Entertainment
18 Things We Geeked Out Over in 2013
Look, we spend a good portion of our days quietly hyperventilating to ourselves about things like Patrick Stewart in a lobster costume or Karen Gillan's hair. Our job is to look at things on the Internet all day, so sue us*. Pop culture is, at its best, a salve for the badness of the rest of the world, and so we clung to that idea in 2013 — and boy did it provide. The movies, the shows, the announcements, the general Geeky Events — let's just say our Tumblr dashboards never tired of things to discuss.
Basically, there are a lot of things we freak out over over the course of a year — in the good ways and the bad, but it's more fun to remember the good. As geeks, we must unite and embrace these things, especially as a year ends and we head into a whole new slew of movies and actors and storylines to stress us out/make us love the world.
So join us, Internet sisters/brethren/etc., in remembering some of the things that sent us into all-caps Internet hyperventilation this year.
*Please don't sue us.
Getting A 'Sherlock' Release Date
Two years. Two years! It's not that long to wait in the context of British television, but, god dammit, the gap between Seasons 2 and 3 or BBC's Sherlock felt like multiple lifetimes. So when BBC finally announced Sherlock's return date it kind of felt more like one of those alternate universes in a Sherlock fanfic than actual reality.
Image: Twitter
Tom Hiddleston's Existence
We knew of (and admired) Hiddleston before 2013, sure. But 2013 brought the Thor: The Dark World press tour, which brought dancing Hiddleston, singing Hiddleston, juggling Hiddleston, Hiddleston hanging with Cookie Monster, Hiddleston at a slumber party... the list goes on and on.
We couldn't get enough of him, basically. We still can't. May 2014 bring ever more.
Image: Twitter
Patrick Stewart & Ian McKellen's Friendship
We've always known that Sir Patrick Stewart and Sir Ian McKellen were amongst the world's very best friends, but since the latter officiated the former's wedding, the beauty of their platonic romance (could be called a bromance) has reached legendary status. Remember when they went jogging in bowler hats??
Image: Twitter
'The Hunger Games: Catching Fire'
Since the first Hunger Games movie premiered, Jennifer Lawrence has become not only a household name and an Oscar winner but one of the most beloved public figures in America (possibly the world). The release of the second film in the franchise was exciting just for that — and there's also the fact that the various trailers leading up to the film reminded us just how much we loved the political fervor and personal drama of the original source material.
Image: Lionsgate
'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D'
Combine the general hugeness of Marvel properties right now with fandom's rabid but loving desire to see Clark Gregg's Agent Coulson alive and well and sassing superheroes again, and you've got a pretty big excitement that led into the premiere of what Joss Whedon recently referred to via Twitter as "ABC Disney's Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E. - cramping! Ah! Cramp."
In fact, everything got so big and so psyched up that Marvel announced not one but four new series to be made through Netflix and focusing on various heroes.
Image: ABC
New J.K. Rowling Material
Wow, the Brits really delivered this year, didn't they? And Rowling is the queen of them all (aside from the actual Queen, but even then, debatable). When she announced a few months back to an unsuspecting audience that she would be writing additional Harry Potter spinoff movies based on Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them? Well let's just say we're already dusting off our Hogwarts robes for a midnight screening. Because Khaleesi.
Oh, and there's also that book she wrote and published in secret.
Benedict Cumberbatch's Rising Stardom
Between his roles in Star Trek Into Darkness (unfortunately whitewashed as it was), 12 Years A Slave, The Fifth Estate, and August: Osage County, Cumberbatch seems to have officially made the leap to non-BBC-watching American audiences in 2013. He's still much (much) more famous on the Internet than he is to your Great Aunt Betsy who only watches Nashville and the nightly news, but hey, give him time.
Oh, and did we mention that, much like Hiddleston, his television interviews often proved fodder for fangirl dreams — especially when he was interacting with Harrison Ford or doing his Alan Rickman impression?
Batfleck
Well, some people geeked out over this, others raged loudly about it in the general direction of the Internet. Either way, the news that Ben Affleck would be playing Batman in the Man of Steel sequel made a stir. Whether it's remembered as positive or negative is up to history, but geeking most definitely occurred.
'Star Trek Into Darkness'
Star Trek Into Darkness had its problems — the whitewashing of its villain, the punctuation of its title — but it was still Star Trek, and thus a fun (also heartbreaking?) romp with the prerequisite lens flares. With Sherlock off the air, it was also probably the #1 reason you saw Benedict Cumberbatch's face in 2013.
Image: Paramount
A Muslim Ms. Marvel
When Marvel decided to unveil one of its newest heroes, it didn't just tell the geeky blogs and let it be (though that would have been cool, too): It made the announcement via The New York Times . Why? Because the new character, Kamala Khan, aka Ms. Marvel, is a Muslim teenage girl from New Jersey.
The first edition of Khan's Ms. Marvel won't be out until February, but hey, she's already making enough of a splash to land herself on The Colbert Report .
Image: Marvel
'Game of Thrones'
We'd already geeked out over this plenty in previous years, but this season of Game of Thrones brought us the (spoiler alert!) Red Wedding and Daenerys Targaryen suffering no fools.
We won't link to clips of the gore of the wedding (we'll let you heal further), but we will point you towards Khaleesi BAMFing up the place while freeing the unsullied. Because cool girls don't look at explosions.
Image: HBO
'Welcome to Night Vale'
Welcome to Night Vale is like NPR-meets-The Twilight Zone, and the delightfulness therein explains why characters such as narrator Cecil, hot scientist Carlos, Old Lady Josie, and that awful Steve Carlsburg swept the geek world this year.
If you haven't already jumped on this boat we suggest you start listening now.
Image: Commonplace Books
'Sleepy Hollow'
Sleepy Hollow's taken the cake as the 2013-2014 TV season's most surprising hit. As one Oh No They Didn't commenter described it, "Imagine if Fringe and Supernatural had a kid whose knowledge of American history was gleaned entirely from watching the National Treasure movies. It’s absolutely nuts and fun as hell. If you like subtitles in gothic death metal font, this is the show for you."
Also, did we mention they're schooling the rest of television on how to best employ actors of color?
Image: Fox
'Pacific Rim'
Was it really good? Yes! Was it overrated? Yes! Either is true depending on who you ask, but Pacific Rim was definitely the subject of much geekery around its release. This was at least partially because of Idris Elba's... being Idris Elba.
Meanwhile, we're still discussing Rinko Kikuchi's Mako Mori.
Image: Legendary
'Veronica Mars'
Firefly, Arrested Development, and now Veronica Mars: Shows that rose from the dead out of the ashes of the stupid decisions of network executives. The movie doesn't officially come out until 2014, but between the announcement of the Kickstarter and the various trailers and first looks, Veronica came back to us in 2013, and we couldn't be more grateful unless they decided to completely re-up and give us the a whole 'nother season.
'Hannibal'
Who knew cannibalism and badly treated mental illness could be so sexy? NBC, apparently! Hannibal gained a very fervent, flower crown-loving fanbase in 2013, and they show no signs of relenting until Will Graham has gotten the help he needs.
(AKA never)
Image: Twitter
The 'Doctor Who' 50th Anniversary Special
Doctor Who may be accumulating more flack as it continues to age, but bringing back beloved past stars David Tennant and Billie Piper for a bizarre in-show crossover of Doctors and companions?
Fifty is a lot of years, so Doctor Who's 50th Anniversary Special, "The Day of the Doctor," had quite a few geeky eyes turned toward it.
'Orphan Black'
Have you accepted Tatiana Maslany as your savior and also the best actress on television? If not, where have you been?? Catch up.
Orphan Black's sci-fi thriller ride stole the show this spring as more and more people caught onto the star-turning performance Maslany was turning and the sheer addictiveness of the plot in which she was doing it. We're simultaneously grateful for 2013 for giving it to us and bitter that it's not 2014 yet because we really need more.
