ita, I was on guard for the race thing when Jake was introduced, but it didn't end up pinging me. I am not aware of betrayal as a racist trope.

The lesbian thing did. She's the only queer person we've seen, her touch literally killed her girlfriend, and she was schmuckbait.

Here's the thing: day players die on SPN, right? So if you 'boost the stats' with your day players, they aren't going to be around very long. To me it's a result of the maleness/whiteness of the admittedly small core SPN cast, which is the main problem. SPN also does not share Buffy's stated goal of subverting horror movie tropes; it often glories in them. So I'm not surprised that this stuff is coming up.

Recurring women on SPN:

• Ellen - probably not dead
• Ava - evil(ish), dead
• Jo - MIA - have we seen the last of her now that Kripke heard the agonzied wails of fangirls everywhere and nixed the romantic attraction? Or will she reappear in the finale?

Recurring people of color:

• Missouri - MIA
• Henrikson - I'm guessing we'll see him next week
• Gordon - ditto

But how would Ava have survived there for five months, on her own? I get her killing any others who showed up, but she is still human -- what the hell did she eat?

There's nothing to say she didn't get magically delivered meals every day. We weren't there long enough to see how it worked. However, she also appears to have gotten magically delivered showers and clean clothes.

I am not aware of betrayal as a racist trope.

Me neither.

However, she also appears to have gotten magically delivered showers and clean clothes.

She can control demons. She's probably had them build a Playboy Mansion for her just over that next rise.

I'm not convinced Ash is (a) dead or (b) on the side of the angels or (c) on the side of the Winchesters; I always suspected him as Gordon's source. Then again, I don't see the point in luring Dean to the Roadhouse and then ... not doing anything to him there. It could delay the search for Sam, I guess, but it's not like the search for Sam was really going anywhere.

Though Dean's faith that his brother had to be somewhere in the continental US was kind of touching.

Interview with Dylan Neal of Blood Ties.

If Magazine has an interview with EJO that says that season 4 is the last one for BSG.

BTW, I think that the YED's army is an army of the dead. Like the Cauldron Born in the Chronicles of Prydain - possibly more powerful and active than zombies. All the dead kids with demonic powers.

You've never heard, "You can't trust those...fillinblanks" voiced?

Maybe it's just me.

I liked Jake as a character and thought he had potential. I just feel like it wasn't fleshed out enough for me to get anything beyond superstrong, soldier, stabby. Which is basically the structure of most television minority portrayal. Can't generally have them as main characters, so they get sparsely characterized, and all that's left is the Related To My Race issues.

With Ava, we knew her before, we had a relationship with her. Her betrayal was much worse, of course, but we have a more fleshed out character to deal with.

Naturally we have redshirts and oneoff characters, so not everyone can get depth of backstory.

You've never heard, "You can't trust those...fillinblanks" voiced?

Yeah, but I've never heard the blanks that often filled with a minority. Perhaps it's because of where I'm standing, but I've mostly heard it filled with groups that have more power than 'we' do, not less. You'd be surprised how untrustworthy white people are, really.

Can't generally have them as main characters, so they get sparsely characterized, and all that's left is the Related To My Race issues.

I don't think the one off characters are any less fleshed out for being minority than they are for being white. So all that's left for me is my general expectation of a day player, and Jake was incredibly unremarkable in that regard.

I think that the YED's army is an army of the dead.

That's what I'm thinking. Or perhaps an army of the next generation of soldiers, who are all five. That would rock.

I don't think the one off characters are any less fleshed out for being minority than they are for being white.

I guess what I mean is that when day players are not fleshed out, the ones that are minorities tend to have only race related, err, flesh. In general tv.

next generation of soldiers, who are all five.

Ha! We could bring in our "how many toddlers does it take to kill you" standard discussion. How many toddlers...if they're demon toddlers? (waits expectantly for a parent to chime in that they're all demon toddlers)

But yeah, I'm going with army of the dead. Although getting them to work together after they've all killed each other might be tricky.

If it is army of the dead, we're assuming just "chosen" soldiers, right, not fiery ceiling of death victims?

the ones that are minorities tend to have only race related, err, flesh

What race-related flesh does Jake have?

If it is army of the dead, we're assuming just "chosen" soldiers, right, not fiery ceiling of death victims?

Dude. Commanding your mother. Cool.