we are so totally trucked...

[xparrot]

It must be said: Eric Kripke, I want to bear your smarm-filled babies. Holy moly. How is it even possible to write fic for this show? Every missing scene of dramatic conversation is already done in the episode! Dean worrying about killing people, about how far his protective streak really goes - check. Raising the whole issue of John's seeming favoritism for his youngest - check. Sam willing to give up what he wants most in the world, even against his father's direct order, for his brother's sake - oh lordy, check.

All that, and one hell of a cliffhanger. So. Much. Love. For that cliffhanger. Talk about out of the blue. And we have a whole summer to wait?? gnine and I have invented a new word for it - trucked. Referring not to the chars but to the experience of we faithful viewers. As in, OMG, we were just trucked up the--

You get the picture. Bonus points for musical choice, perfect as always. Man, I want to make love to the soundtrack of this show. I bet they've been saving that song for the whole season. What could be better than going out to CCR?

Though really the Cliffhanger Truck From Hell (CTFH, (c) gnine) wouldn't be nearly as bad if what came before hadn't been so damn good. I doubt that anyone was killed in the accident (seriously, who dies in the last 1 minute of a season finale? Ever, in the history of TV?) and there's a million ways to get out of it, anything from standard Hollywood 'oh it wasn't as bad as it seemed, really they're just a little banged up' to the demon catching them & bringing them to hell, to it all having been one of Sam's visions. But going a whole summer without any new Supernatural? Without anymore brotherly love and family loyalty and Dean's mouthing off?

...naye and I do have some hope that Jared Padalecki will use the time to invest in acting lessons. And a haircut. Especially the haircut. His acting is improving, and our standards aren't too high anyway (...we're too distracted by the shiny light bouncing off Jensen Ackles' luminous orbs.) But that hair...go back to the pilot floppy-cut? Please? (And wear fewer shirts? Please?)

And ninjatrauma, in regards to our concerns that Dean might get the short end of the dramatic stick - for me at least, this assuaged any doubts. The ep might as well have been called "Dean's Angst & Co." Don't know if the shift of focus from Sam's tragedy to Dean's was intended all along, or whether it came up as the season progressed, but they're obviously not glossing over it. Really want to see how it's dealt with, now that they've raised all those issues. John, you need to survive just so you can give your eldest the hug he so badly needs. And a few kind words. If you watch his expressions, Dean starts questioning whether it's really his father the moment John starts to praise him. "Wait, what, my dad's telling me I did good? That can't be Dad!" That? That is so incredibly sad, especially considering how unreservedly and absolutely Dean loves his father anyway.

I still believe that John doesn't actually love Dean any less than Sam; it's just that Sam, being more difficult, requires more affirmation of it. Possibly, too, John made such an effort not to blame Sam for Mary's death that he overcompensates in his affection. But it was seeing Dean go out that gave John the strength to resist the demon for that crucial moment, after all. Even if Dean wasn't in any condition to realize it then. Dying to see how that's going to play out later...

In conclusion: any smarm fen not yet watching this show, you are doing yourself a disservice. Get thee to bittorrent and share our pain. Four months? (Or forever, if it doesn't get picked up for a 2nd season. But I am flatly refusing to consider that possibility. So. Four months, give or take.) Nooooo~~!!!

Comments

[beckerbell.livejournal.com]

I watched the finale earlier this afternoon and I've been in a tizzy ever since. I'm not sure why the shift from Dean to Sam (part of me wonders if it's because JA is clearly the stronger actor between the two of them), but whatever the reason... I will take this episode to my heart for the rest of my fannish life.

The whole episode was really strong, but it was the scene with the demon torturing them.... (I wondered why the demon would go after Dean here, rather than Sam since Sam is clearly who it wants... I've read reactions on-line and one theory is that it was doing this to torture Sam, to break him down, to strip everything away from him so that he would be more malleable... it doesn't quite fit, but I think maybe that was the demon's attention and then Dean was just so good at pissing it off that the focus became genuine.)

If I thought it hurt when Dean realized his dad was possessed because his dad would never say he did good when he "wasted" a bullet... it was ten times worse when the demon was ripping his guts out and Dean was begging his dad not to let him do this and then John managed to surface for a few precious seconds because it was killing Dean and that right there just broke me. I was teary-eyed because, dammit, that's what I wanted, that's what Dean needed. That John would fight off the demon long enough because it was killing his son.

John really does show favoritism towards Sam, but I think you're right that he loves them both just as much as the other, that moment of fighting off the demon proved it for me. I think, maybe, the reason John shows Sam more outward affection is because Sam has proven that he will walk (and that he's always been the baby of the family). I don't like the way it gets him treated, but Dean is the one that will always, always, always be there for the family, he's the one thing you don't really have to double-check on because he's always going to be there. It gets him taken advantage of a lot, I suspect.

I think the demon was right, too, that Dean needs them more than they need him. But it's a good thing because Dean knows more than any of them what happens if they die. He's right, he's the one that's going to bury them, he's the one that realizes that revenge against that demon means absolutely nothing if they destroy themselves to get it. (I also wonder if they realize how much Dean is the one keeping them from falling apart or self-destructing. Both Sam and John would sink into single-minded obsession that would get them killed if it weren't for Dean trying to drag them back, I suspect.)

As for the cliffhanger, I was actually pleasantly surprised. It was a lot more than I was expecting and years and years of TV cliffhangers have prepared me for far worse. For one, no confirmed deaths. I have hope. Two, that surprise ending was NOTHING compared to what Alias and LOST did to me last year. XD (I'm sort of looking forward to the summer. Plenty of time for people to write h/c fix-it fic. *stares intently at the fandom, willing such fic into existance*)

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I was wondering myself if JA's superior acting abilities were one of the reasons for the focus-shift to Dean. Whatever the reasons - oh man. Talk about your emotional pay-offs. They were building the whole season to that confrontation with the demon, and it's done so beautifully - it's so focused, just the Winchesters and their mortal foe, no one else. Nothing at stake except their lives and hearts and yes, that John could get strength enough to resist the demon for Dean's sake...it really was what was needed. Except that Dean is the one who needed it more than anything, and whether Dean really realized it...he's too far gone by that point to really know what's going on.

Also loved how Sam had to chose sides - when he finds Dean holding the gun on their father, and Dean can't say anything because whatever he says the demon could twist around to turn against him, that's what demons do - but Dean doesn't have to say anything, because Sam trusts his brother, ultimately. (and then after he shoots John, he literally jumps over him to get to Dean - and all Dean can think about is whether their father is okay - and it just kills you, how much they all love one another, how clearly that shines through when everything comes down to the wire like this...)

I think Sam is starting to realize what you said, that Dean is the one who holds them together, more important than he knows. Sam's also finally noticing how John treats Dean - I don't think he ever realized it before, too caught up in his own confrontations with his father, the way John does take Dean's loyalty for granted. I get the feeling that John might overestimate Dean's strength (as he has all along, leaving him to protect Sam at only 9!), might not reach out to Dean as he does to Sam partly because it's so hard for him to make that effort, and he doesn't think it's necessary for Dean. Now I'm dying to see Sam to chew out John for that, for Sam to tell John what Dean needs to hear. I think John is proud of Dean, it's just never occurred to him that Dean needs to hear it...

...my problem with fic, reading and writing, is that the show is already giving me practically everything I really want to see! (except the hugs. WTF, c'mon, get with the hugging! Dean needs it! Badly! The only thing that played wrong for me in the whole episode was when Sam goes rushing to Dean's side, he doesn't touch him - yeah, he's covered in blood and all, but he could at least brush his cheek or something, make sure he's still breathing...) I'm not that inspired to go seeking more...
...though if you find any good h/c, oh yeah, I am there. I look forward to the summer's rec lists! ^^

[beckerbell.livejournal.com]

It surprised me because it was the finale, it seemed like the perfect time to focus on Sam, given that the whole season was spent focusing on him and his Special-ness. Not that I'm complaining, because Dean (and John!) just knocked this episode out of the park, it was really everything I could have hoped for. It was certainly a hell of a lot more than I was expecting/preparing myself for.

I don't think there's anything I would change (maybe a detail or two here like you mentioned), not the use of Meg (whom I really liked in this episode, she can be hit or miss for me, but the exorcism and her "thank you" and her dying words of how it'd been a year she was trapped in there--and, hell, even the way it foreshadowed John's posession--was all beautifully done), certainly not the way it came down to these three people and that demon in the end. That's the way it had to be.

I do find it interesting that Sam's powers didn't manifest even when Dean was in danger, that something else must be the trigger. As someone somewhere so astutely pointed out, that's just a recipe for deux ex machina next season--Oh, Dean's in trouble, let's have Sam whip out his powers again! Maybe they'll do something more interesting with them. Certainly, if Max could learn to control his abilities, Sam should be able to learn about them, too. I'm surprised this hasn't cropped up more often, though. If the demon is killing all these people... though, I'm confused about whether or not it's trying to kill the babies or the mothers...?

With Sam, I don't want to get my hopes up that he's realizing just how much Dean holds their family together (or how much Dean gives up of himself or what he might have had if he weren't protecting them), but I did get the same impression from the episode. I was so, so glad when he just absolutely trusted Dean, far more than their father, even after all the repairing they'd been doing on their relationship. I love that it's not just a one-sided relationship, it's not just Dean trying to keep everyone together, Sam's in this, too. And, man, do I want Sam to chew John out for it--maybe when John finally gets around to yelling at Dean for wasting the bullets, Sam'll step up and say how much Dean needs to hear the words.

I'm not going to hold my breath, the resurfacing of John when the demon was killing Dean was far more than I expected and something very, very tangible to hold onto, but... maybe. I didn't think they would address even half of the issues they did with the episode (especially Dean needing them more than they need him).

I think I've always been more fannishly inclined than you are (in the sense of wanting more, more, more fic that is XD), so I crave fic that deals with the father/son issues on a deeper level... but that's always been my kryptonite. If a series has father/son angst wrapped up with the whole needing approval, having the approval but not realizing it because the father is an emotional retard? I'm so there. I'm always there. I'm actually sort of looking forward to the fix-it fic that authors will be churning out, to the point I'm kind of actually glad there was a cliffhanger. Eheh. ^_^;; (If you haven't read them already, I'd suggest anything janissa11 writes. Her "Brothers & Strangers" is a masterful delving into the Winchester family dynamics and her "Haystack" fic is some really beautiful h/c fic. */pimping*)

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Hmmm, good point about Sam's powers, it is interesting that they didn't materialize even with Dean in danger...maybe because he was trying too hard? Or it has to do with the visions, maybe; after all, the only time Sam's done any TK was immediately after his vision of Dean's death. I am curious what the demon's "plans" are. He definitely doesn't want to kill the babies; he could have managed that easily enough with Sam, it took John long enough to get up there after Mary screamed, after all, and that John had no idea what he was dealing with. The demon doesn't even want to kidnap them, because again, he could have, if he wanted to...he wants them to grow up with the pain of losing their mothers. Not sure why, but...

And I was thrilled by Sam taking Dean's side, all the way through. He even thanked him for saving his life with the gun, even though it used a bullet...and the "not just everything," we have been waiting a season for Sam to reach that understanding, and now he has, and oh, oh...I just hope he does get the chance to chew their father out over it. Eee, I am looking forward to the next ep something fierce.

While the brother dynamic is my personal all-time fave, I have a strong love of the dysfunctional father/sons, too (Adama & Lee, anyone?) so, yeah. Much love all around!
Fanfic is a weird thing for me, sometimes I am dying to read it, sometimes I'm aching to write it (I've written in a few fandoms I don't even read in, I just felt like writing for whatever reasons), and sometimes I'm not interested at all. Supernatural is a little odd for me because it's a solid Type B fandom in most respects (Type A tend to be the ones I only love the canon and don't need extra, Type B are the ones I fan on in the interactive/fic direction) but the show's being so good about giving me what I want...but there are some mighty fine writers (gen writers, no less!) and there are such delectable opportunities for h/c being realized - yeah, I'm having fu! Just read "Haystack" today, enjoyed it immensely, and was intrigued by your rec of "Brothers & Strangers" but am a little nervous about it - my problem always has been, for all my love of angst, I am addicted to (eventual) happy endings, so...!

[ex-naye320.livejournal.com]

*flail*

You know, I'm still so absorbed in the OMFG THAT WAS GOOD that I haven't managed to write anything about this yet. But I want to. Because it was really... *flail, grin, squee*.

THEY REALLY DO LOVE US! ...so, find Eric Kripke, have his babies? It's a plan?

(I'll be back with more later! Really~!)

[ex-naye320.livejournal.com]

Also? Love the icon! ♥

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

& I yours - not icon twins, but icon sisters, at least! ^__^

In other news: *squee* *squee* *squeeeeeee*
...and you don't want to know how many times J-chan & I have watched the last 10 minutes. Seriously, you do NOT want to know.

[immicolia.livejournal.com]

And I still haven't downloaded any Supernatural yet if you can believe it. *ashamed* Even though I entirely intend to. I was having trouble finding torrents of the first episodes so I kinda gave up (and got horribly distracted by things like Eyeshield 21 and Sailor Moon). Maybe I'll wait until there's a full first season torrent kicking aruond. ^^

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

...There are torrents of the whole season up now. So really you have no excuse. Go! Watch!! The brothers, they are cute! Too cute to miss...

[immicolia.livejournal.com]

Yea, I saw one, and then it wouldn't work. So I just went after one of the first ten episodes instead. I'll be able to get it quicker too. Hopefully in a few days (since I still do my downloading in on and off spurts, old habits die hard ^^) and until then I'll just keep watching Sailor Moon eps... ten years later and I still have a strange love of that show

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Enjoy! ^^ (though don't blame me if it gets cancelled out from under us? ^^;;;)

Ah, Sailor Moon. I somehow managed to miss that one entirely...if not DBZ. or Pokemon, embarrassingly enough...

[stitcher2ficcer.livejournal.com]

Wondered what "trucked" was when I saw it in your post title.

Must be one damn satisfying series to make you want to bear the director's (producer's?) unborn babes, parasites that you consider such! I've been following your last couple posts on this show, and it seems to fulfill your smarm dreams more fully than just about any western show you've fanned on so far--and that's saying a lot. Guess I'll have to try to catch the reruns this summer.

And an evil demon? Can I hope that the demon content here might turn you to thinking again about a certain demon of your own and the smarmy pair he's afflicting?

Meanwhile, did you see this week's episode of LOST? I've found the second half of this season much slower and less satisfying than first season, but this week's cliffhanger ep was a doozy! WHAT??!!! Michael?? I think next week's ep is the first one in months that I'm really looking forward to.

[ex-naye320.livejournal.com]

it seems to fulfill your smarm dreams more fully than just about any western show you've fanned on so far

Yes. Yes it does. It's really amazing, but it does, and I love it so much for it! ♥

The evil demon is the best. The evil demon is the evil demon from every fangirl's dream - and it's canon. Aaaaaaah~! *happy sigh*

The waiting for next ep will suck, but in the end, it's so worth it. (And I resisted the idea of getting into a western show violently, so me saying that means quite a bit!)

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Really, the smarm is quite incredible. And like I told you, it's not a bad show otherwise, either...you really should check it out, you'd probably enjoy it.
...even if the wait this summer is going to be SOOO LOOOONG. And we won't even know for another week if it's even been renewed for next season! Hopefully they won't pull a Firefly on us...

[shayera.livejournal.com]

Just wanted to let you know that that link was the excse I needed to start downloading the show myself, and less than a week later, I have watched all of it. (The second half yesterday with naye!)

...and I'm ready to join your "I want more!" choir. ^^; (I swear, this show is hitting every button I have!)

[sholio]

'ello! We just finished watching Season 1, so while I'm waiting for the next episode to download (*mentally urges download to speed up*), I'm skimming back through episode commentary from last year.

I definitely wondered about the thing with Sam's intermittent (read: dramatically convenient) telekinesis, too. You probably know more about this by now than I do -- having seen the next few episodes, which I'll see in a couple of days, so no spoilers pleeeeease ... but my thought on watching that scene and comparing it to the earlier one where he freed himself from the closet is that maybe it doesn't work unless it's sudden and unexpected. So he's not going to be able to do anything if he's sitting there watching Dean killed slowly; it takes a sudden sharp shock, like how you'll hear stories about parents in the heat of the moment lifting automobiles off their trapped children ... but presumably it wouldn't still work to make the conscious decision, "I am going to lift this 2,000 pound automobile off this trapped child!"

At this point, though, I don't really see how they *can* come up with a truly consistent explanation for Sam's powers (other than dramatic convenience), because he seems to get those precognitive flashes in some instances but not others, and sometimes he gets specific information -- like, in the episode with Max, he knew right where to go when he foresaw the first death, but he doesn't *always* seem to know.

And John ... okay, I *really* don't want to know if John is going to die (because we KNOW the boys aren't going to, so at this point John's death is the only real unknown) but even if he survives, I hope he doesn't stick around on a regular basis. While I like the way his presence helps develop the family dynamic, I find that he has the same effect on the whole show's dynamic as the "too powerful" characters in anime tend to. You end up wanting to have the character taken off-camera or depowered in some way (which, granted, *is* certainly happening with John) because as long as they're around, there's not much for the other characters to do. It's DBZ syndrome only on a much smaller scale!

Oh, and it's turning out that you're exactly right about this not being a show that I'm that interested in reading fic for. I'm getting more and more fannish about the show itself (and DEAN, omg...), but I tried reading some fic and it just doesn't do a whole lot for me. You summed it up perfectly when you said that we've already seen most of these scenarios played out on the show, so there's not very many places that fic can go. I'm actually noticing the same thing happening this season with Stargate Atlantis, because SGA is FINALLY starting to really, truly deliver on its smarm potential, and I'm finding that my interest in reading fic is starting to slip as the really good fic scenarios start getting addressed on the show. (In fact, I swear the show's writers have been READING the fic, but that's a whole different discussion...)

I'm definitely glad that I finally listened to you and derry667 and started watching this thing, though. I've been hooked on various ensemble shows for so long now that I really didn't think a show with only two main characters would hold my interest that strongly. That's actually the main reason why it took me so long; I just didn't see how it could be dramatically interesting and emotionally deep enough. But, yikes! Emotional depth, meet the Winchester boys ...!

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Well, was mostly internet-incommunicado so now you know the answers to most of this anyway (except establishing any sort of consistency with Sam's powers, but hey, consistency is not why I'm watching this show ^^)

I am intrigued that you're having the same thing going on with fic that I am - what with the soap opera of the 2nd season and all especially (hee to your hubby's take on that ^_^) and SGA is doing the same? O RLY now...reading the fic? the best kind of smarm delivery! Maybe it was safer for me to wait for that one...

[sholio]

Yeah, my questions have basically been answered and we've just two episodes left to be completely caught up (except that the torrent for Croatoan keeps failing and it's not on iTunes ... *vex*). And the more we find out about Sam's powers, the less consistent they are, but what the hey. *grin* There's brother-smarm galore to make up for it! And its not-so-stellar plotting abilities are not what I watch SGA for, either ...

SGA is doing the same? O RLY now...reading the fic? the best kind of smarm delivery! Maybe it was safer for me to wait for that one...

This is definitely a good time to start watching. :) There are so many little bits of fanon that have been turning up in the show this season ... I *swear* somebody on the staff is reading fic! It's still not in Supernatural's class, as far as the way that the ongoing threads of character development are carried from episode to episode, building on the previous ones ... but it's certainly gone way beyond anywhere I thought it was capable of. I think you'll be pleased ...

[sholio]

Oh, and I forgot to mention ... I love the word "trucked" in this context. Gotta remember that one!