Longtime lurker here adding my two cents! I have to say that while reading, one thing really jumped out at me and that was the opinion that Ben Edlund is the best writer at Supernatural. I think he could be if someone reigned him in. He has written some of the skeeviest and misogynistic episodes on Supernatural to date, or at least I think so. He's written: Simon Said- implied that Andy used his powers to make women sleep with him Malleus Maleficarum- where all the women, good or bad, die in horrific ways. With the main bad lady stabbed repeatedly in a scene reminiscent of sex rather than violence. Ghostfacers- where the one gay dude of the episode (series?) is killed off, leaving all the straight people alive. Wishful Thinking- where a guy makes a wish for some woman to love him and pretty much rapes her for an entire month before Sam and Dean arrive. Ben Edlund was also the man who created the character of Bela, introduced in Bad Day at Black Rock. Though she could have been a neat addition to the show, she was handled very poorly and didn't really seem to fit the world/mood of Supernatural. And hey, guess what? She was sexually abused as a child and then goes to hell! Awesome, way to be. While I loved the Edlund written episode Nightshifter, I can't really say much of his writing on Supernatural has impressed me. It's like his episodes are all cracked out because wow he's so quirky and crazy and people get distracted by the funny, overlooking some of the really crappy messages he seems to be sending in his episodes. Sorry about the long and ranting comment here, but Edlund's writing has been bugging me for quite some time.
one thing really jumped out at me and that was the opinion that Ben Edlund is the best writer at Supernatural.
I had to laugh at that too. Nightshifter is one of my favorite episodes, but the rest of his episodes are either just average or too cartoonish for me. I actually disliked Hollywood Babylon and Monster Movie, and Ghostfacers wasn't a particular favorite either. They're always so gimmicky.
Kripke wrote Home and In My Time of Dying, another couple of my favorites. So, yes, he's a little too invested in the online fandom and he's made mistakes, but it's still a darned entertaining show that inspires a lot of passion. A big chunk of that can be laid at his feet.
The original post strikes me as disgruntled fangirl bitching. (Which everyone is allowed to do, but don't act like you're speaking for all of fandom or that your opinions are the only valid ones.)
Nightshifter is one of my favorite episodes, but the rest of his episodes are either just average or too cartoonish for me. I actually disliked Hollywood Babylon and Monster Movie, and Ghostfacers wasn't a particular favorite either. They're always so gimmicky.
Yes! Gimmicky was a word I wanted to use, but had completely blanked on! And ya know, the episodes he writes normally have some moments that I enjoy. I just feel like he needs someone to keep him from crossing the line between funny/quirky and over-the-top/cartoony. I feel like he's forgotten that he writes for Supernatural now, not Buffy/Angel/The Tick where it would make sense for stories to be a bit crazier.
I sort of wish they could get Raelle Tucker back. She wrote some of my favorite Season 1 episodes: Dead in the Water, Faith, Nightmare, Salvation. And a couple Season 2 episodes: Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things, Hunted, What is and Should Never Be. Those Season 1 episodes she actually co-wrote with Sera Gamble. I think those two made a great team. But with Raelle gone, it seems like Sera tends to try too hard to make angsty episodes and they just sort of ring false to me? I guess I'm thinking of episodes like: Heart, The Kids Are Alright, Fresh Blood, Dream a Little Dream of Me, Jus in Bello I thought that TKaA and DaLDoM just said stuff we already knew. And FB and JiB killed off our only recurring black characters at the time! And Heart makes me miffed just because it seemed so unnecessarily cruel. *cries for Sam's sex life* I dunno, maybe she goes for the kill too much for my tastes? Meh. Still, I think she writes good stuff, but probably needs a stabilizing force as much as Ben Edlund does.
Simon Said- implied that Andy used his powers to make women sleep with him
Malleus Maleficarum- where all the women, good or bad, die in horrific ways. With the main bad lady stabbed repeatedly in a scene reminiscent of sex rather than violence.
Ghostfacers- where the one gay dude of the episode (series?) is killed off, leaving all the straight people alive.
Wishful Thinking- where a guy makes a wish for some woman to love him and pretty much rapes her for an entire month before Sam and Dean arrive.
Ben Edlund was also the man who created the character of Bela, introduced in Bad Day at Black Rock. Though she could have been a neat addition to the show, she was handled very poorly and didn't really seem to fit the world/mood of Supernatural. And hey, guess what? She was sexually abused as a child and then goes to hell! Awesome, way to be.
While I loved the Edlund written episode Nightshifter, I can't really say much of his writing on Supernatural has impressed me. It's like his episodes are all cracked out because wow he's so quirky and crazy and people get distracted by the funny, overlooking some of the really crappy messages he seems to be sending in his episodes.
Sorry about the long and ranting comment here, but Edlund's writing has been bugging me for quite some time.
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I had to laugh at that too. Nightshifter is one of my favorite episodes, but the rest of his episodes are either just average or too cartoonish for me. I actually disliked Hollywood Babylon and Monster Movie, and Ghostfacers wasn't a particular favorite either. They're always so gimmicky.
Kripke wrote Home and In My Time of Dying, another couple of my favorites. So, yes, he's a little too invested in the online fandom and he's made mistakes, but it's still a darned entertaining show that inspires a lot of passion. A big chunk of that can be laid at his feet.
The original post strikes me as disgruntled fangirl bitching. (Which everyone is allowed to do, but don't act like you're speaking for all of fandom or that your opinions are the only valid ones.)
Reply
Yes! Gimmicky was a word I wanted to use, but had completely blanked on! And ya know, the episodes he writes normally have some moments that I enjoy. I just feel like he needs someone to keep him from crossing the line between funny/quirky and over-the-top/cartoony. I feel like he's forgotten that he writes for Supernatural now, not Buffy/Angel/The Tick where it would make sense for stories to be a bit crazier.
I sort of wish they could get Raelle Tucker back. She wrote some of my favorite Season 1 episodes: Dead in the Water, Faith, Nightmare, Salvation. And a couple Season 2 episodes: Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things, Hunted, What is and Should Never Be.
Those Season 1 episodes she actually co-wrote with Sera Gamble. I think those two made a great team. But with Raelle gone, it seems like Sera tends to try too hard to make angsty episodes and they just sort of ring false to me? I guess I'm thinking of episodes like: Heart, The Kids Are Alright, Fresh Blood, Dream a Little Dream of Me, Jus in Bello
I thought that TKaA and DaLDoM just said stuff we already knew. And FB and JiB killed off our only recurring black characters at the time! And Heart makes me miffed just because it seemed so unnecessarily cruel. *cries for Sam's sex life* I dunno, maybe she goes for the kill too much for my tastes? Meh. Still, I think she writes good stuff, but probably needs a stabilizing force as much as Ben Edlund does.
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