[episode review] Supernatural Season Four Thus Far (Episodes 1 - 10)
I've not been writing episode reviews as avidly this season as I have in seasons past. This has been for a multitude of reasons, including the fact that I've been busy as hell with school along with feeling a more generalized antipathy towards primetime television in general (I've even stopped watching 'House' because I'm tired of watching that show jump the shark).
That being said, I do feel as though I owe it to Supernatural; not only to just keep watching, but to continue to have semi-occasional thinky-thoughts regarding the show's progress. And now that we've entered the winter hiatus period, I think it's time to sit back and examine the first half of this season: the ups, the downs, and the eye-rolling moments of absolute "did we really need that?"
SPOILERS BEHIND THE CUT FOR ALL US-AIRED EPISODES OF SUPERNATURAL INCLUDING 3X10! There will be no mention or discussion of spoilers for unaired episodes!
Looking back at my reaction post to the end of season three, there was a lot that I didn't see coming. Hell, the only thing that I have hit the nail on yet has been the appearance of Sam's powers (sexy as they are), but I assumed that it would be Sam who would rescue Dean (using his powers to do so). I don't think that anyone could have predicted the introduction of the angels vs. demon, God vs. Lucifer scenario, nor could anyone have really known how Kripke and co. was going to handle the concept of hell (and their HORRID attempt to visualize hell in television *shudders at the memory*) and what it would do to someone for any period of time.
I really have no idea how to start this review, especially considering the last episode is so fresh in my mind, but I'll give it a go nonetheless. Going back to the beginning of the season, we were left in a discomforting place: Dean was dead and in hell, and there was no telling what was going to happen to Sam in the meantime. Interestingly enough, the show premiered almost seemingly where it left off, with Dean in hell. Sam wasn't brought into the show until the second half, even after Bobby's introduction (and, in an abstract way, after Ruby was brought back as well). In a lot of ways, the first scenes of the premiere have really echoed throughout the first half of the season ... Dean's journey, Dean discovering what his true purpose is and why he was brought back, and finding nothing but questions along the way.
We know now that Dean remembers his time in hell, and moreso, that he spent his final ten "years" in hell torturing and doing unspeakable things to souls. (Note: need to write fic where Dean does these things to Sam. *check*) I find it really hard to believe that someone who went through that much trauma would bounce back as quickly as Dean has (despite his issues that have been heavily focused on throughout the last couple of episodes, namely his drinking), but it's not unheard of for this show to be heavy-handed with the exposition when it wants to be, so let's just ignore that for now.
Dean was brought back from hell by the angel Castiel, in order to fulfill a purpose that hasn't been detailed yet. There are two obvious reasons for what sort of plan angels would have for Dean: either it is up to Dean to save Sam, because Sam has a higher purpose/destiny, or it is up to Dean to save the world, because he has a secret higher purpose/destiny that hasn't been brought up yet. Now, obviously I'm rooting for Option A, and not just because I'm a Sam!girl, but because it would really be an insult to the first two seasons of this show if we were to suddenly discover that really, all along, it's been about Dean.
But I don't want to get ahead of myself. Also, I'm getting the feeling that this is going to be massively long, and I'm wondering how many people are going to read this far. LOL! Anyways, going back to the beginning few episodes, we learn that Dean was brought back by angels. Apparently SPN has decided to go with Christianity, which is unfortunate considering the amount of global folklore they embraced during the first couple of seasons. I suppose that since the show is set in America, though, going with a Christian idea of the apocalypse and traditional forms of good and evil would be the most understandable to a large audience, but honestly, I think that the writers should give us viewers some more credit and come up with something more original ... but then again, that's just my opinion.
Dean, the eternal skeptic, who doesn't believe in God or angels or anything remotely good except for beer and sex ... was brought back to life by an angel of the Lord. Quick, someone ring the irony bell! And keep it going, because as it turns out, the angels really hate Sam, despite the fact that, up until September 2008, he was the only living, breating Winchester who believed in the damn things.
I guess it's understandable why they wouldn't like Sam, however; he has been screwing a demon and tugging her along with him everywhere he went over the summer. As of right now, we've only seen glimpses of Sam's first two months without Dean. Much like there are two missing years in Sam and Dean's relationship (teehee, I said relationship) when Sam was at Stanford, now we have two missing months in Sam's life when he and Dean were separated and he was with another woman (and seriously, I still maintain that it would be so cool if it were eventually revealed that Ruby is, in fact, Jessica's spirit). In season two, being one of Azazel's chosen children was a bummer because it meant that you were going to die. In season three, it somehow meant that Sam was "the boy king," and that you'd pick up demon groupies. Apparently this season it means that you are a nuisance and if you keep using those powers, Samuel, Uriel-the-angry-black-man (seriously, SPN, you are asking for lawsuits at this point) will turn you into dust. Good lord, but I want Sam to kill that angel soon ...
Sam learns his powers, and it makes him evil. That's really similar to how we were shown Anna until the *gasp* HUGE REVEAL that she was an angel; her powers were seemingly out of her control, and appeared sinister (ya know, when she started slitting her wrists and writing demonic things and all that jazz). I don't think that could have been entirely on accident, especially when Sam was going out of his way in tonight's episode to show how he sympathized with Anna's plight (not as much as Dean did, but then again, Sam can't have sex two episodes in a row, as that would cause my head to explode). So, are we supposed to see similarities between Sam and Anna, the fallen angel? Is Sam a fallen angel?
What is a fallen angel in this context? Anna said that she was fallen, but as she pointed out, so was Lucifer. If this pans out in the way that I'm leading it, then what does that mean for Sam? I have no idea, but all I know is that, in some way, it needs to be about both Sam and Dean. If this turns into the "mystical, magical Dean hour," I might pretend this is House and dedicate my life instead to the First Holy Church of Spencer Reid. You might think I'm being overly-dramatic on this point, but remember how many episodes this season have been about Dean thus far. In fact, one episode was entirely about Dean and his journey into the past to see his parents. And all we've gotten for Sam was an episode about his summer, which was pretty awesome, but when you look at the entire picture? Yeah, the Sam!girls have room to complain.
Tonight's episode was, to put it bluntly, dull and cheestastic to the max. Pretty much every time Anna talked about "her grace" (WHICH WAS IN A FREAKING NECKLACE I'M STILL DYING ON THE INSIDE OVER THAT), I nearly fell off the couch with laughter. I know that some people said that last week's sex scene between Ruby and Sam was unecessary and forced into the script by a writer who pervs Sam more than I do (I LOVE YOU SARA BB!!!), but I'd have to say that Dean/Anna wasn't that much better tonight. Gratuitous sex scenes, oh SPN, you are FIGHTING to keep you're higher ratings this season, aren't you?
I don't read spoilers, so I have no idea what's coming after this. All I do know is how frustrating it is to hear stop complaining about the lack of Sam episodes, because Kripke said in an interview that the second half of the season is all about Sam. In my opinion, a show shouldn't be good and/or make sense in retrospect. Sure, surprise and double-takes and misleads are all well and good, but the entire series shouldn't rely on them. Otherwise, they fall completely flat, as they did tonight with Sam's great "plan," that resulted in simply making Sam and Dean look useless (only in retrospect could we see the brilliance of Sam's plan, which is just poor-quality writing in my opinion).
Am I being really harsh on this show? Yes, definitely, but I can't help but to feel slightly betrayed at this point. SPN reeled me in because it was a show about two brothers who hunt the supernatural. Now it's a show that's half about having monsters (in the form of demons or angels) coming after Sam and Dean and half about semi-annoying fan service. And if I wasn't so damn enamoured by the show even after all that, I'd stop watching. But as it stands right now, I'm waiting on baited breath until Jan. 15 to see where it goes from here.
Where do I think it's headed? Honestly, I have no idea, and I've learned better than to try to predict what's going on in the creator's heads. I do believe that at some point we're coming down to a Sam vs. Dean showdown at the end of the season, but other than that, I have nothing. And nothing is kind of how I feel about this season so far. Hopefully, I will be able to change my opinion on that in the months ahead.
That being said, I do feel as though I owe it to Supernatural; not only to just keep watching, but to continue to have semi-occasional thinky-thoughts regarding the show's progress. And now that we've entered the winter hiatus period, I think it's time to sit back and examine the first half of this season: the ups, the downs, and the eye-rolling moments of absolute "did we really need that?"
SPOILERS BEHIND THE CUT FOR ALL US-AIRED EPISODES OF SUPERNATURAL INCLUDING 3X10! There will be no mention or discussion of spoilers for unaired episodes!
Looking back at my reaction post to the end of season three, there was a lot that I didn't see coming. Hell, the only thing that I have hit the nail on yet has been the appearance of Sam's powers (sexy as they are), but I assumed that it would be Sam who would rescue Dean (using his powers to do so). I don't think that anyone could have predicted the introduction of the angels vs. demon, God vs. Lucifer scenario, nor could anyone have really known how Kripke and co. was going to handle the concept of hell (and their HORRID attempt to visualize hell in television *shudders at the memory*) and what it would do to someone for any period of time.
I really have no idea how to start this review, especially considering the last episode is so fresh in my mind, but I'll give it a go nonetheless. Going back to the beginning of the season, we were left in a discomforting place: Dean was dead and in hell, and there was no telling what was going to happen to Sam in the meantime. Interestingly enough, the show premiered almost seemingly where it left off, with Dean in hell. Sam wasn't brought into the show until the second half, even after Bobby's introduction (and, in an abstract way, after Ruby was brought back as well). In a lot of ways, the first scenes of the premiere have really echoed throughout the first half of the season ... Dean's journey, Dean discovering what his true purpose is and why he was brought back, and finding nothing but questions along the way.
We know now that Dean remembers his time in hell, and moreso, that he spent his final ten "years" in hell torturing and doing unspeakable things to souls. (Note: need to write fic where Dean does these things to Sam. *check*) I find it really hard to believe that someone who went through that much trauma would bounce back as quickly as Dean has (despite his issues that have been heavily focused on throughout the last couple of episodes, namely his drinking), but it's not unheard of for this show to be heavy-handed with the exposition when it wants to be, so let's just ignore that for now.
Dean was brought back from hell by the angel Castiel, in order to fulfill a purpose that hasn't been detailed yet. There are two obvious reasons for what sort of plan angels would have for Dean: either it is up to Dean to save Sam, because Sam has a higher purpose/destiny, or it is up to Dean to save the world, because he has a secret higher purpose/destiny that hasn't been brought up yet. Now, obviously I'm rooting for Option A, and not just because I'm a Sam!girl, but because it would really be an insult to the first two seasons of this show if we were to suddenly discover that really, all along, it's been about Dean.
But I don't want to get ahead of myself. Also, I'm getting the feeling that this is going to be massively long, and I'm wondering how many people are going to read this far. LOL! Anyways, going back to the beginning few episodes, we learn that Dean was brought back by angels. Apparently SPN has decided to go with Christianity, which is unfortunate considering the amount of global folklore they embraced during the first couple of seasons. I suppose that since the show is set in America, though, going with a Christian idea of the apocalypse and traditional forms of good and evil would be the most understandable to a large audience, but honestly, I think that the writers should give us viewers some more credit and come up with something more original ... but then again, that's just my opinion.
Dean, the eternal skeptic, who doesn't believe in God or angels or anything remotely good except for beer and sex ... was brought back to life by an angel of the Lord. Quick, someone ring the irony bell! And keep it going, because as it turns out, the angels really hate Sam, despite the fact that, up until September 2008, he was the only living, breating Winchester who believed in the damn things.
I guess it's understandable why they wouldn't like Sam, however; he has been screwing a demon and tugging her along with him everywhere he went over the summer. As of right now, we've only seen glimpses of Sam's first two months without Dean. Much like there are two missing years in Sam and Dean's relationship (teehee, I said relationship) when Sam was at Stanford, now we have two missing months in Sam's life when he and Dean were separated and he was with another woman (and seriously, I still maintain that it would be so cool if it were eventually revealed that Ruby is, in fact, Jessica's spirit). In season two, being one of Azazel's chosen children was a bummer because it meant that you were going to die. In season three, it somehow meant that Sam was "the boy king," and that you'd pick up demon groupies. Apparently this season it means that you are a nuisance and if you keep using those powers, Samuel, Uriel-the-angry-black-man (seriously, SPN, you are asking for lawsuits at this point) will turn you into dust. Good lord, but I want Sam to kill that angel soon ...
Sam learns his powers, and it makes him evil. That's really similar to how we were shown Anna until the *gasp* HUGE REVEAL that she was an angel; her powers were seemingly out of her control, and appeared sinister (ya know, when she started slitting her wrists and writing demonic things and all that jazz). I don't think that could have been entirely on accident, especially when Sam was going out of his way in tonight's episode to show how he sympathized with Anna's plight (not as much as Dean did, but then again, Sam can't have sex two episodes in a row, as that would cause my head to explode). So, are we supposed to see similarities between Sam and Anna, the fallen angel? Is Sam a fallen angel?
What is a fallen angel in this context? Anna said that she was fallen, but as she pointed out, so was Lucifer. If this pans out in the way that I'm leading it, then what does that mean for Sam? I have no idea, but all I know is that, in some way, it needs to be about both Sam and Dean. If this turns into the "mystical, magical Dean hour," I might pretend this is House and dedicate my life instead to the First Holy Church of Spencer Reid. You might think I'm being overly-dramatic on this point, but remember how many episodes this season have been about Dean thus far. In fact, one episode was entirely about Dean and his journey into the past to see his parents. And all we've gotten for Sam was an episode about his summer, which was pretty awesome, but when you look at the entire picture? Yeah, the Sam!girls have room to complain.
Tonight's episode was, to put it bluntly, dull and cheestastic to the max. Pretty much every time Anna talked about "her grace" (WHICH WAS IN A FREAKING NECKLACE I'M STILL DYING ON THE INSIDE OVER THAT), I nearly fell off the couch with laughter. I know that some people said that last week's sex scene between Ruby and Sam was unecessary and forced into the script by a writer who pervs Sam more than I do (I LOVE YOU SARA BB!!!), but I'd have to say that Dean/Anna wasn't that much better tonight. Gratuitous sex scenes, oh SPN, you are FIGHTING to keep you're higher ratings this season, aren't you?
I don't read spoilers, so I have no idea what's coming after this. All I do know is how frustrating it is to hear stop complaining about the lack of Sam episodes, because Kripke said in an interview that the second half of the season is all about Sam. In my opinion, a show shouldn't be good and/or make sense in retrospect. Sure, surprise and double-takes and misleads are all well and good, but the entire series shouldn't rely on them. Otherwise, they fall completely flat, as they did tonight with Sam's great "plan," that resulted in simply making Sam and Dean look useless (only in retrospect could we see the brilliance of Sam's plan, which is just poor-quality writing in my opinion).
Am I being really harsh on this show? Yes, definitely, but I can't help but to feel slightly betrayed at this point. SPN reeled me in because it was a show about two brothers who hunt the supernatural. Now it's a show that's half about having monsters (in the form of demons or angels) coming after Sam and Dean and half about semi-annoying fan service. And if I wasn't so damn enamoured by the show even after all that, I'd stop watching. But as it stands right now, I'm waiting on baited breath until Jan. 15 to see where it goes from here.
Where do I think it's headed? Honestly, I have no idea, and I've learned better than to try to predict what's going on in the creator's heads. I do believe that at some point we're coming down to a Sam vs. Dean showdown at the end of the season, but other than that, I have nothing. And nothing is kind of how I feel about this season so far. Hopefully, I will be able to change my opinion on that in the months ahead.