Season 11 premier reaction

[amberdreams]

I've only read one reaction post so far and apologies to anyone who is full of squee because I'm not. I hope this isn't a downer post either - I'm just uncertain.

I thought I'd rewatch before I started trying to comment but I'm none the wiser about how I feel about this, not really. I enjoyed the episode (I usually do), but though I wanted to be really excited about it, I wasn't.

Sam looked terrible throughout - so worn and ill even before he got infected, and all I could do was worry every time he was on screen. Dean feels like a parody of his younger self - clinging to the bluster and bravado but without the depth he used to have. His empathy seems as worn down as Sam's appearance.

I was curious about Sam asking Dean to let him do what he does. What - exactly - does Sam do? In this episode he ended up doing a lot of running down corridors, he got throttled (again!) and then infected with evil blood (again). Why was locking himself in a closet such a great idea? Where's the bright, intelligent mind he used to have? Where are his analytical skills?

I am interested in the Darkness - I liked her scenes with Dean, and that conversation had potential. I really liked the idea of Dean being linked to the Darkness. i liked that the boys shared the responsibility for the release of the Evil this time, and I am happy that this disturbance to the Force has stirred up Lucifer and Michael, because that is one Angel storyline I'd welcome.

The baby being the Darkness seems a little odd, unless she's going to have some accelerated growth, like Dean's monster baby girl in whatever season that was. I liked the police woman though she was ridiculously calm throughout - that character would have made a good angel. I winced at the fact that she was on her feet, kicking ass one second and the next suddenly needed a wheel chair. Then within two minutes of Dean getting his healing hands on her she was good as new - no blood loss effects or anything. *handwaves*

I care nothing for Crowley (male or female versions), or Cas and the boring civil servant angel cohorts. What happened to Hannah? I confess I can't remember if she bought it last season or not. If not, isn't she still in charge? She's the only angel character I'm vaguely interested in from recent seasons, and I'm still craving some angels with personalities please, show - like Uriel, Anna and Zach, or Gabriel and even cute little Samandriel.

So - yeah, I'm conflicted!

Comments

[sw0rdy.livejournal.com]

Yeah.... I've just watched (sorted my itunes season pass, so thank you for help with that!) and I think I might need to watch it again to really get a handle on my feelings about it, but I'm definitely with you in the slightly underwhelmed camp.

I was interested and I enjoyed it, but I wasn't overly invested (I confess that I played a little Candy Crush while I watched), but that didn't surprise me. After the MoC storyline, I knew they'd shift back to something either Sam-centric or 'brother neutral' (if that could be considered a term) so, as a Dean girl, I was prepared to find the story a little 'meh'. I don't think I'll ever be as excited for a season as I was for season 10 (and season 8) because I was desperate to see Dean as a demon and I was dying to know what happened to him in Purgatory, but I'm sure the show will keep telling stories that I want to watch, even if Dean isn't the focus of the myth-arc stuff.

As I always say, that's what fanfiction is for. :)

[anniespinkhouse.livejournal.com]

Oh, I wish I could say more than 'meh' about it, but I thought the writing was awful. I am so past invested in the show that I really can't be bothered to even discuss what I hated about it.

[quickreaver.livejournal.com]

I wasn't particularly squeeful, but content with it. I can see the uncertainty of it all, though.

Sometimes I think the Show has its Standard Operating Procedure, based on what they believe really works. They seem to linger over Jensen's otherworldly beauty (because, HELLO!), and Jared's angular face and expressive eyebrows wear blood and bruises to maximum effect, so he gets the lion's share of those.

Not keen on Baby Darkness either, but as long as she grows up quickly and they do something creepy with her, I'm game.

Crowley's bit was negligible comic relief (and not particularly funny but hey, now we know where he is) and Cas' story-line was okay, but I'd like to have seen him more actively rabid, seen more of a struggle to control himself.

I like the idea of a potential pandemic; they tried it briefly with the leviathan and maybe this time they'll do something more with it. I was sorta hoping the Darkness would be this faceless, inhuman force of chaos, but since they chose to personify it, hey, gotta say Darkness and Dean had some decent chemistry! Shades of Ruby?

AND THEY TOUCHED ON THE CAGE. That probably made me most happy.

Oh, and re. Sam locking himself in the closet? He probably did that to wait out the virus, which seemed to be killing people really, REALLY fast. And to date, the infected had no precedence of hiding in wait; they stalked and roamed the halls. SURPRISE.

That's it, really. The episode got shit done, if not in a terribly brilliant fashion. Next week looks kinda good though!

[ameliacareful.livejournal.com]

I guess 'what Sam does' is try to save people and sacrifice himself. It was interesting to me how much the show was not what people in fanfic often think of as canon. Dean takes care of the police officer while Sam, who Dean has recently beat the ever loving shit out of, goes off on his own to see if there are monsters in the hospital. Where is 'take care of Sammy' in that? Then half an hour later Dean is all upset that Sam might might go off to povide a diversion while he gets police officer and baby out because Dean wants them to stay together. Felt to me as if it was entirely in the service of getting Sam infected. I'm all for h/c but it felt ham-handed.

On the other hand, the end of the last season felt as if one of the thematic arcs of the series could be described as getting Sam to stop caring about doing the ethical thing (like jumping into the pit to save the world, even at the cost of his own immortal soul) and to be steadily driven by PTSD, post cage psychosis, and Dean's emotional battering into doing anything to save Dean, even if the world burned. So I was pleased to see him stand up to Dean and say 'We save everyone.' Except I wanted to point out that everyone who gets this black-vein thing usually dies crazy and enraged in a few hours so, save them from what exactly?

And did Sam have to not tell Dean he was infected? Could they not lie just once?

I wasn't so thrilled with Castiel. I just kept looking for the badass contact lenses they made Misha Collins wear. The Crowley business would have sounded great if I read it or someone told me about it, but watching someone other than Mark Sheppherd be Crowley turns out to be a lot less interesting.

But the banter was delightful. I'm looking forward to the monster of the week episodes.

[ameliacareful.livejournal.com]

I guess 'what Sam does' is try to save people and sacrifice himself. It was interesting to me how much the show was not what people in fanfic often think of as canon. Dean takes care of the police officer while Sam, who Dean has recently beat the ever loving shit out of, goes off on his own to see if there are monsters in the hospital. Where is 'take care of Sammy' in that? Then half an hour later Dean is all upset that Sam might might go off to povide a diversion while he gets police officer and baby out because Dean wants them to stay together. Felt to me as if it was entirely in the service of getting Sam infected. I'm all for h/c but it felt ham-handed.

On the other hand, the end of the last season felt as if one of the thematic arcs of the series could be described as getting Sam to stop caring about doing the ethical thing (like jumping into the pit to save the world, even at the cost of his own immortal soul) and to be steadily driven by PTSD, post cage psychosis, and Dean's emotional battering into doing anything to save Dean, even if the world burned. So I was pleased to see him stand up to Dean and say 'We save everyone.' Except I wanted to point out that everyone who gets this black-vein thing usually dies crazy and enraged in a few hours so, save them from what exactly?

And did Sam have to not tell Dean he was infected? Could they not lie just once?

I wasn't so thrilled with Castiel. I just kept looking for the badass contact lenses they made Misha Collins wear. The Crowley business would have sounded great if I read it or someone told me about it, but watching someone other than Mark Shepherd be Crowley turns out to be a lot less interesting.

But the banter was delightful. I'm looking forward to the monster of the week episodes.

[fufaraw]

I'm still processing, things I'm cautiously hopeful about--Sam not wanting them to keep on with their circular behavior, and Yes! mention of the cage! I am likewise indifferent to Crowley or Cas. I'm mainly commenting to remind you that Hannah grew a conscience about her meatsuit and departed so that its original inhabitant could have her life back. I assumed she rejoined the choir invisible.

[amberdreams.livejournal.com]

Yep, I remembered that much about Hannah, and she did turn up in a male meat suit afterwards (didn't she?) but I thought she was supposed to be one of the leaders in heaven... Oh well, it doesn't really matter. LOL

[el1ie.livejournal.com]

I enjoyed it while watching, but there were far too many ham-fisted and clunky attempts to address things to make me wary it's all for naught but keeping fans happy while the whole drive of the episode was to once again have Dean blaming Sam for shit and leaving him alone for a baby - which war far too contrary for my tastes, but fans love Dean and the baby right? Right?. But my tastes in show kind of fell off the radar years ago, so I'm not surprised with my reactions.

I'm right with you in watching Sam looking so ill was kind of uncomfortable and couldn't care less about Crowley and Castiel, so those parts didn't interest me and show humour has never been my favourite, some times it's subtle and makes me smile, but most of the time it leave me cold.

I think my main reaction was - "lift up that bloody T-shirt and clean out that wound before you stitch up the infection you dolts! So, yeah, I surface enjoyed it!

[tripperfunster.livejournal.com]

I'm also pretty meh about it.

There seemed to be a lot of talking, and not a lot of doing. The boys seemed to be hell bent on defining themselves, and what they do. REally, after 11 years, you guys should have a fucking handle on stuff.

And the whole 'infected Sam' thing? Unless he tries to kill Dean, I don't get the whole point of it. Clearly they're not going to write him out of the show, so I'm not exactly kept up at night worrying about him, ykwim?

BTW, I'm critiquing, not slagging the show. I have NO TIME for the people who seem to have nothing better to do than complain and say they could do it better. Like it, or leave it people!

I also agree with a commenter above regarding the angels. As much as they were dicks, some angels had THE BEST personalities, where so many others of them are like non-charming versions of cardboard robots.

[thursdaysisters.livejournal.com]

I was digging this whole episode, but mostly because it's an homage to so many Zombie in a Hospital films/video games that I was happy to return to a more traditional horror setting :D