Update! SPN S8 thoughts...somewhat disjointed and with shippy thoughts as well
Wow, it has been waaaay too long since I've posted! Things have been busy on my end. And, I've sort of succumbed to the dark side, i.e. Tumblr...but I knew that I wanted to make this post on LJ.
I've really enjoyed Supernatural S8 so far. Honestly, I've really enjoyed every episode (with the exception of Bitten) and I like the way the story has looked overall so far.
I enjoyed the first half of the season. Though the style of storytelling (with the flashbacks) was a little awkward, I liked the substance of them.
Sam/Amelia. Well, I did find them pretty boring and unbelievable, and sort of thought maybe Amelia wasn't real until, well, she was. But, they sort of won me over in their last conversation. It felt like a real, adult conversation to be having about a relationship. At that point, there were good reasons why they should and shouldn't be together, and I liked that they had that discussion.
In the end, Dean and Sam chose each other, no surprise there. At the time, it seemed like they were still pretty miserable about it. But what I've really liked about the last few episodes is the hope it's brought back. In S7, Dean and Sam seem pretty freaking miserable all the time. These past few episodes, that hasn't been the case. I thought the LARPing was a fun little departure and I enjoyed seeing them having fun for a change. I also loved the Henry Winchester storyline - though it could be considered inconsistent, I liked the backstory. But mostly, I liked seeing the boys taking pride in their accomplishments again (we're the legacy. We stopped the apocalypse) and the re-focus on family.
I also like the side characters that we've had and the fact that we even have a supporting cast again.
And, there's been Dean and Cas. So like most shippers, I loved the entire Purgatory storyline. To me, what it proves incontrovertibly is that Dean loves Cas. Whether that love is romantic or not is up for interpretation, but I think that his actions in Purgatory prove that he, at the very least, cares deeply about Cas.
I've almost made this post about three times this week, but this is what I've ultimately come down to. I ship Dean/Cas, and that is my inherent bias, but I do try to remain objective. In light of everyone's recent freak-outs about the promo, and who Dean may or may not be kissing and who he may or may not have flirted with last episode (also, I absolutely do NOT believe in spoilers or judging things until you actually see an episode. It makes no sense to me), I've come to a decision.
Dean/Cas doesn't have to be canon in order for anyone to ship it. It really, really doesn't. Dean doesn't have to come out as bisexual in canon for anyone to ship it. Period. The end.
That being said, my gut instinct is still that, although I WANT them to be canon, and think that with the basis that's been laid on the show already, they absolutely could and should be canon, I just don't think they're ever going to be. It's not right. They should be. But they're not going to be. I would love to be proven wrong, but I don't think I am.
(In previous versions of this post, I went a lot into what is and isn't canon, and what we can realistically expect from SPN. And the trouble with interpreting a show like SPN where there's so much interaction between the creators and the fans, and it's impossible to ignore writers', or actors', intent. But that's basically the conclusion that I've drawn. God, would I love to be proven wrong. But...I just don't think I am.)
Moreover, I think that you can make an excellent case that Dean is bisexual in canon. Before and after last week's episode. But, I also think it is just highly unlikely that is ever going to be more than queer-baiting. I hate to say that, I really do. But that's just what I think.
Does that make me angry? Hell, yes. But I've decided that for me, I can ship Dean/Cas without it ever being explicitly made canon or without Dean ever outright being declared bisexual. I feel like in the end, that is going to make my life a lot easier.
Would I love to see it being declared outright? Of course. Would that be amazing for queer representation? Of course. But, because I just don't expect SPN to do it anymore, I'm going to stop waiting for it and I really think that's going to make things a lot easier for me. It also allows me to remain positive about S8 in general so far, and all the positive character development we have had, so that's always a good thing, in my book.
So, that's where I stand on that (for the moment, anyway!)
I've really enjoyed Supernatural S8 so far. Honestly, I've really enjoyed every episode (with the exception of Bitten) and I like the way the story has looked overall so far.
I enjoyed the first half of the season. Though the style of storytelling (with the flashbacks) was a little awkward, I liked the substance of them.
Sam/Amelia. Well, I did find them pretty boring and unbelievable, and sort of thought maybe Amelia wasn't real until, well, she was. But, they sort of won me over in their last conversation. It felt like a real, adult conversation to be having about a relationship. At that point, there were good reasons why they should and shouldn't be together, and I liked that they had that discussion.
In the end, Dean and Sam chose each other, no surprise there. At the time, it seemed like they were still pretty miserable about it. But what I've really liked about the last few episodes is the hope it's brought back. In S7, Dean and Sam seem pretty freaking miserable all the time. These past few episodes, that hasn't been the case. I thought the LARPing was a fun little departure and I enjoyed seeing them having fun for a change. I also loved the Henry Winchester storyline - though it could be considered inconsistent, I liked the backstory. But mostly, I liked seeing the boys taking pride in their accomplishments again (we're the legacy. We stopped the apocalypse) and the re-focus on family.
I also like the side characters that we've had and the fact that we even have a supporting cast again.
And, there's been Dean and Cas. So like most shippers, I loved the entire Purgatory storyline. To me, what it proves incontrovertibly is that Dean loves Cas. Whether that love is romantic or not is up for interpretation, but I think that his actions in Purgatory prove that he, at the very least, cares deeply about Cas.
I've almost made this post about three times this week, but this is what I've ultimately come down to. I ship Dean/Cas, and that is my inherent bias, but I do try to remain objective. In light of everyone's recent freak-outs about the promo, and who Dean may or may not be kissing and who he may or may not have flirted with last episode (also, I absolutely do NOT believe in spoilers or judging things until you actually see an episode. It makes no sense to me), I've come to a decision.
Dean/Cas doesn't have to be canon in order for anyone to ship it. It really, really doesn't. Dean doesn't have to come out as bisexual in canon for anyone to ship it. Period. The end.
That being said, my gut instinct is still that, although I WANT them to be canon, and think that with the basis that's been laid on the show already, they absolutely could and should be canon, I just don't think they're ever going to be. It's not right. They should be. But they're not going to be. I would love to be proven wrong, but I don't think I am.
(In previous versions of this post, I went a lot into what is and isn't canon, and what we can realistically expect from SPN. And the trouble with interpreting a show like SPN where there's so much interaction between the creators and the fans, and it's impossible to ignore writers', or actors', intent. But that's basically the conclusion that I've drawn. God, would I love to be proven wrong. But...I just don't think I am.)
Moreover, I think that you can make an excellent case that Dean is bisexual in canon. Before and after last week's episode. But, I also think it is just highly unlikely that is ever going to be more than queer-baiting. I hate to say that, I really do. But that's just what I think.
Does that make me angry? Hell, yes. But I've decided that for me, I can ship Dean/Cas without it ever being explicitly made canon or without Dean ever outright being declared bisexual. I feel like in the end, that is going to make my life a lot easier.
Would I love to see it being declared outright? Of course. Would that be amazing for queer representation? Of course. But, because I just don't expect SPN to do it anymore, I'm going to stop waiting for it and I really think that's going to make things a lot easier for me. It also allows me to remain positive about S8 in general so far, and all the positive character development we have had, so that's always a good thing, in my book.
So, that's where I stand on that (for the moment, anyway!)