SPN 6.01 - Some Thoughts
Because this is the season premier, I figured a few words were in order. Oh, and I think this episode achieved exactly what it set out to do. The trick is in whether we liked what did. ;-)
I liked this. It was unsettling, disconcerting, off-kilter and at times heart-breaking, but that's what they wanted it to do. But most importantly, this first chapter of the new Supernatural story intrigued the hell out of me.
Domesticated Dean: loved it. Listen, I know there is much ado over an interview wherein Jensen expressed unease and unhappiness with the "softness" he first saw in Dean's script. But I do not take this as indicative of an overall discontent with the new Dean story. Jensen is a professional, he made the adjustments he had to, and in all other interviews he expresses nothing but eagerness for the season and its new story.
Moving right along ... I totally bought into the gentle awkwardness of Dean trying to fit into Middle America, from the almost bashful dissembling in the face of questions about his past, to his quiet presence as part of a work force, to the silent ritual of locking up at night, (keeping his family safe) to waking up with a start in a safe, warm bed and Lisa curled up against him. Their chemistry was gorgeous, gave me a strong sense of intimacy born of respect and liking even more than passion. Dean was trying, see, trying with all his heart to be the solid family man.
And he was doing a good job, which I saw as the healthy and proper transference of what he'd hitherto done all his life for John and Sam. The montage of his new life against his past was a poignant underscoring of that. Jensen's subtle performance added what script and dialogue could not: shadows of the past that haunt Dean still. You hear that, Jensen? You kept Dean's edge admirably, in my book.
Lisa and Ben: Though Ben was only marginally present, I still like Lisa. She's compassionate, nurturing, welcoming. But she also calls Dean on his crap and demands his respect, his straight answers. I look forward to more from her. She's a good match for Dean, a non-hunter who nonetheless is keenly aware of supernatural evil, and responds to his warnings with military swiftness. They can debate and argue in the car. Thank you, SPN, for giving her that sensibility.
Grampa Campbell and the Cousins Three: Innnnnteresting. This episode was meant to cause discomfort, to set us on edge and make us suspicious, and it did just that. The Campbells may be working with Sam, but I got the distinct sense they're sliding some things behind Sam's back. They're using Sam's disconnect from people to serve their own purposes. (Dude, there's a *cage* in that white van, okay? They're not cops and that's not a prisoner transfer vehicle, so WTF?)
I got a kick out of the Campbell Cousins tromping into Dean's and Lisa's nice suburban home like a pack of barbarians. Once upon a time, Dean was just as graceless with and cockily superior towards the rest of the "civilian" world. To the cousins' eyes, at least, Dean's laying down of the sword was the weak choice. Kind of like if you quit being a cop, you become one of the sheeple. But I'm not sure what to make of these Campbell kin, and I think that van and their kidnap of the female djinn hint towards something secret and shady. (What, are they starting a monster petting zoo?)
The Impala: we never even see her, just a shape under a tarp, a glance into the truck as Dean (very hastily) rifles through the trunk for needful things. I found her however-sad depiction an excellent visual metaphor of Dean's stance towards his past. Under wraps. Out of sight. Nothing he wants to use or need.
Sam's car: Dodge Charger FTW! I wanna know the story behind that beast. ;) Breaks my heart a little, though, that it's black. Sam has left the Impala behind, along with everything else, but apparently there's enough of himself remaining to entertain that small bit of sentimentality...
Sam: Ah, Sam. He is not Sam. He's aloof and detached and cool and unemotional, and altogether not Sam.
Only I think he is. Now, if you don't like this new Sam, if you don't like the turn the story has taken, if you disprove of the storytellers' choices, so be it. We're allowed our individual choices and I won't hold it against anyone. Peace be with you.
But some out there seem to be raging as if the writers got it wrong. I disagree. I think it's imperative that Sam is changed. I think some of the "they've ruined Sammy!" crowd should step back and use some imagination. We can say the words, "Sam was in hell" or "Sam was in the Pit with Lucifer," but do we honestly, deeply attempt to grasp what that really means?
Every vile, depraved, disgusting thing that Lucifer thought, experienced or did, Sam knows. Every hideous thing that Lucifer wanted or enjoyed or played with, Sam felt crawling inside his skin. Every ghastly pleasure or perverted joy Lucifer entertained, Sam suffered while vainly battering the walls of his own skull.
And every torment Lucifer experienced when that door slammed on the Pit, Sam was right there with him. We can't even imagine what it was like, sealed in a cage so deep, so dark, so completely isolated that the demons themselves had only blind faith that Lucifer even existed. Our Sam was sealed in with that, sealed in with the whole, terrible entirety of the cruelest archangel's rage and wrath. Together with that of Michael, one presumes.
Thus, my take on Sam is that he's Sam, all right. But I think it's what's left of Sam. I think he's so locked down against the horrors still writhing under his skin, inside his brain, that he's struggling to function as a human being. I further believe Sam is entirely cognizant of his wrong-ness. But something in him has been so utterly scalded, scorched, burned away that he has only the memory of what it felt like to be, truly, Sam. Of what it felt like to be truly human.
Thus, I think his clumsy, ham-handed dealings with Dean were his way of reaching out, of echoing a conversation from another life: "I need you to keep me human."
I pity Sam. Even while I want to kick him (and Bobby!) in the arse for presuming to make Dean's decisions, I pity Sam. His body is out of Hell, but Sam ... is not.
Sam's experiences in Hell are not to be measured against Dean's. It's not a competition, folks. It's getting past the easy labels like "PTSD" to reach the characters' hearts. Sam may not have much in the way of emotions. But somewhere under the cold, molten slag that's left of his soul, I believe Sam's heart still beats. I think his journey will be to regain that humanity. And Dean's? Well, I guess that remains to be seen.
As for me, I'm happy to be along for the ride. This episode delivered all the action, tension, intrigue and suspicion I needed to hook me along for the ride. Bring it on, Supernatural! Let's rock.
Speaking of which, I'ma go play me some Bob Seger, now. Beautiful Loser ... Where you gonna fall?
P.S.
I think seeing Dean, the reality of Dean, is going to start popping a few rivets in Sam's armor. I think it will ... just can't imagine in what ways.
I liked this. It was unsettling, disconcerting, off-kilter and at times heart-breaking, but that's what they wanted it to do. But most importantly, this first chapter of the new Supernatural story intrigued the hell out of me.
Domesticated Dean: loved it. Listen, I know there is much ado over an interview wherein Jensen expressed unease and unhappiness with the "softness" he first saw in Dean's script. But I do not take this as indicative of an overall discontent with the new Dean story. Jensen is a professional, he made the adjustments he had to, and in all other interviews he expresses nothing but eagerness for the season and its new story.
Moving right along ... I totally bought into the gentle awkwardness of Dean trying to fit into Middle America, from the almost bashful dissembling in the face of questions about his past, to his quiet presence as part of a work force, to the silent ritual of locking up at night, (keeping his family safe) to waking up with a start in a safe, warm bed and Lisa curled up against him. Their chemistry was gorgeous, gave me a strong sense of intimacy born of respect and liking even more than passion. Dean was trying, see, trying with all his heart to be the solid family man.
And he was doing a good job, which I saw as the healthy and proper transference of what he'd hitherto done all his life for John and Sam. The montage of his new life against his past was a poignant underscoring of that. Jensen's subtle performance added what script and dialogue could not: shadows of the past that haunt Dean still. You hear that, Jensen? You kept Dean's edge admirably, in my book.
Lisa and Ben: Though Ben was only marginally present, I still like Lisa. She's compassionate, nurturing, welcoming. But she also calls Dean on his crap and demands his respect, his straight answers. I look forward to more from her. She's a good match for Dean, a non-hunter who nonetheless is keenly aware of supernatural evil, and responds to his warnings with military swiftness. They can debate and argue in the car. Thank you, SPN, for giving her that sensibility.
Grampa Campbell and the Cousins Three: Innnnnteresting. This episode was meant to cause discomfort, to set us on edge and make us suspicious, and it did just that. The Campbells may be working with Sam, but I got the distinct sense they're sliding some things behind Sam's back. They're using Sam's disconnect from people to serve their own purposes. (Dude, there's a *cage* in that white van, okay? They're not cops and that's not a prisoner transfer vehicle, so WTF?)
I got a kick out of the Campbell Cousins tromping into Dean's and Lisa's nice suburban home like a pack of barbarians. Once upon a time, Dean was just as graceless with and cockily superior towards the rest of the "civilian" world. To the cousins' eyes, at least, Dean's laying down of the sword was the weak choice. Kind of like if you quit being a cop, you become one of the sheeple. But I'm not sure what to make of these Campbell kin, and I think that van and their kidnap of the female djinn hint towards something secret and shady. (What, are they starting a monster petting zoo?)
The Impala: we never even see her, just a shape under a tarp, a glance into the truck as Dean (very hastily) rifles through the trunk for needful things. I found her however-sad depiction an excellent visual metaphor of Dean's stance towards his past. Under wraps. Out of sight. Nothing he wants to use or need.
Sam's car: Dodge Charger FTW! I wanna know the story behind that beast. ;) Breaks my heart a little, though, that it's black. Sam has left the Impala behind, along with everything else, but apparently there's enough of himself remaining to entertain that small bit of sentimentality...
Sam: Ah, Sam. He is not Sam. He's aloof and detached and cool and unemotional, and altogether not Sam.
Only I think he is. Now, if you don't like this new Sam, if you don't like the turn the story has taken, if you disprove of the storytellers' choices, so be it. We're allowed our individual choices and I won't hold it against anyone. Peace be with you.
But some out there seem to be raging as if the writers got it wrong. I disagree. I think it's imperative that Sam is changed. I think some of the "they've ruined Sammy!" crowd should step back and use some imagination. We can say the words, "Sam was in hell" or "Sam was in the Pit with Lucifer," but do we honestly, deeply attempt to grasp what that really means?
Every vile, depraved, disgusting thing that Lucifer thought, experienced or did, Sam knows. Every hideous thing that Lucifer wanted or enjoyed or played with, Sam felt crawling inside his skin. Every ghastly pleasure or perverted joy Lucifer entertained, Sam suffered while vainly battering the walls of his own skull.
And every torment Lucifer experienced when that door slammed on the Pit, Sam was right there with him. We can't even imagine what it was like, sealed in a cage so deep, so dark, so completely isolated that the demons themselves had only blind faith that Lucifer even existed. Our Sam was sealed in with that, sealed in with the whole, terrible entirety of the cruelest archangel's rage and wrath. Together with that of Michael, one presumes.
Thus, my take on Sam is that he's Sam, all right. But I think it's what's left of Sam. I think he's so locked down against the horrors still writhing under his skin, inside his brain, that he's struggling to function as a human being. I further believe Sam is entirely cognizant of his wrong-ness. But something in him has been so utterly scalded, scorched, burned away that he has only the memory of what it felt like to be, truly, Sam. Of what it felt like to be truly human.
Thus, I think his clumsy, ham-handed dealings with Dean were his way of reaching out, of echoing a conversation from another life: "I need you to keep me human."
I pity Sam. Even while I want to kick him (and Bobby!) in the arse for presuming to make Dean's decisions, I pity Sam. His body is out of Hell, but Sam ... is not.
Sam's experiences in Hell are not to be measured against Dean's. It's not a competition, folks. It's getting past the easy labels like "PTSD" to reach the characters' hearts. Sam may not have much in the way of emotions. But somewhere under the cold, molten slag that's left of his soul, I believe Sam's heart still beats. I think his journey will be to regain that humanity. And Dean's? Well, I guess that remains to be seen.
As for me, I'm happy to be along for the ride. This episode delivered all the action, tension, intrigue and suspicion I needed to hook me along for the ride. Bring it on, Supernatural! Let's rock.
Speaking of which, I'ma go play me some Bob Seger, now. Beautiful Loser ... Where you gonna fall?
P.S.
I think seeing Dean, the reality of Dean, is going to start popping a few rivets in Sam's armor. I think it will ... just can't imagine in what ways.