Comments | bardicvoice: 4.16 On The Head Of A Pin: There’s No Going Back

bardicvoice

4.16 On The Head Of A Pin: There’s No Going Back

Mar 23, 2009 19:13

4.16 On The Head Of A Pin: There’s No Going Back

Facing Alastair,
Dean learns what he cannot bear:
He broke the first Seal.

( Read the rest ... )

ben edlund, jared padalecki, episode commentaries, theology, supernatural university, john winchester, psychology, jensen ackles, dean winchester, sam winchester, supernatural

Comments 79

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bardicvoice March 25 2009, 00:15:18 UTC

Thanks for coming and for commenting, even if you didn't have much to actually say! I really enjoyed the words you did leave behind ... *grin*

karenmiller March 24 2009, 00:00:57 UTC

Great meta. When I get a chance, I'll blather a bit properly.

Possibly my favourite line of the ep?

'I only kill the ones who say no.'

Wow. If that's not an entire essay wrapped up in a handful of words.

And seriously, I hope they've got a therapist on call for Ackles. The places he's going to in this season are -- extreme.

bardicvoice March 25 2009, 00:22:06 UTC

Thanks! I'll look forward to your future blathering, whenever you manage to find time for it - I know real life has been pushing me to the limit, lately.

There were so many superb lines in this script! I agree that Uriel's spoke whole volumes ... and they were chilling.

I never fail to be amazed at what both Jensen and Jared bring to the table in terms of performance. I'm eternally grateful to Eric Kripke and Robert Singer for the coup of casting those two, and I'm equally grateful that they found a brother-strong friendship in the process. That's got to help when it comes to carrying the emotional burdens of going where their characters need to go.

karenmiller March 25 2009, 02:40:59 UTC

Arrggh, RL. Speak not of RL.

I think the casting in this show was lightning in a bottle stuff. Not only the boys, but JDM and then Jim Beaver and now Collins. The sheer humanity contained within these actors, and their willingness and ability to go where the story takes them regardless of any levels of discomfort leave me astonished and in awe.

Oh and about blathering, I actually did a meta post. Shock! If you get time to swing by my LJ I'd love to know your take on it. But busy busy busy, I know. *g*

bardicvoice March 26 2009, 00:09:54 UTC

Great meta, Karen! I really enjoyed it, and all the comments on it - very tasty!

I agree 100% with the lightning in a bottle aspect of the casting on this show. I am floored by it.

backnblack01 March 24 2009, 00:08:59 UTC

Hey! I missed your rants since tvg! As usually, beautifully put and well researched! I especially enjoyed what you said about the Angels and Revelations, that it should be the Angels breaking the seals to unleash the appocolypse on mankind not the demons trying to undo them to bring forth Lucifer. I can't tell u how many times I have read Revelations and still don't fully understand it ( ... )

bardicvoice March 25 2009, 00:36:39 UTC

Glad you found me again here, my dear, and thank you!

I've been amused at the way that Kripke and company pull out and reference "obscure versions" of Revelation in order to ground the series' mythology. The classic biblical Revelation is clearly one of the sources for the depiction of angels as warriors, beings not swayed by human fear or suffering, but it's definitely not the source of the plot of demons initiating their own version of the apocalypse. And yet, knowing that one of those seals would indeed open Hell, the idea that demons would attempt to pervert the process in order to unleash Hell on Earth is a great one around which to build one heck of a story. Hats off to SupernaturalGiven where they took Dean in this episode, I am betting that some of what we'll see next will have to involve attempts by the forces of Good to rebuild him, to get him to acknowledge that, despite his current despair, his nature is such that he can't stop fighting. Dean's whole life has been saving people, and no matter how tired and drained he is, ( ... )

blackcat333_99 March 24 2009, 00:13:09 UTC

Absolutely wonderful, and thanks for taking the time to put together these reviews. I know they're not easy and very time consuming. :)

One question -- are we sure that Lilith is actually more powerful than Yellow Eyes, as I took you to intimate? My brain can be leaky at times, so maybe I'm not remembering correctly about angel lore in particular, but Azazel was originally an angel, turned fallen angel. His link on the show to this mythology has been left extremely vague, but it would be very interesting if the difference between Azazel and all these other demons was because of his heritage. White-eyed Lilith, while powerful, still apparently bowed befor the "tyrant" Azazel in Hell. After his death she started to be a player.

Azazel of the yellow eyes, with the effects of the Colt being yellowish lighting from the inside, he's "not scared of those angels perched on [Dean's} shoulder 4.03" -- and only an angel can kill an angel. Hmm.

bardicvoice March 25 2009, 01:11:06 UTC

Thank you! I love writing these, even when they're melting my brain.

My reference to Lilith being more powerful than Azazel came from the horse's mouth: Eric said it during the LA convention last year, when I was sitting in the audience and madly scribbling my notes. (I wrote it up here: http://bardicvoice.livejournal.com.) Azazel is mentioned in the Bible in Leviticus 16: 8-10, as the receiver of the scapegoat bearing the sins of the Israelites. The designation of Azazel as a fallen angel comes in the Book of Enoch, which is not part of the canonical Bible in most branches of Christianity because its authenticity and authorship are considered uncertain. The origins and designation of Lilith are all over the place. For people wanting to play with the figures of myth and legend, there is plenty of opportunity to juggle who's on top, and which aspects associated with each being would be reflected in their depiction within the story. I keep looking forward to each new wrinkle!

ginzai March 24 2009, 00:37:36 UTC

I've very much enjoyed reading through your meta musings and thank you for posting them. There was so much happening in 4x16 that it felt like one long sucker punch after another, never the chance to catch your breath or recover between revelations. And never the small sort either, character X's birthday is on such and such date, Bobby's middle name is Steven, and so on, no, these are epic revelations: Uriel has been killing the angels, Sam can literally now kill demons with his mind, Ruby really does have her own agenda, Dean caused the apocalypse - and that's not even all of what we learned this week ( ... )

bardicvoice March 25 2009, 01:34:26 UTC

Thank you for reading and commenting ( ... )