4x18
OKAY SO GOOD THINGS. I… don’t really have much of interest to say about this episode, because my brain is just stuck on the slash scene and I don’t think I’m actually going to be able to rewatch anything (not even the Sam scenes) because it just. is that uncomfortable for me.
BUT, that aside, I really did like quite a lot of things about this episode.
So. Yeah. The wincest thing.
STOP READING HERE IF YOU DON’T WANT TO LISTEN TO ME COMPLAIN ABOUT IT EVEN MORE.
.
.
.
I still cannot wrap my head around this, but I just feel. hurt.
I’m pretty sure that it was meant as affectionate mocking, and it’s not really the mocking itself that I have a problem with. Lord knows I lol at the woman in Nightshifter getting all swoony over how brave Dean is. I just. I CANNOT EVEN WORD THIS, GUYS, THAT IS HOW BEWILDERED I FEEL.
Maybe I am just hopelessly naïve, but I’ve always got the impression from Kripke that he likes us. Yeah, we’re weird and the incest thing is pretty odd and we do complain a lot, but he’s always seemed fond of us and glad of how stupidly obsessed with his tiny show we are. He’s always seemed aware of how his show would not be here without his stupid fanbase supporting it so hard. So I don’t think this was meant to jab at us too hard or offend us. It seemed more thoughtless than malicious (I hope). But, just…
The big thing about wincest, the reason why so many people who have never even considered incest pairings before coming to this dark side, is how much Sam and Dean love each other. Yes, obviously we’re sexualising that love, but we’re not intensifying it in anyway, I don’t think. The big thing about wincest is that it’s about love. YES IT IS AN INCESTUOUS LOVE, but we know it’s not real and we know it’s taboo and we know the outside world finds it superduper creepy, but it still comes down to LOVE.
The big thing behind how much we complain on the internet, and the samgirl vs. deangirl wars, and the fannish tattoos, and the slightly breathless way we talk about show when we get excited… it’s love, too. A little bit (often more than a little bit) love/hate, sometimes, but. Love.
And the episode forgot to mention that. The episode outed us to the MAINSTREAM, CASUAL WATCHERS, NON-FANDOM WORLD, highlighting all the weird, creepy, fangirlish bits, and it didn’t bother to mention why we do the things we do. I mean, okay, I am not expecting an incest slash conversation to pop up on the TV and go ‘o hay it’s okay, the brothers really love each other and that’s why the fangirls do it.’ But then again, I’m not expecting an incest slash conversation to pop up on TV at all, and I just. I think it was such an error of judgement. They should have cut that bit, I really do think they should have.
They could have kept everything else and I still would have gone ‘oh man’ and wiggled uncomfortably a bit but I would have been fine and I would have been amused. The slash crossed the line and they should have cut it.
asdkjfgks I REALISE I AM BEING KIND OF MELODRAMATIC HERE, but I just. JUST. I feel like Kripke just shone a torch through my keyhole and ushered the outside world to come peek inside at an out-of-context slice of my underground life. It's like when mainstream newspapers talk about fandom and boil it all down to nothing more than gay porn, and the mundanes come away with these negative impressions and we get no opportunity to defend ourselves against that.
I feel fucking hurt.
BUT THEN AGAIN, ON THE PLUS SIDE, PERHAPS THE THROUGH-THE-KEYHOLE GLIMPSE WAS ENOUGH TO RECRUIT A COUPLE OF NEW PERVERTS?
BUT, that aside, I really did like quite a lot of things about this episode.
- I mean. Sam’s depiction on the cover. The rippling muscles. The flowing hair. That can never not be funny. Everything about him really.
- RACIST TRUCK. Oh racist truck. ilu4eva ♥
- I did enjoy the fangirl. Even then I was feeling quite uncomfortable, but she did make me laugh and go ‘heh yeah, the best parts are where they cry’ and COME ON WHO HASN’T CONSIDERED GETTING THAT TATTOO? Exactly.
- Also yaaaaay they still have their supergay tattoos on them. Fuck yes.
- Chuck was hilarious and amazing and sometimes a bit too self-insert, but on the whole LOLARIOUS. He was a cruel, cruel god! He was THE PROPHET CHUCK.
- Oh snap Dean knows Vonnegut. He is now officially better read than me D: (I have been meaning to check out Slaughterhouse Five, okay. It’s on my to-do list.) I now expect lots and lots of fic about Dean secretly reading awesome books.
- LAUNDRY LAUNDRY THEY DID LAUNDRY. WITH SAM’S BROODING AND PENSIVE SHOULDERS. Never ever ever not going to be amazing. Maybe I’ll just rewatch that scene over and over until I forget about the slash outing.
- Okay you know what else I loved? EVERYTHING ABOUT SAM EVER. He was so fucking excited when he heard that Lilith was coming. Not scared or apprehensive or anything. Just, delighted. That was the happiest we’ve seen him in a long, long time. GUYS THE ONLY JOY SAM CAN GET NOW IS FROM FINALLY AVENGING DEAN’S DEATH. Even if Dean is alive and all. (Only he’s not really, because he came back wrong and he needs help and Sam is saaaad.)
- Hey good news, I think I will actually be capable of rewatching this episode later, just for the Sam.
- Also, it frustrates me when you say such reckless things. (OMG SUCH ROLE REVERSAL. Like Dean wanting to go in all half-cocked to get Meg after John went missing, and Sam being all NO WE MUST PLAN. Oh crazy crazy Sam, how you have changed since then.)
- I can’t decide whether I love or hate the Winchester Gospel, but I certainly something it. Possibly leaning towards love just because of all the fascinating future!fic this will surely spawn. (Possibly it will spawn from me.)
- M. Night level of douche. I lol’d, I’m not gonna lie.
- Dean still wants to save Sam, at least. THAT IS SOMETHING, OKAY. I breathed an irl sigh of relief when he chose not to leave Sam (although I was also kind of disappointed, because. BROTHERS! AGAINST! EACH OTHER! Oh the anticipation.) But, he hasn’t given up on Sam yet. He still believes he can save Sam. (And if you can’t save him, you have to kill him.)
- SAM IS SO ANGRY AND SELF-SACRIFICIAL. And not strong enough to kill Lilith yet. I know I enjoyed his chat with Chuck about the demon blood, too, but I didn’t make many/any notes on it (aside from OH SAMs) and I’m not at the rewatching level yet.
- Zachariah is cooler than Castiel. I’M SORRY BUT IT’S TRUE.
- So destiny, destiny, destiny. This episode was all about the destiny, amirite? And they kept trying to avert it but the things happened anyway and it was pretty much seeming like this was something they could not control, BUT THEN THEY WENT AGAINST IT IN THE END. With, sigh, Castiel’s help. But still. Last week, the Winchesters are destined to become hunters no matter what; this week… what? Dean was desperate enough to save Sam that he went against destiny anyway?
- Chuck saw the end of the season and died a little inside. DAMN YOU, YOU MYSTERIOUS BASTARDS.
So. Yeah. The wincest thing.
STOP READING HERE IF YOU DON’T WANT TO LISTEN TO ME COMPLAIN ABOUT IT EVEN MORE.
.
.
.
I still cannot wrap my head around this, but I just feel. hurt.
I’m pretty sure that it was meant as affectionate mocking, and it’s not really the mocking itself that I have a problem with. Lord knows I lol at the woman in Nightshifter getting all swoony over how brave Dean is. I just. I CANNOT EVEN WORD THIS, GUYS, THAT IS HOW BEWILDERED I FEEL.
Maybe I am just hopelessly naïve, but I’ve always got the impression from Kripke that he likes us. Yeah, we’re weird and the incest thing is pretty odd and we do complain a lot, but he’s always seemed fond of us and glad of how stupidly obsessed with his tiny show we are. He’s always seemed aware of how his show would not be here without his stupid fanbase supporting it so hard. So I don’t think this was meant to jab at us too hard or offend us. It seemed more thoughtless than malicious (I hope). But, just…
The big thing about wincest, the reason why so many people who have never even considered incest pairings before coming to this dark side, is how much Sam and Dean love each other. Yes, obviously we’re sexualising that love, but we’re not intensifying it in anyway, I don’t think. The big thing about wincest is that it’s about love. YES IT IS AN INCESTUOUS LOVE, but we know it’s not real and we know it’s taboo and we know the outside world finds it superduper creepy, but it still comes down to LOVE.
The big thing behind how much we complain on the internet, and the samgirl vs. deangirl wars, and the fannish tattoos, and the slightly breathless way we talk about show when we get excited… it’s love, too. A little bit (often more than a little bit) love/hate, sometimes, but. Love.
And the episode forgot to mention that. The episode outed us to the MAINSTREAM, CASUAL WATCHERS, NON-FANDOM WORLD, highlighting all the weird, creepy, fangirlish bits, and it didn’t bother to mention why we do the things we do. I mean, okay, I am not expecting an incest slash conversation to pop up on the TV and go ‘o hay it’s okay, the brothers really love each other and that’s why the fangirls do it.’ But then again, I’m not expecting an incest slash conversation to pop up on TV at all, and I just. I think it was such an error of judgement. They should have cut that bit, I really do think they should have.
They could have kept everything else and I still would have gone ‘oh man’ and wiggled uncomfortably a bit but I would have been fine and I would have been amused. The slash crossed the line and they should have cut it.
asdkjfgks I REALISE I AM BEING KIND OF MELODRAMATIC HERE, but I just. JUST. I feel like Kripke just shone a torch through my keyhole and ushered the outside world to come peek inside at an out-of-context slice of my underground life. It's like when mainstream newspapers talk about fandom and boil it all down to nothing more than gay porn, and the mundanes come away with these negative impressions and we get no opportunity to defend ourselves against that.
I feel fucking hurt.
BUT THEN AGAIN, ON THE PLUS SIDE, PERHAPS THE THROUGH-THE-KEYHOLE GLIMPSE WAS ENOUGH TO RECRUIT A COUPLE OF NEW PERVERTS?