SPN 4:02

[oselle]

I have one little gripe and let me get that out of the way. That episode title was THE WORST ONE EVER. I don't know if you viewers outside of the United States are familiar with Judy Blume, but back when I was a wee lass (the awful 1970s) the reading of Blume was, as Amazon.com calls it, "a rite of passage for preteen girls in North America." The title of this episode was based on a Blume book, Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret and just to prove how dreadfully inappropriate a title it was for this episode, I'll post part of the Amazon review here for you:

"If anyone tried to determine the most common rite of passage for preteen girls in North America, a girl's first reading of Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret would rank near the top of the list. Judy Blume and her character Margaret Simon were the first to say out loud (and in a book even) that it is normal for girls to wonder when they are ever going to fill out their training bras. Puberty is a curious and annoying time. Girls' bodies begin to do freakish things--or, as in Margaret's case, they don't do freakish things nearly as fast as girls wish they would. Adolescents are often so relieved to discover that someone understands their body-angst that they miss one of the book's deeper explorations: a young person's relationship with God."

WHAT was Sera Gamble thinking?

Fortunately that was it for the night's stupidities. If the past two episodes are any indication, the writers have at least temporarily suspended their practice of goofing on the Winchesters and have started approaching this show with their tongues finally out of their cheeks.

I've often complained of what I consider to be a Joss Whedonish influence on the show, particularly in the use of snark. No matter what the situation, even the very end of the world, there's always time for a wisecrack. I hate that shit. It's fine in small doses but it ultimately makes everything seem not terribly important. Every episode of Buffy I've ever watched, I was never sure if I was supposed to consider it a drama or a comedy or some weird hybrid of both. Felt the same way about Firefly. Saw a lot of this in Supernatural but not in last night's episode. It's like they're FINALLY taking this story seriously.

This is why I'm loving Castiel so much. Castiel doesn't wisecrack. He doesn't have time to fuck around. He's dead fucking serious and as a result HE IS SCARY AS HELL. That final scene between him and Dean was one of the most intense things I've ever seen on this show and HOLY SHIT I DID NOT SEE THAT TWIST COMING!! CASTIEL CAN SEND DEAN BACK TO HELL!?!?

What could be better than Dean Winchester being harrowed out of hell by a fiery agent of God's wrath who will gladly throw him back in there if Dean doesn't get in line? Dean's not free at all -- his soul has merely changed hands, and conditionally at that. This is seriously gripping stuff. Think of what this puts in play. Dean's eventually going to find out whatever Sam's up to with Ruby -- either on his own or Castiel's going to tell him. At that point, you know that Castiel will expect Dean to make a choice. Either he betrays his brother and saves his soul or he chooses Sam and it's back to the pit. HOLY SHIT, PEOPLE!

I've been sort of against the show headed towards this sort of brother vs. brother apocalyptic showdown, mostly because I didn't think they were up to doing it with any degree of gravitas. But if they keep doing it like this? BRING IT ON.

And you know...it doesn't hurt that Castiel is still way hot. It certainly doesn't hurt that he seems to enjoy getting WAY up into Dean's personal space and menacingly murmuring that Dean needs to start showing him "a little respect." WTF!?! The slash, it writes itself!! Did Sera Gamble spend her summer reading fanfic?? Because damn she is writing like a fangirl and I'm loving it!!

You know what else I love? DEAN SLEEPING! Dean sleeping in the car. Dean sleeping on the floor -- WHY is Dean sleeping on the floor? You'd think Sam would have some consideration for Dean just getting out of hell and at least let him sleep on the couch. There's no way Sam would even fit on that couch! And why are they even sleeping in the living room (pardon me, the "library") when Bobby's house appears to have a veritable warren of rooms upstairs?

Speaking of Bobby's house, I adore Bobby but the Singer manse is creepier than I ever thought. The red walls? The gothic chandelier? The stained glass? Who decorated that place -- Morticia Addams? In comparison to the rest of the house, the panic room looks positively normal. Even the linen closet was creepy and yet HOW DO I LOVE THAT WE SAW BOBBY'S LINEN CLOSET? I really want to see the bathroom in that joint.

I want to write some meta on the palpable distance between Sam and Dean, how subtle and well-played it is and what it might mean. I want to write about the surreal sense of hunters' isolation that has permeated these two episodes so far. I want to write about how good these episodes have looked, rich in texture and atmosphere.

But I can't do that because JENSEN ACKLES IS TOO FREAKING GORGEOUS and my brain cells just go zzzzzzzzzzing every time I look at him. Did anyone but me notice that he spent most of this episode with his lips parted in a sexy little pout? For God's sake! And on top of the gorgeous, they're going ahead and giving him depth? Dean Winchester pondering the Epicurean Paradox?? Dean Winchester bawling out an angel of the Lord? Dean Winchester letting a dead coed beat the shit out of him because he thinks he deserves it??? Ay caramba! What are they trying to do to us?

*sweats*

I said it before but I'll repeat it: this is how good I've always wanted this show to be. In the past I've recommended the show to people with a qualifier that it's just fun. For now, I can genuinely say that it's good. It may even become great. I'm stunned that the same people who brought us dreck like "Red Sky at Morning" are bringing us this and why have they waited so long?

Oh, and one last thing -- that Billy Squier music montage at the beginning was ridiculously long but it was so cool. Cool in an awful, '80s, Monsters of Rock sort of way. If I'd never watched an episode of Supernatural before and I'd just wandered into the room and caught that opening, it would have totally made me sit down and watch. And no, I'm not ashamed. Maybe a little.

Okay, a lot.

Comments

Re: yeah, taking it seriously for once

[oselle.livejournal.com]

I didn't pick up on too much lame humor in this episode. What was there was kind of funny, like Bobby saying he "had a free weekend" so he went ahead and built an elaborate panic room. That got a laugh outta me! And the spirits were actually scary...although Kripke's dread of evil moppets has grown very, very old.

[mews1945.livejournal.com]

What could be better than Dean Winchester being harrowed out of hell by a fiery agent of God's wrath who will gladly throw him back in there if Dean doesn't get in line? Dean's not free at all -- his soul has merely changed hands, and conditionally at that.

That's another reason I think Castiel's a fallen angel. He's trying to take away a mortal's free will. If he takes that, then God=Satan and vice-versa.

Which just makes it all the more interesting to watch. Who is Castiel, really? He's wicked smart and gorgeous, but he makes me very very uneasy. Dean's fear of him is evident in that last confrontation scene. Can't blame the poor bastard. He's had enough of Hell, and it stands to reason he'd do most anything to keep from going back there.

But I keep wondering, if he's Castiel's puppet, and Castiel tells him he has to fight and defeat Sam, or it's back to Hell, what will Dean do?

They really do seem to be working things in that direction. Or am I completely off?

Speaking of Jensen pretty, your icon is srsly droolworthy.

[oselle.livejournal.com]

He's trying to take away a mortal's free will.

No he isn't, not anymore than God himself does. I mean after all, the whole concept of "free will" according to God is kind of a joke. We have free will to either do what God says...or be damned by God for all eternity. I heard a great comparison recently: a guy tells his wife that she has "free will" to leave him if she wants, but if she does he'll hunt her down and kill her. That ain't free will. And that's what God offers. Same thing that Castiel's offering. My way or the highway to hell. So by my own view of God's gift of free will, Castiel is very much a real angel. And very, very dangerous.

[mews1945.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I can understand what you mean. Catch-22.

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

That's exactly what I was going to say--I have had that discussion many many times! Threatening Dean with hell for disobeying God's command is totally what an angel would do--and he wouldn't have to have any regret about it either.

I would kind of hate it if Castiel turned out to be a fallen angel because a real one is far scarier--and certainly all the demons seem to be responding to him as if that's the case.

[oselle.livejournal.com]

I would kind of hate it if Castiel turned out to be a fallen angel because a real one is far scarier

At this point I would hate it too. It would seem like such a copout.

[pensive]

Yep- best review of this ep EVAR. On like, ALL POINTS.

[oselle.livejournal.com]

Hee, thanks!

[oxer12.livejournal.com]

I'm kind of confused still as to WHY exactly Dean would have to choose between Sam and going back to Hell. I agree that the show is heading in that direction, but I haven't sorted it all out yet. I guess once we know more about what Sam is actually doing with Ruby, that will help. Or is it obvious and I'm just too blinded by Jensen's hotness to see it?

Love your review! Castiel telling Dean to "show him some respect" was beyond awesome.

[oselle.livejournal.com]

I just imagine that Castiel doesn't exactly see shades of gray. If Sam's working with a demon, he's on the demonic side and that's all there's going to be to it. So that adds ANOTHER dimension to this -- that Castiel will refuse to accept that Sam is using his powers for good and he's going to force Dean to make the choice between Sam or hell even though DEAN knows that Sam is not evil. OMG!!!

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

I really enjoyed last night's ep too--you've said it well here, but the difference between brother vs. brother with the old tone of the show, and brother vs. brother in a situation that actually matters and makes sense? That's a huge difference and it seems like that's what's going on now. I love that it's not as simplistic as good and evil, either, because it's more like being caught in just a conflict between two countries of heaven and hell. And of course the guy who wouldn't want to have anything to do with either needs to be at the center of it, next to his brother who only wants to be involved to do the right thing, he thinks.

I would totally love to read meta on the separation of the two of them this season because even I can see they're doing that really well, both in terms of the way they're blocked and in the acting. There was that one scene where the two of them kept giving sidelong glances at each other that were just all about "What are you up to/Do you know what I'm up to?"

[oselle.livejournal.com]

I love that it's not as simplistic as good and evil, either, because it's more like being caught in just a conflict between two countries of heaven and hell.

Right, and each side is using the Winchesters for their own ends -- and it's all so equivocal! Sam thinks he's doing good, but he's being trained by a demon to use a gift that's demonically given, so IS he really evil? And Castiel is an angel but we can already tell he's a absolute hardcase prick with his own agenda, so is HE really good? It's great. It's SO GREAT!!

I can see they're doing that really well, both in terms of the way they're blocked and in the acting.

Yeah, and although they've kept secrets in previous seasons, it seems so much more subtle this time around. There's almost an edginess between the two of them, an awkwardness that wasn't there before of course that could be because Jensen and Jared are totally in love.

[i-o-r-h-a-e-l.livejournal.com]

And now I sweat because of your review. *adores*

Btw, did you notice there is a new executive producer? Might it be him that has helped more bring S4 to how it is?

[oselle.livejournal.com]

I certainly DID notice that and I'm sure that he's had some influence over the tone and quality of the show. They need to HOLD ON to this guy!!

[layne67.livejournal.com]

But where is Lilith in all this? Are there 2 factions in the demons' camp? Lilith v Sam? Did the YED originally meant Sam to be Lucifer's general? And is Lilith vying for that same spot?

[oselle.livejournal.com]

OK, as far as I can determine:

Lilith and Azazel were adversaries. Azazel was grooming a chosen few humans with special gifts (that they were either born with or that he gave them) so that one of them would rise to become his right-hand man and challenge Lilith for dominion of hell and/or earth. Yes, we learned in last season's "Sin City" that the demons were generally aligning themselves with either Lilith or Azazel. Followers of Azazel became followers of Sam (unbeknownst to him apparently). Followers of Lilith want Sam's large head on a platter.

Now it appears that Lilith is in Big Boss Lucifer's corner which I assume suggests that Azazel was also an adversary of Lucifer's. It seems unlikely that Lucifer would have tolerated this for long, but whatever. Does this mean that the former followers of Azazel who are now in Sam's corner are adversaries of Lucifer? If Sam was "marked" by Azazel was Dean similarly "marked" by Castiel/God? If the demons following Azazel/Sam defeat Lilith/Lucifer do they come back into God's good graces? If Dean becomes an angel how fucking HOT would be be with wings? Ah, so many questions.