Supernatural 4x04 - Metamorphosis
Oct. 9th, 2008 11:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
zhadraniNot the most coherent post-episode thoughts. I didn't like this one.
The main issue I had was...the boys didn't deal with the real issues. I mean, they tried to make it seem like they did, and by "they" I mean the writers, but they didn't.
I didn't feel any part of this episode after Travis' phone call interrupted them. Before that I was totally on board, although a few things seemed iffy. I mean, the new Ruby was still a complete non-presence, but Sam and Dean's fight was pretty cool, and I really love how broken up Sam got during the argument. But they never got around to really talking about Ruby, what Sam has really, actually been up to for four months instead of just what he says he's capable of doing; they talked about Dean's trip to the past for all of two seconds, and then didn't even bring up that Azazel's "end game" is apparently still in motion.
Mostly it bugs the crap out of me that Sam mentioned once, maybe twice, in a completely throwaway fashion, that Dean was dead and gone for four months. And then he angsts about the demon blood in him, about how he has this demonic darkness inside and that he's been struggling to make something good out of it.
Except you know what? Sam hasn't had darkness inside of him that we've ever seen, except when it's caused by Dean dying. Sure, the psychic stuff has given him a few fits, but we've never seen him struggling with some internal demonic force that's trying to coerce him down the dark side, or anything that Sam would actually be "struggling against," not even when he's using those creepy powers, accidentally or on purpose.
Nothing inside Sam has ever provoked him into trying to use the powers; the only time he used them voluntarily before was in desperation to try and save Dean (Nightmare, Season 1). I was expecting, the only thing that I can actually BELIEVE would force Sam to explore his powers, would be, again, in desperation to save Dean, this time from Hell. I mean, we've seen Sam totally messed up and scary after losing Dean before (Mystery Spot, Season 3), so...why the hell has he been so normal? Aside from when Dean seems moments away from perishing (such as in 4x01 when the demon is talking smack, or here in 4x04 when Sam thought Dean was about to get eaten,) we don't really see Sam having any kind of out-of-the-ordinary concern for Dean, how he's doing, whether Sam's even grateful that he's back. It just...bugs the shit out of me. Where's the brotherly love?
What IS this nonsense about just trying to control the powers and make something good out of them? They were totally dormant at the end of last season, and nothing in Sam's words or actions until this episode indicated that he was experiencing any affects from the demon's blood, ever. I just, all this angst about him being such a freak and Dean never being able to understand because he doesn't have demon's blood in him...where the hell is that all coming from?
I'm also disappointed that they seem to be going down the road of "demon's blood is responsible for all of Sam's powers and specialness." That seems a bit of a cop out. Any of the children could have been Sam, then. Any CHILD could have been Sam, if their parent had been chosen. So if Sam had never been fed the blood, he would've been completely normal?...Sorry, I find that a bit hard to believe, and also slightly lame.
And why exactly does Sam only have demon-exorcising powers?...You'd think telekinesis, persuasion, superstrength, and/or precognition would also be pretty useful. How was Ruby teaching him to do just this one thing?
Also, I think maybe Dean is befuddled and desperate right now, and that was why he referenced the Guy Upstairs when trying to convince Sam that using his powers were a Bad Thing? Because otherwise it seems like he switched over to believing in the big guy way too fast. Angels, yeah, he's met Castiel before (and I actually think "Cas" is pretty damn cute XD) and experienced his power, but he was still skeptical about God, last we knew.
The whole rugaru thing was pretty gross, but I didn't/couldn't really care about Jack-guy. He didn't get at me as a particularly effective metaphor for Sam, because of how involuntary and visceral his transformation was, which is totally not how Sam's issues have been portrayed, as I've ranted about above. Also just how obvious the supposed parallels are, and how obvious that everything they're saying is really about Sam, annoyed me.
...That entire conversation where they pulled the Impala off the side of the road and argued was just wrong; clunky and about the wrong things and just, bzuh? I can't even properly articulate all the things I found wrong about it.
...So, basically, I liked most of the first eight minutes (MOST), and after that, though I kept hoping that it would stumble back onto the train tracks, I just...didn't feel. At all.
Wow. I mean, I should've been expecting it, the first three episodes this season were too awesome, they can't keep it up. And the Sam (absence of Sam?) issue has kind of been there since the premiere. I was just...really looking forward to this episode, and had high hopes. Man. Now I feel like crap about next week.
The main issue I had was...the boys didn't deal with the real issues. I mean, they tried to make it seem like they did, and by "they" I mean the writers, but they didn't.
I didn't feel any part of this episode after Travis' phone call interrupted them. Before that I was totally on board, although a few things seemed iffy. I mean, the new Ruby was still a complete non-presence, but Sam and Dean's fight was pretty cool, and I really love how broken up Sam got during the argument. But they never got around to really talking about Ruby, what Sam has really, actually been up to for four months instead of just what he says he's capable of doing; they talked about Dean's trip to the past for all of two seconds, and then didn't even bring up that Azazel's "end game" is apparently still in motion.
Mostly it bugs the crap out of me that Sam mentioned once, maybe twice, in a completely throwaway fashion, that Dean was dead and gone for four months. And then he angsts about the demon blood in him, about how he has this demonic darkness inside and that he's been struggling to make something good out of it.
Except you know what? Sam hasn't had darkness inside of him that we've ever seen, except when it's caused by Dean dying. Sure, the psychic stuff has given him a few fits, but we've never seen him struggling with some internal demonic force that's trying to coerce him down the dark side, or anything that Sam would actually be "struggling against," not even when he's using those creepy powers, accidentally or on purpose.
Nothing inside Sam has ever provoked him into trying to use the powers; the only time he used them voluntarily before was in desperation to try and save Dean (Nightmare, Season 1). I was expecting, the only thing that I can actually BELIEVE would force Sam to explore his powers, would be, again, in desperation to save Dean, this time from Hell. I mean, we've seen Sam totally messed up and scary after losing Dean before (Mystery Spot, Season 3), so...why the hell has he been so normal? Aside from when Dean seems moments away from perishing (such as in 4x01 when the demon is talking smack, or here in 4x04 when Sam thought Dean was about to get eaten,) we don't really see Sam having any kind of out-of-the-ordinary concern for Dean, how he's doing, whether Sam's even grateful that he's back. It just...bugs the shit out of me. Where's the brotherly love?
What IS this nonsense about just trying to control the powers and make something good out of them? They were totally dormant at the end of last season, and nothing in Sam's words or actions until this episode indicated that he was experiencing any affects from the demon's blood, ever. I just, all this angst about him being such a freak and Dean never being able to understand because he doesn't have demon's blood in him...where the hell is that all coming from?
I'm also disappointed that they seem to be going down the road of "demon's blood is responsible for all of Sam's powers and specialness." That seems a bit of a cop out. Any of the children could have been Sam, then. Any CHILD could have been Sam, if their parent had been chosen. So if Sam had never been fed the blood, he would've been completely normal?...Sorry, I find that a bit hard to believe, and also slightly lame.
And why exactly does Sam only have demon-exorcising powers?...You'd think telekinesis, persuasion, superstrength, and/or precognition would also be pretty useful. How was Ruby teaching him to do just this one thing?
Also, I think maybe Dean is befuddled and desperate right now, and that was why he referenced the Guy Upstairs when trying to convince Sam that using his powers were a Bad Thing? Because otherwise it seems like he switched over to believing in the big guy way too fast. Angels, yeah, he's met Castiel before (and I actually think "Cas" is pretty damn cute XD) and experienced his power, but he was still skeptical about God, last we knew.
The whole rugaru thing was pretty gross, but I didn't/couldn't really care about Jack-guy. He didn't get at me as a particularly effective metaphor for Sam, because of how involuntary and visceral his transformation was, which is totally not how Sam's issues have been portrayed, as I've ranted about above. Also just how obvious the supposed parallels are, and how obvious that everything they're saying is really about Sam, annoyed me.
...That entire conversation where they pulled the Impala off the side of the road and argued was just wrong; clunky and about the wrong things and just, bzuh? I can't even properly articulate all the things I found wrong about it.
...So, basically, I liked most of the first eight minutes (MOST), and after that, though I kept hoping that it would stumble back onto the train tracks, I just...didn't feel. At all.
Wow. I mean, I should've been expecting it, the first three episodes this season were too awesome, they can't keep it up. And the Sam (absence of Sam?) issue has kind of been there since the premiere. I was just...really looking forward to this episode, and had high hopes. Man. Now I feel like crap about next week.
