Have you been visited by the Suck Fairy recently? It’s the evil force that goes back to books (or movies, shows, songs) and makes the things that were once awesome now terrible. Fantasy writer Jo Walton recently described the phenomenon on Tor thusly:
Image Credit: Troy Aossey/Stone/Getty ImagesIf you read a book for the first time and it sucks, it’s nothing to do with her. It just sucks. Some books do. The Suck Fairy comes in when you come back to a book that you liked when you read it before, and on re-reading — well, it sucks. You can say that you have changed, you can hit your forehead dramatically and ask yourself how you could possibly have missed the suckiness the first time — or you can say that the Suck Fairy has been through while the book was sitting on the shelf and inserted the suck.
The Suck Fairy recently visited my DVD collection and ate right through that complete Ally McBeal set. I’ve been taking an informal poll, and it looks like she’s been busy: She recently ruined Voltron (“that show is crap!”) for one friend and Spaceballs for another.
Bring it, PopWatchers. Has the Suck Fairy paid you a visit recently? What once-beloved show, song, movie, book, you name it, have you gone back to recently, only to discover that it now sucks?
The Office.
I now believe that the Suck Fairy is actually George Lucas.
I was raving about Caddy Shack to my 18 year old daughter and then we wetched it together. I had to admit I remembered it funnier.
Music I thought was cool in the seventies (not Disco-that sucked to begin with) well now, just Sucks! Thank you for explaining this phenom!
I recently re-watched the original ‘Batman’ movie– too cheesy and over the top at times– and the Prince pop music takes away any coolness of the pretty dark direction and set design.
What about that snail-speed Batmobile?? The friggin’ thing turned on its ‘jet’ and still rocketed to what looks like a blazing 30mph. Time is not good to that movie.
It’s a little dated, but I still enjoy it. Only the first one though. After that they get progressively worse.
I love this idea! Let me be the first to throw a Big One out there for Suck Fairy discussion – SEINFELD. I used to rush home to watch this show in first-run, and now its simply unwatchable to me, especially anything after Year 3. How did these endlessly annoying characters become pop culture icons?
I agree–I find Seinfeld unwatchable now. Not sure why I spent so many years watching it!
Because it’s fantastic. You’re just being delusional.
I agree–I can’t stand to watch the show any more. I’ve discovered that a lot of comedies that I used to enjoy have been visited by the Suck Fairy. Or maybe I just have better taste now than I used to.
I remember loving the first three seasons of Smallville SO HARD! After rewatching with my bf in the last two weeks, I’ve decided they blow. VIVA SEASONS 4-10!
Maybe it’s because in seasons 1-3 Lana took front row and center (blech!) I used to really like her character but she got so annoying towards the end and then when they brought her back in season 8…her character was forever ruined for me. I can still watch seasons 1-3 but I am tempted to press fast forward every time her face appears on the screen
Much of Buffy the Vampire Slayer– as the kids all leave Sunnydale High School arm-in-arm for their uncertain futures, you can almost see them leap as a group over the mudshark in the road. Everything after… including Dawn, who I really loved the first time around… has a terrible taste to it. But damn, seasons 2 & 3 just get better, so the Suck Fairy is not without love.
While agree on seasons 2&3, 5&7 will always hold a very special place in my heart. Season 1 can just go somewhere and stay there (and burn Buffy’s ridiculous plastic rings while they’re at it)!
Seasons 4-6 remain the best, sorry Christopher.
I always hated Dawn the plot device with a passion, the suck fairy won’t be changing that for me!
Thank God, I thought I was the only one who found Dawn to be THE most annoying character ever invented. For being 14-16 years old, she is exceedingly immature. (even for a teenager) I always thought she should’ve sacrificed herself at the end of season 5…..
I still watch the end of “The Gift” and secretly hope that the “i changed the ending” fairy came along and made it so someone pushes that whiny brat off the platform. I enjoy season 6 though, the returning from death emotional stuff was great (although on first pass unlikeable).
pede and pan – I felt the exact same way, what a wasted opportunity!
I never saw any need for her, she just got in the way. Give me the old scoobies any old day.
Wrong. So wrong. Seasons 5 and 7 (especially 7) were some of the best in the whole series. Once you got rid of Angel (snooze) and Riley Finn was marched out to war it was a much better show. I will admit that I hate Dawn, always will, but somehow that makes season 5 all the better (the fact that it could be that awesome with such a pit of SUCK as it’s central plot device still amazes me!)
if you’re not a tween girl the suck fairy visited t he rest of us by the Justin Bieber hosting a new version of Punk’d announcement today.
Oh, sweet baby Moses, NO.
NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!! How can Justin Bieber ruin this for me? Don’t they realize that only 11 year olds like him?
I heard that on the radio today!
Charmed — except seasons 1 – 3 after Pru died. I’ve been watching them all again and really the Paige years just suck.
Paige years really did suck, without Prue and Cole it plain old sucked! That is definitely one series that over-stayed it’s welcome. I’m happy to say though I did give up on it half way through the spiral of suck.
Seasons 1 to 3 were definitely uncomparable in terms of their awesomeness.
Totally agree. Paige ruined it for me too.
I agree but I did love the Chris story line mostly because Drew Fuller was beautiful eye candy to my 15 year old self.
Um, Disney’s The Jungle Book is meandering and super-boring! The only good thing about that movie is the music.
Agreed! I put in the DVD to watch it with my kids, and think that my love of the songs must have just made me ignore how dull it is in between.
Maybe, but Disney’s Robin Hood still rocks.
@Ali Yes it does!
Seasons 4-7 of Gilmore Girls. When I first watched them I wasn’t their biggest fan, but it wasn’t until I rewatched the entire series that I realized that I’d be happier if it ended at season 3.
Except with Jesse and Rory getting back together. And Lorelai and Luke.
Amen. I liked the Jess parts of season 4, but Rory became so unlikable after she went to college. Plus, Lorelai marrying Christopher was completely out of character.
Oh, and did I add that I would make Rory go to Harvard? Yeah. I agree Angela- Rory became so whiney. She only got community service for STEALING A YAHT? Please. And don’t get me started on Logan.
AND they were all “Marty doesn’t want to tell his girlfriend about how Rory crushed his heart, and when he’s drunk he calls Rory pretty. WHAT A JERK!” Yeah, I sided with Marty. Okay, back to pretending 4-7 never existed.
really it was just season 7 — what I wouldn’t have given to have just had ASP finish it out they way it should’ve been — I love LOVe Lauren Graham, but she had way too much control there at the end
I guess it’s not the suck fairies fault… you know what is thought? Full House. Show was AW-FUL!!! Why did I love it so so much?!?
I just watched season 3 this weekend when I was home sick. I just thought, “I need some Rory and Jess in my life.” I loved them, I also loved Logan 85% of the time. Sometimes he was such an ass I couldn’t stand him but mostly I loved him.
When I was in my late-teens / early twenties, I LOVED Mary Higgins Clark books…now they just suck. Actually, let’s be honest, other than 2 or 3, they all probably sucked!!
I should have said “other than 2 or 3 they probably ALWAYS sucked”
Good one. Like Michael Crichton, once you’ve read more than 2 or 3, you realize that the books follow a template, and only the names have changed. I’m embarrassed that I used to like her.
‘Gilmore Girls’. Please don’t hate me. I used to love it. Now I find almost everything about it absolutely irritating.
Sometimes the suck fairy works in retrospect. When shows that I’ve loved for season after season take a horrible turn, suddenly the whole show sucks retroactively and can never win back my love. I’m looking at YOU, LOST, and also, X Files.
A lot of people think that’s what the article is saying. I don’t really feel like defending the Lost finale again and again, so can we agree it’s something we RE watched/read?
Thank You!
Yeah, I’m not sure how that works, but I HATE Lost. How does 10 minutes manage to ruin six years? It seems like I should have enjoyed the journey, but now I couldn’t stand to watch another single minute. Thanks, Suck Fairy.
I completely agree!
I completely DISAGREE. I’m re-watching LOST right now and it’s much better the 2nd time around. Except for the beginning of season 3. That still sucks.
@ jules yes, yes it does.
I agree wholeheartedly about Lost.I love shows with deep mythology and was extremely disappointed that Lost didn’t have ANY mythology it just kind of did whatever it wanted and the masses lapped it up (heck I did too until the end).
“the masses?”
I’m sorry, but the X-files was (and still is) super awesome up to season 7 (when David Duchovny left). I tried to like it after that, but the magic was gone.
Team America was so funny the first time I watched it. Then I told some friends how funny it was and we watched it and what a snoozer of a suckfest. Also, had the same experience with The Host. The Korean monster movie. I remember thinking it was so scary the first time I saw it and again, showed it to friends recently and felt so back that it was so sucky.
I know it’s too soon but GLEE
Oh, boy. Now you’ve started it. Here come the zealots. (and this is coming from a pretty big fan)
A) It’s not too soon.
B) The first 6 episodes still hold up. Everything after that got a big, wet, slimy kiss from the suck fairy.
Personally i think it was episode 13. i own season one part 1 and in my mind that is the end of the show. when mr. shue kisses emma.
I agree 100% with Eric P.
Completely agree. It all began with Episode 14. Songs about HELLO? Wtf. Big fat slimy kiss from the Suck Fairy indeed.
I’m glad someone else hated that “Hello” episode as much as me?
I somewhat agree. Used to love Glee, now it kind of annoys me. Partly due to the over-exposure, amd partly due to it being so self aware of it’s sucess it’s now become a cheesy caricature of what it was. Forget the plot – lets just go stunt-casting!
I feel the same with Twilight. Enjoyed the series well before the movie, then the movie came out and so did the Twihards. That was over-exposure on a grand scale and all the attention just highlighted it’s faults le alone became way too much.
I used to love Glee. Now I still love Glee. And I hope to continue loving Glee, because it doesn’t suck for me at all. You kind suck, though. Amazing to me how people just love to tear things down. Go away and don’t watch.
The article asked for people’s opinions, and people responded. There’s nothing wrong with thinking Glee got kind of lazy and sucky. There’s also nothing wrong with liking it. People don’t suck just because they don’t like a show you happen to like. I am a huge Lost fan, but I’ve seen tons of people writing about how they hated that finale and it ruined the show for them. And you know what? They totally have a right to feel that way and I respect that it’s possible to be a decent person and have a different opinion than I do.
Thank you for your reasoned response, Katja.
Except the part where the write explicitly explains that the suck fairy has nothing to do with shows that start to get bad or shows that start out bad. It’s books, movies, shows etc. that you once loved that were bad the 2nd time around.
Thanks Katya!
Kate, so glad you still enjoy it. But guess what, not everyone feels the same way you do, if we all did the world would be a mighty boring place. No show is perfect, they all have their flaws. I’m not going to ‘go away’ or stop watching because I’ve perceived some of it’s flaws. Passion whether love or hate is good, apathy is a show killer for which I’ll then stop watching. P.S. I think you suck for thinking other people suck just because they aren’t all loved up about a show like you.
Javabooknut – well aware of the suck fairy definition but this is EW – of course we’re going to segway into related discussions whether we hated it first time round or it became sucky over time, why stick to just retrospect suckage.
I’ve hated Glee since it came back for the back half os season 1. I love love love musicals and I thought what better than watching a weekly musical but as it turns out it’s not sustainable. You stop telling stories where the music complements the story and start just throwing random songs in, ahem Britney.
To me what kinda killed it was when Rachel and her long-lost mom had a chance to sing together and they chose… Lady Gaga’s Poker Face? WTF? “I’ll get him hot, show him what I’ve got?” I know it was the Lady Gaga episode, but those “theme” episodes have been a problem for me, because they can’t choose songs that fit the episode. Although I didn’t like the last few episodes of season 1, I am liking the ones I have seen so far of season 2 (although I hope they will choose better themes than -puke- Britney), so I still have hope.
Agree. Hate the “theme” episodes and hate the stunt casting. (Well, except NPH and Kristin Chenoweth.)
Please go back and read the definition of the suck fairy.