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Review | 8x16 | Remember The Titans
The mini-hiatus is over and so is my break from review-writing. In case any of you needs a reminder of the pre-hiatus events, here is my belated review for the last episode. Enjoy!
It seems that the show is back on track. Daniel Loflin’s Remember The Titans may be a pretty standard monster-of-the-week episode, but overall I still enjoyed it a lot, mainly because Sam and Dean’s interaction is delightful throughout and there are some great emotional character beats for them. I also really liked the majority of the one-off characters, so their story managed to keep my interest just fine on their own, and the somewhat light-hearted touch did not hurt the episode either. So, while Remember The Titans is not an outstanding episode by any means, it is nonetheless a very solid offering for the current season.
I am starting to wonder if the Supernatural writing team is a little short-staffed this season. I mean, why else would they keep splitting up an established writing duo like Andrew Dabb and Daniel Loflin? And why else would they continue to employ Brad Buckner and Eugenie Ross-Leming, who frequently deliver sub-standard scripts for the show? Well, that is, if we assume that duo is not only on the staff because Eugenie Ross-Leming is Robert Singer’s wife. I also find it rather surprising that Jeremy Carver has only written one episode in the entire season so far. Eric Kripke and Sera Gamble used to turn in at least three or four scripts each season – the big emotional and/or turning point episodes were usually reserved for the acting showrunner – so it is conspicuous that Carver seems less inclined to apply himself as a writer for the show. To be perfectly frank, it suggests a troubling lack of investment/involvement on Carver’s part where the writing process is concerned. Since Carver apparently still writes for Being Human (US) as well and is probably still heavily involved in the show’s production process – co-creator Anna Fricke is his wife, after all – I cannot help but wonder if he is stretching himself too thin. If that is the case, I just wished he would consider hiring new writers instead of giving Dabb and Loflin a disproportionately high number of episodes to write this year. I like them well enough, but they are no Ben Edlund or Robbie Thompson, and I think it would really benefit the show to have a more varied staff of writers, especially if it is going to run for another two seasons.
Sam: "You know, I’m starting to think that maybe I was being naïve."
Dean: "What are you talking about?"
Sam: "When I said that I could just will myself into coming out of these trials unscathed."
I admit, I am very relieved that the writers seem intent on disproving my fears that they will use the storyline about the trials to create yet another contrived conflict between the brothers. In Trial and Error, Sam’s secrecy regarding the ugly side-effects of the trials gave cause to the concern that the brothers would once again fall back into their sadly familiar, destructive pattern of lies and trust issues threatening the hard-earned reconciliation between them, but instead Remember The Titans heads into a different direction entirely. The episode may start out with Sam trying to keep up the pretence of being okay, but it ends with Sam hesitantly opening up to his brother about his fears and doubts without being coerced into it, and that gives me hope that, for once, the brothers will meet a personal crisis head-on and without keeping things from each other. Granted, Sam only addresses his general concerns about his chances of survival rather than going into the specifics of his condition, but I still think it speaks of Sam’s willingness to work with Dean on this rather than shutting his brother out and deal with it on his own. Moreover, Sam’s honesty demonstrates that he is not afraid that Dean will see him as weak or incompetent just because he admits to his own fears, and given that, just last episode, Sam was apprehensive of Dean’s lack of trust in his ability to pull the trials off, his openness here is a show of faith. Hopefully, Sam will continue to be honest with Dean, thus further building the trust between the brothers and enabling them to focus on external threats rather than fight each other.
As for Dean, he obviously sees right through Sam’s efforts to hide his dwindling health from him, and I love that he calls him out on being cagey, but does not press the issue. I also love the fact that, instead of reacting with anger and/or resentment to Sam’s hesitant confession that he might not be alright after all – or worse, with another attempt to convince Sam that Dean should be the one to take the trials instead – Dean simply reassures Sam and reminds him of his promise to survive the trials. Now, Sam may not expressly tell Dean about the fact that he coughs up blood on a regular basis, but I am pretty sure that Dean makes the connection to Sam’s earlier cagey behaviour anyway, and that makes his relatively calm reaction even more remarkable. It builds a nice contrast to Meet the New Boss, where Dean angrily confronted Sam about hiding his hallucinations from him; he interpreted his brother’s protective 'white lie' as a lack of trust and hence took offence. At present, however, Dean respects Sam’s need for privacy and does exactly what he promised his brother in Trial and Error, namely support him one hundred percent, and that suggests to me that the brothers may finally learn to make mutual concessions. I mean, they both have been guilty of lying in the name of protection, and they both know that it rarely happens with malevolent intent, so maybe it is time to give each other a little leeway in the matter. Overall, both brothers handle the delicate situation between them with the kind of maturity that was sorely lacking from their interaction in the first half of the season, and I really appreciate that.
All in all, I am very curious to see where the storyline about the damaging effects the trials have on Sam’s health will lead us. I would be thrilled if the writers would take the opportunity to move the brothers past the never-ending cycle of (protective) lies and their resulting trust issues, just like they did with the 'hunting versus a normal life' conflict. Apart from the potential this storyline has to offer in terms of solid development for Sam and Dean’s relationship, I enjoy it on a textual level as well, as it presents a row of interesting mythology questions. For example, why would God create the trials with built-in side-effects that will slowly kill the test subject? Not that I am under the impression that Supernatural’s God is a merciful one, but why create the trials in the first place, if they will most likely incapacitate or kill the person undertaking said trials before they can even finish them? Is it possible that the side-effects are not actually lethal but just yet another aspect designed to test the candidate’s resilience and determination? I also would not rule out the possibility that Kevin’s translation is simply faulty. I mean, Kevin only has half the demon tablet at his disposal, so maybe his information about the trials has been incomplete and hence resulted in some unwanted side-effects. Last but not least, maybe it is something about Sam himself that triggers those damaging effects on his health. After all, Sam does have demon blood in him, so maybe the hell-trials somehow affect that part of Sam’s physical make up. I guess only time will tell, but I really hope we will get more insight into the exact nature of those trials.
Dean: "Listen, you know I’m not one for praying, ‘cause in my book it’s the same as begging, but this is about Sam, so I need you to hear me. We are going into this deal blind. And I don’t know what’s ahead. Or what it’s gonna bring for Sam. Now he is covering pretty good, but I know that he is hurting. And this one was supposed to be on me. So, for all that we’ve been through, I’m asking you – you keep a look-out for my little brother, okay?"
Dean’s prayer to Castiel at the end of the episode, where he asks the angel to watch over his brother, is a very poignant and touching character moment, and as usual Jensen sells Dean’s distress perfectly. ♥ Now, over the course of the show, we have only seen Dean pray twice, namely in My Bloody Valentine, where he turned to God for help after their encounter with Famine left Sam in the throes of demon blood withdrawal and Dean at his wits end, and in The Monster At The End Of This Book, where he prayed to Castiel on behalf of his brother as well, when Sam was intent on confronting Lilith despite Chuck’s warning that it would end badly. In both situations Sam’s life was on the line and Dean felt helpless in the face of the magnitude of their undertaking. Basically, he was robbed of his ability to act, and since he has always been unable to accept that, he turned to prayer as a last-ditch effort to do something. After all, prayer is the last hope of a desperate man, as Dean so rightly pointed out to Sam in Dark Side of the Moon. So, the fact that Dean once again resorts to praying as a means of action tells us just how powerless he feels at the moment; the confidence he displayed in his earlier conversation with Sam was clearly nothing but a front to reassure his brother. I find it particularly interesting that Dean emphasises that this, i.e. taking the trials and closing the gates of hell, was supposed to be on him. That feeling clearly harks back to Swan Song, where Dean had to helplessly watch his brother sacrifice himself for the greater good, and it is hardly surprising that he finds it difficult to accept a repeat performance of that act.
That being said, I find it rather difficult to believe that Dean would pray to Castiel of all people, and for once that disbelief has little to do with the fact that, due to the lack of an active reconciliation process between the characters, Dean and Castiel’s current relationship has lost all credibility for me. No, my problem is that Dean has been increasingly suspicious of Castiel these last couple of weeks. In A Little Slice Of Kevin Dean expressed his uneasiness with Castiel’s unexplained return from purgatory, and in Torn and Frayed the angel’s odd behaviour reinforced Dean’s suspicion that something is off about him. The brothers even took precautions against Castiel listening in on them because they suspected that someone might be messing with the angel, and I think it is implausible that Dean would call on Castiel for Sam’s protection when he believes him to be compromised, especially considering their problematic history with the angel. After all, the last time Castiel was compromised, he almost killed Sam. So, I guess I will have to attribute Dean’s appeal for help to his distraught frame of mind; he is just not thinking clearly. I cannot help but wonder, though, if Dean inadvertently hurt their cause by praying to Castiel. I mean, we know that Castiel is controlled by Naomi, and I would not be surprised if she would somehow exploit Dean’s heartfelt plea to her advantage, possibly using Castiel against the brothers in the process. Overall, I just hope that, this time, the writers will refrain from using Castiel as a convenient 'deus ex machina' to end Sam’s suffering. I really want the brothers to find their own way out of Sam’s predicament.
What else is noteworthy:
(1) If I have one major complaint about the episode, it’s that Sam and Dean bring three total strangers to the Batcave for no compelling reason at all. I mean, in As Time Goes By the brothers experienced first-hand that supernatural creatures would go to any length in order to lay their hands on the power contained in the Men of Letters’ repository, so I find it rather odd that they would not only invite two humans but also a Titan to the place. I just really think Sam and Dean should be more careful about revealing the Batcave’s existence to people. Of course, it will be inevitable for the brothers to eventually let some of their allies in on their secret – for example, I think it would make perfect sense for Sam and Dean to move Kevin into the Batcave; after all, he is not only on Crowley’s 'Most Wanted' list, but also essential to their mission – but I daresay that, for the moment, it is a bad idea to make their new home base public knowledge.
(2) I am not the most knowledgeable person where Greek mythology is concerned, so I am sure I missed some of the finer points of the story, but I really liked Prometheus’ character and enjoyed the parallels between him and the brothers. Now, generally, Prometheus represents knowledge – he not only stole the fire from the gods, but also gave human beings reason and acted as humankind's teacher – and I love how that ties in with Sam and Dean’s discovery of the Batcave (knowledge) and their heritage as Men of Letters (teachers of knowledge). I like that, once the brothers are aware of Prometheus’ identity, they instantly relate to him and feel grateful for his intervention on humankind’s behalf. I find Dean’s statement that pre-fire earth sounds like a monster paradise particularly noteworthy; it suggests to me that it reminds him of purgatory, and obviously that would give him a unique perspective where Prometheus’ achievements are concerned. Prometheus’ curse presents another interesting parallel to Sam and Dean. Just like Prometheus, the brothers have been condemned to suffer through a never-ending cycle of death and resurrection, and just like for Prometheus, said cycle resulted in lasting physical and mental consequences for them. Prometheus’ curse has also forced him into social isolation, not only for fear of prosecution, but also because he might put the people close to him in danger, and the same is true for Sam and Dean. Last but not least, I love how Prometheus’ realisation that saving the world means nothing, if he cannot save his family, resonates with the Winchesters’ past and present story as well.
(3) The episode has a somewhat light-hearted touch, but it never devolves into the kind of juvenile humour the writers are sometimes so fond of, and I really appreciate that. There are several moments that stand out to me, like, for example, Sam and Dean’s bizarre encounter with the zombie-obsessed sheriff, who tries to lecture the brothers on the undead, or Dean’s indignant reaction when Haley points out to him that fulgurite is quite the common mineral. Nice self-mocking reference to Meet The New Boss, writers! Dean’s deadpan answer to Sam’s question what they know of that has Jason Bourne fighting skills, dies a lot and has a history with violent women, made me laugh out loud. Moreover, the fact that Dean instantly thinks of Sam ties in well with his current worry about his brother’s well-being. Also, Dean’s facial expressions and exasperated interjections when Sam tries to turn Artemis against Zeus are just hilarious.
In conclusion: Remember The Titans may not be a stellar episode, but it features an interesting case file – well, to me, at any rate – and uses the momentum of the trials storyline to drive the brothers’ emotional arcs forward, and that is more than enough to make the episode worthwhile for me. I really have to say that the intense focus on the brothers these last six episodes has been immensely satisfying, not least because those episodes feel like a coherent unit, and that once again highlights that the less cohesive feel of the first half of the season was a direct result of the fact that the writers neglected to make the brothers the focal point of the story. I just hope the rest of the season will continue in this fashion. S8 may never be my favourite season, but this latest stretch of episodes at least managed to pull me back into the story.
It seems that the show is back on track. Daniel Loflin’s Remember The Titans may be a pretty standard monster-of-the-week episode, but overall I still enjoyed it a lot, mainly because Sam and Dean’s interaction is delightful throughout and there are some great emotional character beats for them. I also really liked the majority of the one-off characters, so their story managed to keep my interest just fine on their own, and the somewhat light-hearted touch did not hurt the episode either. So, while Remember The Titans is not an outstanding episode by any means, it is nonetheless a very solid offering for the current season.
I am starting to wonder if the Supernatural writing team is a little short-staffed this season. I mean, why else would they keep splitting up an established writing duo like Andrew Dabb and Daniel Loflin? And why else would they continue to employ Brad Buckner and Eugenie Ross-Leming, who frequently deliver sub-standard scripts for the show? Well, that is, if we assume that duo is not only on the staff because Eugenie Ross-Leming is Robert Singer’s wife. I also find it rather surprising that Jeremy Carver has only written one episode in the entire season so far. Eric Kripke and Sera Gamble used to turn in at least three or four scripts each season – the big emotional and/or turning point episodes were usually reserved for the acting showrunner – so it is conspicuous that Carver seems less inclined to apply himself as a writer for the show. To be perfectly frank, it suggests a troubling lack of investment/involvement on Carver’s part where the writing process is concerned. Since Carver apparently still writes for Being Human (US) as well and is probably still heavily involved in the show’s production process – co-creator Anna Fricke is his wife, after all – I cannot help but wonder if he is stretching himself too thin. If that is the case, I just wished he would consider hiring new writers instead of giving Dabb and Loflin a disproportionately high number of episodes to write this year. I like them well enough, but they are no Ben Edlund or Robbie Thompson, and I think it would really benefit the show to have a more varied staff of writers, especially if it is going to run for another two seasons.
Sam: "You know, I’m starting to think that maybe I was being naïve."
Dean: "What are you talking about?"
Sam: "When I said that I could just will myself into coming out of these trials unscathed."
I admit, I am very relieved that the writers seem intent on disproving my fears that they will use the storyline about the trials to create yet another contrived conflict between the brothers. In Trial and Error, Sam’s secrecy regarding the ugly side-effects of the trials gave cause to the concern that the brothers would once again fall back into their sadly familiar, destructive pattern of lies and trust issues threatening the hard-earned reconciliation between them, but instead Remember The Titans heads into a different direction entirely. The episode may start out with Sam trying to keep up the pretence of being okay, but it ends with Sam hesitantly opening up to his brother about his fears and doubts without being coerced into it, and that gives me hope that, for once, the brothers will meet a personal crisis head-on and without keeping things from each other. Granted, Sam only addresses his general concerns about his chances of survival rather than going into the specifics of his condition, but I still think it speaks of Sam’s willingness to work with Dean on this rather than shutting his brother out and deal with it on his own. Moreover, Sam’s honesty demonstrates that he is not afraid that Dean will see him as weak or incompetent just because he admits to his own fears, and given that, just last episode, Sam was apprehensive of Dean’s lack of trust in his ability to pull the trials off, his openness here is a show of faith. Hopefully, Sam will continue to be honest with Dean, thus further building the trust between the brothers and enabling them to focus on external threats rather than fight each other.
As for Dean, he obviously sees right through Sam’s efforts to hide his dwindling health from him, and I love that he calls him out on being cagey, but does not press the issue. I also love the fact that, instead of reacting with anger and/or resentment to Sam’s hesitant confession that he might not be alright after all – or worse, with another attempt to convince Sam that Dean should be the one to take the trials instead – Dean simply reassures Sam and reminds him of his promise to survive the trials. Now, Sam may not expressly tell Dean about the fact that he coughs up blood on a regular basis, but I am pretty sure that Dean makes the connection to Sam’s earlier cagey behaviour anyway, and that makes his relatively calm reaction even more remarkable. It builds a nice contrast to Meet the New Boss, where Dean angrily confronted Sam about hiding his hallucinations from him; he interpreted his brother’s protective 'white lie' as a lack of trust and hence took offence. At present, however, Dean respects Sam’s need for privacy and does exactly what he promised his brother in Trial and Error, namely support him one hundred percent, and that suggests to me that the brothers may finally learn to make mutual concessions. I mean, they both have been guilty of lying in the name of protection, and they both know that it rarely happens with malevolent intent, so maybe it is time to give each other a little leeway in the matter. Overall, both brothers handle the delicate situation between them with the kind of maturity that was sorely lacking from their interaction in the first half of the season, and I really appreciate that.
All in all, I am very curious to see where the storyline about the damaging effects the trials have on Sam’s health will lead us. I would be thrilled if the writers would take the opportunity to move the brothers past the never-ending cycle of (protective) lies and their resulting trust issues, just like they did with the 'hunting versus a normal life' conflict. Apart from the potential this storyline has to offer in terms of solid development for Sam and Dean’s relationship, I enjoy it on a textual level as well, as it presents a row of interesting mythology questions. For example, why would God create the trials with built-in side-effects that will slowly kill the test subject? Not that I am under the impression that Supernatural’s God is a merciful one, but why create the trials in the first place, if they will most likely incapacitate or kill the person undertaking said trials before they can even finish them? Is it possible that the side-effects are not actually lethal but just yet another aspect designed to test the candidate’s resilience and determination? I also would not rule out the possibility that Kevin’s translation is simply faulty. I mean, Kevin only has half the demon tablet at his disposal, so maybe his information about the trials has been incomplete and hence resulted in some unwanted side-effects. Last but not least, maybe it is something about Sam himself that triggers those damaging effects on his health. After all, Sam does have demon blood in him, so maybe the hell-trials somehow affect that part of Sam’s physical make up. I guess only time will tell, but I really hope we will get more insight into the exact nature of those trials.
Dean: "Listen, you know I’m not one for praying, ‘cause in my book it’s the same as begging, but this is about Sam, so I need you to hear me. We are going into this deal blind. And I don’t know what’s ahead. Or what it’s gonna bring for Sam. Now he is covering pretty good, but I know that he is hurting. And this one was supposed to be on me. So, for all that we’ve been through, I’m asking you – you keep a look-out for my little brother, okay?"
Dean’s prayer to Castiel at the end of the episode, where he asks the angel to watch over his brother, is a very poignant and touching character moment, and as usual Jensen sells Dean’s distress perfectly. ♥ Now, over the course of the show, we have only seen Dean pray twice, namely in My Bloody Valentine, where he turned to God for help after their encounter with Famine left Sam in the throes of demon blood withdrawal and Dean at his wits end, and in The Monster At The End Of This Book, where he prayed to Castiel on behalf of his brother as well, when Sam was intent on confronting Lilith despite Chuck’s warning that it would end badly. In both situations Sam’s life was on the line and Dean felt helpless in the face of the magnitude of their undertaking. Basically, he was robbed of his ability to act, and since he has always been unable to accept that, he turned to prayer as a last-ditch effort to do something. After all, prayer is the last hope of a desperate man, as Dean so rightly pointed out to Sam in Dark Side of the Moon. So, the fact that Dean once again resorts to praying as a means of action tells us just how powerless he feels at the moment; the confidence he displayed in his earlier conversation with Sam was clearly nothing but a front to reassure his brother. I find it particularly interesting that Dean emphasises that this, i.e. taking the trials and closing the gates of hell, was supposed to be on him. That feeling clearly harks back to Swan Song, where Dean had to helplessly watch his brother sacrifice himself for the greater good, and it is hardly surprising that he finds it difficult to accept a repeat performance of that act.
That being said, I find it rather difficult to believe that Dean would pray to Castiel of all people, and for once that disbelief has little to do with the fact that, due to the lack of an active reconciliation process between the characters, Dean and Castiel’s current relationship has lost all credibility for me. No, my problem is that Dean has been increasingly suspicious of Castiel these last couple of weeks. In A Little Slice Of Kevin Dean expressed his uneasiness with Castiel’s unexplained return from purgatory, and in Torn and Frayed the angel’s odd behaviour reinforced Dean’s suspicion that something is off about him. The brothers even took precautions against Castiel listening in on them because they suspected that someone might be messing with the angel, and I think it is implausible that Dean would call on Castiel for Sam’s protection when he believes him to be compromised, especially considering their problematic history with the angel. After all, the last time Castiel was compromised, he almost killed Sam. So, I guess I will have to attribute Dean’s appeal for help to his distraught frame of mind; he is just not thinking clearly. I cannot help but wonder, though, if Dean inadvertently hurt their cause by praying to Castiel. I mean, we know that Castiel is controlled by Naomi, and I would not be surprised if she would somehow exploit Dean’s heartfelt plea to her advantage, possibly using Castiel against the brothers in the process. Overall, I just hope that, this time, the writers will refrain from using Castiel as a convenient 'deus ex machina' to end Sam’s suffering. I really want the brothers to find their own way out of Sam’s predicament.
What else is noteworthy:
(1) If I have one major complaint about the episode, it’s that Sam and Dean bring three total strangers to the Batcave for no compelling reason at all. I mean, in As Time Goes By the brothers experienced first-hand that supernatural creatures would go to any length in order to lay their hands on the power contained in the Men of Letters’ repository, so I find it rather odd that they would not only invite two humans but also a Titan to the place. I just really think Sam and Dean should be more careful about revealing the Batcave’s existence to people. Of course, it will be inevitable for the brothers to eventually let some of their allies in on their secret – for example, I think it would make perfect sense for Sam and Dean to move Kevin into the Batcave; after all, he is not only on Crowley’s 'Most Wanted' list, but also essential to their mission – but I daresay that, for the moment, it is a bad idea to make their new home base public knowledge.
(2) I am not the most knowledgeable person where Greek mythology is concerned, so I am sure I missed some of the finer points of the story, but I really liked Prometheus’ character and enjoyed the parallels between him and the brothers. Now, generally, Prometheus represents knowledge – he not only stole the fire from the gods, but also gave human beings reason and acted as humankind's teacher – and I love how that ties in with Sam and Dean’s discovery of the Batcave (knowledge) and their heritage as Men of Letters (teachers of knowledge). I like that, once the brothers are aware of Prometheus’ identity, they instantly relate to him and feel grateful for his intervention on humankind’s behalf. I find Dean’s statement that pre-fire earth sounds like a monster paradise particularly noteworthy; it suggests to me that it reminds him of purgatory, and obviously that would give him a unique perspective where Prometheus’ achievements are concerned. Prometheus’ curse presents another interesting parallel to Sam and Dean. Just like Prometheus, the brothers have been condemned to suffer through a never-ending cycle of death and resurrection, and just like for Prometheus, said cycle resulted in lasting physical and mental consequences for them. Prometheus’ curse has also forced him into social isolation, not only for fear of prosecution, but also because he might put the people close to him in danger, and the same is true for Sam and Dean. Last but not least, I love how Prometheus’ realisation that saving the world means nothing, if he cannot save his family, resonates with the Winchesters’ past and present story as well.
(3) The episode has a somewhat light-hearted touch, but it never devolves into the kind of juvenile humour the writers are sometimes so fond of, and I really appreciate that. There are several moments that stand out to me, like, for example, Sam and Dean’s bizarre encounter with the zombie-obsessed sheriff, who tries to lecture the brothers on the undead, or Dean’s indignant reaction when Haley points out to him that fulgurite is quite the common mineral. Nice self-mocking reference to Meet The New Boss, writers! Dean’s deadpan answer to Sam’s question what they know of that has Jason Bourne fighting skills, dies a lot and has a history with violent women, made me laugh out loud. Moreover, the fact that Dean instantly thinks of Sam ties in well with his current worry about his brother’s well-being. Also, Dean’s facial expressions and exasperated interjections when Sam tries to turn Artemis against Zeus are just hilarious.
In conclusion: Remember The Titans may not be a stellar episode, but it features an interesting case file – well, to me, at any rate – and uses the momentum of the trials storyline to drive the brothers’ emotional arcs forward, and that is more than enough to make the episode worthwhile for me. I really have to say that the intense focus on the brothers these last six episodes has been immensely satisfying, not least because those episodes feel like a coherent unit, and that once again highlights that the less cohesive feel of the first half of the season was a direct result of the fact that the writers neglected to make the brothers the focal point of the story. I just hope the rest of the season will continue in this fashion. S8 may never be my favourite season, but this latest stretch of episodes at least managed to pull me back into the story.
no subject
I also find it rather surprising that Jeremy Carver has only written one episode in the entire season so far.
Yeah, I've found this odd too. I was expecting him to write the mid-season finale, but ... nothing. It's a pity because, even if I'm not exactly sold on him as a showrunner, I've generally enjoyed his scripts, and while We Need to Talk About Kevin wasn't exactly bad, it also wasn't one of his best.
If he's still writing for Being Human then I am officially annoyed, and doubly so because I have a whole little rant in my head that I won't inflict on you about the creative bankruptcy of remaking other people's shows for no good reason.
Not that I am under the impression that Supernatural’s God is a merciful one, but why create the trials in the first place, if they will most likely incapacitate or kill the person undertaking said trials before they can even finish them? Is it possible that the side-effects are not actually lethal but just yet another aspect designed to test the candidate’s resilience and determination?
I suppose it would depend, first of all, on whether Yahweh wanted the gates closed. He arranged the apocalypse of season five, and while he seemed to (sort of) come down on Sam and Dean's side, I got the impression that he wanted the scenario to play out. Virtually lethal trials would deter anybody from imprisoning Lucifer permanently before he and Michael could have it out.
That said, Supernatural flirts with the idea of a malevolent god and then scurries away from it before they risk offending anybody, so I think a test or a mistranslation is more likely. It's also possible that some of this stuff has been slipped in, for good or ill, by Metatron. We know the tablets are his work, and that he left (a 'murder one' offence, as Anna put it) after writing them, so he clearly has strong opinions. I doubt they will try to explain Yahweh's motives, but I'd be very surprised if we didn't learn Metatron's agenda.
So, I guess I will have to attribute Dean’s appeal for help to his distraught frame of mind; he is just not thinking clearly.
I think this is true, but to be fair, I think Loflin intended it that way. I'm pretty sure this is Dean ignoring his own advice. Earlier in the episode Haley, a bit awed, says she's on her way to ask a god for help - and Dean reminds her that Zeus is not her friend and she's not asking him for anything. Of course under pressure, Haley can't think strategically and puts herself in Zeus's power. Same thing here.
Dean's prayers (aside from the half-joking 'Get down here now, Cas!' kind) are always a bad idea and always offered up to people who can't or won't help him. And, yeah, he's almost certainly playing into Naomi's hands.
I mean, in As Time Goes By the brothers experienced first-hand that supernatural creatures would go to any length in order to lay their hands on the power contained in the Men of Letters’ repository, so I find it rather odd that they would not only invite two humans but also a Titan to the place. I just really think Sam and Dean should be more careful about revealing the Batcave’s existence to people.
I appreciate that just letting people in is not very practical, but I thought it made good thematic sense. The story had Sam and Dean striving to repay humanity's debt to Prometheus (and, okay, I might be a little attached to my whole Hercules thing :) ) and, as you say, Prometheus represents knowledge, forethought and wisdom. I thought it was fitting that he be the first one to take refuge in the Bat Cave, since the place essentially represents his accomplishment.
no subject
Aww, thanks! :) As much as I love writing about the show, I am always happy when I can take a break from review-writing. The whole 'one-week-deadline' pressure can be really stressful at times.
If he's still writing for Being Human then I am officially annoyed
Well, so far he wrote the same number of episodes for the current BH season as he did for the current SPN season, namely the season opener. So he is definitely still involved in the show, which doesn't surprise me, because BH is his and his wife's baby. That's why I was surprised that he came back as showrunner for SPN. I would have expected Ben Edlund or Robert Singer to take up Sera's mantle.
And I would very likely agree with everything you'd have to vent about the bad habit of American networks to remake perfectly fine UK shows. I am very annoyed about that as well. Although I have to admit that I am currently enjoying the hell out of Shameless US, so I guess I have no right to complain!
I doubt they will try to explain Yahweh's motives, but I'd be very surprised if we didn't learn Metatron's agenda.
Oh, right, I forgot that Metatron was responsible for the tablets. Thanks for the reminder!
I'm pretty sure this is Dean ignoring his own advice.
Oh, that's a good oberservation about the parallels between Haley and Dean. That makes sense, indeed. Dean has never been able to think strategically where Sam was concerned, which is understandable, I guess. Just my first thought was: 'Right, Dean, go and entrust Sam's saftey to the very angel who had no qualms putting your brother's life at risk just to distract you from his shady activities.' It's entirely possible I still hold a grudge about that. LOL
I thought it was fitting that he be the first one to take refuge in the Bat Cave, since the place essentially represents his accomplishment.
Okay, you make a good point. I would just be devastated if something would happen to the place just because Sam and Dean cannot keep a secret. :)
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I may not be watching, but I am still reading - I'm glad you are feeling better about the direction of the season and the brothers now :)
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Reading reviews at least still keeps you up to date, even if you don't watch. *g* It's good to feel better. I really hate feeling down because of the show.
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I was just thinking when responding to your review of 8.17 that I'm having a weird experience with the writers this season in that I sometimes prefer some touches in episodes by some of the weaker but longterm writers to things in eps by stronger writers whose experience with the show is more recent or less continuous. There's no doubt in my mind that Thompson is a better writer than Loflin, but Loflin's Sam feels more like Sam to me at some points than Thompson's Sam. Even in Citizen Fang, which I didn't like much, it seemed to me that there was a subliminal awareness of Sam's long and complicated history with monsters (in his line about how trusting monsters always works out for them) that added a kind of depth, and I felt that in this ep with Sam's history with heroism.
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re the writers: Hm, yeah, I get that. But maybe it sometimes depends on the kind of episode a writer gets to work on. I mean, 8.17 is an extremely busy episode, where several character dynamics and plotstrands had to be considered, so maybe sometimes finer points in the characterisation fall by the wayside in the process. While an episode like 8.16 specifically focuses on the exploration of Sam and Dean through MOTW parallels and by default that should give a writer more room to tap into the characters' rich history. I don't remember having particular problems with Thompson's characterisation in more MOTW focused episodes like LARP or Dungeons and Dragons, while I definitely had some problems with his characterisation in 8.17 as well. :)
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For that reason I'm actually sometimes cynically relieved that Sam gets short shrift in the secondary character interactions -- Sam being pathologically isolated at this point is potentially interesting to me, whereas if they wrote in more conversations for him I'm afraid they'd only reinforce a rather reductive view of his character.
I don't mean to trash Thompson, though. Well, I guess I do, a bit, but I do think that he ranks with Edlund as the best writer they have in terms of basic talent, and I think that shows in the way his script allows for a bit more subtlety than his abstract conceptualization of the characters might. Certainly he is tens of thousands of miles ahead of Buckner and Ross-Leming, who have a leaden touch when it comes to any layering of meaning (in addition to the more glaring problems of Man's Best Friend).
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Uh, really? Wow, that really is a pretty big lapse where Sam's characterisation is concerned. I am very glad it didn't came across like that onscreen. Jared clearly made much more of the text than was intended by the writer, then.
And, frankly, I found the thing about using the superwiki when he didn't have his DVDs writing 8.17 appalling
Yeah, I didn't know that either. I was a bit stunned when
Certainly he is tens of thousands of miles ahead of Buckner and Ross-Leming
Amen! I would really like to know if the producers don't see that they produce sub-standard scripts on a regular basis or if they don't care or if Robert Singer swings his influence on this.