Episode insta reaction - spoilers (obv)

[amberdreams]

I've just downloaded and watched Episode 22 Stairway to Heaven and my insta-reaction is basically summed up in one word. Perplexed.

I get that Metatron is manipulating the story. It's not the plot as such that is puzzling me, so much as where the writers are trying to take it. I am at the stage of wondering why I'm bothering to think about it at all, because whatever they are doing, it's not pulling me in. Dean isn't selling me on his Mark with the Blade persona, Sam is so much on the sidelines he's like a shadow flitting from scene to scene, and I really cannot get interested in Castiel - either from the point of view of the Angel war (still boring) or personally. I'm sure I should be worried about his fading grace but (especially since seeing the confirmations about Season 10 casting) I can't even muster up a tiny morsel of concern.

I was along for the ride right up until that last scene with Gadreel. Why did Dean do that? I am totally and utterly baffled by his reaction. (Or more to the point, I'm baffled by why the writers wrote it that way). What am I supposed to believe? That Dean was overtaken by the power of the Blade and rage made him slash out at Gadreel? Why would he be angry - because Gadreel deceived him? Because Gadreel 'hurt' Sam? Because Gadreel's been doing all that killing for Metatron (including Kevin)? Yeah, maybe all of those could be true - but that script, and all the build up to this point leave me unconvinced and unsure - and not is a good way. This isn't feeling like a deliberate mystery that is being posed by the storytelling, it just feels like a big bag of plot devices that have been shaken up and thrown out like dice to see how they land.

I think the way they are presenting Dean is the key for me. Dean is disengaged from the people and everything he cares about. He's got a wall up between him and Sam (never mind who's to blame for that). He's mildly worried about Cas. He cares about human collateral damage but not with the passion that he had when I fell in love with him. Dean is the centre of the show - as everyone keeps pointing out, because we see everything from his POV. So by making his POV so dispassionate, so uninvolved (I'm not really getting the extra-angry vibe Cas talked about), it's causing me, the audience, to disengage too.

That's my theory, for what it's worth. I'm sure cleverer people will put all this much better than I can, I'm just musing about the inside of my head here.

Hey ho. If I was scoring this on a Supernatural scale that excluded Seasons 1-5, I'd give it a 6 out of 10. It was better than some of this season's offerings but still not very engaging.

Comments

[manzanita-crow.livejournal.com]

It's pretty damn tragic when fanfiction outstrips the quality of Show by miles :(

[amberdreams.livejournal.com]

Oh god, by galaxies.

[zara-zee.livejournal.com]

Yeah...I think you've hit the nail on the head as far as what's been leaving me somewhat dissatisfied. Dean...is not Dean. He's always been the audience's...emotional conduit, Sam's story told through Dean's eyes or whatever people say, but now...he's cut off. It's not even anger...it's too cold to be anger...he's driven to violence in a cold, hard, almost soulless sort of way and we really can't connect to that. Gadreel killed Kevin. Dean was really upset about that, preMark. Now he has the mark and the blade and I feel like he remembers that hurt and anger and knows that he wants bad things to happen to Gadreel, but it's almost as if it's an excuse that he's latching onto to get his blade-kill fix? I dunno...I'm sort of thinking out loud here too... And I also think...they're gonna have to pull out something really special for the season finale...because I think we all feel that we need an emotional pay off!

[amberdreams.livejournal.com]

Yep, this finale is going to have to pull out all the stops to make up for everything they haven't given us... I know some people have already stopped watching, but up till now I've felt hopeful even while hating some episodes, disliking some and kind of enjoying a few. Right now, I don't see how they are going to fix this mess. And it is a mess.

[xlittleangx.livejournal.com]

Hmm yeah I have to agree with you; after last week, I knew we'd get a mostly Metatron/angel war episode, but yawn! I too find it really dull & tbh I couldn't care less which side the angels are fighting on. Gadreel does interest me however and (although I can't fathom how he even managed to get into a supposedly highly warded Bunker?!?!) that scene at the end was intriguing and exciting, so when Dean made his move I did have a 'noooo' reaction. Do we think he managed to kill him or just wound him, since Sam and Cas grabbed him?

I had sound problems watching my stream last night so not all the dialogue was clear but did we hear Dean call Sam an 'infant' towards the end?! Seriously writers?! (I think) I get that we're supposed to believe Dean is being more single-minded and blood lust driven; in his mission to kill, thanks to the First Blade. But why have him acting like an arse and talking to Sam like that, like he doesn't have a say, when the big issue this season and cause for a lot of arguments (both in the show and in fandom) has been around Dean making decisions without Sam?! And should Sam not be at least a little irritated and frustrated by that, when they've had countless discussions about it? Or are we meant to just believe that Sam is ok with this for now, since Dean is apparently not himself due to the effects of the Blade?

Cas; yeah not majorly worried about his batteries running low on the stolen grace. I figure they'll get his own one back somehow when they kill Metatron or re-open Heaven or whatever. Meh. Not bothered that he lost his army either, that whole Cas-the-leader thing was pretty pointless. Especially since Dean has or rather IS a serious weapon right now. Working with/protecting the boys would be much more beneficial. I did kinda tense up a bit when Cas' followers had hold of Dean and wanted Cas to punish him. For a second I held my breath, but I knew he wouldn't do it. I bet the Destial fans were absolutely thrilled about that scene though lol.

Tessa's return and demise was interesting, but I don't fully understand why she wanted to off herself. Yeah she could hear the trapped souls and she mistakenly thought she was working under Cas' instruction, but given their history should she not have listened and shown some belief in what Dean had to say..? I think I need to re-watch to better comprehend what was going on in that scene. I wonder if any other reapers have become weary of hearing the trapped souls?

Hmm not sure what else I should say except it was an ok episode, but for a penultimate it didn't keep me on the edge of my seat throughout like previous seasons. I'm worried about the finale and what will happen next season as a result. You're right, this season has been really messy, and my mind is busy conjuring up all sorts of scenarios for the finale now that won't necessarily make things better...oh god I hope I'm wrong!

[amberdreams.livejournal.com]

Messy is the best description for this season. And inconsistent - even more so than any yet I think.

[quickreaver.livejournal.com]

I think you make a really good point about Dean and how he's been the 'heart' of the show, but now that he's disengaged from himself, we feel that disengagement in the ambiance and storytelling. The show comes off as confused, unfocused, and leaves us dissatisfied. It just doesn't know what it is anymore. That's some smart stuff, there.

The MoC plotline could still have worked beautifully IF the writers had replaced Dean's POV that the show has utilized lo these many years as its heart, with Sam's. I think that also would've amped up the tension and ominous feeling of threat, if the writers had taken that tact. But they didn't let us feel Sam's worry and growing panic, except in dribs and drabs (after many deliberately confusing comments from Sam. Stupid, stupid writing.) This episode, and to a lesser degree the last one, finally gave us concrete MoC scariness. Feels too little, to late, though.

(I'm not even gonna touch the reaper LOLcanon business...)

[amberdreams.livejournal.com]

It would have been relatively easy to give us more Sam - and I resent the fact that they haven't done so. And this coming from a self confessed Dean!Girl (as you know!). The more I think about this season the more annoyed I get. So I won't think about it too much.

[quickreaver.livejournal.com]

I feel ya. It's just been BAD writing, on an over-arching level. Maybe not so much the micro-writing, on an episode by episode basis (which is up for argument, of course,) but on a big-picture basis. Carver has a tough time seeing the forest for the trees, which is UBER important for running a show.

And that's the crux of it, period.

*sits with, hums, shares potent beverage of choice*

[amberdreams.livejournal.com]

I'm just going to wallow in fandom, reading fanfic that does effing awesome things the show can't do anymore, and sketching out my ideas for spn_j2 BB. *nods while smelling deep of the mown grass in my Mum's lovely garden*

[chomaisky.livejournal.com]

Good point on Dean! I disengage from everything except Sam's hair.

[amberdreams.livejournal.com]

Sam's hair is indeed, very engaging. I could get very tangled up in it and stay there forever.

[thursdaysisters.livejournal.com]

He cares about human collateral damage but not with the passion that he had when I fell in love with him.

YES, omg Dean's really turning into a monster, any worse and he'll become the Big Bad for season 10.

[amberdreams.livejournal.com]

That is, of course, a distinct possibility - and what the hell will they do about engaging the audience then?

[thursdaysisters.livejournal.com]

Well now that Revolution's been cancelled, maybe they'll lure Kripke and Edlund back to the show, and we can get the evil incest plotline ala Carnivale's preacher/sister we've all been waiting for.

[amberdreams.livejournal.com]

I wish...but someone reminded me that Carver has a 3 year contract with a 3 year arc. *sigh*

[nesmith.livejournal.com]

They've gotten themselves into a position that there will have to be some AMAZING stuff coming down the line or everything will just start to unravel.

I'm just worried that the writers have lost their grip on it completely and are going to go Thelma and Louise on it. Just drive the car off the cliff.

[amberdreams.livejournal.com]

Yeah, and not in the good, blaze of glory way either. It's all very worrying.

[nesmith.livejournal.com]

I'm not confident (since so many bloggers/fanfic writers have shown all the GLORIOUS directions the show could go), but I am going to reserve judgment until we see. If this were Sherlock I'd be much more confident that there's a REALLY clever twist coming that will make everything pay off, but judging from other CW shows and how SPN has started to get more like them, my hope lamp is a little duller than usual.

[amberdreams.livejournal.com]

I really think they should have considered switching the POV for maybe the whole season. There is a lot of the happenings this year that would have had a much greater impact from Sam's POV. Or maybe switched the minute Gadreel was expelled? IDK

[justmep2.livejournal.com]

I don't agree with your general opinion, but great point about Dean!
Why would Dean be angry about Gadreel? Um, Because Gadreel betrayed him, lied to him and used his brother's possessed body to KILL KEVIN? I can see Dean doing it even without the mark and the blade, really.

[amberdreams.livejournal.com]

Oh I agree Dean has reason to be angry with Gadreel, my point was that the build up didnt' give me any feeling that Dean was nursing that rage - and I realise that might have been deliberate, to make it a shock when Dean lashes out at the end there. But for me it wasn't so much a shock as just why now? I think I might view it differently on a second watch mind you.

Cheers for commenting!

[a_starfish]

Dean is the centre of the show - as everyone keeps pointing out, because we see everything from his POV. So by making his POV so dispassionate, so uninvolved (I'm not really getting the extra-angry vibe Cas talked about), it's causing me, the audience, to disengage too.

Yes! You've really put your finger on what's not working for me about this storyline for me. Having Sam's POV on Dean's change could have made the change more compelling.