Demons, Supernatural...

[briarwood]

So, a quick round-up of recent TV:

Demons - I'm still not on board. I think it's the language as much as anything; I just can't hear the word "smite" and take the speaker seriously. This weeks episode seemed so much blah. Galvin was incredibly wooden considering the angsty subject matter.

Mina remains the hottest thing I've seen for a while and if anyone's writing Mina/Ruby please point me to it!

Supernatural - It seems to be a rule with SPN: they come back from hiatus with utter crap. This episode was a real disappointment to me because it's a plot I've wanted to see for a long time: something that turns out to be completely non-supernatural. There's so much potential in that idea, in the moral dilemmas, in how the boys would handle it... But this was a plot that made very little sense.

They've done that before: devoted an ep to a very poorly sketched plot in order to make a point or end with a revelation about the brothers. But if that was the plan here, I'm afraid it failed. Were we supposed to be surprised by Dean's "revelation" at the end? Were we supposed to be shocked that he enjoyed torturing souls in Hell? 'Cause I'm not. It's been a part of Dean's character since the beginning: when he believes he's justified, he's capable of quite horrific things. And that's before he went to Hell. Even if we didn't have past precedent, no one tortures for ten years straight unless they get off on it. That's basic psychology. Someone in Dean's position who didn't get off on the torture would have gotten back "on the rack". He didn't. The conclusion was obvious; what he said in this episode added nothing.

And that's so not the way to do it! Show, don't tell is the basic rule of good fiction and it applies even more to television, which is supposed to be all about showing. So there should have been an episode in which the boys were compelled to torture something for information, in which Dean got to use what he learned in the pit, so we could see what it's done to him. See what he's lost of himself. And see the fallout. Or something. Instead we get cryptic angel crap and tearful confessions...

But it's becoming clear that Dean is Kripke's Mary Sue, so we'll never actually get to see him doing wrong by Kripke's lights. Shame.

And I am so, so sick of The Dean Show. He has always been third place for me, except in season two when he was fifth. I am beginning to wish they'd left him in Hell. Can I have my show back now, plz?

Battlestar Galactica is back! I'd forgotten. Though I was underwhelmed by the episode as a whole I'm looking forward to what the rest of the season will reveal. The twisty Starbuck plot is really intriguing. Not much more to say...just I'm looking forward to the rest.

Comments

[nerthus.livejournal.com]

Re: SPN

This episode was NOT scary, it was BORING; the writing was lame (feral kids who can write cryptic messages, break into the Impala and steal all the weapons and slash tires in no time flat...sheesh, that's BAD plotting. Not to mention a bland, utterly uninteresting family that didn't have enough personality between them all to patch together even one well-rounded character...and I don't care, I STILL say any normal kid is NOT gonna be happy and welcoming if someone/thing appears from their closet; if they do, they DESERVE to be devoured or whatever the hell else might happen to them. Even in ELAC, which I liked, I was snorting in disbelief at those stupid kids wanting to let the big, scary clown inside their houses. When I was a kid, I at least had the sense to scream like a banshee and run like hell if I saw anything/anyone even remotely creepy, ha.)

And as for Sam...I'm beginning to wonder if Jared Padalecki somehow got on Kripke's shit list, as he seems to be pretty much persona non grata this season. I DO want to see Dean facing the inevitable backlash of his actions and having to deal with PTSD from his experiences in Hell; but as you so aptly stated, SHOW us, don't TELL us,and in the showing can the writers not manage to incorporate Sam into the story line, as well? After all, he IS the reason Dean sold his soul to start with, and we don't even get to really see Sam's side of the whole guilt/PTSD line alongside Dean's struggles with it all. I'm so so tired of Sam appearing onscreen as stoic wallpaper and nothing more; aside from his bits 'n pieces use of his 'power' early on, we really aren't seeing much of him at all in recent eps. It's become the all-Dean-all-the-time show, and on a series which purports to be about TWO brothers, on a journey TOGETHER,it irks me to no end to have writers who apparently can't understand that or aren't competent enough to integrate Sam into the episode in a meaningful, solid way. The season started with such promise but I am becoming so disillusioned as it goes along; most of all, I just really miss Sam, a lot a lot, sigh.

[morgan32.livejournal.com]

I doubt it's anything to do with Jared. EK has made it clear that Dean is his Marty Sue and the writers are a bit too into fan-service. This does not encourage fair treatment of both characters.

I saw a lot of potential in the episode but it was very badly executed. Frankly, I don't agree that the season started with promise: as soon as they said "angels" I knew it was heading down the tubes. That's such a mistake. Yeah, I know Castiel is popular - I like Castiel - but these writers are not smart enough to deal with the philosophical questions that throws up.

[krazykipper.livejournal.com]

I now have to go looking for Mina/Ruby fic, even though Ruby still irritates me. Maybe Mina could teach her a thing or too...

[morgan32.livejournal.com]

She is irritating, but the one thing I liked in this ep was her insistence on carrying the gun and then freezing when she had to use it. It's a surprisingly realistic thing. I imagine a lot of people will see it as Ruby "being the girl" but it's more being human...and after that she pulled her shit together. I like her interaction with Mina; she needs to get over the pretty boy, 'cause Mina would be so much better for her :-)

[krazykipper.livejournal.com]

I think the fawning over Luke thing is getting to me. Either get over it, or tell him and have sex. The UST is not interesting.

And it's true, not many people would handle a gun well, or be able to just shoot it the first time without emotions getting in the way. The bomb bit annoyed me though. She didn't even try to move it, or take Mina and get out or something. And waiting for 2 seconds to cut the wire? It wasn't a well put together scene in any case.

But Mina would definitely be good for her. I can see it working.