Supernatural: Bloodlust
Aug. 27th, 2011 09:43 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gryfndor_godessThoughts I had while watching the episode:
-A Journey song for the opening?? Very nice.
-Interesting subversion if this is, as I suspect, a vampire being chased (although even with the subversion, it’s still using the horror trope that a young woman is chased and brutally killed).
-Okay, it’s a little fun to see the sheriff take the boys down a notch, even if he’s obnoxious.
-Digging in the girl’s mouth is so not a scene I needed to see while eating dinner.
-The second vamp’s death: Really, so not the episode to watch while eating.
-The look between Dean and Sam after Dean kills the vamp and his face is sprayed with blood is interesting.
-Yay Sam for sticking up for himself about not thinking decapitations are a swell time.
-So they basically stole Gunn’s motivation for this African American hunter.
-Vampires can enter houses without invitations then?
-Dean, don’t listen to him about needing the job and how the world is only black and white.
-Smart Sam, checking with Ellen about Gordon.
-I don’t like Sam’s new hairstyle.
-This version of fangs as a second set of teeth is weird, and I don’t like it.
-OMG TARA. OH MY GOD.
-I somehow missed her name in the credits.
-She looks SO different. Wow. Tara. Yowza.
-Sam, you completely win this episode.
-Dean, you’re being a complete dick. Stop it.
-I appreciate thatTara Lenore is in charge and the man is following her orders (albeit reluctantly) without her using her sexuality as leverage.
-That looks like the same bridge from the pilot.
-DON’T KILL TARA!
-I can’t help wondering if Dean would be so quick to object to Gordon’s torture if the vampire weren’t female.
-They really did steal Gunn’s storyline. Sigh.
-When Sam is saying, “You knew they weren’t killing ppl,” etc., you can see the realization on Jensen’s face that he was wrong. Lovely acting.
-Don’t take your bullets out, Dean! Moron, his weapon (a knife) is much easier to “reload.”
-Okay, Dean, you’ve redeemed yourself; you now tie with Sam for Favorite Boy.
-That’s a surprisingly female gaze-y shot of Dean smoldering at the end.
Moments that made me giggle inside:
-“Open it.” “You open it.” “Wuss.”
Moments that made me actually LOL:
-*punches Gordon* “Okay. I’m good now. We can go.”
-Dean trying to get Sam to punch him.
Overall Thoughts:
Although I’m disappointed with some of the writers’ choices and the tension between the brothers is starting to feel forced and irrationally contrived, I mostly liked the episode as a whole. I’m glad we’re starting to question the black-and-whiteness of the supernatural world (although could they have been less subtle about it?), and I hope we’ll see more good “demons” and more of the boys questioning themselves (frex, I appreciate Dean wondering if they’ve killed innocent creatures before). I’m also glad that Dean listened to Sam, even if it took him a while to come around; Sam’s done a lot of compromising lately and questioning his beliefs on Dean’s behalf, so it should go the other way, too.
Although I’m glad we have a character like Gordon to act as a foil against the boys, I wasn’t impressed by his depiction. The blatant rip-off of Gunn’s storyline aside, he was very two-dimensional. As the episode progresses, the show loses all subtlety in showing him as the villain, and even in his interactions with normal people he comes off as a crass jerk. For example, in the bar when he’s paying for the boys’ drinks he calls the waitress “sweetie” and comes off as both condescending and lecherous (contrast that to when Ellen calls Sam “sweetie” on the phone, and she really does sound like a parent; I wonder if that repetition was on purpose). He’s also rude to Sam from the get-go. While this marks him as a villain, it’s not particularly creative and it makes him very unsympathetic. That’s a shame since he would otherwise be a very compelling, sympathetic villain- I can completely understand his mindset, even if I don’t agree with his actions. He would have been so much more nuanced and interesting if he treated other humans with respect and only turned into a monster around the supernatural. Also, it would have done a little to mitigate the fact that this show made one of its very few characters of color a jackass…
I also compare Gordon to Cain from “Phases” in BtvS, and while I wouldn’t call Cain more than two-dimensional either, he doesn’t bug me in the same way. It’s probably because although he is also rude to women and other humans in general, he’s completely upfront about his intentions toward werewolves. Unlike Gordon, he knows that what he’s doing is wrong and admits to not caring. Heh, maybe the reason I like Cain better is that he’s just 2D enough while Gordon tries to be 3D with his background about his sister and ends up being 2D because of his personality.
My other main issue with the episode is how Lenore’s storyline plays out. In order to be worthy of living, she has to be able to completely control her bloodlust, even though she is being tortured. Looking at this through my feminist lens, it says to me that a woman has to be perfect in order to be worth saving. That’s just stupid and offensive. I wouldn’t hold it against Lenore if she couldn’t restrain her bloodlust after being bled and poisoned. A human would go mad and do things it would later regret if it had been similarly brutalized. Why can’t the boys understand her reaction and insist on saving her anyway? It frustrates me that so many potential shades of gray are wasted, especially when they're wasted in a way that objectifies a woman into something that must be perfect to be worthy of a man’s attention. The writers’ use of Lenore also plays into the misogynistic trope that women will display all-encompassing forgiveness toward men even at the expense of their own safety. Seriously, Lenore, at this point your vegetarianism doesn’t matter; Gordon is killing your family; therefore, you have the right to defend yourself and rip his fucking throat out.
All that said, it was nice to see Amber Benson on-screen. Also disturbing, I will say, with those stupid “fangs.” I knew she guest-starred at some point, but I didn’t know she played a vampire. She’s almost unrecognizable with that dark hair. I’d like to know more of Lenore’s story, why she’s “vegetarian,” how she came to lead the other vampires, etc., but I don’t get the sense that we’ll return to her. I’d also like to have seen her last interaction with Sam, when he was driving her to safety.
On a random note, it’s interesting that while Dean is seeking a replacement for John, the same could be said about Sam, that he’s seeking a replacement mother in Ellen. Note how we also visit Mary’s grave in the very next episode.
I liked the ending when Dean tried to get Sam to punch him. I like Dean’s sense of fairness as much as I like Sam’s refusal to play along. Dean was a jerk for parts of this episode, but I like that he’s self-aware enough to admit his instinct to kill all supernatural creatures, regardless of their innocence. It’s not a trait that makes me happy, per se, but it’s understandable given his upbringing and it’s great characterization that he’s willing to ignore his instincts, even if it makes him grumpy. I wonder if John ever faced similar ethical dilemmas and how he reacted.
Purely Subjective Rating:
3.5/5
Favorite Boy:
Tie
-A Journey song for the opening?? Very nice.
-Interesting subversion if this is, as I suspect, a vampire being chased (although even with the subversion, it’s still using the horror trope that a young woman is chased and brutally killed).
-Okay, it’s a little fun to see the sheriff take the boys down a notch, even if he’s obnoxious.
-Digging in the girl’s mouth is so not a scene I needed to see while eating dinner.
-The second vamp’s death: Really, so not the episode to watch while eating.
-The look between Dean and Sam after Dean kills the vamp and his face is sprayed with blood is interesting.
-Yay Sam for sticking up for himself about not thinking decapitations are a swell time.
-So they basically stole Gunn’s motivation for this African American hunter.
-Vampires can enter houses without invitations then?
-Dean, don’t listen to him about needing the job and how the world is only black and white.
-Smart Sam, checking with Ellen about Gordon.
-I don’t like Sam’s new hairstyle.
-This version of fangs as a second set of teeth is weird, and I don’t like it.
-OMG TARA. OH MY GOD.
-I somehow missed her name in the credits.
-She looks SO different. Wow. Tara. Yowza.
-Sam, you completely win this episode.
-Dean, you’re being a complete dick. Stop it.
-I appreciate that
-That looks like the same bridge from the pilot.
-DON’T KILL TARA!
-I can’t help wondering if Dean would be so quick to object to Gordon’s torture if the vampire weren’t female.
-They really did steal Gunn’s storyline. Sigh.
-When Sam is saying, “You knew they weren’t killing ppl,” etc., you can see the realization on Jensen’s face that he was wrong. Lovely acting.
-Don’t take your bullets out, Dean! Moron, his weapon (a knife) is much easier to “reload.”
-Okay, Dean, you’ve redeemed yourself; you now tie with Sam for Favorite Boy.
-That’s a surprisingly female gaze-y shot of Dean smoldering at the end.
Moments that made me giggle inside:
-“Open it.” “You open it.” “Wuss.”
Moments that made me actually LOL:
-*punches Gordon* “Okay. I’m good now. We can go.”
-Dean trying to get Sam to punch him.
Overall Thoughts:
Although I’m disappointed with some of the writers’ choices and the tension between the brothers is starting to feel forced and irrationally contrived, I mostly liked the episode as a whole. I’m glad we’re starting to question the black-and-whiteness of the supernatural world (although could they have been less subtle about it?), and I hope we’ll see more good “demons” and more of the boys questioning themselves (frex, I appreciate Dean wondering if they’ve killed innocent creatures before). I’m also glad that Dean listened to Sam, even if it took him a while to come around; Sam’s done a lot of compromising lately and questioning his beliefs on Dean’s behalf, so it should go the other way, too.
Although I’m glad we have a character like Gordon to act as a foil against the boys, I wasn’t impressed by his depiction. The blatant rip-off of Gunn’s storyline aside, he was very two-dimensional. As the episode progresses, the show loses all subtlety in showing him as the villain, and even in his interactions with normal people he comes off as a crass jerk. For example, in the bar when he’s paying for the boys’ drinks he calls the waitress “sweetie” and comes off as both condescending and lecherous (contrast that to when Ellen calls Sam “sweetie” on the phone, and she really does sound like a parent; I wonder if that repetition was on purpose). He’s also rude to Sam from the get-go. While this marks him as a villain, it’s not particularly creative and it makes him very unsympathetic. That’s a shame since he would otherwise be a very compelling, sympathetic villain- I can completely understand his mindset, even if I don’t agree with his actions. He would have been so much more nuanced and interesting if he treated other humans with respect and only turned into a monster around the supernatural. Also, it would have done a little to mitigate the fact that this show made one of its very few characters of color a jackass…
I also compare Gordon to Cain from “Phases” in BtvS, and while I wouldn’t call Cain more than two-dimensional either, he doesn’t bug me in the same way. It’s probably because although he is also rude to women and other humans in general, he’s completely upfront about his intentions toward werewolves. Unlike Gordon, he knows that what he’s doing is wrong and admits to not caring. Heh, maybe the reason I like Cain better is that he’s just 2D enough while Gordon tries to be 3D with his background about his sister and ends up being 2D because of his personality.
My other main issue with the episode is how Lenore’s storyline plays out. In order to be worthy of living, she has to be able to completely control her bloodlust, even though she is being tortured. Looking at this through my feminist lens, it says to me that a woman has to be perfect in order to be worth saving. That’s just stupid and offensive. I wouldn’t hold it against Lenore if she couldn’t restrain her bloodlust after being bled and poisoned. A human would go mad and do things it would later regret if it had been similarly brutalized. Why can’t the boys understand her reaction and insist on saving her anyway? It frustrates me that so many potential shades of gray are wasted, especially when they're wasted in a way that objectifies a woman into something that must be perfect to be worthy of a man’s attention. The writers’ use of Lenore also plays into the misogynistic trope that women will display all-encompassing forgiveness toward men even at the expense of their own safety. Seriously, Lenore, at this point your vegetarianism doesn’t matter; Gordon is killing your family; therefore, you have the right to defend yourself and rip his fucking throat out.
All that said, it was nice to see Amber Benson on-screen. Also disturbing, I will say, with those stupid “fangs.” I knew she guest-starred at some point, but I didn’t know she played a vampire. She’s almost unrecognizable with that dark hair. I’d like to know more of Lenore’s story, why she’s “vegetarian,” how she came to lead the other vampires, etc., but I don’t get the sense that we’ll return to her. I’d also like to have seen her last interaction with Sam, when he was driving her to safety.
On a random note, it’s interesting that while Dean is seeking a replacement for John, the same could be said about Sam, that he’s seeking a replacement mother in Ellen. Note how we also visit Mary’s grave in the very next episode.
I liked the ending when Dean tried to get Sam to punch him. I like Dean’s sense of fairness as much as I like Sam’s refusal to play along. Dean was a jerk for parts of this episode, but I like that he’s self-aware enough to admit his instinct to kill all supernatural creatures, regardless of their innocence. It’s not a trait that makes me happy, per se, but it’s understandable given his upbringing and it’s great characterization that he’s willing to ignore his instincts, even if it makes him grumpy. I wonder if John ever faced similar ethical dilemmas and how he reacted.
Purely Subjective Rating:
3.5/5
Favorite Boy:
Tie