The concept of an academy has a long history in Western Civilization, dating all the way back to Plato. You all know Plato, right? For those unfamiliar with the second most important Greek philosopher of all time (Aristotle being the first, naturally – that’s a pun, but ignore my geekiness), then a quick history…
So in the spirit of fun I started thinking about meta and about what types of episodes I’d really like to see the show attempt. “Changing Channels,†“The Real Ghostbusters,†“Ghostfacers,†and “The French Mistake†kind of played with form, so I thought I’d go through my list of form-meta recommendations. I invite you to…
While little Sammy has the addiction issues out front and center, our Dean likes to hide his issues. Granted, Sam is all kinds of messed up, but with him, at least, he has the whole intellectual objectivity going on so he knows he’s unhealthy most of the time and when he doesn’t, he has rationalized…
Dammit! Wincest! I can’t quit you. I just can’t. So I’m taking your smelly flannel shirt out of the closet, holding it close to my face (in a totally loving and not stalkerish way), and proudly proclaiming you in public. Yes, Wincest, I believe you exist. I affirm you. You are in the world,…
The Strength of Suffering: Dean Winchester and an Exquisite AngstOr Love Notes from an Invisible Companion “The time of trial is the express opportunity for the one to win glory, for the other to perfect his wisdom. Hence, indeed, virtue gets its name, because, relying on its own efficacy, it yieldeth not…
First off, I have a girl crush. I’ll just admit it right now. Ellen Harvelle – if I swung that way, yeah baby, that’s a woman I’d be all up on. Just sayin’. And you know, considering that she’s not blond, I really thought she’d make it in the Supernatural world. But alas, my theory…
Woah, boy! Supernatural is one sexually frustrated show! If you look at the entire Supernatural oeuvre (yes, French again, because well it’s sexy), then you’ll see like a lot of pervy things. I’m not judging; we all have our…um…preferences. But oh, wow, Supernatural brings a whole new level of sexual deviancy to the major network…
So there’s an elephant in the room and it’s been here for a long time. Let’s discuss it. Let’s go there: Sex and Supernatural. Now, before you turn away and call for brain bleach, I will tell you that the not-so-brotherly love between the Winchesters will be a small part of this tale. It’s there, but…
Singing the Sins of Creon: Supernatural’s Season Six and the Prohibition Against Mourning “You would rather throw stones at a mirror? I am your mirror, and here are your stones.” -Rumi, translated by Coleman Barks A Beautiful Labor: The Work of Mourning “The person who grieves, suffers his passion to grow upon him;…
The Problem with Pygmalion: The Fear of the Make-Believe in Supernatural or “Mannequin 3: The Reckoning†and its Narrative Heritage “But, with wonderful skill, he carved a figure, brilliantly, out of snow-white ivory, no mortal woman, and fell in love with his own creation. The features are those of a real girl, who, you…
I choose Stephen Crane’s poem to frame this analysis because it points toward a specific tradition in American literature: naturalism’s brutal portrayal of the natural order. It also, with its notion of bodily ownership, underlines how “one” exists against the reality of the outside world, “because it is my heart….” Since Supernatural has now adopted the “natural…
