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Entry tags:
Supernatural Season 9 - Home Base
- gif credit
- spoilers contained below
- criticism of show/characters welcome, but please don't be an asshat (ie. no character/actor bashing, no ship wars)
- general thread
- 9.01 I Think I'm Gonna Like It Here
- 9.02 Devil May Care
- 9.03 I'm No Angel
- 9.04 Slumber Party
- 9.05 Dog Dean Afternoon
- 9.06 Heaven Can't Wait
- 9.07 Bad Boys
- 9.08 Rock and a Hard Place
- 9.09 Holy Terror
- 9.10 Road Trip
- 9.11 First Born
- 9.12 Sharp Teeth
- 9.13 The Purge
Coming up:
- Feb. 25 - Captives
Enjoy the show!!! ♥
9.08 Rock and a Hard Place
(posting a couple days early because I'm visiting family for the holiday week. I might be online. I might not. ENJOY!)
Re: 9.08 Rock and a Hard Place
And specifically, I mean, is this show getting worse at Dean's characterization? Because I feel like the last three eps in a row (at least) have been straight up OOC for him. And I'm not talking about the thing with Ezekiel and the lying. That's in character, imo, if misguided.
I'm talking about the littler things. The details. In this case, I mean Dean's sneering derision for virgins, Christians, porn stars and women in general.
And here is where it's hard to say if I'm over-sensitive (doubtless what the writers would think) or I'm really seeing some seriously offensive objectification.
The scene where Dean's in Susie's house, and comes across the porn DVDs (which I am unclear on WHY she'd just have those lying around, but whatevs) made me seriously consider autotrepannation. Its set up is obvious and icky enough, with the whole "hoodie and sneakers = unsexy, intentionally offputting, body not for consumption" and then wham: unzip that hoodie and the bow-chicka-wow-wow music starts. Suddenly she's sexually available.
The minute Dean figures out that she's a former porn star, all bets are off. She's nothing but a thing he's about to conquer. He barely had to suffer through one minute of doubt about his irresistible charms.
Nevermind the fact that it's evident that Susie has gone through an insane amount of trouble to conceal her identity. Nevermind her choices, and the fact that, until Dean, at least, she'd taken chastity very seriously. She'd felt called to God. All of that flies out the window the minute Dean says, "hey, I know you."
And then it's like: oops, tee hee, you caught me. I really am a porn star, masquerading this whole time as a virtuous girl. But see, since I can only be one or the other, and you've discovered my ~true self, then therefore I must jump your bones, because I am a promiscuous slut on the inside! Or something. Like she'd just been waiting for the opportunity to renounce her vows. That she took voluntarily.
And I mean look: I'm definitely no prude; I'm also definitely no Christian, but if people want to believe in Jesus and not have sex, then that's their prerogative. And this ep is like, the third in a row, I think, where Dean (and by extension, the viewer) is clearly standing in moral judgment of these misguided yahoos. First it was the animal rights activists, then it was people who work minimum wage at convenience stores, and now it's porn stars who've been born again.
And the most insidious part of this is that in each instance, Dean's derision is borne out as the correct response. He's proven 'right' at every turn. But he's basically walking around being an enormous douche.
WHY ARE THEY MAKING ME HATE DEAN? I don't want to hate Dean. In the past, when they've made him douchey, there's been some 'redeeming' act he's performed, that sort of set the cosmic scales back into balance. Like, in the past, sure he'd been flawed and imperfect, but he still contributed to the world. Lately, I feel like he's just racking up karmic debt for being an asshole.
Re: 9.08 Rock and a Hard Place
Thank you so much for saying all of this! I thought I was the only one who cringed through this entire episode and felt like I needed a shower afterward. It was clearly a case of the writers using the plot to get their own views out there, instead of serving the characters and the story.
As you said, some things didn't make sense. For one thing, I realize this is Hollywood and apparently people there have never darkened the doors of a genuine, Christian church. But good grief, is the idea of being a virgin until marriage (whether from the start or "secondary virginity") really something so bizarre and foreign and laughable to them? Just because someone chooses to be abstinent doesn't make them a freak. It doesn't mean they are socially awkward. It doesn't mean you've got a neon sign on you blinking out, "YES, I AM A WEIRDO BECAUSE I'M NOT HAVING SEX!" It's a personal decision that people make and unless you know them or ask them, you'd never even know! I've known many people who actually do take the Bible seriously and strive to live by it, but they didn't act or talk like these people did!
And the situation with Dean and the former porn star was just ridiculously over the top. As you pointed out, she went through all this trouble to get away from her past and make a new life for herself. So why would she:
1) Be "counseling" men? I am not familiar with groups specific to this type of issue, but I do know that women counseling men and men counseling women would simply NEVER BE ALLOWED, because of the obvious temptations! I cannot imagine a church group where this would happen.
2) Keep one of her old videos so easily accessible?
3) Give in so incredibly easily?! I know Dean's hot and all, but come on! Up to that point, it seemed like she was serious about changing her life. It wasn't played like she had only been pretending at the church group and was really still a porn star at heart. I just...
Anyway, I'm glad to not be alone. I adore this show but this ep was unbearable. And even with some of the questionable things they've done in the past, I don't think I've ever said that before. Not to this extent.
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And I noticed that this is where it drops off (908). I'm sorry if I contributed to your feeling like your thoughts were not welcome. That's certainly not my intention.
Looking it over, I can see how my critiques could seem a bit rough on show. I think it comes from a sense of ownership over the canon; I definitely don't critique any other show this much. Perhaps it's part of the pleasure for me.
But, none of that excuses your feeling excluded, if that's the cause. I apologize. I know I for sure can get a little rowdy in my reactions, but I definitely care more about your enjoyment of this homebase more than I do about critiquing the show.
I guess what I'm saying is: You don't know me as well as you know the canon, and same goes for me, and in these tentative spaces, it can be tempting to err on the side of 'politeness' and step back from discussions, if they seem like they're getting heated, you know? Like being at a cocktail party, and suddenly all the people sitting next to start hooting and hollering, and so you casually get up and go into a different room?
If that's the feeling we gave you, I wanted to assuage you that we--well, I can only speak for myself--would never step on your toes in our rowdiness. Not in this homebase, and nobody better do it to you in any homebase for that matter. If they do, tell me! I want everyone to feel welcome, basically, and if my own behavior is contributing to someone feeling uncomfortable, then I have no problem being called on it.
And also it's cool if I'm totally imagining this and you are just busy or what have you :)
Re: 9.08 Rock and a Hard Place
I think people just come at the show from different points or are fans of different aspects. It makes interacting with fandom a richer experience but I didn't want my lack of engagement along with my lack of staying current impact discussions here so thought it best I un-captain and merely participate.
Thanks for checking though! I think you're probably touching more on why I don't stay currents with the show in the first place rather than anything specific to this community. :)
As for timing, I thought the mid season hiatus made sense as there was discussion at some point of making fresh posts anyway.
Re: 9.08 Rock and a Hard Place
Ok, bb, I'm glad it's all good :) I like discussing SPN with you a lot.