gryfndor_godess (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
gryfndor_godess) wrote2012-05-23 08:57 pm
gryfndor_godess) wrote2012-05-23 08:57 pm
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SPN: Thoughts on 3x03 - 3x06
3x03: “Bad Day at Black Rock”:
-Um, I really love Bela. Can we keep her? Of course not. The fact that she’s awesome means that she’s going to die, because we can’t have nice things on Supernatural. And by nice things, I mean women.
-Lauren Cohan’s accent is a little distracting. I can’t tell if it’s supposed to be British or Australian, and I thought it was real, but according to IMDB she was born in Philly. But she also went to university in Britain, so maybe it’s not entirely fake? Definitely exaggerated, though. Whatever, it’s more enjoyable than distracting.
-This episode had quite a few funny moments, but as I read my DVD episode guide wrong and thought it said Sam lost “his” foot instead of “the” foot, I spent half of it too terrified of Sam’s impending amputation to enjoy them. *headdesk* Yup, I’m weird.
-Kubrick’s Jesus shtick creeps me out more than a little, but I guess I can understand why his ridiculously easy path to the Winchesters makes him think God is on his side. I mean, dumb luck vs. God…I can understand why they seem the same and, I guess, who’s to say that they’re not?
-Oh, and Dean’s “WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?” after Bela shoots Sam: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. I shouldn’t be laughing because she shot Sam, but seriously. The delivery was fantastic.
3x04: “Sin City”:
-I feel like this episode’s “all humans are innately corrupt” theme should leave me with something to say, but mostly I’m feeling…“duh.” Obviously human nature is innately corruptible. Doesn’t mean all vices are bad (I mean, I’m pretty sure most stereotypical vices are okay in moderation) and just because humans can be corrupted into doing small, bad things doesn’t mean they can be easily corrupted into doing hugely terrible things.
-I really liked the scene where Sam was caught in the human bad guy’s office and stumbled his way out of there totally confused and apologizing. Nice red herring, and also, Jared, you’re adorable.
-I really liked the Casey!demon. She was an engaging character and actress, not just a ‘hottie with big tits’ like it seemed the show was going for at the beginning. I enjoyed her conversation with Dean, especially the vulnerability he showed in asking about Hell, and I loved how at the end he started to tell Sam not to kill her. I don’t think S1!Dean would ever have hesitated, and it was a lovely, inconspicuous way to show how much his character has changed and how he sees shades of gray now, even when he maybe shouldn’t.
-Oh! And I liked how Dean looked out for that hunter friend of his. The idea of Dean having random hunter friends kind of came out of left field, but I love his protective streak.
3x05: “Bedtime Stories”:
-“Could you be any more gay?” Um, fuck you, Dean. Good god, why does this show insist on being such a dumbfuck about women and gays and minorities sometimes? Could you please not make Dean act like a bigoted jackass?
-I expected to like this episode more than I did because of its fairy tale theme (since I am a sucker for all things fairy-tale-related). I didn’t think it was bad. Just…kind of boring. It was heavy on the supernatural stuff and light on the brotherly stuff (until the end), and the supernatural stuff was interesting but not twisty enough to keep me on the edge of my seat.
-I think the problem was that it all just left me feeling sad- dispirited. I felt bad for the father who had to convince his daughter to die to get her to stop killing people; I felt bad for the poor little girl who was poisoned at age 8 and then trapped as a spirit; I felt bad for all the victims; I felt bad for the unwitting “villains,” who were also victims. It just sucked all around and left me wondering what was going to happen to the poor guy who was made to act like the Big Bad Wolf. Obviously the remaining Three Little Pigs brother and Little Red deserve justice, but the guy was possessed and didn’t kill anyone of his own volition.
-The end with Sam and the Crossroads demon was fascinating. Her speech about a tiny part of him wanting Dean gone was unexpected and yet not really a surprise when you think about it. Dean can be incredibly troublesome and reckless and rude, and he’s made Sam feel responsible for his brother’s damnation. Obviously Sam doesn’t want him to die, but the idea of him subconsciously wanting Dean to be gone is believable. I’ll be quite interested to see if and how this issue comes up again, since Sam presumably isn’t going to give up on trying to save Dean.
-As for Sam shooting the demon…I don’t really care. I know we’re supposed to think he has become more bloodthirsty since being resurrected, but dudes, that demon consigned his brother to Hell. I’d want its blood, too. As for killing Jake and Casey…(a) Jake killed Sam first, so…yeah. And (b) Casey was a demon and 99% of Sam’s experience says they’re nothing but evil so…yeah. Not saying I like Sam killing people, demons or otherwise, but given that he had legitimate reasons for those impulses/actions, it doesn’t faze me the way I think it’s supposed to.
3x06: “Red Sky at Morning”:
-BELA!
FAVORITE LINES:
-“Can I shoot her?” “Not in public.”
-“When this is over, we should really have angry sex.” “Don’t objectify me.”
PLEASE HAVE ANGRY!SEX.
I want to know more about Bela. Obviously she’s not going to last long because all the cool women die on this show (PLEASE DON’T TELL ME IF I’M RIGHT OR WRONG), but I’m going to enjoy the heck out of her while we have her. And she was delightful in this episode. Completely mercenary. Her giving them $10,000 at the end instead of saying thank you? PERFECT. And moreover, I relate to it, because I would do the same thing. Except I would also say ‘thank you.’ Point is, I hate feeling like I’m in someone else’s debt, and I would gladly fork over some cash to get rid of the feeling. Not that I would have tricked the boys like that in the first place, but if I had.
-The old lady did not seem that upset about her niece being dead. We’re obviously supposed to find her obsession with Sam comical, but I found it much more disturbing than funny. It would disgust me if the genders were reversed, and I’m not any more amused just because the old person happens to be female. Her lechery was very discomforting. The only enjoyable shot to come of that was Sam chugging the wine, because chugging alcohol is pretty much always funny. Unless it’s an alcoholic, in which case it’s sad.
-I have a note written about Dean’s death wish and Sam’s frustration, but I don’t remember exactly what it was about…probably just that the boys’ acting was fantastic, as usual, and the situation was heartbreaking, as usual.
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I ended up really liking Sin City. The representation of demons and demon plans there made much more sense to me than the demons in, say, 3.01. But then the idea of demons just facilitating human vice is very much a Lewis/Gaiman/Pratchett sort of view of them (The Screwtape Letters for Lewis, Good Omens for Gaiman and Pratchett), so I suspect it resonates with me partly because I've just seen it before. In terms of an exploration of evil, it makes a lot of sense to me. Also, I get excited anytime monsters on this show have more complex/interesting objectives than EAT EVERYBODY.
I think the idea behind Sam shooting the demon was that it comes across as more... uncontrolled than we usually see him? And also he did it away from Dean.
You have good things coming! GOOD THINGS. Well. One good thing in particular, and some so-so things, and also a fairly long stretch of 'meh' things. So, par for the course, I guess. :P
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I adore that episode to pieces.
Oh man, I felt like such an idiot when I realized how I'd misread the description. I should have enjoyed that episode so much more than I did, because there wasn't anything unenjoyable about it! *sigh*
I ended up really liking Sin City.
I was just reading your review of that and "Bedtime Stories" half an hour ago and realizing there was so much I hadn't thought to talk about or consider. I wasn't taking notes while watching the episodes, so I'd forgotten a lot of the smaller but important things, like Sam saying Dean wasn't John.
In terms of an exploration of evil, it makes a lot of sense to me.
Yeah, it was definitely an interesting twist and has a lot more potential for nuance and characterization than the possession stories do. I think I just wasn't as satisfied by it because except for the guy who tried to shoot his wife's lover, none of the humans' actions seemed particularly evil. I mean, I'm not a fan of gambling or stripping or drinking, but I don't think any of them are innately heinous- certainly not heinous enough to require a demon to evoke them in people (the town pre-Casey's-influence just seemed a little too perfect, perhaps).
Casey was more interesting than the Seven Deadly Sins, but I like that both types exist in the world. They're committing similar crimes, but some villains are more subtle and insidious, like Casey, and some are flat-out evil thugs who prefer pain over finesses, like the Seven. I like the variety.
uncontrolled than we usually see him?
Oh, definitely. It just...doesn't bother me. It might be OOC in general, but it doesn't seem OOC in the context of Sam-is-sufferering-severe-emotional-trauma-and-this-demon-bought-his-brother's soul.
You have good things coming!
Yay! Heh, you'll have to tell me after the fact what the Good Thing is the So-So Things are, specifically.
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Oh, I absolutely wouldn't argue that's it OOC in the bad, I-don't-buy-it sense. It does strike me as a new note to Sam's character, though; we've never seen him pressed this hard in this particular way before. He's lost things without any chance of saving them (Jess) and he's had identity crises regarding his demon powers, but now he has a goal in a way he hasn't had since wanting revenge on Yellow Eyes.
FWIW, I think I appreciate the character development in those ends scenes more now than I did at the time; when I watched the ep, the face-off with the crossroads demon felt pretty tacked-on to the rest of the episode.
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Mm, I can see that. I was really intrigued to see Sam being sneaky and going around Dean for once, so the only part of it that bothered me when I watched was, "is it even physically possible for Sam to drive from Fairy Tale place to the Crossroads and back in one night??" I can't keep track of all their geographical locations anymore...
now he has a goal in a way he hasn't had since wanting revenge on Yellow Eyes.
Sam with a goal is definitely excellent viewing material and more entertaining than Sam following/nagging Dean.
Um, also, this is not related to these episodes at all, but all of my box sets are lying on my bedroom floor in a very tempting pile, and I was flipping them over because I don't care about spoilers, and the back of S6 says, "Dean vows to stop hunting and devote himself to building a family with Lisa and her son Ben," and my jaw dropped in a no doubt unflattering way, and now I'm like, DEAN DOES A FATHER/FAMILY THING and BUT SAM IS GONE and BUT SAM COMES BACK SO CLEARLY DEAN DITCHES THE FATHER/FAMILY THING and IT'S LIKE EVERYTHING I WANT BUT HORRIBLY TWISTED and GAH. Needed to share that...
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LOLOLOL. Oh, honey. And now you have two and a half season before you can find out what's going on!
Incidentally, the shot of Dean+baby from the het mpreg ficathon banner is from that era. (Not Lisa's baby.) So many good things! I have very mixed feelings about S6, but they're all fairly polarized things - there's the stuff I thought very poorly done indeed, and there's the stuff I loved. I have a feeling you will love all the things I loved.
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Yup. *facepalm* Ah well. I've known a lot of big spoilers for a while. I already know that Dean's going to Hell at the end of this season.
Dean+baby from the het mpreg ficathon banner is from that era.
DEAN HAS A BABY?!?
No, I'm going to assume he doesn't, but that was my first reaction. :) Why can't these boys just be happy?? *wibbles*
there's the stuff I thought very poorly done indeed, and there's the stuff I loved.
It seems like that is generally how this show goes...
I have a feeling you will love all the things I loved.
Looking forward to it! :D
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Mostly yes. Of all the seasons, the ones about which I had the fewest strong feelings have been S3 and, actually, the season we just finished. I think S3 is probably my least favorite of all of them, just because it never felt like it got off the ground to me, and then it got cut short due to the writer's strike. It has a few redeeming features in the form of stellar individual episodes, but that's about it.
Oddly, all my really big fic ideas seem to come from this season, though. Oh, and hey! You're far enough to read my Dean/Ellen now, if you like.
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It was so frustrating how many shows got screwed over by that. I mean, I support that it happened because I support the writers (and I guess we got Dr. Horrible out of it, so there's that), but oh! all the truncated characterization and plotlines in shows everywhere!
I've been mostly satisfied with S3 so far. I think it's partly because it took me so long to watch the first two seasons and because there are so many MOW episodes that I don't think of the show in terms of seasons and some being better than the others like I do with BtVS. They just blend together so far, and individual episodes stand out. But maybe that will change when I've seen more seasons.
Oddly, all my really big fic ideas seem to come from this season, though.
That makes sense. If you're vaguely dissatisfied with something, you're (meaning 'you' in the general sense) more likely to daydream about untapped potential and ways to "fix" or change things.
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On one hand, this is definitely true. OTOH, it's not so much that I want to fix S3 - I really have no idea what that would entail - but that plot circumstances come together to allow me to develop some plot ideas that would be more difficult in other seasons. Another way of saying it is that there isn't much in S3 for me to disrupt. Starting in S4, there are major big picture plot obstacles to work around, kind of on par with S5 or S7 on Buffy. Whereas S3 on SPN is a lot like S4 on Buffy - what plot stuff there is (and really, there's precious little in SPN S3), I have no reservations about disrupting, just like I don't feel even a little bit bad about totally breaking the Initiative/Adam plot in BtVS S4.
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I've obviously only seen a third of S3 so far but that seems like a very apt analogy.
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"Fresh Blood" does have some wonderful moments. "I just want you to be my brother again. Because... just 'cause." OH SAMMY.
One good thing about this season is we finally get to see Sam have feelings! Dean, for all his bluster and discomfort with displays/discussion of emotion, is a whole lot more transparent than Sam.
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Heh, yeah... Well, I always knew the angelic/demonic plots probably wouldn't thrill me; it won't be a surprise, at least.
finally get to see Sam have feelings!
Yes, not to mention his own plans to save Dean. I am enjoying this more driven, proactive, and determined Sam.
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S E R I O U S L Y. This is my biggest fucking ish with Dean's character that has never gone away. The stink of anxious masculinity is never addressed by the text, because the writers themselves just do not care. (See: every dead woman.)
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Can you unpack that a little? I'm not quite sure what you mean.
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Interesting! That particular aspect hadn't occurred to me before.
I do think that Dean has a lot more excuse to be screwed up about his masculinity and his relationship to women than a lot of people, because of the way he was raised. Other than teachers and classmates, which he presumably kept at a distance and never saw for very long regardless, he's had no long-term women in his life. All the more reason why that year with Lisa must have been quite the learning experience.
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“Could you be any more gay?” Um, fuck you, Dean. Good god, why does this show insist on being such a dumbfuck about women and gays and minorities sometimes? Could you please not make Dean act like a bigoted jackass?
Yeah. Dean has MAJOR masculinity issues. Which I'd actually really like about him as a character, because it's so easy for me to get into his head otherwise? So he could be this really interesting experience in letting me understand why someone would be that way. But he doesn't get called out on it, to the point where I think it's supposed to be played straightforwardly. No, thank you.
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Bela love! That makes me happy, as I've read that most fans don't care for her.
So he could be this really interesting experience in letting me understand why someone would be that way. But he doesn't get called out on it, to the point where I think it's supposed to be played straightforwardly. No, thank you.
EXACTLY. If the show ever called him out on his behavior and seemed to make a statement, I would be fine with his characterization. A lot of guys are like that in real life, after all, so I wouldn't mind seeing it represented on TV, as long as the show made it clear his behavior was not okay. But it doesn't, so I do mind.