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vanitashazeI'm working my way through season one of Supernatural - I've said it before and I'll say it again, I fucking love my little small-town library's dvd collection - and I'm mostly satisfied. However, I'll admit it: while some episodes are really cool, others are not so great. Not that bad writing is uncommon for television shows, but for some reason, it's really getting to me here. Maybe because almost all of the bad episodes - "Route 666", "The Benders", that one with the shapeshifter - had the potential to be really cool with only a few slight adjustments. The potential for those connections was there. For example, "Route 666". As it stands, it was sort of about Dean's thwarted love life, and some really awkward commentary on racism - apparently that while it existed in the past, it's all gone now, or something? - and featured a sort-of-interesting-but-not-really Cassie, who was supposed to be tough and shit and instead was - not. The plot didn't really hook up, the reveal was forced, the end was unsatisfying, etc. But it could have been a tragedy, guys. It could have been about keeping secrets - the town's past, Dean's hunting, Dean's relationship with Cassie, Cassie's parents' relationship, Cyrus' activities and death - and how they never stay buried, how they get forced under and then become something huge and dark and terrifying. The invisible monster truck in the middle of the room*. They could have drawn parallels between Cassie and Dean's romance, and the romance between Cassie's parents. Both were couples with the odds pretty much all against them, after all, and when Cassie and Dean separated at the end, sure that it would never work, it would have been all the more poignant - and uncertain - for the reminder that, despite it all, Cassie's parents did make it. Like, Dean's comment about how he's seen "stranger things"? I think a better comeback would have been, "well, your parents did it." And that's only the tip of the iceberg, guys. That episode could have been the emotional high point of the season.
Or "The Benders", which is really all about family, but not quite the way I think it should be. When I first saw that creepy little girl - Missy - I thought, wow, this is a kid who's been raised in a seriously weird environment, to a very twisted definition of "normal". And yet, this is what she's been taught is right, this is normal for her, and her brothers. Which is exactly like Sam and Dean with hunting. They're all working with operative definitions of "normal"; they're all doing what they do, essentially, because their parents told them to. And that "hunt" thing, man. If they had paralleled that somehow - maybe cut between the Winchesters' and the Benders' pre-hunt rituals, had them repeat some of the language (that "you hurt my brother, I'll kill you"; "you hurt my family, I'll bleed you" thing, though it would have been much eerier if they had said the same thing). Not to mention, this season is all about John Winchester's absence.
So, my ideal "Benders"? John Winchester is missing and Pa Bender is dead. The Benders are hunting the Winchesters, thinking that they're typical prey, and the Winchesters are hunting the Benders, thinking that they're on a monster hunt. The awesome female cop** would have been there as a foil to the Winchesters - to emphasize what they do is not "normal", constantly checking them, providing the much-needed, "What?" - but in the end she wouldn't have been so normal after all, because she's much more obsessive about her missing brother. Maybe there's a bulletin board behind her desk similar to John's hotel room collages, or at her apartment. (Dean sees it, lifts an eyebrow, and she says, "Well. You know.") They cut between the Winchester pre-hunting rituals, and the Benders' (gun loading / knife sharpening, putting on jackets / putting on camo, etc.). All three groups of siblings use the same phrases. Maybe the Bender brothers tease each other a little bit, and they protect their little sister. There are two empty father-sized spaces. And when the Winchesters ask the Benders why they do this, they say, "Because Pa told us to."
Don't you think that would be an improvement? I think that would be an improvement.
*Comparable to the elephant.
**Who, by the way, would retain her rigid cop bun - but have hanks of it pulled out as her emotional / physical state roughens - and would not wear a skintight white t-shirt. Or, you know, have to have Sam save her. And she would totally say at the end, "Good luck, Dean", or something, because there's no way she hasn't figured who he really is out by the end of the episode.
Or "The Benders", which is really all about family, but not quite the way I think it should be. When I first saw that creepy little girl - Missy - I thought, wow, this is a kid who's been raised in a seriously weird environment, to a very twisted definition of "normal". And yet, this is what she's been taught is right, this is normal for her, and her brothers. Which is exactly like Sam and Dean with hunting. They're all working with operative definitions of "normal"; they're all doing what they do, essentially, because their parents told them to. And that "hunt" thing, man. If they had paralleled that somehow - maybe cut between the Winchesters' and the Benders' pre-hunt rituals, had them repeat some of the language (that "you hurt my brother, I'll kill you"; "you hurt my family, I'll bleed you" thing, though it would have been much eerier if they had said the same thing). Not to mention, this season is all about John Winchester's absence.
So, my ideal "Benders"? John Winchester is missing and Pa Bender is dead. The Benders are hunting the Winchesters, thinking that they're typical prey, and the Winchesters are hunting the Benders, thinking that they're on a monster hunt. The awesome female cop** would have been there as a foil to the Winchesters - to emphasize what they do is not "normal", constantly checking them, providing the much-needed, "What?" - but in the end she wouldn't have been so normal after all, because she's much more obsessive about her missing brother. Maybe there's a bulletin board behind her desk similar to John's hotel room collages, or at her apartment. (Dean sees it, lifts an eyebrow, and she says, "Well. You know.") They cut between the Winchester pre-hunting rituals, and the Benders' (gun loading / knife sharpening, putting on jackets / putting on camo, etc.). All three groups of siblings use the same phrases. Maybe the Bender brothers tease each other a little bit, and they protect their little sister. There are two empty father-sized spaces. And when the Winchesters ask the Benders why they do this, they say, "Because Pa told us to."
Don't you think that would be an improvement? I think that would be an improvement.
*Comparable to the elephant.
**Who, by the way, would retain her rigid cop bun - but have hanks of it pulled out as her emotional / physical state roughens - and would not wear a skintight white t-shirt. Or, you know, have to have Sam save her. And she would totally say at the end, "Good luck, Dean", or something, because there's no way she hasn't figured who he really is out by the end of the episode.
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LJ stinks at OpenID; I must have tried posting these comments four times before I gave up
Date: 2009-12-28 09:22 am (UTC)'Low Red Moon.' (http://www.thuviaptarth.net/vids/index.html) Ruby, S3. And the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood. After 'Women's Work,' this is probably my favorite SPN video. Fabulously gorgeous, powerful with a real menace and threat the show didn't capitalize on in either its prevalent visuals or its dialogue. I've loved Tanya Donelly for years and her voice is a perfect match for this video. As a bonus, I've found it's optimized for viewing on a Mac; I recommend the big download if you have the space, because, well, gorgeous. You can leave any comments at this post (http://thuviaptarth.dreamwidth.org/107790.html). (The streaming and download links are broken there, so don't try them.) The vidder talks about it a little more here (http://thuviaptarth.dreamwidth.org/121021.html?replyto=1212605&style=light):
Basically, vidding Ruby made me more aware than ever of how much the SPN writers' prejudices and preconceptions interfere with their storytelling. S3 Ruby is supposed to be a powerful and dangerous figure -- not always powerful enough to get out of trouble, and I love how (skip S3 and S4 spoilers (#skip.S3S4spoilers)) she takes off in "Jus in Bello" and then later in S4 when the angels show up. () Or at least the dialogue tells us she's supposed to be powerful and dangerous, because there are damn few visuals of it, and when they exist, they are often undercutting her strength.
(skip S3 spoilers (#skip.S3spoilers)) The only times we see her fighting in Season 3 are "The Magnificent Seven," "Malleus Maleficarum," and "No Rest for the Wicked" -- and the only time we see her win a fight is in "The Magnificent Seven." In MM, Dean kills Ruby's nemesis; in "No Rest for the Wicked," Ruby kicks the Winchesters' asses and -- loses the fight. There are very few power shots of Ruby, and when they exist, they are often staged poorly -- the car slowing down to approach her in MM, for example, where the menace of her presence is undercut by her shifting stance. ()
Comments, part 2 of 3
Date: 2009-12-28 09:27 am (UTC)'Madonna.' (http://sweetestdrain.livejournal.com/209349.html?mode=reply&style=mine) Let me underneath your halo.
Supernatural is Mary's nightmare, take one: S1-S2. Claustrophobic, lovely, painfully sad. Pretty much sadder every time I watch it, in fact. Cocorosie is fantastically well suited to the video's delicate and eerie atmosphere.
'And all my bones began to shake.' (http://community.livejournal.com/lightningmix/3004.html?format=light) DEAN: "You're so damaged." BELA: "Takes one to know one." Felt it in my fist, in my feet, in the hollows of my eyelids. Bela as Dean's mirror in S3, but with heartbreaking differences. Beautiful editing; Florence's larger-than-life voice makes it feel still more epic despite the short length of the video.
'Fade Out' is at the same post - it's about Castiel, Jimmy, and Claire. There's darkness at the end of the tunnel. Wonder, terror, and human love as trapped by vast and largely uncaring forces beyond comprehension. I was surprised at how well the choice of music worked with the video's themes; the end prior to the last soundbite is especially remarkable.
'The Devil's Inside My Head.' (http://mithborien.livejournal.com/90736.html?mode=reply&style=mine) "You know what's the worst thing I can think of?"
Comments, part 3 of 3
Date: 2009-12-28 09:37 am (UTC)'Surrendered Flags.' (http://moodfic.livejournal.com/128542.html?style=mine) They do not sleep nights but stand between rows of glowing corn and cabbages. 563 words. Packs a lot into a visceral turn of phrase. Tamara was supposed to be a recurring character, but she's never come back so far since her one appearance in 3.01. I wish she had, especially after reading this. Epigraph from Erin Belieu.
'Lamp Black Eyes.' (http://moodfic.livejournal.com/128542.html?style=mine) Instruments of mercy are foreign to their hands. 259 words. Palpable, poignant details you can practically taste. Jo & Ellen, pre-series. Epigraph from Jeffrey Foucault.
'What Gets Said.' (http://moodfic.livejournal.com/157769.html?style=mine) The gods don't listen to reason. 658 words. One thing that could have happened to Bela after 3.15. The surprise guest is just right. If I say any more it'll be spoilers, but the end scenario's about what you'd expect for something with a Margaret Atwood epigraph.
'Woman Inflammable.' (http://vee-fic.livejournal.com/55769.html?format=light) It hadn't occurred to him to carry a handgun in the process of buying chips. She knew better, apparently: drug dealer, or gangster, or maybe this was an even worse neighborhood than he thought. It was weird: she didn't look particularly jumpy or scared, just politely getting out of the way while he stood dumb in front of the candy machine. 4585 words. My favorite of this bunch by far. I'm in love with the author's use of limited POV, matter-of-fact prose, and how of-course-believable - but no less poignant, horrifying, and wrenchingly sad - it makes the calamitous and extraordinary. Author's notes as follows...
Fandom: Supernatural / Sarah Connor Chronicles crossover
Rating: PG-13 for gross imagery
Spoilers: none.
What Is It: A meeting; a misunderstanding; a mission.
Tagline: John Winchester was getting the hang of this paranoia thing.
Whoops, wrong link
Date: 2009-12-28 10:05 am (UTC)