happened until the great reveal in the final scene of a frustrated ghost Bobby (Jim Beaver) telling Dean, “I’m right here, you idjit” and then ruefully muttering “Balls” after it’s clear that Dean can’t see him. Supernatural did a masterful job of keeping Bobby’s return a secret, with Jim Beaver helping to perpetuate the ruse by telling people that he was back in town to film a movie at Whistler not for Supernatural.

Both the Supernatural and Fringe episode hashtags trended on Twitter in Vancouver early on Friday night, but the Fringe fandom — organized by Fringenuity and backed by FOX — proved to have more stamina, live-tweeting right through to the end of their show’s west coast broadcast. #ChangeYourWorld remained in the Top Ten Trending worldwide, in the U.S. and in Vancouver long after the east coast broadcasts when #PartyonGarth had dropped out of sight. During the west coast broadcasts, #ChangeYourWorld trended at number 2, right behind the #Canucks at number 1 in Vancouver, proving yet again that this is a hockey/Fringe town. Vancouver’s own Joshua Jackson even tweeted about this dilemma: “Having a very Canadian crisis. 3rd prd. Starts @ 9pm. Choices choices…. ” but added the Fringe hashtag #ChangeYourWorld not the Canucks one to prove where his real loyalty (and pay cheque) lies. Fringe’s Nothing as it Seems didn’t boast a Japanese booze monster like Supernatural, but it did feature giant porcupine men with bat wings or wereupines as they were dubbed on set. I think I would have spotted them flying overhead so this was one of those episodes where I didn’t see much of the filming, except a brief glimpse of a car-rig in the pouring rain, with Joshua Jackson and Seth Gabel inside, passing me downtown near MacLeod’s Books, where they later filmed a night shoot. Jackson actually rolled down his window, giving me a glimpse of Peter Bishop and our Lincoln Lee, but I was too slow with my camera to photograph them. As always, the Fringe scenes in Walter’s lab delivered, with Walter presenting this Peter with a box of wrapped birthday presents he’d bought every year since his Peter’s death. So touching. Of all my live-tweets, this got the most response: “Walter’s peanut butter and bacon sandwich actually sounds tasty if deadly.” Someone suggested that if Walter threw in bananas he’d be ‘in Elvis territory”.  Fringe has a fun fandom too.

To sum up: Supernatural and ‘Fringe fandoms rule Twitter like no other but do things like Twitter Trends really matter?  On April Fool’s Day, TV by the Numbers mocked fans who try to get their shows trending with this tweet: “Nielsen To Rate TV Shows Based On Facebook Likes & Twitter Trends, Will Abandon People Meters.” But fans reaching out to millions of people through hashtags sure can’t hurt. Since Supernatural won’t have a new episode until April 20th, Friday night Twitter Trends belong to Fringies for the next two weeks. Be sure to look for and live-tweet this Friday’s unique Fringe episode hashtag #FaceYourself, no sooner than an hour before the east coast broadcast. UPDATE: Someone tells me that Supernatural fans got Mr. Fizzles and Me Likey trending too. Sometimes SPN hash tags are so popular that Twitter blocks them after a while. Am surprised Bobby or Balls! didn’t trend too.