Dog Dean Afternoon
There was a lot to love about this episode -- really -- but my reaction to watching it was negatively impacted by.....
"THEN", the montage.
What the heck was that about? Yes, we got a quick update on how/why Sam's eyes flash blue and Dean lies to his face. That was necessary. But the 'Greatest Hits of Broad Supernatural Comedy' montage? Really? Not only did I question the choice of sound bites and clips (Becky? Yellow Fever? All of the completely over-the-top crap instead of the genuinely, smartly funny bits from Changing Channels and The French Mistake? I'm not a big fan of slapstick/stupid comedy (such as most of Adam Sandler's career). I've laughed at most of the over-the-top moments in Show but I prefer comedy that doesn't appeal to the lowest common denominator. But mostly, I question why the montage was so lengthy and so obvious. Most of the clips had nothing to do with the current story arc or the upcoming episode -- fairies, nipples, cat-screaming, etc. -- and they ignored clips that might have been seen as more relevant to the episode about to air, such as from eps with shapeshifters or actual DOGS, or clips about spells going bad. As my husband said, not only did it scream "this is supposed to be funny!", it misled by maybe making you think one of those antagonists (trickster, Becky, etc.) was going to be involved. My conclusion? The montage (which I swear was longer than the relevant bits of backstory part) was there to let us know "Hey, Viewer, You are about to see one of our comedy episodes, it's going to be really funny, really, so pay attention!"
Why did we need to be slapped in the face with that? What other comedy episode has been heralded in the "Previously on SPN" clips so clumsily? Must the warning that we were going to see something funny be trumpeted so loudly? I guess I was supposed to feel like, "Wow, this episode is gonna be FUN-NEEE! Bring it!" My reaction was more like, "Really? They have to hit us over the head ahead of time that this is going to be a comedy episode instead of just letting the laughs come organically? How insecure. And insulting." I'm hoping to rewatch it without first sitting through the "Then" montage so I can enjoy my funny and my pretty without starting out annoyed. Because this episode deserves that. Jensen and Jared have such amazing skills at comedy, and the story deserved to be seen on its own merits instead of through the lens of "Psst, this is a funny episode, but we're too insecure to let you discover that on your own, so we're gonna beat you over the head with it up front."
Crap I am turning into one grumpy old broad lately.
"THEN", the montage.
What the heck was that about? Yes, we got a quick update on how/why Sam's eyes flash blue and Dean lies to his face. That was necessary. But the 'Greatest Hits of Broad Supernatural Comedy' montage? Really? Not only did I question the choice of sound bites and clips (Becky? Yellow Fever? All of the completely over-the-top crap instead of the genuinely, smartly funny bits from Changing Channels and The French Mistake? I'm not a big fan of slapstick/stupid comedy (such as most of Adam Sandler's career). I've laughed at most of the over-the-top moments in Show but I prefer comedy that doesn't appeal to the lowest common denominator. But mostly, I question why the montage was so lengthy and so obvious. Most of the clips had nothing to do with the current story arc or the upcoming episode -- fairies, nipples, cat-screaming, etc. -- and they ignored clips that might have been seen as more relevant to the episode about to air, such as from eps with shapeshifters or actual DOGS, or clips about spells going bad. As my husband said, not only did it scream "this is supposed to be funny!", it misled by maybe making you think one of those antagonists (trickster, Becky, etc.) was going to be involved. My conclusion? The montage (which I swear was longer than the relevant bits of backstory part) was there to let us know "Hey, Viewer, You are about to see one of our comedy episodes, it's going to be really funny, really, so pay attention!"
Why did we need to be slapped in the face with that? What other comedy episode has been heralded in the "Previously on SPN" clips so clumsily? Must the warning that we were going to see something funny be trumpeted so loudly? I guess I was supposed to feel like, "Wow, this episode is gonna be FUN-NEEE! Bring it!" My reaction was more like, "Really? They have to hit us over the head ahead of time that this is going to be a comedy episode instead of just letting the laughs come organically? How insecure. And insulting." I'm hoping to rewatch it without first sitting through the "Then" montage so I can enjoy my funny and my pretty without starting out annoyed. Because this episode deserves that. Jensen and Jared have such amazing skills at comedy, and the story deserved to be seen on its own merits instead of through the lens of "Psst, this is a funny episode, but we're too insecure to let you discover that on your own, so we're gonna beat you over the head with it up front."
Crap I am turning into one grumpy old broad lately.