"People are people because they're miserable bastards."

[llywela]

A little late, because it's been that kind of week: one catch up recap for last week's Supernatural. This one got a little ranty in places, which bothers me slightly as I usually try to aim for a more neutral tone when I'm recapping. I just found with this episode that, as amusing as it is on the surface, the closer I looked at it the more dissatisfied I became, and that kind of shines through in my writing.

To read the recap, click the link below:


"You're not supposed to get what you want."

Screencaps found at Screencap Paradise, marishna and oxoniensis

Comments

[bogwitch.livejournal.com]

Eep! I'm getting so behind on my comments for these!

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

There just aren't enough hours in the day!

The recap for this week's episode will be even later than this one.

[galathea-snb.livejournal.com]

Yay recap! Just YES! to everything you wrote, but you already know that! *hugs*

"Run, Forrest, run!" Dean bellows after the group. That's kind of insensitive. Heh, maybe Dean was oblivious like me, because actually I didn’t really realize that the kid was chased by bullies when I watched the episode the first time. I just saw a group of kids running by and didn’t really pay attention to the exact circumstances. But yeah, as a general Dean wouldn’t react like that and his interaction with the boy later on is different.

(...) being more of an exaggeration of who they are, for the sake of impact, than an entirely accurate reflection of who they are Yeah that is so very true. That’s my problem with Tall Tales and Hollywood Babylon as well. It’s all surface and exaggerates + flattens the characters. They are some of the few examples where show doesn’t follow its usual approach to storytelling of 'the plot goes where the characters go' but the other way round, twisting the characters to the convenience of the plot and by doing that disservice them.

Every time he does something like this, I think about John and about how much Sam hated it when his father behaved so cryptically, and wonder if he even realises that he is behaving in the exact same way. I don’t really think that he realises it consciously, but he uses it quite often, the kind of short-spoken authority John used towards them and I think he knows that his brother will automatically respond to that by 'obeying', if more out of instinct than anything else. I think it’s more of an instinctual pattern on both sides than a conscious decision.

In general: See, this is why I was so unhappy when Ben Edlund joined the writer’s staff back in S2. I mean, I have accepted him by now and he did a lot of really good episodes, like Nightshifter, Simon Said, Bad Day At Black Rock, Ghostfacers or Monster Movie. I loved all those episodes. But Edlund is someone who tends to enforce his exuberant, childish humour and knack for experimental and stylised storytelling over characterisation and I hate that. He uses the fantasy context of the show as a playground and doesn’t care much about the consequences. It does work, in episodes that are deliberately completely taken out of the context of the show and have little to no need for characterisation, like Ghostfacers or Monster Movie, it doesn’t work in episodes that try to stay within the frame of the show like Hollywood Babylon or Wishful Thinking.

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

Absolutely. 'Superficial' was the word I kept coming back to over and over as I wrote up the details of the various scenes. Superficial, shallow, two-dimensional, flat. It felt more like a cartoon than a serious drama.

Still. This is the first episode all season that I'm really dissatisfied with, so I can't complain too much!

[solosundance.livejournal.com]

oh it's so interesting ... this was one of my favourite eps so far! I enjoyed all the humorous/surreal things, even while knowing that many of them were very ... self-indulgent. I didn't realise Ben Edlund was behind Monster Movie - another favourite of the season! The only bit that was just a bit too self-indulgent was "Run, Forrest, run!" ... I just thought, OK so that's one of your favourite movies ... so what. Also I did feel there was some connection between the a and b plots ... and they both vocalized it, Sam using the word chaos to describe what would happen in the town if everyone got their wish, and Dean's commentary on why people are people ... life is hell in other words. I love your thoughts on the wishing-well scene - I thought it was a great look at where they both are right now, more emotionally-charged in many ways than the final one on the bridge. My main gripe really, which you articulate so well, is that in the end Dean's admission of total recall comes totally out of nowhere in terms of everything we've seen so far. Mind you, I think if it's handled well in upcoming storylines then I'll probably get over it! Heh. Really I think I'm pathetically easily pleased and, for me, whisky-toting Dean was worth the price of admission! I love that he's apparently drinking so heavily, and holding it like whoah ... leaving Sammy to get rat-faced next week *g*

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

I love how we all react so differently!

I know a lot of people really loved this one, and really love all the humorous episodes. I often find them a bit forced and superficial. With this one, although it is really funny on a superficial level, the deeper structural and conceptual flaws really leave me dissatisfied. I find it too emotionally uneven.

I was discussing this with galathea_snb just above: how Ben Edlund writes some excellent standalone episodes, like Monster Movie, but when he is required to write something that balances his surreal style with ongoing character development arcs, he almost always struggles to blend them together. The emotional imbalance of this episode is the result.

There are some really strong moments in the episode, and I'll probably appreciate it a little more once I understand more about Dean's memory (or lack thereof).