It's so fascinating what impresses you when you mainline a season, rather than imbibing it as weekly doses over a period of months.
I'm glad you enjoyed it, Fay, and you point out many of the same reasons I continue to like the show, despite the problems you also point out. I think those problems are severe, but not fatal, and are thus redeemable. I also tend to believe they happened because of carelessness and inattention rather than deliberate intent. If it had been intentional there would have been some payoff, as you state.
Of course, more than one writer and Kripke himself have said that with the shortened season, they had to focus on one storyline rather than weaving two or more as planned, and felt that Dean's expiration date was the more urgent. So they dealt with that one, and Sam's journey will be addressed in S4. So he still could have that turn to the darkside. I know JP himself hopes that's what happens, because Evil!Sam is fun for him to play.
I'm glad that, despite its obvious shortcomings, you're still enjoying the show. I do hope the producers and writers have taken note of the vocal fan discontent over the attitude toward women and supporting characters in S3, and manage to get S4 back to the regard and respect the show accorded both in S1.
I think that Ruby was definiately pushing Sam to use his powers all along - for her own reasons. I don't think that was can trust what she says about being a demon (for example.) I'm not sure how much we can trust what the Bar Tender Demon said either.
I do hope the producers and writers have taken note of the vocal fan discontent over the attitude toward women and supporting characters in S3, and manage to get S4 back to the regard and respect the show accorded both in S1.
Oh, hell yes to this. A million times hell yes.
I think their intentions were (possibly) good with regard to both Ruby and Bela, but execution-wise, not so much. It still irks me that Ellen and Jo have simply been forgotten -- as Fay said, it doesn't cost anything to have them mentioned, even if they don't have the budget or story room to keep Ellen actually on the show (and Alona Tal was otherwise busy, so).
It is so nice to log in and see new posts in Supernatural! Woohoo Fay, you brightened the day!
ps i miss dean
They were actually planning to write Ellen into one of the final four episodes. But because of strike delay, filming of the episode, if it did get filmed, was going to conflict with pilot season and Sam Ferrell decided she couldn't commit to the single episode she was offered, *if* that episode actually did get filmed, post-strike, when she had a better chance of finding more work, possibly steady work, by keeping her schedule open.
The realities and economics of teevee do not always dovetail with the wishes of the audience, nor the actors, sadly. I know Tal had a job as a regular or recurring on another show last season and didn't have time on her schedule to appear as Jo, even if it had been offered. Malik Whitfield commited to a series and so would not be able to appear as Henriksen in S4, though I still think they should have kept the option open should his series not succeed. Sterling Brown's contract actually prevents him from appearing in a current series on another network while he's working on Army Wives.
But they haven't actually written Ellen off. She may appear, or they may refer to her in passing. I occasionally think Kripke tends to turn loose of characters and plot points he's bored with, but then something comes up that refers back to a minor point in a previous season, and I go, hmmm. So there's hope for Ellen, though I doubt for Jo, since much of SPN fandom still has a residual hate-on for her. I like her as a little sister-esque character. And I even hold out a faint flicker of hope for Henriksen, and even Ash. If they didn't die onscreen or I never saw the body, to me there's always hope.
It does bug, though, that we get new characters like Rufus, and never get to see the ones that have been mentioned, like Jefferson and Joshua. I'd even appreciate a flashback with Pastor Jim or Caleb, since we have met those two, fairly immediately pre-mortem.
I wondered whether some of the latter flowed inevitably from the fact that it's the two of them against the world, a boys' own adventure...but really, I think that it's just bad writing.
I think there was a lot of bad storytelling in this season. Some lovely bits for the boys but surrounded by bad storytelling and writing choices that I don't think I will ever comprehend.
It's so fascinating what impresses you when you mainline a season, rather than imbibing it as weekly doses over a period of months.
I am mainlining S3 before clearing most of the eps off of my dvr and it feels very different watching it this quickly. There are some lovely character bits surrounded by storytelling and moral choices I question. But the character bits are just startling when you aren't waiting for a nibble each week (or more with all of the hiatus breaks last season) and and quite delicious.
It's sort of how I felt with S7 of Buffy. A rewatch (and judicious fast-forwarding of the speechifying) made the season feel much less stuttery to me.
Malleus Maleficarum still is really awful and objectionable on about thirty levels. *deletes*
That was the
Witches of Eastwick
one?
Yes, it was the witches ep. I tend to think that the ep is just "Our Skeevy Offensive Issues, Let Us Horrify You Show You Them."
eta: My html skillz, let me correct them.
