9.08, or, And this one had so much promise, too

[brightly_lit]

With a couple of significant exceptions (namely, Dean's sex talk in the church group--complete with orgasm!--and the end where Sam wonders if this is just the way he is now and Dean tries to fess up), I really didn't like this episode, and it all comes down to crappy writing. Klein has written or co-written only two episodes before this one, and both imo sucked.

Judging from these three episodes, she seems to be a fan of cheap gross-outs, pointless go-nowhere subplots (like the guy suggesting they offer up one of the other victims because she's already wounded, which literally had no bearing on anything else in the episode except to fill time ... or maybe to have Dean act righteous/chivalrous, which these days is pretty damn OOC), shameless shipping moments, other kinds of pandering (like, oh I don't know, getting Dean in bed ... with a porn star) and anvilesque plotting. It would have been cool if it had been a little bit of a surprise when Dean was dropped down the hole ... but there was absolutely nothing about this episode that wasn't plodding and predictable.

Actors should not have to work that hard to make the lines not sound stupid. Was there a single turn of phrase that was clever instead of somewhere between simply serviceable and downright awkward? I liked the "hippie from Bethlehem" line, and that was the only thing that struck me as even marginally clever.

So the SPN writers room is populated almost exclusively with men, and the female writers that remain on the staff a) get to write fewer than half as many episodes on average per years as staff writers as their male counterparts, and b) perhaps relatedly, also happen to be the worst writers on the staff. What's with that? Sorry, CW, you won't be able to convince me it's just that women can't write. Who knows what kind of politics may be at work behind the scenes, but for a show that hands us so many badass female characters who are actual, you know, characters and not just convenient love interests and what-have-you, this state of affairs is a bit troubling--especially considering that two of the best writers on the staff in the early days (Gamble and Tucker) were women.

Sam's hair wasn't even good! But that final scene did get me right in the Sam!girlie feels, so it wasn't a complete loss.

Comments

[brightly-lit.livejournal.com]

That's a really good point about him being more like S1 Dean. I couldn't shake the feeling that the writer basically compiled a list of "things fans like" (horror! Dean having sex! early-season vibe!) and jammed them all in there.

I'm really glad someone else felt about it the way I did.

Oh, but I forgot to mention the other thing I actually liked in the ep--Sam, upon learning they need virgin blood to kill the baddie: "I'M a virgin!" :-D

[morganlucas41.livejournal.com]

Ack, LJ ate my first comment. Anyway, I was saying that I definitely liked that moment - and all of Sam's scenes with Jodi. People usually comment that Dean's closer to most of their "friends" these days, and that may be true, but I'd say that Sam's closer to Jodi. I really like the rapport that has developed between their characters.

And yeah, the episode's not my least favorite, because it did have some good, funny moments. Just on the whole it was not the best.

[brightly-lit.livejournal.com]

Oh, man, I love Jody too, and I'm glad she's still alive, even if it seemed pretty certain that Crowley killed her and they just kinda ... overlooked that little problem, too. I guess she and Sam bonded when they were hunting for Dean together ...