Reaction Post: SPN 6.21 & 6.22 - SPOILERY!
Okay so I've read a few responses out there à la lurker style because I really didn't want to put my thoughts down until I'd had a chance to mull things over. Some people I agree with, others less so but that doesn't mean I don't value what everyone else is saying.
So I'll work this by talking about each episode and then give a summary and what I'd like to see for season 7. Yeah that's right, I'm approaching it like a freaking essay (blame my M.Ed for invading my brain).
~k~k~
6.21
A very Dean-centric episode, which I'll admit I'm not at all adverse to, because I'm am more distinctly a Dean-girl, however it had to be done in my opinion. Okay, I'll put my hands up and say that perhaps it was a little heavy on the deandeandean-focus, and it would have been brilliant to have a little more Sam perspective and Bobby thrown in for good measure, but then again it would have taken away from what this episode was trying to say.
Or what I think this episode was trying to say.
Crowley went for the only other option presented to him, which I understand. When you’re told ‘Don’t mess with the Winchesters’ you obviously go for option number two. Fuck around with anyone who is of importance to both or one of the Winchesters. Bobby’s too close to the boys for anyone to get in there and twist the knife so Lisa and Ben were the next best alternative for Crowley. Oh what an underhand, evil little demon he is.
Ben and Lisa represent the real-life, non-dream world equivalent to 'What Is and What Should Never Be' (2.20). They are, for Dean, the embodiment of a lifestyle that he has always aspired to have, all be it in secret from his family. There's no denying that, throughout the show, it has been acknowledge that Dean was brought up to be a hunter. He lives and breathes this lifestyle, it's not even second nature for him as it is nature to him. Killing, salting, hunting, burning, taking out the things that go bump in the night and so on? It's what he does. Mowing, DIY around the house etc? Less so.
That's not to say that he didn't deserve to have a chance at that lifestyle at all. What Ben and Lisa represented was a chance for Dean to have a taste of a life that he’d always wanted. But he knows, we all know, that it could never really last. Had Dean grown up leading a different lifestyle then sure, there’s no question in my mind that things would have worked out in the end but Dean’s already seen what the ‘dream world’ could be like and he chose Sam.
What I believe the writers were trying to do was burn Dean’s options and narrow down his world to being just back to Sam. Ben and Lisa were always a tangible option, whether it was ever to be one day pursued once more remains un-answered really. But by putting them in danger and making Dean accept that they were no longer a viable get-out-of-hunting-card, he was forced to make a choice once more; Sam or them.
He chose Sam. He chose to let go of Ben and Lisa and allow them to lead a life that Dean will never be a part of and I have a hell of a lot more respect for him for doing that actually. They didn’t ask for this lifestyle, it was thrust upon them and they deserved a chance to get away from it all.
Aside from all that above, I really liked the episode. More Sam would have been awesome but it’s happened now and that can’t be changed.
Castiel was obviously remorseful for his actions, he finally seems to get that Dean is doing what Dean has to do, or thinks he has to do and as much as that hurts our angel... he’s still going to do what he can. Poor guy.
~k~k~
6.22
Now this was the episode where we got to see Jared shine as Sam. The whole dream-scape was awesome and I really liked that idea. As for the barmaid? I liked her and it was a shame to lose her but I got the feeling from the get go that she wasn’t going to stick around.
It was a shame that it had to be crammed into one episode really because spread over two it would have given us a chance to see some of the stuff hidden behind that wall. Soul Sam having to face-off against No-soul Sam and Hell-memory Sam was a really good idea, though I felt that the fight scene between no-soul and soul-Sam could have been done with a little more to it. I’d loved to have seen the two bickering over why having a soul was important and soul-Sam finally revealing just what a bastard he was and how he’d hurt Bobby and Dean and the others in that year.
It would have also been good to have hell-memory Sam talk about what Soul Sam was about to take on by accepting him back and picking up the pieces. Some snippets of just the sheer level of hellish horror that he was going to have to endure would have been good and maybe a bit more pleading. But that’s just me.
However seeing Sam make that choice between avoiding the onslaught and going back to his brother? Well it’s that family bond shining through once more. Co-dependent much?
OH.MY.CASTIEL <-- see what I did there XD
Wow. Okay rewinding a few steps, I honestly thought that Castiel was going to, in some big reveal; show that he’s been leading Crowley along all this time in a bid to kill him off. That may have meant in the beginning, he was on board with the purgatory idea but beyond that, maybe before or after Dean found out, he changed tact. I think I’d allowed myself to believe that our little Angel was about to switch last minute and be all “Hey assbutt!”
But apparently not.
So Castiel is God. I get that. I actually can believe that, and as much as I want to yell at him and be annoyed at this outcome I quite like the idea. He started out as a naive but determined Angel who wanted to help Dean and stop the Apocalypse. He evolved, matured and became more worldy-wise as the seasons progressed to a point where we were able to see Castiel become confident enough to stand up to his brothers and sisters.
Do I blame Castiel for doing what he has done? Hell no. He was let down by God, or at least we think he was. He wanted to do the right thing and his intentions were good, are good but he has become blinded by the need to do the right thing at any cost. He’s unable to see the bigger picture and now? Well the power has gone to his head.
I’m saddened that our Castiel has become this but curious to see what Misha does with this.
What a cliff-hanger huh?
~k~k~
Summary
I don’t think I ever love season endings until I’m about a third of the way into the next season. It takes me time to see what the end of one thing means for the future. Unlike some people I’m not about to throw my hands in the air and walk away, because that’s not my style. It’s a shame that Season 6, I feel, had to try and cram so much into the last few episodes. I know we needed the soul-less Sam aspect to be developed and looked at but it just came across as a little too dragged out for me and then suddenly it became a case of ‘Oh shit we’ve only got half a season left to deal with 101 other things!!!!’
Despite all that I enjoyed the last two episodes and I’m curious to see what this will mean for the Winchesters? Will they bow down to their new God? Or will they fight the good fight to the bitter end, no matter what?
~k~k~
So what does that mean for Season Seven and what do I think it will bring (or What does Charlie think would be cool for Season Seven):
k Crowley! I want to see what he’ll do now, especially seeing as he has Castiel-God after him for revenge and the Winchesters out for Demon-blood.
k Who is left to fight the good fight? What hunters are there out there? Will the Winchesters put their feelers out to see if anyone else will help them? Or will Castiel haul the other hunters onto his side?
k What monsters are we left to confront? What about the other creatures created and summoned by Eve? What about the monsters souls now? Does that make them now under the control of Castiel?
k Will the boys worship their new God?
k What about de-walled, mind fucked, re-souled Sammy?!
WON'T SOMEONE THINK OF THE FANDOM?!!?
~k~k~
-SPOILERY OBVIOUSLY!!-
So I'll work this by talking about each episode and then give a summary and what I'd like to see for season 7. Yeah that's right, I'm approaching it like a freaking essay (blame my M.Ed for invading my brain).
~k~k~
6.21
A very Dean-centric episode, which I'll admit I'm not at all adverse to, because I'm am more distinctly a Dean-girl, however it had to be done in my opinion. Okay, I'll put my hands up and say that perhaps it was a little heavy on the deandeandean-focus, and it would have been brilliant to have a little more Sam perspective and Bobby thrown in for good measure, but then again it would have taken away from what this episode was trying to say.
Or what I think this episode was trying to say.
Crowley went for the only other option presented to him, which I understand. When you’re told ‘Don’t mess with the Winchesters’ you obviously go for option number two. Fuck around with anyone who is of importance to both or one of the Winchesters. Bobby’s too close to the boys for anyone to get in there and twist the knife so Lisa and Ben were the next best alternative for Crowley. Oh what an underhand, evil little demon he is.
Ben and Lisa represent the real-life, non-dream world equivalent to 'What Is and What Should Never Be' (2.20). They are, for Dean, the embodiment of a lifestyle that he has always aspired to have, all be it in secret from his family. There's no denying that, throughout the show, it has been acknowledge that Dean was brought up to be a hunter. He lives and breathes this lifestyle, it's not even second nature for him as it is nature to him. Killing, salting, hunting, burning, taking out the things that go bump in the night and so on? It's what he does. Mowing, DIY around the house etc? Less so.
That's not to say that he didn't deserve to have a chance at that lifestyle at all. What Ben and Lisa represented was a chance for Dean to have a taste of a life that he’d always wanted. But he knows, we all know, that it could never really last. Had Dean grown up leading a different lifestyle then sure, there’s no question in my mind that things would have worked out in the end but Dean’s already seen what the ‘dream world’ could be like and he chose Sam.
What I believe the writers were trying to do was burn Dean’s options and narrow down his world to being just back to Sam. Ben and Lisa were always a tangible option, whether it was ever to be one day pursued once more remains un-answered really. But by putting them in danger and making Dean accept that they were no longer a viable get-out-of-hunting-card, he was forced to make a choice once more; Sam or them.
He chose Sam. He chose to let go of Ben and Lisa and allow them to lead a life that Dean will never be a part of and I have a hell of a lot more respect for him for doing that actually. They didn’t ask for this lifestyle, it was thrust upon them and they deserved a chance to get away from it all.
Aside from all that above, I really liked the episode. More Sam would have been awesome but it’s happened now and that can’t be changed.
Castiel was obviously remorseful for his actions, he finally seems to get that Dean is doing what Dean has to do, or thinks he has to do and as much as that hurts our angel... he’s still going to do what he can. Poor guy.
~k~k~
6.22
Now this was the episode where we got to see Jared shine as Sam. The whole dream-scape was awesome and I really liked that idea. As for the barmaid? I liked her and it was a shame to lose her but I got the feeling from the get go that she wasn’t going to stick around.
It was a shame that it had to be crammed into one episode really because spread over two it would have given us a chance to see some of the stuff hidden behind that wall. Soul Sam having to face-off against No-soul Sam and Hell-memory Sam was a really good idea, though I felt that the fight scene between no-soul and soul-Sam could have been done with a little more to it. I’d loved to have seen the two bickering over why having a soul was important and soul-Sam finally revealing just what a bastard he was and how he’d hurt Bobby and Dean and the others in that year.
It would have also been good to have hell-memory Sam talk about what Soul Sam was about to take on by accepting him back and picking up the pieces. Some snippets of just the sheer level of hellish horror that he was going to have to endure would have been good and maybe a bit more pleading. But that’s just me.
However seeing Sam make that choice between avoiding the onslaught and going back to his brother? Well it’s that family bond shining through once more. Co-dependent much?
OH.MY.CASTIEL <-- see what I did there XD
Wow. Okay rewinding a few steps, I honestly thought that Castiel was going to, in some big reveal; show that he’s been leading Crowley along all this time in a bid to kill him off. That may have meant in the beginning, he was on board with the purgatory idea but beyond that, maybe before or after Dean found out, he changed tact. I think I’d allowed myself to believe that our little Angel was about to switch last minute and be all “Hey assbutt!”
But apparently not.
So Castiel is God. I get that. I actually can believe that, and as much as I want to yell at him and be annoyed at this outcome I quite like the idea. He started out as a naive but determined Angel who wanted to help Dean and stop the Apocalypse. He evolved, matured and became more worldy-wise as the seasons progressed to a point where we were able to see Castiel become confident enough to stand up to his brothers and sisters.
Do I blame Castiel for doing what he has done? Hell no. He was let down by God, or at least we think he was. He wanted to do the right thing and his intentions were good, are good but he has become blinded by the need to do the right thing at any cost. He’s unable to see the bigger picture and now? Well the power has gone to his head.
I’m saddened that our Castiel has become this but curious to see what Misha does with this.
What a cliff-hanger huh?
~k~k~
Summary
I don’t think I ever love season endings until I’m about a third of the way into the next season. It takes me time to see what the end of one thing means for the future. Unlike some people I’m not about to throw my hands in the air and walk away, because that’s not my style. It’s a shame that Season 6, I feel, had to try and cram so much into the last few episodes. I know we needed the soul-less Sam aspect to be developed and looked at but it just came across as a little too dragged out for me and then suddenly it became a case of ‘Oh shit we’ve only got half a season left to deal with 101 other things!!!!’
Despite all that I enjoyed the last two episodes and I’m curious to see what this will mean for the Winchesters? Will they bow down to their new God? Or will they fight the good fight to the bitter end, no matter what?
~k~k~
So what does that mean for Season Seven and what do I think it will bring (or What does Charlie think would be cool for Season Seven):
k Crowley! I want to see what he’ll do now, especially seeing as he has Castiel-God after him for revenge and the Winchesters out for Demon-blood.
k Who is left to fight the good fight? What hunters are there out there? Will the Winchesters put their feelers out to see if anyone else will help them? Or will Castiel haul the other hunters onto his side?
k What monsters are we left to confront? What about the other creatures created and summoned by Eve? What about the monsters souls now? Does that make them now under the control of Castiel?
k Will the boys worship their new God?
k What about de-walled, mind fucked, re-souled Sammy?!
WON'T SOMEONE THINK OF THE FANDOM?!!?
~k~k~
-SPOILERY OBVIOUSLY!!-