It's Only Scary If You're Scared Of It.

[rionaleonhart]

The end of 'Everybody Loves a Clown' is a bullet to the heart. My stomach twists just thinking about Dean's expression. It's so, so painful.

Dean lashes out at both of the things he loves in that episode, actually: he beats up the Impala (most heartwrenching scene ever), and he tells Sam that it's too late to make things right. Dean, your coping mechanism really hurts.

That devastating final scene and the scene in which Jo takes her gun back from Dean are two of my favourite scenes in the entirety of Supernatural, so I suppose I have to count 'Everybody Loves a Clown' amongst my favourite episodes. Even though the title is a terrible lie. Is it too much to ask that you don't wrap some of your best character moments in murderous clowns, Supernatural?

There's also Dean's desperate need to kill something over the next couple of episodes, and his breakdown at the end of 'Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things'. I remember becoming a little frustrated somewhere around the fourth season because it felt like Dean was having an emotional confession session every episode, but at this stage in Supernatural his emotions are dealt with perfectly: he cages them up for as long as possible, tries to cope through murder, and eventually snaps and talks about it.

I didn't say 'healthily'. I said 'perfectly'.

(magistrate has created a fic prompt bingo card generator. One of the preset lists of prompts is 'Negative Coping Techniques'. I'm half-tempted to generate a Negative Coping Techniques card and fill the entire thing out with stories about Dean Winchester, because almost every possible prompt makes me think of him, but I can only write so much angst before I get restless and start putting Pokémon everywhere. Plus I'm finding it strangely hard to get the Winchester boys' voices back, much though I'd like to write for them. They're both very guarded people, so I suppose it makes sense that I can't get inside their heads, but it's still a shame.)

'Simon Said' is so great. THE WHOLE OF THE SECOND SEASON IS SO GREAT. There's such a strong sense of continuity compared to the first, and the Winchesters are constantly breaking my heart in the best possible way. Probably my favourite season of Supernatural.

I'm so happy to be loving this show again! I haven't watched it in a good few years, and I was afraid my tastes would have changed too much for me to fall back into it, but I think there's always going to be a place in my heart for intense familial relationships between incredibly damaged people. Supernatural might as well have been made for me.

Comments

[wolfy_writing]

I didn't say 'healthily'. I said 'perfectly'.

I know what you mean. It's both a lot more true to the character and a lot more narratively compelling. (Unhealthy coping mechanism tend to make better stories than healthy ones.)

I'm half-tempted to generate a Negative Coping Techniques card and fill the entire thing out with stories about Dean Winchester, because almost every possible prompt makes me think of him, but I can only write so much angst before I get restless and start putting Pokémon everywhere.

...you say that like it wouldn't be awesome to read about Dean Winchester's inner pain and negative coping techniques and then suddenly Pokemon everywhere.

[rionaleonhart]

I find it oddly difficult to give Dean any Pokémon. I suppose the problem is giving Dean something he can love. Sam and his dad and the car are all he has, and that feels really important to his character. Which isn't to say he can't care about anything else - there's Bobby, there's Jo - but it's hard to imagine Dean actually travelling long-term with anything that is neither family nor Impala.

I can see Dean hunting Pokémon, but I'm not sure that's something I want to write.

[wolfy_writing]

...good point. Cars can't be Pokemon, can they? (I'm not sure, because apparently rocks can be?)

[milliebee.livejournal.com]

It's really strange to hear anybody talk about Supernatural anymore without dissolving into tears. I'm so used to the up-to-date crowd wailing everywhere, it's nice to see positivity about it (even if it's slightly odd positivity!)

You're definitely making me miss this series, and I'm feeling more inclined to start again than to keep going from where I left off. But if I do that I'll probably lose momentum around series two and never get past where I left off. Oh, the agony of indecision!

[rionaleonhart]

I'm a little worried to hear that all my rolling around in Dean-related heartbreak doesn't count as 'dissolving into tears' compared to later seasons. Still, I've got over a hundred and fifty episodes left to go before I'm caught up, so I suppose I'm probably safe for a while!

You don't seem terribly motivated to keep going from where you left off anyway, so what do you have to lose? Maybe you'll lose your momentum, but maybe you won't, and in either case you might enjoy a rewatch. Those are just my thoughts, though.

[milliebee.livejournal.com]

Haha, well you're mostly saying how well-written the heartbreak is rather than how you desperately just want everyone to be happy. So that's a lot more upbeat than some fans I've seen!

I'd like to get past where I'd stopped and carry on to the recent series, but I want to jump ahead to where everyone says the series is more interesting. Unfortunately, skipping episodes of Supernatural usually ends in confusion! I might skip back and rewatch the odd episode I remember loving, though. :)