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ninety6tearsI've never been much into sports, with the weird exception of baseball and occasionally basketball. But due to expressing some casual interest in a trip to Wisconsin, I got dragged to the Packers game in Green Bay last weekend. This resulted in A) consuming the greatest soft pretzel I have ever had or ever will have with supremely awesome cheese, B) the bf buying me a jersey because I kinda liked the vintage throwback design and well, they're comfy, and C) me realizing it is really time for me to invest in a probably unattractive but WARM coat. I've given up on pretty coats being warm enough after that fucking game. I kinda had a good time, though. Admittedly.
Sooo I watched the first couple seasons of Supernatural.
Okay, I didn't think this show was going to be bad, but it's a hell of a lot better than I expected it to be. I am most repentant of my doubts.
I think one of the reasons I didn't expect it would be easy for me to get into this show is that I am usually a lot less patient than most with the mediocre acting that is all over TV. And well, it's not like I hadn't seen pictures of Jared and Jensen, so I kind of judged them as, you know, good-looking and on CW and therefore probably not that talented. Right? And I think I'd even heard somebody around telling me they couldn't get into it because of the "terrible acting."
Where the fuck has Jensen Ackles been all of my TV-watching life, holy Christ. I really don't think this show would quite work at all if the leads weren't good, and they start off decent and keep getting better. It takes a certain presence to talk like the Ghostbusters and only make it funny when it's supposed to be; the style and world is built on its own from the start with this casual disenchantment the main characters have with it. One of my favorite things about Sam and Dean from the beginning is that they rarely stop to worry about how crazy or criminal they look or sound because they have a fearful respect of all this stuff that had them already separated from the rest of the world when they were babies and they're just kind of professionally and personally resigned to being outsiders (on their better days); this is not only nicely cemented by the way the story is told but with the quality of the acting. A show like this could easily try to make all the horror hubbub the main event rather than being character-focused, but what SPN actually does better than a lot of genre stuff I've watched is not only devote a lot to characterization but wind it so seamlessly into the conflict that you simply won't be finding that many fans who care more about one aspect than the other, and, AND, the Big Epic Stuff which makes this possible isn't a pitfall because it doesn't detract from the feeling that these are real people you can relate to, not once. The characters are just the right balance of consistent and unpredictable; you can read the subtext in why they do the things they do both on the broader level and from episode to episode, and it's done with occasional nuance except for when Shit Gets Real, so that the sentimentality is always kinda nicely timed.
My favorite episodes so far:
Faith. This was just all-around well done. I loved the whole "Don't Fear the Reaper" sequence. I loved the look of the reaper. And it gets to be a very essential event in hindsight, as it's the beginning of Dean's (uncomfortably arguably justified?) survivor guilt. Also, the lady's name was Layla, and I get weirdly excited to hear my name in stuff. IDK.
The Benders. HOLY FUCK. I could totally see people either hating or loving this episode. I kept waiting for the twist and for the people to be making sacrifices to something, but they were just people, and it was still one of the freakiest goddamn episodes. Apparently there's a Torchwood episode that's kind of comparable to this, with them investigating something that seems paranormal and it's just humans doing screwed up shit; I'm kind of intrigued by that idea, because it seems like when these types of characters go looking for trouble all the time they're bound to stumble upon the wrong kind now and then.
Crossroad Blues. First of all, I was kind of raised on the blues, and the Robert Johnson legend being brought up made me very happy. And the invisible dog was surprisingly scary.
Hunted. I hope that Dean literally ends up taking off Gordon's head. Seriously. You can't even love to hate the guy because he's played by the worst reappearing actor on the show. Eva and Sam are really cute (Too bad about later on :( ).
Playthings. Most adorable/domestic/maudlin of Win brothers ("antiquing") + creepy pretty old house + drunk Sam + me freaking out thinking that girl was actually going to drown + Sam actually getting some love from the damsel of the week, even if it was just a hug (LOL).
Nightshifter. LMAO, MANDROIDS. Poor Ronald. This was just like, Team Winchester Is Fucking Awesome all around. I actually particularly loved everything about Sam in this ep. And they are so screeewed.
Heart. Alright, this one has some problems. It's disappointing that the werewolves are so...not werewolfy, and I could see the super-fast development of Madelyn and Sam's relationship coming under some criticism. But it kind of killed me anyway.
What Is and What Should Never Be. My love of AUs extends to canon AUs like woah. This episode got into being a bit on the corny side, but it could have been done with a whole lot less delicacy and I liked that the fantasy had its imperfections but was still something Dean wanted. It was really saddening to see Sam and Dean with hardly a sense of brotherhood at all, and yet I wanted to love all over this hypothetical Sam for calmly tolerating a Dean who had obviously been a big jerk to him, and the whole situation is made all the more touching in a totally unspoken way when you realize that what makes Dean so happy about all this is the fact that SAM IS HAPPY. It's huge for Dean to see Jess alive again, and that's most of what he's talking about when he has to accept that the two of them can't have this life. He clearly has a lot less defined idea of what an ideal life would be for him; besides having his mother back, his fantasy is just this vaguely perfect girlfriend and a job he has to be told he has, a high-functioning dignified life that would probably amuse him for a couple months but isn't really his style. Like I said, I love the imperfections because it could have gone in this cheesy "But wahh, we wouldn't be brothers" direction and instead the episode was about how all Dean wants is for other people to be alive and happy; it doesn't occur to him on a tangible level what he would have if he didn't have to keep hunting because he never got used to the idea that he was meant for anything else.
All Hell Breaks Loose. asdnasdBDBDFBDSFBDSFAJLSNJLNajKJFDSJFFF Dean's reaction to Sam's death is literally the worst thing I have ever seen. And then.
And then.
I suppose Dean is going to be insufferably reckless for the entire third season, yes/no?
Other random things:
-There's a mix of moral gray areas and "Yes, there is fundamental evil in the universe, and we are dealing with one bad mother." Kind of an implication that death tips people between the scales. I like that.
-I will be quoting this show forever. ("I full on Patrick Swayze'd that mother.")
-One of the moments so far where I've loved all over Jensen is that part in "Nightshifter" when the Fed guy (Henrickson?) gets Dean on the phone and reveals that he pretty much knows everything about the Winchesters except for the part about them being demon hunters instead of murderers, which is very not good. And since it's over the phone rather than face to face you actually get to see that Dean is seriously freaked out and angry at once, but he still does his usual shit-eating grin and is all "You don't know crap about my dad" and is still Dean. It's like...Fridge Character Development, or something, when you get these moments of seeing just how badly Dean can get freaked out.
-Dean's face when Jo puts on R.E.O. Speedwagon. I might have been particularly amused by this because I live in REO's hometown where we have a street named after them and we're just unimpressed and tired of their damn farewell tours already.
-And the MUSIC, my god, the music. Not just the classic rock that it's considered cool for kids to listen to but all kinds of stuff. Fucking hell, that Iggy and the Stooges song.
-I'm sure this is discussed to death, but man is this show weak with the women. Men get killed by demons all the time, but it's always the women who are in dire distress and need to be saved by the heroes and occasionally sigh over Dean, yadda yadda yadda. Most of them are likable characters and all, it's just...save a guy every once in a while. And I couldn't help going "Oh." when the first time a chick of the week comes along who isn't white...the episode is partly about racism. Come on.
-I...kinda ship Ellen/John. Uh.
Sooo I watched the first couple seasons of Supernatural.
Okay, I didn't think this show was going to be bad, but it's a hell of a lot better than I expected it to be. I am most repentant of my doubts.
I think one of the reasons I didn't expect it would be easy for me to get into this show is that I am usually a lot less patient than most with the mediocre acting that is all over TV. And well, it's not like I hadn't seen pictures of Jared and Jensen, so I kind of judged them as, you know, good-looking and on CW and therefore probably not that talented. Right? And I think I'd even heard somebody around telling me they couldn't get into it because of the "terrible acting."
Where the fuck has Jensen Ackles been all of my TV-watching life, holy Christ. I really don't think this show would quite work at all if the leads weren't good, and they start off decent and keep getting better. It takes a certain presence to talk like the Ghostbusters and only make it funny when it's supposed to be; the style and world is built on its own from the start with this casual disenchantment the main characters have with it. One of my favorite things about Sam and Dean from the beginning is that they rarely stop to worry about how crazy or criminal they look or sound because they have a fearful respect of all this stuff that had them already separated from the rest of the world when they were babies and they're just kind of professionally and personally resigned to being outsiders (on their better days); this is not only nicely cemented by the way the story is told but with the quality of the acting. A show like this could easily try to make all the horror hubbub the main event rather than being character-focused, but what SPN actually does better than a lot of genre stuff I've watched is not only devote a lot to characterization but wind it so seamlessly into the conflict that you simply won't be finding that many fans who care more about one aspect than the other, and, AND, the Big Epic Stuff which makes this possible isn't a pitfall because it doesn't detract from the feeling that these are real people you can relate to, not once. The characters are just the right balance of consistent and unpredictable; you can read the subtext in why they do the things they do both on the broader level and from episode to episode, and it's done with occasional nuance except for when Shit Gets Real, so that the sentimentality is always kinda nicely timed.
My favorite episodes so far:
Faith. This was just all-around well done. I loved the whole "Don't Fear the Reaper" sequence. I loved the look of the reaper. And it gets to be a very essential event in hindsight, as it's the beginning of Dean's (uncomfortably arguably justified?) survivor guilt. Also, the lady's name was Layla, and I get weirdly excited to hear my name in stuff. IDK.
The Benders. HOLY FUCK. I could totally see people either hating or loving this episode. I kept waiting for the twist and for the people to be making sacrifices to something, but they were just people, and it was still one of the freakiest goddamn episodes. Apparently there's a Torchwood episode that's kind of comparable to this, with them investigating something that seems paranormal and it's just humans doing screwed up shit; I'm kind of intrigued by that idea, because it seems like when these types of characters go looking for trouble all the time they're bound to stumble upon the wrong kind now and then.
Crossroad Blues. First of all, I was kind of raised on the blues, and the Robert Johnson legend being brought up made me very happy. And the invisible dog was surprisingly scary.
Hunted. I hope that Dean literally ends up taking off Gordon's head. Seriously. You can't even love to hate the guy because he's played by the worst reappearing actor on the show. Eva and Sam are really cute (Too bad about later on :( ).
Playthings. Most adorable/domestic/maudlin of Win brothers ("antiquing") + creepy pretty old house + drunk Sam + me freaking out thinking that girl was actually going to drown + Sam actually getting some love from the damsel of the week, even if it was just a hug (LOL).
Nightshifter. LMAO, MANDROIDS. Poor Ronald. This was just like, Team Winchester Is Fucking Awesome all around. I actually particularly loved everything about Sam in this ep. And they are so screeewed.
Heart. Alright, this one has some problems. It's disappointing that the werewolves are so...not werewolfy, and I could see the super-fast development of Madelyn and Sam's relationship coming under some criticism. But it kind of killed me anyway.
What Is and What Should Never Be. My love of AUs extends to canon AUs like woah. This episode got into being a bit on the corny side, but it could have been done with a whole lot less delicacy and I liked that the fantasy had its imperfections but was still something Dean wanted. It was really saddening to see Sam and Dean with hardly a sense of brotherhood at all, and yet I wanted to love all over this hypothetical Sam for calmly tolerating a Dean who had obviously been a big jerk to him, and the whole situation is made all the more touching in a totally unspoken way when you realize that what makes Dean so happy about all this is the fact that SAM IS HAPPY. It's huge for Dean to see Jess alive again, and that's most of what he's talking about when he has to accept that the two of them can't have this life. He clearly has a lot less defined idea of what an ideal life would be for him; besides having his mother back, his fantasy is just this vaguely perfect girlfriend and a job he has to be told he has, a high-functioning dignified life that would probably amuse him for a couple months but isn't really his style. Like I said, I love the imperfections because it could have gone in this cheesy "But wahh, we wouldn't be brothers" direction and instead the episode was about how all Dean wants is for other people to be alive and happy; it doesn't occur to him on a tangible level what he would have if he didn't have to keep hunting because he never got used to the idea that he was meant for anything else.
All Hell Breaks Loose. asdnasdBDBDFBDSFBDSFAJLSNJLNajKJFDSJFFF Dean's reaction to Sam's death is literally the worst thing I have ever seen. And then.
And then.
I suppose Dean is going to be insufferably reckless for the entire third season, yes/no?
Other random things:
-There's a mix of moral gray areas and "Yes, there is fundamental evil in the universe, and we are dealing with one bad mother." Kind of an implication that death tips people between the scales. I like that.
-I will be quoting this show forever. ("I full on Patrick Swayze'd that mother.")
-One of the moments so far where I've loved all over Jensen is that part in "Nightshifter" when the Fed guy (Henrickson?) gets Dean on the phone and reveals that he pretty much knows everything about the Winchesters except for the part about them being demon hunters instead of murderers, which is very not good. And since it's over the phone rather than face to face you actually get to see that Dean is seriously freaked out and angry at once, but he still does his usual shit-eating grin and is all "You don't know crap about my dad" and is still Dean. It's like...Fridge Character Development, or something, when you get these moments of seeing just how badly Dean can get freaked out.
-Dean's face when Jo puts on R.E.O. Speedwagon. I might have been particularly amused by this because I live in REO's hometown where we have a street named after them and we're just unimpressed and tired of their damn farewell tours already.
-And the MUSIC, my god, the music. Not just the classic rock that it's considered cool for kids to listen to but all kinds of stuff. Fucking hell, that Iggy and the Stooges song.
-I'm sure this is discussed to death, but man is this show weak with the women. Men get killed by demons all the time, but it's always the women who are in dire distress and need to be saved by the heroes and occasionally sigh over Dean, yadda yadda yadda. Most of them are likable characters and all, it's just...save a guy every once in a while. And I couldn't help going "Oh." when the first time a chick of the week comes along who isn't white...the episode is partly about racism. Come on.
-I...kinda ship Ellen/John. Uh.
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no subject
Date: 2010-12-07 09:28 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-12-07 09:44 pm (UTC)I love that people are still able to get into, and that the show is still going. My brother and I got into it a bit before season 2 started, it's almost like our thing that we have in common -- but not really. I kept sending him text messages while he was in California about the ~bond~ between family members. It was embarrassing.
I still think Faith is one of the best episodes. I do hope you can get through the rest of the seasons.
no subject
Date: 2010-12-08 03:03 am (UTC)I hope I can get through the rest too. I'm...less easy to piss off once I get into shows than most people, so I think I should be alright, heh.
no subject
Date: 2010-12-08 03:10 am (UTC)Thank you for the rec! I'm definitely looking for fic to read, so I'll check it out :)
no subject
Date: 2010-12-08 02:03 am (UTC)it's not like I hadn't seen pictures of Jared and Jensen, so I kind of judged them as, you know, good-looking and on CW and therefore probably not that talented.
oh lord I know. and yet, AND YET.
and shit like the focus on characterization, and the music, and the general Dean Fucking Winchester What The Fuck Kind Of Unicorn Magic Are You Even MADE OF, and oh man What Is And What Should Never Be (AUs are just glorious aren't they :DDD I love it so incredibly much), AND THE BENDERS (I fucking love that episode, it would be my favourite in the first season if not for the finale [EVIL JOHN OH MY GOD] I love it even more than Faith, and I really love Faith)
what'd you think of possessed!Sam in Born Under A Bad Sign, btw?
I kinda shipped Ellen/John too (then I secretly started shipping her with Dean =/)
also: I....kind of think the show does surprisingly okay with women? Maybe you need to get farther into it to know why, but I recall the guys saving a good amount of dudes, and I think that even with the nature of the show (bottle show, only two main characters who're both dudes who save people for a living and move around a lot, etc) it does an impressive job giving the ladies skills and agendas of their own. Even aside from Ellen and Jo, one-episode girls like that one in the terrifying-hospital episode who could shoot and had to defend her boyfriend, or Ava who came to save Sam, or that badass sheriff in my adored The Benders, girls who help them out like the doctor in Croatoan, the lawyer in Folsom Prison Blues (another episode I love to ridiculous degrees), or Missouri or Tessa. Or Meg, actually! AND MORE AWESOME LADIES COMING LATER ON :D
no subject
Date: 2010-12-08 02:04 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-12-08 03:52 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-12-08 04:29 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-12-08 03:49 am (UTC)I kinda shipped Ellen/John too (then I secretly started shipping her with Dean =/) LOL, I totally understand this. I feel like I'm supposed to be shipping Dean/Jo, but it's just...a little too cute?
Yeahhh, I'm totally mixed on the women, really - The actual female characters I don't have problems with and a lot of them are awesome, it's just vague implications here and there, like a lot of helpless single mothers where they probably could have thrown in a dad. Even then, though, I find the independence really likable (the mother in "Home" for example) and there's a lot of desperation and emotional resonance with single parenthood, etc., and it's just less common for them to be dads.
no subject
Date: 2010-12-08 04:28 am (UTC)course, I also thought it was hot, but ya know. And Bobby is a BOSS ♥Pretty much. I'm not AGAINST Dean/Jo, it is cute, but...yeah. XD
That's fair. And yeah, they suffer from some genderfail, but no worse than most genre shows and I really expected it to do so incredibly much worse. But I'm biased by really loving pretty much every female character on this show ever. Plus, another thing I really really ridiculously love about this show is how every season builds on the last, each year it visibly gets better (until the 5th, but that one wasn't a HUGE step down either, it got shackled by the B-movie budget. Their ideas were JUST TOO EPIC MAN)
no subject
Date: 2010-12-08 05:39 am (UTC)I AM SO SADDENED BY THIS IMPENDING BUDGET SADNESS. IDK, somebody told me they can't afford as much of the good music in later seasons and I have yet to really notice that there's less of it, but if that's true that's sad. And I mean, the lack of good effects will suck too (haha, my priorities). I forgot to randomly mention it kind of amuses me that as much as Dean is this die-hard Zeppelin fan, the probability of them being able to ever use a Led Zeppelin song is very slim cause apparently the royalties are insane (or something...I just know Jack Black had to basically send an epic love letter to get one of their songs in School of Rock.)
no subject
Date: 2010-12-08 07:49 am (UTC)Awww don't be TOO sad, there's still a good amount of Epic Shit and when they go apocalyptic they do really quite well, the budget restrictions just kind of meant that they had to put the Apocalyptic on hold a lot to do a few normal-pants Huntin' Stuff episodes and save up for their next bout of ~CRAZY SHIT Y'ALL~, but the better episodes of the fifth season are fuckin' wicked awesome. And you're still in the musical heyday, though much like the Epic Shit, when they bust out awesome songs in the later seasons it's more of a Precision F Strike but their choices still rock. (and yep. Though I believe the last episode ever WILL play us some Zeppelin. I might actually die of shock if they don't, like it's the LAST EVER, balls to the wall, man!)
no subject
Date: 2010-12-09 11:52 am (UTC)I was equally surprised as you when I started watching it properly - I'd caught glimpses of it no tv, but never watched an actual whole episode - and discovered that it had actual, honest-to-god well-written character development. I mean, I'm used to getting little crumbs from most of my shows, that Supernatural has me spoiled forever, I think. :P
And I love how Dean is basically, *anything* for Sam and, did you dare touch my brother, I'll kill you so that it'll hurt. The LOVE, I just melt on gooey puddles on the floor each time.
and yeah the music is just plain awesome.
as for the women, you got a point there, but then again, how else would Dean be able to ogle chicks? :P (my god I just had this image flash through my head - Kirk and Dean. *together*. no woman would be safe - EVER. The universe would probably implode)
I'm currently halfway through Season 4, and boy oh boy, it just gets better and better. Season 3 isn't very long, due to the writer's strike that year - but wait till you get through it. You just wait. :P
no subject
Date: 2010-12-09 02:42 pm (UTC)just had this image flash through my head - Kirk and Dean. *together*. no woman would be safe - EVER. The universe would probably implode HAHAHA, I know right? LOL, Uhura might be safe from both of them but she might end up really digging Sam...
A lot of people say S4 is pretty awesome (and it had this INSANE spike in ratings that like never happens that far in a TV show). I'm impatient to meet this Castiel chap.
no subject
Date: 2010-12-09 07:53 pm (UTC)Catching half an episode with Castiel in it was one of the main reasons I started watching the show. I could just flail over him basically forever. I've always had a thing for awesome warrior conflicted angels, and the thing that he's such a hunk doesn't hurt at all. ;)
And I shall now restrain myself until you've actually started S4, because I don't want to give you any spoilers by accident. :)