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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!!! ♥
9x13 - The Purge
Sam and Dean are on the hunt for a fish taco.
Re: 9x13 - The Purge
Re: 9x13 - The Purge
Re: 9x13 - The Purge
Re: 9x13 - The Purge
What's weird to me is that they have both already been through this. We have long ago established that Sam can and will let Dean go, but the reverse isn't true. They practically traded off: s2 Dean can't let Sam go. s3 Sam lets Dean go to hell. s4 they work separated and let Lucifer out. s5 is the only season where Dean's codependence is actually the saving grace.
I forget what happens in s6 and 7 finales, but we know at some point Dean accepts that Sam is gone and lives a life. And then there is the trickster thing, where Sam had to accept that Dean was dead and became a coldly focused hunter. And Sam didn't try to get Dean out of purgatory, right?
My point is that this isn't new territory, but it's like they're exploring it in slow motion now? I guess? And I am really really REALLY glad that Sam voices his concerns about the dark, stark-terror fear that is at the heart of Dean's selflessness. It's also been said before, that Sam thinks Dean is selfish for wanting to die first. But in this season the explicit consent issues involved with actively refusing to let Sam die are being examined. It's like that old saying: there's no such thing as altruism.
And it's a great relief to me to know that this is, in fact, going to be addressed by the writers. It's weird that I spent 11.5 episodes wondering if the nature of Dean's transgressions, and their impetus were even being understood by Carver et al. Irrespective of whether or not Dean did it for 'the right' reasons or whatever else, the issue of there even being an issue of consent for Sam was concerning to me. SO that's awesome, now that it's out in the open.
ION: Dean is highly feminized in this episode, again. Take note of the fact that their conversation in the beginning, and the whole recurring 'just stating a fact' bit would have gone precisely the same way if Dean had been Sam's wife. That is how old married couples (not)fight.
Also, he's ready with the clever quip about weight and age, and then is immediately called on doing the same thing.
When Alfonso called him the 'new guy' and accused him of flirting with Sam (another instance of feminization? Or just tired old queer baiting {from the viewer's pov}/homophobia {in universe}?) for a second I thought Dean's undercover name was 'Novak.' And had to rewind and turn up the volume.
All in all, this episode soothed a lot of my ruffled feathers. I'm still not sure why they're doing this--already been done, and it's not wise to alienate viewers from the beloved POV character for so long--I'm glad that it seems to be getting done in a fairly competent manner.
Also, yeah, Jared did a really good job in the last scene. He outshone Jensen, even, which is an interesting switch.
And while the thing about grayish shades between monsters and humans has also been done in past seasons (and obviously they are gearing up to let Crowley live. This lady and Garth as a werewolf. Where else can it be going?) I enjoyed the MotW plot. They're like a cross between the adipose and the Wraith?
Re: 9x13 - The Purge
Actually, I think it is.
So, in S1, there's this ep where Dean nearly dies, he's eletrocuted and his heart gives out. And then he's healed by the faith healer - which turns out to have a reaper on a leash. Sam was DEVOTED to finding a way to not let Dean die. And Dean was ready to go! He said as much to Sam, who was absolutely not going to let it happen. Dean also was ready to die at the beginning of S2, with the reaper, Tessa. But John saved his life that time.
End of S2, Dean does the very bad thing of making a deal to save Sam. But at the end of S3, Sam doesn't just "let him go" to hell - he's looking for a deal that whole season, desperate for some way to get Dean out of it. And then when Dean makes him promise not to do that (because it would undo the deal and mean that Sam would die), Sam basically resolves to do whatever it takes to get Dean back from the dead. (And goes on the demon blood path because he's so lost without his brother.)
S4 is hiding Sam's addiction and trying to prevent Lucifer's return; S5 is dealing with Lucifer's return, and yeah, the brothers' codependency really did come out the right way there (Sam's disappointment being the only thing that kept Dean from saying yes to Michael) - BUT! In the end, Sam dies (and he knows he's in for eternal torment, and so does Dean) and DEAN LETS HIM. AND! Right afterward, Dean goes to live a life with Lisa. It seems normal and happy.
Generally, because this is where Kripke's endgame was, I feel like their relationship after this point is all over the place, because it didn't have that overarching plot. But here's how I see the rest of it, anyway:
S6, Sam returns, minus the soul, and Dean doesn't even hesitate to leave Lisa. Clearly Sam trumps everything, even though he feels "off." When Dean realizes Sam's missing his soul, there is nothing that could stop him from getting it back. When Cas releases Sam's crazy, Dean is the thing that grounds him in reality for a long time (and bleeds into S7). When Cas takes over the crazy, mid-season 7, Dean's not happy about leaving him, but he does it. He wouldn't have done that if it'd been Sam.
End of S7 is when Dean goes to purgatory and beginning of S8 is when we find out Sam didn't look for him – which everyone except Jeremy Carver seems to think was out of character. Including Jared, who ostensibly knows Sam better than anyone. Apparently he fought against that decision and lost. So that, in the recent timeline, is the first indication we see of Sam giving up the fight where Dean was concerned.
At the end of S8, Sam doesn't finish the trials – because of Dean. Again, he goes with Dean above all else, when every other instinct in his body is telling him to just finish. And Dean can't let him go this time, not like he did with Lucifer, probably because while all signs pointed to Sam's death, they were completely lying to themselves and assuming he'd be okay. So Dean wasn't able to prepare, not like he was with Lucifer.
That's what I think happened here. I think if they'd taken the signs for what they were, if they'd found out a little earlier that Sam was going to die, they would've been able to come to terms with it, and Sam would've willingly sacrificed himself (and gotten Cas to promise to take care of Dean) and Dean would've (maybe) been able to accept it (with Cas's help).
But it was that unpreparedness (and realizing how he'd fallen down on taking care of Sam in the arena of his emotional and spiritual health, when Sam calls him out on how little Dean thinks of him) that led not only to Dean stopping Sam from completing the trials, but to the desperation to save his life in the beginning of S9 with little regard for the consequences.
Honestly, Sam is being super-extra harsh with Dean. He's telling the truth, which is just not usually the way he deals with Dean, you know? But he's so hurt and angry, he's not willing to pull his punches for Dean any longer, not even though Dean is clearly in a downward spiral that isn't going to end well. Sam'll come around, I have absolute faith. I think he's having a little of Dean's typical "I'm done with living" sort of ennui and when Dean gets in real trouble (presumably the mark of Cain, which Sam will have to subvert, somehow), Sam will come around.
And with any luck, Dean will also learn something – he will grow and realize that he IS selfish about his interactions with Sam, and that he does need something more in his life besides his brother.
Aaaaaaaaaaand, this has taken up too much time on a deadline day already so I will respond to other things tonight, after all my grants are in. :D
Re: 9x13 - The Purge
AMEN. I wanted to hope they were going to address it, but I try not to get my hopes up too high - that way lies lots of heartache.
Dean is highly feminized in this episode, again.
Yup. *nods along* I don't mind, I find. I find it interesting, particularly because he's the one who's always playing so macho. It amuses me to see him feminized. Why is it we get naked Jared every year (or at least shirtless) and he's objectified, but Dean (played by the generally accepted more handsome Jensen) is never objectified in that way? Do we ever get shirtless Jensen? We haven't in years. Nor even pajamas - I guess there was the Men of Letters robe that one time, but it covers pretty much his whole body. It's an interesting dynamic.
Also, yeah, Jared did a really good job in the last scene. He outshone Jensen, even, which is an interesting switch.
He did, though I'm willing to put this on direction, a bit. Or show running. I think because Dean is still lying to himself, Dean couldn't actually react to things Sam was saying with honesty, with regret and sorrow and all those beautiful things that we will eventually see. When he's having to play denial and disbelief, there's a lot less for Jensen to work with. It was meant to be Sam's moment, anyway, really - he's SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO angry, and he's taking it out on Dean, and we're meant to feel that something fierce. We have to feel it because we're NOT lying to ourselves, we KNOW Dean fucked up, and is still fucking up, and we feel for him, because we know it's going to be a while before he hits rock bottom yet.
And while the thing about grayish shades between monsters and humans has also been done in past seasons (and obviously they are gearing up to let Crowley live. This lady and Garth as a werewolf. Where else can it be going?)
True - and they love Mark Sheppard, so I imagine he'll be hanging around as long as possible. But I wish they'd more fully addressed this earlier - they seem to have absolutely no qualms about killing demons anymore, without exorcising or even trying to save the humans. It's a little frustrating. I'm with them trying to make more of an effort to not kill things that aren't evil, though. Dean only gets "kill all the things" when he's in a downward spiral.
Re: 9x13 - The Purge
I think, among the reasons that are internal to the narrative, most have been well explored already--his role as parentified child, self sacrificing, understanding of self on in relation to how functional/useful he is--these are all aspects that are typically associated with women, moreso than with men.
But its where these attributes mesh with the external factors, that's what fascinates me. My emphasis for my BA degree was language and gender, so I'm really (overly?) attuned to gendered speech patterns, and Dean frequently uses syntactic structures and speech patterns commonly associated with women. And the reason for this is, imo, because he's largely been written by women. (and not just women, but middle aged women. I can hear that, too). This gives me great joy, since we are already empathizing with Dean, since we are already using him as the proxy or gateway into the narrative, this unconscious recognition on the audience's part helps explain his appeal as the 'little black dress' - the want to be/want to fuck phenomenon.
And then there's the thing about Jensen clearly overcompensating irl, and feeling uncomfortable with being objectified--be it because he knows he can't compete with Jared in a shirtless competition, or his sense that being a former model, his masculinity has already "compromised" and therefore any more intentional objectification would make him as a person "vulnerable" somehow--that just ends up hanging a lantern on it. I feel like this is why so many villains verbalize their admiration of/ridicule of his physical beauty. It's like they are trying to take away some of his agency, as if competence were in inverse proportion to the symmetry of one's features--and I often wonder if that's not the writers having a subtle dig at Jensen.
Any way you slice it, having him be the hero and the emotional core of the show, in a way allows women to have their cake and eat it too. They can have Dean as their proxy--read as a woman, he's badass, competent and tough; a role model to young women watching the show, perhaps--and as a sexual object to be consumed.
Re: 9x13 - The Purge
This is awesome. I totally agree and I don't really have much of anything to add.
I'm not surprised by Jensen's thing, it's obvious in a lot of things he does, but I have no idea what it is either.
Oh, and it annoys me that the way to take away someone's agency is to notice how good looking they are. Huh? But it is; you can tell that's what they're doing, and Dean's reactions often mean he knows it, too. I dun know.
But I love Dean being our window into the series, and that window being feminine. :D
Re: 9x13 - The Purge
From that perspective, pretty much all motw a-plots are going to seem overly simplistic, even as coat hangers for the brother drama. Once you avert, cause, avert, and then cause the apocalypse, it's sort of all child's play. This is an interesting by-product of shows of this sort, and an issue perhaps unique to the form. I wonder if folks in the writers room think about this. Or if maybe they will, in future shows. They'll be like, "yeah, but let's be careful not to pull a Willow or a Sam-N-Dean, here."
Re: 9x13 - The Purge
But I see what you mean on a meta level, monsters of the week are tough to choke down considering there's wars above and below going on.