4.13 After School Special: I’m Looking For The Brutal, Funny, Maybe Even Painful Truth

[bardicvoice]

4.13 After School Special: I’m Looking For The Brutal, Funny, Maybe Even Painful Truth

Ghost high school bully
Drives nerds to revenge on jocks;
Sam sees with new eyes.

Comments

[withdiamonds]

I love, love, love your meta. I love how you go beneath the surface and the superficial. I've seen this ep dismissed as fan service and as not having anything to do with the myth arc and not showing us anything new. I totally don't get that. It ties directly into the message from CAiaD, and subtly shows us how Sam is moving toward the path he thinks he needs to go down.

It shows us more of Dean's character, too, reinforcing what we already knew, but showing us how he's gotten to where he is now.

So, thank you for articulating this much better than I ever could.

[bardicvoice]

Thank you! If this show didn't have so much depth, I wouldn't be so totally gone on it. I tend to avoid most fan forums precisely because so many people react with negative, knee-jerk judgment to episodes purely on their perception of the surface, and lack the patience or willingness to plumb the depths.

This show just keeps impressing me.

[anonymous]

I always love reading your reviews at the gym each week. It makes my workout much more interesting. And I feel smarter after reading your words. It makes me feel like it's okay to love the show so much because there is a lot to the saga. Thanks for your insight!

[bardicvoice]

Hmm - working the body and the mind at the same time? Glad I can oblige!

Thank you!

[opticfixation]

I looooved young Sammy. He did a perfect job! I think that little actor is going to go places! I loved him in A Very Supernatural Christmas as well so I was glad they brought him back, even if he did look just a tad young for high school

[bardicvoice]

Thanks for commenting!

I thought the show did a fantastic job in casting the young Winchesters; they're both hard and demanding roles, but the casting folk not only found talent, they managed to score pretty good physical matches as well.

I agree that Colin Ford is going to make a mark. His young Sam was spot-on. I think that Brock Kelly had the harder job precisely because Dean is so much Jensen's creation, and with teen Dean being closer to adult than little Sam was, Brock was correspondingly more in Jensen's shadow than Colin was in Jared's. Jensen and Jared are both so commanding in these roles that it's hard to credit anyone else playing these characters, especially as the ages get closer. But all those glimpses of their childhood are precious to me, and I am in awe of how well the younger versions of the brothers have been realized.

And on your last point ... I really do believe that Sam trying to do what he thinks is the right and necessary thing may be the set-up to the crisis. I don't remotely believe that Sam is evil, but

[snwicked]

Wow, it's always a pleasure to read your meta's! You don't pick sides, you highlight the great stuff and mention the less good stuff!

Do your meta get published somewhere? It's really the best recaps of episodes I ever read!

[bardicvoice]

Thank you! I'm very glad you enjoy them. I love this show to ridculous extremes, so I try to do my best for it.

The only place besides this LJ where my reviews show up is over on www.supernatural.tv. Someday I'd love to be able to find out how many people actually read them ... although I'd still write them even if no one was reading. Just call me obsessed! The meta pieces that I write outside of the reviews just live here.

Thanks for coming by, and double thanks for leaving a comment!

[snwicked]

I think they should be publicized!

I always read them and thought I leave a comment for a change!

Thanks for doing such a great job! You make me like the not so great parts!

[bardicvoice]

Thank you! I'm glad you left a comment; it's always a delight to hear from people!

And about those not-so-great parts - one of the amazing things about this show, to me, is that even when something misfires, the show still hits the target better and more consistently than just about anything else on television. When it does come to an end, hopefully not until Eric Kripke finishes telling the Winchesters' story, I am going to miss it terribly. Thank heaven for DVDs!!