InsaneJournal

Thinking about Supernatural
I've been doing a lot of thinking about S3 of Supernatural. I'm unspoiled. Okay, I know one casting thing, but it's the same thing everyone else knows and now I don't even have that comm on my reading list anymore because they allowed non-cutaway spoilage to happen to me. :)

Supernatural started with American Urban Folklore, and I still think that's the foundation of the show; however, starting way back in S1, they started skirting around some Christian type "lore," including holy water and blessings and angels and demons and exorcisms, etc.

This is what I see in Supernatural over the course of the two years it's been on. I've been watching the first 44 episodes over and over all summer, and it's kind of obvious. The examples that caught my eye, that seemed most pertinent to my argument are John blessing the water in Salvation; the Latin exorcisms; demon names--names that have power. Also, there's the Crossroads Demon--I think that Dean deals with the same one who wears different forms (possessions). I don't especially think that Dean believes that these streams of Latin that he learned, or the "spells" that he knows are in any way godly or ungodly. I think that he views them the same way he views math or chemistry or voice-recognition hardware/software. Add this to this, stand here, say this and the door opens.

I believe that Dean has been readjusting his spiritual beliefs ever since Faith, though, and even though we see little supernatural *good*, it's there because much of Supernatural seems to operate in dualism. Or, as Jules's vid so aptly pointed out a few months ago, God sends Sam and Dean when the priests pray for help.

So this is what I think about next season. I think they'll dance around the Existence of God but not Lucifer, and the writers will hold on to Christian "legends" with hands and teeth. In America, it's what they know best. I think the boys will battle "Sin" because they're always dealing with it. Maybe they'll have to face certain kinds of "Sin" and defeat it. Like Pilgrim's Progress. I don't think they'll have much trouble beating Sloth or Greed, but Pride and Lust could be anybody's call. And I like Lust.:)

The big deal in S3 so far is Dean's soul. They have to deal with that first. Because both S1 and S2 had definite breaks and story "ramp-ups," I think that they'll deal with the Crossroads Demon for good or ill by the middle of the season. Demons are a big part of foundation of this show, so my theory is that they may not work it completely out for Dean by the middle of the season. They'll learn something new (a la Sam learning what Dad told Dean) around episode 10 or 11, and it will change their focus. My working theory is that when the YED and Jake bought the farm, Sammy got it all, and maybe that will come into play. I want Sammy to have gotten all the power, stand up to the XX-demon and take ownership of Dean's soul, but that's just me. *g*

The second big deal in S3 is that Sam's been "baptized" in demon blood and/or he swallowed it. Whatever, he believes he has demon blood in him, and he didn't tell Dean. Which could totally back up my aforementioned theory AND could make for big problems with Sam feeling/being EVIL and he would have to fight that. Maybe he'll have to give in to it or embrace his evil nature in order to save Dean. I really like this idea.

The third big deal in S3 is that there are hundreds of demons out there now, and the war is ON. I think this will be the backdrop to all of S3--that there is a spiritual war going on, and it's happening NOW, and, to quote Ellen, "they hold all the cards."

The fourth big deal in S3 is that they're wanted by the FBI. I figure that Hendrickson will be back. I hope that he gains knowledge that Dean's not the psycho killer he thinks Dean is. I hope Dean doesn't become the psycho killer Hendrickson thinks he is, but that's possible too. The ordinary story would be that Hendrickson will learn that he was wrong either just before he dies or just after Sam and Dean save his life.

Also, I think that with a show like Supernatural, and the way that it has been spreading its fantastical-storytelling wings, Sam and Dean will deal with demons, fairy tale monsters, vampires, undead, etc. This is sort of a spreading out, an over-enveloping of tropes, of how I thought it would go at the beginning of the show. But they have already faced off with demons, more demons, reapers, ghosts, ghosts that didn't know they were dead, zombies, vampires, werewolves, tricksters, hell-gates or hellmouths... I figure that they're going to battle evil stepmothers, dragons sleeping over piles of gold, and the seven dwarves before it's all over. I hope there's an episode with a magic apple. The best part of it is how they win.

ETA: This didn't post with the rest of my entry. Also, maybe they'll touch onto mythology--like they did with the Trickster in Tall Tales. Bobby never really identifies who/what he is, only gives examples of "Loki," etc. What if the boys have to deal with Norse gods or Greek gods and goddesses. What if they learn that there are real "muses" out there, or that Elysian Fields is a real place, just one afterlife among many? There were parts of Tall Tales that I didn't care for (what they were I just can't recall LOL), but I never had a problem with the Trickster. He proved that all he had over the boys was his supernatural power; the boys were just as smart and just as cunning. Ultimately.

And on that note, I'm going back to work.