SPN finale.
May. 20th, 2008 07:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
icarusIn the tradition of my little brother's knack for mild-mannered understatement:
Well. Season three is over.
The final episode, viewed on its own, had a few good moments. I rather liked that they didn't go for the "train Sam in his superpowers" cliche. The action scene where Dean got slammed around was booyah! violent. I liked the little demonchild's idea of R&R. It was petty, but great (in an evil sort of way) how she messed with their heads. That little kid pulled off a pretty tough role.
I thought it was cool that Lilith couldn't kill Sam. Huh. Interesting.
Then there were moments that should have been good, but were somehow off. Sam singing along with Dean in the car seemed forced. It should have been great, but the moment laid there like cold peas. I always love Bobby, but his lines were truly corny this time. A lot of the anvil-dropping moments... why did I get the sense that Padalecki was cracking up inside? The timing between Jared and Jensen was off. (My money's on the two of them cracking up like teenagers on the last day of school. Then the scene needed to be pieced together in multiple takes and the result is....) The pacing in this episode draaaaaaaagggggeddddd.
Fortunately I watched it on tape. When I got bored I paused it, read some fanfic, checked my email. Then with a sigh, ready for more, came back.
I winced at Dean's use of slut, whore, skank, for Ruby. Not so much a feminist reaction as it just rang wrong. I can't put my finger on it, exactly. I picture John as the type to wash Dean's mouth out with soap if he swore (and kicking him if he doesn't hold a door for a lady or if he cut in front of the elderly). Though of course Dean does swear. I loved him getting bleeped in the reality show episode. I think a stream of stronger, more typical randomized profanity would have worked better: "You motherfucking evil-assed bitch! You're gonna fucking die! I'm gonna fucking kill you for this, you ain't never gonna see the sun again--" --you get the idea. They tried to use strong language that was legal for network television, but it didn't work. It was both too weak and too specific in its connotations. Nice try though, to aim for the effect of strong language. The real question is why are slut, whore, and skank allowed on network television but not "fuck" or "motherfucker." (And that's the end of my obligatory nod to the current wank.)
The vision of hell at the end. Well. Bold of them to kill Dean. But this reminded me the point where Dungeons & Dragons players get to the level ten gazillion and have superpowers and magic swords. You're just mildly interested in how they cream every monster they meet; there's no real jeopardy. If Dean can escape hell (which apparently he will) then nothing's a threat anymore.
Still. Viewing the episode in the context of a very weak season, I have hope for SPN's recovery.
- They've brought back the grey-ish filter, so it looks like Supernatural again and not some cheap version of Smallville.
- They have more outdoor shots, thank god, and the car looks beautiful again. You don't have the brilliant attention to detail we've seen in the past (they waited for a train to go over a bridge for extra visual interest in season one, I mean, no one does that), but, alright, I was getting spoiled I guess.
- The camera's moving around again. I swear they set up the shots in the early part of the season with three cameras in a triangle, like a episode of I Luv Lucy.
- The special effects, while not up to par with seasons one and two (I hear they lost some good people) are far better than earlier this season. Their new people still go for the ew-factor I associate with teen slasher flicks, but they've learned that not seeing is scary. And, thank god we don't have the cheaping out from that pirate ship episode when their idea of "special effects" was a woman's hand sliding down the shower wall. Folks, you need to study your Hitchcock to pull that off. Try a close-up filmed from below at least?
- The writing is not as tight as seasons one and two, but nowhere near as silly as the speech they handed Pride in the season opener (not even Kavanagh could save it).
I have reservations about season four, of course, but the latter half of this season showed a gradual return to quality, if not quite movie quality. Overall, Supernatural is wobbling, but no longer completely falling apart.
Well. Season three is over.
The final episode, viewed on its own, had a few good moments. I rather liked that they didn't go for the "train Sam in his superpowers" cliche. The action scene where Dean got slammed around was booyah! violent. I liked the little demonchild's idea of R&R. It was petty, but great (in an evil sort of way) how she messed with their heads. That little kid pulled off a pretty tough role.
I thought it was cool that Lilith couldn't kill Sam. Huh. Interesting.
Then there were moments that should have been good, but were somehow off. Sam singing along with Dean in the car seemed forced. It should have been great, but the moment laid there like cold peas. I always love Bobby, but his lines were truly corny this time. A lot of the anvil-dropping moments... why did I get the sense that Padalecki was cracking up inside? The timing between Jared and Jensen was off. (My money's on the two of them cracking up like teenagers on the last day of school. Then the scene needed to be pieced together in multiple takes and the result is....) The pacing in this episode draaaaaaaagggggeddddd.
Fortunately I watched it on tape. When I got bored I paused it, read some fanfic, checked my email. Then with a sigh, ready for more, came back.
I winced at Dean's use of slut, whore, skank, for Ruby. Not so much a feminist reaction as it just rang wrong. I can't put my finger on it, exactly. I picture John as the type to wash Dean's mouth out with soap if he swore (and kicking him if he doesn't hold a door for a lady or if he cut in front of the elderly). Though of course Dean does swear. I loved him getting bleeped in the reality show episode. I think a stream of stronger, more typical randomized profanity would have worked better: "You motherfucking evil-assed bitch! You're gonna fucking die! I'm gonna fucking kill you for this, you ain't never gonna see the sun again--" --you get the idea. They tried to use strong language that was legal for network television, but it didn't work. It was both too weak and too specific in its connotations. Nice try though, to aim for the effect of strong language. The real question is why are slut, whore, and skank allowed on network television but not "fuck" or "motherfucker." (And that's the end of my obligatory nod to the current wank.)
The vision of hell at the end. Well. Bold of them to kill Dean. But this reminded me the point where Dungeons & Dragons players get to the level ten gazillion and have superpowers and magic swords. You're just mildly interested in how they cream every monster they meet; there's no real jeopardy. If Dean can escape hell (which apparently he will) then nothing's a threat anymore.
Still. Viewing the episode in the context of a very weak season, I have hope for SPN's recovery.
- They've brought back the grey-ish filter, so it looks like Supernatural again and not some cheap version of Smallville.
- They have more outdoor shots, thank god, and the car looks beautiful again. You don't have the brilliant attention to detail we've seen in the past (they waited for a train to go over a bridge for extra visual interest in season one, I mean, no one does that), but, alright, I was getting spoiled I guess.
- The camera's moving around again. I swear they set up the shots in the early part of the season with three cameras in a triangle, like a episode of I Luv Lucy.
- The special effects, while not up to par with seasons one and two (I hear they lost some good people) are far better than earlier this season. Their new people still go for the ew-factor I associate with teen slasher flicks, but they've learned that not seeing is scary. And, thank god we don't have the cheaping out from that pirate ship episode when their idea of "special effects" was a woman's hand sliding down the shower wall. Folks, you need to study your Hitchcock to pull that off. Try a close-up filmed from below at least?
- The writing is not as tight as seasons one and two, but nowhere near as silly as the speech they handed Pride in the season opener (not even Kavanagh could save it).
I have reservations about season four, of course, but the latter half of this season showed a gradual return to quality, if not quite movie quality. Overall, Supernatural is wobbling, but no longer completely falling apart.
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no subject
Date: 2008-05-21 03:18 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-05-21 03:19 am (UTC)And I thought Dean's insults were off deliberately because they were calculated to provoke her into attacking him so he could get her where he wanted her. His heart wasn't in it.
That's plausible.
no subject
Date: 2008-05-21 03:22 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-05-21 03:25 am (UTC)Maybe they should have had both Jensen and Jared crying for the entire shoot.
no subject
Date: 2008-05-21 03:33 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-06-01 09:53 am (UTC)