Fluffy White Feathers and Divine Eyes: Hunters and the Absentee Higher Power

[bowtrunckle]

Meta-ish blabber lurks below the cut.

Wow, it’s been a long time since I’ve posted meta. First I want to say that

Comments

[kentawolf]

Very interesting. I, too, am obsessed with this topic in SPN. I agree with Kripke's conclusion: that there is a tangible, visible (read: obvious) side of Evil in the world, and that there is no tangible, visible, obvious side of Good because he wants us to see Good through human action

[kentawolf]

And I also wanted to say: Love the juxtaposition of the Kubric/Gordon embrace of "Fresh Blood" with the mirror of the Sam/Dean embrace of "AHBL1." Gotta love your eye for the visual cues.

[bowtrunckle]

Aww, thanks. :)

I have to admit the initial reason why Kubric/Gordon's embrace made a lasting impression on me was because it tripped my gaydar meter. And, yeah, I guess that's connected to my wincest meter. *laughs*

[bowtrunckle]

In season two, the Grey Line of Morality was a MAJOR thread of the mytharc, so the Recap soundclip was an irony, and to display to the audience the stance the boys were growing out of.

First: Whoot! Analyzing tag lines! It's up there with analyzing title cards XD!

Second: *nods emphatically* OMG. The Show so loves irony (and so do I)! I'm tempted to just write a stupid post on all the irony bonking us over the head. *spazzes out*

Third: Your brain is awesome.

The day I thought Dean would want to save a demon...

If the S3 Sam and Dean reversal continues on its current course, I think we might just see more than Dean wanting to save a demon. How much do you want to be at some point in the future (S4?) we'll get Dean actually saving a demon? Gah. How much do I love Kripke and his character development?

brain-twisting evil.

LOL! Ah yes, the lovely subjectivity of it all. Heh. When in doubt chalk it up to POV. ;)

Have you read my post on postmodernism? I compare it Dean's stuffed mouth in "Tall Tales."Nooo. *big eye*

[bowtrunckle]

Hi, thanks for dropping by. The transcript for this episode isn't up at Superwiki yet, so I triple checked that line of dialogue using my headphones. To me it still sounds like "Hel-en-ah's" (3 syllables) vs. "Hel-en's" (2 syllables), but sometimes these things are hard to tell. This is when the S3 DVDs with the closed-captioning option on would be helpful.

I love your icon! Sam + wings = awesome.

[sadelyrate]

This was certainly a treat to read. So many thinky thoughts... Alas, I'm not up yet to try and join that particular fray. Maybe after the new episode, because, y'know... it's the ninth episode, and I've sort of been freaking out over it for the last six+ months... ;)

Still happily, utterly spoiler-free. Don't even know the name. *knocks on wood*

God's will and God's eye(s)...
And beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I wonder if truth is the same...?

Thank you for this.
*is semi-thinky*

[bowtrunckle]

*glomps*

How are you doing, dear? You LJ presence has been missed.

y'know... it's the ninth episode

*eee* Judging by the past two seasons, we should be in for a mind-blowing, mytharc-related reveal! You think it might have something to do with Sam for the third year in a row?

I've sort of been freaking out over it for the last six+ months... ;)

Join the club. I've apparently been freaking out over The Show for the last ... year.

I wonder if truth is the same...?

My guess is a big "YES". I think Kripke's middle name is ambiguity. ;) No clear cut answers certainly makes for interesting discussions, though.

Enjoy the episode. And if something Sam-related is revealed tonight, that high-pitched scream you'll hear is me. Hope you're doing OK. *hugs*

[sadelyrate]

To answer your question: a whole hell of a lot better than a week ago. :)
Apologies for that. Needed some time off fandom to concentrate on RL issues.

But the meta...
Third time's the charm, they say. If it's Sam, then I'll cross out the idea that he's just a red herring. If it's Mary, which I'm not so secretly hoping for... *anticipates*

Ever since 3x01, I've just been staring at the number combination of 3x09 and trying desperately not to think about 2x09 and 1x09. Because my mind always seems to sort of short circuit with that and go into ohsweetfuck-mode.

I'll catch the episode within 24 hours, all things willing. So I'll be avoiding LJ like the plague before that, but then... Saturday's dedicated to writing and catching up! :D

[bowtrunckle]

If it's Sam, then I'll cross out the idea that he's just a red herring.

Sam, a red herring, eh? You mean the did-Sam-come-back-"wrong" question? Or the demon-blood-making-him-wrong question?

If it's Mary, which I'm not so secretly hoping for... *anticipates*

I keep forgetting about Mary. *headdesk* As well as the why-did-all-Mary's-friends-remaining-family die question? And the what-did-Mary-know question. Oh, and the was-Mary-a-PsyKid question.

Ack. So many questions. When are we going to start getting answers?

Sixteen minutes until the boys are on! *tries to sit patiently*

[lierina]

This is very interesting and I really like it very much that there are fans who are not only interested in pretty boys but also in the show itself and in its meanings or messages.

I wish I could join discussions like that - unfortunately my English leaves me all alone when it comes to profound and complex issues. It's a pity... I would love to share my thoughts on this.

Resolution for 2008: Improving my English ^^
(Oops, sorry for rambling ;-)

[bowtrunckle]

I can't think of a better combination than pretty boys, angst/drama, and thinky thoughts. :) I'm glad you found this meta interesting. Thank you for reading.

I would love to share my thoughts on this.

I would love to hear your thoughts, too.

Language barriers can be frustrating. The only other language I quasi-know is French, which I barely remember (and I studied it for 6 years *headdesk*). So I'm impressed by anyone who can speak/write/read a second, third, fourth language good enough to communicate anything more than "where's the bathroom" and "beer, please". And, btw, I would've never guessed you weren't a native English speaker from you LJ entries (minus the comments/replies in German).

Oops, sorry for rambling

Please feel free to "ramble" around my journal as much as you want! It's my pleasure. :)

[lierina]

I can't think of a better combination than pretty boys, angst/drama, and thinky thoughts. :)
Very, very true :-)

Language barriers can be frustrating. The only other language I quasi-know is French, which I barely remember (and I studied it for 6 years *headdesk*).
Exactly the same here! I studied French at school (7 years), I wrote essays about Maupassant and talked in French... and now I couldn't even ask for the bathroom anymore. The grammar, the vocabulary - it's just gone.

Please feel free to "ramble" around my journal as much as you want!
Thank you! I will :-)

[hugemind]

Dude, I had to dig up the emails I sent you about this, because I honestly couldn't remember anything about what I had said. *fails at everything thinky-related at the moment* And what follows is pointless rambling, sorry about that. :)

Okay, Kripke said that hunters are the force of good, the angels, in the world of SPN, and out of those hunters we've seen, two so far are shown to be religious (Kubrick and Pastor Jim; Sam would make it three as he told Dean in HotH that he believes in God). So, the hunters have their own reasons, some twisted and some slightly less so, to kill evil creatures, and if one deviates from that, he's lost? Can anyone say the obvious: fallen angel? I mean, if Sam aligns himself with Ruby to save Dean, Sam would be lost in a way, too, and that brings us back to demons (esp. as fallen angels) and free will

[bowtrunckle]

I have to go eat and "do life" and will reply properly when I have enough time to spaz out about your awesome thoughts, but I just wanted to say that I think your brain and my brain are secretly communicating! *eee*

So, in conclusion: Thursday, yay!

If only ALL conclusions would end like this!

Yay! Spaztastic Thursday. *twirls*

I don't know what I'm looking foward to more, the episode or the post-episode reaction posts (like yours)!

[bowtrunckle]

OK, I'm ready to brain a little bit after recovering from last night's episode. *wipes brow* But before anything else: Dean + Hell + many years burning = demon!Dean. ZOMG. I will probably pollute your episode reaction entry with ! before the end of the day. Just a warning... *grins*

if one deviates from that, he's lost? Can anyone say the obvious: fallen angel?

You know after last night's episode where we learned (at least some) BEDs are flambed humans with their humanity leeched out of them, I was sad that the fallen angel hypothesis was disproven (never mind that REDs or YEDs--higher up in the demon hierarchy-- could still be literally fallen angels). My brain was stuck on the literal, but then you come along and point out something so obvious and elegant that it makes me scream, "YAY, fallen angels!"

Sam would be lost in a way, too, and that brings us back to demons (esp. as fallen angels) and free will. I think since 2x22 (Sam shooting Jake) we've be witnessing Sam slowly losing his old self by degrees. Not that it's

[hugemind]

Heh, you know, 'OMG, demon!Dean!' was the first thing to pop into my head after I had watched the ep. And there can never be too much !. Just so you know. :D

point out something so obvious and elegant that it makes me scream, "YAY, fallen angels!"

Don't know about elegant, but dammit, after all this speculation and talk about fallen angels, it's gotta fit in somewhere. Especially after I read on Wikipedia that one of the ways for angels to fall from the good graces is expressing their free will... *squints*

never mind that REDs or YEDs--higher up in the demon hierarchy-- could still be literally fallen angelsFor some reason, I'd like to believe that demons higher up in the food chain are something other than humans burned in the Pit. They seem to have more power than BEDs, although in 3x09 Tammy!demon was a BED and she stopped the bullet without breaking a sweat. It's possible, though, that the REDs and YEDs have just been in Hell longer, going full-on Darkside. But if we're going for symmetry, it'd make sense that all demons have