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ash48In preparation for Show returning next week I thought I would reflect on some of my favourite moments from season 9 so far. :D
 This piece of dialogue gets me every time I listen to it. *guh* I also love that we get a moment of Dean talking about sex - we often see how considerate he is with his partners, it nice to have that backed up with dialogue. Also…his voice…<3
I love discovering new areas in the magical bunker - Sam's room, the computer room, the wonderful garage, the kitchen (adored Dean's "I just cleaned up in here"). I even like the hallways. :) The decor is gorgeous and I love how perfectly it suits the boys. I also love that they have a home. I know it removes some of their nomadic existence (and I LOVE it when they venture out and stay in a motel), but there's just something about them having their own place that makes me happy for them.  It's probably a weird favourite moment but I was longing to see Dean finally realise the extent of what he's done. This was only ever going to end badly (and Dean knew it. He even said it before the trials "We both know where this ends; one of us dies. Or worse). Looks like the "or worse" happened. I really felt Dean's depth of realisation and despair (whether this will be followed up with a deeper understanding on Dean's part - especially in relation to the effect this will have on Sam, is yet to be seen. I remain hopeful that this will be explored).  Such great casting. This young actor knocked it out of the ballpark playing Dean. This gorgeous moment made my heart sing. The absolute delight that Dean feels when he sees Sam….*happy sigh*
Abaddon, Charlie, Jody and Dorothy <3333 I am loving these female characters this season. I know we've only had a little bit of Dorothy but I did like her a lot (particularly in partnership with Charlie). I really hope we get to see more of them. Abaddon is deliciously evil and Jody is, well, Jody owns the part of my heart Sam and Dean haven't taken up (there is a little bit spare for other characters *g*)  Always love me some bro touching. It's usually done in comfort, worry, protectiveness or relief so it always comes with strong emotion. I thought the first half of S9 had some great broments - some great SamnDeanness. :D
I really feel like Jared has enjoyed playing the dual roles this season. There's just something about his on screen presence that was missing from the first half of S8. I've enjoyed seeing him change from Sam to Zeke/Gad. I like the way he utilises his full height when becoming Zeke/Gadreel. It emphasises how he uses his body in his characterisation of Sam (more stooped and less confident).  FUNNIEST MOMENT EVER! (well, maybe after the "If there's a key, then there has to be a lock.") I laughed (and probably clapped!) out loud. The comic timing was spot on.  I literally gasped when this moment happened. I didn't expect it at all and it blew me away. I love how the wings are wrecked with feathers falling out when they open up. A great visual moment.  I know this is highly controversial and where it's one of my favourite things this season I know it's many fans worse thing. Personally I think it's a rather genius move (*ducks tomatoes*). It's utterly and completely fraught with wrongness but it creates a horror and levels of angst that I think this show is known for. It's created lengthy debates and fabulous fan works. It's also created an overarching story that should see them through until the end of the season. It's intense and powerful in its underlying issues. It cuts to the core of what this relationship is about. I love that Show can do that after 9 years. This comes with a disclaimer though. We are only half way through and this will only remain a favourite thing if it's handled well over the remainder of the season. Which brings me to ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif){kind=small} runedgirl's question "What are you most looking forward to when SPN returns in a few weeks?"The first answer that springs to mind is - seeing the boys again! I think the thing I miss most over the hiatuses is not seeing Sam and Dean on my screen each week. But aside from that… I am looking forward to seeing where they take the story and how they resolve (or address) the fallout of Dean's decision and the effect it will have on both of them. I still remain cautiously optimistic that this will play out satisfactorily. The thing that I struggle with is what would I consider "satisfactorily"? I don't have a "must to it this way or I'll hate show forever", instead there are things that I am hoping they don't do. Namely; dismiss it, have Sam be totally ok with it (or worse, apologise…for something he feels he should apologise for) or have Dean not fully realise what he's done and why. I don't want them to just move on for the sake of having to tell MoTW stories. I'd be extremely surprised if there wasn't some sort of fallout over it (why provide the perfect source of angst and not do something with it), but the way they play it out will be very important and I sincerely hope they do something awesome with it *holds breath*. I am also looking forward to seeing some returning characters, watching some great MoTW stories, seeing Sam and Dean wash the Impala (come on! It's gotta happen one day!), seeing who the spin off character will be and hopefully seeing some great broments as they come to terms with what's happened to them this year. I also look forward to angsting and chatting all about it! |
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Date: 2014-01-07 03:17 pm (UTC)Although I would add that I want to see Sam be an active participant in solving the problem, not just having Dean save him again.
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Date: 2014-01-07 03:30 pm (UTC)I have no idea if that makes any sense…(I'm blaming the lateness of the hour…)
xx
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Date: 2014-01-07 03:35 pm (UTC)chomaisky's drawing is giving me LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIFE right now. Seriously it's so freaking perfect I want to cry.
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Date: 2014-01-07 03:40 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-01-07 03:47 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-01-07 04:05 pm (UTC)(and er…no, I couldn't take full on evil Sam. My heart wouldn't take it…D;) I am extremely hopeful we'll get a kickass, take control Sam after this fallout, so no need for evil Sam to emerge…*fingers crossed*</small)
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Date: 2014-01-07 03:40 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-01-07 03:44 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-01-07 03:54 pm (UTC)That Kevin frickin' Solo moment was so much fun.
It was and I suppose it's good that they did give him some great moments before his death. Though, knowing this show we'll probably see him again in some future episodes.
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Date: 2014-01-07 04:43 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-01-07 03:46 pm (UTC)I loved the bb!Dean moment when he saw Sam. I'm glad that he played it as a "seeing Sam makes me happy" moment vs. a "oh well, gotta go back to Sam" kind of resignation thing.
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Date: 2014-01-07 03:49 pm (UTC)Your optimism is delightful though *kisses your nose*
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Date: 2014-01-07 03:59 pm (UTC)Your favorite thing is what made me stop recapping after 4 years, so you know how opposite we are on this haha
Yeah I know (and I was thinking about you when I put in the bit about "others worst moment"). It might become my worst moment if they screw up the next part. ;/
Oooh, and I love nose kisses. <3
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Date: 2014-01-07 04:43 pm (UTC)I'm so with you guys on the expectations for future episodes. All I want is Sam does some epic ass-kicking. That's not too much to ask, right?
And thank you guys for giving me such a bliss after my tiring train ride. I'm looking forward to your beautiful fanworks!
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Date: 2014-01-07 11:57 pm (UTC)It's not too much to ask!! It isn't! Sam is capable and Dean needs to see that Sam is capable. Dean just has to let him!
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Date: 2014-01-07 04:44 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-01-08 12:03 am (UTC)And I think if I had an #11 it would be the Kevin Friggin' Solo moment. Kevin really did shine this season…
I desperately hope Sam is involved in saving his own ass and no, I don't expect it to happen.
I don't either. Sam is capable of so much and yet being able (or allowed!) to save himself seems beyond him at the moment. Let's hope they are going to explore that at least.
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Date: 2014-01-07 06:01 pm (UTC)I mean I hate it, I'm just not hating on it...or something.
I can't watch no. 8. Every time I catch a glimpse I'm full on crying. I can't bear it. Jensen was so good in that scene and that moment was just truly amazing. Oh, there I go again...
I love all of these! You've gotten me all excited for the weekend. I'm going to powerdisc through so I can start 9:10 with them fresh in my head...Squeee!!! x
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Date: 2014-01-07 08:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-01-08 12:06 am (UTC)Yep! I'm one of the few (I think!). It's kept me really engaged this season - desperate to know what's going to happen. I suspect we are in for a rough ride though. Let's just hope they've good a solid (and awesome) plan for it all.
And Jensen sure knows how to bring the angst! It'll be interesting to see how broken he is after this.
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Date: 2014-01-07 06:15 pm (UTC)Then there was this…
I still haven't watched 9.08 or 9.09. Everything for the rest of this season for me depends on how they handle Sam's reemergence. The emotional crap triggered by the non-con possession and the lying hit me so hard and I really need a decently written resolution and I'm not really confident that we're going to get it. I'm in it for the long haul but it may be a few more eps before I can go back and watch them. A lot is going to depend on how you all react to them. I really want Sam to be able to be a hero in his own right, not just a perpetual victim.
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Date: 2014-01-07 08:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-01-07 11:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-01-08 12:22 am (UTC)Mine too!
the poor kid was doomed as soon as Dean deemed him family.
Yeah. There was no escaping his destiny. :(
9.08 is light on re the overall story arc. I mostly love that ep for awesome Jody. Some people had issues with Dean and sex but I didn't (I had a rather large rant typed up about this ep, but I never posted it). 9.09 is hard going and yeah - so much now rests on Sam's reemergence and the aftermath. On the one hand I'm not feeling confident that they will address this satisfactorily - especially where I read a comment from a writer about fans being upset with "but I thought you'd be happy because this is what Dean does for his little brother" (something like that) - seemingly missing the whole point and heavy issue surrounding Dean's decision. BUT on the other hand I am a little more confident that they are aware of the issue because Sam lack of choice was mentioned in 9.09 (I am hoping I'm not spoiling you). Unfortunately it wasn't Sam saying it (grrrrr), but at least it was written. And Dean being confronted with a disastrous result due to his choice gives me hope that it's not something that will be brushed over.
I really want Sam to be able to be a hero in his own right, not just a perpetual victim.
This so much. As I feel Carver is re-exploring earlier issues (from S1-S5) I feel we are leading up to Sam (once again) making his own choices about his destiny and being a hero. It may take a while to get there (at least another season to go I reckon), but I remain cautiously optimistic about that. So much rests on the next couple of episodes - should be a good indication of where they might be planning to take this. I hope I have some good things to report in the next couple of ep reactions.
xx
Oh and YES Dean and Adaddon FTW!! I hope to see interaction between them (or even Sam and Adaddon…or all three!)
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Date: 2014-01-08 12:44 am (UTC)Sadly, the fact that the Sam lack of choice was mentioned by Gadreel in 9.09 makes me fear that the writers feel they have dealt with that sufficiently. I'm deeply worried that it will never be mentioned again. Unfortunately spoilers indicate that
Gad will be the focus of 9.10 and then 9.11-9.14 are extremely Sam light. Plus we have a Garth episode and a Ghostfacers episode plus at least a few Cas episodes. Misha is directing 9.17 said he doesn't want to direct Jared, so 9.17 may well have In the Beginning or The End levels of Sam. I think the emotional impact of what Dean did to Sam is over, but I really, really want to be wrong.
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Date: 2014-01-08 01:06 am (UTC)Yeah, this is in the back of mind also. In fact, I'd be pretty damn certain that Sam's lack of choice will be totally brushed over and if that happens I will be extremely unhappy (and annoyed!).
I've only glimpsed at the previews - my hope is that there's a lot of other stuff going on in the episodes, aside from what they are indicating. But...*sigh*...I think I better gird by loins and prepare for the worse. :(
(How do you know 9.11-9.14 are Sam light?) I know we are in for a lot of Cas eps which concerns me a lot. But...what do ya do? It's like knowing we still have a whole angel story line to happen yet. No exactly thrilled by that either, but it's clearly what the season is about so I've just gotta accept it.
Misha is directing 9.17 said he doesn't want to direct Jared
Um...seriously? I know they joke a lot about teasing Misha but I'd have thought (hoped) that they are professional enough not to effect whether a character is actually in the episode. I wouldn't have thought Misha could command who was in an episode. If anything, I'd say it'll be a Sam n Dean episode (light on Cas as he'll be directing). And I'd say if they are going to have Sam light eps then we'll get Dean light eps too (sadly) - especially as they are fathers now.
I think the emotional impact of what Dean did to Sam is over, but I really, really want to be wrong.
I want you to be wrong also...;) It would make little sense for Carver to have developed this level of potential angst and not do something more with it. But...he did set up lots of interesting stuff in the first half of last season and did nothing with it, so yeah. It wouldn't surprise me. BUT I WANT TO BE SURPRISED!
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Date: 2014-01-07 06:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-01-08 12:22 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-01-07 06:53 pm (UTC)I'd be extremely surprised if there wasn't some sort of fallout over it (why provide the perfect source of angst and not do something with it), but the way they play it out will be very important and I sincerely hope they do something awesome with it *holds breath*.
Once again, I am of similar mind, even if I have a bit less confidence in Show than you. ;) They've set up tantalizing situations in the past, only to oh-so-unceremoniously drop the subject and never speak of it again. :( Still, we did get a glimpse of Dean's realization of what he'd wrought after Kevin was killed. So . . . hope springs eternal? C'mon SPN, PROVE ASH RIGHT!
seeing Sam and Dean wash the Impala
*whimper* Yes, please! Slow-motion water-fight wet tee-shirt version, please.
(edited for HTML dumbassery)
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Date: 2014-01-09 12:13 am (UTC)even if I have a bit less confidence in Show than you.
Can I just mutter that I am a little less confident than I was when I posted this. /o\ I think I will just stick to the fact that I am looking forward to SEEING THE BOYS AGAIN! I keep wanting to be optimistic that they will address what happened, but yeah. I'm thinking we're probably not going to get that.
IMAPLA WASHING IS A MUST!!!
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Date: 2014-01-07 07:56 pm (UTC)I agree with all your thoughts (and THANK YOU for the gifs!), and all the commenters who squeed over that gorgeous protective Sam art.
My sister and her hubby have been slowly but surely catching up on SPN via DVDs and finally (end of November) finished season 8. They are going to wait till I come to visit in early February so we can marathon season 9 together. (Well, I've seen S9, but I'm looking forward to watching all the eps so far back-to-back over a few days.)
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Date: 2014-01-09 12:14 am (UTC)And YAY re-watch! I did that with some friends a while back and it's great fun. Lots of chat! :D
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Date: 2014-01-07 09:56 pm (UTC)For me he's taken Sam's despair and constant illness too far, I know many Sam fans are enjoying it, but it's gone too far for my tastes and I'm rapidly getting tired of not seeing actual 'Sam' unless he's out cold on the floor!
While I'm accepting that the choice Dean made was very much in character and very understandable for anyone in a life and death situation - (how far will you go for the one you love?) - again, it's Carver's ambiguity over what was real, what was only in Sam's head and was that ever Dean, is still grating and as you say, it's where he goes from here that's now important.
The less said about Dean right now the better. I just can't connect with Carver's Dean at all.
I think what I'm hoping for is more of the 'just us against the universe' feels I used to get, these days the major story lines seem to revolve around the secondary characters, leaving the two leads of the show with nothing much to do except react and bitch at each other. I'd like Sam to be Sam again, so he can interact with his brother on an even keel and other characters, it's seems as though some of the writers of the filler episodes have been struggling with including Sam much because Sam is never Sam, there's always that 'something' extra about him and they steer clear of it. I never used to worry so much about that, but to be honest, I'm not very impressed with the current writing crew at all. The slapstick and vaguely off colour jokes are wearing thin, as are some of the characters.
Definitely looking forward to more Abaddon, she was a breath of fresh air last year - hope they can keep that up, same goes for Jody, she's such a natural and her screen presence always feels honest and true. Charlie? Um, difficult, I have enjoyed her episodes, some more than others, stand out scenes immensely, but it's becoming more contrived to 'write an episode for fan favourite'; rather than organic need for Charlie. Jury is out on that one.
I'll miss Kevin very much, he developed so much over his guest stint and I enjoy his snarky arse remarks far more than Crowley. He became a joy to watch as you could never really guess exactly how much was bluff and how far he'd go, he'd become very much the 'human' character caught in the middle of this huge fantasy.
That's still a great list though, let's all keep our fingers crossed for more!
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Date: 2014-01-09 01:46 am (UTC)Yeah, I'm torn. You know I'm a hurt!Sam fan but even I'm thinking…ok, time for Sam to get better and be kickass again. I always love the h/c that comes out of one of them being hurt but I've been hankering for some protective!Sam.
again, it's Carver's ambiguity over what was real, what was only in Sam's head and was that ever Dean
Yeah. This was never made clear and it is frustrating. It's hard to even know how much was manipulated by Gadreel to get Dean to help him. I still want to believe that it was Dean who said "without you there ain't no me".
I just can't connect with Carver's Dean at all.
He's been pretty ugly this season. I would like to think he's on a journey to finding a better version of himself, but I don't think that's the case. I totally believe he sees Dean as doing whatever it takes to save his family. No matter the cost (and without any reflection about that).
leaving the two leads of the show with nothing much to do except react and bitch at each other.
I have loved that we haven't had much bitching (so far) this season. I've loved the way the boys have worked together (which is ironic I suppose considering the big lie that's between them).
I imagine we are going to get more other character stories simply because the boys are now fathers and I am sure they will be wanting to give them more time off. It's sad but I couldn't imagine them keeping up the level of commitment they had in S1-5. I still think there's a feeling of them against the world (a bit!) because every time they seem to make a new friend they die. Of course Cas is the exception so I suppose they see him as being able to ease off the Js time. I'm trying to get over that fact as it's a reality that I don't think will be going away anytime soon.
Kevin was developing into an interesting character. It's is a shame that they had to kill him off but I am strangely ok with that. I think the only way they'll get back to "us against the universe" is to get rid off the other characters around them. Not that I actually want that, I do love many of the OCs.
And yes! I am hoping I can make another list at the end of the season with EVEN BETTER moments!
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Date: 2014-01-09 02:56 pm (UTC)**nods** absolutely, I think that statement was as much about last season and fears for what's to come!
I imagine we are going to get more other character stories simply because the boys are now fathers and I am sure they will be wanting to give them more time off.
Again, I agree, but I would temper that with the main story arc being about them rather than angel factions at war, side stories for other characters are fine with me, but I still don't think these last few years it's been personal enough for them - YMMV of course.
I'm pretty much ok with them killing anyone off, as I said, I enjoyed Kevin very much and hope they fill that space with another interesting character, fresh it always good as long as it ties back to the brothers is ok with me. Too much of anything can get stale and repetitive.
And yes! I am hoping I can make another list at the end of the season with EVEN BETTER moments!
**fingers, toes (and everything else) crossed** - it's a date!
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Date: 2014-01-09 01:59 am (UTC)As a Sam fan, I really haven't run into ANY Sam fans that are enjoying this. Most of us want Sam to have a POV, not an unending string of what's wrong with Sam and having Jared play something odd inhabiting Sam's body. Frankly I'm really angry because right now I have NO IDEA when we saw real Sam and when we simply saw Gadreel pretending to be Sam. Was the scene in the storeroom the first time? Had Gadreel been pretending in little spurts just so he could have a backup plan if Dean tried to tell Sam the truth? It's really, really angering for me as a Sam fan. I'm not saying you haven't run into Sam Fans who are enjoying this, but I haven't.
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Date: 2014-01-09 02:20 am (UTC)And I am totally convinced that the moment Sam is Gadreel is when he returned from the beer run (just before the storeroom scene). He was far too cool about Dean's question. And there is no indication that he was Gadreel at any other time leading up to then. If we are to believe Gadreel was playing Sam prior to that then they would have let us know. Show just isn't that subtle. It might come out in future episodes that Gad was stringing Dean along all this time, but I doubt it. This was about leaving that reveal to the very last moment and Gad only felt the need to play Sam once he had been found out. I still actually think Gad is potentially good. Not good good, but that he sees his intentions as good. Otherwise why did he heal Cas when he died? He could had so easily left him dead (and it would have been better for him if he did). Gadreel is messed up.
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Date: 2014-01-09 02:40 am (UTC)I totally believe that Gadreel DOES see his intentions as good. I also know that Gadreel found a nice, compatible, STRONG vessel and for all his intention to leave after curing Sam, where will he go next? Was his old vessel as strong as Sam? Does he really want to leave his nice cozy vessel, living in a nice protected bunker doing research and fighting with Dean to save the world and make up for his failures? Bringing Cas back to life might have been better for him if he wanted to cure Sam and go, but as a reason for why Dean has no right to question his good intentions and it's a great excuse/explanation for why he has to stay in his nice cozy vessel and how dare Dean question him because it's all Dean's fault for asking him to expend energy saving Dean's friends. Basically it can weaken Gadreel and still be a GREAT defense as to why the heck he hasn't healed Sam yet.
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Date: 2014-01-09 02:42 pm (UTC)Simultaneously, I yearn for more Sam POV. And I am more than ready for Sam to be just plain Sam now. Add me to the list of people hoping they handle the fallout of the first half of the season decently. Proper handling could make a pretty good season great for me.
But even if they don't, I've still enjoyed the first half of season 9 a million times more than I liked the first half of season 8.
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Date: 2014-01-09 03:04 pm (UTC)That probably should have said ' I hope some Sam fans are enjoying it' - I try to not judge how anyone else feels - because to be fair, I just don't know, I don't have many SPN fans left on my flist and only visit a very few personal journals to read reviews and discussions, I'm not really a 'Sam fan' or a 'Dean fan', but it was a silly statement to put in and I'm sorry if my clumsy phrasing led to a presumption that I did know of many Sam fans who are enjoying this and it added to your anger and dismay of the storylines.
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Date: 2014-01-07 10:51 pm (UTC)I'll have to come back to read the text again tomorrow though. I think my brain is too tired to take it in properly. lol. I need my bed! *yawn*
xx
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Date: 2014-01-09 01:47 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-01-08 02:08 am (UTC)Like you said, how they proceed will determine whether these will still be highlights at the end of the season...
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Date: 2014-01-09 01:49 am (UTC)*fingers crossed* for the second half!
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Date: 2014-01-08 06:12 am (UTC)Jared did such an amazing job playing Gadreel, he really blew me away. And I loved the way young!Dean looked at Sammy in the car.
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Date: 2014-01-09 01:53 am (UTC)I don't think there will be a sense that it was wrong for Dean to save Sam's life (he's done is many many times before) it's just whether what he did in order to save his life was the right thing to do. Dean will always save Sam but if they are going to get him to do something that crosses boundaries then I really hope they make a thing of it. Not just be - it doesn't matter what Dean does because he's saved Sam. I'd love them to at least had Dean reflect on what he's done (and why he needs to keep doing it) and have Sam reflect also. (And of course I ALWAYS want them to save each other. It's a the heart of what I love about the show).
xx
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Date: 2014-01-08 08:37 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-01-09 01:53 am (UTC)