Supernatural, Episode 5x17

[britomart_is]

I've been in bitter and crotchety mode, so I wasn't really planning to post reactions, but I'm seven minutes in and I'm buckling.



Things that make me happy:
- Sam's voice
- Sam's beat-up little face
- Sam's hair (SHUT UP)
- Don't know whether to run screaming or buy a condo (BUY A CONDO. WITH YOUR BROTHER.)
- Dean hitting on the preacher's daughter
- Preacher's daughter = chick with power
- Castiel's voicemail greeting
- Seriously, Sam's voice. Is it sexier than usual tonight?

"Whatever happened to us saving them?" Interesting, this isn't exactly how I would've guessed their current issues would differ.

Uh oh, what was that traded look between those guys?

BTW, why did we get Ben in the previouslies? Waiting for relevance.

This music is hilariously inappropriate. If you need this kind of music to try to make your action sequence exciting, your action sequence has a problem.

On the other hand, Sam fighting.

Do they have a FANBOY?
Awww, the fanboy's dead. And Dean's "No!" gasp is weirdly awful.

This is troubling. Who exactly is feeding psychic!girl her information?

So, no condo-shopping, then.

I'm really, really worried about where Dean's heading. Stop messing with Dean's head, folks. Stop it. Stopppppp ittttttttttt.

Sam's hair is RIDICULOUS. It's kind of AWFUL. But that just makes me love it MORE.

ACK ACK ACK I don't know what to say about their conversation in the motel room. It's too much for me. I'm all ... I just ... gah.

Damn, is psychic!girl evil? That would be so disappointing.

OH SHIT.

DO NOT TOUCH MY SAMMEH. FOR SERIOUS.

Drunk Castiel should not be bitching about grating voices.

What is going ON with Sam's sideburns. I mean, look closely. WHAT?

SERIOUSLY, why was Ben in the previouslies?

This is a pretty dire indictment of religion! I approve of how far they're going with that, regardless of the clumsiness.

Drunk!Castiel is kind of unconvincing. I'm just not buying it.

Greeeeeeeeeeeeeeeat, SPN's back to the whore thing. Should've known the moment I typed "chick with power".
Do I really need to say anything about the "Pimp of Babylon" line? Or for that matter, the title of the episode? Jesus fucking christ. I liked plenty of things about it, then they fucked it up.

"Sam of course is an Abomination." Awww, but you're my FAVORITE abomination, Sam.

Ehehehehe Castiel's tone as he says "I'm an angel of the Lord."

Mmmmmm there went Sam's voice again. Could I just divorce Sam's sexy empathy voice from the goddamn fucking unbelievable genderfail?

"On a good day you get to kill a whore" -- seriously, how did this make it on the air? Have they learned nothing? Do they think they're being edgy? Who wrote this fucking episode?

Another lame action scene that is just NOT gonna be saved by overwrought music.

"Long run of luck held out, I guess." Ha.

Poor Sam is so fucking paranoid about Michael. I don't blame him.

Awwww SHIT. Dean, what are you fucking doing?

So Sam is basically having a nervous breakdown back at the motel. Maybe Castiel will share his painkillers.

Huh, the declaration to Lisa seems kind of out of nowhere, but interesting.
And I'm REALLY nervous. REALLY REALLY.
Augh, she's fucking talking him down off the ledge. Unsuccessfully.

DEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN. DON'T.

What can I say about this episode? I don't know. I've been feeling really down about fandom (that might be understating things a bit), and then this comes along with what feels like an intentional fuck-you to the audience in terms of genderfail. I'm still engaged with the story on some level or else I wouldn't be shrieking at the screen, but it almost feels like it's just force of habit from years of caring so intensely about the boys.

Oh well. At least I still have Sam's sexy empathy voice.
And the dream of hunting down the writer of this episode and CUTTING THEM.

Comments

[britomart-is.livejournal.com]

Just FOCUSING ON SAM. SAM. With his SAMNESS.

(And ugh, written by a woman, really? Thanks a lot, Julie.)

[kyokomurasaki.livejournal.com]

I seriously do not understand how a woman could have written this episode.

[mickeym.livejournal.com]

And the dream of hunting down the writer of this episode and CUTTING THEM.

YES YES A THOUSAND TIMES YES. Can I help?

Sam's sideburns were kind of... I dunno. Not feeling them tonight. I want the 'burns from a few eps ago when they were stunning. Also, much as I love Jared's floppy hair, it's a little TOO long, now.

I've been rewatching S2, and you know what I miss? I miss S2!Sam and Dean. *sniffs*

[britomart-is.livejournal.com]

Oh god, don't even get me started with the nostalgia for S2, I will NEVER STOP. *points at icon*
Sigh. Such innocent times.

[melanth0.livejournal.com]

you know what else you can concentrate on, other than Sam's girl-hair and sexy empathy voice?

a) Dean is the only thing keeping Sam going right now ;_;

b) Castiel's voicemail.

[britomart-is.livejournal.com]

Dean is the only thing keeping Sam going right now
First reaction: <3<3<3
Second reaction: INTENSE WORRY. That seems dangerous, all things considered.

[veronamay.livejournal.com]

That conversation in the motel room had me pausing the ep while I went for my third beer.

And I was sort of enjoying the ep (Whore of Babylone aside--I mean, not even considering the misogyny, that is a fucking weak excuse for a plot) until the last four minutes. STILL WAITING FOR THE RELEVANCE OF BEN because wow, they really did not sell that last scene for me.

[britomart-is.livejournal.com]

The last scene was ... uh, surprising. I'm taking it as a sign of Dean's incipient mental breakdown/bad-angel-related-decision-making, since it was basically coded as Suicidal Guy At the End of His Rope.

I'm sure Ben is a very charming kid. Who I think would be a little "Who the fuck are you and why are you trying to be my dad?"

[veronamay.livejournal.com]

Oh, absolutely. I see what they did there, and I do appreciate what they were aiming for. I just don't like the pastede on yaye feel of it--it totally undermines the intent of the scene for me. Instead of my heart breaking for Dean when he's hitting rock bottom, I'm sitting there thinking, "... really? We're supposed to buy that this, specifically, is his fantasy, without any mention of it for the past two seasons?"

[britomart-is.livejournal.com]

Wasn't Dean 20 or so when he first hooked up with Lisa? So they had marathon sex a decade ago, then he showed up, awkwardly hit on her and saved her son, and now he's back again (after two years) saying his ultimate dream is to settle down with her.
I would be slamming the door and calling the cops. Even on someone as hot as Dean. Just sayin'.

Maybe Sam will track down his braces-wearing girlfriend from that Thanksgiving and declare his love.

[veronamay.livejournal.com]

Oh, yeah. "Come in and we'll talk about it?" I don't think so.

Maybe Castiel will act on his secret desire to be in musical theatre.

[britomart-is.livejournal.com]

He practices his jazz hands off-screen. We just haven't seen it.

[veronamay.livejournal.com]

SPIRIT FINGERS.

[britomart-is.livejournal.com]

HOLY SPIRIT FINGERS.

[veronamay.livejournal.com]

KINKY.

[esorlehcar.livejournal.com]

What can I say about this episode? I don't know. I've been feeling really down about fandom (that might be understating things a bit), and then this comes along with what feels like an intentional fuck-you to the audience in terms of genderfail. I'm still engaged with the story on some level or else I wouldn't be shrieking at the screen, but it almost feels like it's just force of habit from years of caring so intensely about the boys.

That's it in a nutshell, yeah. I don't think this episode was worse than the end of s3 in terms of genderfail, but I do think this is the first time it felt deliberate (or at least, a deliberate to fuck you to anyone who had gender issues with the show. The s3 stuff felt more like, "How can we get more men to watch the show? I know! Let's add some more sexy women and show Dean and Sam beating the hell out of them and putting them in their place! Men love that!"). I'm not sure which one is grosser, frankly, but this felt a hell of a lot more personal. And petty.

[britomart-is.livejournal.com]

ICON. Johnny's been making my life better lately.

Petty, precisely. I mean, firstly, letting your inability to take criticism fuck with the writing of the show is a hack move. And secondly, do they not get that it hurts people, and that's why they complain? I feel like there's a weird cognitive disconnect, like they somehow don't understand that when they put things like that onscreen it makes their viewers feel like shit.
Probably I'm just making excuses for them and they know perfectly well that they're causing harm.

[xenachakram12.livejournal.com]

Seriously, Sam's voice. Is it sexier than usual tonight?

Um, YES. And when Castiel says that Sam's voice is "grating," he means "causes disturbances in his crotchal region." ~*Sassy*~

The Whore of Babylon should have been a male. Who says whores are always women? Genderfuck > genderfail.

[britomart-is.livejournal.com]

I love that Castiel called him grating. If Castiel stays drunk the rest of the season, I think I might approve.

Interesting! Yes, certainly would have gone over better with me if the Whore hadn't been female. Good call.

[tiffosis.livejournal.com]

Don't know whether to run screaming or buy a condo

i first i thought he said "....buy condoms.", and i was like WTF? what?

[britomart-is.livejournal.com]

Hmmmm, well, maybe if he really gets off on the hunter thing. Condoms for the orgy.