12.05 quick reaction
Nov. 13th, 2016 01:59 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ash48I can't believe we're already up to episode 5. They seem to be going by so fast.
I enjoyed this episode quite a lot. I mean, it wasn't earth shattering but I'm actually ok with that. In fact, I'm wondering what the hell is going on. Everything just seems a bit too, idk, easy? The boys are being nice to each other - some friendly brotherly banter and gestures of love - and the levels of angst aren't off the charts. Maybe the calm before the storm?
I really loved Everybody Hates Hitler so I was pleased to see the Aaron and the Thule society re-visited. And if it meant that Dean got to actually kill Hitler? Well, good for him!
I liked the references to the past - namely Sam being used to release Lucifer. These new writers (this time Meredith Glynn) are doing their homework and it's nice to see them going back to basics for their episodes.
It's weird though. I read a review (TV week or somewhere) and the reviewer was expressing great disappointment with it - stating it's the worse this season etc. I was struggling to really understand that because I didn't think it was that bad. But reading into the review a bit further I worked out what it was. She went into the episode with a certain expectation. She knew what the episode was going to be about and who was going to appear in it (Aaron) and had probably imagined all sorts of scenarios. The one that was presented didn't match those so the ep was a loss for her.
I knew little about this one (except it was revisiting the Thule) and had zero expectations of it. Maybe that's why I enjoyed it?
I suspect this is also the reason why so many didn't like the reunion ep (12.02). The expectations for a hug etc. were massive. It didn't deliver on that and so the disappointment was great.
I'm not sure how to reduce expectations (other than stay off line and read nothing) because I suppose we all hope an episode is going to deliver something close to what we want. Maybe my expectations are much lower these days. I'm honestly happy with a run of the mill Saving People Hunting Things episodes. I'm not bothered by small holes (like why didn't that antique shop have an alarm system?), as long as there's some character consistency and an entertaining MoTW. Which, for me, this ep delivered on.
Though I gotta say, it's hard to get excited about stuff just at the moment. I'm not sure about anyone else but I'm still feeling numb and flat after the disastrous US election. Even escapist TV is struggling to cut through that.
*hugs*
I enjoyed this episode quite a lot. I mean, it wasn't earth shattering but I'm actually ok with that. In fact, I'm wondering what the hell is going on. Everything just seems a bit too, idk, easy? The boys are being nice to each other - some friendly brotherly banter and gestures of love - and the levels of angst aren't off the charts. Maybe the calm before the storm?
I really loved Everybody Hates Hitler so I was pleased to see the Aaron and the Thule society re-visited. And if it meant that Dean got to actually kill Hitler? Well, good for him!
I liked the references to the past - namely Sam being used to release Lucifer. These new writers (this time Meredith Glynn) are doing their homework and it's nice to see them going back to basics for their episodes.
It's weird though. I read a review (TV week or somewhere) and the reviewer was expressing great disappointment with it - stating it's the worse this season etc. I was struggling to really understand that because I didn't think it was that bad. But reading into the review a bit further I worked out what it was. She went into the episode with a certain expectation. She knew what the episode was going to be about and who was going to appear in it (Aaron) and had probably imagined all sorts of scenarios. The one that was presented didn't match those so the ep was a loss for her.
I knew little about this one (except it was revisiting the Thule) and had zero expectations of it. Maybe that's why I enjoyed it?
I suspect this is also the reason why so many didn't like the reunion ep (12.02). The expectations for a hug etc. were massive. It didn't deliver on that and so the disappointment was great.
I'm not sure how to reduce expectations (other than stay off line and read nothing) because I suppose we all hope an episode is going to deliver something close to what we want. Maybe my expectations are much lower these days. I'm honestly happy with a run of the mill Saving People Hunting Things episodes. I'm not bothered by small holes (like why didn't that antique shop have an alarm system?), as long as there's some character consistency and an entertaining MoTW. Which, for me, this ep delivered on.
Though I gotta say, it's hard to get excited about stuff just at the moment. I'm not sure about anyone else but I'm still feeling numb and flat after the disastrous US election. Even escapist TV is struggling to cut through that.
*hugs*
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no subject
Date: 2016-11-14 12:49 pm (UTC)Three times this season we have had reference to Sam's past connection to the Supernatural. In Mama Mia Lady Toni mentions that she wishes to question him about his relationship with the demon Ruby, in American Nightmare he makes reference to his psychic abilities during a conversation with Magda and in this weeks episode he mentions his status as Lucifer's one true vessel.
I've seen several speculations on the cause of this online. Some think that the latter two were name dropped by new writers as a way of assuring fans they had done their research. Others are speculating that they are foreshadowing Sam saying 'yes' to Lucifer later in the season. Personally I think that the references are indeed foreshadowing, but I disagree with the idea of it being a possession foreshadowed. As far as I'm concerned if Sam refused Lucifer for something as big as the darkness back in The Devil in the Details then there is no believable reason for him to say yes now. Instead I think that the references are foreshadowing the brothers future relationship with the British Man of Letters.
As we learnt in Mama Mia the BMoL's is divided. While they all agree that the American Hunters are not doing a good enough job there is contention on why they are 'failing'. There are some such as Toni who clearly believe it to be a Trojan horse type situation i.e. that there are a selection of hunters including Sam and Dean who they believe are working with the demons and purposely maintaining the status quo. Others, and presumably this is the view held by the upper echelon, believe that the American hunters are simply not as competent as they are. They believe that the approach taken by the likes of Sam and Dean i.e. making the decision to kill on an individual basis like they did with Magda makes them too soft to get the job done.
My guess is that the events being referenced throughout the episode so far are a foreshadowing of the former group coming to power in the man of letters. I think we are likely to be treated to several episodes of the brothers and the BMoL coming to a tentative truce only for the BMoL to somehow learn of Sam's psychic abilities and mark him as a target which must be killed in the same way as Gordon Walker did back in season two. I think all these historical references are foreshadowing that the brothers and the BMoL will soon find themselves in a seasonal conflict centered around whether Sam has the right to live, which would also bring the mytharc of the seasons back to the brothers in a truly personal sense. It can also be argued that the callous murder of Magda was also a foreshadowing of the nature of their conflict.
Of course like I said this is all speculation and I'm way off, but I'd love to hear your thoughts :)
no subject
Date: 2016-11-17 11:27 am (UTC)I have to admit I am not very good at speculating when it comes to this show. I used to look for clues to see where they might be going with a story but have learnt, over the many years, that they rarely leave "hidden" clues as to where they are going. If they are dropping hints they usually make them rather anvillious.
Those references to Sam were interesting (and I loved them!), but to be honest I would be surprised if they are foreshadowing a future story line involving Sam. I am happy to be wrong because I would love them to revisit any of these things to do with Sam. Mostly I think it was the new writers doing their research and including them into Sam's moments within the episode. I think they also served the story line at the time - Sam bonding with the girl with psychic powers and then later because of being "used" like Magda.
I think the main thing we'll probably see with the BMoL is the rift between Toni and Ketch (and maybe even how being in this "organisation" is soul destroying and sometimes they get it wrong. A bit like Dean learning that things are not always black and white back in S2) and then them coming to the realisation that Sam and Dean are actually pretty damn good at what they do. In that respect I think the Gordon Walker story line might be revisited - but not in a hunt for Sam but rather the "not everything is black and white" storyline.
Of course I really have no idea! The only thing I really (really!) hope is that when the BMoL returns Sam's torture is referenced. It's so hard for me to work out why they had 2 episodes of pure misery and pain for Sam and then absolutely nothing. I'm not holding my breath, but I hope that at least that's not forgotten.
Thanks for sharing your ideas. I would love a theme of whether Sam should be allowed to live to happen. I am still keen for Sam's consent (and lack of) to be a major theme - as that's something that comes up time and again and is never addressed.