Show ponderings...
Last night, I watched the last two episodes for the second time (Bring 'em Back Alive and Funeralia) - which I don't always do this season, so that says something - and I'm not sure I'm any closer to feeling anything conclusive about this big ol' S13.
So I'll just make a few general observations, spinning into the last few episodes of the season.
I apologize to all my Dean-ward leaning buds, but is it just me, or is Dean really, um, more “big-brothery” than usual? And not in a good way, mind you. In a “How could you have fucked up again, Sam? Why didn't you listen to me?” kinda way. In a my-way-or-the-highway way.
No way! WAY.
I adore Dean. This isn't a barbed attack on the character: it's a head-tilter. I have to wonder if they're going somewhere specific with it, as it feels more pronounced to me than it has in a far piece. We've been teased that Jensen will be playing not-Dean coming up, and this has got to be feeding into that. Naturally, everyone thinks it's the return of Michael, but I wonder if TPTB will be that one-the-nose with it.
One theory I caught on twitter somewhere was that if Heaven needed an archangel for a serious fuel source, they could see Dean allowing Michael inside, so he could save Heaven (and therefore all the human souls therein).
If I thought Naomi was telling Cas the truth? I might buy that. (Actually, it could happen anyways, but I have a reeeeally strong suspicion that Naomi is lying to Cas.) Whatever happened to the canon that HUMAN souls are the big batteries of the universe? Whatever happened to the canon that reapers are an angel subset? Do they not count for the energy? Where's Lucifer, and why won't he pitch in to save Heaven if he wants to run it? Is Naomi acting behind Lucifer's back? She didn't seem very secretive. In fact, she didn't discus Lucifer with Cas at all, which is doubly weird.
Something's rotten in Denmark Heaven. And Cas is being suckered again.
Can we also talk about Sam flinching at Dean's fury? Grimacing when Dean 'lays down the law'? Biting his tongue and letting Dean call all the shots? Whatever happened to the snarky, self-assured kid we met in S1-5? (Boy, I'm just chock full of dowdy, rhetorical questions today.) At any rate, I miss him. Certain corners of fandom (usually the ones Destiel-skewing) are lauding the decrease in “co-dependency”. I … guess? But more what I'm seeing isn't that. I'm seeing both of the boys digging in their heels and being more stereotypically big brother-little brother. Dean, more domineering and Sam, more submissive. And I don't know how I feel about that.
Because I'm a Sam stan (by some definitions), I have to note that Sam lost something after he got his soul back. Funny, huh? That in regaining something so vital to his humanity, to his personhood, it feels like he's lost something of himself. Something has died. Annnywhoooo...
Can we talk Rowena? I THINK WE CAN.
I loved her to pieces in Funeralia. While I'm a little iffy about her “poor Fergus” angle, there's been a lot this season we've had to hand-wave to get through an episode; guess I'm just expecting it nowadays. I don't like that we have to buy certain breaches of canon or characterization because it's necessary to serve the plot; it makes it 200% more difficult to be wowed by cool twists or question deliberately mysterious character choices. We don't know if it's by design, or just lazy writing.
But if you LALALA and roll with it, Rowena was brilliant. I could watch Ruthie Connell for eons. I also thought it was kinda hilarious that while we joke that everyone who gets closer to Sam (than Dean) dies, here we have canonical proof of it: among the many possible ways Rowena dies, it's always at Sam's hand. AND DEAN WENT AND TOLD HER THAT. WHY FOR DID YOU DO THAT, DEAN??
Can we NOT talk about Sam's repeated generosity and kindness toward Gabriel? And how Sam sacrificed their only vial of archangel grace for Gabe's healing? And how it bit him on the ass, as expected? And all the while, they played 'Americana' in the background? (ARGH. This is one of the most beautiful pieces of music I have ever heard, show notwithstanding. I always, always feel tears well behind my eyes when I hear it. The fact they used it to milk us for emotion ON GABE galls me.) Kudos to Gabe for staying in-character. I still want to stick an angel blade in his brain.
Things I'm getting tired of seeing:
~Sam unconscious.
~Dean trotting off to have all the Big Damn Adventures, leaving Sam behind.
~Sam, out of focus in the background.
~the Bunker
~Heaven
~redemption arcs
Things they can keep bringing me:
~Sam having his clothes ripped off and preferably bloodied (I'M SHALLOW, OKAY)
~Fisticuffs!Dean (I'M STILL SHALLOW)
~interesting incidental characters, like drunk playground angel
~episodes that don't forget the brothers' arcs
Reasonable(?) things I want to see yet:
~Sam's POV
~Dean admitting once, just once, that Sam made the right choice
~Benny (but I'm not sure they'll have Ty back on the show)
~demon!Bela (hey, a girl can dream)
~Sam kill Lucifer, not Rowena
~Jensen playing whomever, because I know he'll kill it! <3
I'll save “Things we may see in the finale” 'til next time. :D I'm getting ideas...
So I'll just make a few general observations, spinning into the last few episodes of the season.
I apologize to all my Dean-ward leaning buds, but is it just me, or is Dean really, um, more “big-brothery” than usual? And not in a good way, mind you. In a “How could you have fucked up again, Sam? Why didn't you listen to me?” kinda way. In a my-way-or-the-highway way.
No way! WAY.
I adore Dean. This isn't a barbed attack on the character: it's a head-tilter. I have to wonder if they're going somewhere specific with it, as it feels more pronounced to me than it has in a far piece. We've been teased that Jensen will be playing not-Dean coming up, and this has got to be feeding into that. Naturally, everyone thinks it's the return of Michael, but I wonder if TPTB will be that one-the-nose with it.
One theory I caught on twitter somewhere was that if Heaven needed an archangel for a serious fuel source, they could see Dean allowing Michael inside, so he could save Heaven (and therefore all the human souls therein).
If I thought Naomi was telling Cas the truth? I might buy that. (Actually, it could happen anyways, but I have a reeeeally strong suspicion that Naomi is lying to Cas.) Whatever happened to the canon that HUMAN souls are the big batteries of the universe? Whatever happened to the canon that reapers are an angel subset? Do they not count for the energy? Where's Lucifer, and why won't he pitch in to save Heaven if he wants to run it? Is Naomi acting behind Lucifer's back? She didn't seem very secretive. In fact, she didn't discus Lucifer with Cas at all, which is doubly weird.
Something's rotten in Denmark Heaven. And Cas is being suckered again.
Can we also talk about Sam flinching at Dean's fury? Grimacing when Dean 'lays down the law'? Biting his tongue and letting Dean call all the shots? Whatever happened to the snarky, self-assured kid we met in S1-5? (Boy, I'm just chock full of dowdy, rhetorical questions today.) At any rate, I miss him. Certain corners of fandom (usually the ones Destiel-skewing) are lauding the decrease in “co-dependency”. I … guess? But more what I'm seeing isn't that. I'm seeing both of the boys digging in their heels and being more stereotypically big brother-little brother. Dean, more domineering and Sam, more submissive. And I don't know how I feel about that.
Because I'm a Sam stan (by some definitions), I have to note that Sam lost something after he got his soul back. Funny, huh? That in regaining something so vital to his humanity, to his personhood, it feels like he's lost something of himself. Something has died. Annnywhoooo...
Can we talk Rowena? I THINK WE CAN.
I loved her to pieces in Funeralia. While I'm a little iffy about her “poor Fergus” angle, there's been a lot this season we've had to hand-wave to get through an episode; guess I'm just expecting it nowadays. I don't like that we have to buy certain breaches of canon or characterization because it's necessary to serve the plot; it makes it 200% more difficult to be wowed by cool twists or question deliberately mysterious character choices. We don't know if it's by design, or just lazy writing.
But if you LALALA and roll with it, Rowena was brilliant. I could watch Ruthie Connell for eons. I also thought it was kinda hilarious that while we joke that everyone who gets closer to Sam (than Dean) dies, here we have canonical proof of it: among the many possible ways Rowena dies, it's always at Sam's hand. AND DEAN WENT AND TOLD HER THAT. WHY FOR DID YOU DO THAT, DEAN??
Can we NOT talk about Sam's repeated generosity and kindness toward Gabriel? And how Sam sacrificed their only vial of archangel grace for Gabe's healing? And how it bit him on the ass, as expected? And all the while, they played 'Americana' in the background? (ARGH. This is one of the most beautiful pieces of music I have ever heard, show notwithstanding. I always, always feel tears well behind my eyes when I hear it. The fact they used it to milk us for emotion ON GABE galls me.) Kudos to Gabe for staying in-character. I still want to stick an angel blade in his brain.
Things I'm getting tired of seeing:
~Sam unconscious.
~Dean trotting off to have all the Big Damn Adventures, leaving Sam behind.
~Sam, out of focus in the background.
~the Bunker
~Heaven
~redemption arcs
Things they can keep bringing me:
~Sam having his clothes ripped off and preferably bloodied (I'M SHALLOW, OKAY)
~Fisticuffs!Dean (I'M STILL SHALLOW)
~interesting incidental characters, like drunk playground angel
~episodes that don't forget the brothers' arcs
Reasonable(?) things I want to see yet:
~Sam's POV
~Dean admitting once, just once, that Sam made the right choice
~Benny (but I'm not sure they'll have Ty back on the show)
~demon!Bela (hey, a girl can dream)
~Sam kill Lucifer, not Rowena
~Jensen playing whomever, because I know he'll kill it! <3
I'll save “Things we may see in the finale” 'til next time. :D I'm getting ideas...