Musings on Supernatural 3x01 (The Magnificent Seven)
So, here's what I thought.
Note that I am unspoiled for any ep that hasn't yet aired, and that I want to REMAIN unspoiled! Do not spoil me, please.
Spoilers for 3x01 and unspoilery (because unspoiled) speculations on further happenings.
Concerning Dean:
I have no problem with Dean's startlingly chipper carpe diem attitude and his outspoken opinion that it's his turn to be the selfish one now, dammit. Sam's alive, Dad's soul has been freed from hell, and the YED is dead, dead, dead. Only days earlier, Dad's soul was languishing in hell because of Dean, Sam was dead because of Dean's failure to protect him, and the YED was alive, well and on the brink of realizing its every ambition. Hell yes, there's a lot to be happy about.
Which is not to say that I don't think this is merely a front - Dean's deep in denial. This is a classic method: Allude to it often in connection with trivial things, laugh and joke about it, play it down, take away the horror. Align yourself with the chaos, laugh about it, and thus render it harmless.
But that won't work forever. Probably won't work for longer than a few weeks before the first cracks start showing. And that - that is why I like it. As an initial reaction, it makes sense, and I see it as the starting point, the first (and ultimately doomed) attempt to deal rather than a stable, unchanging state of mind. If I'm right, it won't be long at all before the cracks start showing. And I am really looking forward to that. *eg*
Apropos of nothing: I do wish they'd stop having Dean cram his mouth full of whatever food he's eating at that moment. It was funny in the Jester-ep - as a recurring feature, I don't see the humor. Though at least in this ep it allowed a reference to Gluttony, so, whatever. *sigh*
Concerning Sam:
Sam was weirdly cute, what with trying so hard to be nice to Dean under the most difficult of circumstances. He really is being remarkably forbearing, because he has a lot of cause to be legitimately pissed off. Also, I can still see the upper half of his face! Always a big bonus that I never take for granted. ;-)
And, seriously, Sammy. What did you expect to see, sticking your head into the hotel room just then?
But... well. I am very unenthused that even now that the YED is dead, there is still cause to dread the appearance of Superpowered!Omnipotent!Demonlord!Sam. Please, Kripke, please. Anything but that! Not SOD-Sam. Step back from the brink of Mary-Sueishness like a good boy and carefully put down that ticking plot device before it goes off, okay?
Concerning various other issues:
The Seven Deadly Sins were rather wimpy for a gang with their enormously badass reputation. But there you have it - never underestimate the impact of good PR! *g*
I liked Tamara, and until I read some other reactions to the ep, I fully expected her to be one of the much-feared recurring female characters. I'd like to see more of her - and I do think we will, because she's been given a lot of background and there are very many interesting ways to develop her.
(Also, I loved the matter-of-fact way Dean said that of course she wasn't going to be alright. It was an absurd question for Dean, who knows exactly how she feels, and it's interesting that Sam would ask that question, I think.)
Mysterious!Superpowered!Blonde!Huntress!Jess-Jo-Hybrid hasn't actually done enough yet for me to have a real opinion on her, but my pessimistic nature is fearing that she is following Sam around because Sam is Super-Special, and there is still some kind of Destiny as the Demonslayer Extraordinaire for him yet to fulfill, or some such. There is just so much potential for that to go pear-shaped. Also - who on this show has such a weird fondness for that particular hairstyle?
Dear Jensen Ackles: Please do not continue bodybuilding to the point where the nice horizontal line of your shoulders and the nice vertical lines of your neck disappear into a not-so-nice triangle of bulging trapezoid muscles. I happen to be fond of actual shoulders and necks, okay? Thank you for your consideration.
My most horrible imaginings:
SOD-Sam and Superpowered!Omnipotent!Blonde!Jess-Jo-Hybrid (who will be known as SOB-JJ hereafter) make up the fiercest hunting team of all times, able to snuff demons with a single glance from narrowed SOD-Sam-eyes / a single swipe of the SOB-JJ-Magic Dagger (TM). All of the demons live in terror of being hunted by the unholy team of SOD and SOB and hiss and curse as soon as they appear on the horizon.
Dean, meanwhile, is tired of the hunt and longs only for a home and a place to rest his weary head. Fortunately, he can have all that by living in happy debauchery with the second female regular we have yet to be introduced to. This woman has long straight hair that curls at the ends, she is not be a hunter, she crushes on Dean immediately (meaning she will snark at him from the first moment and there will be much squabbling that cannot hide the underlying UST), she wears low-cut blouses and she does not impress anyone with her brains.
Maybe Dean and the SFR can open the Roadhouse again, and SOD and SOB can drop in from time to time, weary from the hunt, drink a beer or two, impress the hell out of the other hunters, and pet Dean+SFR's cute little tykes, who are practicing their knife-throwing at the dartboard. Except of course for the one who looks like UncleSammy and has Apocalyptic Powers just waiting to mature into full Omnipotence so he can join SOD and SOB.
See? We're all good, because what is actually ahead can't possibly be *that* bad.
In other news - I have almost finished writing that Supernatural story that I swore I would never write (it was just an interesting idea to turn over in the privacy of my own mind, entirely idly and without intent), and that probably about two people in the world will be interested in reading. Argh. *headdesks*
Note that I am unspoiled for any ep that hasn't yet aired, and that I want to REMAIN unspoiled! Do not spoil me, please.
Spoilers for 3x01 and unspoilery (because unspoiled) speculations on further happenings.
Concerning Dean:
I have no problem with Dean's startlingly chipper carpe diem attitude and his outspoken opinion that it's his turn to be the selfish one now, dammit. Sam's alive, Dad's soul has been freed from hell, and the YED is dead, dead, dead. Only days earlier, Dad's soul was languishing in hell because of Dean, Sam was dead because of Dean's failure to protect him, and the YED was alive, well and on the brink of realizing its every ambition. Hell yes, there's a lot to be happy about.
Which is not to say that I don't think this is merely a front - Dean's deep in denial. This is a classic method: Allude to it often in connection with trivial things, laugh and joke about it, play it down, take away the horror. Align yourself with the chaos, laugh about it, and thus render it harmless.
But that won't work forever. Probably won't work for longer than a few weeks before the first cracks start showing. And that - that is why I like it. As an initial reaction, it makes sense, and I see it as the starting point, the first (and ultimately doomed) attempt to deal rather than a stable, unchanging state of mind. If I'm right, it won't be long at all before the cracks start showing. And I am really looking forward to that. *eg*
Apropos of nothing: I do wish they'd stop having Dean cram his mouth full of whatever food he's eating at that moment. It was funny in the Jester-ep - as a recurring feature, I don't see the humor. Though at least in this ep it allowed a reference to Gluttony, so, whatever. *sigh*
Concerning Sam:
Sam was weirdly cute, what with trying so hard to be nice to Dean under the most difficult of circumstances. He really is being remarkably forbearing, because he has a lot of cause to be legitimately pissed off. Also, I can still see the upper half of his face! Always a big bonus that I never take for granted. ;-)
And, seriously, Sammy. What did you expect to see, sticking your head into the hotel room just then?
But... well. I am very unenthused that even now that the YED is dead, there is still cause to dread the appearance of Superpowered!Omnipotent!Demonlord!Sam. Please, Kripke, please. Anything but that! Not SOD-Sam. Step back from the brink of Mary-Sueishness like a good boy and carefully put down that ticking plot device before it goes off, okay?
Concerning various other issues:
The Seven Deadly Sins were rather wimpy for a gang with their enormously badass reputation. But there you have it - never underestimate the impact of good PR! *g*
I liked Tamara, and until I read some other reactions to the ep, I fully expected her to be one of the much-feared recurring female characters. I'd like to see more of her - and I do think we will, because she's been given a lot of background and there are very many interesting ways to develop her.
(Also, I loved the matter-of-fact way Dean said that of course she wasn't going to be alright. It was an absurd question for Dean, who knows exactly how she feels, and it's interesting that Sam would ask that question, I think.)
Mysterious!Superpowered!Blonde!Huntress!Jess-Jo-Hybrid hasn't actually done enough yet for me to have a real opinion on her, but my pessimistic nature is fearing that she is following Sam around because Sam is Super-Special, and there is still some kind of Destiny as the Demonslayer Extraordinaire for him yet to fulfill, or some such. There is just so much potential for that to go pear-shaped. Also - who on this show has such a weird fondness for that particular hairstyle?
Dear Jensen Ackles: Please do not continue bodybuilding to the point where the nice horizontal line of your shoulders and the nice vertical lines of your neck disappear into a not-so-nice triangle of bulging trapezoid muscles. I happen to be fond of actual shoulders and necks, okay? Thank you for your consideration.
My most horrible imaginings:
SOD-Sam and Superpowered!Omnipotent!Blonde!Jess-Jo-Hybrid (who will be known as SOB-JJ hereafter) make up the fiercest hunting team of all times, able to snuff demons with a single glance from narrowed SOD-Sam-eyes / a single swipe of the SOB-JJ-Magic Dagger (TM). All of the demons live in terror of being hunted by the unholy team of SOD and SOB and hiss and curse as soon as they appear on the horizon.
Dean, meanwhile, is tired of the hunt and longs only for a home and a place to rest his weary head. Fortunately, he can have all that by living in happy debauchery with the second female regular we have yet to be introduced to. This woman has long straight hair that curls at the ends, she is not be a hunter, she crushes on Dean immediately (meaning she will snark at him from the first moment and there will be much squabbling that cannot hide the underlying UST), she wears low-cut blouses and she does not impress anyone with her brains.
Maybe Dean and the SFR can open the Roadhouse again, and SOD and SOB can drop in from time to time, weary from the hunt, drink a beer or two, impress the hell out of the other hunters, and pet Dean+SFR's cute little tykes, who are practicing their knife-throwing at the dartboard. Except of course for the one who looks like UncleSammy and has Apocalyptic Powers just waiting to mature into full Omnipotence so he can join SOD and SOB.
See? We're all good, because what is actually ahead can't possibly be *that* bad.
In other news - I have almost finished writing that Supernatural story that I swore I would never write (it was just an interesting idea to turn over in the privacy of my own mind, entirely idly and without intent), and that probably about two people in the world will be interested in reading. Argh. *headdesks*