Re: Supernatural: "Sam, Interrupted" 5x11 1/21/2010 Grading & Discussi
Grade: C-
This episode epitomizes how Supernatural takes the easy and bland road instead of making use of great opportunities for deep and compelling characterization.
For instance:
The shrink asks Dean to tell her about his father, then the scene cuts away right after the question is asked.
Why?!
Crap like that infuriates me because I can see the artistic potential being flushed down the toilet for no good reason.
There is absolutely nothing else in that episode that could possibly have been anywhere near as interesting as seeing Dean's psychology explored in a deep way. But instead of having the fortitude to do that, they just ignore/skirt the issue and instead fill the screen-time with generic, run-of-the-mill MOTW shenanigans that they have done a million times before.
After their father first died, they had lines that appeared like they would explore the issue and its psychological consequences in subsequent episodes. Like in some MOTW about evil clowns in Season 2 or something, they had a discussion about how much Dean misses his father. It turns out, tragically, that that line was just a throwaway and they aren't ever gonna bother to address the interesting character issues like that at all. That's a darn shame. Supernatural could have been a masterpiece, instead of a mediocre show, if the writers had the fortitude to use the great actors they have in a meaningful way, by facing instead of ignoring the hard issues.
But instead they choose to squander those opportunities.
They don't need help or time to heal, because right up until the show ends, it will, by definition, keep them doing the same exact thing over and over again, regardless of any situations they experience.
They've been 'teetering on the edge' for years. For example, they've played out the "Sam is going to turn totally evil" theme over and over again for years, yet all that ever happens is Sam does some bad things and then Dean forgives him and everything is honkey-dorey. Then the next time they rehash that theme again for the umpteenth time, there is no suspense to be had. It's played out. We all know nothing is really going to happen to change Sam's character or his function in the show, at least not before the series' final episode or two.
That is all that ever will or can happen on this show, because they are beholden to the MOTW formula, which demands that ~80% of the show will consist of interchangeable filler consisting of Sam and Dean fighting MOTW together. In other words, the MOTW formula handicaps the show from portraying any sort of meaningful consequences from one episode to the next. Therefore, Sam and Dean are certainly never going to teeter into anything that lasts for more than a single episode, or two at max, and then gets resolved with a neat red bow.
Grade: C-
This episode epitomizes how Supernatural takes the easy and bland road instead of making use of great opportunities for deep and compelling characterization.
For instance:
The shrink asks Dean to tell her about his father, then the scene cuts away right after the question is asked.
Why?!
Crap like that infuriates me because I can see the artistic potential being flushed down the toilet for no good reason.
There is absolutely nothing else in that episode that could possibly have been anywhere near as interesting as seeing Dean's psychology explored in a deep way. But instead of having the fortitude to do that, they just ignore/skirt the issue and instead fill the screen-time with generic, run-of-the-mill MOTW shenanigans that they have done a million times before.
After their father first died, they had lines that appeared like they would explore the issue and its psychological consequences in subsequent episodes. Like in some MOTW about evil clowns in Season 2 or something, they had a discussion about how much Dean misses his father. It turns out, tragically, that that line was just a throwaway and they aren't ever gonna bother to address the interesting character issues like that at all. That's a darn shame. Supernatural could have been a masterpiece, instead of a mediocre show, if the writers had the fortitude to use the great actors they have in a meaningful way, by facing instead of ignoring the hard issues.
But instead they choose to squander those opportunities.They don't need help or time to heal, because right up until the show ends, it will, by definition, keep them doing the same exact thing over and over again, regardless of any situations they experience.
They've been 'teetering on the edge' for years. For example, they've played out the "Sam is going to turn totally evil" theme over and over again for years, yet all that ever happens is Sam does some bad things and then Dean forgives him and everything is honkey-dorey. Then the next time they rehash that theme again for the umpteenth time, there is no suspense to be had. It's played out. We all know nothing is really going to happen to change Sam's character or his function in the show, at least not before the series' final episode or two.
That is all that ever will or can happen on this show, because they are beholden to the MOTW formula, which demands that ~80% of the show will consist of interchangeable filler consisting of Sam and Dean fighting MOTW together. In other words, the MOTW formula handicaps the show from portraying any sort of meaningful consequences from one episode to the next. Therefore, Sam and Dean are certainly never going to teeter into anything that lasts for more than a single episode, or two at max, and then gets resolved with a neat red bow.
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