Sadism (a.k.a. “Upping the Stakes”): The Heart of Every Drama
I’ve had a primitive incarnation of this meta, which was supposed to be the twin of this meta, festering on my hard drive for years. Because we’re encroaching on the end of yet another season, I thought it would be fun to dust it off and finish it. The original premise (from early S3 … doh!) was about upping the stakes in fiction and how SPN does
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which only makes me VERY anxious for this week's episode and extremely excited for S6.
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All of this certainly doesn't bode well for the boys. But, like always, they'll stitch themselves back together and persevere. It'll be interesting to see what condition they're left in tomorrow evening.
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why can’t Lucifer be killed with his/an Archangel’s sword and then reaped by Death? Have I missed canon’s justification for this? Has Lucifer done something to himself to make himself greater than the average Archangel or something equally convenient?
OMG tell me about it - I've been complaining about that one for what feels like forever now! It was why I was actually glad to see Lucifer ripping all those gods apart the other week, just because it was the first time we'd actually seen him do anything to justify the awe and terror in which he is held! What makes him different than any other angel, Show - what? Other than being lord of hell, that is, because that doesn't explain it ( ... )
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It's nice to have a thinky thought again. Seriously, I think all the brain deadness/lack of concentration had a lot to do with hormones. Now 1.5 years later when my body is returning to normal it seems like my meta-fu is as well. \o/
I was actually glad to see Lucifer ripping all those gods apart the other week
Me, too! XD Besides the fact I love how MS plays Lucifer and whenever he's in an episode I look forward to his scenes, Lucifer FINALLY doing something nasty was good confirmation that he is not all hot air. We did see a bunch of demons fall down and Death rise because of him in 5x10, but it's not the same as him actually being intimately associated with killing gods and their vessels (and his own brother). I think he, out of all the season villains, has been the most "inactive" as far as demonstrating his nastiness. Perhaps that has to do with Kripke wanting him to be more sympathetic? *points to 5x01's title*
Raphael is Chuck's guardian angel, yesThanks for ( ... )
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Although, I would like to point out a different frame for season five in which the quest is: stop the apocalypse, repair the relationship. There's also been a narrative thread through the season about roles that has been embodied in the the boys being vessels for Lucifer and Michael. Both Dean and Sam have broken their traditional role inside the Winchester family of little brother/big brother and, this way, they have basically solved the second quest you point out in your scheme-type.
If you look at it this way, I'd say that the boys have repaired their relationship already and and they will, most likely, stop the apocalypse. Seen under this aspect, I'd say that this is the only season when both subplots have been resolved, and in the end there won't be any big cliffhanger, no upping of the stakes, this time.
Or maybe it's just me who's being optimistic. I would love a clear-cut victory for Dean ( ... )
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Yes, I agree there could be a 3rd goal this season just like, depending how you look at it, there could've been a 3rd goal (preserve the brother relationship) last season. I guess the reason I didn't really emphasize that or discuss the 3rd goal in S4 was because I saw them more as the emotional story, which I considered to play into the "CONFLICT" aspect of the season more than the surface plots (i.e. goals). But it's really a matter of is the glass half full or half empty. :)
Both Dean and Sam have broken their traditional role inside the Winchester family of little brother/big brother and, this way, they have basically solved the second quest you point out in your scheme-type.
Are you referring to "Say 'No' to Lucifer and Michael"? If so, I'm not quite understanding exactly how those two things tie directly into each other. So sorry, sometimes I can be completely dense, but I want to make sure I understand what you you mean before I start rambling...
this is the only season ( ... )
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So my wishes for a clear-cut win were not satisfied it seems. Yes, Sam's alive but what's up with him? (I hope nothing, to be honest). And Dean is possibly at his lowest (and wow we thought that we'd reached that a long time ago!).
So back to your question.
Are you referring to "Say 'No' to Lucifer and Michael"? If so, I'm not quite understanding exactly how those two things tie directly into each other. So sorry, sometimes I can be completely dense, but I want to make sure I understand what you mean before I start rambling...More or less, yes. But I've tended to read the vessel subplot more as a metaphor for Dean and Sam breaking their roles in their (dysfunctional) family dynamic. In every sense this has happened in the finale. Dean, the good little soldier needed to say no to win. Sam the rebel who possibly had always used no as standard reply had to say yes. In any case, the old dynamic is gone. Both Dean and Sam have embraced their deepest fears ( ( ... )
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And its implications scare the crap out of me for Thursday...
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its implications scare the crap out of me
You and me both! The good thing is that we know Sam and Dean will be back next season so whatever happens to them is nothing compared to having the series just end. Whew.
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