:::: One Part FANDOM RETROSPECTIVE, One Part ANALYSIS ::::
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a play that premiered in London, 2016. It was met with praise by theatergoers and disdain, even hatred, by those who read the script. Today, there is a...
In the striking silence of the fandom, as we wondered how this could've just taken place, the numbers rolled in and we learned that the script had sold over two million copies in two days. Almost a million in the first week in the UK alone. It was the most pre-ordered book of 2016. It had six consecutive weeks at No. 1 - the longest run of any book that year. Commercially, it wasn't just a success. Cursed Child was completely crushing it. Hindsight proved out their concept because the play won theatrical awards and the response from critics continued to be amazing.
But how?
I can understand if the production was entertaining, but the plot... THE PLOT! It just didn't seem to make any sense, and it created a lasting fog of awkwardness. The majority of fans disagreed with the creator for the first time, and the outliers from the fandom were coming across more like sycophant Twitter bots, with hopeless, undeterred devotion.
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It made me wonder if they would sing JKR's praises no matter what she wrote. Seriously. She could come out with a new interpretation of the entire book series in a few years, saying that she always intended for the story to take place entirely in Harry's young, abused mind. That he never left the cupboard under the stairs. That magic doesn't exist. And, wouldn't you know, she could claim there was always evidence of her new theory:
"Tell me one last thing," said Harry, "Is this real? Or has this been happening inside my head?"
Dumbledore beamed at him, and his voice sounded loud and strong in Harry's ears even though the bright mist was descending again, obscuring his figure. "Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean it is not real?"
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Oh, that's it! How did we all miss it!
Magic isn't real. Give us more proof!
Sure! What about the three gifts the Dursleys gave Harry? A fifty-pence coin, a toothpick, and a single tissue. Oooh, see. It's the symbols of the Deathly Hallows! It DID all happen in Harry's head. How could we have ever thought differently? We're not upset at all and it's totally canon now. Hail Queen Jo!
