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ariadnes_stringShore clash with shore, sea against sea and sword
Against sword—this is my curse—war between all
Our peoples, all their children, endless war.
Dido, Queen of Carthage, curing Aeneas, Aeneid Bk. 4
I’m still up, and I think that rather than wait and write a thoughtful response to this episode, I should just go ahead and give my impressions.
Because if I were to wait and think about it, I would probably feel compelled to analyze all the things that I suspect were annoying about it—and that I would only find more annoying it I thought about it more.
Chief among them the fact that Sam and Dean were—what was it Crowley called them? Barely functioning morons? Low-functioning morons?—throughout, and were utterly out-BAMF’ed by everyone else onscreen—most especially by Jo and Ellen, who each had more balls and brains than Sam and Dean put together (I know, I know, --I’m surprised by this?).
My favorite moment in this respect was when Dean was having his PTSD-I-can’t-deal-with-hell-or-hellhounds moment and Bobby was trying to shore him up, and Ellen came over, and, with her hands covered in her daughter’s blood, coolly explained to Bobby how many reapers there were in town.
Hope you were taking notes on how to keep your head in a crisis, Dean!
Also, the end dragged: Lucifer digging, Dean being unconscious, Sam remonstrating seemed to go on for a long time, with no pay-off for it….The episode was, like Edlund’s last fabulous episode, kind of like a snake eating its own tail: lots of action, lots of emotional drama, but in the end you realize only negative things have been established (the colt doesn’t work; Dean shouldn’t push Sam away).
But really? While it was going on, I was completely distracted by all the fun characters (Crowley—kissing boys no less! Lucifer! Meg! Badass!Jo n’ Ellen), and their fun interactions (Lucifer and Castiel! Crowly and the boys! Meg and Castiel!, emo!Dean and Bobby—‘cause I did like that scene even though I just ragged on it--and, OMG, Dean kissing Jo on the forehead first!).
And, while I was very, very sad to see Jo and Ellen go, that was really a scene of supreme awesomeness. Their love for each other? And the fact that Jo thought up the plan and enacted it? I might be wrong, but I think this might be the first time we’ve seen a death like that on SPN: protracted, conscious, agonizing agency.
Also very distracted by? Castiel’s face lit by flames.
Seriously, I feel like there are two SPNs at the moment: the one Ben Edlund is writing, and the other one that we’ve been subjected to for the past five weeks (okay, that one had its moments too, but it's completely different).
ETA: On 4 hours sleep, of course I have more theories. The episode clearly wanted to recur to the SPN themes of familial love and, importantly, sacrifice. I'm not sure Ellen and Jo's deaths are ever going to mean anything for the narrative or myth arc. But they did seem (deliberately?) to recall the last scenes of "Croatoan." Only to reflect kind of weirdly on Sam and Dean, however...Otherwise, why have Ellen's pitch-perfect "I will always love you, baby" followed so closely by Sam's "Any last words?" and Dean's "No, I think I'm good." Either Dean is being pretty darn butch here, or it's kind of a kick in the teeth to Sam, who is clearly looking for some reassurance.....
Against sword—this is my curse—war between all
Our peoples, all their children, endless war.
Dido, Queen of Carthage, curing Aeneas, Aeneid Bk. 4
I’m still up, and I think that rather than wait and write a thoughtful response to this episode, I should just go ahead and give my impressions.
Because if I were to wait and think about it, I would probably feel compelled to analyze all the things that I suspect were annoying about it—and that I would only find more annoying it I thought about it more.
Chief among them the fact that Sam and Dean were—what was it Crowley called them? Barely functioning morons? Low-functioning morons?—throughout, and were utterly out-BAMF’ed by everyone else onscreen—most especially by Jo and Ellen, who each had more balls and brains than Sam and Dean put together (I know, I know, --I’m surprised by this?).
My favorite moment in this respect was when Dean was having his PTSD-I-can’t-deal-with-hell-or-hellhounds moment and Bobby was trying to shore him up, and Ellen came over, and, with her hands covered in her daughter’s blood, coolly explained to Bobby how many reapers there were in town.
Hope you were taking notes on how to keep your head in a crisis, Dean!
Also, the end dragged: Lucifer digging, Dean being unconscious, Sam remonstrating seemed to go on for a long time, with no pay-off for it….The episode was, like Edlund’s last fabulous episode, kind of like a snake eating its own tail: lots of action, lots of emotional drama, but in the end you realize only negative things have been established (the colt doesn’t work; Dean shouldn’t push Sam away).
But really? While it was going on, I was completely distracted by all the fun characters (Crowley—kissing boys no less! Lucifer! Meg! Badass!Jo n’ Ellen), and their fun interactions (Lucifer and Castiel! Crowly and the boys! Meg and Castiel!, emo!Dean and Bobby—‘cause I did like that scene even though I just ragged on it--and, OMG, Dean kissing Jo on the forehead first!).
And, while I was very, very sad to see Jo and Ellen go, that was really a scene of supreme awesomeness. Their love for each other? And the fact that Jo thought up the plan and enacted it? I might be wrong, but I think this might be the first time we’ve seen a death like that on SPN: protracted, conscious, agonizing agency.
Also very distracted by? Castiel’s face lit by flames.
Seriously, I feel like there are two SPNs at the moment: the one Ben Edlund is writing, and the other one that we’ve been subjected to for the past five weeks (okay, that one had its moments too, but it's completely different).
ETA: On 4 hours sleep, of course I have more theories. The episode clearly wanted to recur to the SPN themes of familial love and, importantly, sacrifice. I'm not sure Ellen and Jo's deaths are ever going to mean anything for the narrative or myth arc. But they did seem (deliberately?) to recall the last scenes of "Croatoan." Only to reflect kind of weirdly on Sam and Dean, however...Otherwise, why have Ellen's pitch-perfect "I will always love you, baby" followed so closely by Sam's "Any last words?" and Dean's "No, I think I'm good." Either Dean is being pretty darn butch here, or it's kind of a kick in the teeth to Sam, who is clearly looking for some reassurance.....
no subject
Date: 2009-11-23 04:03 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-11-24 01:02 am (UTC)(but, yeah, especially since we were among the few to be more annoyed by S&D's cluelessness than Jo and Ellen's deaths).
I don't know where it was going with the "Croatoan" parallels...I think I might have more to say about sacrifice in SPN, but I'm going to wait 'til the air clears a bit on this ep. :)
no subject
Date: 2009-11-24 05:24 pm (UTC)On the other hand, the degradation of Sam and Dean as characters is the death knell of the show. Once you ruin them both to the point where we don't care anymore, what's the use in watching?
no subject
Date: 2009-11-25 06:45 pm (UTC)But, yeah, you're right--it did make it pretty clear what was going to happen to secondary characters (especially women and minorities...)
I guess I live in hope that they'll do something w/ Sam n' Dean....And you know I've warmed up to Dean n' Cas...so there's that too sometimes...
But I do keep reminding myself that there are shows that I've adored, that I've stopped following long before their final season because I just lost interest--The X-Files chief among them....
Happy Thanksgiving!