SPN 7:08

[oselle]

It's so gratifying to see that Sera Gamble is living up to her dedication not to be redundant this season by telling us "fresh new" stories about how fans are ugly and crazy and pathetically sex-starved and oh, let's not forget ugly as in "Who would ever want to be with this person ugly", as in "She can only get someone as hot as Sam Winchester via black magic and abduction ugly," as in OMG THIS POOR ACTRESS IS NOT EVEN UGLY SO THEY HAVE TO PUT HER IN FRUMPY CLOTHES AND HAVE HER MAKING ALL KINDS OF STUPID FACES AND THEN HAVE ONE CHARACTER AFTER ANOTHER TELL US THAT SHE'S SOOOOOOO UGLY.

I'm glad I was watching this at baylorsr's house because being away for the weekend and having a few glasses of wine really dulled the disgust I would have felt over this episode. Not that it should surprise me, given it was another Dabb & Loflin script, but it was repulsive even by their standards. I don't even know what this episode was doing here or why ANYONE thought it was necessary to bring Becky back into the show for the sole purpose of humliating her and, by extension, fandom, since she's our "avatar" or so I've heard.

At the very least, I hope this finally pops the bubble of delusion that Becky is some kind of big affectionate shoutout to fans. I mean for God's sake, not only is Becky supposed to be repellent and sexually predatory, but even her encyclopedic knowledge of the Winchesters' work is made into a joke -- in past episodes, this was depicted as something of an asset, but this time around, the mere fact that she was hunting with Sam was considered ridiculous. One wonders if we were dealing with more mature writers, would they have created a fan character who would actually become an ally in the field precisely BECAUSE she was fan? Such thinking seems to be beyond the reach of these jerks, who only want to make fun of this character because she's so ugly and pathetic and can't get a man without kidnapping him.

I'd wonder how the fuck Becky even FOUND Sam when he's supposed to be dead, and as baylorsr pointed out, why did they need an annulment when Sam's legally dead? For that matter, how the fuck did he MARRY her when he's legally dead? Oh LOL, never mind such silly particulars, because the writers sure didn't -- they were too busy cracking jokes about how HILARIOUS it is for someone as ugly as Becky to go after someone as hot as Sam. LMAO, she can't get him without selling her soul and drugging him! Because she's gross! And dresses funny! And reads stupid horror novels! OMG the laughs write themselves!!!

Speaking of ugly, the genuinely unattractive DJ Qualls was on board, inexplicably billed as a "Special Guest Star," which leads me to believe he must be a friend of Dabb or Loflin or both, because he's hardly a "get" casting-wise. His character didn't even make sense -- since when has Dean needed to team up with a "temp" when he doesn't have Sam around? I'm convinced that the only reason his character was created was so that the writers could suggest at the end of the episode that this weaselly little creature was far more in Becky's league -- which I knew they were going to do as soon as I saw him.

There was only one redeemable moment in the entire episode and that was Dean's sweater-vest. I mean, the whole sweater-vest/tweed jacket combo was simply charming, but really, it was all about the sweater-vest (Quipped baylorsr "Is he Giles now?") Either Dean IS Giles, or SPN's wardrobe department has been raiding Jensen's closet. Will we next be seeing Dean in Jensen's golf attire? Perhaps some argyle and khakis? Paired with mandals?

Seriously, where did that thing come from? It was thoroughly out of character but it looked so soft and snuggly. He looked so cozy in it. It was just delightful! I want to write fic about Dean's sweater-vest. I want to write a 100,000-word epic in which all the action takes place somewhere cold and yet a little formal that requires the wearing of an endless succession of soft, snuggly sweater-vests.

But I guess that would make me kind of a pathetic "deranged groupie" wouldn't it? Yeah, it would. So maybe I should forget about this whole thing and go out and get myself some hottie clothes and a better haircut and try to find a little skeevy guy who's in my league. That's a much better idea.

Comments

[darkboudicca.livejournal.com]

I totally agree with you on everything you said. I've been following some fan reactions to the episode and more than a few people thought it was great that they brought Becky back and saw nothing at all wrong with how the writers presented her, which boggled me.

Have you checked out SPN Redemption? Because that is better than anything the writers have done to date.

~PS, as soon as I saw that Dabb & Loughlin had written this episode my first thought was "I can't wait to read Oselle's reaction to the inevitable hot mess that they come up with." I'm excited for Fridays only because I want to read your reactions, which are usually spot on and hilarious. So thank you for making this season bearable for me.

[oselle.livejournal.com]

I never thought there was anything affectionate about the character of Becky, but this time around, I simply don't understand how ANYONE could be that delusional about what the writers were doing. I know there are viewers who just want to see the good in anything the show does, but come on.

What I understand least of all is why they brought Becky back, period. She served her purpose two seasons ago and she wasn't funny then and hey, what about all those "fresh, new" not-redundant stories we were supposed to be seeing this year? Huh, Sera??

[ghyste.livejournal.com]

As I said in my own review I’m still wrestling with whether this episode was really as bad as it seemed or whether I’m looking out for stuff to be outraged about because of what has gone before and because I know that Becky is supposed to be us. Although there were some decent bits hiding under the “rape LOL” and “SF fans could never catch a man unless they drugged one” I suspect it’s the former.

I’ve never seen a picture of Dabb and Loughlin but I’d put money on the fact that their egos way outstrip their physical attractiveness.

PS: DJ Qualls? Even looking at his IMDb page I can’t work it out why they though I’d be excited about him as a guest star...

[oselle.livejournal.com]

No, it was as bad as it seemed. Actually it get worse the more you think about it. It was so bad that I want to send a letter of apology to the actress for having to endure that.

That said, I'm sure there are still people out there who will consider it a humorous love letter to fandom. They're part of the reason the writers keep getting away with this shit.

Strangely enough I can't get that fired up about the non-con aspects because it's clear that since Becky herself is such a pathetic joke even her abduction of Sam is supposed to be laughable. What really gets my goat is that they could have introduced a character like this and found good use for her (considering what a font of information she is), and instead they choose to bring her back just to debase her more thoroughly than ever before -- and mostly over something as shallow as her appearance. As I've said before, these two writers are a nasty piece of work, everything they do is colored with this sort of juvenile cruelty, and I wish the fuck they'd get gone already. Considering their recent promotion, I can only -- and sadly, easily -- imagine that Sera Gamble finds them as clever as she seems to find herself.

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

I love how every episode with Becky seems to end with her finding a guy she should be with (first Chuck, then this guy) because he's more on her hotness level, and then they just start her out again as being incapable of any sort of relationship outside the one in her head that she has with Sam. Which is sort of pathetic yet impotent at the same time.

And for some reason the thing that bothers me the most and seems like the most pointed criticism of fandom is the idea that Becky is doing the show wrong by caring about shipping. That's why the two guys in the previous episode managed to help Dean and Sam out with a case and so prove that no matter how nerdy they seemed they were drawn to the show for the right reasons--heroism and wanting to do right. Where as Becky's encyclopedic knowledge of the show is always barely helpful because she barely cares about it. Which is why she manages to think she can dose Sam with a love potion and not be the villain of the episode even after seeing every episode.

[oselle.livejournal.com]

In previous instances, they at least showed Becky offering up some kernel of useful information based on her knowledge of Chuck's Supernatural series, but this time around she was a pathetic, lovestruck fangirl and nothing more -- her involvement with the fandom was all about her obsession with Sam and nothing more. And yes, anyone who knows Supernatural the way she does would know that dabbling in this sort of magic was nothing but trouble but I guess we're just splitting hairs and what we should really do is go out and get ourselves an appearance-appropriate boyfriend.

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

I saw some positive reviews that seemed to mostly be offended at the non-con aspect, which didn't bother me since Becky seems like she's been established as forever virginal. And I think it bugged me because it was like being angry at Becky for the horrible thing she almost did to Sam when Becky was being humiliated in a meta sense over and over.

And exactly, Becky didn't even get her kernel of useful info here. The boys had to spell out to her that this guy wasn't really her friend. Because Becky has no friends, even in SPN fandom. She can organize an entire con that has a lot of attendees despite it not being that popular, but she doesn't actually make any regular friends. She's always alone and tricking Sam and Dean into spending time with her, even when she knew the apocalypse was coming.

[oselle.livejournal.com]

it bugged me because it was like being angry at Becky for the horrible thing she almost did to Sam when Becky was being humiliated in a meta sense over and over.

It bugged me too because the writers not only made Becky pathetic but now they also made her into a villain and the avatar of their own ethical ineptitude.

Because Becky has no friends, even in SPN fandom. She can organize an entire con that has a lot of attendees despite it not being that popular, but she doesn't actually make any regular friends.

That made me laugh because in real life, Becky would be such a pain in the ass BNF that she'd probably have her own sub-fandom. Just goes to show again that the writers know nothing at all about fandom dynamics.

[darine3007.livejournal.com]

THIS THIS AND THIS
I also noticed that they are making fun of us and it's not amusing at all , it's ridiculous and disrespectful to their faithful fans that without them the show would have been canceled a long time ago.
They make us look like some ugly losers that are worth shit, and I don't get the people who don't get this very clear message and think that bringing back becky is a pretty cool thing o_O
And DJ Qualls character was so pointless *beside being in becky's league ofcourse*
In brief it was a stupid episode, me didn't like !!!

[oselle.livejournal.com]

No, I didn't like it either. Obviously.

[kinkthatwinked.livejournal.com]

That said, I'm sure there are still people out there who will consider it a humorous love letter to fandom. They're part of the reason the writers keep getting away with this shit.

That has to be the most depressing part of all - the truly dumb and deluded amongst us don't get that this was a slap in the face to us all, not just the ones who "fit the type." So TPTB will keep doing it, believing themselves to be the height of satire.

I personally am wondering why I'm pulling time away from my husband, son and full-time school schedule (you know, my life,) one hour a week to devote to a show run by people who apparently think I'm a pathetic psycho for emotionally investing in their product. I'm pretty sure that wasn't quite the self-realization they wanted us Beckys to reach, but hey.

It truly has gotten to the point where staring at Jensen and reading my LJ friends' responses are the only reasons I set aside time every Friday night like this is something important.

[kinkthatwinked.livejournal.com]

And before I give the impression that those who resemble Becky had this on-air ridicule coming to them, they more than anyone are the backbone of this show's ratings. I don't care how many fans from the fringe this cast & crew have met at conventions or online, they need to be grateful for every last one of them. These are the kind of people who started the letter-writing campaign that brought Star Trek back, and with the way this show's quality is going, they might need that one day.

As far as dangerous/crazy, a title Becky apparently deserves just because she writes slash: Mark David Chapman, the "fan" who shot John Lennon, was crazy. The fan club president who shot Selena was crazy. There's a goddamn difference between being wild about a show and being dangerous/crazy. It would really do Gamble & Co. some good to learn the difference.

[oselle.livejournal.com]

I don't care how many fans from the fringe this cast & crew have met at conventions or online, they need to be grateful for every last one of them

I couldn't have said it better myself. And frankly, I doubt they've even met that many fans "from the fringe." The kooks might be the most memorable, but I'm sure everyone involved with the show has interacted with thousands of fans over the years and has been treated with nearly universal love, appreciation and respect by all of them. Is that what they consider "deranged?"

[qthelights.livejournal.com]

Oh and don't forget, Becky is so ugly, and so much of a loser, that her god-like boyfriend - and his 'legitimate' fan writing - would rather hire prostitutes than stay with her.


And duh.. Becky found Sam because they were on their annual Vegas pilgrimage...what's that you say? you don't remember that being a thing before now? oh well, that just means you mustn't be a real fan.. which is good, right.. it means you might have a chance of not being an ugly, losery, kidnapping potential rapist. Points!

The messages in this episode are so disgusting, on so many levels, I can't even...

[oselle.livejournal.com]

their annual Vegas pilgrimage

Seven years on the air and we've never heard about an annual Vegas pilgrimage. These guys just pull shit out their lazy asses. They could have had Sam and Dean in Vegas for any number of reasons but I guess that would have taken some actual thought beyond, "Like, maybe we could say they go to Vegas every year? Yeah, let's go with that."

[mangokulfi.livejournal.com]

In my mind Becky is actually Sera Gamble so I wasn't offended at all. ;)

But seriously, as I posted after the episode, that's gonna make me vote for SPN at the People's Choice Awards.

Sad thing, of course, is that there are actually people who see no problem with how deeply offensive this episode was on so many levels.

Also, I think the DJ Qualls character (not sure why he is a big deal but Gamble was sure talking him up) just made me miss Cas because that interview scene fell so flat compared to the hilarious D/C in 5x03. Poor Jensen, he was clearly working his comedic muscles into a serious sweat but, there was just no real chemistry with the character and the writing was so incredibly pedestrian. The character didn't even make sense. One minute he seems relatively competent. The next, he's a bumbling buffoon. He starts out cocky and insulting Dean and by the end he is pathetically grateful for a couple of kind words. It's like he was written by different writers in each scene who couldn't agree on basic characterization. It was weird.

And why have I given such a nothing character so much thought? I think it must because he is clearly being used as a substitute for our angel. *sigh*

[oselle.livejournal.com]

Sad thing, of course, is that there are actually people who see no problem with how deeply offensive this episode was on so many levels.

You know, the irony is that this truly IS pathetic -- not being able to tell the difference between a smack in the face and a love tap.

Gamble was sure talking him up

He was Gamble's idea? Oh, well that explains things. It seems like any idea Gamble comes up with is not just shitty and useless, but one that she'll be loath to let go. How much you want to bet this isn't the last we've seen of Garth?

The character didn't even make sense.

Even the concept of him didn't make sense. Like I said -- when has Dean ever needed to call in backup to work a case? At most he might turn to Bobby for help but I can't recall a single instance where Sam being out of commission required a temporary sidekick fill-in.

I think it must because he is clearly being used as a substitute for our angel.

That never even occurred to me because Garth was such a void of a character. But I wouldn't be surprised if Gamble thought it would be so easy to duplicate the chemistry that Dean and Cas had "on the job" just by throwing in some nonentity that no one knew or cared about. Either that or he was Dabb & Loflin's creation and Gamble still thought it was a great idea, which isn't any better.

[mangokulfi.livejournal.com]

He was Gamble's idea? Oh, well that explains things. It seems like any idea Gamble comes up with is not just shitty and useless, but one that she'll be loath to let go. How much you want to bet this isn't the last we've seen of Garth?

Oh I am sure Garth will be back. They were obviously setting him up to be a new recurring character. I guess they wanted someone who couldn't compete with the top-billed lead in hotness if they are going to give Dean another sidekick.

In terms of whose idea, I don't know. I just recall some interview where Sera giddily said they where like for a DJ Qualls type and then they actually got DJ Qualls. I guess it was a casting coup or something, but I had no idea who this guy was.

Even the concept of him didn't make sense. Like I said -- when has Dean ever needed to call in backup to work a case? At most he might turn to Bobby for help but I can't recall a single instance where Sam being out of commission required a temporary sidekick fill-in.

Maybe it was response to all the criticism over the writers taking away everything connection Dean has so he is stuck being glued to Sam's side. Of course, the simpler and smarter solution would be to bring Castiel back. But once again, I guess he's too hot, charismatic and popular to compete with Sam for Dean's attention.

I meant to respond to your comment about not being bothered too much by the non-con and forgot. I agree that it actually didn't bug me either because overall, my sense of this episode is that the its entire purpose was just to give Gamble an excuse to point out how hot Sam is through Becky and her bully classmate who practically swooned when she saw Sam. It was like the hooker who offered free sex scene all over again but magnified into 40 mins instead just 15 mins of shirtless drooling.

It's like Gamble wanted to remind everyone who is complaining about missing Cas and the Dean/Cas bond -- look at how hot and awesome Sam is. He makes fangirls lose their minds and do completely desperate and irrational things to get his attention. He is the guy you should be rooting for, not some absent angel.

I also think the bland new sidekick for Dean was supposed to show us how he doesn't work with any other partner. Except that even with a deadbeat partner hanging around his neck, Dean was still the most fun part of the entire episode, thanks to Jensen.

[oselle.livejournal.com]

Dean was still the most fun part of the entire episode, thanks to Jensen.

And Sweater-vest. I give mad props to whoever cast Sweater-vest as Dean's new partner in this episode. I hope Sweater-vest becomes a recurring character, because I definitely want to see more of him.

[mangokulfi.livejournal.com]

LOL! Indeed, sweater vest was a total scene stealer. I wouldn't mind a spin-off!

[oselle.livejournal.com]

Don't forget about Special Guest Star Tweed Jacket!

[mangokulfi.livejournal.com]

That would be an awesome buddy show! There chemistry was off the charts.

[oxer12.livejournal.com]

I hated this episode. I knew as soon as I saw who wrote it that you were going to have some choice words. :D

Good to know that fans are thought of as hideous losers, undeserving of attractive partners and willing to resort to black magic to get a boyfriend. I'm actually surprised that they didn't make Becky fat, which I'm sure they wanted to do but maybe realized that would be "going too far."

I don't have any problem with affectionate poking at fandom, but this was straight-up mean.

[oselle.livejournal.com]

I'm actually surprised that they didn't make Becky fat, which I'm sure they wanted to do but maybe realized that would be "going too far."

I thought the same thing and I'm sure that at one point they probably DID envision Becky as overweight but figured they couldn't get away with being THAT obviously vicious.

I don't have any problem with affectionate poking at fandom, but this was straight-up mean.

They have been straight-up mean about this for far too long, but this week's episode was just non-stop cruelty for cruelty's sake -- the episode served no purpose in the season's story-arc, shed no light on any character and wasn't even a good standalone. It was just a big steaming pile of shit that someone thought was funny and so they wasted 40 minutes of television on it.

[the0neru.livejournal.com]

Huh. I must not be a *real* fan, given that I have a husband - okay, so he's not Jared/Jensen pretty, but maybe that's because I *am* a real fan? ... I'm so confused.

I could get on A SRS Soapbox here, but you've already said it quite well, as have the other folks in the comments, so... meh.

I'm just really, really tired of being disappointed in Show. I used to be able to be proud of it, and now it's like I want to append a disclaimer if I mention it. :(

[oselle.livejournal.com]

I would never, ever recommend this show to anyone, lest they actually tune in and find themselves confronted with a turd of an episode like this one.

Oh, and it's perfectly acceptable for you to be married as long as your husband isn't out of your league. At least, that's one of the takeaways from this episode.

[dodger-sister.livejournal.com]

You know what I've been thinking about since we watched this episode - the actual depiction of a fangirl would be someone like Ava (you know, before the YED drove her crazyevil). She is a nice secretary from Peoria, planning her wedding and writing BSG fanfic in her free time. I always secretly suspected Ava was a fangirl.

But no, instead we get Becky.

[oselle.livejournal.com]

Don't be silly, Ava was too pretty to be a fangirl.