Supernatural review: 03.04-"Sin City"
Part live-blogging, part review, it's a little bit of everything tonight.
Why is it when we've had the episodes dealing directly with religion, we've got a 60% ratio of going to Catholicism. It seems as if there's this acknowledgment at once of the strength of Catholicism and its weaknesses. Granted, this is where our demon lore generally comes from for the show, so it's not surprising, but in general, there isn't a lot of go-to in modern American media when it comes to the Roman Catholic Church outside of priest scandal stories. I'm also feeling sort of a heavy hand having the Italian-Jersey Demon Hunter dude, as that's like, auto-Catholic. Too bad he didn't last long enough to bring satin back.
There is a basic assumption of Christian virtue here that is fascinating. Despite the fact that we see critters from all kinds of mythologies throughout the series, it seems that the main, accepted morality is Christianity. The vices, the sins, they're straight out of mediaeval theology. But I'm interested in this contrasting mythology, almost Gnostic. Good god, evil god. Lucifer as the god of hell, it's interesting. I have no idea where Kripke is going with this one, but it is fascinating. I'm thinking the abundance of mirrors in this episode is an allusion to the reflection of earth's religion in hell. Mirrors reverse things, distort them, and the religion of man is distorted into the religion of hell.
I'm not surprised that the in-the-trenches priest is possessed. I don't know why it doesn't surprise me, but it doesn't. The allusion to Sam being his brother's keeper is interesting, and very, very true. Cain and Abel, the most famous brothers in history. I hope the Winchester pan out better than the sons of Adam. That comment is seriously bothering me. Cain asked G-d if he was his brother's keeper after he killed Abel. The immediate reaction is seeing Dean, who has been charged with killing Sam if he goes evil, in the role of his brother's keeper, the one to put him down and ask G-d if that is not his role after all. I don't like where this is potentially going. Maybe my Bible-fu is off. Let's hope so.
And also, lastly, may I state for the record that ataniell93 called the YED being Azazel a long, long time ago, and same thing with Sammy being his chosen second in command. We rule. Azazel is the origin of the scape-goat, ironically, and the chief of the Grigori, the Watchers, fallen angels who married human women, according to the apocryphal 1 Enoch. He is the one who taught men arms and armour, taught women to make cosmetics and jewellery. G-d sees the end results of his instructions and sends Raphael to bind Azazel and cast him into the Pit. Azazel’s fate is foretold near the end of 1 Enoch 2:8, where G-d says, “On the day of the great judgement he shall be cast into the fire. […] The whole earth has been corrupted through the works that were taught by Azazel: to him ascribe all sin."
Why is it when we've had the episodes dealing directly with religion, we've got a 60% ratio of going to Catholicism. It seems as if there's this acknowledgment at once of the strength of Catholicism and its weaknesses. Granted, this is where our demon lore generally comes from for the show, so it's not surprising, but in general, there isn't a lot of go-to in modern American media when it comes to the Roman Catholic Church outside of priest scandal stories. I'm also feeling sort of a heavy hand having the Italian-Jersey Demon Hunter dude, as that's like, auto-Catholic. Too bad he didn't last long enough to bring satin back.
There is a basic assumption of Christian virtue here that is fascinating. Despite the fact that we see critters from all kinds of mythologies throughout the series, it seems that the main, accepted morality is Christianity. The vices, the sins, they're straight out of mediaeval theology. But I'm interested in this contrasting mythology, almost Gnostic. Good god, evil god. Lucifer as the god of hell, it's interesting. I have no idea where Kripke is going with this one, but it is fascinating. I'm thinking the abundance of mirrors in this episode is an allusion to the reflection of earth's religion in hell. Mirrors reverse things, distort them, and the religion of man is distorted into the religion of hell.
I'm not surprised that the in-the-trenches priest is possessed. I don't know why it doesn't surprise me, but it doesn't. The allusion to Sam being his brother's keeper is interesting, and very, very true. Cain and Abel, the most famous brothers in history. I hope the Winchester pan out better than the sons of Adam. That comment is seriously bothering me. Cain asked G-d if he was his brother's keeper after he killed Abel. The immediate reaction is seeing Dean, who has been charged with killing Sam if he goes evil, in the role of his brother's keeper, the one to put him down and ask G-d if that is not his role after all. I don't like where this is potentially going. Maybe my Bible-fu is off. Let's hope so.
And also, lastly, may I state for the record that ataniell93 called the YED being Azazel a long, long time ago, and same thing with Sammy being his chosen second in command. We rule. Azazel is the origin of the scape-goat, ironically, and the chief of the Grigori, the Watchers, fallen angels who married human women, according to the apocryphal 1 Enoch. He is the one who taught men arms and armour, taught women to make cosmetics and jewellery. G-d sees the end results of his instructions and sends Raphael to bind Azazel and cast him into the Pit. Azazel’s fate is foretold near the end of 1 Enoch 2:8, where G-d says, “On the day of the great judgement he shall be cast into the fire. […] The whole earth has been corrupted through the works that were taught by Azazel: to him ascribe all sin."