purloinedeclecticism

[purloinedeclecticism]

Review  ‘A Stranger in a Strange Land’ S14E01

Season 14 of Supernatural started this week.  Season 14! I’ve spent 10 years obsessively following the adventures of Sam and Dean, laughing at Dean’s terrible jokes, and weeping when either of them loses the other. It hardly seems possible.  I hate the hellatus so I always look forward to the new season starting.  Over the years, I have had some problems with how the storylines have panned out, at some of the quality of the writing, and even with the coming and going of certain characters but my loyalty to Sam and Dean, and to Jared and Jensen, who have never in 14 years phoned it in, remains as strong as ever.

Dean is missing, having been possessed by the archangel Michael.  Sam is being terribly brave, trying to lead a ramshackle group of hunters from another world, and holding the broken remains of his family together. Cas gets caught by a bunch of Demons with ambitions to the throne of hell, and has to get rescued - again.

Meanwhile Michael is trying to find allies to help him make a better world. Humans and angels both fail to match up to his high standards, but there is a group that could be the answer he is seeking.

 There were some odd things in this episode, some dire things, and some fabulously wonderful things.  As has always been the case, but increasingly so over the last few seasons, it proved to be a mixed bag of brilliance and disaster.

 The demon, Kip, a pretender to everything that is Crowley, right down to the snazzy shoes and the dirty innuendo, was good.  He mixed the right amount of camp with menace - touching but never overstepping into complete ham.  He was never going to be Crowley but I liked the idea that he was going to try.  He also had the funniest lines – “kentucky fried” Asmodeus for example.  I felt a little regret that he ended up on the sharp end of the demon killing knife.

 My problem with the whole demon storyline in this episode is that it just re-emphasised the lack of ideas for Cas – a once magnificent, dangerous and powerful entity who is now pathetic and merely a siphon for a plot-line to put the brothers into tricky situations (Sam, in this episode).  As many fans have pointed out, how did he, an angel of the Lord who can see the true faces of demons, not notice he was sitting in a bar surrounded by demons. How could they beat him (not with supernatural powers but with just their fists)or keep him tied down like a complete numpty waiting for Sam to come and rescue him?  Such a shame for the character and for Misha Collins.

 The joy of the demon storyline, however,  was how it showed how competent and strong Sam Winchester is.  He has turned into a natural leader; selfless, dedicated, commanding. His snarl of “enough” and his ultimatum to the demons was glorious and allowed me to forgive show for killing the rather interesting Kip.  I do worry about Sam though – he is surrounded by expert hunters, including his mother and the AU Bobby (a little too like our own Bobby who died back in season 7 for my comfort), yet still seems to be relying on incompetents – a depowered Jack (currently a whining teenager) and Maggie (who seems keen but clueless).

 The final fight scene was great, but I found the slow motion snippets somewhat jarring.  Yes, we know that Mary and Bobby are strong, experienced hunters. Don’t overdo it, show.

 I know that Jared and Jensen have growing families and want to spend more time with them but I do miss the days when the boys were utterly central to the programme.  So I am not so keen on the multitude of storylines that are crammed into 40 mins to make up for the lack of Winchester screentime.

 Okay, so Mary and Bobby’s flirting only lasted a couple of seconds (I’m pretty sure there will be more as the season progresses).  But the return of Nick, previously Lucifer’s meat suit, was mind-boggling pointless.  Why?  What is the point of him?   My concern is that there are plans for Lucifer’s return.  At this point, I am very tired of brought back characters.  It counteracts and undermines the power and emotions of important moments – I was very against Lucifer’s return in the first place because it utterly nullified Sam’s extreme sacrifice at the end of season 5. I grieved for Bobby after his death and enjoyed the flashback episodes featuring him very much. But a clone Bobby from the AU world simply negates the power of Death’s Door, one of the best episodes show has ever done.

 The problem is that show is making lazy and unimaginative decisions.  This is a pity because there are, in every season, moments of pure genius and thinking so far out of the box that it leaves me breathless at the sheer brilliance of it all.  Unfortunately, I feel that there is an element of pandering to the fans, who although vociferous in their support of the show and loyal to a fault, can also be opinionated and partisan and do not necessarily know what is best for good television (and that includes me, although, of course, I do know exactly what is best for show - I just keep my ideas to fanfic!)

 It is possible that the casting of Jensen Ackles’ wife, Danneel, might also be an element of pandering gone too far although Danneel, as Sister Jo, was actually pretty good with the right combination of scared, discomfort and bravura. I doubt that Michael would have touched her face though, except that it was a nod to the fans who knew that the actor playing Michael is married to the actor playing Sister Jo. It wasn’t necessary and was jarring.  I am not the biggest fan of nepotism -  I didn’t see why Genevieve Padalecki had to return for The French Mistake either – a touch of meta too far.

 Back to the episode - the other big storyline is Michael and what he is up to with his stolen meatsuit.

 Doing his very best to prove that the creatures on this Earth are unworthy and therefore should be wiped out of existence, seems to the plan.  He is deliberately choosing the very people guaranteed to lie when answering the question, “What do you want?” to suit his own purpose.  As suggested on social media by a very perceptive fan, asking Sam would have led to a pure and genuine answer (his brother). He obviously didn’t want to hear any truthful answers that went against his own worldview.

 It’s Sam’s grief at losing his brother that is the real strength in this episode.

 Jensen Ackles is astonishingly good as the very creepy Michael – the change in voice, body posture, even in the way he looks out of his face is truly masterful.  There isn’t a single bit of Dean left in that performance.  He’s still the most beautiful creature on God’s good earth (dear God, his eyes alone!) but he didn’t need the rather distracting costume to show he was playing an entirely new character.  Perhaps Jensen needs to trust himself more.

 However, it is Jared Padalecki that gets all the kudos for this episode. ��Almost silent until his final burst of rage after the demon fight, monosyllabic and then very quietly spoken, with movements slow and careful with exhaustion, Jared is able to convey Sam’s utter helplessness in the face of Dean’s disappearance, with only the barest of hints and inflections, yet still manages to impart how lost he is without him.  Yes, he is strong, capable, commanding (and very, very hot) but those moments (such as the slightest hitch in his voice when he says “or even if he’s still  >hitch< alive or in the heavy, sad eyes) are so believable and so sad.  His acceptance of Cas’ stupidity (which nearly killed everyone left in his family and therefore should have led to strong words at least) because he, too, would do anything and work with anyone if it meant getting Dean back said it all.

 And I agree with Sam.  Jensen is wonderful as Michael – I am looking forward to seeing how he develops the role over time.  But, Dean is a big miss.  It’s not Sam’n’Dean anymore and it felt weird to have an episode without one of them (for the first time in the shows decade and a half run).

 This is why I still love this show. This central relationship between the brothers Winchester is so layered, so beautifully drawn and so well acted by Ackles and Padalecki.  It was obvious (but nice to hear it, and yes, it broke my heart) that the answer to Sister Jo’s question about why Dean agreed to Michael possessing him was simply “love” for Sam.

 I would much prefer a shortened season if it meant that I could get more of this relationship – complicated, co-dependent, messy, strong and genuine though it is – and rather less of all the other distractions.  It turns a rather campy, sometimes badly written, certainly weakly plotted show into something that is pure gold.  And this episode, although it had a lot of faults, shined in those few moments where we could see its heart.