One of the reasons I wanted to do this storyline was because I hate the whole gatekeeping "real fan" thing, but I've also felt that "THE THING I LIKE IS UNDER ATTACK!" feeling, and that "but that person is so contrary to every moral the show has" feeling.

So I wanted to get into that. The plan was never "maybe gatekeeping jerks have a point", but rather an exploration of all the feelings involved while also showing off an episode of Susan and Elliot's show. Not a typical movie review one, but I've commented on why a typical one would be tricky before.

Also, I hope it's clear from all the "sorta" and "maybes" that this isn't a bold declaration that everyone who whips out the "not a real fan" argument is just feeling reflexively defensive.

We're just allowing room for potentially maybe some of them to be, because I've felt that feeling. With less self-awareness (aka "were I much younger"), I could totally see myself saying something like that for that reason.