SPN Glee?
I think I figured out what my problem with SPN was, why I lost my glee. I've sort of known for a while, was on the edge of articulating it properly, but couldn't quite get it out. More importantly, though, I think I've figured out how to fix it.
There was definitely the issue with Sam being the Nice Job Breaking It, Hero of the finale there (and the other finales, too). But my main issue was how it was being presented that Dean was completely right and Sam was completely wrong and that Sam isn't going to be able to have a differing opinion from Dean in anything now, because Dean was right, and gets to say "I told you so" forever.
And, again, I've said before, it's because SPN is the kind of show that it is. They're both lead characters. When I watch "House," House gets to be right. Other characters can have reasonable ideas, but, nope, sorry, not going to be right. That's okay. The show is freaking called "House." If it was called "Princeton-Plainsboro," and wasn't House-centric, I'd have more of a problem with it. When I watch SPN, I don't expect one character completely steamroll the other.
If killing Lilith hadn't been what started the Apocalypse, Sam and Dean would have still been balanced there. Sam, right in that killing Lilith needed to happen, Dean right in that Sam was starting to make some questionable moral choices.
But it turns out killing Lilith was a bad thing, so Dean was right, and Sam...well. Couldn't be more wrong, yeah?
I would argue...no. Within the framework of the information that they had, Dean wasn't completely right and Sam wasn't completely wrong.
And this is what's slowly bringing my glee back.
Dean was worried about Sam turning into a monster. His priority wasn't stopping Lilith or stopping the Apocalypse or working with the angels or thwarting the demons or anything like that. Save Sam. "At least he'll die human."
Dean was not worried about killing Lilith leading to Lucifer rising. So Dean getting to say "I told you so"? Because why? Dean had no idea about this. Dean was right like Hermione was right about Crookshanks and Scabbers in "Prisoner of Azkaban" (yeah, pulling out the HP! ;P). Hermione was wrong not to apologize to Ron for her cat eating his rat EVEN THOUGH it turned out that the cat was framed and in the end, whoops, Scabbers is a minion of the Dark Lord. SHE DIDN'T KNOW THAT.
Just like Dean had no idea that the demon blood would lead to Lucifer rising. If Sam had listened to him and cut himself off, yeah, wouldn't have started the Apocalypse (maybe--it doesn't seem like Sam had much chance to get away from that, but for purposes of this discussion, yes, it would have). But that's like saying Hermione shouldn't have tried to stop Crookshanks from attacking Scabbers.
I'm not at all sure it'll be seen this way in the show (it seems like a lot of fics are going the "Dean was 100% right and Sam was 100% wrong" route), but now that I can see that for me? It has me with more excitement and less dread for Thursday.
And with that, I'm going to go pick up the DVDs. I think I can face them now.
Discussion in the comments is always welcome!
There was definitely the issue with Sam being the Nice Job Breaking It, Hero of the finale there (and the other finales, too). But my main issue was how it was being presented that Dean was completely right and Sam was completely wrong and that Sam isn't going to be able to have a differing opinion from Dean in anything now, because Dean was right, and gets to say "I told you so" forever.
And, again, I've said before, it's because SPN is the kind of show that it is. They're both lead characters. When I watch "House," House gets to be right. Other characters can have reasonable ideas, but, nope, sorry, not going to be right. That's okay. The show is freaking called "House." If it was called "Princeton-Plainsboro," and wasn't House-centric, I'd have more of a problem with it. When I watch SPN, I don't expect one character completely steamroll the other.
If killing Lilith hadn't been what started the Apocalypse, Sam and Dean would have still been balanced there. Sam, right in that killing Lilith needed to happen, Dean right in that Sam was starting to make some questionable moral choices.
But it turns out killing Lilith was a bad thing, so Dean was right, and Sam...well. Couldn't be more wrong, yeah?
I would argue...no. Within the framework of the information that they had, Dean wasn't completely right and Sam wasn't completely wrong.
And this is what's slowly bringing my glee back.
Dean was worried about Sam turning into a monster. His priority wasn't stopping Lilith or stopping the Apocalypse or working with the angels or thwarting the demons or anything like that. Save Sam. "At least he'll die human."
Dean was not worried about killing Lilith leading to Lucifer rising. So Dean getting to say "I told you so"? Because why? Dean had no idea about this. Dean was right like Hermione was right about Crookshanks and Scabbers in "Prisoner of Azkaban" (yeah, pulling out the HP! ;P). Hermione was wrong not to apologize to Ron for her cat eating his rat EVEN THOUGH it turned out that the cat was framed and in the end, whoops, Scabbers is a minion of the Dark Lord. SHE DIDN'T KNOW THAT.
Just like Dean had no idea that the demon blood would lead to Lucifer rising. If Sam had listened to him and cut himself off, yeah, wouldn't have started the Apocalypse (maybe--it doesn't seem like Sam had much chance to get away from that, but for purposes of this discussion, yes, it would have). But that's like saying Hermione shouldn't have tried to stop Crookshanks from attacking Scabbers.
I'm not at all sure it'll be seen this way in the show (it seems like a lot of fics are going the "Dean was 100% right and Sam was 100% wrong" route), but now that I can see that for me? It has me with more excitement and less dread for Thursday.
And with that, I'm going to go pick up the DVDs. I think I can face them now.
Discussion in the comments is always welcome!