Thoughts on "Heaven and Hell"
Wow, that subject line sounds a lot more deep and meaningful than it actually is.
Hey, you know what the real first sign of the apocalypse is? An SPN episode passes the Bechdel Test! I'm waiting for the season to boil next.
No, seriously, THREE awesome women in one episode! (Yes, I'm classifying Ruby as awesome, with the caveat that "awesome" is not at all the same as "unequivocally one of the good guys.") And they were all important to the story and none of them died!
I was especially happy to see Pamela again, just as snarky and wonderful as she was in LR. The loss of her eyes hasn't diminished her awesomeness or turned her into a victim, which made me very happy.
I seem to be one of about three people on the planet who doesn't mind Genevieve Cortese as Ruby. She's not a fabulous actress, but the negative reaction to her seems way out of proportion to her flaws. She's no worse than Jared Padalecki was in the early season 1 episodes, and she's improving faster, despite having less screen time. And I like her chemistry with Jared, too. I want to see her stick around and truly grow into the part.
I refuse to waste a single brain cell on the whole "I ripped out my grace and it tuned into a sparkly crystal that landed in Kentucky and planted a tree" thing, because nothing in the universe will ever make that not stupid. Oh, show. It's a good thing I don't watch you for your theology.
I did, however, love the reveal of Anna being an angel, with all the complications that came with that. Not to mention Dean getting some angel nookie.
Anna fell, and Lucifer fell. But Lucifer is the apocalyptic Lord Big Bad of Hell, and Anna is just... Anna. What made the difference? I suppose part of it is that Anna didn't want to be Lord Big Bad of anything, she just wanted to be human. What did Lucifer want when he fell? Was it the old "reign in Hell" business, or something else? And what happened to his grace?
Gah. I will not think about it, I won't I won't I won't....
BTW, I don't think it's true that angels don't feel anything. Uriel feels resentment and contempt toward humans. Castiel feels doubt, affection for Dean, sense of wonder at this world that God created. It does seem, though, that as long as an angel obeys and doesn't question God, it remains immune to all the guilt and pain and doubt that humans are subject to. It's only when they start questioning that the trouble begins. From a human perspective, though, it may look as if angels don't feel anything. Which is exactly what Dean says he wants. I'm now wondering if at some point Dean will get an offer to become an angel. Which he will refuse, of course, because it would mean leaving Sam behind. And also because angels are dicks.
Dick or not, Castiel was really adorable in this episode. Misha Collins is really rocking his wide-eyed not-quite-innocent look. I like the implication that Castiel is a younger, slightly less powerful angel than the others -- enough to be threatened by Alastair, who's appropriately scary. And Dean got to save Castiel! Yay! I'm still iffy on the idea of Dean/Castiel, but Dean-Castiel friendship is a-okay with me.
Speaking of Dean, his final confessions wasn't exactly a big shock; I think we all saw it coming since Uriel first brought up the subject. And under the circumstances, the only people who could possibly blame him are Uriel and Dean himself. But, as with the confession at the end of "Croatoan," the important thing isn't the confession itself but the effect it has on the SamnDean dynamic from now on.
Which we won't find out until January. Damn you, hiatus!
With all the awesome women and the angel cuteness and the Dean angst, I almost missed what was actually the most important aspect of the episode, story-wise: the fact that the whole plot was driven by Sam's master plan, and he pulled it off. It was a very risky plan, and a scarily ruthless one -- he basically sent out Ruby to be tortured on purpose. But it accomplished what the boys wanted, didn't it? YED, it must be remembered, seemed to want Sam as the general for his demon army. Looks like Sam might still qualify for the job, even without the YED.
So. Here we are, through with November sweeps, and this season is kicking ass. I love the new characters that have been brought on board, and the mytharc is the most interesting it's ever been. Keep it up, show!
Hey, you know what the real first sign of the apocalypse is? An SPN episode passes the Bechdel Test! I'm waiting for the season to boil next.
No, seriously, THREE awesome women in one episode! (Yes, I'm classifying Ruby as awesome, with the caveat that "awesome" is not at all the same as "unequivocally one of the good guys.") And they were all important to the story and none of them died!
I was especially happy to see Pamela again, just as snarky and wonderful as she was in LR. The loss of her eyes hasn't diminished her awesomeness or turned her into a victim, which made me very happy.
I seem to be one of about three people on the planet who doesn't mind Genevieve Cortese as Ruby. She's not a fabulous actress, but the negative reaction to her seems way out of proportion to her flaws. She's no worse than Jared Padalecki was in the early season 1 episodes, and she's improving faster, despite having less screen time. And I like her chemistry with Jared, too. I want to see her stick around and truly grow into the part.
I refuse to waste a single brain cell on the whole "I ripped out my grace and it tuned into a sparkly crystal that landed in Kentucky and planted a tree" thing, because nothing in the universe will ever make that not stupid. Oh, show. It's a good thing I don't watch you for your theology.
I did, however, love the reveal of Anna being an angel, with all the complications that came with that. Not to mention Dean getting some angel nookie.
Anna fell, and Lucifer fell. But Lucifer is the apocalyptic Lord Big Bad of Hell, and Anna is just... Anna. What made the difference? I suppose part of it is that Anna didn't want to be Lord Big Bad of anything, she just wanted to be human. What did Lucifer want when he fell? Was it the old "reign in Hell" business, or something else? And what happened to his grace?
Gah. I will not think about it, I won't I won't I won't....
BTW, I don't think it's true that angels don't feel anything. Uriel feels resentment and contempt toward humans. Castiel feels doubt, affection for Dean, sense of wonder at this world that God created. It does seem, though, that as long as an angel obeys and doesn't question God, it remains immune to all the guilt and pain and doubt that humans are subject to. It's only when they start questioning that the trouble begins. From a human perspective, though, it may look as if angels don't feel anything. Which is exactly what Dean says he wants. I'm now wondering if at some point Dean will get an offer to become an angel. Which he will refuse, of course, because it would mean leaving Sam behind. And also because angels are dicks.
Dick or not, Castiel was really adorable in this episode. Misha Collins is really rocking his wide-eyed not-quite-innocent look. I like the implication that Castiel is a younger, slightly less powerful angel than the others -- enough to be threatened by Alastair, who's appropriately scary. And Dean got to save Castiel! Yay! I'm still iffy on the idea of Dean/Castiel, but Dean-Castiel friendship is a-okay with me.
Speaking of Dean, his final confessions wasn't exactly a big shock; I think we all saw it coming since Uriel first brought up the subject. And under the circumstances, the only people who could possibly blame him are Uriel and Dean himself. But, as with the confession at the end of "Croatoan," the important thing isn't the confession itself but the effect it has on the SamnDean dynamic from now on.
Which we won't find out until January. Damn you, hiatus!
With all the awesome women and the angel cuteness and the Dean angst, I almost missed what was actually the most important aspect of the episode, story-wise: the fact that the whole plot was driven by Sam's master plan, and he pulled it off. It was a very risky plan, and a scarily ruthless one -- he basically sent out Ruby to be tortured on purpose. But it accomplished what the boys wanted, didn't it? YED, it must be remembered, seemed to want Sam as the general for his demon army. Looks like Sam might still qualify for the job, even without the YED.
So. Here we are, through with November sweeps, and this season is kicking ass. I love the new characters that have been brought on board, and the mytharc is the most interesting it's ever been. Keep it up, show!