Season Six – A Guest Analysis
(Note from Alice – I’m very pleased to share this guest submission that I received inspired by our recent season six discussions, particularly Elle2’s disappointment the season. Enjoy this first ever post from Lori!)
I have been a lurker on this site for a very long time, and have thoroughly enjoyed all the contributors’ efforts and their enthusiasm for the show. Elle2 is one of my favorites, as I am also a Dean-girl primarily, though to be clear I am very aware my enjoyment of the character of Dean hinges directly on his relationship to and interaction with Sam – but I love a smartass, always have, so Dean-girl I am.
I’ve never commented on any fan site for any show, and never intended to, but Elle2’s obvious discouragement spurred me to speak my mind in hopes it soothes hers, and any others in her boat. Like Elle2 I’ve had increasing misgivings about the direction of my beloved show. I thought season six started off great, but things began to fall apart for me sometime after “You Can’t Handle the Truth” and once doubt and dismay set in, they took root fast. Until I remembered a suppressed truth myself, a truth long forgotten in the midst of what is now an undying fascination and love for the show. That truth is – I didn’t like season one when it originally aired. At all.
I remember being excited by the promos before the premiere, but frankly I was disappointed in the early episodes and the only reason I watched it past the first two or three is we didn’t (and don’t) have cable or satellite, and there was just nothing else on. So I kept it on for the classic rock soundtrack as background noise while I performed other tasks – well, and to catch a glimpse of the car once in awhile – love that car. And it occurred to me as I read Elle2’s article that those fans who came to the show late, after it had already found firm footing and a steadfast direction, do not have the same benefit of perspective as one like me who viewed the show from the beginning but was not a fan until much later into its run.
What turned me into a fan? Out of the blue, “Devil’s Trap” happened. And I loved every second of it. Let me reiterate that – I thought this show that I now practically live and breathe was largely crap all the way until the final episode of the first season. And then WHAM – hooked — crazy, madly, totally in love with a TV show (judge me if you want, most of you are there or have been or you wouldn’t be reading this).
So naturally I bought the season one DVD’s to catch up on episodes I’d dismissed or paid only passing attention to (renting them would not suffice). And have since replaced the season one DVD’s because I wore ‘em slap out. Over what I scoffed at as mediocre on original viewing. I can quote most of them now, and recently told a friend with absolute certainty not only the title of the episode where Dean got shot in the chest with rock salt but which DVD disk it was on, no need to look it up.
During the hellatus following season four, I encouraged an acquaintance who’d never heard of the show to Netflix it. She got about halfway through season one and mentioned to me she’d be bailing because she just could not get into it – she darn near hated it. I convinced her to hang in until season two and see if she felt differently – and boy did she. She got just as hooked as I am, and we now spend Friday nights from 9-10 Instant Messaging (commercials only – we have a strict no communication rule with each other or husbands during the show itself) and then continue fairly nonstop with an aftershow IM session from 10 to close to midnight usually. She’s now one of the best friends I’ve ever had, but she very easily might not have been – she laughingly admitted that until she got to season two she seriously wondered what was wrong with me that I liked that show, and only hesitantly stuck with it on my recommendation because I seemed so normal otherwise! So to emphasize the point – she disliked season one so intensely she considered actively avoiding future contact with me because my strong recommendation made her question my judgment, until the story twisted and turned her opinion completely around making the characters and story as important to her as they now are to me. And also like me, she now views season one in an entirely different light. Perhaps, jus t perhaps, season six will look just as good from the other side as season one ultimately did. I choose to wait and see, holding clearly in my mind the lesson learned from season one not to dismiss this particular show easily due to a seeming rough patch.
Yes, I’m somewhat disappointed in season six. Admittedly I’m not a big fan of noir, so that may be part of it. A huge draw to me has always been the careful attention to continuity, which doesn’t seem to be as carefully tended as it once was, and I like things to mean something or lead to something instead of purposefully dead end, which the nature of red herrings means lots of intentional dead ends. And though I don’t currently favor season six to season one, I have to remember – I do like season six better as it is airing than I liked season one on first viewing. And with the memory of how much I originally disliked the show and the knowledge of how much of life outside the show I’d have missed had I not stuck with it, I’m encouraged in my fanship and will forge ahead with the show, trusting them to take the story somewhere acceptable in the end despite what I fear are fairly severe missteps – including major disservices to the characters of both brothers. Season one had lots of missteps too, after all, until the characters and writers together found their way and somehow made all of it, the good and the bad, awesome retroactively. Besides, it has never been the individual episodes or even individual story arcs that keep me involved, but the long journey, the overall story of the brothers whether divided or united (though I do prefer united).
As many of you on the site have noted before, the show is just a show, yes, but it impacts dedicated fans in so many ways beyond the TV screen itself in a way so few shows could. Like a lot of you, I have several friendships based primarily on shared interest in the show, and the friend I mentioned above is such a deeply ingrained part of everyday aspects of my life now I cannot imagine if we hadn’t connected through the show. Heck, she spent an entire day this week helping me with an emergency drywalling project in my cold garage because she’s my friend and I needed the help – after all, it’s what Sam and Dean would do. And though we didn’t talk about the show much while we worked because our friendship has grown well beyond that, the show remains a key touchstone for us when we go several days without talking because the show is always where we meet regardless of how busy we get. All because I half-watched a show I saw as mediocre until I recognized brilliance under the surface and began to pay close attention, and convinced a dubious person to do the same.
There is still hope. This is still the little show that could in so many ways . It has always been the ultimate underdog, and it is not yet too late for it to surprise us all once again. I look forward to the day I look back across season six and tell someone catching up on DVD and considering bailing in the middle of season six “just hang in until season seven – you will be amazed at where the story takes you.”
😆
What an interesting article made my day.
Msy I be the first to welcome you, Lori to our humble lovefest. 😀
May this be your first article with many more to come.
I was there from ‘the Pilot’, and actually enjoyed the first season. When you meet a new love, the beginnings are always rocky (Bugs, Route 666, Dead in the Water).
But, there are always those sweet firsts that you will treasure (Something Wicked, Home, the Benders, Scarecrow).
SUPERNATURAL is not like other shows that you can watch week by week and not use your brain. With SUPERNATURAL, sometimes you have to wait until episode 22 (17 season 3), to fully appreciate what you have seen. Then you can rewatch them with a new understanding to what Kripke/Sera and Co were thinking.
And, that is definitely the case with season 6. So we will take this time to clear our heads and hearts of all the bad thoughts that this season is creating and then can sit in front on the tv on January 28th, refreshed and ready for the next chapter.
once again Lori, welcome. 😀
sorry, that should read, ‘sit in front OF the tv’.:oops:
You do not want to sit on your tv. 😳
Welcome Lori, so honoured you delurked and chose to post your first article here with TWFB.
It is very easy to forget our initial reactions to some of the episodes or seasons, when we get excited and engrossed in the show we all love.
Thank you so much for telling your story.
Lori,
Welcome you brave woman, you not only delurked but you delurked and wrote an article, very impressive indeed.
First off, I’m very grateful and humbled that you felt moved to write something to soothe my mind as well as others; very moved, very humbled. I had no idea when I spoke my discouragement that I would find so much encouragement and from that encouragement I am seeing a whole new side to this season and for that I am extremely grateful.
‘Tis just a show and yes I do know that but like all of us ‘crazy kids’ who come here or spend any time at any fandom site there is something to sharing a passion with others. I do not have a day to day friend in my life to share this show with so all my friends are here and they have all showed up in ways that I never imagined nor thought would happen.
I have been doing some perspective searching on this season of late and have started to figure a few things out and you nailed two of them right here in your article:
“And it occurred to me as I read Elle2’s article that those fans who came to the show late, after it had already found firm footing and a steadfast direction, do not have the same benefit of perspective as one like me who viewed the show from the beginning but was not a fan until much later into its run.”
Wow, do I understand that for I never angsted over things in seasons 1, 2 and 3 that others did for I saw those in pretty rapid-fire viewing so all was already done or almost done by the time I got there, no time for worrying. And since I do not have the ‘seasoning’ of Season 1 and the wondering of is there a plan here, a purpose or a meaning I do believe that is largely a contribution to my ‘issues’ with Season 6, never dealt with it before as Seasons 4 and 5 so definitely had a plan that was pretty obvious. Season 6 is a mystery and I’m finding that I lack the patience that is necessary. (and patience is a virtue so I will need to work on that)
The other point that you nailed and really hit me today as I read some of Alice’s Comic Con reports and read some commenters thoughts on noir is to realize that I do not know that much about noir and its twists and turns and doubling back on itself and frequent dead ends and thus I do not appreciate that much of what we are seeing does, in fact, double back on itself and displace what was previously learned.
I think Sera Gamble said that this past Comic Con that that is a lot of how noir works with things appearing to be one thing but then something happens and suddenly what you thought you knew you don’t; that’s new in Supernatural whereas before things built upon the other (especially in S4) and there was a progression that could be seen as it went along as well as in retrospect.
I think that is in large part my disappointment with this season is that at first I thought there was a progression that was organic and organized and logical (especially with respect to Sam and Dean’s relationship and Sam’s post=hell experience) but when it was revealed there was no soul in Sam and that that soul (the essence of Sam and for me, THE SAM WINCHESTER I love) was still in hell I was crushed and as a non-student of noir I am only now just beginning to understand that that was the intent from the very beginning, Trust No One, and Sam being all of a sudden Not/Sam by episode 6 showed me my first really shocking noir lesson (and it didn’t sit well at all)
These last few days of reading everyone’s thoughts and now Ardeospina’s and your excellent article have given me even more food for thought I’m finding that I really am looking forward to spending some time in the new year with Season 6 and looking at the first half with a whole new perspective that has been suggested by others, such as to view Season 6 as Season 1 as well as to understand noir a bit more and to recognize that much of Season 6 is still a mystery not to be revealed until the time is right.
as to you and your friend and drywalling in the cold, and your daily interactions now, isn’t it amazing that a silly little television show can do so much. It brings best friends together from strangers and it brings help to a disillusioned fan from around the world, wow.
And we have Alice to thank for this amazing place called, The Winchester Family Business.
Thank you, Lori, it does and has soothed.
I think that people have been generous in giving this season 11 episodes to prove itself and if they’re disappointed then their disappointment shouldn’t be treated as if they’re being stingy in their patience.
Considering that many of the things said before the season started came true (Sam becoming the new Dean and Dean becoming soft), it’s hard to say why people should extend their generosity. Many people are generous with first seasons because it does take time to get one’s footing. It’s the sixth season with a deliberate slant that people have noticed, even the actor noticed.
I really do think a lot of people are heading into the hiatus and are going to look back and figure that more of the same is coming and deciding to go elsewhere.
Lori, good point … I had the same experience with Battlestar Galactica. Taken in weekly chunks it’s dark, obscure, glacially slow and all a bit mystifying … It wasn’t until my mate lost patience with my not getting it and chucked the box-set at my head that I appreciated its magnificence ( once the concussion had cleared up … )
I came to SPN halfway through S3 and took the first two seasons at a gallop during the writer’s strike hellatus, so I always knew it was going somewhere. I reckon sometimes you need to take the long view to see all there is to be seen so I’m going to wait ’til the end of S6 before I get all judgemental … At the moment I’m just thinking roll on January!
Lori, thank you for delurking – and giving us your opinion which is, at its core, holds your love for the show, all seasons included. One far day, when this show will be off the air, we might take out all the dvd boxes of all the seasons and watch it in marathons, taking in the whole picture at once (and not in weekly portions) and rave about how great a show that was!
Cheers! Jas
Seems like a lot of peeps haven’t come across the term film noir before … It’s basically a movie involving ambivelance, menace, violence, pessimism, death and cynical characters … Sounds sort of familiar now, doesn’t it? 😉
Um, speaking of terms we haven’t heard before, what’s a ‘meta’? I’ve googled it and am still as clueless now.
Ta
Tim, I didn’t have a clue what meta meant either. At Ask.com I found this:
“Supernatural’ Goes Meta with April 2 Episode
NOTE: In TV, “meta” refers to anything that refers to itself. For instance, “Hollywood Babylon” is considered a meta episode because it makes self aware references iike when Dean thinks that L.A. looks a lot like Vancouver, it’s because the show is actually filmed in Vancouver.”
I read that later this season SPN will do the craziest meta episode it’s ever done. Looking forward to that.
Hi Lori.
How you got to love Supernatural was similar to my experience but different too.
I used to watch Smallville, and in season 5 of Smallville it was followed by a new show named Supernatural. As there was nothing on at that time I was interested in I just left the channel on and Supernatural played away in the background while I fooled around on the computer. As I always enjoyed certain horror movies and tv this went on for almost 3 and a half years without me paying very much attention to the show at all, least of all the characters.
Then they did a Christmas show. A Very Supernatural Christmas. I loved the very unChristmasy plot, and found I was emotionally moved by the story of the brothers in Christmases past and present. The final scene of that episode chokes me up every time, even now after many many viewings, and guess what, I had to get on the old computer and order season 1 and 2 immediately. The seasons that had played in the background for 2 years without being paid any attention whatsoever.
I avidly watched the dvd’s and discovered that I loved this show more than any other show I had ever seen before (or since). The characters, to me, were everything. The monsters and ghosties were secondary to my interest in the brotherly relationship of Dean and Sam. They became almost real to me and I cared about them as if they were real people I knew.
Even now, it is the relationship of the brothers that I care most about, and not the mytharcs or MOTW. Added to that is Bobby, like a father to them, and the fascinating angel Cas who rescued Dean from the pit. I loved Ellen and Jo and Ash and Andy (sweet dear Andy).RIP all of them! 🙁
So I came to love them in season 3 the way you did but in a different journey to that end. 😉
So I will not let myself be alienated from this show that I love so much, and will give the production crew and writers the benefit of the doubt to know what they are doing and treat our boys with the care they deserve.
Every night I make time to watch 2 episodes of my favourite show. I begin with the pilot and end with the final show that has aired at that time. I would never have done this with any other show that I have cared about, and there have been many since I have been a very long time TV viewer. I look forward to my nightly viewings and to this day have never tired of rewatching this saga.
Again, loved your article Lori. Write some more! 😉
Thanks to everyone for the comments and the warm welcome!
nancyL, I understand your point about not being able to watch this particular show without your brain engaged – you definitely have to pay attention and think or else you’ll miss a lot, and that was indeed part of my problem with season one was that I tried to watch it the same way I would “normal†shows, and I missed that there was a plan. It wasn’t until I recognized a plan in place in Devil’s Trap that I became hooked (plus, I blessedly somehow just missed seeing “Bugs†altogether until I started re-watching the season on DVD after I was already hooked, or I really might have just changed the channel permanently – Bugs is to this day my least favourite episode). As for season six, I’m content to hang in because I sense a plan is there, I just can’t “see†it yet, and I feel that when it’s finally revealed I’ll be satisfied.
elle2, I had no doubt given the obvious community nature of this site that others would jump in to offer their perspectives and I’m glad to hear those perspectives have helped boost you back up. It sounds kind of silly over a TV show, I know, but if you’re half as big a fan as I am (and I know you are, I’ve read your articles!) then I know how frustrated you had to be to be considering giving it up simply because I know how huge a hole it would create in my life if I quit. My husband would probably be calling every friend I have for intervention — or depossession! And sure, it’s possible the show’s just gone off the rails – it happens to the best ones eventually – but I just don’t think it’s there yet. Call it blind faith (again, how silly over a TV show, right) but I dismissed it too early once before and I won’t be doing that again. And I’ll be looking for new outlets to share the show with soon myself (probably here, since I’ve gone ahead and broken the ice!) since we’re relocating soon. Took me years to find a friend who liked the genre at all, let alone Supernatural specifically, and now we’re leaving and I’ll have to start over. Ah, well, good thing there’s always IM and friendly sites like this one!
Suze, I wanted so badly to like Battlestar Galactica but I was a fan of the original series and could just never get past the difference in tone, and I couldn’t stop looking for Dirk Benedict to pop up anytime anyone said “Starbuckâ€. I’ll probably give it another try someday, but for now I’m too busy wearing out Supernatural DVDs anyway!
Leslie92708, I’m not a deep thinker on my own either, but discussion (by which I include e-mail or IM) usually draws stuff out of my subconscious that I didn’t even know was there. Sites like this also usually spark ideas that I wouldn’t have thought of just left to myself – it’s amazing what shared interest can inspire!
Bevie, actually it was during Smallville that I originally saw the promos for Supernatural and became excited about watching it, as it seemed right up my alley (and eventually proved to be so, though I didn’t recognize it for awhile). My husband loves Smallville (well, I suspect he loves Lois Lane more specifically, but that’s a different topic, and means he can’t complain about my Dean fixation, so . . .) But yeah, I’d completely forgotten that in addition to the rock and the car, the TV already being on that channel for Smallville was also a contributing factor to me watching season one even as much as I did. I’m glad I came around long before the Christmas episode, but that one would likely have done it for me too. I’m told I have a twisted sense of humor, which I’m not sure I agree with, but the Christmas episode hit just the right mix of drama and funny for me, plus the obvious history between the brothers – yeah, if that one doesn’t get you none of them will. And like you, I’ve been a dedicated fan of shows before (Buffy comes to mind) but nothing on the level of Supernatural. My all-time favorite, no contest at all, and like you it’s all about the characters for me.
Thanks again to everyone for the welcome!