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lunabee34for weeks. LOL Also, dude! I totally, in a roundabout way, called the Trickster. I am made of awesome. :)
Curious Case of Dean Winchester
1. Obama shoutout. Yay! In fact, all the pop culture shoutouts, from Star Wars to the title of the episode, were a lot of fun.
2. I love the way that Bobby has been portrayed since becoming injured. He's experienced a radical shift in identity and he's having a hard time dealing with that. He's a hunter, and his self-worth is very much tied to his physical abilities. I find his anger and his sadness and the way he's slowly coping with what has happened to be plausible, nuanced, and well written. As much as I think the way he grasps at straws to reverse the damage done to his body is very much in character for him, I really like that there are no magical fixes for Bobby.
3. I like that the Gambler isn't unequivocably evil. (*cue "Lady") He's capable of mercy.
4. I like that both Bobby and Dean underestimate Sam as a card player.
5. And I continue to love the explicit recognition by both Sam and Dean that Bobby is family and that they love him and need him.
6. Ironsides!
Changing Channels
1. Allying with the Trickster is a damn good idea. According to Trickster lore, while they're sometimes just out to have a little malicious fun, more often Tricksters trick to give someone their comeuppance or to teach them a lesson. Considering the time the Trickster's spent on the Winchesters, I think contacting him is a good idea.
2. I really enjoyed all the parodies of different kinds of TV shows, especially Night Rider.
3. And here's where I get to be all squealy. Way back in season 4, I predicted that Castiel and the Trickster were the same kind of being. Granted, I theorized that Castiel was a Trickster instead of an angel rather than the Trickster being an angel. But still. Totally counts. I really like that the Trickster is Gabriel. Each angel seems to interpret the Apocalyspe very differently--Castiel is the soldier whose commanding officer has run out on him and Anna is the Fallen who could not bear the coldness she was called to and Lucifer is the son who could not find his father's favor. Gabriel is Sam--the son who wanted to be normal and wanted everyone to just get along and who left when he couldn't handle it anymore. I really like the actor playing the Trickster; he does such a wonderful job mixing pathos, humor, and cruelty. I definitely want to see more of him.
The Real Ghostbusters
1. There was a lot I liked about this episode, so beefs upfront and out of the way. Not enough girls at the con. Although, after reading other people's reviews, I think I saw more women present than a lot of people did. (Kudos though for including people of color in the con audience; it was not an only white crowd.) I think Chuck's interest in Becky is a little bizarre given how bizarrely she behaves and also given that he clearly seems to realize this if his eye rolling and angst are any indication.
So, stuff I liked.
1. I know that the fourth wall breakage and the fan acknowledgement make a lot of people uncomfortable. I think to a certain degree, it's supposed to. Becky is US. Not really us, us, because you guys have a better grip on reality, my flist. So does she represent all of fandom? No. But she's the fangirl who jumps on Jensen in a stairwell at a con or the fangirls who grab ass at photo shoots or the fangirls who get angry! when Jensen gets engaged to his FOR REAL LIFE GIRLFRIEND and doesn't propose to Jared on one knee on the set of Chelsea Lately or the fangirl who hates Jo, Sarah, and Cassie because they break up her NEVER GOING TO DATE ONSCREEN EVER OTP.This is not about Jennifer Keller. Ahem. Fortunately, even as Becky is a pretty unflattering picture of fandom, she's also smart and resourceful and ultimately, she plays a pivotal part in saving the day, not just in this episode but others.
2. I love all the stuff about the con, from the titles of the presentations to the LARPing to the costumes to the stable of Impalas. :)
3. I love that the two fanboys are the ones who actually destroy the ghosts instead of Sam and Dean. I love that they are revealed to be romantic partners (another wonderful way for the show to acknowledge and celebrate Wincest without explicitly endorsing that reading of the show). I love that they pick Rufus and Bobby for Sam and Dean's characters. I like that they say the stuff we've all thought before--gravedigging is hard, yo! And I don't know about y'all, but even when I was smoking two packs a day, fuck all if I could get a lighter to work for me half the time. I loved that moment.
4. I love how uncomfortable Sam and Dean are with being thought of as entertainment, as commodities. I love how from their perspectives, their lives are nothing to envy or to desire. And I really like the fannish explanation that one reason we immerse ourselves so completely in these fictional worlds is so that we can, for a short time, save the world and have a brother who loves us enough to die for us.
5. So Crowley has the Colt. I'm sure Azriphale is very anxious about that. *g*
6. I sincerely hope Becky told them the truth about Bela. I have long wanted them to know that they had misjudged her reasons for selling her soul. I wish it could have been onscreen, though. :(
Curious Case of Dean Winchester
1. Obama shoutout. Yay! In fact, all the pop culture shoutouts, from Star Wars to the title of the episode, were a lot of fun.
2. I love the way that Bobby has been portrayed since becoming injured. He's experienced a radical shift in identity and he's having a hard time dealing with that. He's a hunter, and his self-worth is very much tied to his physical abilities. I find his anger and his sadness and the way he's slowly coping with what has happened to be plausible, nuanced, and well written. As much as I think the way he grasps at straws to reverse the damage done to his body is very much in character for him, I really like that there are no magical fixes for Bobby.
3. I like that the Gambler isn't unequivocably evil. (*cue "Lady") He's capable of mercy.
4. I like that both Bobby and Dean underestimate Sam as a card player.
5. And I continue to love the explicit recognition by both Sam and Dean that Bobby is family and that they love him and need him.
6. Ironsides!
Changing Channels
1. Allying with the Trickster is a damn good idea. According to Trickster lore, while they're sometimes just out to have a little malicious fun, more often Tricksters trick to give someone their comeuppance or to teach them a lesson. Considering the time the Trickster's spent on the Winchesters, I think contacting him is a good idea.
2. I really enjoyed all the parodies of different kinds of TV shows, especially Night Rider.
3. And here's where I get to be all squealy. Way back in season 4, I predicted that Castiel and the Trickster were the same kind of being. Granted, I theorized that Castiel was a Trickster instead of an angel rather than the Trickster being an angel. But still. Totally counts. I really like that the Trickster is Gabriel. Each angel seems to interpret the Apocalyspe very differently--Castiel is the soldier whose commanding officer has run out on him and Anna is the Fallen who could not bear the coldness she was called to and Lucifer is the son who could not find his father's favor. Gabriel is Sam--the son who wanted to be normal and wanted everyone to just get along and who left when he couldn't handle it anymore. I really like the actor playing the Trickster; he does such a wonderful job mixing pathos, humor, and cruelty. I definitely want to see more of him.
The Real Ghostbusters
1. There was a lot I liked about this episode, so beefs upfront and out of the way. Not enough girls at the con. Although, after reading other people's reviews, I think I saw more women present than a lot of people did. (Kudos though for including people of color in the con audience; it was not an only white crowd.) I think Chuck's interest in Becky is a little bizarre given how bizarrely she behaves and also given that he clearly seems to realize this if his eye rolling and angst are any indication.
So, stuff I liked.
1. I know that the fourth wall breakage and the fan acknowledgement make a lot of people uncomfortable. I think to a certain degree, it's supposed to. Becky is US. Not really us, us, because you guys have a better grip on reality, my flist. So does she represent all of fandom? No. But she's the fangirl who jumps on Jensen in a stairwell at a con or the fangirls who grab ass at photo shoots or the fangirls who get angry! when Jensen gets engaged to his FOR REAL LIFE GIRLFRIEND and doesn't propose to Jared on one knee on the set of Chelsea Lately or the fangirl who hates Jo, Sarah, and Cassie because they break up her NEVER GOING TO DATE ONSCREEN EVER OTP.
2. I love all the stuff about the con, from the titles of the presentations to the LARPing to the costumes to the stable of Impalas. :)
3. I love that the two fanboys are the ones who actually destroy the ghosts instead of Sam and Dean. I love that they are revealed to be romantic partners (another wonderful way for the show to acknowledge and celebrate Wincest without explicitly endorsing that reading of the show). I love that they pick Rufus and Bobby for Sam and Dean's characters. I like that they say the stuff we've all thought before--gravedigging is hard, yo! And I don't know about y'all, but even when I was smoking two packs a day, fuck all if I could get a lighter to work for me half the time. I loved that moment.
4. I love how uncomfortable Sam and Dean are with being thought of as entertainment, as commodities. I love how from their perspectives, their lives are nothing to envy or to desire. And I really like the fannish explanation that one reason we immerse ourselves so completely in these fictional worlds is so that we can, for a short time, save the world and have a brother who loves us enough to die for us.
5. So Crowley has the Colt. I'm sure Azriphale is very anxious about that. *g*
6. I sincerely hope Becky told them the truth about Bela. I have long wanted them to know that they had misjudged her reasons for selling her soul. I wish it could have been onscreen, though. :(
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no subject
Date: 2009-11-15 05:03 am (UTC)Yes and yes and yes to all. I have loved all these episodes. I'm loving Bobby being so pissed off and unhappy because *yay*, no 'show' fix, with him better the next episode.
And yes yes, the Trickster is an angel is *awesome*! So damn fun. And the way he looked when they left, when Dean turned the sprinklers on for him.... I'm thinking he's going to be re-thinking his take on all of this.
And then YAY! So glad you liked the last ep! I've seen a couple people on my flist just go nuts with the hate and i'm just...not there. At all. I adore Becky, i loved the episode, i don't think this was the biggest proof ever of Show's 'misogyny', or that Becky is a 'middle finger' to fandom.
I think people are embarrassed to see some of the stuff we've talked about/done/written on lj on the tv screen, but that doesn't mean that any of it was meant in a mean-spirited way. I think it's just...awesome.
Crowley! Oh man.
*twirls you*
:)
no subject
Date: 2009-11-15 09:41 pm (UTC)I don't think this episode was particularly misogynistic either. Instead of an evil woman who murders her child, we get a strong woman who tried to keep three boys from hurting people and continued that mission into the afterlife. We get a woman who willingly puts herself in harms way to impersonate the ghost, and Becky who is an important source of information for Sam and Dean. More than anything else that is ever shown on the screen, the misogyny of this *fandom* is what bothers me most--the people who rail against the treatment of women in episodes and then post about how much they hate Ruby because that actress "just didn't do a very good job" or dislike Jo and Cassie because they "just aren't written well and aren't
Sam Winchestergood love interests for Dean" or say they want more thoughtful and nuanced treatment of gender in the show and never ever ever ever write any other characters than Sam and Dean with a side order of Bobby. A con that's overpopulated with guys so they can make a sight gag? Lorraine can deal with that. The other stuff? Not so much.no subject
Date: 2009-11-15 11:11 pm (UTC)More than anything else that is ever shown on the screen, the misogyny of this *fandom* is what bothers me most--
Me, too. I frankly *don't* see 'misogyny' on the screen. Maybe i'm an idiot, i don't know. I'd honestly like someone to point out to me how the writers of Show are misogynists. 'Cause i just...am baffled. I agree with what you say - i certainly see more hate in fandom than on the show.
Arrgh. Makes me wonder, sometimes. I loved that Becky had info that even Chuck had forgotten, i love that the LARP'ers were male *and* female, i love that the 'Hooters waitress' was brave enough to be bait for ghosts she didn't even believe in an hour ago. Just...yay!
no subject
Date: 2009-11-16 01:30 am (UTC)I *do* think the show deals with race and gender in a very problematic way, and I don't think that fans are wrong to call Show out on that. Hell, one of the things I enjoy about fandom is picking apart the source material. But I do think there's a hell of lot of hypocrisy going on in this fandom; you don't get brownie points for saying that it's uncool that Show mostly depicts women as evil or victims when you go on to elide them entirely from your fic, you know?
no subject
Date: 2009-11-16 01:51 am (UTC)That...irritates. I don't feel i'm allowed to bitch unless i'm actively trying to change what i'm bitching about.
no subject
Date: 2009-11-15 05:47 am (UTC)Yep, totally counts! *g*
On the whole, I've really enjoyed these eps, Changing Channels being the standout. In the medical soap bit, am I the only one who thought of JDM as Denny in Grey's Anatomy, who died and came back as Izzie's hallucination? Y/N?
LOVED Dean's mancrush on Dr Sexy, complete with peeks through lowered lashes. Oh, Jensen, how I love thee.
The Real Ghostbusters was funny but kind of put a period to the joke, I suspect. I saw it as a nod to fandom rather than a dig, though it seemed slightly weird that the majority of con attendees were guys. Not my experience, and nor is LARPing. But hey, we suspend disbelief about all sorts of things - just another one to add to the list.
To be perfectly honest (you know I'm not a Wincester - not like I've made a secret of it *g*), I didn't see a celebration of Wincest so much as a rather puzzled acknowledgment that it exists and ain't going anywhere. But that's just me and I'm certainly not ANTI-Wincest. Just don't get it, yo.
I'm avoiding the forums. I really don't want to know how pathetically the deluded fangirls who really, truly believe that Jensen and Jared belong together are reacting to Jensen's engagement. *sigh* I'll continue to read my J2 AU perfectly happily, thank you very much. ;)
no subject
Date: 2009-11-15 09:45 pm (UTC)I have never seen Grey's Anatomy and everything I know is all through fannish osmosis, but I thought the exact same thing, that they were doing a JDM shoutout with that scene.
I've been avoiding the forums as well. In general, they aren't places I go any because of time issues but after talking to a few people about the sheer insanity of the reaction to his engagement, wow. So not going there right now.
no subject
Date: 2009-11-15 11:25 pm (UTC)The 'ghost' in the medical soap bit was 100 percent a nod to JDM's 'Denny' character. It was so, so fun. I only wish it could have *been* JDM!
:)
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Date: 2009-11-15 11:46 pm (UTC):)
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Date: 2009-11-15 11:25 pm (UTC):)
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Date: 2009-11-15 06:01 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-11-15 09:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-11-15 10:41 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-11-15 11:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-11-15 11:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-11-16 01:25 am (UTC)Why do I not have a Jo icon? I need a Jo icon!
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Date: 2009-11-15 10:41 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-11-15 05:03 pm (UTC)Curious Case of Dean Winchester
-I agree with you 100% on the Bobby situation. I've heard elsewhere that people weren't to pleased with his I'd rather be dead than disabled atitude because it wasn't PC. Well, no, it isn't. I'm sure for someone whose spent the last 10 years in a chair it's a little disheartening to hear/watch - but it was a very real reaction. I'd be in the exact same feelings boat if after a lifetime of being defined by my physical ability I was suddenly trapped by my own body.
Sorry if this is TMI, but I'm facing a similar situation, in which surgery to save my life might end up seriously messing me up for life. It's scary to face, but I'm glad it's not something the show is shying away from.
Changing Channels
According to Trickster lore, while they're sometimes just out to have a little malicious fun, more often Tricksters trick to give someone their comeuppance or to teach them a lesson.
I was waiting or the show to show the Trickster in that light.
I really enjoyed all the parodies of different kinds of TV shows,
the herpes commercial!!!!! ah ha ha ha - Oh God it hurts from laughing.
Each angel seems to interpret the Apocalyspe very differently--.....
that's a really succinct but good way of looking at it. You really captured the whole thing in just a few sentences.
The Real Ghostbusters
- I didn't think I was going to like this one as much, following the last AMAZING episode, like I said, I love the meta like I breathe air, so I didn't see how they were going to meet the high standards of the Trickster's idiot box. But oh man, did they.
I too was bothered by the lack of girls. Even in the early days of the first Trek cons it was pretty woman heavy.
I loved Chuck and his attempts to talk to the crowd.
I sincerely hope Becky told them the truth about Bela. I have long wanted them to know that they had misjudged her reasons for selling her soul. I wish it could have been onscreen, though. :(
yes! poor Bela. That last scene completely changed the character from selfish brat to something so much more and we never heard from her again. I'd really like to see her come back as a soul torured into demonhood. She has reasons for being a very angry she-demon.
I was slightly boothered by Sam and Deans reaction to Chuck trying to sell his stories. I'm not a fan of RPF, at all. I think it's crossing a line. but in this instance: 1. As Cas said, it's going to be a religious document (the book of Winchester LOL), and it needs to be out there so that it can be collected and added. 2. It's Chucks only way of supporting himself. With the headaches and what not he gets along with his visions (and his drinking) he can't work a normal job. 3. It tells people how to fight demons, ghosts, what have you. The geek network will diseminate the info world wide, and as the apocolypse really gets going more people will need to fight back, and lastly 4. it gives people hope.
I understand it being a little creepy. I've seen the craziness that is fangirls and fanboys, but this is bigger than them.
Over all - long live the meta!
no subject
Date: 2009-11-15 09:52 pm (UTC)I too fouund the herpes commercial amusing because basically the only 100% proven way of not passing on genital herpes to your sexual partner is to not to have genital contact with them and lots of those commericals try to pretend that all you have to do is take this medicine and it goes away.
Yeah, I haven't quite parsed out the role that Chuck is playing in the particular meta of this episode. I'll have to think on that one more.
no subject
Date: 2009-11-15 09:53 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-11-15 06:22 pm (UTC)LOL, that's what I thought. LOVED it, though.
no subject
Date: 2009-11-15 09:54 pm (UTC)