607. Now I am worried.
(I know it's not Friday night, when these things are supposed to happen, but I was away.)
I loved the episode. Jared and Jensen continue to blow me away and make me love Sam and Dean more than ever, the bald shiny-headed guys are both a lot of fun, and our favourite bad boy's involvement is a great twist if for no other reason than we get more of him. \o/
... Unfortunately, the shape of the story gave me a severe case of the Mehs. A progenitor makes a deal, and something is done to Sam without his knowledge or consent. It calls into question Sam's humanity and identity, and the brothers need to fix it.
Really, Sera? I mean, for reelz? We're going back to S1 in story, as well as feel? I never much trusted Kripke's story instincts, but he relentlessly drove it forward, and that's not nothing. He did not like going backwards; it was always, "Done that already. Let's go see what's over here!" Of course, for a long time I've trusted Sera's feel for this story even less than Kripke's, and yes, that's saying something. But I figured, like the US presidency, like what has happened until now on SPN, the weight and resistance of the whole production and the voices in it would keep things more or less on the same track with one or two wobbles. I always got the sense from Kripke that he knew the story wasn't just his, it belonged to all of them; Sera gives off a much more proprietary vibe, particularly with Sam, like it all belonged to her in the first place ... and now she's going to do the story again, only this time she's gonna do Sam right. Because, what, we didn't explore the "came back not 100% pure Sam" enough?
And there was so, so much character potential built up by the end of S5. SO much. Sam finally being his own man, dealing with the consequences of his choices (rather than dealing with the consequences of other people's choices), what happens to people in the wake of the apocalypse and the many-faceted sacrifices they made to fight it. What that has turned them into, in the everyday business of what they used to do, without any extra supernatural surgery performed on who they are.
It's depressing, too, because it locks Sam into the particular role of the victim. One he overcame in Swan Song. And this is why I look askance at Sera; I think she likes victim!Sam just a little bit too much to let him keep the grown up victory of last season. It keeps him Special. And a little bit more her plaything. When Dean becomes monstrous, it's because of his choice. Granted, it was a sucky choice - torture or keep being tortured - but it was his choice. Sam allowing himself to be possessed, and to overcome that possession, was a huge, huge step forward. That's where we should be. But instead, he just gets violated all over again. Like it doesn't matter what he achieves, he can't keep his very self - not just his circumstances - from being at the mercy of the PTB. He won't ever be allowed to grow up.
So, anyway. I don't complain much about SPN, so I don't know if I did it right. And, hey, I'm onboard. Barring some ridiculously bad decisions by Show, I'm with them until the end. But it's not so I can see how it will turn out. And there's a little bit more dread of where Sera's going to take all this - not that it will be painful, but that it will be uninteresting.
Maybe I'm over-reacting. If anyone's got any happy up-sides, I'd really like to hear them. I'll even try not to argue it all into the ground, or be all entitled!fangirl tantrumming about how Show Is Ruining My Show!!1!!!!!1!!! I need just a little help with the love, here. Please oh please?
I loved the episode. Jared and Jensen continue to blow me away and make me love Sam and Dean more than ever, the bald shiny-headed guys are both a lot of fun, and our favourite bad boy's involvement is a great twist if for no other reason than we get more of him. \o/
... Unfortunately, the shape of the story gave me a severe case of the Mehs. A progenitor makes a deal, and something is done to Sam without his knowledge or consent. It calls into question Sam's humanity and identity, and the brothers need to fix it.
Really, Sera? I mean, for reelz? We're going back to S1 in story, as well as feel? I never much trusted Kripke's story instincts, but he relentlessly drove it forward, and that's not nothing. He did not like going backwards; it was always, "Done that already. Let's go see what's over here!" Of course, for a long time I've trusted Sera's feel for this story even less than Kripke's, and yes, that's saying something. But I figured, like the US presidency, like what has happened until now on SPN, the weight and resistance of the whole production and the voices in it would keep things more or less on the same track with one or two wobbles. I always got the sense from Kripke that he knew the story wasn't just his, it belonged to all of them; Sera gives off a much more proprietary vibe, particularly with Sam, like it all belonged to her in the first place ... and now she's going to do the story again, only this time she's gonna do Sam right. Because, what, we didn't explore the "came back not 100% pure Sam" enough?
And there was so, so much character potential built up by the end of S5. SO much. Sam finally being his own man, dealing with the consequences of his choices (rather than dealing with the consequences of other people's choices), what happens to people in the wake of the apocalypse and the many-faceted sacrifices they made to fight it. What that has turned them into, in the everyday business of what they used to do, without any extra supernatural surgery performed on who they are.
It's depressing, too, because it locks Sam into the particular role of the victim. One he overcame in Swan Song. And this is why I look askance at Sera; I think she likes victim!Sam just a little bit too much to let him keep the grown up victory of last season. It keeps him Special. And a little bit more her plaything. When Dean becomes monstrous, it's because of his choice. Granted, it was a sucky choice - torture or keep being tortured - but it was his choice. Sam allowing himself to be possessed, and to overcome that possession, was a huge, huge step forward. That's where we should be. But instead, he just gets violated all over again. Like it doesn't matter what he achieves, he can't keep his very self - not just his circumstances - from being at the mercy of the PTB. He won't ever be allowed to grow up.
So, anyway. I don't complain much about SPN, so I don't know if I did it right. And, hey, I'm onboard. Barring some ridiculously bad decisions by Show, I'm with them until the end. But it's not so I can see how it will turn out. And there's a little bit more dread of where Sera's going to take all this - not that it will be painful, but that it will be uninteresting.
Maybe I'm over-reacting. If anyone's got any happy up-sides, I'd really like to hear them. I'll even try not to argue it all into the ground, or be all entitled!fangirl tantrumming about how Show Is Ruining My Show!!1!!!!!1!!! I need just a little help with the love, here. Please oh please?