As the final post of my retrospective, I think it's important to look back before reaching a conclusion. From the start, I've been trying to build a case by compiling all available information about the state of the fandom and the production of the play. Then make an assessment on whether I can prove why it failed in the eyes of the fans based on that evidence. I wanted to see if these elements established a pattern of neglect and greediness; not by using one isolated fact to substantiate my claim, but by showcasing every additional piece of evidence as a twig of kindling being added to a fire that's been building smoke for some time.

I know. "Who is this guy to criticize?" I'm an amateur critic. A researcher with a serious case of Apophenia - willing to see what others have said, include it with my own connections, and develop a sequence of events into a narrative that may have otherwise gone unnoticed. I speculate a great deal, and have never sought direct quotes from those involved. But I'm also not a sycophant, one of these obsequious Potterheads with whom I've gotten into pointless debates, where logic and facts and history and real quotes go unacknowledged, because they are hopelessly devoted to JKR. And, as I've said before, fandom is psychologically aligned with cultism. And cults are built on faith. I know I use hyperbole often, but let me just do it again to reiterate that J.K. Rowling is not a god. She is not unaccustomed to blunders. But despite her horde of intense devotees, I actually don't think that faith in JKR is misplaced.

She is an extremely intelligent and intuitive person. She is an author and a philanthropist. Beyond those qualities, JKR is a savvy business woman. Becoming the highest paid author in human existence didn't happen by accident. She wields immense power in the entertainment industry, tremendous financial power. And she knows this, which is why she wrote three books simply for charity, and started LUMOS, a charity of her own. There is no doubt in my mind that JKR has turned away many bad ideas, even ones her fans would have loved. And after so much time dealing with these sorts of people, JKR can most certainly spot a bad idea from a mile away. So, we can confidently say, as a final summation, that J.K. Rowling would never get involved in a Harry Potter business venture without desiring the outcome. Let me say that again. Rowling is more astute than most. If she goes into a situation where she knows what's going to happen, it means that she wants that thing to happen.

Enter the crux of why I want to show her leniency. The outcome she first desired by taking on the play could not have been...what we got in the end. I think that the origin of the idea was something she thought was removed enough from her book series that it felt safe to explore, with no fear that it would be considered the 8th story. Based on all she created, we know that Harry's story was always meant to be seven books (seven years, seven Horcruxes, the most magical number, etc...). Watch any of her interviews following the publication of Deathly Hallows. Harry's story was complete, the pressure was off, and she was relieved.

But there had to be a way to tap into the lucrative fanbase again. Warner Bros. saw this, and so did the producers of the Cursed Child play. They promised her everything. And once she agreed to bring Harry back to life, the compromises began. It got out of hand. The story of the play transitioned into carrying on Harry's narrative, but still seemed to be removed from the other books because it followed the next generation. Forces outside of JKR's control stepped in to make sure the enterprise was as financially successful as possible. And so, the marketing team saw a window of opportunity and tossed us through it.

Guys! If we're picking up where the final book left off, this play could be considered the 8th story of the series. Harry is back. THIS is the final book!

So, what could have been considered an enjoyable side story, where fans could say it was fun because it didn't affect the original novels, was dropped into the pressure cooker of expectations. It now had a standard to meet. We already had our own expectations after spending years dreaming up their futures. And now we were getting the 8th story. There is no way the play script they had developed could meet the expectations set upon it by the marketers.

I would've preferred if JKR had stood up and said, "Stop! We have to get this right! The quality of what we're producing matters." Knowing how much this world means to us, that it's our world as well, that would have been nice to hear. But she didn't defend us to the publishers who wanted to put out the script early, or to label it the 8th story. She didn't stop Tiffany and Thorne from turning it into two plays, or to allow them to bring back the flawed plot device of the Time-Turner that she never intended to make. That was her responsibility. But unlike Harry with the stone of Nicolas Flamel, she hadn't stopped the franchise from getting into the wrong hands.

JKR doubled down on the validity of the play by calling it canon. No matter what complaints we have, or how frustrated we are, this is officially the 8th story. There is no changing it. The seven stories that should have been honored, were undermined. This is the last Harry Potter book. It's canon. Why? Because it has to be. Outside of canon, it is not worth as much. Outside of canon, it can be discarded. So, get used to it.

"Harry is done."

Those were her words. This is how it all ends.

What I find most frustrating is that after closing the book on Harry's years at Hogwarts, JKR always left it open. "Never say never." She wanted the option to bring her dedicated fans back if the story was good enough to tell. And this...THIS is what we got? They had one chance to do that right. One opportunity to give the fans the 8th story. And this was their encore? This was the best they could do? A loosely connected, poorly written, greatest hits fanfiction? I'm sorry, but fans deserved better than this. You still do.

Day One: Jack Thorne should have followed Joss Whedon's philosophy of writing: "Everything you want, in the worst way." Instead, he gave us, "Do the easy things we think fans want, in the lamest, most convoluted way."

The disagreements are that fans are acting entitled when we have no right to be. Are we looking for perfection? No, but maybe we can ask for the best version of a story before it ends up on the bookshelf. And we are allowed to be disappointed when that clearly didn't happen.

Everything that I have provided in this retrospective shows a pretty solid argument that this world was not being handled properly. But it's just an opinion, lost amongst the millions of books on Wattpad. They aren't changing the play. It's coming to Broadway, USA. They will find a way of turning it into a movie and a novelization. It will be combined in a box set with the seven books, with all new covers and reprints. There will be full-color photo and illustrated editions. There will be a filmed stage release. It's just unfortunate because we could've gotten something amazing. But this is what they gave us. There's no going back. The damage is done.

Beyond JKR calling it canon, deeming it the 8th story is the biggest flaw. By declaring it the 8th story, it voids our ability to accept it, because it fails as the final story in comparison to the other seven. It just fails. It's not the 8th story. And telling us that it's canon will not pressure us to let that fact go.

Tell us something different, Jo. Tell us what to do with this. So many of us feel a sense of loss and confusion.

Let's go to two of her quotes.

"You will fail. It's inevitable. It's what you do with it."

"What's the point in being alive if you don't try and make things better, really?"

There was major potential in the future of Harry Potter. I had so much hope. JKR's wizarding world is so complete that it offered us infinite story possibilities. We were supposed to get the true end of Harry's story. But Cursed Child is not a story about our hero. It's about his son and his son's best friend. How could it be the 8th story if it didn't fit with what came before?

I firmly believe that Harry Potter and the wizarding world, created masterfully in the mind of JK Rowling, is one of the best stories ever. If she ever stumbles onto Wattpad and read these words, I hope she would see my criticism less as an affront to her and more as a sense of disappointment from a dedicated fan who saw a mentor, in many ways, being betrayed by those close to her and manipulated by people who want to profit from the magic she had once earnestly and innocently created.

Okay!

That concludes Section One: The Retrospective.

Section Two is the Summary.

Section Three is the Analysis.