![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Entry tags:
SDCC 2013 | S9 Spoilers | Some General Thoughts
I guess most of you will have seen the panels and reports from Comic Con by now, so what are your thoughts? Personally, I could not say that I am particularly happy with the information Carver & Co released about S9 so far, but that does not really come as a surprise to me.
So, Comic Con came and went, and it was surprisingly uninformative. Carver & Co did not reveal much about S9 we did not already know or concluded from the events of the season finale. I guess I should count it as a win that, rather than leaving me in a state of misery and despair, the spoilers from Comic Con only resulted in quiet resignation on my part. As expected, the spoilers divulged nothing that would get me excited for S9. The idea of suffering through a season that, once again, has its main focus on angels and demons is absolutely unappealing to me, and I really could not care less about the woes of Metatron, Castiel and Crowley. Obviously, the spoiler most relevant to my interests was the reveal that the way Sam heals from his trial-related illness involves a big secret between the brothers that Sam is not aware of and that Dean keeps from him – a secret that will, no doubt, create yet another rift between the brothers when it comes to light – and words cannot describe how tired I am of this narrative device to create conflict between the brothers. It is entirely contrived at this point in the show, and worse, it makes a mockery of past growth in the brotherly relationship. I wished I could say that I expected better, but fact is that this is exactly the kind of repetitive and unimaginative plotting I came to expect from the current creative team.
Now, Dean keeping yet another secret from Sam would be upsetting in and of itself, but it is even more disconcerting coming on the heels of the S8 finale, in which Sam broke down and openly showed Dean how much it hurts him when Dean does not trust him. Dean seemed genuinely shocked and distressed by Sam’s confession, clearly unaware of how deeply his brother is affected by his words and actions. So, the fact that his reaction to Sam’s hurt is to turn around and lie to him – no matter how good his intentions may be – is just a slap in Sam’s face. Moreover, the fact that Sam’s choice and control over his life/body are taken away from him, again, by keeping him in the dark about what is happening to him is unsettling. It is also rather frustrating that Dean once again has double standards when it comes to him and Sam. I mean, in Goodbye Stranger he emphasised to Sam how tired he is of being lied to by the people closest to him, and yet he has no problem doing the same to his brother. Not that this is news, but after eight years this kind of behaviour has just become tiresome.
Another information that left me quite frustrated was Jensen’s statement that, so far, he is under the impression that the writers did not plan out a distinct character arc for Dean; they rather try different things with the character and see what will stick. Jensen’s statement plays into my perception that, instead of carefully planning a season as a whole, Carver & Co just do whatever pops into their minds and that seems cool at any given moment, regardless of continuity or consistency. Well, at least that is how S8 came off to me. With that in mind, I do not have any confidence that the writers have any well thought-out plans in store for Sam’s long-term character arc or the mythology either. All in all, my motivation to watch S9 is at an all-time low at the moment, and I am not sure that will change in the next three months. Maybe I will just have to accept that my time with the show has come to an end, even though I am still emotionally invested in the characters. I guess I will have to wait and see.
So, Comic Con came and went, and it was surprisingly uninformative. Carver & Co did not reveal much about S9 we did not already know or concluded from the events of the season finale. I guess I should count it as a win that, rather than leaving me in a state of misery and despair, the spoilers from Comic Con only resulted in quiet resignation on my part. As expected, the spoilers divulged nothing that would get me excited for S9. The idea of suffering through a season that, once again, has its main focus on angels and demons is absolutely unappealing to me, and I really could not care less about the woes of Metatron, Castiel and Crowley. Obviously, the spoiler most relevant to my interests was the reveal that the way Sam heals from his trial-related illness involves a big secret between the brothers that Sam is not aware of and that Dean keeps from him – a secret that will, no doubt, create yet another rift between the brothers when it comes to light – and words cannot describe how tired I am of this narrative device to create conflict between the brothers. It is entirely contrived at this point in the show, and worse, it makes a mockery of past growth in the brotherly relationship. I wished I could say that I expected better, but fact is that this is exactly the kind of repetitive and unimaginative plotting I came to expect from the current creative team.
Now, Dean keeping yet another secret from Sam would be upsetting in and of itself, but it is even more disconcerting coming on the heels of the S8 finale, in which Sam broke down and openly showed Dean how much it hurts him when Dean does not trust him. Dean seemed genuinely shocked and distressed by Sam’s confession, clearly unaware of how deeply his brother is affected by his words and actions. So, the fact that his reaction to Sam’s hurt is to turn around and lie to him – no matter how good his intentions may be – is just a slap in Sam’s face. Moreover, the fact that Sam’s choice and control over his life/body are taken away from him, again, by keeping him in the dark about what is happening to him is unsettling. It is also rather frustrating that Dean once again has double standards when it comes to him and Sam. I mean, in Goodbye Stranger he emphasised to Sam how tired he is of being lied to by the people closest to him, and yet he has no problem doing the same to his brother. Not that this is news, but after eight years this kind of behaviour has just become tiresome.
Another information that left me quite frustrated was Jensen’s statement that, so far, he is under the impression that the writers did not plan out a distinct character arc for Dean; they rather try different things with the character and see what will stick. Jensen’s statement plays into my perception that, instead of carefully planning a season as a whole, Carver & Co just do whatever pops into their minds and that seems cool at any given moment, regardless of continuity or consistency. Well, at least that is how S8 came off to me. With that in mind, I do not have any confidence that the writers have any well thought-out plans in store for Sam’s long-term character arc or the mythology either. All in all, my motivation to watch S9 is at an all-time low at the moment, and I am not sure that will change in the next three months. Maybe I will just have to accept that my time with the show has come to an end, even though I am still emotionally invested in the characters. I guess I will have to wait and see.
no subject
I feel really bad for you because you still care and I want a good season for your sake!
Aww, thanks. I still care about the characters and always will. The show as a whole, though? Not so much. Apart from the brothers, they've stripped everything away from the show that I loved. Okay, I care for Charlie and Garth, but still. I've become a lot more detached this last season than I ever thought possible. I never thought I could let go of the show while it is still on the air, but I feel I've reached that point now. The current show has little to do with the show I fell in love with. Maybe the best I can do is quit and just be happy that I have 7 seasons that I genuinely love, warts and all.
So instead it goes around the same stagnant circles, grinding the characters into dust.
Exactly! I think what I hate most is that these narrative circles make a mockery of past development for the brothers. I was so proud when Sam and Dean grew into mature and wisened men in S5-7. Not without setbacks, mind you, but well on the way of truly growing out of their issues. But by pushing them into the old patterns over and over again the writers take all that development away. I resent that so much, you have no idea. :(
When I think what it once was...but we'll never have that back now.
Sadly not, no. When I go back and watch older episodes, I am always shocked by how different the show was in the earlier seasons. The quality of writing and acting was just outstanding.
no subject
I'm still bitter that Gamble was so deplored by huge swathes of the fandom just for trying to do something different with the show and breathe new life into it, which it desperately needed and does again now more so than ever - alas, the angelic rot had already set in at that point and those that latched onto it will apparently not settle for anything else, to hell with what that does to the integrity of the show.
I'd like to say 'yes, stop watching, preserve the love you once had', but it hasn't worked like that for me, I stopped watching and now still can't even look at the early seasons because all that does is remind me of how far the show fell. :( So I totally understand your resentment because it's a large part of what drove me away and keeps me away - I guess this is how you came to feel about AtS (and I've still never managed to rewatch S5 of that myself, despite owning the DVD for so many years).
But I'm dissatisfied with a lot of things at the moment, which might also contribute.
I do want to watch the early seasons again someday, when I can get past my upset over how far the show drifted from that original vision. If I can focus on the episodes and not let myself think about the turgid mess it descended into in later years... Not yet, though.
no subject
I'm still bitter that Gamble was so deplored by huge swathes of the fandom just for trying to do something different with the show
I know! I really miss her clear sense of direction and most of all her clear sense of the characters and their history. The lack thereof is my biggest gripe with the current creative team. And now that Edlund left the team as well, there is no actual writer left who was with the show in the early years. I don't count Carver, because for some reason he lost his deft touch with the characters during his absence from the show. Not to mention that I am under the impression that he didn't care to catch up on what he missed in S6/7.
I'd like to say 'yes, stop watching, preserve the love you once had', but it hasn't worked like that for me
I am not at the point with SPN yet, where the current downward spiral affects my love for S1-7. I've just rewatched Fresh Blood and Mystery Spot and I felt as affected by them as always. However, I fear that my love for the show may not recover from 3 years (S8-S10 possibly) of watching it be driven into the ground by Carver & Co.
no subject
What I loved most about the Gamble era was that she allowed the characters to grow up. She took them beyond the childish, fratboy humour rut they'd been mired in and let them mature into the seasoned adults they should long since have become. She also allowed their story to be driven by what had gone before - she kept them moving forward. I can't even describe what Carver's team has made of the characters, but forward certainly does not describe their character movement. Bah. Even talking about the show makes me glad I stopped watching. :(
no subject
And I couldn't agree more about Gamble. I also loved that she turned away from internal conflict between the brothers and rather explored what their past life had done to them as individuals and how they deal with that. /sigh It's so tremendously sad that such a huge potion of fandom was unable to see how beneficial Gamble was for the show. :( And yes, Carver regressed the characters. Basically he tried to re-tell the brothers' S4/5 arc in one season - only way, way worse than Kripke - making the characters look like idiots in the process. Ah, well. Nothing we can do about it. Best to ignore it and move on, for our sanity's sake.