5x13 - 5x15
5x13 was a hit and a miss for me, all in one.
It started as a chore, evened out, then became a brief chore before it worked for me again, but somehow, I made it through 5x13 and liked it a lot more than I thought I would. It didn't help that the anvils had anvils and not only anvils but labels in bold print announcing Every Important Issue and/or Parallel. OMG, SHOW, JUST. STOP. It took three takes to get through this, and the third one nearly lost me, as well. First was the teaser, and I don't give a good damn that it was in character for Dean, but could the show stop degrading women? Just once? Yeah, that stopped me. Then I tried again, because you guys loved it and one of you in particular really loved it and I felt wrong to leave it at that half-assed attempt. So I tried again, and got as far as Sam saying "You're beautiful!" to Mary, before I was gagging on the syrup. Jared's acting was very awkward during the initial meeting, very Tall Tales Captain Emo only meant to be taken seriously, and honestly, the acting for young John wasn't there for me until the Michael bit, and everything just seemed to grayed-out and pointless. I walked away again, just sick of them and their wangst and just wishing the show would grow the hell up already.
Then, I tried one last time, and Jared saved the episode for me in the latter half of his scene with John (which isn't the scene you guys were referring to, I take it, but that later one which was also nice once I got past the grating, nearly shark-jumping anvils of "My Brother And I Are Just Like You"). But Jared salvaged the whole thing halfway into that scene, once the show stopped with the fucking anvil already and gave them something more to do than pat each other's back. It was lone overdue, but I'm glad Jared got that moment for Sam to express those things, to say those things that haunted him so deeply in ELAC for having left unsaid.
The Mary and Dean (then +Sam) scene was beautiful. Those two have terrific chemistry, but more than that, young Mary will never not move me. I'm convinced at this point she is the best woman they ever wrote on this show and could have easily been my favorite character if only the creator and writers of this show weren't so married to the disposable woman trope. Maybe it's just that she reminds me of Buffy. I dunno... I just know I'm left every time with this feeling of wanting to watch more of her than the boys, than Cas or Bobby, than anyone. She always leaves too soon.
Anyway, I don't know if the Michael/Dean scene was what you guys were talking about (I'm assuming it's either that or the Mary/Dean scene), but it was nice. Only, it felt pointless in retrospect once I got through 5x15, since nothing came of it. Why introduce such a character in the flesh (well, you know...) that has such an influence and is so talked about, if he just vanishes again? I'm bored with that development. I was bored with the destiny, too. It was one thing for Gabriel to rant about destiny, and for Douche Yoda to, since they seem like bitter and/or self-interested guys in it for their own ulterior motives. But now it's actually destiny? Ugh. Just... ugh. Not to mention the stuff that nearly made me rip the disc out and just beat my head against the wall: the fucking parallels. WHY? WHYYYY? Why can't the show GROW THE FUCK UP, already? Now Heaven and Hell are just reflections of Dean and Sam's big/little brother issue? This issue that is all of a sudden front page news? Now I see why they made such a stink about it in 5x05. Heaven and Hell both have a dog in this race. "Let me grow up!" "Stop being mean to me!" "You pushed me away!" "You left us!" Oh my god, show, get OVER it. I'm so sick of this growing up teen wangst. It feels uninspired and ineffective after watching Dean endure PTSD from actual hell, after watching Sam endure Mystery Spot, after watching them both endure personal tragedy and loss, after watching them make hard, adult decisions. It feels so beside the point, so Very Special Episode via Full House.
ANYway, all that said, the scene was well-acted and atmospheric and I liked all of that about it, plus how gentle Michael seemed over his hardness, unlike Cas seeming hard over his gentleness. Michael came across as firmly Gray, not Black or White, which I appreciate. And I really liked Dean's line about his unimportant little life, and how Jensen delivered it. That was good. Jensen is really making so much of this heavy-handed material work better than it has any right to. I can't say enough about that.
Then I watched 5x14, and OMG, SHOW, JUST STOP IT NOW. I can't tell you how much I hate the development of not only the boys being Destined for Doom, but also that John and Mary are pawns in their own life. So now it's a conspiracy. Okay. I suppose God had a hand in Bobby being their friend, too. And in Ellen and Jo dying pointlessly. And in YED bleeding into Sam's mouth. And in Meg being possessed. And in John buying that journal. And in the Impala being built. And in Jessica having blond hair. And in that Shtriga almost killing Sam so that John reprimanded Dean so that Dean would define himself by being Sam's protector so that Sam would feel claustrophobic and leave so that John would spend time with Adam so that Dean could feel abandoned so that Sam would learn that Family Is Everything SO THAT THEY ALL HAVE SOMETHING TO ANGST ABOUT OMG SHUT UP, SHOW.
I am too weary of that to have enjoyed the rest of 5x14 or to even know if I would have enjoyed the rest of 5x14. I really liked the last scene of Cas and Dean, then of Dean. Jensen and Misha knocked it out of the park. And I liked Sam saving Dean because I am so fucking tired of the show constantly putting Dean in the big brother/protector role, then criticizing him for playing that role. I can't comment on the rest of it, except GROSS. I almost liked the Cupid scene but the DOOM and DESTINY just ruined it for me. I will have to watch it again when I am feeling less aggravated.
ETA: I call bullshit on Jimmy still being in there. He got blown to bits in 4x22. Why in the hell would God bring him back (unless God is the original Douche Yoda and that is where this is going)? Anna proves there isn't a need for the host.
5x15 was more like it, mostly. Idiot plot aside, the only thing that grated was that once again the apocalypse was all about Sam and Dean, and now Death is coming for Bobby because he's keeping Sam from saying yes? The hell? I have no words for how inane these developments are. But whatever. I liked the acting, I liked spending a moment with Bobby, and I liked the Dean/Sam/Bobby stuff in this one, as well as a competent woman sheriff... although they really, really need to stop with this trend of Winchesters killing MOTWs or PIP's monstrous loved ones for them, because 1) it's presumptuous, to put it mildly, and 2) it's pointless but mostly 3) it only adds to the angst tally in their head, which I am just over. But: "You're a zombie!" "I'm a taxpayer." Ha! Okay, I laughed out loud at that one. Also, does it have any relevance re: the title, given what Dean and Sam were wearing in this episode? Or Bobby, for that matter.
SO... I don't know how I feel about the latter half of S5 right now. I like the character content a hell of a lot better for the most part than I did in discs 2 and 3, but I really loathe where this is going. I hate doom and destiny storylines because the writers never fail to use it to hand-wash their protagonists. They angst about the consequences of their choices without actually shouldering the responsibility, and I hate that on so many levels, but mostly because it feels false in that it allows them the glory of the Big Gesture but fails to hold them accountable for all the shit they caused along the way and all the painstaking work that goes into rectifying it victim by victim. S4 felt like they were building up on cause and effect regarding personal choices and how the forks along the road will make or break you. But now, starting the seals, ending the seals, none of that matters, because it was all destiny?? Ye gods.
But anyway. I have mixed feelings, to say the least. Love the acting, hate the mytharc, really really hate having the parallels yelled in my face, and I really miss the boys being the adults they were in S4.
Next is disc 5? I'll see if I can bear watching that one in a marathon tonight. I don't think I'll bother with the last disc before tomorrow night, unless you all say it just needs to be watched. I heard of one aspect of the finale that could really kill the show for me, and my patience is thin enough right now. Anyway, I think the S6-opening previouslies will probably catch me up to speed on any major developments, right...?
It started as a chore, evened out, then became a brief chore before it worked for me again, but somehow, I made it through 5x13 and liked it a lot more than I thought I would. It didn't help that the anvils had anvils and not only anvils but labels in bold print announcing Every Important Issue and/or Parallel. OMG, SHOW, JUST. STOP. It took three takes to get through this, and the third one nearly lost me, as well. First was the teaser, and I don't give a good damn that it was in character for Dean, but could the show stop degrading women? Just once? Yeah, that stopped me. Then I tried again, because you guys loved it and one of you in particular really loved it and I felt wrong to leave it at that half-assed attempt. So I tried again, and got as far as Sam saying "You're beautiful!" to Mary, before I was gagging on the syrup. Jared's acting was very awkward during the initial meeting, very Tall Tales Captain Emo only meant to be taken seriously, and honestly, the acting for young John wasn't there for me until the Michael bit, and everything just seemed to grayed-out and pointless. I walked away again, just sick of them and their wangst and just wishing the show would grow the hell up already.
Then, I tried one last time, and Jared saved the episode for me in the latter half of his scene with John (which isn't the scene you guys were referring to, I take it, but that later one which was also nice once I got past the grating, nearly shark-jumping anvils of "My Brother And I Are Just Like You"). But Jared salvaged the whole thing halfway into that scene, once the show stopped with the fucking anvil already and gave them something more to do than pat each other's back. It was lone overdue, but I'm glad Jared got that moment for Sam to express those things, to say those things that haunted him so deeply in ELAC for having left unsaid.
The Mary and Dean (then +Sam) scene was beautiful. Those two have terrific chemistry, but more than that, young Mary will never not move me. I'm convinced at this point she is the best woman they ever wrote on this show and could have easily been my favorite character if only the creator and writers of this show weren't so married to the disposable woman trope. Maybe it's just that she reminds me of Buffy. I dunno... I just know I'm left every time with this feeling of wanting to watch more of her than the boys, than Cas or Bobby, than anyone. She always leaves too soon.
Anyway, I don't know if the Michael/Dean scene was what you guys were talking about (I'm assuming it's either that or the Mary/Dean scene), but it was nice. Only, it felt pointless in retrospect once I got through 5x15, since nothing came of it. Why introduce such a character in the flesh (well, you know...) that has such an influence and is so talked about, if he just vanishes again? I'm bored with that development. I was bored with the destiny, too. It was one thing for Gabriel to rant about destiny, and for Douche Yoda to, since they seem like bitter and/or self-interested guys in it for their own ulterior motives. But now it's actually destiny? Ugh. Just... ugh. Not to mention the stuff that nearly made me rip the disc out and just beat my head against the wall: the fucking parallels. WHY? WHYYYY? Why can't the show GROW THE FUCK UP, already? Now Heaven and Hell are just reflections of Dean and Sam's big/little brother issue? This issue that is all of a sudden front page news? Now I see why they made such a stink about it in 5x05. Heaven and Hell both have a dog in this race. "Let me grow up!" "Stop being mean to me!" "You pushed me away!" "You left us!" Oh my god, show, get OVER it. I'm so sick of this growing up teen wangst. It feels uninspired and ineffective after watching Dean endure PTSD from actual hell, after watching Sam endure Mystery Spot, after watching them both endure personal tragedy and loss, after watching them make hard, adult decisions. It feels so beside the point, so Very Special Episode via Full House.
ANYway, all that said, the scene was well-acted and atmospheric and I liked all of that about it, plus how gentle Michael seemed over his hardness, unlike Cas seeming hard over his gentleness. Michael came across as firmly Gray, not Black or White, which I appreciate. And I really liked Dean's line about his unimportant little life, and how Jensen delivered it. That was good. Jensen is really making so much of this heavy-handed material work better than it has any right to. I can't say enough about that.
Then I watched 5x14, and OMG, SHOW, JUST STOP IT NOW. I can't tell you how much I hate the development of not only the boys being Destined for Doom, but also that John and Mary are pawns in their own life. So now it's a conspiracy. Okay. I suppose God had a hand in Bobby being their friend, too. And in Ellen and Jo dying pointlessly. And in YED bleeding into Sam's mouth. And in Meg being possessed. And in John buying that journal. And in the Impala being built. And in Jessica having blond hair. And in that Shtriga almost killing Sam so that John reprimanded Dean so that Dean would define himself by being Sam's protector so that Sam would feel claustrophobic and leave so that John would spend time with Adam so that Dean could feel abandoned so that Sam would learn that Family Is Everything SO THAT THEY ALL HAVE SOMETHING TO ANGST ABOUT OMG SHUT UP, SHOW.
I am too weary of that to have enjoyed the rest of 5x14 or to even know if I would have enjoyed the rest of 5x14. I really liked the last scene of Cas and Dean, then of Dean. Jensen and Misha knocked it out of the park. And I liked Sam saving Dean because I am so fucking tired of the show constantly putting Dean in the big brother/protector role, then criticizing him for playing that role. I can't comment on the rest of it, except GROSS. I almost liked the Cupid scene but the DOOM and DESTINY just ruined it for me. I will have to watch it again when I am feeling less aggravated.
ETA: I call bullshit on Jimmy still being in there. He got blown to bits in 4x22. Why in the hell would God bring him back (unless God is the original Douche Yoda and that is where this is going)? Anna proves there isn't a need for the host.
5x15 was more like it, mostly. Idiot plot aside, the only thing that grated was that once again the apocalypse was all about Sam and Dean, and now Death is coming for Bobby because he's keeping Sam from saying yes? The hell? I have no words for how inane these developments are. But whatever. I liked the acting, I liked spending a moment with Bobby, and I liked the Dean/Sam/Bobby stuff in this one, as well as a competent woman sheriff... although they really, really need to stop with this trend of Winchesters killing MOTWs or PIP's monstrous loved ones for them, because 1) it's presumptuous, to put it mildly, and 2) it's pointless but mostly 3) it only adds to the angst tally in their head, which I am just over. But: "You're a zombie!" "I'm a taxpayer." Ha! Okay, I laughed out loud at that one. Also, does it have any relevance re: the title, given what Dean and Sam were wearing in this episode? Or Bobby, for that matter.
SO... I don't know how I feel about the latter half of S5 right now. I like the character content a hell of a lot better for the most part than I did in discs 2 and 3, but I really loathe where this is going. I hate doom and destiny storylines because the writers never fail to use it to hand-wash their protagonists. They angst about the consequences of their choices without actually shouldering the responsibility, and I hate that on so many levels, but mostly because it feels false in that it allows them the glory of the Big Gesture but fails to hold them accountable for all the shit they caused along the way and all the painstaking work that goes into rectifying it victim by victim. S4 felt like they were building up on cause and effect regarding personal choices and how the forks along the road will make or break you. But now, starting the seals, ending the seals, none of that matters, because it was all destiny?? Ye gods.
But anyway. I have mixed feelings, to say the least. Love the acting, hate the mytharc, really really hate having the parallels yelled in my face, and I really miss the boys being the adults they were in S4.
Next is disc 5? I'll see if I can bear watching that one in a marathon tonight. I don't think I'll bother with the last disc before tomorrow night, unless you all say it just needs to be watched. I heard of one aspect of the finale that could really kill the show for me, and my patience is thin enough right now. Anyway, I think the S6-opening previouslies will probably catch me up to speed on any major developments, right...?