Oh, those fandoms!

(Note:  This piece does contain spoilers for Chicago Med, Chicago PD, This Is Us, and Scorpion.  Read at your own risk.)

I'm trying to count how many "fandoms" I'm part of.  For the uninitiated, a "fandom" is a grouping of fans of a particular TV show, movie, book series, etc.

"Fan" can also stand for "fanatic", and in the case of certain fandoms, "fanatic" is appropriate.

I'm a Whovian, a fan of the show Doctor Who.  When a new doctor arrives or a new companion is announced, inevitably, there are the shrieks of, "This show is ruined forever!!"

When Peter Capaldi was announced as the new doctor, cries of outrage sounded around the fandom.  "Him?  He's too old!  Doctor Who is ruined forever!"

But Capaldi, in my opinion, has turned out to be a good doctor, and several of the episodes of his run do make you think.

And the companions . . . oh, don't get the fandom started.

"Rose!  I loved her!" "Hated her!" "Clara was wonderful!""She was a disaster!"

The latest companion, Bill, is a pleasant surprise.  She's been called a "refreshing change" from recent companions.

I'm also a "sestra", the name of the Orphan Black fandom.  This BBC series follows a group of women who discover that they are clones of each other.  All of them are played by Tatiana Maslany, and she does it so well that you forget it's the same actress playing each person.

"I love Sarah!" "No, Cosima!" "Don't forget Helena!"

My best friend is a member of the Bones fandom.  I don't follow Bones very much, although I did turn in for the last episode, which showed Bones and Booth walking off into the night together.  During the series, when Booth was involved with another woman, that "other woman" was universally hated by Bones fans--to the point of several fanfics killing off that character!

My son turned me on to the Chicago franchise (Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, Chicago Med.) When #Linstead--Erin Lindsey and Jay Halstead--finally got together, the fandom cheered . . . and then, recently, suffered heartbreak when Jay discovered he was still legally married to someone he thought he was divorced from.  Now, #Linstead is separated.

And, over on Chicago Med, another Halstead--Dr. Will, Jay's brother--has an interest in Dr. Natalie Manning (#Manstead) . . . and when he's finally expressed himself, she just says they're good friends . . . and Jay Halstead has been hanging around the hospital lately . . . and in a recent episode, he and Natalie went to a hockey game together . . . so, #manstead may happen, but it will be at the risk of alienating a large segment of fans!

After three seasons, fans of Scorpion finally have #Waige (Walter and Paige) together . . . just in time for the plane they're on to crash, with the entire Scorpion team aboard.

And probably, the biggest howls from the fandoms I follow came from fans of the show This Is Us.  Over the first season, the story of the Pearson family has been slowly unfolding.  We've learned of the past of the "Big Three" (the Pearson triplets), have followed them into their present relationships, and we've wondered how, when Rebecca and Jack had such a wonderful love story, why did she marry his best friend after he died?

And THE biggest question, which led to THE biggest howl of the TV season:

"Why didn't the season finale tell us how Jack died???"

Never, in the history of TV or of fandoms, has there been such disappointment over a character NOT dying.

Each member of each fandom has their own opinion about how a show should go down, and woe be unto the creators, writers, and producers if any member is crossed!

The season finales of several shows are coming up.  I strongly suggest that you get earplugs and HAZMAT outfits to protect yourselves from the howls and the mudslinging of the various fandoms when season finales do not go the way each fandom member thinks they should.

Just my .04, adjusted for inflation.