Alan Sepinwall Voice Critique

Alan Sepinwall writes a blog reviewing TV called "What's Alan Watching?" I analyzed his voice in two of his posts about the show "Lost," one of the best TV series of all time.

Alan's voice is the voice of the fan. He engages his readers as if they are great friends discussing their favorite show over lunch. He accomplishes a great blog (which a crapload of people visit by the way) by presenting his ideas clearly, authoritatively and humorously.

Alan has a teaser for every blog post that is holds a reference to the episode he is about to review:

"Though the DVD only came out today, "New Man in Charge" has been floating around the internet for weeks, and I have some thoughts on it coming up just as soon as I play a game of Connect Four..."

His little "Just as soon as I (insert show reference)" begins every blog and usually is a small reference to something that was a tidbit in the overall episode, not the main event. This gives his works a playful tone and also gives his posts authority because you know he's paying attention to the small details.

Alan will also use asterisks to mark at little digressions he wants to make. One that particularly reveals voice:

"(**) Comic book geekery digression: One of the all-time great Superman stories is Alan Moore's "For the Man Who Has Everything," where a bad guy traps Superman's mind in a fantasy where Krypton never blew up and he has a wife, kids and an ordinary life on his home planet... It's swell that a bunch of these people get to go to Heaven, and also that others (Eloise, Ben) get to hang with their loved ones in limbo for a bit longer, but some other sideways residents got screwed."

Now this may seem like nonsense to the non-Lost fanatic, but aside from the substance of this digression, let's look at the words. Right off the bat, "comic book geekery" gives you a the idea that Sepinwall's voice is the kind that is geeky but knows its geeky, which is almost endearing (because there is nothing geekier than comic books). But also focus on the words toward the end of the paragraph. The use of "swell" creates a sarcastic tone because it's a golly-gee, 1950s type of word. It creates a type of sarcasm that makes you anticipate that there is going to be a complaint somewhere following the word. Also, Alan says some of the other characters "got screwed." This adds to the sarcastic voice and also makes we think of a complaining teenager.

Here's another example of the way Alan creates a conversational voice that you would use after seeing a movie just as you're walking out of the theater:

"Seriously, how good was Matthew Fox in this episode?... He knows he's about to die, but that his life and death had meaning, and then Vincent comes to not only remind him of his whole journey on the island but to keep him from dying alone, and he looks... happy."

The "Seriously," again creates that informal tone that makes it seem like it's just you and Alan talking. And to phrase something as "how good was..." shows your own excitement and makes you part of the fan base. I also like the use of ellipsis at the end followed by the very simple word "happy." Alan doesn't use high-brow words that he doesn't have to, he just says it like it is.

Sometimes, Alan can get out of informal mode and use a big word. When referring tot he response the season finale of lost received, he calls it "vitriolic." While this removes a bit of the informal voice, add the same time it adds authority to his voice and reminds us that while he may seem like any other fan, he knows way more than us.

Still, he always brings you back to the idea that he is just as much a fan as you are. He said he enjoyed a particular bonus feature because it allowed him "to hang with Ben some more." His voice remains buddy-buddy, like these people on TV are his friends and they are there to entertain him and you. The voice Alan creates throughout his posts give him such high readability.