Status Report Supernatural Reviews & Other Stuff
Hi, flist! Some of you may wonder about the lack of activity around here lately, and I thought I should probably let you know that I no longer intend to write any Supernatural reviews. In fact, I have quit watching the show altogether after The Purge, and there is little chance that I will return to the show (or the fandom) in the future. It is no secret that I have not been happy with the show for a long while, but the writers’ treatment of Sam’s possession storyline was the straw that broke the camel’s back for me. I have lost all connection to the story and the characters - well, to the version of them that is presented to us by the current team of writers at least - so there was really no point in continuing with the show.
The Ezekiel/Gadreel storyline has been difficult for me from the start, but initially I had some hope that it would lead to an actual in-depth examination of the more problematic aspects of the brothers’ co-dependency in general and Dean’s control issues where Sam is concerned in particular - and maybe in a way it did, but it is not a way that I am comfortable with. My personal breaking point came when Dean told Sam that, given the chance, he would make the same choices. Honestly, I wanted Sam to pack his things, walk away and never look back; I felt that he is no longer safe with Dean and that the brotherly relationship has turned harmful to the point where a clear and permanent cut was the only reasonable step left between them. Moreover, Dean’s complete unrepentance and lack of awareness for his problematic actions pretty much ruined the character for me, and if I can no longer feel any sympathy for one of the main characters, the writers clearly missed their mark.
Over the years, Supernatural worked hard to establish that a possession is one of the worst things that can happen to a person; the writers likened it to torture, they likened it to rape. So, no matter how they frame it, Dean’s choice to remove Sam’s consent and facilitate the violation of his brother’s bodily autonomy are villainous acts, and their refusal to address Dean’s actions as such is, quite frankly, disturbing, as is their refusal to explore what this kind of violation at the hands of the person he trusted most did to someone with Sam’s personal history of possession. The writers either lack awareness for the problematic nature of their storyline or do not care, and I am honestly not sure which I find worse. Ultimately, it seems the entire purpose of Sam’s possession storyline was to push Dean towards self-destruction, and I find that offensive. It not only reduces Sam’s suffering to a mere plot point in Dean’s story, but also indirectly lays blame at Sam’s (i.e. the victim’s!) feet for facilitating Dean’s downfall - and that is a story I am just no longer compelled to watch.
All in all, these last two seasons the writers’ blatant disregard for past canon, their lack of concern for narrative continuity and character integrity, as well as their incessant recycling of past storylines, slowly but surely destroyed Supernatural's credibility for me. I only held on for as long as I did, because my emotional investment in the brotherly relationship was still strong enough to make an effort to overcome my growing problems with the show. However, Carver & Co managed to turn the formerly co-dependent and conflict-laden, but ultimately loving and mutually beneficial relationship between Sam and Dean into a toxic wasteland, and no matter how they intend to resolve the messed-up situation between the brothers, for me their relationship is no longer salvageable in a believable manner. Could they restore a relationship between the brothers? Sure. But the kind of intimate and trusting brotherly bond they used to share is no longer credible in my opinion. I just know that if I have to accept everything that transpired between Sam and Dean these past two seasons as (my personal) canon, my view of the brotherly relationship will irrevocably be changed, and I will never again be able to truly enjoy the first seven seasons - and my history with the show is too important to me to let that happen.
Now, on the one hand, I am sad that my time with the show has come to close, especially since it ends on such a negative note. Supernatural has been an immensely important part of my life for almost ten years; I have never quite loved a show as much as this one, and I always thought I would follow Sam and Dean’s journey to the very end, so leaving the show without a proper conclusion is a massive let-down. On the other hand, though, I also feel incredibly relieved. Let’s face it, the occasional bright spot aside, the show has made me miserable ever since the beginning of S8, and I really do not miss the feelings of dread (before an episode) and frustration/anger (after an episode) that I have come to associate with the show. I loosely followed the rest of S9 via LJ and Tumblr, but everything I saw/read only served to cement my choice to quit, and I do not regret it at all. In fact, I am surprised how quickly I moved on from the show, mentally and emotionally, once the decision was made. At the moment, I feel very content to just pretend that the show was cancelled after S7.
In the meantime, I kind of drifted into the Stargate SG-1 fandom. Watching the show may have started as a light-hearted distraction, but it turned into a genuine passion surprisingly quickly, and I enjoy being in a fandom that has mellowed considerably with time, resulting in a pretty relaxed and hate-free atmosphere. Granted, Stargate is not the deepest science fiction show that has ever captured my attention, but at the moment I appreciate its overall optimistic tenor, as well as the family dynamic between the somewhat flawed but positive characters, more than I can say. I admit, I have grown a little weary of stories about anti-heroes, dysfunctional relationships and moral ambiguities, and I think I am going to indulge in some lighter, more upbeat fare for a while. Well, for the most part anyway.
As for the future of this journal, I am honestly not sure what will become of it. I originally started this blog in order to post my fanart and my Supernatural reviews, but now that I have ceased both, I am not sure if I will be able to generate frequent new content for it. I mean, I am not one for posting about my personal life, and while I recently developed a taste for making gifs, LJ is not really suited for publishing them; that’s what Tumblr is for, after all. That leaves writing, but I do not really anticipate getting into a similarly extensive writing project any time soon. That is not to say that I no longer write. Stargate does tickle my muse quite a bit - at the moment, I am up to over 50.000 words of meta/observations about the show - but those writings are not really intended for public consumption. Still, I definitely plan on keeping this journal for the time being. Who knows when it might come in handy again!
The Ezekiel/Gadreel storyline has been difficult for me from the start, but initially I had some hope that it would lead to an actual in-depth examination of the more problematic aspects of the brothers’ co-dependency in general and Dean’s control issues where Sam is concerned in particular - and maybe in a way it did, but it is not a way that I am comfortable with. My personal breaking point came when Dean told Sam that, given the chance, he would make the same choices. Honestly, I wanted Sam to pack his things, walk away and never look back; I felt that he is no longer safe with Dean and that the brotherly relationship has turned harmful to the point where a clear and permanent cut was the only reasonable step left between them. Moreover, Dean’s complete unrepentance and lack of awareness for his problematic actions pretty much ruined the character for me, and if I can no longer feel any sympathy for one of the main characters, the writers clearly missed their mark.
Over the years, Supernatural worked hard to establish that a possession is one of the worst things that can happen to a person; the writers likened it to torture, they likened it to rape. So, no matter how they frame it, Dean’s choice to remove Sam’s consent and facilitate the violation of his brother’s bodily autonomy are villainous acts, and their refusal to address Dean’s actions as such is, quite frankly, disturbing, as is their refusal to explore what this kind of violation at the hands of the person he trusted most did to someone with Sam’s personal history of possession. The writers either lack awareness for the problematic nature of their storyline or do not care, and I am honestly not sure which I find worse. Ultimately, it seems the entire purpose of Sam’s possession storyline was to push Dean towards self-destruction, and I find that offensive. It not only reduces Sam’s suffering to a mere plot point in Dean’s story, but also indirectly lays blame at Sam’s (i.e. the victim’s!) feet for facilitating Dean’s downfall - and that is a story I am just no longer compelled to watch.
All in all, these last two seasons the writers’ blatant disregard for past canon, their lack of concern for narrative continuity and character integrity, as well as their incessant recycling of past storylines, slowly but surely destroyed Supernatural's credibility for me. I only held on for as long as I did, because my emotional investment in the brotherly relationship was still strong enough to make an effort to overcome my growing problems with the show. However, Carver & Co managed to turn the formerly co-dependent and conflict-laden, but ultimately loving and mutually beneficial relationship between Sam and Dean into a toxic wasteland, and no matter how they intend to resolve the messed-up situation between the brothers, for me their relationship is no longer salvageable in a believable manner. Could they restore a relationship between the brothers? Sure. But the kind of intimate and trusting brotherly bond they used to share is no longer credible in my opinion. I just know that if I have to accept everything that transpired between Sam and Dean these past two seasons as (my personal) canon, my view of the brotherly relationship will irrevocably be changed, and I will never again be able to truly enjoy the first seven seasons - and my history with the show is too important to me to let that happen.
Now, on the one hand, I am sad that my time with the show has come to close, especially since it ends on such a negative note. Supernatural has been an immensely important part of my life for almost ten years; I have never quite loved a show as much as this one, and I always thought I would follow Sam and Dean’s journey to the very end, so leaving the show without a proper conclusion is a massive let-down. On the other hand, though, I also feel incredibly relieved. Let’s face it, the occasional bright spot aside, the show has made me miserable ever since the beginning of S8, and I really do not miss the feelings of dread (before an episode) and frustration/anger (after an episode) that I have come to associate with the show. I loosely followed the rest of S9 via LJ and Tumblr, but everything I saw/read only served to cement my choice to quit, and I do not regret it at all. In fact, I am surprised how quickly I moved on from the show, mentally and emotionally, once the decision was made. At the moment, I feel very content to just pretend that the show was cancelled after S7.
In the meantime, I kind of drifted into the Stargate SG-1 fandom. Watching the show may have started as a light-hearted distraction, but it turned into a genuine passion surprisingly quickly, and I enjoy being in a fandom that has mellowed considerably with time, resulting in a pretty relaxed and hate-free atmosphere. Granted, Stargate is not the deepest science fiction show that has ever captured my attention, but at the moment I appreciate its overall optimistic tenor, as well as the family dynamic between the somewhat flawed but positive characters, more than I can say. I admit, I have grown a little weary of stories about anti-heroes, dysfunctional relationships and moral ambiguities, and I think I am going to indulge in some lighter, more upbeat fare for a while. Well, for the most part anyway.
As for the future of this journal, I am honestly not sure what will become of it. I originally started this blog in order to post my fanart and my Supernatural reviews, but now that I have ceased both, I am not sure if I will be able to generate frequent new content for it. I mean, I am not one for posting about my personal life, and while I recently developed a taste for making gifs, LJ is not really suited for publishing them; that’s what Tumblr is for, after all. That leaves writing, but I do not really anticipate getting into a similarly extensive writing project any time soon. That is not to say that I no longer write. Stargate does tickle my muse quite a bit - at the moment, I am up to over 50.000 words of meta/observations about the show - but those writings are not really intended for public consumption. Still, I definitely plan on keeping this journal for the time being. Who knows when it might come in handy again!