The Problem with Supernatural
This has been on my mind for a while. And I am currently stuck in my bedroom waiting for my treatment to finish so there's no time like the present!
Sister Cecily and I discovered Supernatural the TV show last summer. (Well, I wouldn't say "discovered" exactly. We both knew it existed. Just never watched it until last year.) We binged watched all eight seasons in six weeks. Then we rewatched a lot of it. I also rewatched seasons four through nine with brother Sean this past summer.
Needless to say I am a SPN fan. A late comer, yes. But a fan nonetheless. So you can understand how conflicting this is when I say: Here's my problem with Supernatural.
The last couple of seasons, including the one we're currently dealing with, have been sub par. And that's putting it lightly.
The show writers seem to be limiting themselves by constantly keeping with the angel/demon, heaven/hell motif in the over arching, seasonal plot lines. We've dealt with demons in the show since the beginning, and angels since season four. We are now in season ten. Hopefully my point is becoming visible by now.
Last night's episode 10x11 "There's No Place Like Home" with Felica Day is a perfect example of what I'm talking about.
[***SPOILERS***]
Charlie comes back from the land of Oz with her dark side or "the monster" as referred to in the show separated from herself as Dark Charlie. We learn that Charlie, whilst in Oz, had her darkness separated from herself and helped win a war with it.
Suddenly there was all of this lore that we never knew about, that the Winchesters never knew about because, gosh darn it, we just aren't tired of dealing with demons and angels ... EVER! Instead of learning about the lore as the show moves through it like we normally do, it's all crammed into this one (filler!) episode and will most likely be forgotten about by next week, because, you know, demons.
We've had two or three episodes about the fairies since we first heard about them in season six. We found out last season that the land of Oz is a real place. But do we learn more about it? Do we get to see new monsters, new threats from those places? No, not really. Just a witch basically. And come to think of it, that's nothing new.
We could have had an entire season based on the fairy lore alone. It would have been a nice change. New characters, new threats, new lore, new magic. How refreshing would that have been? Sam and Dean probably would have appreciated it as well.
It is also becoming very evident that the writers are running out of stuff to do with the demon/angel plot lines. That's why Metatron takes so long to say anything whenever he opens his mouth. That's why Metatron isn't dead yet. And that's why this season in particular has already had an over abundance of filler episodes. At least that's my theory.
I do like the idea of Dean fighting off something. I like more the idea of Sam getting help from all of the characters (who are still alive) that we know and love to help Dean thus proving that people think more of him than he does himself. That hasn't happened yet exactly, but I am hoping.
I enjoy Mark Sheppard, and I like Crowley. But, and I may be burned at the stake for saying this, signing him on as a permanent cast member limits the shows potential to explore new realms and new plot lines. The same could be said for Misha Collins when he was signed on last year. However as one of the good guys, Castiel could do anything and go anywhere. In spite of what we've seen the plot doesn't always have to be angel centric.
With a permanent villain of sorts like Crowley, we're basically stuck knowing where our plot lines are going from now on.
Yes, they have tried to mix things up with bringing Claire and Crowley's witch mother into the pot. Another witch. Because we haven't seen that before. The fact that she's Crowley's mother simply adds a little more comedic potential. And Castiel's weak story line with Claire feels like a waste of Misha's talents and of Castiels' time. There really should be bigger fish to fry.
I'm not saying that we should just focus on the fairies either. That's just one potential plot they could explore. They've touched a little on mythological creatures and gods. There's a lot of stuff that could be done with that. Or with giants, or chupacabra, or cthulhu! I don't care really. I'm just getting desperate for something different.
Sister Cecily and I discovered Supernatural the TV show last summer. (Well, I wouldn't say "discovered" exactly. We both knew it existed. Just never watched it until last year.) We binged watched all eight seasons in six weeks. Then we rewatched a lot of it. I also rewatched seasons four through nine with brother Sean this past summer.
Needless to say I am a SPN fan. A late comer, yes. But a fan nonetheless. So you can understand how conflicting this is when I say: Here's my problem with Supernatural.
The last couple of seasons, including the one we're currently dealing with, have been sub par. And that's putting it lightly.
The show writers seem to be limiting themselves by constantly keeping with the angel/demon, heaven/hell motif in the over arching, seasonal plot lines. We've dealt with demons in the show since the beginning, and angels since season four. We are now in season ten. Hopefully my point is becoming visible by now.
Last night's episode 10x11 "There's No Place Like Home" with Felica Day is a perfect example of what I'm talking about.
[***SPOILERS***]
Charlie comes back from the land of Oz with her dark side or "the monster" as referred to in the show separated from herself as Dark Charlie. We learn that Charlie, whilst in Oz, had her darkness separated from herself and helped win a war with it.
Suddenly there was all of this lore that we never knew about, that the Winchesters never knew about because, gosh darn it, we just aren't tired of dealing with demons and angels ... EVER! Instead of learning about the lore as the show moves through it like we normally do, it's all crammed into this one (filler!) episode and will most likely be forgotten about by next week, because, you know, demons.
We've had two or three episodes about the fairies since we first heard about them in season six. We found out last season that the land of Oz is a real place. But do we learn more about it? Do we get to see new monsters, new threats from those places? No, not really. Just a witch basically. And come to think of it, that's nothing new.
We could have had an entire season based on the fairy lore alone. It would have been a nice change. New characters, new threats, new lore, new magic. How refreshing would that have been? Sam and Dean probably would have appreciated it as well.
It is also becoming very evident that the writers are running out of stuff to do with the demon/angel plot lines. That's why Metatron takes so long to say anything whenever he opens his mouth. That's why Metatron isn't dead yet. And that's why this season in particular has already had an over abundance of filler episodes. At least that's my theory.
I do like the idea of Dean fighting off something. I like more the idea of Sam getting help from all of the characters (who are still alive) that we know and love to help Dean thus proving that people think more of him than he does himself. That hasn't happened yet exactly, but I am hoping.
I enjoy Mark Sheppard, and I like Crowley. But, and I may be burned at the stake for saying this, signing him on as a permanent cast member limits the shows potential to explore new realms and new plot lines. The same could be said for Misha Collins when he was signed on last year. However as one of the good guys, Castiel could do anything and go anywhere. In spite of what we've seen the plot doesn't always have to be angel centric.
With a permanent villain of sorts like Crowley, we're basically stuck knowing where our plot lines are going from now on.
Yes, they have tried to mix things up with bringing Claire and Crowley's witch mother into the pot. Another witch. Because we haven't seen that before. The fact that she's Crowley's mother simply adds a little more comedic potential. And Castiel's weak story line with Claire feels like a waste of Misha's talents and of Castiels' time. There really should be bigger fish to fry.
I'm not saying that we should just focus on the fairies either. That's just one potential plot they could explore. They've touched a little on mythological creatures and gods. There's a lot of stuff that could be done with that. Or with giants, or chupacabra, or cthulhu! I don't care really. I'm just getting desperate for something different.