Saying it better than I ever could about SUPERNATURAL
This post was recommended reading as commentary to the latest episode of SUPERNATURAL, and I had to link to it here because she says it so much better than I ever could.
For the most part this show has fallen so far out of favor with me that I wouldn't bother keeping up with it at all if it wasn't for Jensen Ackles. He's my fandom, not the show. And the fandom friends I've made. And that's it. Once Jensen moves on, so do I - and I have wanted him to move on for a long time.
That being said, I've actually liked a little more than not about this particular season, in contrast to the last three years - which ain't hard to beat, granted. But, of course, the last couple of episodes have gone back to overly predictable form, to which I say to the showrunner/producers, seriously dudes, I don't really need more reason to dislike Sam Winchester. The character has long been a lost cause with me. The best I can do is tolerate his presence in the narrative - but you really don't make it easy or even possible most of the time. So it's enough already with the overkill, and you're not doing either of the Winchester characters any favors at this point.
ETA: Just to clarify, I honestly don't enjoy not liking a lead character of a show I once liked or loved, because it does make it harder to be a fan of the show as a whole, as I'd rather do. Like during the run of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, I could never understand how fans who hated Buffy could still watch the show. Of course, I get it now. Then again, during that final season, Buffy was almost the only character I still liked - and since she was the lead, it made it easier for me to stick with it.
I don't know what the hell the showrunners/writers we've had since season six are thinking or going for anymore. I don't even like what they've done with Dean most of that time either, but somehow through his performance Jensen has managed to keep Dean sympathetic and engaging enough for me to stick with him, even though I want to throttle him at times too.
If nothing else, I've come to the realization that Kripke had a better handle on the whole enterprise than I gave him credit for in season five when whatever happened between he and the network caused him to mentally check out before the end of the season. I sometimes wonder what he thinks of the show now?
For the most part this show has fallen so far out of favor with me that I wouldn't bother keeping up with it at all if it wasn't for Jensen Ackles. He's my fandom, not the show. And the fandom friends I've made. And that's it. Once Jensen moves on, so do I - and I have wanted him to move on for a long time.
That being said, I've actually liked a little more than not about this particular season, in contrast to the last three years - which ain't hard to beat, granted. But, of course, the last couple of episodes have gone back to overly predictable form, to which I say to the showrunner/producers, seriously dudes, I don't really need more reason to dislike Sam Winchester. The character has long been a lost cause with me. The best I can do is tolerate his presence in the narrative - but you really don't make it easy or even possible most of the time. So it's enough already with the overkill, and you're not doing either of the Winchester characters any favors at this point.
ETA: Just to clarify, I honestly don't enjoy not liking a lead character of a show I once liked or loved, because it does make it harder to be a fan of the show as a whole, as I'd rather do. Like during the run of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, I could never understand how fans who hated Buffy could still watch the show. Of course, I get it now. Then again, during that final season, Buffy was almost the only character I still liked - and since she was the lead, it made it easier for me to stick with it.
I don't know what the hell the showrunners/writers we've had since season six are thinking or going for anymore. I don't even like what they've done with Dean most of that time either, but somehow through his performance Jensen has managed to keep Dean sympathetic and engaging enough for me to stick with him, even though I want to throttle him at times too.
If nothing else, I've come to the realization that Kripke had a better handle on the whole enterprise than I gave him credit for in season five when whatever happened between he and the network caused him to mentally check out before the end of the season. I sometimes wonder what he thinks of the show now?