Supernatural
Aug. 5th, 2011 11:11 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gwaevalarinI think some people may be getting a wrong impression regarding my feelings towards Supernatural at the moment. I think some people may be getting a wrong impression regarding the entire Castiel (and Cas/Dean) part of the fandom, but I can only speak for myself, and I want to make a few things clear here:
Most importantly: I love this show.
I may be ranting and worrying and complaining a lot lately. I wouldn't do that if I didn't care.
Equally important: I still love Sam and Dean. Maybe not as much as I love Cas and Balthazar and Gabriel and (hate-love) Crowley, but of course I love them. I don't think it's possible to watch this show if you don't.
I also firmly believe that this show, in its core, has always been, will always be, and should always be about these two brothers. They are the heart and soul of Supernatural, and I don't think anyone could possibly doubt that.
BUT it can't be only about them. These two characters need other characters to interact with, to make their universe come to life. The two most important other characters - John and Mary aside - who form their family, are Bobby and Castiel. These two are, in my eyes, an integral part of the show. They are important to the boys and to the show. And they deserve to be treated that way.
I've read several times on tumblr how "the Castiel fandom wants this show to be just about him". This is complete and utter nonsense, as far as I'm concerned. What I want is the show to treat Castiel as the important character, and the important part of the boys' life that he has proven to be over the last three years. What I want is the show to acknowledge him as this important character and not use him as a cheap plot devise.
And here is another very important thing: The way Castiel's storyline is going right now - and no, we don't know for sure what is going to happen, but we are getting quite a few hints, and this theme already started very early in season 6 - doesn't only affect Cas, it also reflects on Sam and Dean.
Sam and Dean love each other more than anything and I wouldn't have it any other way. They are also both broken, and fucked up and co-dependent to a more than unhealthy degree, and again, I wouldn't really have it any other way, because that's what makes them interesting. But underneath all this, they have always been heroes in their own way. They made mistakes, they sometimes chose questionable paths, they lost people, but they cared. That's what always made them sympathetic characters, that they tried and that they cared. And then season 6 came along, and Cas was fighting his civil war in Heaven, trying to stop Raphael from restarting the Apocalypse - and yes, Cas too made mistakes and very questionable decisions, but he cared - and to me it felt like everytime Dean called him, the general tenor was:
Cas: "I'm fighting a civil war in Heaven trying to save what we - you and me - fought for."
Dean: "Fuck that, I don't care! There is something wrong with Sam. That's more important."
It's okay that Dean worried about Sam, and wanted him fixed more than anything. But he did it at the potential cost of the entire world burning, and he acted like that didn't matter - until it was too late. And that is not the Winchester boys I love. The Winchester boys I love would do everything for each other and sacrifice themselves for each other, but not at the cost of other people suffering the consequences.
Another thing I feel needs to be said: Characters, even important ones sometimes leave a story for the sake of the story and their own storyline. They might continue their own story somewhere else, in Supernatural it usually means that they die - and when I say "die" I mean the ones who die and do not just come back. And when I say "important characters", I mean the ones who have been in more than one episode, who stole our hearts, and left their signature on the show and Sam and Dean's life.
The important thing is how they leave.
Take Gabriel for example. I love him, and I hated to see him go. But I also feel that he got the ending he deserved. He stood up for what he believed in and died tragically but heroically, and true to his character. And while I miss him terribly, that is the reason why I don't think I want him to return. Because I'm afraid it would ruin his perfect exit. Same goes for Ellen and Jo.
Then there are character deaths that weren't exceptional, but still acceptable and true to the characters, like Bela - who, in case you don't know, I liked a lot - or Andy.
And then there are character deaths that are unnecessary and just nowhere near what the character deserved, like what happened to Balthazar. Had he died trying to save Cas, I would have been a sobbing mess, but it would have been okay in the end. I can even come up with scenarios where Castiel kills Balthazar that would have been acceptable. But not the way it was done, and certainly not without showing us his burnt wings, and without giving Castiel at least a moment to really grieve the death of the angel who was his best friend for millennia. Not without Balthazar's death having at least some impact on Castiel's storyline, and if it's only a moment of hesitation before opening Purgatory. Not like this.
And what I'm afraid of most right now, is that Castiel will leave the show in a way that is even worse than the way I lost Balthazar.
And last but not least: I pretty much only talk about how I want Castiel to be okay and Balthazar to come back because they are the characters I care most about, but I understand every other part of this fandom who is fighting for their beloved characters, whether I like them or not.
Even though I personally am in two minds about this, l feel for the Gabriel fandom who want their angel back - and who were given false hope at the beginning of season 6.
I feel most for those people in the fandom who love Adam. Sam and Dean might not have known him too long but he is their brother. And while family doesn't end with blood, blood is still family. Not to mention that he is an innocent who was dragged into this fight, and who is now locked into the deepest pits of hell with Lucifer and Michael, suffering the same way Sam did down there, but for so much longer. And Sam and Dean don't even so much as mention him, let alone try to save him, which reflects on them in a similar way their treatment of Cas and the situation in Heaven does.
I'm not fighting the fights for these characters, but what I won't ever do is tell the people who do that their favourite characters don't matter, or that they aren't "real fans". All these characters are important parts of Sam and Dean's world in their own way. And if there are people out there who love them then they have every right to fight for them just like I fight for my angels.
And here is another very important reason why - despite everything - I won't leave anytime soon: I love this fandom and I love the cast (and, most of the time, the crew)
This fandom, with all its wank and fighting, still is a big family. An most of the people I know support each other, and respect each other's opinion. There are quite a few black sheep, and that can hurt, but at the end of the day, most of you - and certainly everyone on my flist - are the most insane-in-a-good-way, creative, passionate, kind, unique bunch of people I've ever met. And even if the show should go downhill completely, I wouldn't leave because I don't want to leave YOU.
And this crazy, big family includes a lot of the actors, and quite a few of the writers, directors and other people working on the show. I don't think there is any other fandom where the actors are that involved and care that much. Be it Twitter, or cons, or insiders they send our way in interviews. They are just as completely insane as we are, and they never fail to brighten up my day.
I feel like I have found my home. Maybe we will move on one day, maybe we will go our separate ways at some point, maybe we will meet again in a different fandom. But for now, you are my family and this show is my home.
And this is exactly why I still love this show with all my heart. And this is equally why I worry and complain so much when I feel that things go terribly wrong. Because I care.
See a theme here?
ETA: Spoilers in the comments. You've been warned
Most importantly: I love this show.
I may be ranting and worrying and complaining a lot lately. I wouldn't do that if I didn't care.
Equally important: I still love Sam and Dean. Maybe not as much as I love Cas and Balthazar and Gabriel and (hate-love) Crowley, but of course I love them. I don't think it's possible to watch this show if you don't.
I also firmly believe that this show, in its core, has always been, will always be, and should always be about these two brothers. They are the heart and soul of Supernatural, and I don't think anyone could possibly doubt that.
BUT it can't be only about them. These two characters need other characters to interact with, to make their universe come to life. The two most important other characters - John and Mary aside - who form their family, are Bobby and Castiel. These two are, in my eyes, an integral part of the show. They are important to the boys and to the show. And they deserve to be treated that way.
I've read several times on tumblr how "the Castiel fandom wants this show to be just about him". This is complete and utter nonsense, as far as I'm concerned. What I want is the show to treat Castiel as the important character, and the important part of the boys' life that he has proven to be over the last three years. What I want is the show to acknowledge him as this important character and not use him as a cheap plot devise.
And here is another very important thing: The way Castiel's storyline is going right now - and no, we don't know for sure what is going to happen, but we are getting quite a few hints, and this theme already started very early in season 6 - doesn't only affect Cas, it also reflects on Sam and Dean.
Sam and Dean love each other more than anything and I wouldn't have it any other way. They are also both broken, and fucked up and co-dependent to a more than unhealthy degree, and again, I wouldn't really have it any other way, because that's what makes them interesting. But underneath all this, they have always been heroes in their own way. They made mistakes, they sometimes chose questionable paths, they lost people, but they cared. That's what always made them sympathetic characters, that they tried and that they cared. And then season 6 came along, and Cas was fighting his civil war in Heaven, trying to stop Raphael from restarting the Apocalypse - and yes, Cas too made mistakes and very questionable decisions, but he cared - and to me it felt like everytime Dean called him, the general tenor was:
Cas: "I'm fighting a civil war in Heaven trying to save what we - you and me - fought for."
Dean: "Fuck that, I don't care! There is something wrong with Sam. That's more important."
It's okay that Dean worried about Sam, and wanted him fixed more than anything. But he did it at the potential cost of the entire world burning, and he acted like that didn't matter - until it was too late. And that is not the Winchester boys I love. The Winchester boys I love would do everything for each other and sacrifice themselves for each other, but not at the cost of other people suffering the consequences.
Another thing I feel needs to be said: Characters, even important ones sometimes leave a story for the sake of the story and their own storyline. They might continue their own story somewhere else, in Supernatural it usually means that they die - and when I say "die" I mean the ones who die and do not just come back. And when I say "important characters", I mean the ones who have been in more than one episode, who stole our hearts, and left their signature on the show and Sam and Dean's life.
The important thing is how they leave.
Take Gabriel for example. I love him, and I hated to see him go. But I also feel that he got the ending he deserved. He stood up for what he believed in and died tragically but heroically, and true to his character. And while I miss him terribly, that is the reason why I don't think I want him to return. Because I'm afraid it would ruin his perfect exit. Same goes for Ellen and Jo.
Then there are character deaths that weren't exceptional, but still acceptable and true to the characters, like Bela - who, in case you don't know, I liked a lot - or Andy.
And then there are character deaths that are unnecessary and just nowhere near what the character deserved, like what happened to Balthazar. Had he died trying to save Cas, I would have been a sobbing mess, but it would have been okay in the end. I can even come up with scenarios where Castiel kills Balthazar that would have been acceptable. But not the way it was done, and certainly not without showing us his burnt wings, and without giving Castiel at least a moment to really grieve the death of the angel who was his best friend for millennia. Not without Balthazar's death having at least some impact on Castiel's storyline, and if it's only a moment of hesitation before opening Purgatory. Not like this.
And what I'm afraid of most right now, is that Castiel will leave the show in a way that is even worse than the way I lost Balthazar.
And last but not least: I pretty much only talk about how I want Castiel to be okay and Balthazar to come back because they are the characters I care most about, but I understand every other part of this fandom who is fighting for their beloved characters, whether I like them or not.
Even though I personally am in two minds about this, l feel for the Gabriel fandom who want their angel back - and who were given false hope at the beginning of season 6.
I feel most for those people in the fandom who love Adam. Sam and Dean might not have known him too long but he is their brother. And while family doesn't end with blood, blood is still family. Not to mention that he is an innocent who was dragged into this fight, and who is now locked into the deepest pits of hell with Lucifer and Michael, suffering the same way Sam did down there, but for so much longer. And Sam and Dean don't even so much as mention him, let alone try to save him, which reflects on them in a similar way their treatment of Cas and the situation in Heaven does.
I'm not fighting the fights for these characters, but what I won't ever do is tell the people who do that their favourite characters don't matter, or that they aren't "real fans". All these characters are important parts of Sam and Dean's world in their own way. And if there are people out there who love them then they have every right to fight for them just like I fight for my angels.
And here is another very important reason why - despite everything - I won't leave anytime soon: I love this fandom and I love the cast (and, most of the time, the crew)
This fandom, with all its wank and fighting, still is a big family. An most of the people I know support each other, and respect each other's opinion. There are quite a few black sheep, and that can hurt, but at the end of the day, most of you - and certainly everyone on my flist - are the most insane-in-a-good-way, creative, passionate, kind, unique bunch of people I've ever met. And even if the show should go downhill completely, I wouldn't leave because I don't want to leave YOU.
And this crazy, big family includes a lot of the actors, and quite a few of the writers, directors and other people working on the show. I don't think there is any other fandom where the actors are that involved and care that much. Be it Twitter, or cons, or insiders they send our way in interviews. They are just as completely insane as we are, and they never fail to brighten up my day.
I feel like I have found my home. Maybe we will move on one day, maybe we will go our separate ways at some point, maybe we will meet again in a different fandom. But for now, you are my family and this show is my home.
And this is exactly why I still love this show with all my heart. And this is equally why I worry and complain so much when I feel that things go terribly wrong. Because I care.
See a theme here?
ETA: Spoilers in the comments. You've been warned
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2011-08-05 05:08 pm (UTC)That's one of the reasons why Castiel is such a great character. He has never been the prime focus; there has never been a season that revolves solely around him. The same can be said for Bobby. I don't understand the fans who say "Castiel's time has come because everyone in Supernatural dies eventually." I always sit there thinking, what about Bobby? Not that I'm encouraging Bobby's demise, but why are people so anxious to get Castiel off of Supernatural--who has only been there for 3 seasons--when we've practically known Bobby for about 6? It's pretty unjust to say that all characters on Supernatural have to die--except Sam and Dean--then completely ignore Bobby's presence. It's a convenient excuse in a way. Don't get me wrong, I love Bobby and I never want him to leave, but it's a pretty lame excuse to say, "all extraneous characters must die... except Bobby."
On that note, if all characters MUST die, why wasn't Castiel given a death that honored his character? He's been around just as long as Gabriel--who had a great death, worthy of his character--and he's probably been relevant for as long as Jo and Ellen, given that we met them in season 2 and I don't recall hearing back from them until season 5, and THEY have one of the most memorable deaths that I can recall. Everyone in Supernatural gets the death they deserve. Instead, it was decided that Castiel's character would be marred and destroyed to the (I'm assuming the hopeful) point that fans would hate him and actually WANT to see him die. I don't want Castiel to leave ever--nor should the show be just about Castiel--but if his time truly had come in the writers' eyes, then a fitting death would have been better. Why plan out an entire season around making a fan-favorite a bad guy--which completely negates all premises they set for said character in the past 2 years--when it would have been so much easier AND enjoyable for the Castiel fans (who do make up quite a number of fans of Supernatural) if he'd been given a death worthy of his character?
On a final note, because it's one of the comments I see ALL the time which pisses me off to no end, when has the show ever NOT been about Sam and Dean? Who are these people who say "now the show can FINALLY go back to being about Sam and Dean"? Last I checked, the show has only ever followed Sam and Dean. Yes, we had an episode that followed Bobby and Castiel in season 6, but other than that, all other side characters have been just that: side characters. I don't know where this premise has come about, but it seriously bothers me. I must be watching a different show than these people.
So to recap: You're awesome and you've explain a Castiel fan's mind frame beautifully! Thank you xD
no subject
Date: 2011-08-05 06:14 pm (UTC)Bobby does seem to be the exception the "everyone has to die" rule. I don't know why. I don't really get the "everyone has to die" rule in the first place. I know it's an angsty show, but does that really have to mean that every single character we may care about has to die? Can't someone walk out of the story and continue it somewhere else once in a while? Can't any other character just stick around like Bobby does?
But okay, if Castiel does have to go, I'll accept that. It'll break my heart, but I'll accept it. But only if he goes in a way that does justice to his character.
And even though I still hate it, I may even be able to accept him going down this extremely dark path, but only if they make it make sense with everything we know about him, and if they follow that story through and redeem him in the end - which might still happen, but I think we can all agree that it is extremely doubtful at this point.
What I can't accept is starting this storyline by character assassinating a fan favourite who has been around for three years, and then basically telling us that they don't plan to properly follow through with it. If they don't want that much focus on Castiel, they shouldn't start something like this.
On a final note, because it's one of the comments I see ALL the time which pisses me off to no end, when has the show ever NOT been about Sam and Dean? Who are these people who say "now the show can FINALLY go back to being about Sam and Dean"?
That's something that baffles and annoys me every time I read it. Sure, in theory Cas had huge storylines in season 5 (the search for God) and season 6 (the civil war in Heaven), but they both happened almost entirely off screen. So I really don't see how that took time or focus away from Sam and Dean.
Thank you for commenting. *hugs*