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nerdylittleshit · 5 years

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Thoughts about Spn 14x10

SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS!

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand we are back with an episode that, as usual, gave me a lot of feelings. I admit that after a strong first half of the season I wasn’t the biggest fan of the midseason-finale, because the twist didn’t work for me. Mostly because we had all saw it coming and because it felt as we just went back to the status quo of this season’s beginning. And I was really curious as to how they would defeat Michael this time, because the spoilers for the upcoming episodes already told us that Dean would be back, and I admit I really liked how Yockey tied the story up momentarily, and the direction the story went, giving us something new to feel anxious about. Yeah.

But, as always, let’s have a closer look.

Rocky’s Bar

Obviously we have to talk about Rocky’s bar, about Dean’s dream (the dream), and what it tells us about Dean. I’m not sure how much of it is actually made up by Dean, and what is made up by Michael. Sam reminded us of the time Gadreel had trapped him inside in his mind, distracting him with a case. Which makes it sound like the angel chooses the fantasy. And in a way this makes sense. We see Dean owning a bar, working together with Pamela, and at the end of the day we still saves the day and kills vampires. Michael gives him something that is his (and it’s a bar of all things, for someone who once described himself as a “functional alcoholic”), there is a beautiful woman, and Dean can still be the hero, even though we don’t see him actually hunting. And yet this fantasy feels wrong. It feels like someone took a very superficial look at Dean’s life, especially say season 4 and 5, and created something out of it. Does Dean really wants to own a bar? Where is his family in this fantasy? Why are Sam and Cas mentioned but never show up? Where is Jack? Or Mary? And if Pamela can return from the dead, where is Bobby or Ellen or Jo or Charlie?

And speaking about Pamela. It is interesting that of all the people he lost it is her who returns. And Dean is completely unaware that she died in reality. This isn’t about her loss. It is what she represents. She is hot, she can defend herself, appreciates the finer things in life (sex, alcohol, probably good music and fast cars). And yet… nothing happens between the two. And this is where we are reminded that even if it is Michael who choose this distraction it is still Dean’s mind and Dean’s rules. It is Dean who chooses to give her a boyfriend, to make her unavailable. And this isn’t about her being hard to get (besides Dean always accepted it when a woman said “no”). Because she even tells him that he doesn’t really want her, that he only wants to flirt. While asking him why he only wants what he can’t have. And “Searchin’ For a Rainbow” plays in the back. Ahem. And on top of that Pamela of course is a psychic, somebody Dean can’t lie to.

So Dean is all alone with a beautiful woman and… nothing happens. And this isn’t about Pamela having a boyfriend. It is about Dean, who doesn’t really want her. He wants something or rather someone, he can’t have. And the episode asks loudly who that could be.

Gnats & Gods

So, let’s talk about Michael. First of all, Jensen played him so so well. I think the longer the character stays around the more comfortable Jensen gets playing him and it really shows. Second, did Michael really use his powers to change his outfit? Is he that extra? Yes, of course he is.

So, as it turns out this Michael has as much daddy issues as the Michael of our world had. But unlike our Michael this Michael was able to play his part, to bring down the apocalypse and kill Lucifer and… nothing happened. God didn’t show up. He didn’t care. Just as he didn’t care in our world when the apocalypse almost happened. And yet it must have hurt Michael to find out through Dean’s memories that Chuck did show up in our world. But it gives Michael at least some satisfaction that he at least saw his old man and that he realized that Chuck is a writer, and all the worlds he creates are just failed drafts he abandons once he realizes they don’t work out. I wonder if there is some truth to it, if Chuck indeed keeps on creating, world after world, draft after draft, never satisfied with his work. It also confirms that there is only one God (and probably only one Amara), but they are multiple versions of the archangels (and everyone else).

Michael plans to burn down every world his father has created, to catch up on him, and to ultimately kill God. I’m not sure if the CW goes as far as to kill God, or if it is even possible. I’m more interested in what that means for Dean, as Michael is his Dark Mirror and we know John will temporarily return. Does Dean have to kill his own father? Or rather the toxic parts of their relationship in order to find closure?

My Body is a Cage (but my mind holds the key)

Michael tries to create a rift between Dean and his family by confronting everyone with their greatest fear. He tells Jack that he is unwanted, just another burden for Dean, nothing more than a responsibility, and that Dean never truly loved or cared about him.

He tells Cas that Dean only tolerates him, because he thinks he owes him for rescuing him from hell. (Dean of course remembers the exact words Cas used – “gripped you tight and raised you from perdition” – though I’m pretty sure that Cas-voice was just Jensen making fun of Misha). But since then Cas has made one mistake after another.

And finally Sam is confronted with the fear that he will always let down Dean, that he will always leave, and that perhaps his brother was happier without him, when he was hunting alone with his father. Which I think will be important again, once John returns.

Even though we know Michael is lying, I think what he said to each member of Dean’s family will have an effect on them. They will question themselves and their relationship to Dean. But I also think it will help each of them on their road to self-discovery, to realize that Michael was wrong and that they have value.

I want to talk about Cas especially, because of reasons. Because there is of course some truth to Michael’s words, otherwise it wouldn’t hurt as much. Cas has made a lot of mistakes in the past, and he still feels guilty because of it. The question is however why he is still a part of Dean’s life, of Dean’s family then? Only because Dean tolerates him, because he thinks he owes Cas? Or could it be because his feelings for Cas run a bit deeper. First the episode tells us that Pamela (and women like her) is not what Dean wants. Now it asks why Cas is still around. And the lines “We need you ” and “I remember. I remember everything” are callbacks to two heavy Destiel episodes, 8x17 and 7x17 respectively.

Like I mentioned before I like how the episode tied up the Michael storyline for now. Dean finds a loophole – in his mind Michael has no powers and he can trap him. Dean’s body literally becomes the cage. He has trapped his own Dark Mirror inside himself. Which of course isn’t healthy and only a temporarily solution, because after all doors are made to be opened. But it is also interesting because even before Michael Dean’s body has been a cage (it’s no wonder I immediately associated this song with Dean). Dean is used to bury down traumatic events, and this episode alone reminded us how much trauma he had to endure. Could it be that if one door is opened others are opened as well? That when (not if) Michael escapes the cage Dean not only has to face his Dark Mirror but all the traumas of his life as well?

Which of course brings us to Death. Or Billie. First of all I wonder why only Sam and Michael were able to see the reaper. Reapers are angels (according to Bucklemming mythology), so Cas should have seen her. I’m not sure about Jack though, because he is half-human. There might be some significance in the fact that not everyone could see the reaper.

Then we learned that will there is only one God, there is more than one Death. Michael mentions that he locked away the Death of his world and enslaved the reapers, which of course made him the Master of Death in his world. It is possible he has the same plan for our world and why Billie intervenes.

Billie of course warned Dean about walking between worlds and we learn that such a huge event like AU!Michael entering our world can result in destinies being rewritten, in this case Dean’s. We are confronted with a case of Supernatural: Infinity War, where only one outcome doesn’t result in the destruction of… well everything. The big question of course is what is written in the notebook Billie gave Dean? What does he has to do to stop Michael? My first thought was that perhaps he has to sacrifice himself, destroy the vessel, while Michael is still locked inside himself. Which is an idea I don’t really like because I prefer my Dean happy and alive.

So now I am worried about Dean, worried about Cas and his deal with the Empty, and worried about Jack, because of course he used his powers and therefore burned off a bit of his soul.

One short mention of the AU hunters: really liked the representation of community, how they without questioning helped the Winchesters. They might not be family, but they can rely on each other.

And that’s it. Until next week <3

#supernatural #spn 14x10 #nihilism #spn meta #spoilers #my meta

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bibliophileiz · 3 years

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A (not really) Ode to bucklemming

Last bucklemming episode, and you guys, it was just such a classic example of their stale mediocrity. And yet, at the end of this post, I found myself bizarrely happy with how the episode turned out.

This is the second time I’ve watched it, and while I was planning to just liveblog my thoughts, I realized quickly that would not work, because most of the episode is boring and miserable, (especially the first third or so) and that makes for boring and miserable note-taking. I think I said in a tag of a different post that Dabb assigning this one to bucklemming is just further proof that he hasn’t cared about plot at all this season, and honestly, I don’t know there’s much they COULD have done to make this plot entertaining. Chuck even says at one point that it ... isn’t entertaining.*

The first third or so is basically Sam, Dean, and Jack being miserable with nothing around them break that misery up (except, briefly, a dog). And that makes for a miserable viewing experience. Here are a handful of notes I took that give you the gist:

- Chuck standing there talking about how loneliness and no-people is “deep” and a “page-turner” is such a gratifying little critique of shitty writers who like their gritty stories about permanently miserable protagonists. Like dude, you know there’s a reason nobody rereads “The Road,” right? - Dean slurring his words because he’s hungover is the first time anything interesting has happened with the dialogue in this whole episode. - Rob Benedict is the only one who gets to inflect his dialogue this episode. I do think his acting in that last scene is great, where he’s screaming, “Guys, wait!” as they drive off. It’s not a terrible ending scene.

So there’s that. Now here are my notes not-related to how stale and boring everything is:

Beginning: -The shots of Kyoto and New York City remind me of all the shots in NYT and other major newspapers after COVID shut everything down last spring (except in this case all the traffic would still be in New York, just no people). - “I couldn’t save anybody.” Poor Sam. (must push down feelings about Sam’s leadership arc and how it always seems to end with people dying, ugh, repress, repress!) - Also, I wanted to see a shot of a sink running and one of them turning it off. Just a random thing.

Archangel stuff: - I guess it makes sense to lose Adam if you’re going to kill Michael at the end, but goddamn if Michael isn’t a way more boring character without him. - Ah, Lucifer, a.k.a bucklemming’s attempt at comic relief. I’m starting to miss the boring dialogue. - Ooh, awesome, the only female character in the episode shows up bound and gagged and immediately murdered so she can be used and then murdered again. (Also, the first time I watched this scene, I was sure she wouldn’t wake up and was gearing up to laugh at Lucifer for sucking.) - Jensen stays as far away from her as he can when he unties her, I’m sure that actress appreciates him trying not to give her COVID. Course then she immediately ruins it by head-butting him, which is NOT practicing social distancing. - Many have commented on whether Lucifer can actually kill Death by snapping his fingers. We don’t know, but the Scythe WAS right there, and if Dean can kill Death with it (twice), I’m sure Lucifer can. - On the other hand, it IS established lore that God doesn’t have power in the Empty. Presumably he could negotiate with it like Death, and possibly he just took advantage of the loud chaos of Jack exploding, Death dying, the Empty apparently being super pissed, etc. to sneak in and make off with Lucifer. - Also WHY DO ALL THE ARCHANGEL FIGHTS IN THIS SHOW SUCK ASS???? - “I haven’t been in a battle like that in several centuries,” Michael says, as if he just fought the Battle of the Blackwater in Game of Thrones, and not what appeared to be the archangel equivalent of Mario Kart.

And climax/last scene: - But the best moment of the episode is when they GET BACK UP BLOODY AND HOLDING ONTO EACH OTHER AND ABSOLUTELY BEAMING BECAUSE THEIR LITTLE BOY IS ABOUT TO BECOME GOD. - Also, I like the music in this scene. And it seems like it’s the same place they used to film the end of Season 12/beginning of Season 13, which was probably peak Dabb era, ngl. (Jensen as Michael was also great.) - I also like that Jack and Chuck are both wearing light jackets, but Jack’s is a leeeeeetle whiter. - Chuck looking at the blank book is that moment in every writer’s life, when they’re like, “NOOOOOO, the computer DELETED EVERYTHING I WROTE.” - “Dean Winchester, the ultimate killer” You guys, 10 is Chuck’s favorite season. - Of course it is sweet that Cas’s last words seem to have had an effect on Dean, how he goes from “That’s (killing) all I know how to do” to “That’s not who I am.” I’m far from the first person to point that out though. - What happened to Amara is THE WORST. - Also, I am annoyed that Jack isn’t going home with them, because I really wanted him to be God, and a hands-off one, but I also wanted him to drive the Impala and solve crimes, ya know? - Jared at least seems to understand that this ending is upsetting, because Sam has tears in his eyes, whereas Dean is just kind of like, “ah, he’s leaving.” Which is fine because DEAN AND JACK ARE NOT AS CLOSE AS SAM AND JACK, fight me. - Him disappearing into light is stupid, though. - At least Dean and Sam get to sit close to each other at the end. I wonder if that was the first scene shot after they got out of quarantine. - WHERE ARE THEY DRIVING? - Maybe to go see Jody. - WE GOT BELA AND CROWLEY AND ANNA IN THE MONTAGE HELLZ YEAH, ALSO ABBADON AND ELLEN AND RUFUS, but we also got fucking Asmodeus and Ketch and no Benny, what the fuck, Showalter?

So I have questions.

Some of them are unimportant, like how did people in restaurants at the end react when they found themselves looking at food that seems to have undergone days’ worth of rot in the blink of an eye? Also, you got a shot of a full airport at the end, but that begs the question: were there airplanes in the sky at the time Chuck snapped everyone away, and did they crash, and did the people on them get snapped back into crashed airplanes and was that not super confusing for them and did the airlines lose billions of dollars because all their planes crashed right before COVID shut them down anyway and if all that’s the case is it really any wonder they needed a bailout from the federal government?

But some of them are plot-relevant and could have helped an episode in desperate need of it.

For example, I want to know what’s going on with the Empty, and if Mark Pellegrino had talked about it for more than two seconds, I might not have hated every second he was on screen. Also, there are other things happening this episode. Like Jack walking around sucking life and “power” out of plants catches Dean and Sam’s attention immediately. We know that, because we see them noticing it and exchanging confused glances in the flashback at the end of the episode.

Here’s the thing though: Why not have that in the beginning? It’s not a Huge Reveal, and it would have given Jensen and Jared something to do in that stale boring beginning other than Make Sad Face. As pretty as Jensen and Jared are, and as good as they are at making sad faces, you cannot build an entire episode around that.

Related, there isn’t actually much of a beat in the plot where it makes sense for them to figure out Michael will betray them for God. It seems like it will happen in that conversation between Dean and Michael when Michael expresses his hurt that Chuck let Lucifer out of the Empty before even asking for help. But at that point, it seems Sam and Dean have already come up with their plan. The flashback makes it seem as if they began to suspect Michael would betray them when Lucifer called him a cuck, something I think they made a plot point purely to have the word “cuck” in the episode for the third time.**

There are a few hopeful beats that show that bucklemming understand on some level that there needed to be some flow to this episode, such as the dog and Dean thinking he may have gotten Cas back. But I don’t think those are substitutes for showing Sam and Dean come up with their plan to defeat God. Even if you don’t want to reveal that they know Michael will betray them, you can still get one scene in there of them saying something like, “You think this’ll work?” if you just cut two minutes of Michael’s boring monologue in the church and/or Lucifer’s bullshit.

It follows this weird pattern of bucklemming once again seeming to not find Sam and Dean particularly interesting, so they don’t spend any time writing them DOING anything, or at least succeeding at anything, because they’d rather write Lucifer killing women and generally being an asshole.

So ... who cares, right? It’s bucklemming, they were bound to be mediocre-to-bad anyway, it kind of makes sense for Dabb to give them this episode because nepotism definitely makes it a best case scenario. And while I take issue with Dabb as a showrunner, I do think he’s great at standalone episodes and character stuff, so I’m not too terribly worried about next episode. I just think there were things about this episode that could have sucked less.

There ARE things about it that were fine, dare I say even good. It was in my notes, but I just want to emphasize that I LOVED the shot of Sam and Dean getting up bloody and broken, holding onto each other and grinning their asses off knowing that Chuck’s about to lose to Jack, and they get to see it! They may very well have gone into that fight expecting to die -- Chuck nearly just zapped them from existence, which would have still unleashed God-power for Jack to soak up.

The ending scene is pretty good, with Sam and Dean seeming like they’re still pretty beaten down, but trying to get it together. That’s more Jensen and Jared’s acting than anything bucklemming wrote, but it’s still good. The montage is good (although I will say for like the third time, where. the fuck. was Benny?)

Jensen’s acting over the dog was SO SOFT (doesn’t he have a dog?). I half-expected the dog to run to him at the end, which would have been cute.

There are also things that were ... potentially good, if they’d been brought up correctly? I actually really like that Jack is going to be “hands-off” (although I like less that he and Sam will never see each other again, but Dabb did say it was going to be a bittersweet ending, so ....).

I also -- and God, I’m going to get hate mail for saying this -- don’t mind that he didn’t bring Cas back. That highlights the difference between him and Chuck. Chuck brings back Sam and Dean (and, in Season 5 at least, Cas) over and over again, not out of love, but just to throw them back into their exhausting existence. In contrast, Jack NOT bringing anyone back (except the people who’d been snapped out of existence, which I would argue is more about putting the world on its proper course again, as opposed to “violating the natural order,” as Billie would put it). He knows he has to let people go. You could argue that’s always been his arc -- he and Cas even talk about how hard it will be for them to one day lose Sam and Dean back in Season 14 when they think Dean is dying.

But I wish there had been dialogue exploring THAT instead of the weird vague stuff about how he would always be a part of them. It doesn’t have to be anything super analytical like what I just wrote, it just has to be him saying, “I understand that in order to be a just god, I have to let things go and be at peace.”

(However, if the reason they DIDN’T go that direction is they didn’t want Dean to be like, “You know, he’s right,” next episode and not rescue Cas from the Empty, then I’m fine with them leaving that out. Screw the natural order, Dean -- go rescue Cas from the Empty!)

I also really really really want to get some sense that Sam’s faith has been rewarded. We got a tiny glimmer of that this episode in the hushed, awed way Jared delivers the line, “Are you really ... him?” Sam has always been the one with faith in a just and loving God, and one of the things that aggravated me about the end of Season 14 was his faith being so blatantly not rewarded, in favor of promoting Dean’s more cynical take on God.

The show has always, since the very first season, raised questions about where God is, whether his will is just, and how we know we’re following it, and the main characters all have different answers to that -- Sam’s being the more faithful, optimistic view of “God is good”, Dean’s being the more critical “If God is good then why do bad things happen?”, and, most interestingly, Cas’ viewpoint largely fluctuating with his own sense of identity and self-worth. The point is, we had all three of these opinions on God, without the show ever explicitly saying which one was right.

Until very recently, I thought it should have stayed that way. But now I love the idea that Sam’s faith in God was rewarded not by Chuck, but by Jack -- the very boy he took under his wing and raised as his own son, the boy who understands that he is good and that people are good largely because SAM TAUGHT HIM THEY CAN BE. It’s just so beautiful, and I’m getting more and more happy about this ending as I write about it, actually, so maybe I don’t entirely hate Jack’s ending after all.

That was a happier note than I planned on ending this on. I guess that is how you stop worrying and tolerate bucklemming.

Goodbye, bucklemming. I hated many of your episodes, but I will miss you and your weird, inconsistent writing that was so entertaining to pick apart and analyze and make fun of. I hope you find some cop shows where you can churn out more mediocrity and make some money. And in the meantime, stop killing off women.

*Yet another example from this season of the writers intentionally writing a bad episode to highlight the fact that Chuck is a bad writer. NEWSFLASH DABB: Bad writing is still bad writing, I don’t care if the villain of the story is the writer, I still don’t want to watch it if it’s bad.

**Which is such a bizarre insult to use. Isn’t it slang for a guy who’s wife cheats on him? I swear I’m not innocent or sheltered, I have just literally never heard anyone use that insult in a real context in my entire life.

#how i learned to stop worrying and tolerate bucklemming #this is the last time i get to review one of their episodes i'm getting a little choked up #not really #supernatural spoilers #supernatural #supernatural home stretch #this episode was boring and miserable but the end was decent

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