he's not on any flatbread
Bullet points written during and after watching the ep, for maximum disjointedness.
# Even in times when I haven't been this show's biggest fan, I've been a fan of their episode titles. The way to my heart: gratuitous intertextuality. But thnks fr th earworm NOW MAKE IT STOP AUGH. (Hilariously, despite the earworm I didn't connect the title and the episode's main plot until after the ep was already over. Fail.)
# This week I though I'd reached the zen of casual viewership and would just take any great plot revelations they throw my way with a shrug and an 'oh, okay'. A year ago I was railing against the introduction of angels and look how that turned out. We've established that God isn't running the show some time ago, and if Castiel now wants to go looking for the guy, sure. I can't not find that scene hilarious because it plays to me like a lost scene from Dogma, but I choose zen and waiting to see where it goes. (I don't know what it says about me or possibly my generation that whenever God's missing from heaven, I/we will think of a Kevin Smith movie. Sorry about my popular culture?)
# "So keep your opinions to yourself." ♥ ♥ ♥ MY LOVE FOR THIS OUTBURST CANNOT BE TEXTUALLY RENDERED.
# A logical part of me finds it annoying that Dean's amulet, which has so far been a completely non-supernatural symbol, is now upgraded into God-o-meter. It feels like pandering to fan theories. Another part of me thinks it was always a bit of a Chekov's gun since whatever was explicitly said about it, the show made it seem like it was magic waiting to happen. My zen is starting to crumble, I do have opinions and expectations.
# "When you find God, tell him to send legs!" The line is funny, and I feel for Bobby's dismay when Castiel can't insta-heal him. This storyline does also make me uncomfortable, because I will bet you things I actually value that Bobby will regain the use of his legs by supernatural means. Yay for Bobby! Not so much yay is the message that would send about the show's views on disability.
# 'Spirit in the Sky' playing when the guys arrive in the supposedly demon-infested town. They must've aimed for mood dissonance, transitioning from the intro which is fantastic for the scene to the lyrics which are a whole lot of wrong. For me, the concept is so much better than the execution but A for effort because I love these things. And an A+ for the oldest trick in the book: the music is actually in-universe. (Though, on reflection, if it had played through the car stereo from an earlier point on I would've liked it more. I don't know! I'm just glad these are not decisions I need to make.)
# To no one's surprise, War is a magnificent bastard. He can get away with it, because the actor can pull it off. Actually, despite trite old sermons about the inherent evil in humanity, yadda yadda, I enjoyed this dude.
# There were actual women and a black guy in this episode who weren't evil, useless, or dead by the end of it! Or subjected to sexualized violence (at least not so glaringly that I would've noticed--end caveat)! Oh, man, only with this show can I call that an achievement. And if they're bringing Ellen, Jo or Rufus back as recurring characters, they have all the time in the world to fuck with them later, though I will stick to my tattered optimism that they've learned something. (Even when judging by the season premiere, they... haven't.)
# Still. Too. Much. Angst. I'm intrigued by Sam's decision to strike out on his own, though I can't say I'm 100% in favor. He sort of fucked up big time and now he won't stick around to fix what he broke, awesome. I'm not sure Dean is actually able to do more without Sam. But it is of course a huge milestone that the guys are at a point where they think that's true.
Dammit, someone needs to kick some sense into Sam again. Knowing your limits and helping yourself before you can help others is all well and good, but apocalypse. I don't think you get to take time off to get your head straight, do some more rehab, whatever, when the world is literally ending, you know? Just fight the good fight out of Dean's way, then. I'm sure Castiel has both their phone numbers.
eta Funnily enough, the short version of all that is I REALLY ENJOYED THAT PLEASE KEEP IT COMING <3. I feel like I have this habit of turning my excitement invisible when I start writing posts, what.
eta ii I can't help hoping Castiel's reincarnation deal left Jimmy out of the equation. If God can piece a body back together after all that, you'd think he could leave out the original occupant even though that's not standard procedure. Fingers crossed they don't say anything to contradict what I want to be canon.
# Even in times when I haven't been this show's biggest fan, I've been a fan of their episode titles. The way to my heart: gratuitous intertextuality. But thnks fr th earworm NOW MAKE IT STOP AUGH. (Hilariously, despite the earworm I didn't connect the title and the episode's main plot until after the ep was already over. Fail.)
# This week I though I'd reached the zen of casual viewership and would just take any great plot revelations they throw my way with a shrug and an 'oh, okay'. A year ago I was railing against the introduction of angels and look how that turned out. We've established that God isn't running the show some time ago, and if Castiel now wants to go looking for the guy, sure. I can't not find that scene hilarious because it plays to me like a lost scene from Dogma, but I choose zen and waiting to see where it goes. (I don't know what it says about me or possibly my generation that whenever God's missing from heaven, I/we will think of a Kevin Smith movie. Sorry about my popular culture?)
# "So keep your opinions to yourself." ♥ ♥ ♥ MY LOVE FOR THIS OUTBURST CANNOT BE TEXTUALLY RENDERED.
# A logical part of me finds it annoying that Dean's amulet, which has so far been a completely non-supernatural symbol, is now upgraded into God-o-meter. It feels like pandering to fan theories. Another part of me thinks it was always a bit of a Chekov's gun since whatever was explicitly said about it, the show made it seem like it was magic waiting to happen. My zen is starting to crumble, I do have opinions and expectations.
# "When you find God, tell him to send legs!" The line is funny, and I feel for Bobby's dismay when Castiel can't insta-heal him. This storyline does also make me uncomfortable, because I will bet you things I actually value that Bobby will regain the use of his legs by supernatural means. Yay for Bobby! Not so much yay is the message that would send about the show's views on disability.
# 'Spirit in the Sky' playing when the guys arrive in the supposedly demon-infested town. They must've aimed for mood dissonance, transitioning from the intro which is fantastic for the scene to the lyrics which are a whole lot of wrong. For me, the concept is so much better than the execution but A for effort because I love these things. And an A+ for the oldest trick in the book: the music is actually in-universe. (Though, on reflection, if it had played through the car stereo from an earlier point on I would've liked it more. I don't know! I'm just glad these are not decisions I need to make.)
# To no one's surprise, War is a magnificent bastard. He can get away with it, because the actor can pull it off. Actually, despite trite old sermons about the inherent evil in humanity, yadda yadda, I enjoyed this dude.
# There were actual women and a black guy in this episode who weren't evil, useless, or dead by the end of it! Or subjected to sexualized violence (at least not so glaringly that I would've noticed--end caveat)! Oh, man, only with this show can I call that an achievement. And if they're bringing Ellen, Jo or Rufus back as recurring characters, they have all the time in the world to fuck with them later, though I will stick to my tattered optimism that they've learned something. (Even when judging by the season premiere, they... haven't.)
# Still. Too. Much. Angst. I'm intrigued by Sam's decision to strike out on his own, though I can't say I'm 100% in favor. He sort of fucked up big time and now he won't stick around to fix what he broke, awesome. I'm not sure Dean is actually able to do more without Sam. But it is of course a huge milestone that the guys are at a point where they think that's true.
Dammit, someone needs to kick some sense into Sam again. Knowing your limits and helping yourself before you can help others is all well and good, but apocalypse. I don't think you get to take time off to get your head straight, do some more rehab, whatever, when the world is literally ending, you know? Just fight the good fight out of Dean's way, then. I'm sure Castiel has both their phone numbers.
eta Funnily enough, the short version of all that is I REALLY ENJOYED THAT PLEASE KEEP IT COMING <3. I feel like I have this habit of turning my excitement invisible when I start writing posts, what.
eta ii I can't help hoping Castiel's reincarnation deal left Jimmy out of the equation. If God can piece a body back together after all that, you'd think he could leave out the original occupant even though that's not standard procedure. Fingers crossed they don't say anything to contradict what I want to be canon.