Inside Sam’s Grapefruit: Speculations on Season 7 of Supernatural
So I’ll be honest. I have not been happy with Season 7 of Supernatural. I’ve felt disconnected from the story, from the brothers, from the world within which they’ve found themselves since “Exile on Main Street.†To my mind, seasons 6 and 7 have been uneven at best – at times brilliant and at times grotesquely awful. Then came “Adventures in Babysitting.†For those who follow me on Twitter you’ll know that I about had an apoplectic fit during its first airing. I was sitting there and thinking, “What the hell am I watching?!†There was awkward brotherly interaction, when it was there (I guess they were in in a total of 5 minutes of scenes together). There was a kid (played brilliantly by Madison), but still, a kid to add to the litany of “anvil children†who we are supposed to see as young Sam/young Dean/young Sam-Dean, or whatever. There was a case and two hot chicks as the big bads and a crazy old guy with a techno-glamper, and I guess a plot. Let’s just say I was half out the door of viewership, ready to turn the lights out and return to live watching Fringe.
{Note from Alice. Both Pragmatic Dreamer and Bookdal have found some sheer inspiration is the strange time references/lapses in “Adventures In Babysitting” and earlier. I’m publishing both these articles around the same time so both these amazing theories can be pondered and discussed. Suddenly, all may not be what it seems. Enjoy this take from Bookdal!}
Hey, hey, let’s all fade away
And then we’ll never have to think again
Let’s all close our eyes
Let’s all close our minds
Like life is nothing at all
We will think small
Till life is nothing at all
We will think small
“The Brain that Wouldn’t Die†– Tall Dwarfs, Hello Cruel World
So I’ll be honest. I have not been happy with Season 7 of Supernatural. I’ve felt disconnected from the story, from the brothers, from the world within which they’ve found themselves since “Exile on Main Street.†To my mind, seasons 6 and 7 have been uneven at best – at times brilliant and at times grotesquely awful. Then came “Adventures in Babysitting.†For those who follow me on Twitter you’ll know that I about had an apoplectic fit during its first airing. I was sitting there and thinking, “What the hell am I watching?!†There was awkward brotherly interaction, when it was there (I guess they were in in a total of 5 minutes of scenes together). There was a kid (played brilliantly by Madison), but still, a kid to add to the litany of “anvil children†who we are supposed to see as young Sam/young Dean/young Sam-Dean, or whatever. There was a case and two hot chicks as the big bads and a crazy old guy with a techno-glamper, and I guess a plot. Let’s just say I was half out the door of viewership, ready to turn the lights out and return to live watching Fringe.
But I stepped back and thought, okay, perhaps I’m in Bobby mourning. Lucky Sam and Dean got three weeks to mourn (oh wait, so did I – bastards). Of course their mourning was done in Twilight: New Moon montage time. I did not have such benefits. Or perhaps I was expecting too much. Let’s be frank (ha), “Supernatural” is not the best at the midseason premieres. Loved the “Like a Virgin†hug and all, but the plot on that episode was mediocre, and that’s a generous criticism.
So I rewatched and rewatched, because I don’t want to leave this show and I definitely don’t want to use the show as a way to spread snark. I have the GOP debates for that. I want to love the show. I want to love the story. But most especially I want to love the brotherhood, and I’ve felt all of those connections tested by the last two seasons. And I also wanted to understand my own adverse reactions to it. So what to do?
Well, on an episode level, I’m going to say that I still don’t fully appreciate the emotionality of “Adventures in Babysitting.†I thought both acting and writing were overly forced – Love you Ackles but I have to say, for the first time in forever, I was having a hard time buying your Dean (and before the Ackles army comes out and orders their fatwa, I am still convinced of the brilliance that is Jensen, but this week I felt it was not his best effort.) And yes, that includes the final “broken smile†scene, which was beautiful for the Ackles face, but to my mind, was too neat and pretty. The music, the lighting, and the face acting just did not do it for me, but that’s me. And as for Glass’s story, I’m more convinced than ever that he is the “plot†go-to writer since Kripke left, but who has some real problems with connecting to the brotherhood and worthy of note: four of the six episodes he’s credited with writing contain the “anvil children.†He needs to watch “I Believe the Children are Our Future†for pointers on how to deal with children in “Supernatural.” These are my two “negative†observations on the episode. But I do have positives, and they come in the form of speculation.
What do I mean by this? Well, first, I will say that I have a few theories about where “Supernatural” may be heading. I will qualify these observations by saying I could be totally wrong. Like totally, epically, apocalyptically wrong. But for me to stay interested and invested, I have to see that the show is moving toward something. Now, some may argue that part of watching a television show such as this is the “ride.†For many that is true. For many that is not true. I am a member of the latter group. I need to see an end, even if it’s wrong, so that I can see the destination on the road. So I submit to you, fellow viewers and dear readers, three plot possibilities and ask that you indulge me in my speculations. The first one is long; the last two are shorter and less fleshed out.
Add to them, if you so wish.
Theory #1: We’re in Sam’s Grapefruit
My first theory is my pet theory. It’s the “plot†I’ve decided to commit to. And this theory holds that we are inside Sam’s broken mind, and we’ve been here since “The Man Who Knew Too Much.†My evidence for this theory comes in the form of several observations, as listed below.
A. Leviathans and HP Lovecraft: For those who’ve read Lovecraft, you know that he incorporates the legends of sea monsters into much of his storytelling. His Cthulhu is a sea monster, and if you remember, Cthulhu was being read by Ben and was the case file that was the A Plot of “Let it Bleed,†the first half of the sixth season finale. As we see in “The Man Who Knew Too Much,†Sam’s broken state allows him to incorporate “real†things into his visions, especially when he mentions knowing he’s in Bobby’s house since he could smell “Old Spice and Whiskey.†So could the Leviathans be a product of the last case file, Lovecraft references, the specter of purgatory, and other pieces of floating fragments of knowledge in Sam’s mind?
B. Missing Time/Objects: As we saw in “The Man Who Knew Too Much,†Sam’s concept of time is skewed. As he’s driving in the car, right before his confrontation with Soulless, night turns to day. He gets to Bobby’s fairly quick as well. Also, I still want to know how, after he recovered from the Hell Sam confrontation, he got to where Bobby and Dean were having their showdown with Castiel? I know Supernatural plays with time, but even when I first watched the episode, I was like “how did Sam get there so fast? How did he get there? Walk?†Missing time has been a subtextual issue in the show this season. For example, Dean’s leg recovery time. I know the boy is heavenly, but even a demi-god needs time to recover. The even more explicit missing time and missing beer in “Adventures in Babysitting†also reinforced this reading for me.
C. Disappearing Symbols: So in “Death’s Door,†it was pretty obvious that Bobby’s visions were part memory, part symbolic. In the dream state, symbols often act in replacement of other things. The classic example is water as womb. But you see where I’m going? If you notice, from “Meet the New Boss†onward, there is an agenda of getting rid of symbols of the brothers’ former lives. First, Castiel and his trenchcoat. Next, Bobby and Bobby’s house. Then, Dean and his Impala. In “Death’s Door,†this process is made explicit. And as my friend Zakkorama noted at the time of the episode, how does a reaper get in your head? It seems odd, but if read as representative of another dream state, it makes sense.
And if you notice, also, the symbolic language of the show such as sigils and the like, are pretty well gone. Every symbol is iconic, imagistic, rather than linguistic. And in the dream state, that is often what happens. We experience our world as picture, often disjointed and unconnected, rather than as linguistic and linear.
D. Redundancies and Replacements: So in this last episode, a line really triggered my theory. It was when Dean told Frank that he wouldn’t leave his brother, after Frank suggested he quit the life. This scene immediately reminded me of the Sam v. Hell!Sam confrontation, when Sam said he wouldn’t just go back to his dream state since he “won’t leave my brother out there alone.†Then I started to think back on the season and remembered “Slash Fiction,†an episode which was premised on the Leviathan Sam and Dean reliving their first cases. Also, a scene in that episode was directly reminiscent of several episodes at once, and that was the car scene with the wonderful Air Supply lip synch. Besides being reminiscent of “No Rest for the Wicked,†the scene also called back to the pilot with Sam and the map.
“Death’s Door†also repeated several scenes from “In My Time of Dying,†including Bobby running from the reaper and the montage of Dean/Sam outside the door as Bobby was being worked on and dying.
Also, “The Girl Next Door†and the Dean killing Amy scene is directly parallel to how he killed Ruby, with the same reasoning he had for wanting to kill Ruby – she was not to be trusted.
Also, in “Adventures in Babysitting†and the vetala scene of biting Sam reminded me of “Live Free or Twi-Hard.â€
Also, the character of Krissy reminded me of Ben and the confrontation between Dean and the Vetala/Krissy moment was reminiscent of Lisa/Ben scene. Also of note, the echo effect of the “Dean freeze†was the same sound effect of Soulless calling out for Sam in “The Man Who Knew Too Much.â€
Also, Sam’s coping mechanism evokes his “Mystery Spot†approach – routine, exercise, work.
There are other redundancies as well. The crossroads demon, which seemed out of context in the season, reappears but this time with Becky, a ghost from Sam’s past and a way to both poke fun at the “sleep with Sam and die†trope but also remind us that some people still know Sam and Dean are alive. There was “The Mentalists†episode that had the Campbell brothers reference. There’s also Frank and Garth who are strangely redundant representations of Ash and Bobby. There was the vetala references that seemed to imply perhaps Soulless ran into them (yes, stretch but I’m convinced that was Soulless talking through Sam), but gets connected to Dean’s time during Sam’s Stanford. By the way, Sam’s confrontation with vetala happens directly after Dean explains that he encountered them before.
There are also redundant tropes, such as Sam’s worry about Dean having a normal life and not falling into the John trap. That is more than evident this season in both Sam’s attitude but also Dean’s behaviors. This season 7 Dean seems to be an enactment of all the fears Sam had for Dean, but amplified. And I’m going to say this about “Death’s Door.†I think, in my reading so far, Bobby is not Bobby. Bobby is Sam, on the precipice of making a choice between living or dying.
E. Distortions and Inaccuracies and Inconsistencies, Oh My!: So my understanding of vetala is not really “Supernatural’s” understanding of vetala. According to legends, they are corpses and ghosts. However, for the show, they are hybrids of vampires, djinn, and arachne creatures. Now since we are not in the purgatory storyline anymore, their hybrid nature makes no sense unless they are representative of a series of different monsters – symbolic shall we say?
Another thing I noticed as well, episode titles. Now if season 6 was meant to invoke noir, what is Season 7 meant to invoke? Pop culture it seems. “The Girl Next Door,†“Defending Your Life,†“Adventures in Babysitting,†“The Mentalists,†“Shut Up, Dr. Phil,†and even “Meet the New Boss†(last line of the CSI The Who theme) are all direct references to either television or film. They kind of read like a playlist of a bored hunter, perhaps? And “Slash Fiction†was not only reminiscent of the first season adventures, but the whole episode was a pastiche of pop culture references from Tarantino and beyond. Also, did you all know that Dick Roman was a quasi-popular singer of Dean Martin type music back in the 1960s/70s?
Dream states are often states of pastiche.
And as far as inaccuracies? Besides missing time, there is the problem of the coordinates, incomplete and inaccurate perhaps? There’s the vetala and there’s the corrupted timeline of the crossroad deals. There’s the deux ex machina of Death’s eclipse – seriously, could Death even do that? There’s the distorted Wizard of Oz death of Edgar in “Hello Cruel World.†There’s the appearance of Spike and Cordelia in “Shut Up, Dr. Phil†(I’m including this because I can and I wanna.) There’s also the return of Drunk!Dean who is adorably flirty with men in uniform. There’s two teenage girls, who happen to seem like duplicates of Sam and Dean as teenagers, but as girls. (That’s an examination for my Forbidden Elephants series). By the way, almost all the “anvil children†have been male, until this year.
So we’re through the looking glass, Alice. Or at least that’s my read. But I do recognize weaknesses.
First, where does this leave Dean? We could be in a pastiche between what is really happening and what Sam is interpreting as happening, getting a glimpse of both timelines, let’s say.
Second, it’s too complicated – yes, but I have a theory that the show recognizes the intelligence of its audience and wants to up the ante in the game. It can play a meta-meta game here. Red herrings in structure, not only content, of plot. If anyone could (and would) do it, this show would.
Third, aren’t you afraid of the Dallas effect? Sure, but Newhart did it well. Just because Bobby Ewing was a failure does not mean that the device should never be used again. And a generation has passed since both shows tried this device. It’s time.
I could go on with these, but I think I’ve made my points.
Theory #2: Cas threw both Sam and Dean into an alternative state of consciousness
My second theory is shorter. To address the breakdown of Dean as an actual breakdown and not Sam’s “interpretation†of Dean, I could see this whole season as a weird alternative state that Cas constructed to get Dean and Sam out of the way. It’d explain the campiness of some storylines and the very Dean flavor of the episode titles. I’m inviting commentary on this theory. It’s not as filled out as the first one.
Theory #3: The Plot is Real and the Leviathans are Building a Time Machine
So my final theory is that the plot is actually the plot, god help us, and the Leviathans are actually trying to build a time machine in that field we saw Friday night. A time machine would make sense for two reasons. It would explain the missing time aspect and object placement as well as the motivation of the Leviathan. For those who remember, Death noted that the Leviathan existed before humanity and they’d want to return to that state. Of course, I will note at this point, this would be evocative of the angels’ motivation, specifically Lucifer, who despised humanity’s position in the order of things. – Yes, I’m selling my first theory hard. No judging.
A time machine would also lay the way to reboot the show to any point the writers wanted, if they chose to use it that way. That’s the great thing about theoretical quantum mechanics, you can undo the world.
Again, this theory is up for additions and changes. I’m open to all travelers.
So in the end, I guess the point of my speculation is to say that I think something else is definitely going on, and while Glass’s “Adventures in Babysitting†did not overly impress me as an episode, it did spur me to move past my disappointment with season 6 and season 7, and read the story as seasons 6/7. So perhaps that is my last observation – read it as an unfolding whole rather than separate stories. I did and found myself in Sam’s Grapefruit. And that’s okay with me. You know why? Soulless is there. Yummy.
“Your world is whatever I want it to be.†– Lucifer, “Hello Cruel Worldâ€
This is a very interesting. I’ve taken a moment and re-read your first one and you could be on to something. For all we know Sam is still in that panic room in Bobby’s house with Dean and Bobby tending to him. Maybe even Cas is there trying to undo what he did to poor Sam with little success! There have been many who have wondered how Sam has been able to cope so well. Maybe he’s not coping, but trying to survive inside his own grapefruit as he tries to rejoin the living world.
We’ve discussed this, and the theory of a funhouse mirror reality, through a glass warped and darkly as it were, makes a lot of sense. The idea of the Lucifer in Sam’s noggin methodically killing off everything Sam loves and depends on, next on the list being his brother, would be very interesting.
It also should be noted the enormous amount of time in the THEN sequence devoted to Sam’e mental collapse, when it never surfaced once in the episode. As a friend of mine and I were commenting, it feels, in a way, like the game of “Real or Not Real” in the Hunger Games third book, Mockingjay.
The single biggest issue I have with this is simple: it gives the writers an enormous amount of credit. I am increasingly of the mind that the show under the direction of Gamble has been driven right into the ground. Of course, because I have loved this show, I desperately want to think that the funhouse-reality theory is true.
AS I HAVE SAID TIME HAS ALWAYS BEEN MESSED UP. IT SHOULD BE 2013 B/C OF DEANS LISA & BEN TIME.
YES THE TIME BACKJUMP HAS NOT BEEN DONE IN A WHILE AND THIS IS MOST DEFINATELY THE AUDIENCE TO DO IT WITH BUT AS WITH THE WIZ I WOULD BE A LITTLE HURT.
NOW I EVEN MORE ANXIOUS FOR THE REST OF THE SEASON!! IF THEY ARE PLAYING WITH TIME AND STATES OF BEING, WELL DAMN DONE !!!
I’m willing to accept this is all inside Sam or maybe Dean’s head, but only if the last episode of season six actually happened. I would prefer episode one and two of this season to be real as well and Sam is still in a coma from being hit by Edgar.
Basically, I want Sam’s determination to accept every bad thing that happened to him just so that he isn’t leaving Dean alone to be real. If it isn’t I would feel horribly cheated. With that proviso, you have convinced me that this is all taking place in Sam’s grapefruit is a good possibility.
WHERE ARE U? I TOLD U WE MUST BE IN THE SAME AGE GROUP B/C U TALKED A/B BOB NEWHART & I UNDERSTAND. I TOO AM FROM WHAT I CALL THE JETSONS AGE. THERE IS A NEW POST U SHOULD READ. I AM WAITING FOR YOUR INPUT. I WILL STATE MINE NOW.
THANX NOLANOLA
WELL JIM JUST TWEETED THAT PRETTY HOUSE/LAB SO I DO NOT KNOW WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON. PATIENCE IS NOT ONE OF MY VIRTURES.
I haven’t read Pragmatic Dreamer or Bookdal’s articles yet, so my views may change after doing so.
I am one that wants to know what the quest is, the end game, what the brothers are attempting to achieve in the season. Here in S7 I can honestly say that I don’t know what that is this season. Is the objective for each brother to hang onto their sanity, or is it to kill (overcome) the Levi?
I listened to the radio podcast with Adam Glass, the writer of AiB, and he said that the time was correct…that 4 weeks had passed and that Frank only thought it was 4 days, because he’s nuts…and that Dean did, in fact, sleep for 36 hours. This indicates that there is no funny business with the time thing. (He didn’t answer the question about what happened to Bobby’s beer, just saying it could be many things.)
When I look at Dean’s ending scene, I thought of things like (using other’s words) haunting and nervous breakdown. Glass said it was hope. He said that Dean driving down the “freeway” (not highway, not highway, not back road, but freeway) is where Dean is most comfortable. That that the look was ‘hope’ in doing this and that the brothers would find a way to overcome their…I don’t know…grief, the Levi…whatever it is they are supposed to do this season.
He also appeared enamored with being a father, mentioning his kids several times. The episodes he has written; Two and a Half Men, All Dogs Go to Heaven, Like a Virgin, Mommy Dearest, and Adventures in Babysitting, and he’s working on another one now. I expect more kids out of this writer. You may have liked Madison’s performance, but I didn’t. The Levi plot was going forward, until it was dropped so that Dean could hook up with Krissy and our two big, bad hunters (actually three hunters) could get saved by the sister fanfic mini-Dean hero. I hate that kind of cheap storytelling.
Glass also said the writers loved Krissy, and he expects Lee and her will be used some more. When that happens, I will have to give serious consideration as to whether to watch and see if that great actor, Ian Tracey, is used for something other than sitting in a chair or just skip it because of Master Hunter Krissy.
Anyway, based on his interview, I’m thinking that your first Theory A isn’t what the end game is because according to the writer, the time wasn’t messed up, there is now hope that the brothers are okay (???), and that would mean that SG is fooling with that noir thing again.
I can’t offer any speculation as to what is going on. Actually, I think the show should tell us right up front in order that the audience can invest in what the heroes are supposed to be achieving. What I have accepted is that I don’t like the direction SG has taken the show or the characters, but I’ve formed SPN viewing habit after 6.5 years, so I’ll hang in there knowing that the glory days for SPN are over. My slim hope for the season is that somehow the two brothers look something more like heroes than joyless losers in mourning over their crummy lives.
WELL I GUESS THATS WHAT MY TEACHERS MEANT AS FOOD FOR THOUGHT. EITHER THEY DID NOT LISTEN TO THE PODCAST OR THEY DID AND JUST WANTED US TO TALK.
WELL IF 4 WEEKS HAS GONE BY THEN WE KNOW BOBBY WAS SALTED AND BURNED. ITS RITUAL. SO CAN GHOST DRINK BEER? ALSO THE YEAR DEAN WAS WITH BEN AND LISA HAS NEVER BEEN ADDED TO THE TIMELINE. 2013 RIGHT?
I THINK HUNTERS HAVE MONEY STASHED ALL OVER THE PLACE PLUS SOMEONE ELSE SAID THEY HAVE ALL THAT GOLD.
I AM NOW MADDD INSTEAD OF INTRIGUED! I KNEW I SHOULD HAVE LISTENED TO THE PODCAST.
STILL DOESNT RULE OUT THIS WHOLE SEASON BEING IN SAMS HEAD. SMFH
I am under the impression that the gold was in the duffle bag that was taken back to 1830 in Frontierland. The brothers brought nothing back with them in that episode, including the Colt. I think the $15,000 is just another one of those writer’s taking liberty and not disregarding details (and canon) of the series as their pitched story ideas require.
Not saying I’m right, but there are too many times that glaring issues stand out lately…and the missing year is a major one, as is $5,000 to Frank and now $15,000 to Frank.
[quote]I am under the impression that the gold was in the duffle bag that was taken back to 1830 in Frontierland. The brothers brought nothing back with them in that episode, including the Colt. I think the $15,000 is just another one of those writer’s taking liberty and not disregarding details (and canon) of the series as their pitched story ideas require.
Not saying I’m right, but there are too many times that glaring issues stand out lately…and the missing year is a major one, as is $5,000 to Frank and now $15,000 to Frank.[/quote]
GINGER, I AM ONLY STATING FACTS. THAT DUFFLE BAG OF GOLD WOULD BE WORTH MILLIONS TODAY!!!! THINK ABOUT BACK THEN. THEY DID NOT TAKE THE ENTIRE BAG OF GOLD WITH THEM. NOT LOGICAL.
BUT ITS ALL TV, HOLLYWOOD, MAKE BELIEVE YES? THANX
Just a FYI – in So. California, we call our free highways “freeways” not “highways” as they call them back east. I used to live in Virginia.
GOOD 2 KNOW. I LIVED IN CALIFORNIA WITH A MILITARY COUPLE FOR A WHILE AND HE WAS FROM NEW YORK CITY AND SHE FROM NEW MEXICO. AND NONE OF US NEW WHY THERE WAS A CHANGE BETWEEN FREEWAY AND HIGHWAY
I think you have got me pretty convinced that we are in fact in Sam’s grapefruit (I love that term by the way). The way you broke everything down makes a whole lot of sense to me. It explains the disjointedness of the season. Don’t get me wrong, I’m loving this season so far, but it sure will never approach seasons 1 through 5 in greatness. And if all this is in Sam’s head, that would mean Bobby is still alive! I’ll take it anyway I can get it. Not to be rude, but I’m choosing to disregard your last two theories, cause I like the first one way too much.
I dont mean to saound stupid but if this is all in Sam’s head then how do you explain pretty much the entire season ebing about Dean from Dean’s POV? If anything this season appears to be more in Dean’s head to me hecne the lack of Sam insight.
I dont know, I like all your thoeries esp the first one but I just dont buy that the writers are that smart/invesntive/creative.
So I’m going to go with the plot being the plot and the weird time issues in AIB being down to Cronus’s appearance in episode 12.
I do like that you’re trying to justify the poor writing and pacing this season, it shows you care.
Okay I read both your theories and the other one you posted and it seems all possible.
First if we are in Sam`s head where is Cas? dead ? purgatory plan went wrong and human? or Dean would kill him the second he shows up his face? or Raphael killed him and God once again brought him back but human?
Accepting this theory how long would Sam go on being in this coma state? maybe the show takes some liberties with reality but in real life doctors would probably advice the family to turn off the machines.
Being in Dean`s head is also possible as this season is clearly about him. But this brings the question what happened to him to put him in this coma state?
About Adam Glass podcast> what i believe is if he wanted to hide something he would say that time was correct. also how much do you think he`s allowed to say ? my guess is not much.
SPOILER ! Pellegrino is spotted on set and they are filming 7.15.
Your first theory looks very interesting but i feel that happyfeet has a valid point
This was awesome! I don’t think any of the theories are true, but it was a fun read. And creative too.
Interesting thoughts. The season does seem very disconnected, but with the change in show-runner and lack of direction, I’m not sure it is intentional. I think there are a lot of doubts with this new group of writers and direction. Still, I’m like you, I want to see at least a possible endgame even if it’s wrong. And I don’t think the writers have any clue where to go, because they are just trying to get through the season and not tell a story.
I like your theory. I think it would make more sense that it is happening in Dean’s head instead of Sam, just for the lack of point of view on Sam’s part. But it seems more possible with Sam. I wish the writers had taken more of an [i]Inception[/i] like approach to Sam’s Hell and really confuse Sam’s realities, but they didn’t. I don’t see a lot of planning with anything which is why I doubt the writers.
I think your theories have a lot of intelligent thought and you have clearly planned and used elements of the show to make a story, but I’m not sure the writers are capable of doing this without the current lack of direction and the desire to take it one season at a time.
I am disappointed with the current status of the show, but I am curious to see if there is something significant coming. Maybe there is a reason. There is always something, right? I really hope that something from your theories holds to be true even if we can’t set the clock back to a happier less baggage point in the show. I kind of want for the show to do a time machine to reboot the show. I like that!
I do agree with you about “Adventures in Babysitting.” I didn’t like the New Moon grieving and I didn’t think it was emotional enough for an episode after a major character’s death. Sam was detached and completely quiet and the brothers weren’t together. There is way too much of a lack of the brothers together which is a shame because the second half of the sixth season showed them together so well! I know this group of writers can do that, so why aren’t they?
We were hit and kicked with the notation of Krissy being a another mini-Dean (what happen to children like Lucas, Tyler, or Michael? Michael was a lot like Dean, but I didn’t feel like I was being hit in the head with the notation he’s Dean! I felt like Dean and him connected because they were big brothers. But then we had the first true hit on your head mini-kid, Ben and since then it’s like children are either really creepy overused [i]The Shinning[/i] Twins set or a mini-someone with the rare exception (Jesse). We don’t have to be hit hard to know that the brothers have something in common with the person who is in trouble).
I think the idea that she was the kid of a hunter was enough of a connection for a good story. I didn’t particular like her. I think she did a good job with the mature “I can handle myself, but know when I need someone to come help,” but after she burned the information she was completely annoying. Mature and confident is one thing, but reckless, haughty, and super-hunter is annoying. I kind of hope she doesn’t come back or they at least change her dramatically like Jo was between “No Exit,” “Born Under a Bad Sign,” and “Good God, Y’all.”
As for Jared and Jensen, Jared did wonderful with what he was given, but he wasn’t given a whole lot to work with. Jensen is a wonderful actor, but I think Jensen has become very used to “cleaning” up and making [i]Dean [/i]Dean. And that’s a difficult job (that he shouldn’t have to do), but sometimes I think he cleans it up too much. There are things that Jensen spins into Dean and it’s nice and pretty, but it’s not reflective on the ugliness of the world they live in. I think that Jensen has just gotten too used to the writers not being on the same page, so it’s up to him to fix it, but then there are moments when I wish he would just let go and not worry about Dean being Dean or pretty and neat. I guess what I’m trying to say is that Jensen needs to be an [b]actor[/b] again and not “Mr. I’ll-Make-It-Work.”
It has be a fractured season for me .A nice idea it could be in Sams head? but if that was the case his head is has Dean centric has the show.But I doubt the writers have the pre thought to come up with that idea.
Loved your theories and your passion about it 🙂
The first theory would of course be a plot twist of major proportions. With all the hints and knots in this season. But I fear you may give the writers too much credit.
I admit, like many others, I’ve been feeling a strange vibe this season (and not necessarily a good one).
I still watch and probably will to the end, but even I have reached a crossroad between total love and obseesion for SPN and just watching out of habit.
So – let’s go for theory number one – when that plot twist is present, the question for me is, will it be too late to save a season of a few great episodes? It would be a dangerous game for the writer to play. By the time this possible plot becomes clear they may have lost a lot of viewers.
Theory #2: Not sure maybe, but what would be the purpose of that? To get them out of the way for what?
Theory 3: I think that, or a variation of that, is gonna happen. The Levis are real and need to be destroyed. Don’t know about the time machine. Personally (and that’s only my opinion), I’d wish they lay hands off of all this time travel/time machine thing. This is Supernatural not Quantum leap. Of course I enjoy Dean in a Western or as Al Capone’s hunter but they’re starting to look like fillers. “The end” at least had a purpose and was a great episode, no question. But since then time travel seems to be getting a Wichesters hobby.
Either way, since I’ve got bubcus for a theory, I’ll go with Levis are real and are planning something.
I hope though, that we’ll find out who drank that beer, cuz thinking about that simple missing beverage drove me crazy the whole night! 🙂
Congratulations! You’re something is definitely off observations were made more explicit in last night’s episode. Dean for the first time (except for My Heart Will Go On) did not pick scissors in rock, paper, scissors. In addition, Sam won anyway (why does paper beat rock anyway), so he wasn’t counting on Dean picking scissors. That mean’s it isn’t just that Dean suddenly wised up about always picking scissors. Something has indeed changed in the Force.
I am rewatching it again and there is something majorly off in this timeline. Also, anyone notice the “SAM” writing on the wall. Something about this scene strikes me as almost dreamlike.
PERCYSOWNER, GINGER,ALICE,BOOKDAL,PRAGMATIC DREAMER !! =D YOU ARE FREAKING ME COMPLETELY OUT.I AM WIGGING, BUGGING HOW THE NEW KIDS SAY SPINNING OUT. 🙂
THIS IS THE AUDIENCE WHO COULD DEAL WITH THIS,BUT AGAIN I AM TRIPPING OUT.
IF WE ARE IN SAMS HEAD AND THE WHOLE YEAR WAS NOT, KUDOS,EMMYS,GOLDEN GLOBES ALL AROUND.
THANKS FOR MAKING ME FEEL LIKE A KID ON CHRISTMAS AGAIN.
I like! Theory 1 sounds like a wonderful possibility. Actually, Jared mentioned [i]Inception [/i] in a recent interview in relation to Sam going crazy.
I don’t care much for these kinds of theories. I think they are mainly balderdash. Couldn’t even get through half of it as I found them totally discounting what those of us who have liked the episodes this year and last year disconcerting to what we have experienced and lived through with the boys.
Also, why do people always have to make snarky comments about the GOP in these kinds of posts. I find it irritating and insulting. If I were to make a snarky comment like that about the Dems, so many people would be riding my ass it wouldn’t be funny, so why is it okay the other way around? Just saying.
Use to love your site. Now I barely visit it anymore, it at all.
As Apu on The Simpsons would say to a slamming comment like this with a smile, “Thank you, come again!”
Nah, I just think comments like this are crap. You’re holding a stupid grudge for some reason and have decided to slam an author who wrote something thought provoking because something unknown to us has you in a freaking twist. Do share with the class why one speculative article out of the hundreds we do here has you writing off the entire site.
These theories are meant to expand our way of looking at things, to explore the possibilities, and to just entertain while we wait several weeks for a new episode. Just because the writer hasn’t been impressed by the episodes of the last two seasons doesn’t mean she’s undermining fans who did at all. It’s exactly the type of expansive discussion we’ve been known for since day one. Sorry you’re so offended by something so speculative, but geez, lighten up a little. This was not a political statement by any means. It’s fun!
Perhaps I should resort to posters of puppies and rainbows on the site everyday? You really can’t be someone who’s spent a lot of time on this site if that’s what you’re expecting. I hope you’re enjoying your world of bitter anonymity!