6x12 Reaction
So, after the extended wait - why, cruel Network? - Show is back. On the + side, I am of course happy that Sam is back to being adorable - I suppose the Wall is great a neat solution really, because we've had all this stuff about how remembering the past year would turn him into a quivering ball of iredeemably psychotic mush, at which point, there wouldn't be any more story. This allows for a certain amount of angst getting through without total breakdown, plus at least one Manly Hug of Sensitive Manliness (TM). Though I can't help thinking S should be more traumatized, seeing as how the Wall is supposedly permeable enough for him to access his emotions and moral compass. Does it only block the bad stuff out, like PTSD or something? Also on the + side, Dean is back to bringing the LOLs - 'What likes gold and virgins?' 'P Diddy?' ROTFL. Also, 'Where did you get that?' 'Comicon'. I NB, though, that he apparently knows what Comicon is. Maybe in the US everyone knows - her only geeks (like me) know it. There seems to be more humour than the first part of the season, though they're sticking with the green/black/grey colour and lighting scheme that denotes the darker, post-Lucifer world of S6, rightfully suggesting that things won't ever go back to the relatively innocent and more primary-coloured world of S1-3. A distinct lack of Americana (in the sense of kitchsy motels, diners, tourist places) gives us less of a contrast between the weird world of the Winchesters and the comparatively normal stuff they're trying to save - almost everyone in this season seems aware/involved with the supernatural.
Finally, for the better, we appear to have a new overarcing story/villain that isn't 'stop the Apocalypse....again!' Though, er, what happened to the whole thing with the heavenly weapons? Are we supposed to sort of write that one off as a bit of narrative flailing on behalf of the new season's writers and concentrate on the Mother now? By the way, in Paradise Lost, Night is called the Mother. Satan was Miltonic enough that I suspect its something along those lines.
On the downside, the cage-o'-helpless-virgins was of course annoying medieval. I'm also not quite sure what Castiel is supposed to be doing at the moment - if he's fighting this war in heaven, why don't we hear more about it? And why is he free to just pop in and provide information when demanded? You all know I love some Cas, and will never regret a chance to see Misha's pretty face. But I'm not particularly convinced he's serving a logical narrative purpose at the moment. Overall, I think S6 is looking up, and I am enjoying it, but still left with a feeling that S5 represented some kind of peak in quality (natural, I guess, as the culmination of the five season arc Kripke originally intended). I hope it can build to something equally awesome, but I think it will take some careful forward planning at this juncture.