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Post by Steven on Jul 12, 2006 12:29:44 GMT
Let's get some perspective though- Brad Kern is no Eric Kripke. I always thought, from the first episode that they would bring in a young female hunter who would hook up with one of the boys though- it just seemed an obvious direction. They can't keep it as just the two boys forever. They also can't keep it as "demon of the week" forever either- they need some plot arcs beyond "mummy died/im psychic/dads a wanker". Well, I don't know enough about Kripke's professional reputation to comment. But Brad Kern made a fairly decent name for himself in the early years of Charmed - he wrote 'All Hells Breaks Loose', considered by a lot of fans to be the best episode the show ever turned out, but it still didn't stop him from being an assy showrunner who took the series in entirely the wrong direction. I agree that introducing a young female hunter into the show is an obvious move. However, that's one of the reasons I don't want them to do it - it's too obvious. It just seems like something that you shoehorn into a show like this when you've run out of good ideas and want to run annoying love triangle storylines instead. Perhaps we can't just have the show focusing on the Brothers Winchester forever, but I don't think we've even scratched the surface of their characters, and there's loads about them that's still to be explored before there's any desperate need to introduce love interests. In terms of feminism, I agree the show is hardly a shining light for the morals of girl power, and it could do with some stronger female characters. I just don't see why that character would have to be a sassy young demon-huntin' love interest. I'd far rather they brought back someone like Missouri and made her into a regular - she was a really interesting character, and a great foil for the brothers, and she's already got a connection to them. I'm willing to be proved wrong on all of this, but as much as I love this show, I think the writing can really let it down sometimes, and I'm just a bit fearful that introducing a female version of the Brothers would lead it permanently down the road of lazy scripting.
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Post by Lucinda on Jul 12, 2006 12:41:36 GMT
As soon as I read the rumour, I thought of Cuoco being brought into Charmed as well. This is why I'm immediately fearful of the idea. If done right, it'd be an interesting idea, and it does seem like an obvious move, but I'm too worried it won't be done right (years of watching Charmed does this to you!). I'd rather they don't throw in the inevitable love triangle just yet in case they ruin what they have going!
I love ITV2 for repeating 2 or 3 episodes on Saturday nights! I had to miss them this weekend but I really need to catch up. Does anybody know what episode has Julie Benz in it? I saw part of it on YouTube, I think there was a faith healer storyline? I'm just wondering if I've already missed it.
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Post by Steven on Jul 12, 2006 12:44:04 GMT
That's 'Faith', episode 12, so it should be on very soon. It's one of my favourites.
EDIT: According to Jen's post upthread, 'Asylum' and 'Scarecrow' are on this Saturday, and if memory serves, 'Faith' is the next episode after 'Scarecrow'.
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Post by Lucinda on Jul 12, 2006 13:30:37 GMT
Oooh, thank you! It wasn't the full episode when I watched on Youtube (I suppose with the copyright laws and whatnot), so I've been dying to see it all. It seemed like it was shot differently - it had a different sort of feel to it. I am terrible with describing these sorts of camera tricks, but I think it seemed more blue or dark or eerie or something? Anyway, hurrah and all that!
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Post by Jen on Jul 12, 2006 16:36:00 GMT
"Faith' is an excellent episode, not least because of Julie Benz, but because it also covers some interesting religious ideas. Plus, Sam gets to save the day for once so that's always going to get my vote. "Faith" is indeed on next week. Here's a run through of all the remanding episodes(I've tried to avoid spoilers: Episode 10: Asylum The boys get co-ordinates from Daddy W in a text sending them to an old abandonded asylum. Madness, quite literally, ensues. Episode 11: Scarecrow The boys fall out and Sam buggers off. Dean battles with an evil looking scarecrow in a freakishly lucky town. Episode 12: Faith Out on the hunt, Dean gets life-threatingly hurt. Sam fights to find a cure and may have one- but there are strings attached.... Episode 13: Route 666 Dean get's a call from an old girlfriend who thinks the boys may be able to help after a string of mysterious murders. Episode 14: Nightmares Sam has an extremely vivid nightmare- which comes true. After a second vision, it's a race against time until they can stop someone else from getting hurt. Episode 15: The Benders No giggling at the back! Sam goes missing- but this time, no supernatural forces are involved. It's something worse instead. Episode 16: Shadow On the trail of a killer, Sam bumps into an old friend who may be more connected to events then she is letting on. Episode 17: Hell House Q. What does the internet, a ghost and a towel clad Jared Padalecki have in common? A. They all feature in this episode! Seriously, it's all about the towel. Episode 18: Something Wicked. Shtriga, an evil witch is responsible for children getting ill. But have the boys met her before? Episode 19: Provenance A haunted painting causes the boys some bother. Sam meets a pretty girl. Episode 20: Dead Man's Blood Vampires! Daddy W! Decapitation! It's all go! Episode 21: Salvation We're hot on the big bad's trail! But an old nemesis is going to get in the trio's way. Episode 22: Devil's Trap Last in the series! Will they find big bad and kill the evil 'sonofabitch'?
Hope that's of some use to you.
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Post by Jen on Jul 12, 2006 16:51:23 GMT
Well, I don't know enough about Kripke's professional reputation to comment. To be honest, neither do I to too great an extent, I'm going on interviews and articles I've read on him and his vision for Supernatural. That is a brilliant episode, but I also think that has a lot to do with Shannen's direction. I think Brad made a bad start after the 2nd series- Constance, the creator was really pushing for the show to be about sisters who happened to be witches, and have a real emphasis on them as a family- not a million miles away from Supernatural. It was Brad who wanted to bring in the Cole and Phoebe arc, which Constance was against as we already had Leo and Piper. She lost that argument, and so decided to leave the show- which is why we got lumbered with the tedious Angel copycat that was the whole Cole debacle- plus an obviously more sexy approach in the girls outfits. As great as "All hell breaks loose" is, the first two seasons were really at it's peak. I completely agree, which is why I don't think they should bring in a series regular yet- but the notes on this spoiler only mentioned the women being "possibly recurring" which I think would be a great idea- we'd have a balance of the boys, and the family stuff, with the option of bringing these other girls in occasionally to up the ante. Again, I completely agree- she was a fantastic character and I really hope she makes another appearance. At what points do you think the writing has let it down? I know Route 666 wasn't the show at it's best, but I thought that was more to do with the run-of-the-mill plot. I know that JDM can't commit to the full season, as Kripke and his team really wanted him as a regular so they are obviously interested in bringing more cast into as a permanent fixture. In a recent TV Guide interview, Jensen said the only suggestions he ever makes to the creators is that they get in more cast. It's something both of them are really pushing for- not least because it would mean them getting a decent amount of sleep once in a while.
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Post by Lucinda on Jul 12, 2006 22:39:54 GMT
Oh, thanks muchly for the summary, Jen! That really helps. Also: "The Benders". Hee. I'm so easily amused. Now I also know when the infamous towel episode is showing. I'd been wondering about that ever since it was randomly put up on the lowculture homepage (that was fantastic!).
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Post by Steven on Jul 13, 2006 12:39:33 GMT
At what points do you think the writing has let it down? I know Route 666 wasn't the show at it's best, but I thought that was more to do with the run-of-the-mill plot. I know that JDM can't commit to the full season, as Kripke and his team really wanted him as a regular so they are obviously interested in bringing more cast into as a permanent fixture. In a recent TV Guide interview, Jensen said the only suggestions he ever makes to the creators is that they get in more cast. It's something both of them are really pushing for- not least because it would mean them getting a decent amount of sleep once in a while. Thanks for the summary! I knew I wasn't the only one giggling at the back every time I watch 'The Benders'. I don't know if there are specific episodes that are badly-written, there have just been odd lines here and there that are pretty clunky. The scene in the Metallicar every week where Dean and Sam are all "So, Sam, why is it we're going to Chicago?" "I told you, Dean, it's because of that newspaper we read etc etc" are kind of clunky, and they've given both boys some fairly terrible dialogue over the course of the season ("Do you want some white meat, bitch?" being a particular favourite of mine). In fairness, I've always considered that part of the show's charm, but it does make me hope that they don't get too ambitious too soon. Having said all that, I do think the writing improved a lot towards the end of the season and they threw in some great moments of brotherly bonding and character definition (I still love the bit in Faith where Dean's watching daytime TV in hospital and complaining about it: "That teddy bear from the fabric softener commercials - I'm gonna hunt that little bitch down."). I'm kind of glad that they can't get Daddy Winchester back as a regular - I like the fact that he's so elusive. And I can understand why Jared and Jensen want a bigger cast - they have to anchor the show by themselves, after all. I remember reading the sort of weeks that Kristen Bell works due to being in virtually every scene of Veronica Mars and wanting to weep for her. I just hope they expand the cast wisely. On an entirely separate note, I checked out Kripke's bio on IMDB and I'm surprised he's so young. I assumed he'd be older.
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Post by Steven on Jul 15, 2006 22:22:36 GMT
Note to self: do not watch 'Asylum' when you're completely alone in the house and only half of your lights are working. Brrrrrrr.
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Post by Lucinda on Jul 16, 2006 19:41:54 GMT
Same thing happened me! And in an attempt to shake myself out of the creepiness, I tried to go on the internet at a commerical break, but instead my internet connection decided to flicker a few times before finally giving up. Like the torches in that episode! I was surprised by how genuinely creepy the show still was - even the Scarecrow one was a little freaky.
I didn't get a chance to see most of these episodes the first time round, so this whole thing with the blonde chick is new to me. I just knew she had to turn out evil somehow!
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Post by Steven on Jul 16, 2006 21:30:10 GMT
It's funny - the show's not out-and-out scary all the time, but sometimes it can really give you the heebie-jeebies if you're not careful. I always make a point of watching the episodes late at night in a darkened room, just for full scarifying effect. Now all I need is for Dean to come and hold me while I watch.
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Post by Jen on Jul 17, 2006 22:21:39 GMT
That could be VERY complicated. I like "Scarecrow"- Jared has his best hair in that episode. Plus it introduces Meg who I thought was pretty brilliant. "I can't believe you just shot me!!" Excellent. I'm glad I missed the "Home" episode- the arm in the garbage shoot made me throw up in my mouth a little. "Faith" and "Route 666" this weekend then! I love Julie Benz popping up- I'm desperately hoping that an ex Buffy or Angel girl gets cast as the young female hunter. If it's Eliza Dushku I will actually die. The combine hotness of Jared, Jensen and Eliza will possibly cause me to explode. I can't wait for the second part dvd- we should get all the extras then. I am looking forward to the gag reel and the documentary in particular.
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Post by Steven on Jul 17, 2006 22:43:42 GMT
Still not at all happy about the idea of the young female hunter character (why don't they just call her Mary Sue and have done with it?), but some of the spoilers I accidentally stumbled on today (seriously: have to be WAY more careful in future) implied that they're actually paving the way for some good storylines as a result. As long as she doesn't interfere with the Winchester brotherly angst too much - or preferably at all - I might be able to deal with her. But seriously: if they cast Kaley Cuoco, heads will roll.
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Post by Lucinda on Jul 18, 2006 12:07:40 GMT
Don't worry, I hear Kaley's going back to comedy because she prefers it to drama (heh, like Charmed was really serious intense drama in its last season, but anyway), so hopefully she won't turn up in any other shows which are on their last leg, causing them to become even more unbearable than they already were.
Not that Supernatural is on its last leg at all. I can be more optimistic about the introduction of a female hunter character because 1) This isn't Charmed, Brad Kern has nothing to do with it, 2) I am fairly confident she won't be played be Kaley Cuoco (in fact, I got all excited when Jen mentioned Eliza Dushku, that would rock) and 3) The show has only had one season, so it still seems new enough to take on another character. They could always kill her off if she proved wildly unpopular, like Jenny in season 2 of Charmed. Well, she wasn't killed off (not onscreen anyway...), but Shannen Doherty knew she wasn't helping the show and got the character written out. Man, if only she'd been there in season 8.
Do we even know how many episodes this character would appear in? Would it be for the entire season?
Edited to say: Wow, I sure mentioned Charmed a lot there. Sorry about that.
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Post by Jen on Jul 18, 2006 22:10:31 GMT
Still not at all happy about the idea of the young female hunter character (why don't they just call her Mary Sue and have done with it?) See, I saw this on one of the other boards and it bothers me. Why does a young female character have to be a Mary Sue? She's a hunter, she's an equal- she's not going to be Lana to their Clark. Oh please point me in their direction! We can't put too much on the angst though. As much as I love the ball of angst, it could get irritating after a while. And seriously, you need to get over this Kaley thing. I know she has mentally scarred you, but we need to move on. Lucinda- I didn't know Shannnen was involved in getting rid of the Jenny character. It frustrates me how integral she was to keeping that show at it's peak, and they just cut her loose. Alex (young female hunter) is pitted as being a recurring character- like Meg was recurring, and John was too. So it could be 3 episodes or 12, but it won't be every single one.
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Post by Jen on Jul 18, 2006 22:11:45 GMT
Oh, and has anyone heard the spoilers that apparently: John dies in the first episode as a trade off for Dean's life ? Very interesting.
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Post by Steven on Jul 19, 2006 22:24:09 GMT
Gah! Must...not...click...spoiler...
Is it September yet?
(PS. Jen - the spoilers I read were on Television Without Pity - go to the homepage, head for the Supernatural forums, select "General Gabbery" then the "Spoilers with Discussion" thread.)
And I will get over the Kaley Cuoco thing when she and Brad Kern publicly apologise for season eight of Charmed, but not before.
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Post by Jen on Aug 15, 2006 23:48:29 GMT
HRRRNNNKKKKKKKKK! AMBER BENSON IS IN SEASON 2!! MAGAZINE: Are you just a one-time role on SUPERNATURAL or is this a character that may come back?
AMBER BENSON: As of now, it's just a one-time role. It’s a very juicy guest spot.
iF: How has it been returning to a TV show primarily about the occult?
BENSON: Its cool to be back in the sci-fi realm. Everyone at SUPERNATURAL is lovely. I've had a real blast working in Vancouver. Thought I was through with CGI, but visual effects seem to follow me wherever I go!
iF: What can you tell me about your character?
BENSON: Can't divulge anything about the role I played, but I got to be tough and sexy, so it was total fun. Plus, I got to wear some bitchin' cowboy boots.
DYING.OF.HAPPINESS.
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Post by Steven on Aug 16, 2006 6:30:08 GMT
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am happy.
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Post by Jen on Aug 16, 2006 21:55:52 GMT
Oh, this just gets even better. It turns out, Amber is playing: a freaking vampire! Here's what Ausiello had to say about it: Ausiello: I just found out that Buffy's Amber Benson will guest star in the episode “Bloodlust.” She plays — get this — a vampire(!) who kidnaps Sam, but then delivers some very surprising news that causes the Winchesters to rethink their stand on the supernatural. Bloodlust is the third episode in season 2 after "In my time of dying" and "Everyone loves a clown". Still no news on the casting of the two female hunters, which leads me to believe they are going with unknowns.
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Post by Steven on Aug 16, 2006 22:32:50 GMT
ZOMG BEST EVAR. I have to say, I love fandom knee-jerk reactions. I read this post on an Amber Benson community where as soon as it was mentioned she'd joined the cast, someone immediately assumed she was playing Alex and started spreading that around. Shame, though, because I would totally forget all previous misgivings relating to that character if that were the case.
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Post by Jen on Aug 17, 2006 20:39:51 GMT
From her character description, I assumed that too. The reactions over at Supernatural.tv were hysterical. From total hatred towards the character (of whom we have seen about 3 pages of script of) they then point out, when they heard the "news" that Amber was playing her "oh, I imagined her to be a stunning brunette". Fandoms are all fine and good, but the ones who suggest that Amber isn't stunning? Get out.
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Post by Steven on Aug 17, 2006 21:03:33 GMT
Amber Benson? I would.
'Nuff said.
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Post by Steven on Aug 19, 2006 8:22:05 GMT
Stuart Maconie reviewed the DVDs in Radio Times this week. I assumed he was going to slate it, but it turns out he liked it. Of course, now I find myself in the slightly odd position of wondering whether Stuart Maconie 'ships Wincest.
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Post by Elly on Aug 19, 2006 9:14:01 GMT
Oooh, my Volume 2 DVD arrived this morning. I'm going to beat this hangover with some heavy duty Sam perving.
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