SPN! OMG SPN!

[heidi]

Who in the world planned for my copy of "John Winchester's Journal" to arrive the same day as 4.13 aired?

Who was that man?
I'd like to shake his hand!
That mesh of good things?
Made me want to SQUEE!
(All apologies to whoever wrote "Who Put The Bop In The Bop Shoo Bop Do Bop", or whatever the song is called.)

I'm putting comments about the episode behind the cut tag - and also, for those who don't want to be spoiled for the content of the book but want to read my episode review-squee, I am going to write spoilers for the book in red on a red background. Not all browsers will display it properly, and screen readers will read it all, so take care!

But here's a test to see if your browser gets it right:
The guy who wrote the Journal is the same author as one of last year's SPN Monsters books.
Highlight that and you can read the spoiler.



Oh, SHOW! You are the Kripke-est show in the WHOLE universe of SHOWS. I immediately thought of about a dozen fics that were Kripked in tone, plot, characterization, etc, especially big_pink's Dazzleland and my own Zombie Meme Moment in which Sam has a bit of a writing sideline, which I wrote for spn_summergen last summer.

I was re-watching Wishful Thinking this morning, and remember when Sam tells the first "victim" that he's writing a book called Supernatural? Hurrah for consistent characterization in the small things.

Speaking of small things, how about Dean's shorts?

No, really, how about them? I wonder if they will end up in clothing-cards from that trading card company, and if so, how much they will go for on eBay. If Show gets another budget cut, they really could make a million or so from just auctioning off all the garb.

I went out last night to a dinner-thing, but about an hour beforehand, UPS delivered my lovely Journal, so I managed to skim through about fifty pages before I went out, and I finished skimming it this morning. It was somewhat odd but very fascinating to watch Show last night knowing that Dean hadn't gone to kindergarten, and that Sam had missed enough school during his elementary school years that he was a year behind by seventh grade, which implies even more that Truman High was a 7-12 school, or at least 8-12. John chastises himself a bit, writing that he has a borderline-genius kid who'll be 19 when he graduates high school. The Journal also talks a bit about one-month stints in school being regular until Sam is in fifth or sixth grade, because by then Dean is old enough for John to leave them on their own for a few weeks at a stretch.

There are passages in the book about his fear for leaving the kids unprotected in classrooms, and he strongly implies that Dean went all the way through to graduation so he could be there for Sam as much as possible, to protect him from Evil Things. There's even an incident at a summer camp in Minnesota that I don't want to over-spoil, but I hope leads to fic! (No, not that kind of incident! Sam is uber-WEE!)

If you take the book as canon, it also gives firm information about when Sam told Dean and John about Stanford, when Cassie came into the picture, and when Dean got the Impala (which doesn't mesh 100% with last night's episode, but I will fanwank it so John's truck was out of commission, so he had to borrow the Impala back from Dean). It does not, however, answer whether John took Sam to Disney World when Dean was off shagging Gumby Girl whose real name I cannot remember at the moment.

Anyhow, so, back to last night's episode. It was just so perfectly adorable - and I think the fact that it meshes SO well with what so many of us have believed to be Backstory for the boys is a clear sign of consistent characterization by Show, for which they get a gold star and the best seat on the bus!

Colin Ford was beyond fantastic - he really did carry this episode and it would not have worked as well were he not as (a) adorable and (b) such a good mirror of Jared's mannerisms as he is. I hadn't been sure about Brock beforehand, mostly because he really does not look like Jensen at that age (no, I could not resist the eye candy, SORRY!) but he definitely was in good form with the mannerisms and especially in his speaking style. And I love how the jacket was still way too big on him!

So, where are the fics about Sammy's Growth Spurt in 1998 and 1999? And yourlibrarian, Show finally gave me the last few clips that I mentally needed to finish off the vid. As soon as I get a logo-free copy, because a tag for 90210 was ALL over sam in a clip that I need...

Speaking of clips - the Previouslies last night were just WOOBIE. To look back at how slim and ickle and easily annoyed Sammy was in the early part of S1 especially, it's so fantastic to see how Jared has grown and grown and grown to the point where he could easily lift a Jen *and* a Gen at the same time things have changed.

And how they've stayed the same. Look at this cap:


And then think back to that absolutely iconic image of Dean leaning on the Impala in S2 (which I cannot find now) with the sun shining around him as he does that semi-turn.

Ah, cinematography - you make me smiley.

Sad!Sam, on the other hand, is such a wibbly woobie. The way he is when he gets to the classroom, compared to the way he walks down the hallway after besting Dirk - and then looking at both of those scenes through the filter of his final conversation with that teacher, where he can't say he's happy because he wants to be and he has Dean back so he thinks he should be and could be but he just isn't and it isn't because of Dean, it's because of this life and how much he wants to not be doing this when they're in their 60s because they're then doing something else and not because they're dead (again).

And Sad!Dean will never, ever admit that he is sad, or lonely, or that lost little boy who's had to figure out so many horrible things on his own, and raise his little brother because Sam is his responsibility and he will do right by him.

Maybe that's why the sections in the Journal involving Dean's reaction to Sam going to school made me ache so much when I read them this morning.

I mentioned last week that the ending I want for Show would be like lyra_wing's American Gods-inspired fic Dust In the Wind - but an ending where they have a base - maybe in Lawrence, maybe near Bobby, maybe in Key West - and they "teach" hunters (correspondence course, via the internet - they're teachers and writers and everything this episode implied they could have been and could someday be) - that could be so lovely, too. And lead to a movie follow-up, like X-Files had.

Am I the only one who thought that the shotguns during the bus rescue scene were filled with rock-salt and the people were somewhat knocked out when the spirit left them, kind of like the disoriented kids we saw in the school?

Comments

[sabaceanbabe.livejournal.com]

Am I the only one who thought that the shotguns during the bus rescue scene were filled with rock-salt and the people were somewhat knocked out when the spirit left them, kind of like the disoriented kids we saw in the school?

I remember thinking at the time that I hoped it was rock salt and not shotgun shells, because I just couldn't see the boys killing someone who was possessed by something when it wouldn't also kill that something. I mean, Sam was so adamant that pulling demons from people was the better way to go because then the people live.

The kid who played young Sam was just perfect. PERFECT. But I wasn't impressed by the teenage Dean - he tried, but it just wasn't quite right, although maybe that was only in comparison to young!Sam.

[erinrua.livejournal.com]

I'm 99.9% certain it was rock salt, because the "victims" were both groaning and sort of rolling around, afterwards. Just probably a helluva double-whammy to be blasted with rock salt at near point-blank range, AND be suffering a post-ghost hangover. ;-) I figured the aftermath of the possession was as stiff or stiffer than being shot with rock salt.

Owie. ;-)

[erinrua.livejournal.com]

Okay, that settles it - I am SO getting that book! EEEEEEEEE! It sounds awesome, and you had the perfect serendipitous happenchance, in its arrival. Lucky you!

Colin Ford as young Sam - oh, yeah. He was AWESOME! I was a bit disconcerted by the initial size disparity, with him and Dean, but I was totally charmed by the "midget" jokes to explain for it, and my hubby loved it. Also, we have a friend who is very TALL and his sons are growing up TALL ... but they don't seem to hit their growth spurts until they are 16. Last we saw them, he had a normal-sized 13 year old, a HUGE 18 year old, and a 16 year old who was growing about an inch a day, and skinny as a rail. ;-) So I could imagine that Sam just sorta took his time, then sprouted all at once.

And oh, lord, the fodder for fics about keeping that kid in clothing! LOL!

Young Dean - hey, NOBODY can play Jensen Ackles' Dean like Jensen Ackles, but I totally fell for this kid as the junior version. My hubby was blown away by the similarities and asked me if Brock and Jensen were brothers in real life! I thought Brock did a spectacular job of assuming an iconic character that's been brought to such powerful life by someone else. Seriously, that kid had some MASSIVE shoes to fill - and I thought he did great. He nailed the essense of Dean just right, IMHO, captured the mannerisms and attitude and cockiness. If he wobbled a bit in spots on the dialogue - seriously, he's not only playing an established character, he's playing the guy who plays the character! So I give him a solid "A" for that.

Lots of other things I loved, too: that Sam n' Dean act like real brothers, but clearly enjoy each other's company. That Dean is ferociously protective of Sam - but unlike some fan fics, he does NOT take away from Sam's self-sufficiency, and in fact takes great pride in it. ("Taught the kid everything he knows," I can picture him saying with a smirk.) That Sammy even then had a seriously volcanic and scary temper hidden beneath that sweet face and kindly demeanor. (When he beat up Dirk, the last punch or two was pure spite, on Sam's part - which I'd have probably done myself, but it's interesting to see in wee!Sam.)

That John was aaaaaaaaaaaaaalmost present, LOL! Clever use of reflections and shadows to put John in the car and on the scene, but never quite in view. ;-) And over all, that we got to SEE the boys' youth as it really was, without the lens of fan fiction, but also proving a lot of our speculation correct.

So yeah. Me like. I was left feeling very *sad*, and also that this and the last episode are setting us up to see Sam make some decisions about what he's doing with his life. He's been treading water in various ways since Dean came back, reacting rather than being pro-active, but I think that's about to change. Yikes.

But I'm eager to see where the story is taking us, because I think we've been given a compass and a whole new map!

Oops. Did I just meta on your LJ? I'll get a towel ... *G*

[erinrua.livejournal.com]

Journal. Must. Have. Nao.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! *runs away to Amazon*

[heidi8.livejournal.com]

I really wish that the con organizers would consider bringing people like Alex and even kradical to the cons - they'd definitely be interesting to talk to!

[erinrua.livejournal.com]

Huh. Someone needs to bug Creation or whomever about that. Maybe for 2010 ... It's all part of the Supernatural family, and I'd love to hear Irvine's take, especially. I just enjoy how well he does with voices, that I've seen.

[lembeau.livejournal.com]

I'm adoring wee!Sam, he was so perfect and sad and adorable and awesome! Those last two punches were totally out of spite. That intensity and that anger was telegraphed very well. Did you notice (if I remember correctly) that Sam didn't start hitting Dirk until he called him a freak? I keep wondering if Sam had vision like nightmares, on and off, before, when he was young, which added to his desire, his need to be normal. We know that he had visions of Jess' death but he never said that was the first time he had them.

I was meh about teen!Dean too, though I think they got it right with the eyes and certain angles. I figure though, that really, nobody could do teen!Dean other than a teen!Jensen, so I didn't care. On the other hand, Dean the LadyGym Teacher in Red was excellent and inspired.

And Sad!Dean will never, ever admit that he is sad, or lonely, or that lost little boy who's had to figure out so many horrible things on his own, and raise his little brother because Sam is his responsibility and he will do right by him.

That hurt, a lot. Our poor, poor boys.

Oh, I just remembered, I don't think you have to worry about the boys going around and randomly shooting people now. I'm certain that was rock salt in the shotguns, because what good would regular bullets be against a ghost? Though it was a bit, shocking (kinda maybe), to watch.

Is it just me or was that one of their more violent shows?

I kinda feel like that was a tribute to all Wee!chester fic out there. Our show loves us. ♥

[heidi8.livejournal.com]

Replying belatedly as I was ill this past week - in thinking about it more, they definitely would not have bothered to put real shotgun shells into the guns in the first place, and there wasn't enough blood. So yeah, salt. Painful, as we know from Asylum, but not deadly if it's shot into the chest.

[erinrua.livejournal.com]

Pee Ess ....

HOW and WHERE did you get John's Journal, when everywhere else on planet earth doesn't release it for another week?

*blink-blink*

[heidi8.livejournal.com]

Amazon sent it to me! But it should be out officially on Tuesday, right?

[erinrua.livejournal.com]

Yeah, Tuesday - which actually is like SOON, lol, I've simply lost track of the past two weeks! So yeah. I can has John Journal.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

*beams*

[yourlibrarian]

Am I the only one who thought that the shotguns during the bus rescue scene were filled with rock-salt and the people were somewhat knocked out when the spirit left them, kind of like the disoriented kids we saw in the school?

They were, you could see the driver moving around. And the girl who attacked Sam was practically passed out so it all tied together.

And yay for useful clips!

[atlanticise.livejournal.com]

Oooh I enjoyed reading this post a lot! And when I saw you mention lyra_wing's "Dust In the Wind" I pretty much squeed out loud. It's just the most perfect ending, isn't it?

[heidi8.livejournal.com]

While there are other endings I could accept for Show, that sort would be, by far, the best I think we could hope for. Boys. Together, forever. Saving people. Hunting things. Gorgeously.

[pinkphoenix1985.livejournal.com]

I came here via spn_heavymeta and I have to admit that even though I'm definitely getting the journal- you've made me much more excited than I was!

thx for this and I can't wait to read it!

[heidi8.livejournal.com]

Glad to share the squee!

[labseraph.livejournal.com]

Oh, thank you for sharing what you have from John's journal. It does round up what we know and love of the Winchesters so well. The thing is, it isn't easy to find a young actor who is as pretty as Jensen was as a teenager. But I thought Brock Kelly did a commendable job in foreshadowing what the adult Dean would be like and his colouring and some features (like the shape of his mouth) is close enough to Jensen to make it work. But then again, mileage will vary.

Again, thanks! and we wouldn't mind it if you were to share more of John's journal with us. As yes,the cut tag worked very fine.

[heidi8.livejournal.com]

I've been very sick this past week, but should be doing another meta post & chronology possibly over the weekend, culled from the Journal.

[mizzykitty.livejournal.com]

Journal? It's a real thing, srsly? Where did you get it?

(sorry I think I accidentally replied to someone else's comment just now)

[heidi8.livejournal.com]

It's on Amazon.

[mizzykitty.livejournal.com]

Awesome, thank you!

[dixiehellcat.livejournal.com]

Eee! That book is out? Must get!

Yes, I thought the shotguns were loaded with salt too.

And I'm soooo glad somebody else noticed how totally DOWN Brock had Dean's speech patterns! I thought it was just me cuz I am a speech therapist, but I sat there going 'dayum, how many freakin hours of tape of Jensen did that kid study??'

[heidi8.livejournal.com]

I can just imagine him listening to episode after episode on his ipod to get it right. Good job, Brock!