TV Reaction: SPN's 'Afterschool Special'
Jan. 30th, 2009 12:05 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mrwubblesIt was bound to happen. All the elements of what I would haved liked in an SPN episode, but...
It's back to high school for the Winchesters and the flashback potential is enough for the HC fans to salivate. All the parts were there to give fans gratification, but there were a few washers missing to bind the wjole thing together...
The flashbacks gave us a great glimpse of the boys' childhood. Colin Ford reprises his role as the young Sam Winchester, while Brock Kelly plays an absolutely uncanny 17 year old Dean Winchester. And already, at 13/14, we see young Sam's weariness of the nomadic life of a hunter. And Dean, well, he's the Dean we know but his motives are what we don't expect.
We get a protective Dean, a unsure and angsty young Sam, so I should be happy. Should.
The thing with backstory is while it gives us confirmation, hence gratification, there is the danger of it just going over that fine line between "squee" and a revelation that simply cascades negatively to the rest of the plot.
Example: We know Sam was picked on at school. Well, we suspected. But what the flashbacks show us is the bullied may have been the bully in reverse. Unintentionally, of course and while the irony is a creative and structurally brilliant leap, personally, I was uncomfortable with Sam finding out that his actions back then may have had such ramifications ("Dirk the jerk"). I'm naive. I know. I just like happy endings and reveals like that simply doesn't tot up to one.
Now, that's probably just me and mostly like it is, but I'm really starting to miss the entertainment part of Supernatural. Season four had started off brilliantly with the boys back together and some nicely brotherly moments but then (for me) it just got too claustraphobic for me with all this angels/hell/demons/war theme. I know everyone loves Misha so I won't be surprised if I get hate mail when I say this about Misha:
"Eh."
LOL. Angsty, sorrowful, conflited angel? Yeah, who wouldn't like him, but frankly, I was glad he wasn't in this episode to sour what should have been a great backstory episode like "A Supernatural Christmas". No Misha, they soured the episode all on their own.
You know what the problem is for me? I miss season one's Winchesters. Yes, in any great show, there should be some character growth but I wanted there still be some of the recognizable traits left in them in season four. It feels like I'm watching a different show now and while I applaud Kripke for still keeping it a show about brothers, they're not the brothers I loved when I started watching. Now, all we have is guilt from Dean, guilt from Sam, a war beyond their comprehension and that little hope/light at the end of the tunnel thing the show always held is now too far away to see or feel.
And the ending? This is when Yuma gives the expletive "WTF"? Okay, it was reasonable and logical that the teacher would ask Sam if he was happy. But what really irked me was the cut off before Sam's answer. Okay, I didn't expect him to say "Yes" but I hoped that despite the life he felt cornered into, Sam could still reply it was a choice he can live with. By not answering, it just negated for me everything he said about being there for Dean and staying with the hunting.
It's not a happy or sad ending, but it really sucked the air out of my sails of the SS SPN.
Many things should give this a five cookie rating:
1. Brothers: Yeah! They're back in their hunting/alias ways! I missed the 'monster of the week' plots so much.
2. Flashbacks: Ford and Kelly make a fantastic match set as teen Winchesters. I got goosebumps at Kelly's performance and it was like you jumped into a TARDIS and revisited a young Jensen.
3. Backstory: Okay, I placed this in a different category of the flashbacks because their reactions to high school, especially how upset Dean was at what happened to Sam (past and present) was simply fun to watch. It was great to see Dean as "big brother" Dean again.
4. No Angst Driven War: Ehhhhhhh, the demon war and Lilith thing was starting to weigh me down and having the traditional hunts like these is a nice break. Perfect timing. The walls were closing in after "Heaven and Hell". LOL.
Why it Isn't five cookies:
1. The gym shorts: Okay, it was for cheap laughs, but honestly? I'm over that.
2. Happy: All right, I didn't think Sam would say he was happy, but something to the effect that it didn't make it look like he regrets staying either. Granted, it's unrealistic of me to think Sam could ever be 'happy' about his hunting life. But I want him to be at least okay about it.
There's a far longer list I could post here, but like the past few episodes of Supernatural, it felt too exhausting. All that negativity in the show and listing all that negativity here would simply be a killjoy. I'm trying to stay hopeful that SPN will get back on its optimistic feet.
The hiatus from Misha and the war of doom was a relief in "Family Remains" and I'm glad they kept the momentum going with "Afterschool Special". But after episodes of post-hell guilt and harbingers of doom, like Dean told Sam second season, I fear it might be "too little, too late".
Because I'm hoping the brothers Grim will be the brothers Winchester again. For giving us an episode that technically should make the fans happy (just not me), I'm going to give this a hopeful three and a half cookies. The half with the creme.
No milk though. LOL.
It's back to high school for the Winchesters and the flashback potential is enough for the HC fans to salivate. All the parts were there to give fans gratification, but there were a few washers missing to bind the wjole thing together...
The flashbacks gave us a great glimpse of the boys' childhood. Colin Ford reprises his role as the young Sam Winchester, while Brock Kelly plays an absolutely uncanny 17 year old Dean Winchester. And already, at 13/14, we see young Sam's weariness of the nomadic life of a hunter. And Dean, well, he's the Dean we know but his motives are what we don't expect.
We get a protective Dean, a unsure and angsty young Sam, so I should be happy. Should.
The thing with backstory is while it gives us confirmation, hence gratification, there is the danger of it just going over that fine line between "squee" and a revelation that simply cascades negatively to the rest of the plot.
Example: We know Sam was picked on at school. Well, we suspected. But what the flashbacks show us is the bullied may have been the bully in reverse. Unintentionally, of course and while the irony is a creative and structurally brilliant leap, personally, I was uncomfortable with Sam finding out that his actions back then may have had such ramifications ("Dirk the jerk"). I'm naive. I know. I just like happy endings and reveals like that simply doesn't tot up to one.
Now, that's probably just me and mostly like it is, but I'm really starting to miss the entertainment part of Supernatural. Season four had started off brilliantly with the boys back together and some nicely brotherly moments but then (for me) it just got too claustraphobic for me with all this angels/hell/demons/war theme. I know everyone loves Misha so I won't be surprised if I get hate mail when I say this about Misha:
"Eh."
LOL. Angsty, sorrowful, conflited angel? Yeah, who wouldn't like him, but frankly, I was glad he wasn't in this episode to sour what should have been a great backstory episode like "A Supernatural Christmas". No Misha, they soured the episode all on their own.
You know what the problem is for me? I miss season one's Winchesters. Yes, in any great show, there should be some character growth but I wanted there still be some of the recognizable traits left in them in season four. It feels like I'm watching a different show now and while I applaud Kripke for still keeping it a show about brothers, they're not the brothers I loved when I started watching. Now, all we have is guilt from Dean, guilt from Sam, a war beyond their comprehension and that little hope/light at the end of the tunnel thing the show always held is now too far away to see or feel.
And the ending? This is when Yuma gives the expletive "WTF"? Okay, it was reasonable and logical that the teacher would ask Sam if he was happy. But what really irked me was the cut off before Sam's answer. Okay, I didn't expect him to say "Yes" but I hoped that despite the life he felt cornered into, Sam could still reply it was a choice he can live with. By not answering, it just negated for me everything he said about being there for Dean and staying with the hunting.
It's not a happy or sad ending, but it really sucked the air out of my sails of the SS SPN.
Many things should give this a five cookie rating:
1. Brothers: Yeah! They're back in their hunting/alias ways! I missed the 'monster of the week' plots so much.
2. Flashbacks: Ford and Kelly make a fantastic match set as teen Winchesters. I got goosebumps at Kelly's performance and it was like you jumped into a TARDIS and revisited a young Jensen.
3. Backstory: Okay, I placed this in a different category of the flashbacks because their reactions to high school, especially how upset Dean was at what happened to Sam (past and present) was simply fun to watch. It was great to see Dean as "big brother" Dean again.
4. No Angst Driven War: Ehhhhhhh, the demon war and Lilith thing was starting to weigh me down and having the traditional hunts like these is a nice break. Perfect timing. The walls were closing in after "Heaven and Hell". LOL.
Why it Isn't five cookies:
1. The gym shorts: Okay, it was for cheap laughs, but honestly? I'm over that.
2. Happy: All right, I didn't think Sam would say he was happy, but something to the effect that it didn't make it look like he regrets staying either. Granted, it's unrealistic of me to think Sam could ever be 'happy' about his hunting life. But I want him to be at least okay about it.
There's a far longer list I could post here, but like the past few episodes of Supernatural, it felt too exhausting. All that negativity in the show and listing all that negativity here would simply be a killjoy. I'm trying to stay hopeful that SPN will get back on its optimistic feet.
The hiatus from Misha and the war of doom was a relief in "Family Remains" and I'm glad they kept the momentum going with "Afterschool Special". But after episodes of post-hell guilt and harbingers of doom, like Dean told Sam second season, I fear it might be "too little, too late".
Because I'm hoping the brothers Grim will be the brothers Winchester again. For giving us an episode that technically should make the fans happy (just not me), I'm going to give this a hopeful three and a half cookies. The half with the creme.
No milk though. LOL.
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no subject
Date: 2009-01-30 06:41 pm (UTC)But I'm with you on Castiel. Really do not get the hullabaloo about him and his actor. I had to write him into a ficlet, but I kicked and screamed the whole way. Kind of like how I hate even mentioning Ruby. ;)
Unintentionally, of course and while the irony is a creative and structurally brilliant leap, personally, I was uncomfortable with Sam finding out that his actions back then may have had such ramifications ("Dirk the jerk"). I'm naive. I know. I just like happy endings and reveals like that simply doesn't tot up to one.
But ... but ... the whole point of the bullying was to show how acting without all of the information might provide short-term satisfaction, but in the long run your actions might not be all they're cracked up to be. It was a paralleling I could get behind from a show which loves to pound us with an anvil. Poor Sam will still go forward training with Ruby to do god-knows-what anyway, of course, but this should have made him think.
Sam's face at the end spoke volumes. I'm not sure the guy has ever been happy. Or if he has, it's been so long he might not even recognize it. I think now he's fighting in the hopes that someday he won't have to, and there's really not much joy in that. How could there be?
Hmmm.
no subject
Date: 2009-01-30 07:42 pm (UTC)If the characters part of fic information has Castiel or Ruby I don't even bother to read it.
It's funny-- remember how pissed people got with Jo and Ruby and Bella-- they're seperating the boys! NONONONONONO. And everyone swore it wasn't because they were female, that they'd feel the same way if it was a guy!
Ha. Hello Castiel. Wonder what they'd be saying if Misha were a Martha?
no subject
Date: 2009-01-30 07:47 pm (UTC)You will never find Castiel setting up house with Dean in my stories. Hehe.
And, yeah, part of what makes me puzzle the most is the fact that the same people who grumbled about the previous female insert characters are loving the shit out of Castiel. It's like they don't even realize they're pulling a double standard. But he's a great actor! He's compelling! Er.
no subject
Date: 2009-02-02 12:34 am (UTC)Well, apparently to be a Mary or Marty Sue, you just gotta have boobs and nothing else and Misha didn't...I think. LOL
no subject
Date: 2009-02-02 12:26 am (UTC)Oddly enough, that's something I used to like alot, but it feels like most of my shows have gone that route in some way and now, I just want fun watching again. I need to find a silly show to watch, I guess. :)
no subject
Date: 2009-01-30 07:35 pm (UTC)I didn't hate it though, and I'm very glad we got a lot of Sam!
no subject
Date: 2009-02-02 12:29 am (UTC)There's been a lot of scenes where I was embarrassed for the actor's sake. I know that the "Eye of the Tiger" stnt was instigated by Jared, but out of context, I was embarrassed for him.
no subject
Date: 2009-02-02 03:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-10 03:30 am (UTC)