Nothing like a snow storm in what's supposed to be Mississippi in May
The words on the screen at the beginning did say Missouri (though all the episode descriptions released beforehand said Mississippi, and damned if it didn't look like a coastal town), and they had that radio voiceover of an unseasonable snowstorm, so they did try...what that, at least. Not so much with the rest.
He uses jokes and evasiveness to hide what he's feeling? Gosh, you don't say! We've never noticed that before!
I know! What a shocker! It all makes sense now. (It seems you're not the only one driven to sarcastic extremes.)
"unemployed, indigent bum with a violent lifestyle and enough emotional baggage to fill a train part."
It was definitely a disappointing episode. I'm inclined to just shrug it off, though, because in a 22-episode season clunkers will happen, it's just a sad fact of life. If this had been an important arc episode, I would've been more annoyed, because when those suck, the suckiness tends to carry over to the rest of the season (I still shudder at the memories of the "magic as drug addiction fiasco of Season 6 BtVS). But this was disposable filler, and I can easily dismiss it without it affecting my enjoyment of the rest of the season.
You are right about season 1 one-off stinkers. They're allowed. :)
On BTVS 6: I kinda liked the "fine line" that Willow was forced to walk. It took the deus ex magica resolution away from the writers, while deepening repect for the character's willpower, recognizing the human frailty when she fell off the wagon, and keeping it real by forcing her to go back and face magic again and again.
See, I think the addiction storyline *was* a deus ex magica solution, making Willow's problem external (OMG, magic is addictive) rather than internal (OMG, Willow is selfish and avoidance-prone, and likes to seek quick but dishonest solutions to complicated problems, all of which was true long before she ever took up magic). When Willow cast a spell to make Tara forget they had an argument, she wasn't doing it because she was craving a magical high. Yet after the addiction episode, everyone behaved as if craving a magical high was the only problem Willow had to deal with.
(And wow, that's the longest BtVS conversation I've had in years. *snort*)
shirtless DeanndancerFebruary 1 2006, 20:01:54 UTC
Please allow me to join you in the shallow end of the pool. I think I could watch an entire hour or more of shirtless Dean, especially if it includes him engaged in some faux lovemaking. The man has an absolutely beautiful back, especially when it's in action, so to speak.
Loved the brotherly snarkage. The rest of it, not so much.
Re: shirtless DeanmarinarusalkaFebruary 1 2006, 20:14:18 UTC
Dean's back is *fabulous*, but what really got me were the shoulders and the arms, because I've always had an arm fetish. I haven't drooled this much over a pair of biceps since Kevin Smith first donned a leather vest and flexed on Xena.
For a bad episode, I thought this one wasn't that bad. The brotherly snark is always enjoyable, even if it did boil down to stuff we'd already heard: Dean's emotionally distant, Sam's a whiny little bitch, etc. But I thought the themes of the killer truck, Dean's relationship issues, and the town's racist past were overstressed and frankly not that interesting. The Killer Truck could have involved some great chase scenes, but didn't, Dean's psyche could have been further explored, but wasn't, and the whole racism theme was riddled with cliches. The plot twists were obvious and pretty boring.
I liked Cassie, but I get tired of women who can be strong until something creepy shows up, when they promptly cry and scream and trip over things and make Dean/Sam save them. The only girl who's made a real impression on me has been the one from "Asylum," because she always knew going into the creepy asylum was stupid, and she knew how to use a rifle.
I think, overall, that the episode was more "bleh" than "OMGhorrible!" I watched it, enjoyed the banter and the shirtless Dean hotness, but couldn't work up any strong feelings otherwise.
I actually thought that, with the exception of the "I lied to Jess" bit, Sam was totally non-whiny in this episode. The angst this week was all Dean's, and for a change it was unrelated to Sam, who seemed to really enjoy being the bratty baby brother and busting Dean's chops. He smiled an awful lot in this episode, which made me happy. JP has a gorgeous smile, and he doesn't get to show it off much because Sam is so broody. But I'm suspecting more and more than the broodiness is a lingering reaction to Jess' death rather than a fundamental part of his personality.
As for Cassie, I think her characterization was really hampered by an attempt to make her both the Imperiled Babe of the Week and Dean's True Love. Those two functions just don't mesh well at all, and the story suffered for it.
Okay, wait, there was more stuff in that episode beside Dean with his shirt off? Because I have this vague recollection, but that back in motion kind of, um, threw a big magnet into the memory core...
Ackles is bloody amazing. (I know, I'm repeating myself, here, but hey.) When he sees Cassie for the first time, you get their whole backstory in one second of silent screen time. Wow.
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The words on the screen at the beginning did say Missouri (though all the episode descriptions released beforehand said Mississippi, and damned if it didn't look like a coastal town), and they had that radio voiceover of an unseasonable snowstorm, so they did try...what that, at least. Not so much with the rest.
He uses jokes and evasiveness to hide what he's feeling? Gosh, you don't say! We've never noticed that before!
I know! What a shocker! It all makes sense now. (It seems you're not the only one driven to sarcastic extremes.)
"unemployed, indigent bum with a violent lifestyle and enough emotional baggage to fill a train part."
Pfffft. You say that like it's a bad thing. ;)
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Hey, you know I love Dean beyond all reasonable bounds, but nevertheless. Worst. Boyfriend material. Ever.
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So very true. It sure is a good thing he's fictional. That way we don't have to get our heads examined for loving him. *g*
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I'm so dissapointed in the writers.
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On BTVS 6: I kinda liked the "fine line" that Willow was forced to walk. It took the deus ex magica resolution away from the writers, while deepening repect for the character's willpower, recognizing the human frailty when she fell off the wagon, and keeping it real by forcing her to go back and face magic again and again.
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(And wow, that's the longest BtVS conversation I've had in years. *snort*)
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Loved the brotherly snarkage. The rest of it, not so much.
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I was swooning at the sight of JA's back last night. I guess I'm now developing a back fetish as well.
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I liked Cassie, but I get tired of women who can be strong until something creepy shows up, when they promptly cry and scream and trip over things and make Dean/Sam save them. The only girl who's made a real impression on me has been the one from "Asylum," because she always knew going into the creepy asylum was stupid, and she knew how to use a rifle.
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I actually thought that, with the exception of the "I lied to Jess" bit, Sam was totally non-whiny in this episode. The angst this week was all Dean's, and for a change it was unrelated to Sam, who seemed to really enjoy being the bratty baby brother and busting Dean's chops. He smiled an awful lot in this episode, which made me happy. JP has a gorgeous smile, and he doesn't get to show it off much because Sam is so broody. But I'm suspecting more and more than the broodiness is a lingering reaction to Jess' death rather than a fundamental part of his personality.
As for Cassie, I think her characterization was really hampered by an attempt to make her both the Imperiled Babe of the Week and Dean's True Love. Those two functions just don't mesh well at all, and the story suffered for it.
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Ackles is bloody amazing. (I know, I'm repeating myself, here, but hey.) When he sees Cassie for the first time, you get their whole backstory in one second of silent screen time. Wow.
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Yes, but nothing important. :-P
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