Insta-thoughts on SPN 8.07 + CF 1.06
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Diwali is done! Didn’t burst any crackers this year but had lots and lots of glooooorious food-I justified all the hogging I did by asserting that I needed to get ready for all the weight I’m going to lose over the next two months. OH GOD I’M NOT READY NOT REALLY
Still working on those recaps. Meanwhile, insta-thoughts! Because opinions.
Starting with Supernatural! SPOILERS under the cut. Warning: it's a bit picture-heavy.
8.07: A Little Slice of Kevin
1. I really, really liked the direction in this one. I dunno, there were just a lot of shots and angles that kind of jumped out at me. The last time this happened was, I think, 4.13: After School Special, which was just a spectacularly staged episode.
1.5: Also, really loved this:
Yeah, you go, Dean, giving the blue steel look even while lopping somebody’s head off. The camera loves you.
1.99. ... Damn. If nothing else, s8 is making me miss s4 so goddamn much.
2. The return of the torture scenes! Poor Semandriel. I wonder, though-just how did Crowley manage to capture the angel, and more importantly, keep him within his host? Have we seen an angel in this position before? I don’t seem to remember any. Angels can kill demons with ease, and about the only monster-species on equal standing with the Winged Ones is the Leviathan (WHO ARE CONVENIENTLY MISSING. DON’T THINK I’VE FORGOTTEN, SHOW). We know there are ways to seal a demon within its host (the sigil they used on Brady in 5.20: The Devil You Know comes to mind), but are there any for angels?
(I have a feeling I’m missing an obvious explanation.)
2.5. Oh good god, Kevin’s finger. *shudders* All that blood, and all of those unsterile instruments. Castiel might fix your finger, but I’m deeply afraid for you, kiddo.
3. Mrs Tran is a bit... baffling, tbh. She’s awesome, no doubt, but I’m still a bit bemused at how she’s jumped into the hunter’s life with both feet. I SENSE AWESOME BACKSTORY SOMEWHERE DOWN THE LINE. Maybe she knew Mary Winchester at some point
4. I love it when Show moves its mytharc along, and this one seems to be moving rather nicely. So there are other prophets, and other tablets-one for each species threatening mankind, presumably. One for the Leviathan, one for the demons, and-what else?
4.25. That this whole Word of God was introduced so late still bothers me. If God was leaving cheat codes all over the place, you’d think they could’ve been found, I don’t know, when the Apocalypse was about to go down?
4.5. Also, what exactly do they mean by ‘seal the gates of Hell forever’? Nothing goes in, nothing comes out? If so, Crowley’s right: what was God thinking?
4.65. It also seems awfully forward of Show’s God to even leave these instructions around, tbh. For everything a purpose, right? Why would you want to create this gigantic wedge between Earth and Hell, and not balance it out with a wedge between Earth and Heaven? Why would you even want to compartmentalise-there would be a build up of souls, and it would fester-it’s just not healthy, yo.
5. I kind of love that there are whole generations of Prophets, with one ready to take over if the first one dies. I love that not all of them are American, and I love that Chuck’s existence was finally acknowledged (I did wonder if he’d been sucked into the same ether that claimed Adam and Jesse).
(I have never subscribed to the notion that Chuck was God, but-could he have been Metatron, at the very end? IDK.)
6. Speaking of Prophets, that must be one extremely traumatised little kid.
7. What's with that table, Crowley. Also: don't give that look. "Alien mothership" is a perfectly valid assumption.
8. Sam and Dean actually had civilised, honest conversations! Okay, conversation. But still. *wipes proud tear*
9. Uh... I don't know if it's awfully relevant, but some character named Castiel reunited with the Winchesters.
9.5. There was a seed of something interesting planted at the end of s7--something of a bond between Sam and Castiel, based on mutual experiences and insanity. They've had hardly two words to say to each other so far, but I wonder if they'll actually converse in forthcoming episodes. Not counting on it--Purgatory trumps Hallucifer, I suppose--but one can hope.
10. Haha, so Dean and Benny ARE blood brothers! That was a seriously cool scene. I realise it'd be a bit much to expect explanations (or maybe one's already been provided--I confess I haven't really paid full attention to the Purgatory bits; I tend to fast-forward when they get boring), but how did they create that portal? Humans zapping into Purgatory--can't be an everyday occurrence.
11. "I know how we had to scratch and claw... and kill... and bleed" and maim and dance and sing and play rummy. IT WAS TERRIBLE, CASTIEL, HOW DID YOU MAKE IT
11.5. I'm starting to wonder just how much Dean is obsessing over his time in Purgatory, and how it's affecting his perception of things happening around him. I get the PTSD; I get the randomly-triggered flashbacks, but Dean simply cannot stop talking about it. He uses fairly strong, intense language each time, too. Contrast this with s4, where Sam had to poke and prod Dean into talking about Hell (which started the "I tortured souls,,, and I enjoyed it" and the "what would you know about Hell; I've lived it" spiel). Castiel does a neat little demonstration at the very end, when he reminds Dean of what really happened--not the version that Dean's been turning in his head, over and over.
11.9. Purgatory was liberating for Dean's latent psychopathy; "purifying" as he puts it. There was a purpose, a goal. Monsters to kill. A friend and a brother to protect. No sticky issues; no grey areas. For Castiel, it was a chance at penance. (If so--I would've thought that he wouldn't try so hard to keep ahead of the Leviathan. Can an angel die in Purgatory?)
11.95. Dean's still hung up on the "everything has to be somebody's fault"--and most of the time, according to him, it's his.
12. Sam, why do you use demon bombs when YOU are the ultimate "demon bomb"? You killed an entire room of demons with a thought in the s4 finale. YOU DON'T NEED THE FEATHER TO FLY, DUMBO.
13. So, Heaven. There are angels that can break into Purgatory. I'm not sure if Naomi & co. rank higher than Raphael did?
13.5. THIS ANGEL KILLED HALF OF HEAVEN. Apart from Hester kicking Castiel's ass in late s7, most of Heaven seem rather sanguine about this fact. THIS MEGALOMANIAC ANGEL OPENED PURGATORY AND PLAYED GOD. "Ah, his heart was in the right place"/"No probs! We brought you back to life and thrust you right back with the Winchesters so you can spy for us without knowing it! :)"
13.9. I CANNOT FIGURE SHOW'S ANGEL HIERARCHY OUT. It's a good thing I don't really care for Show's angel mythos, otherwise I'd be having a headache about now.
Chicago Fire! I know nobody really cares about this one, and it's so cliched and OTT, but I kind of love it with all my heart. Was legit more excited about CF than SPN this Wednesday.
1.06: Rear-View Mirror
VOIGHT IS DOWN, YEAH! I loved seeing Casey totally lose it, how he was bringing down the entire station with him, and how Boden was having none of it. "Boss first, friend second." YES. Chief Boden is slowly but surely turning out to be one of the best characters on this show.
It's also really cool that that it was Casey finally pulling himself together and doing his job that got him the breakthrough he needed--Curtis from the apartment building fire (real heart-in-the-mouth sequence, that--even though Casey ending up under the ladder was kind of flipping the bird at physics).
I loved how Severide was genuinely concerned for Casey--and how well he seemed to know Casey's moods, his body language. I love that they can be mature despite their problems with each other, and Severide/Casey, okay? IT'S A THING.
Dawson! I cannot believe I started off disliking this woman. She is awesome. And I'm actually starting to root for Casey/Dawson. WHAT. I know that her crush on an engaged man is pathetic and a great disservice to her, but there was such good chemistry between them in that final bar scene that I can't help but like the Dawson/Casey/Hallie set-up. Aaagh.
(I still ship Casey with everybody, though. DOES NOBODY ELSE SEE THE POTENTIAL IN CASEY/ANTONIO? COME ON.)
Aaaaaah I wanted to see Casey and Boden drunk together at the end. Also, Mouch was awesome.
I am overwhelmed by all the love I have for these characters. It's crazy. The show itself could be (much) better written, but I LOVE 'EM ALL, OKAY?
Diwali is done! Didn’t burst any crackers this year but had lots and lots of glooooorious food-I justified all the hogging I did by asserting that I needed to get ready for all the weight I’m going to lose over the next two months. OH GOD I’M NOT READY NOT REALLY
Still working on those recaps. Meanwhile, insta-thoughts! Because opinions.
Starting with Supernatural! SPOILERS under the cut. Warning: it's a bit picture-heavy.
8.07: A Little Slice of Kevin
1. I really, really liked the direction in this one. I dunno, there were just a lot of shots and angles that kind of jumped out at me. The last time this happened was, I think, 4.13: After School Special, which was just a spectacularly staged episode.
1.5: Also, really loved this:
Yeah, you go, Dean, giving the blue steel look even while lopping somebody’s head off. The camera loves you.
1.99. ... Damn. If nothing else, s8 is making me miss s4 so goddamn much.
2. The return of the torture scenes! Poor Semandriel. I wonder, though-just how did Crowley manage to capture the angel, and more importantly, keep him within his host? Have we seen an angel in this position before? I don’t seem to remember any. Angels can kill demons with ease, and about the only monster-species on equal standing with the Winged Ones is the Leviathan (WHO ARE CONVENIENTLY MISSING. DON’T THINK I’VE FORGOTTEN, SHOW). We know there are ways to seal a demon within its host (the sigil they used on Brady in 5.20: The Devil You Know comes to mind), but are there any for angels?
(I have a feeling I’m missing an obvious explanation.)
2.5. Oh good god, Kevin’s finger. *shudders* All that blood, and all of those unsterile instruments. Castiel might fix your finger, but I’m deeply afraid for you, kiddo.
3. Mrs Tran is a bit... baffling, tbh. She’s awesome, no doubt, but I’m still a bit bemused at how she’s jumped into the hunter’s life with both feet. I SENSE AWESOME BACKSTORY SOMEWHERE DOWN THE LINE. Maybe she knew Mary Winchester at some point
4. I love it when Show moves its mytharc along, and this one seems to be moving rather nicely. So there are other prophets, and other tablets-one for each species threatening mankind, presumably. One for the Leviathan, one for the demons, and-what else?
4.25. That this whole Word of God was introduced so late still bothers me. If God was leaving cheat codes all over the place, you’d think they could’ve been found, I don’t know, when the Apocalypse was about to go down?
4.5. Also, what exactly do they mean by ‘seal the gates of Hell forever’? Nothing goes in, nothing comes out? If so, Crowley’s right: what was God thinking?
4.65. It also seems awfully forward of Show’s God to even leave these instructions around, tbh. For everything a purpose, right? Why would you want to create this gigantic wedge between Earth and Hell, and not balance it out with a wedge between Earth and Heaven? Why would you even want to compartmentalise-there would be a build up of souls, and it would fester-it’s just not healthy, yo.
5. I kind of love that there are whole generations of Prophets, with one ready to take over if the first one dies. I love that not all of them are American, and I love that Chuck’s existence was finally acknowledged (I did wonder if he’d been sucked into the same ether that claimed Adam and Jesse).
(I have never subscribed to the notion that Chuck was God, but-could he have been Metatron, at the very end? IDK.)
6. Speaking of Prophets, that must be one extremely traumatised little kid.
7. What's with that table, Crowley. Also: don't give that look. "Alien mothership" is a perfectly valid assumption.
8. Sam and Dean actually had civilised, honest conversations! Okay, conversation. But still. *wipes proud tear*
9. Uh... I don't know if it's awfully relevant, but some character named Castiel reunited with the Winchesters.
9.5. There was a seed of something interesting planted at the end of s7--something of a bond between Sam and Castiel, based on mutual experiences and insanity. They've had hardly two words to say to each other so far, but I wonder if they'll actually converse in forthcoming episodes. Not counting on it--Purgatory trumps Hallucifer, I suppose--but one can hope.
10. Haha, so Dean and Benny ARE blood brothers! That was a seriously cool scene. I realise it'd be a bit much to expect explanations (or maybe one's already been provided--I confess I haven't really paid full attention to the Purgatory bits; I tend to fast-forward when they get boring), but how did they create that portal? Humans zapping into Purgatory--can't be an everyday occurrence.
11. "I know how we had to scratch and claw... and kill... and bleed" and maim and dance and sing and play rummy. IT WAS TERRIBLE, CASTIEL, HOW DID YOU MAKE IT
11.5. I'm starting to wonder just how much Dean is obsessing over his time in Purgatory, and how it's affecting his perception of things happening around him. I get the PTSD; I get the randomly-triggered flashbacks, but Dean simply cannot stop talking about it. He uses fairly strong, intense language each time, too. Contrast this with s4, where Sam had to poke and prod Dean into talking about Hell (which started the "I tortured souls,,, and I enjoyed it" and the "what would you know about Hell; I've lived it" spiel). Castiel does a neat little demonstration at the very end, when he reminds Dean of what really happened--not the version that Dean's been turning in his head, over and over.
11.9. Purgatory was liberating for Dean's latent psychopathy; "purifying" as he puts it. There was a purpose, a goal. Monsters to kill. A friend and a brother to protect. No sticky issues; no grey areas. For Castiel, it was a chance at penance. (If so--I would've thought that he wouldn't try so hard to keep ahead of the Leviathan. Can an angel die in Purgatory?)
11.95. Dean's still hung up on the "everything has to be somebody's fault"--and most of the time, according to him, it's his.
12. Sam, why do you use demon bombs when YOU are the ultimate "demon bomb"? You killed an entire room of demons with a thought in the s4 finale. YOU DON'T NEED THE FEATHER TO FLY, DUMBO.
13. So, Heaven. There are angels that can break into Purgatory. I'm not sure if Naomi & co. rank higher than Raphael did?
13.5. THIS ANGEL KILLED HALF OF HEAVEN. Apart from Hester kicking Castiel's ass in late s7, most of Heaven seem rather sanguine about this fact. THIS MEGALOMANIAC ANGEL OPENED PURGATORY AND PLAYED GOD. "Ah, his heart was in the right place"/"No probs! We brought you back to life and thrust you right back with the Winchesters so you can spy for us without knowing it! :)"
13.9. I CANNOT FIGURE SHOW'S ANGEL HIERARCHY OUT. It's a good thing I don't really care for Show's angel mythos, otherwise I'd be having a headache about now.
Chicago Fire! I know nobody really cares about this one, and it's so cliched and OTT, but I kind of love it with all my heart. Was legit more excited about CF than SPN this Wednesday.
1.06: Rear-View Mirror
VOIGHT IS DOWN, YEAH! I loved seeing Casey totally lose it, how he was bringing down the entire station with him, and how Boden was having none of it. "Boss first, friend second." YES. Chief Boden is slowly but surely turning out to be one of the best characters on this show.
It's also really cool that that it was Casey finally pulling himself together and doing his job that got him the breakthrough he needed--Curtis from the apartment building fire (real heart-in-the-mouth sequence, that--even though Casey ending up under the ladder was kind of flipping the bird at physics).
I loved how Severide was genuinely concerned for Casey--and how well he seemed to know Casey's moods, his body language. I love that they can be mature despite their problems with each other, and Severide/Casey, okay? IT'S A THING.
Dawson! I cannot believe I started off disliking this woman. She is awesome. And I'm actually starting to root for Casey/Dawson. WHAT. I know that her crush on an engaged man is pathetic and a great disservice to her, but there was such good chemistry between them in that final bar scene that I can't help but like the Dawson/Casey/Hallie set-up. Aaagh.
(I still ship Casey with everybody, though. DOES NOBODY ELSE SEE THE POTENTIAL IN CASEY/ANTONIO? COME ON.)
Aaaaaah I wanted to see Casey and Boden drunk together at the end. Also, Mouch was awesome.
I am overwhelmed by all the love I have for these characters. It's crazy. The show itself could be (much) better written, but I LOVE 'EM ALL, OKAY?