SPN 7.11 - Adventures in Babysitting
My thoughts on the episode...I felt pretty good about it, though really, not much has changed.
So, I'm going to be very up-front about this. I love Sam and Dean. I love this show. I want desperately for the show to give me what I want, because - to reiterate- I love this show.
I typically tend to be very positive about my shows, particularly their latter seasons. In fact, I often tend to enjoy the latest seasons of a show the most. I feel like the character development by that point has usually progressed, and I enjoy the more developed versions of the characters more.
Also, I really liked this episode in and of itself. I found the hunter father/daughter compelling, and found myself caring about them. Dean's reaction to them was telling. I like that he encouraged them to get out, let the daughter know that getting out was a possibility. Whether or not he feels like it's possible for himself, I like that he gave that hope to the two of them.
And, seeing the daughter being grateful to Dean was nice too. It was a ray of hope, nerthus, like we wanted, right?
Also, I really like Frank. I liked him in Slash Fiction and here he was good too. He's interesting and entertaining and, yeah, I like him.
I feel like my giant BUT can palpably be felt right now...well, yes. I guess my main problems with the past couple of episodes haven't really been resolved.
First off, I still don't believe that Bobby is conclusively dead, and that's not just denial. The cliffhanger of Death's Door was whether he said yes to the reaper or not. We never saw him say no. So - at worst, I think, Bobby's still around as a ghost.
But, people on this show come back from the dead. Multiple times. So there's every possibility that some higher power - God, Death, even an angel - could bring Bobby back at some point.
Regardless. The thing is - as I found myself liking Frank, and Chrissy and her father, I couldn't help but think - well, it's only a matter of time before they die, or are just written off the show. And, when Sam got captured, for a split second I wondered if Sam would die. Now, obviously, he wouldn't.
The thing is - the main justification that I can see for Bobby dying, thematically, is that it'll push Dean and Sam to a certain place, make them resolve certain issues, if they lose everything.
Well? If Dean really has to lose everything, then doesn't that include Sam? Or vice versa? Yeah. I mean. Unless it's about Dean and Sam finding something together.
Which maybe has to happen. I found the boys' reactions pretty par for the course. Dean - just, god, Jensen was amazing. The way he so subtly and convincingly portrayed Dean's grief - there was something around his eyes, I can't explain it, but he found a way to portray true despair in Dean's typically stoic nature. I noticed it in the first scene (one week later) and in the truck with Frank. Amazing.
And, of course, that scene at the end. So unbelievably heartbreaking. But, first of all, I take issue with what Frank told Dean to do. I mean, I get the basic gist of what he was saying. And it makes sense.
But what he told Dean basically boils down to: grin and bear it. Or, in other words, fake it. Bury down the emotional shit, don't deal with it, get on with your life.
Which is precisely what Dean HAS been doing all his life. It's what he told Sam at the end of "Sam, Interrupted." And since then, much worse shit has gone down. Dean cannot keep burying things like this. I appreciate the necessity of doing that in the immediate, here-and-now, leviathans are going to kill you kind of way, but in the long run? It doesn't work. (Clearly, it doesn't work for Frank either, as he's all paranoid and delusional.)
I just feel like - I need to see Dean break down. He HAS to, he HAS to deal with some of the innumerable tragedies that have happened to him. But, it's painful. It's so painful to think of that.
Which is, what I think, it all boils down to. This season is about taking everything away from the boys. So far, they're right on track with that, in that Sam and Dean are ALL that Sam and Dean have left.
So I essentially arrive at the same place I did at the end of 7.10. IF this is all leading to some kind of payoff, can make me think that all this is worth it, then I'm fine. And until that happens, I'm still in the game. I'm not giving up yet.
The problem is that that journey is so painful. And, that bothers me. I want so badly to like this season. And I HAVE liked bits and pieces of it. I guess until I know the resolution, I won't be able to say if it was all worth it. But I'm holding out hope. And in the mean time, will someone PLEASE give these boys a hug?
So, I'm going to be very up-front about this. I love Sam and Dean. I love this show. I want desperately for the show to give me what I want, because - to reiterate- I love this show.
I typically tend to be very positive about my shows, particularly their latter seasons. In fact, I often tend to enjoy the latest seasons of a show the most. I feel like the character development by that point has usually progressed, and I enjoy the more developed versions of the characters more.
Also, I really liked this episode in and of itself. I found the hunter father/daughter compelling, and found myself caring about them. Dean's reaction to them was telling. I like that he encouraged them to get out, let the daughter know that getting out was a possibility. Whether or not he feels like it's possible for himself, I like that he gave that hope to the two of them.
And, seeing the daughter being grateful to Dean was nice too. It was a ray of hope, nerthus, like we wanted, right?
Also, I really like Frank. I liked him in Slash Fiction and here he was good too. He's interesting and entertaining and, yeah, I like him.
I feel like my giant BUT can palpably be felt right now...well, yes. I guess my main problems with the past couple of episodes haven't really been resolved.
First off, I still don't believe that Bobby is conclusively dead, and that's not just denial. The cliffhanger of Death's Door was whether he said yes to the reaper or not. We never saw him say no. So - at worst, I think, Bobby's still around as a ghost.
But, people on this show come back from the dead. Multiple times. So there's every possibility that some higher power - God, Death, even an angel - could bring Bobby back at some point.
Regardless. The thing is - as I found myself liking Frank, and Chrissy and her father, I couldn't help but think - well, it's only a matter of time before they die, or are just written off the show. And, when Sam got captured, for a split second I wondered if Sam would die. Now, obviously, he wouldn't.
The thing is - the main justification that I can see for Bobby dying, thematically, is that it'll push Dean and Sam to a certain place, make them resolve certain issues, if they lose everything.
Well? If Dean really has to lose everything, then doesn't that include Sam? Or vice versa? Yeah. I mean. Unless it's about Dean and Sam finding something together.
Which maybe has to happen. I found the boys' reactions pretty par for the course. Dean - just, god, Jensen was amazing. The way he so subtly and convincingly portrayed Dean's grief - there was something around his eyes, I can't explain it, but he found a way to portray true despair in Dean's typically stoic nature. I noticed it in the first scene (one week later) and in the truck with Frank. Amazing.
And, of course, that scene at the end. So unbelievably heartbreaking. But, first of all, I take issue with what Frank told Dean to do. I mean, I get the basic gist of what he was saying. And it makes sense.
But what he told Dean basically boils down to: grin and bear it. Or, in other words, fake it. Bury down the emotional shit, don't deal with it, get on with your life.
Which is precisely what Dean HAS been doing all his life. It's what he told Sam at the end of "Sam, Interrupted." And since then, much worse shit has gone down. Dean cannot keep burying things like this. I appreciate the necessity of doing that in the immediate, here-and-now, leviathans are going to kill you kind of way, but in the long run? It doesn't work. (Clearly, it doesn't work for Frank either, as he's all paranoid and delusional.)
I just feel like - I need to see Dean break down. He HAS to, he HAS to deal with some of the innumerable tragedies that have happened to him. But, it's painful. It's so painful to think of that.
Which is, what I think, it all boils down to. This season is about taking everything away from the boys. So far, they're right on track with that, in that Sam and Dean are ALL that Sam and Dean have left.
So I essentially arrive at the same place I did at the end of 7.10. IF this is all leading to some kind of payoff, can make me think that all this is worth it, then I'm fine. And until that happens, I'm still in the game. I'm not giving up yet.
The problem is that that journey is so painful. And, that bothers me. I want so badly to like this season. And I HAVE liked bits and pieces of it. I guess until I know the resolution, I won't be able to say if it was all worth it. But I'm holding out hope. And in the mean time, will someone PLEASE give these boys a hug?