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Castiel
Posting a pic of Misha Collins in a sarong yesterday led to a lengthy conversation with
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insight2 that included a link to aesc's monumental Casifesto, which I'm sure some of you have read, but I had not.I loved the Casifesto but I was getting a little hot under the collar while reading it, because it demonstrated something I've believed for a long time -- that Castiel is one of the things SPN really got right. From how the character was envisioned to the casting of the pitch-perfect Misha Collins to the way the character was allowed to develop, they really got it right.
So now, of course, they're going to flush it.
Of course, I don't know what they're planning to do with Castiel. I actually don't think they're going to kill him off, but I do think they may either keep him around for some occasional guest appearances (less than Bobby but more than, say, Rufus). Guessing aside, it's a fact that Misha's no longer a regular cast member; it's also a fact that Sera Gamble's reaction to any potential backlash from the diminishing of Castiel's role boiled down to a shrug and a not-very-promising promise of "stories that are fresh" and not "redundant."
Because I suppose that finding a continuing role for one of the best characters they ever managed to create would just be "redundant."
I am of two minds about this. On the one hand, I'd rather they write Castiel out if they don't know what to do with him.
On the other hand -- why don't they know what to do with him? Are they really so lacking in imagination that the emergence of this wonderful character -- that they themselves created -- has become nothing but a burdensome complication? Something to be disposed of?
Reading the Casifesto, I realized that Castiel is the only character on the show who's had a genuine, meaningful arc. Sam was supposed to have an arc, but for the past few years he's just wavered back and forth between various degrees of corruption and self-pity, coming out more or less blameless and unaltered when it's all over. I love Dean to pieces but in spite of how much Jensen has to offer, the character has unwisely been held back from any significant change, other than becoming more melancholy and self-loathing.
The show's most exciting character arc to date has belonged to Castiel. He went from being the completely faithful servant of an unseen God, to being an apostate who used his newfound sense of self-determination first to help avert the apocalypse and then to wage civil war in heaven, ultimately at great cost to himself. And of course, along the way, he fell in love, lost his faith, lost his grace, and discovered the value of free will, both his own and all of mankind's. Castiel's been a busy guy the past few years.
I don't think you can underestimate how much this has to do with Misha Collins. I remember reading that initially, Misha was only signed on for the first half of Season 4 -- if Misha hadn't brought so much to the show, Castiel probably would have disappeared a long time ago. Just as Jensen elevated Dean way above his original "sidekick" status, Misha poured such life into this character that I suspect it was his performance that influenced and steered the writing, not the other way around.
And therein lies the problem, I think. Misha was too good for his own good. With his help, the character grew into something the writers couldn't manage or imagine, and they literally don't know what to do with him. And so they have declared him "redundant."
Part of me thinks that it's a writer's prerogative to stay true to the original vision. Severus Snape became a wildly popular character in the Harry Potter books, but he wound up having little to do with the ultimate showdown, and I think many readers were disappointed by the skimpiness of his backstory. But while J.K. Rowling could (and maybe should) have realized how much potential Snape had from the start, his importance was most likely not part of her original vision and so she was wise not to enlarge his role suddenly just because he had become popular. A writer risks throwing herself completely off course if she responds to reader influence that way.
In SPN's case, though, I really don't know how much "vision" there is. It's such a work in progress and honestly, they usually don't know until spring of each year if there's even going to be more story to tell. That means the story is fluid, it has the ability to shift and change course with each new season, and even midseason -- so when these writers decide that they have to fade Castiel out, it's not because Castiel was never part of some nonexistent vision, but because they're creatively tapped out. And frankly, the word "lazy" comes to mind. Altogether, SPN has to have -- what? -- nearly a dozen writers and producers? And none of them could take up the challenge to work with a character who had evolved from the ground up into one of the very best on the show? One of the things -- one of the few things -- they've really gotten right all these years?
It's a shame. It is really a shame.
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*glare* You make our convo sound so ridonkulous! Then again I am always partial to Misha in a pretty dress/skirt ♥. You have of course seen the pic of Misha in a bridal dress ♥ I think it makes a nice matching set with the one of Jensen in a kimono. Sometimes those two are my best girls ♥
If Show ends up writing Cas out in s7 I do so very much hope that Cas ends up FUCKING EVERYONE OVER FOR IT. I mean he's already way ahead of the curve with it- since he's already fucked Anna, Zachariah, Balthazar, Uriel, Dean, Sam, Bobby, Raphael, and Crowley over. Basically I want Cas to fuck everyone on Show so he goes out with a BANG. This badass angelic motherfucker will strike like the dark horse/viper that he is- TEAM CAS KILLS EVERYONE.
IN THIS WAY, I TRUST CAS WILL GIVE ME- A CAS!GIRL- MY VENGEANCE.
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Just kidding- although, I must say that the above concept is more than a little enticing-
It's especially enticing when there are Cashaters wandering around being hilariously petty. I want to stick the below on my profile page because it cracks me up, Cas' expression is, like, AND YOUR OPINION EVEN MATTERS WHY-
Confession: I liked S6. I can feel your estimation of me fizzling away- if I even had it to begin with *g* S6 might have been messy and all over the place but I liked what they did with Cas, how unpredictable his characterization has become. Perhaps you might feel I am trying to spin it in a positive light but I genuinely like that Cas went darkside. I see his arcs like this:-
s4= angel!Cas
s5= human!cas
s6= assassin/revolutionary/kin-slayer!cas (when he was bad he was very very bad)
s7= god!cas
IT IS LIKE HE GETS TO TRY ON ALL THESE DIFFERENT DRESSES/HATS ON SHOW *LOVES* I LOVE HOW HE IS UNEXPECTED/UNPREDICTABLE LIKE THIS
(On the one truly serious note, I will say that I was pissed that they demoted Misha Collins' position in Show. He brings in hella revenue/new blood/freshness to Show- moreso than Jared Padalecki I would say.)
Finally, I do want to know why no-one else in fandom is giving recognition to the fact that Castiel's plan at the end of S6 was strategically brilliant- I have so much unrepentant joy over that. He was never going to win in a straight fight with Raphael so he found a way to subvert the fight and make it on his own terms *admires Cas*
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I had no intention of making it sound ridonkulous -- it's simply the absolute truth that the entire conversation started with a picture of Misha in a sarong. No offense meant!
It's especially enticing when there are Cashaters wandering around being hilariously petty.
Liking or not liking a character is so subjective, but when I hear people saying that Castiel is boring or that he's dragging down the show -- I mean, that's their opinion so I have to accept it, but I wholeheartedly disagree.
I liked S6. I can feel your estimation of me fizzling away
You're dead to me.
But seriously, I agree with you that Castiel was one of the only high points in S6 -- but they sure frittered away a lot of time on go-nowhere plots before getting around to him.
I genuinely like that Cas went darkside
Frankly I would question how darkside he's gone. He isn't drinking demon blood or murdering innocents -- in fact, everything he did was in an attempt to save the world and had nothing to do with pride, ambition or greed. The assumption is that because he's now God or thinks he's God, he will be a tyrant, but we have yet to see how "dark" this new Castiel will be.
All I want to know is if all-powerful Cas will make Dean his favorite plaything.
*leers*
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I think I love you. I am prolly subconsciously kow-towing to fandom and saying 'darkside' to mitigate my 'unpopular opinions'. But, as you stated it, those are exactly my thoughts on Cas' moral compass. I would even go so far to say that this is why I am disgruntled by all this talk of redemption- I smell double standards because I saw no redemption for Sam's far more heinous crimes.
All I want to know is if all-powerful Cas will make Dean his favorite plaything.
*leers*
Stop it immediately!!!- where have you been all my life, Dean!girl, with these thoughts that run so accord to mine.
ALL I CAN SAY IS THAT NOBODY BETTER BE BLAMING CAS FOR WANTING THIS-
NOBODY BETTER BE BLAMING CAS FOR WANTING THAT AND HAVING IT BE HIS PRIME DIRECTIVE-
DEAN'S
ASSBUTT~*~BEAUTIFUL SOUL~*~ VIRGINITY (THE SHOW IN WHICH THE MENZ ARE THE VIRGINS LOLOLOLOL- I CANNOT BELIEVE NERD!SAM IS THE ONE WHO IS THE ANIMAL IN THE SACK HERE BUT WE MIGHT JUST SEE HOW MUCH OF A SAVAGE/PAGAN ANGEL/GOD CAS IS, HUR HUR)I HAVE HORRIFIC FANTASIES OF THE S7 PREMIERE STARTING OFF WITH CAS SOULFISTING DEAN- CAS WILL HAVE DEAN HE WILL HAVE DEAN LIKE A FEAST LIKE A FAMINE LIKE THE ONLY SOUL THAT EVER EVER EVER MATTERED- I SHOULD THINK A SUPERNATURAL ROMANCE WOULD STAND TO HAVE A LITTLE HORROR IN IT, AFTER ALL
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Now, now. We all know that when Sam does something wrong, it's not his fault.
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fyi, next time you taunt me like that-
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