'Breaking Dawn, Part Two': The End of an Era

Last night, my friend Susie and I went to see "Breaking Dawn, Part Two." It was the end of an era. It was another friend, Jenny, who first introduced me to the Twilight series and I gobbled it up right away. I remember walking to Borders (when it used to be there) to pick up New Moon after finishing Twilight, and then having to wait what seemed like forever until Eclipse came out. After that, I loaned the books to my sister, who held them hostage, telling me that she was keeping them until someone bought them for her for Christmas.

The films have been an experience Susie and I have always shared together. Let's face it: they aren't the best movies. I know this. Susie knows this. (I think everyone knows this!) But they are campy and, in some cases, so bad that they are actually good. At some point, we started viewing the previous movie(s) before the opening of the next movie, which turned into loud, raucous mocking sessions most of the time. It was great. 

A few years ago, Susie and I actually took our Twilight love on the road. We flew to Seattle, rented a car and drove to Forks for a long weekend. Yes, I got pulled over by the police, (I didn't have my lights on, but, in my defense, it was a rental car! And my car has automatic headlights. I figured the Mustang I was driving would, too.) and, yes, there was a time when we seriously thought we were stuck in an episode of the Twilight Zone because we kept passing sign after sign for the Sol Duc River. And I may have cried out in despair, "we're never going to get there! I don't think Forks actually exists!" when we were driving through the inky darkness of the Olympic National Forest after 9 p.m. But we did make it and we loved it. We saw all the sights from the books, watched the sun set on Rialto Beach and even went for a long walk in the Hoh Rain Forest. It's very small town, very green and, honestly, my idea of one of the most perfect places in the U.S. 

In a way, I can even blame, I mean, thank Stephanie Meyer and the Twilight saga for my now insatiable love of coffee. It was on our trip to Forks that I first tried it - thanks to Susie, who insisted I pull over at one of the dozen roadside espresso stands that line the main road of Forks (honestly, there's one about every block and a half) and insisted further that she buy me coffee. Not tea. Not cocoa. COFFEE. I was hooked. I think, during our few days there, we visited those espresso stands at least five times daily. 

But last night was the end of an era. The final movie has been released and Susie and I have ended the tradition we began years ago. It's kind of sad. Sure, we can always reread the books (I have) and watch the DVDs (we do), but there is no new film adaptation to look forward to. No new CG tricks to oogle (or, in the case of "Breaking Beds, Part Two," a creepy looking CG baby Reneesme), no sparkly vampire skin to giggle like fan girls over. The saga has concluded. And it has been great.