A #Supernatural Binge - How was I not watching this?

Admittedly, I don't watch all that much TV, because I often just don't have the time (or patience) to get into a new show.  Reading is my #1 favorite pastime, and then I have to find time to write, then there are the other part-time jobs and of course family members and pets who want attention.  But I do have some favorite shows that I always make time for (or at least time to DVR episodes for later), and they usually involve the things I like best: some romance, hot heroes, some paranormal elements or magic, and plenty of conflict and tension.  I've blogged about several that fit the bill:  Outlander, Vikings, Game of Thrones, The Vampire Diaries, Reign, etc.  In addition, I'm a big fan of spooky movies.

So when a friend recently found out I didn't watch Supernatural, she couldn't believe it.  She had just recently begun watching it, and she suggested I do the same, but I resisted at first.  Too busy to try another show, I decided.  But she convinced me (and made me laugh) by telling me that it was like a "show designed specifically for me".  She went on to say that if a group of writers got together and said, "Okay, how can make the perfect show for this woman who loves hot guys, ghosts, Nephilim, demons, and other paranormal mysteries?", the result would be something like this show.  How could I resist that pitch?

Jensen Ackles as Dean Winchester

Well, she was right.  I love it.  I'm only on the first season, but Dean Winchester already has my heart.  (I also enjoyed the actor, Jensen Ackles, on Days of Our Lives, but Dean is a much better character than Eric, even if he was a Brady!)  Don't get me wrong, Sam's cute as well...but I'm definitely Team Dean.  Aside from just looks, I absolutely love the actor's facial expressions and the character's personality.

So far the early part of the show has been heavy on ghosts and spirits, which is absolutely my thing, and I'm enjoying the chemistry between the brothers as they begin to work together to find their father.  There's some strong motivation for what they're doing (which is important to me as a writer), since their mother and then Jessica were killed by an evil entity.  In addition, they want to find their father and battle any evil they encounter along the way (take up the family business of "hunting").

Two hot hunters!  Dean and Sam Winchester

I especially enjoyed the "Dead in the Water" episode, as the entire premise followed a theme I often use in my novels: a desperate spirit, unable to rest, seeking...something.  I won't say what here, to avoid spoilers.  But the ghost has motivation as well, as opposed to just haunting/killing for no reason beyond a creepy plot device.

In a few other funny coincidences, the hero of my current manuscript is named Dean.  And I also remembered another tie I have to the show when I began watching...when writing Divine Fall, my Young Adult paranormal romance, I had to come up with some rules about angels and Nephilim (half-angels, half-humans), and my "research" led me to a post about an episode of Supernatural. That post led me to seek more information on an ancient perfume used by Egyptians that supposedly could kill an angel, and eventually the substance, qeres, became part of my plot.  So I look forward to a future episode where Dean and Sam tackle some bad angels (I think it's S4), and to 11 more seasons of my new favorite show!

Charlie Hunnam vs. Travis Fimmel - Kathryn Knight books

Charlie Hunnam as Jax Teller

Welcome!  This post from 2013 continues to get dozens of daily views even 10 years later, so I made a few updates on these two 🔥 devastatingly hot 🔥 doppelgängers!  If you have a fav or a comment, please drop it at the bottom of the post! 🠋  

I began watching Sons of Anarchy after hearing a lot of buzz about the show on social media platforms.  Loosely inspired by Hamlet, the plot seemed guaranteed to provide plenty of conflict and tension--the stuff authors live on.  As a romance novelist, the complicated relationship between former high school sweethearts Jax Teller, the VP of an outlaw motorcycle gang, and Tara Knowles, the upstanding pediatric doctor, drew me in and kept me hooked.  Many of my books involve a hero and heroine with a painful history who are drawn together again by fate--I love second chances for couples that are "meant to be."  But if I'm honest, a big reason I continued to watch SOA is due to Charlie Hunnam, the amazingly hot actor cast in the role of Jax Teller.

Travis Fimmel 
plays Ragnar Lothbrok

A few weeks decade ago I decided to try Vikings, a show on the history channel, as historical fiction is a favorite genre of mine.  As we were introduced to the main character, my jaw dropped--I thought Charlie Hunnam had moved over to a new series.  I studied the actor playing Ragnar Lothbrok (no great hardship there), and the only difference I could find at first was a scar and the eye and hair color--things that could easily be changed for television.  I did a quick google search to discover this was actually a completely different actor by the name of Travis Fimmel.

side-by-side screen shots

To me, they look like they could be twins.  But they are not related.  Plenty of people see the resemblance though, according to questions on the internet.  So I did a little comparison of these two beautiful men, and it seems they have more in common than just amazing genes and acting talent.






Charlie Hunnam:

• Born April 10, 1980 (33 -- now 43) in England
• 6'1" tall
• discovered clowning around in a shoe shop by a production manager
• starred in the lead role on Sons of Anarchy

Travis Fimmel:

• Born July 15, 1979 (34 almost 44) in Australia
• 6' tall
• discovered working out in a gym by a talent scout for a modeling agency
• starred in the lead role on Vikings

While the two shows are separated by vast differences in time (Sons of Anarchy: present-day California; Vikings: medieval Scandinavia), they involve very similar themes: family, brotherhood, and a strong protagonist who challenges a stubborn leader with new ideas.  Both characters struggle to protect their loved ones while fighting to change the direction of their club/community.  Both characters become brutal killers when necessary.  They are "Bad Boys with Good Hearts"...a mix I personally find hard to resist.  In fact, I made a list of my top 5 fictional characters with these qualities, and it's been my most popular post to date (not anymore!  This one has it beat by miles -- thank you all!).  Vikings hadn't aired when I wrote that one, but Ragnar would be on the list today.  Click the yellow link to see where I ranked Jax Teller!

Thankfully, despite the title of the blog, we don't have to choose one or the other...we viewers can have both.  And if anyone is faced with the real-life dilemma of choosing between these two, all I can say is that would truly be a tough (but enviable) choice!

P.S. More pics on my Pinterest board!  And if you enjoy heroes with a bad-boy streak who'll do anything to protect the women they love, try one of my novels: GULL HARBOR, SILVER LAKE, or DIVINE FALL.  Or all three seven now!  Latest releases are GHOST MOON, THE HAUNTING OF HILLWOOD FARM, DANGEROUS CURRENTS, and HAUNTED SOULS.  You can find the hot men I used as inspiration on the Pinterest storyboards for each title, as well 💕  Thank you for stopping by!