904 (spoilers, of course)

[citrus_java]

Good episode! Clearly a Robbie episode – rethinking the Batcave, shout outs to past events on the show, making character moments, working out the issue of Sam's room, fan shout outs, sense of wonder, broment, Charlie, POL, and just the quality of writing.

I like that the writers are making a serious effort to add female characters we'd like to the show. And I love that mostly they aren't there as love interests, though we get enough hints to interest the fic writers (I hope). It's interesting to me to watch them trying to write for an audience of women, when you're writing a show that isn't your stereotypical show for women. Trying to figure out what we want, how to make it work, whether or not to give it to us etc. As awesome women on the show go, though, to me Dorothy was a nice try, but a miss. "Strong feminine mostly normative woman making it in the men's world without too many traits" is one way of being awesome, perhaps, but kinda done.

GoT! I must revisit the drawing the awesome Leigh Lahav made for my prompt! :-)



Charlie and the books, and fanfic, eeeeee! No wonder she appreciated them having a dungeon. Wonder if Becky ever, erm, edited anything in or out. The ever-subtle Dean wants to know where he can find them. Please read them and figure out the thing with the message Sam still think you left him, Dean. And while you're at it, have a talk about the amulet, please, now.


I LOVE that they finally mentioned Sam's room. Sam not wanting to jinks it and call it a home. Love that Sam talked about it (though he changed the subject before, with Charlie). On top of what Sam said, perhaps he felt/feels like he was not gonna be around for very long, so why decorate. And that moment in the end, that look! Oh! Better than a hug! Boys, you're there! In your untalky , bondy selves, yes! Yes! YES!
Now!

Why was the slumber party in Sam's room? I get that Dean wouldn't want the it in his privast space, but why Sam's? Cause he has the good TV? What does he watch?
It was interesting to see him sitting on a chair while the others got comfy(ish) on his bed.

Braid Sam's hair, please. It's becoming a show thing. Who do you say gets to do it first?

Dean decorating – fic time! And being bummed out that he'd just cleaned the kitchen, aww, Dean! Anyway, now that Baby's moved in, Dean really lives there too. Plus, it's safer, if they're trying to avoid being found.

And another thing.
Sam: Why did Cas leave, really?
Dean: *opens his coat in a flasher move* Pudding!

By the way – Sam's the one trying to help Cas, *Sam*. Again.

Twice this episode Dean was called stupid. Sam: "You know, Dean, the ones without pictures" – ukgh. Dislike. Can it be OOC, just Zeke being a douchbag? We all know he doesn't have to do the eye thing! Crowley called Dean brainless and Sam soulless (or the other way around?). Ouch. And if Charlie's Toto, does that mean Crowley's the coward? That much might work, the way he seems to think about himself.

I really like that the writers are finally using the Bat Cave.

Comments

[darkrose-9.livejournal.com]

I was really mad at the stupid!Dean implications. Maybe the twisty turning plot, and single character pov is daunting (main reason I haven't read the books, even though I'm addicted to reading). It could be just a brothers ribbing each other thing - which I get, sibling rivalry, you'll poke at the littlest things - but compared to the prank-war of earlier seasons, it just felt demeaning, and not fun.

Charlie almost tipped the Mary-Sue scale for me this week. She is the little sister that is always written into fanfics - I love her, but really, she knows how to make bullets now? And kill a witch all by her lonesome? Her death did redeem her in my eyes though.

Sam/Cas friendship - Want. Dean needs to pull his lying head out of his ass. Other than that, I thought this was a fun episode.

[applegeuse.livejournal.com]

Aw, I really liked Dorothy! She was just...I was delighted every time she was on the screen, and especially when she was on the screen with Charlie. I wanted more! :3

[balder12.livejournal.com]

By the way – Sam's the one trying to help Cas, *Sam*. Again.

Yeah, I think that's part of my gradual loss of interest in Dean/Cas. Every time Sam is all, "How's Cas??" and Dean's answer is "Meh," I ship it a little less.

Twice this episode Dean was called stupid. Sam: "You know, Dean, the ones without pictures" – ukgh. Dislike. Can it be OOC, just Zeke being a douchbag? We all know he doesn't have to do the eye thing! Crowley called Dean brainless and Sam soulless (or the other way around?). Ouch. And if Charlie's Toto, does that mean Crowley's the coward? That much might work, the way he seems to think about himself.

I always figured Sam calling Dean stupid was the equivalent of Dean calling Sam a girl/sissy/gay. They go there precisely because they know it doesn't push any buttons. Sam would never call Dean a girl because Dean is actually insecure about his masculinity, but it's okay for Dean to do it to Sam because Sam doesn't have that particular anxiety. This is contrary to popular fanon, but personally I've never gotten the sense that Dean thinks he's stupid, or that he seriously believes Sam thinks he's stupid, or that there's anything regarding this whole issue that keeps him up at night.

I would've pegged Crowley for Oz. He presents himself as great and powerful, but when you look behind the curtain he's just a pathetic little man. Maybe the cowardly lion is Kevin. He comes off as weak and scared, but when the chips are down he finds his courage.

[fannishliss.livejournal.com]

I don't read Dorothy as normative fem at all. I don't think they went strongly butch with her, but she's so independent and strongminded, really holding her own against the Men of Letters and her father, to strike out as a Hunter and a freedom fighter for Oz... with her motorcycle and her give'em Hell attitude... I thought she was fantastic.

I'm a long time fan of the Oz books (Ozma of Oz is my fave) and spn!Dorothy really takes the strongminded, adventurous little girl, lets her grow up, and gives her a great arc. Imho!

I also read a lot into Dorothy's throwaway that Ozma is "an ass". In the books, Ozma is the rightful Fairy Queen of Oz. She is an eternal girl (who genderswitched from being a boy for a long time). I definitely think that Dorothy contrasts herself as a woman of action to Ozma (who seems to be content to let freedom fighters take care of trouble in her kingdom) and to the Men of Letters (who didn't use to admit women in Dorothy's dad's day, not that she would have wanted to join.)

[bowtrunckle.livejournal.com]

Heh, the drawing! :)

I like that the writers are making a serious effort to add female characters we'd like to the show. And I love that mostly they aren't there as love interests

Agreed. It would be interesting to know if the writing team was actively trying to integrate more female characters or if it's just a matter of what services the story/MotW. I've always felt that there were a decent number of female characters in SPN, even significant female characters, it's just that our impression is that it's a overwhelmingly male dominated show based on the fact that the recurring characters tend to be male and, thus, those are the characters who we become more familiar with and invested in.

Sam: "You know, Dean, the ones without pictures" – ukgh. Dislike.

According to RT's live tweets, JP and JA switched the lines in this scene. Dean was supposed to be the one keen on reading the books. It's nice to know that it wasn't RT's intention to make a light hearted jab at Dean's book smarts (we all know that Dean is plenty smart), but, in fact, he was doing the exact opposite. TBH, when I first saw that scene, I felt that it was more "Dean-like" to be all fannish about GoT rather than Sam.