10.09 Poll

[ash48]

After posting my initial reaction earlier I couldn't resist the poll because I'm curious what you all thought. A more detailed review to follow when I can gather my thoughts.

[Poll #1991771]

Comments

[quickreaver.livejournal.com]

Already spewed my venom over at Deb's journal, but wow. Underwhelming is an understatement. And here's the thing: I didn't loathe Cas and Claire's story! (It should've been tightened up, but okay.) The episode reminded me of a book that is perfectly serviceable, until the very end, where it drops the ball. If a book effs up the ending, you never recc it to a friend, right? Any mildly pleasant bits you read earlier are negated by that crappy ending, and that's kinda how I felt.

And for me, the "crappy ending" was the uselessness of Cas' storyline and Sam leaving Dean in the house with the bad guys. He never would've done that. It made no sense. It was a total 'WTF?' moment for me. Not even Sam, with his hands cupping Dean's face in the last few seconds, could save the episode from banality.

[greyowl88.livejournal.com]

I tried to press "meh" at least. I just couldn't... allergic reaction was allergic. :/

[cassiopeia7.livejournal.com]

I cheated and clicked both "OK" and "Meh," because for me, at least, the grilled-cheese scene and the intense moment at the end with Sam gripping Dean's face and begging him to admit he'd killed in self-defense . . . made up for a lot of sins that went before. If those moments had not been there, believe me, I would've checked "Nope" in a heartbeat.

. . . fickle Cassiopeia is fickle.

[sam-dean-lover.livejournal.com]

F is my grade.i give up, im seriously thinking about quitting right now. i dont know what that was but it was not a mid-season finale and not my show;i dont know who these people are but they're not Sam and Dean maybe they're Leviathans.i dont know what the hell is going on, but whatever it is its killing me with what they're doing to the characters i used to know and love. im to the point where my loyalty and passionate love is worth coming back after this bullshit of a not mid-season finale! :(!!!! i am just heartbroken right now as i dont know what right now and it HURTS and devastating me that i am seriously thinking about letting this show go after 10 years. i cant believe i just said that, that's how devastated and heartbroken i am:(. my heart is telling me to stay and see it to the end but my mind is telling me that maybe its time to let it go :(.Sam did nothing in this episode and im worried that he wont be doing anything in the 2nd half in January. i need this break to think, really think and remember why im still here now if i want to come back and see nothing has changed. Who are you and what have you done with my Supernatural and Sam and Dean?-long comment over I dont feel better :(

[debbiel66.livejournal.com]

I was watching a glitchy stream but ended up being so uninvested, I didn't really care!

But it's been a good season. I will be back in January. :)

[growyourwings.livejournal.com]

I agree with what others have said about it being an ok episode if it was NOT the mid season finale. I likely would have "okay'd" it and found it mildly enjoyable as a filler episode. The Cas-Claire stuff was ok.

The ending just felt so very OFF to me. Even the face grabbing. If Sam was SO worried that Dean might go off, I cannot imagine he would leave Dean like that. I do not know what the writer(s) were thinking. Were they thinking. Are they just phoning it in because they know they have a sure thing at least for another season? Are they getting bored?

I have been enjoying S10 so far. But seasons 8 & 9 wore me down so much that my tolerance is low even after enjoying most of the eps so far this season. Another thought last night was that maybe I'm finally over this show as I couldn't even work up anger about the fact that it was a very boring mid-season finale.

EDIT: I guess I should add that I had a very lousy day. Perhaps that influenced my reaction. But I truly was not upset. Just meh to bored.

[amberdreams.livejournal.com]

I've clicked ok because - it was sort of ok. But - and there are a lot of buts - it wasn't much of a mid season finale, I totally agree about the WTFness of Sam leaving Dean alone with four hostiles even though they were all human especially given the doubts Sam is having THAT THEY SHOWED US IN THIS EPISODE about the effects of the Mark. So even if he hadn't been concerned about Dean holding his own in a room full of angry, armed blokes, he would have been worried about what Dean might do under the influence of the Mark.

Oh god I just wish we could get the tight sort of writing they had on Sons of Anarchy - some consistent GOOD writing would sort all these stupid problems out.

[el1ie.livejournal.com]

I just don't know how else to explain it, but that Carver was so upset everyone hated his show running at the end of last season that he compiled a list of every fan gripe he could find and set his writers out to tick at least two boxes every episode, I mean, we'd all love him them wouldn't we?

Amulet? tick
Music? tick
Vessels? tick
Castiel meeting Claire? tick
Jody? tick
Sam looking after Dean? tick
Sam and Dean in the bunker scene? tick
Dean and Cas scene? tick
Boys talk in the car? tick
Boys reminisce about their childhood? tick

And so on, I'm spoiler free, so I'm not even going to try and guess who's going to turn up in the next few episodes, but I already have quite a few ideas.

But it feels like writing by rote to strict demands, it's clunky and obvious and there are so many things in there that should have me fist pumping and shouting **YES!! THIS!! AT LAST!!**, but sadly the execution was boring and shallow and the themes are far too late to suddenly address now and in concentrating on ticking those boxes to please fans everything else doesn't make a tad of sense.

Overall it was an ok episode, it could have been a great episode, for the mid season break it should have been an awesome episode and it wasn't, even though some of the things they're tackling should be profound and thought stirring, but no, what should be a delicious 4 course meal gets served up as a ham sandwich.

[caranfindel.livejournal.com]

I seem to be the only person in the fandom who thought Sam assumed Dean was right behind him when he left the house. The way I read it, he didn't even notice Dean wasn't with them until he got in the car. Maybe because that's the only way any of that made sense. :-/

[cuddyclothes.livejournal.com]

When I think of how last season's "Holy Terror" left me a crying basketcase, the Cas n' Claire hour seems even more lame.

[jessm78.livejournal.com]

I agree with everyone who said it was underwhelming, especially for a mid-season finale. Meh. The writing was pretty lazy at the end especially.