moonshayde: (Drift)
moonshayde ([personal profile] moonshayde) wrote2008-02-09 10:51 am

A Thank You and SPN Thoughts

First, I want to thank everyone for their support yesterday. I tend to live in my own bubble a lot and was surprised to find so many people offering even a few words. I sometimes forget just how supportive people in fandom can be. So thank you.

I'm a little behind since I have class on Thursdays, so here are my thoughts.



Malleus Maleficarum

I liked this episode. Then again, I like Ruby and how she fits into this season anyway.

I was a little nervous when I saw the preview and noticed it would be about witches. I'm not as fond of the storylines that deal with pagan gods, etc., but I feel the writers did a good job with this one. Maybe my pagan friends would disagree. But when I walked away from this episode, I didn't feel like all witches are evil and sell their souls to demons. I felt like there were certain demons that used different practices as a cover to get to people.

That is basically what this episode was about.

I'm not sure I believe Ruby. Why would she be the only demon we've met so far that would have retained her humanity? I still think she's speaking half truths and telling Sam and Dean what they want to hear in order to push her own agenda. Since her agenda is in line with the brothers right now, she is siding with them. However, I do think she is more with them than not, unlike Bela. I was surprised that Ruby was a human at one point. That was a nice twist.

The part that I saw coming was that humans were once demons. I've been waiting for a good part of this season to see if they would go this route. It creates a nice parallel between how people can become angry spirits and how people who sell their souls can become demons. Poor Dean. He's been stuck in the same type of situation twice now - the threat of becoming the thing that you hunt.

I don't think all demons are one time humans, though. I can't see how that would work. There had to be some in place to begin with I would imagine.

I'm on the fence about Sam. While I'm in the camp that doesn't want Sam to go evil (and if he does, then he has to be able to redeem himself), I would prefer to buy into the idea that he is just trying to emulate Dean. I just find that a rationalization on Sam's part for what he's done this season. Hopefully, the writers will treat this area well and not go to either extreme.

Anyway, it was a great episode and I was very pleased with it. It had elements that I love - whumped Dean and heroic Sam. I was a little surprised by an scene with Ruby and Dean at the end since the episode has either been the brothers together or Sam with Ruby and Dean with Bela. It was an interesting change and it worked for me. I remember thinking at the end of the episode that maybe they'll switch it up again and have a Sam and Bela scene at some point.

Oy.



Dream a Little Dream of Me

I just watched this episode this morning.

Okay, I had been slightly spoiled for this one a long time ago, so I knew some daddy issues were going to crop up. I'll discuss that later.

I'm thinky on this episode. I've been anticipating it for a while, but I'm not quite sure how I feel about it yet. I enjoyed it - that's for sure. But there is a lot to digest in this episode and I think I'll have to see the results and consequences before I can really decide whether this episode was gold for me.

The idea of dreaming and controlling dreams has always fascinated me, so the idea itself already intrigued me. Plus I *love* Bobby. I keep getting scared that he'll die.

Bobby in a coma. Eep!

The dreaming was done wonderfully in this episode. Exploring a little bit of Bobby's past was nice and also tragic. He did this horrible thing but you still felt sympathy for him.

That lady on the picnic blanket...I assume I missed something with that. I haven't finished watching S2 and I wonder if that whole bit is from an episode I haven't seen yet. So maybe it will make sense once I get through Folsom Prison Blues and What Is and What Never Should Be. (Or whatever that episode's name is!)

When Dean grabbed the beer from the test subject person, I was like oh crap, Dean. You just didn't something stupid, didn't you? I'm glad that it wasn't random and that it was relevant to the story.

I wish there had been more for Sam to do, like have Sam face his fears, but they didn't go that route. Maybe we're not supposed to really know what is going on in Sam's head right now so we're left to question if he's alright or not. I did like the bit how Dean wants to live (of course he does). I also liked the stark reminder of what awaits Dean in hell.

I do hope, though, they keep in line that Dean won't just do anything. He needs to find a way where Sam doesn't die in the process. What a dilemma.

There were a couple of things that bothered me about this episode, though.

Sam and Bela. Where the heck did that come from? I don't recall any other episode that touched upon any attraction Sam might have had toward Bela. I mean, the scene was funny and all, and we all tend to have fantasies, but it seemed too odd and random. It didn't even make sense in the context of the episode. And all this time I was afraid they would have Dean and Bela hook up. Ack.

The other part I'm uneasy about is the confrontation between Dean and Dean. I understand it. I really do. I identify strongly with Dean which may be why it has me unsettled. But I was bothered a bit by his outburst about his father. Honestly, I don't think he really means it.

When you're an older sibling and you've been given the burden of protecting a younger sibling, you're forced to grow up fast. You become the kid that looks for approval and affection from the parents, and you essentially do become the good soldier. Your parents can be seen an infallible. You tend to place your own needs and desires last and decide to do whatever it takes to make the parent proud of you. This can lead to low self-esteem, identity issues, and lack of focus.

Dean is an extreme example of this. One of this days I'll do a write up how this relates to me and how I identify with Dean, but I don't feel like doing it right now LOL

Anyway, after a while all of that builds inside and it bursts. Dean burst in this episode. Everything he's been bottling up for so long came out in an angry outburst filled with resentment. This is normal. He said angry things. Some of the things he said had truth to them. Some were part of his anger and resentment. And with his death imminent, he is feeling it even more.

If they hadn't had Dean have this outburst, I would wonder what was wrong with him. He finally broke under the burden that he wasn't ready to have. I have no doubt that Dean loves his father and still admires John. But that resentment he's been holding onto that he couldn't live his own life because of his obligations, whether real or imagined, has finally come to the surface. He should be able to better deal with his situation. He should be able to come to terms with the love for his father, not as a hero, but as a person who made mistakes while still doing the best he could.

So the outburst made me uncomfortable, yes, but it made sense. It was unsettling for a reason. Like everything, I wouldn't take it as the gospel truth because every person's thoughts and opinions are filtered through their own emotions and biases. But this was an important episode. No one is perfect on this show and that is one of things I love about it :)

Next week's episode looks awesome :)

[identity profile] moonshayde.livejournal.com 2008-02-14 12:11 am (UTC)(link)
The Sam/Bela dream:

It was so random. I remember sitting there and just staring at the screen. Mind you, it was funny and JP is awesome with funny, but I was just kind of shocked. I kept waiting for them to reveal that Bela had tried the stuff and that was why Sam had such a random dream, but they really said so I figured I was nuts and grasping at straws. It's nice to know I wasn't the only one. Though, the scene does nicely demonstrate that Sam is a guy and I appreciated that much. *hates on people that keep trying to feminize him*

About Dean...see, I can relate to him on so many levels. I'm so much like him. I really am. Only, I don't have that same kind of resentment towards my parents. But I understand it because I keep so much bottled in. I understand the burden and obligations. I understand that kind of pressure that eats away at you bit by bit. I actually think the resentmenthas been growing there for a long time (not!Dean from Skin regardign Dean's feeling toward the life Sam had been leading) but the "killing Sam" directive that John left for him was the catalyst to start to bring it up. Because of course Dean woudl rather die than have to kill Sam. Dean only has his family. They're his life. I so get that.

That angry outburst was absolutely necessary. I hurt and felt bad for John because I still think that John, despite his crazy obsession and his poor parenting, did the very best he could. He did what he could for Sam and he died for Dean. Dean loves his father. I don't doubt that. He was speaking out of nager, frustration, and resentment and said some unfair things. That is what makes him human. I so appreciated that even if other people didn't.

Dean had to do this so he could finally forgive himself. And once he is at peace with himself and his issues, he could let go of that anger and resentment and see his father is a more healthy light.

Dean is so awesome, yes? *happy sigh* He just wants to be loved and have a family of his own. I get that.

Very pleased with the episode and my heart broke for Bobby. Guh. Bobby.

Interesting bit with Sam, though. Glad that i wasn't the only one that caught how Sam was positioned in the dream. Sam = savior figure?

[identity profile] meg-tdj.livejournal.com 2008-02-14 02:20 am (UTC)(link)
I'm sure they could have shown that Sam is a guy without... THAT. *shudder*

I agree that Dean's resentment has been building up for a long time. Just the fact that John ditched him with barely a word when he'd always done everything John ever wanted him to do... that would be enough to make him doubt that his father loved him, right there. But yeah, it was when John told him he might have to kill Sam that he really started acknowledging it. Smashing the car at the end of Everybody Loves a Clown really has a deeper meaning now that we know what's been going through Dean's head. He sees the car as an extension of his father, which is probably why he took out his anger on the Impala rather than any of the other random cars that were around him.

But I agree, Dean definitely still loves his father. Heck, I've raged about (and to) my parents on several occasions, but I still love them. Deep down I blame them for some of the things that have happened to me, so if I was in a situation where my inner self was taunting me like Dean's was, I'm sure some pretty nasty things would be said about them... but that doesn't mean I consciously hold it against them. I've forgiven, I just haven't forgotten, you know? I think Dean's more or less forgiven his dad, it's just that he used to think John was this powerful, infallible being that was way better than he could ever be, and now he's all disillusioned about him and doesn't know what to think anymore. Or something like that. I think I've lost track of what I was trying to say...

Yes, I give, Dean is awesome. I just wish he'd BE awesome rather than trying to cover it up with stupidness and sarcasm. :P

The bit with Sam... it was kind of a distorted version of the crucifix pose, which I read as symbolism for the antichrist thing. Oh, and something I forgot to mention... how did he get into Jeremy's head when he hadn't taken any of his "body"? He drank Dean's hair, not Jeremy's. He shouldn't have been able to get into Jeremy's head at all. Hmmmmmm...