I tried rewatching supernatural (derogatory) for the first time since 2015 and that was...it was really something.
But everyone knows about the sexism, racism, homophobia, and every other sin a screenwriter could cram into a show this long so I won’t touch that. (Although you could make a drinking game out of jailbait jokes, overly aggressive black men, and the absolute mangling of every single religion under the sun. I think I had an aneurism listening to them call Samhain “Sam Hane” like it’s the name of some guy. And then they made it the name of some guy-)
But just real quick. I don’t think I’ve ever seen creators shoot for the moon so hard on toxic masculinity and male power fantasies that it ended up swinging completely in the opposite direction like this before. Dean Winchester as a character is fascinating. He’s just so poisoned by bad writing and misogyny that it’s genuinely difficult to not view him through the lens of utterly over compensating.
I just- how does a character communicate at such embarrassing volume that he’s the writer’s peak alpha badboy ideal while also broadcasting just as loudly a painfully accurate eldest daughter complex and deeply traumatic insecurities??
Speedrunning through the rest here-
Sam clearly existed in some past draft as John’s parallel in contrast to Dean and his hero worship. I would’ve loved to see an exploration of this character where he comes to terms with his own resemblance to a man he resented so much or addressed how his emotional intelligence and inclination toward placation is only skin deep and manipulative. However, at some point this all got simplified into “Sam is the better hunter” and isn’t examined closer than that.
Castiel may as well be a different character every season with how often the writers try to get rid of him only to backtrack and work him back in on the fly, but Misha Collins gives a genuinely compelling performance and makes it impossible not to get attached. I gotta respect how difficult he made writing him out by giving the show its most memorable moments. I might have to forgive him for Mishapocalypse.
Literally every single female character deserved better.
Whoever got paid to write “Woah, mom’s a babe!” should’ve been shot and killed for their crimes.
The first three seasons were the best even when Sam was garroting Celtic folklore.
And it’s genuinely comical how many characters eventually consider putting Sam down like Old Yeller.
