Ramblings on SPN 8x11, LARP and the Real Girl

[citrus_java]

Love this episode. Dean and Sam looking less crushed and miserable, rebuilding their relationship. Those little hopeful looks... Like they've finally chosen, decided to feel what they'll feel about the past but to move forward, giving each other little glaces to make sure they're both there... this might be the most stable and secure with each other we've ever seen them...

Sam, looking easy, lighter, calmer, humorous, less angry, guilty, stressed. Just *better*. Perhaps appeased. More secure. Just happier. Even when he's making faces at the silliness of LARPing or at Dean's suggestions of fun, he looks warmer, so much better.

And Dean gets this little look sometimes like he's surprised to be feeling better, that the world is stable, like he forgot what it's like to be on dry land, was used to not having that, and is sometimes surprised to find he can enjoy little things. Sam. People. Leading troops into battle while wearing makeup and a wig. And it's a different sort of enjoyment than the way he used to. It's less about showing himself, Sam and the world that he's good, doesn't need anything. Less bravado. Also, less about sensations. This is more focused on emotion. Perhaps this Dean is less desperate not to be left alone, and to be liked, and as a result might be more able to enjoy people, to feel fondness.

And at one point, his expression was one I know from Jensen but definitely not from Dean. This sort of more stable without forcing himself to be stable, fond, perhaps even proud of someone he is fond of (a lot of that in the ep, towards different people), caring yet light... Like he's gone through enough things to allow himself to be more whole, less torn between tough bravado and extreme vulnerability. Like he's less about having things perfect vs. horrible, and is more able to accept that the situation, Sam (and himself?) aren't what they supposedly need to be, and just allow himself to like and enjoy things about this imperfect everything...

Dean seems to be better, not just about Sam not looking for him, Benny and Emilia, but even about Bobby. In this episode there is a whole lot of sort of sad acceptance of what happened combined with actual hopeful moving on. Happiness that the world is healing itself.

I really hope I'm not completely off, and this is not a horrible setup for mood whiplash.

Dean and women:
OMG, Dean relating to a woman, in a friendly way, to a woman who is not a stereotype or even a clear archetype! And without expecting sex! He wasn't even creepy while mentioning "the wenches checking you out"! Yes, I did notice the many shots of him reacting to lesbianism, (though Jensen played those very lightly, othering but not leering), and yes, a lot of the conversation was off-screen, but this was still so very much better than I'd ever expected to get.

I never thought Dean would ever relate to a woman the way he did to Charlie. He *talked* with Charlie! Without being ridiculously defensive about his experiences and feelings. Like he was talking to a (not that close) friend! He told her personal things, without being drunk, forced to, or in a situation there wasn't much of a choice. And he actively talked, gave information, didn't just react to her talking. And he seemed interested when she talked about her own not-related-to-him things.


I know this is not supposed to mean so much to me, but it does... Makes my world just a little bit better, for existing in it.

I thought this would never ever happen. I actually turned in a paper saying this was never going to happen, less than an hour before I watched the episode. This makes me so very happy.

Throughout the episode he had several moments of being sweet, compassionate, caring about people's emotions. A lot of it is in his reactions, but not only. Even when that suspect was crying Dean was the first to try to get him to calm down. It wasn't exactly compassionate, but that was supposedly Sam's role, Dean isn't usually supposed to even try to say something nice to strangers. He looked moved, perhaps uncomfortable, with the crying. And later it was him saying that Charlie should get somewhere safe, he even mentioned that was usually Sam's position. And again, sending her to safety when they were in the woods. I wonder if something is going on.

Charlie:
I love Charlie. I love Charlie so much I'd be happy to see her as a show regular, even perhaps have her ride with the boys for a stretch of episodes, if her character got more developed. And this is an invitation I never extended to any other character. She is her own character without taking any of theirs. Like that Tootsie quote.

However, they played the lesbianism up so much she lost a bit of her other characteristics. And I wouldn't like to see her turn into a baby-Dean/little sister. Women, porn, saving people, being on the run, choosing aliases by names of favorite artists, getting kissed by the girl cause that's what girls do when you're the hero, apparently having figured out how to flirt... That was cute, but a bit much. It's nice for them to relate, but the things they hide behind can't be the focus, and I'd hate for Charlie to become "just like one of the guys". There is more to her and more to the potential awesomeness of female characters.

Charlie is liked cause she isn't threatening to girls:
This pisses me off. No. I like Charlie cause she's a character rather than a stereotype. Cause she's well acted. Cause she's funny and cool and a little vulnerable. Cause she's not "a girl", but someone. Had she not been a lesbian, I'd have liked her too - and did, before I realized she was. The whole shpeel about female fans disliking women cause they're perceived as a threat to us? :/
This is such a hateful stereotype of women.

I don't know, perhaps some people feel that way. I know I'd sure hate it if the show focused on any of the female characters we got so far. But mostly not because they would bother my ships (though I am protective of those!), mostly because compared to the fascinating complexity of Dean and Sam as characters, I find them boring, stereotypical, at times a bit offensive. I hate that the creators don't take responsibility for that. I wonder if they're capable of writing a really good, complex female character. And I admit I don't want my precious screen time wasted on attempts. But -

though they don't necessarily fit well with the vibe of the show, had the writers given us characters like Veronica Mars, Ista from Paladin of Souls, perhaps Emily Gilmore, or, dare I say, Adina from Sorority Boys - I'd have adored them, I believe. And yeah, I could definitely go for Sam/Ista or Dean/Adina, thank you very much. Not my ship, but still could be lovely. Either of them with Emily could be interesting if well written, though really hard to get right. She has a lot in common with Dean, actually. Stubbornness, family loyalty, leading the family, knowing "what's right" and trying to get others to be that way, being disappointed when they don't want to do that, and understanding it as them not wanting the connection as much as her, not admitting vulnerability and emotions . Veronica I love, but I don't see anything good coming from her being with either of them. Perhaps with Charlie :-)

Dean and Benny:
On one hand, this is possibly the bluntest acknowledgement the show has given to a m/m relationship, comparing it so plainly to Sam's relationship. Perhaps because it's not as easy to attribute the emotions to a different sort of official connection ("they're just very brotherly"). Or, perhaps I just don't know enough about what it's like to be war buddies. On the other hand, weirdly, while they come so close to acknowledging the relationship, the subtext of it sounds (to me) so much more focused on rehab sponsorship or, as everyone but me noticed, caring for a child. Then again, this is SPN, those don't cancel each other out.

Sam being kind, re Dean and Benny:
I am so thankful to the writers, that Sam acknowledged Dean's sacrifice. First of all, cause it's sweet, and in character for Sam, though a side of him we rarely get to meet. Second, because I was bracing myself for an endless obvious-subtext comparison between the relationships the boys had given up, angsty and tiring.

But mostly, cause oh, oh. I really needed some compassion between the brothers, just some sweetness. They so rarely even get a moment to breathe long enough to be kind to each other. I really missed that. Thank you.

The Ending:
OK. So both Jared and Jensen often talked about how the show should end, saying they wanted a "guns blazing", Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid ending. I get the response, cause I think he alternative they could see was, mainly, suburban hell like Dean had with Lisa, which can be seen as very untrue to their characters. But I very much hope the show doesn't end that way. To me, it has to be either a BtVS thing or a hopeful "more of the same" ending. Either way, parodying that sort of ending, especially when done in a meta way, is going to make it harder to pull off well. Which is a good sign, as far as I'm concerned.
Ick, I don't want to think about this, discuss it, decide how the show might end. Really. Ouch.

Also:
- "Maybe they had matching tattoos. Maybe they were... brothers in arm". Yup, that's what brothers do. Like Dean and Sam with their matching tattoos. Like Lancelot/Merlin.
- Dean randomly referencing the Geneva Convention :-)
- I really like the Shadow Orc guy. Brought a lot of charm into the character.
- Any mention of the previous, traumatic, time they encountered fairies would have been glowingly awesome. Oh well, perhaps in fic :-)
- Gonna just go ahead and ignore the geek stereotyping.
- The whole handmaiden thing. Just my cup of tea, but for some reason didn't move me, here.
- Those were some passionless kisses.
- Sam befriended Maria, then turned her down kind of roughly. I wonder why they bothered to write that in.
- Gun. Wow. Also - ear necklace :D
- A lot, a lot of over the shoulder this ep. Dunno why, perhaps cause it makes everything feel more connected, together, less clearly cut between whose take and frame it is - goes with the theme. Either way, I liked getting glimpses of the reaction from the sides of people's faces.
- Of course Dean would love LARPing. It's no cowboy outfit, but still.

And the fun. Yeah! Season 8, about time for the boys to do something fun for fun's sake :)

Comments

[citrusjava.livejournal.com]

I get the not-watching-out-of order thing, absolutely.

lame

Sorry, thanks for pointing that out. Will change it right away, and remember for the future.

[elliemurasaki.livejournal.com]

And the further the season gets, the harder it is to catch up. I thought for sure over hiatus, but...

Thank you!

[citrusjava.livejournal.com]

I get that. I like watching things in the intended order, too. Especially things like SPN, that are all about continuity.
I'm still horrified that some people choose Once More, With Feeling as the first Buffy episode to show people new to the fandom :-)


Nothing to thank for. I really am sorry :/

[elliemurasaki.livejournal.com]

Is that the musical episode?

Most people go WHAT NO THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE WORD SEE HOW MANY PEOPLE USE IT. Thank you for not doing that. :)

[citrusjava.livejournal.com]

Is that the musical episode?

Yes! Mid season 6!


Thank you for saying that :-)

[elliemurasaki.livejournal.com]

Season six.

Yeah, that would...horrible fail no matter how good the episode is or how good it is at getting people hooked on the show.