Do You, or Don't You?

To spoil, or not to spoil? And then there those who have good intentions to remain unspoiled but fall off the wagon and "click here" whenever promised spoilery goodness. There are no actual SPN spoilers here, btw, just my unsolicited opinions *g*

When I got my author copies of Necessary Arrangements (my first full length, single title novel) I gave one to a close friend and fellow writer. When I called her about half an hour later to ask about a trip we were taking she sniffled, "I just read the ending! It was beautiful." At first, I was confused--no one could possibly have read 300+ pages that fast. Then I discovered that she had (gasp) read the last page first. Now, she is not alone. My sister and favorite aunt do this, too. I remain--respectfully--appalled. It's my contention that, wherever an author or, more importantly, character arrives by page 400, she worked darn hard to get there. She changed as a person, she overcame obstacles, she weathered plot twists! Don't we read for that exact journey, for the emotional impact of overcoming and weathering with her?

I take a similar view toward television, although I feel that increasingly I am in the minority.

Now, I don't mind fan speculation--intend to indulge in it myself--but I prefer uninformed speculation. For example, I didn't mind chatting up a storm with fellow fans about whether we thought Dean could get out of his demon's bargain or whether he was actually going to hell! I listened to other Rowling readers debate who they thought the half-blood prince was, but I wouldn't actually want to read leaked manuscript pages on the internet. Just as I didn't want to know ahead of time who killed Laura Palmer (or to use an example from this century, Lily Kane)--not unless I figured it out for myself. Otherwise, I'm along for the ride in all its exhilirating glory.

The journey aside, there are two main reasons that I am anti-spoiler.

1. I want the shocking OMG moments! Aren't they part of the excitement? TV commcercials with their annoying "DON'T MISS THE LAST 3 MINUTES! SOMEONE DIES!" drive me freaking crazy. Instead of enjoying the episode for what it is, I spend 45 minutes trying to figure out who's going to kick the bucket. MILD SPOILER FOR OLDER MOVIES: If you've ever seen the movie Serenity (and weren't spoiled) you know that some deaths can be effectively shocking, really knocking the viewers off balance. (Did I enjoy it? Hell, no. But it was powerful. Besides, if someone had told me ahead of time, I might have been upset enough that I decided not to go, and that would have been a shame.) Wasn't half the point of the Sixth Sense having the revelation with (or, in my case, ahead of) the character? (When I pieced it together midway, I had an audible OMG moment.) You know writers worked hard to craft that moment of shock, and we constantly rob ourselves of it. Of course, the other problem I have with those incessant promos, is that half the time they're hyping the death of some Red-Shirt (ie background character we barely know the name of, much less care about.)


2. Here's the other problem I have with spoilers--we fans are darned opinionated. (Yeah, there's a newsflash, Tanya.) Every time a rumor circulates, people react with vehement opinions, often negative. Which means that by the time a certain episode occurs, we can't just judge it on its merits and decide in 50-minute real-time if we like it. Half of us decided two months prior that we hated a twist/scene/secondary character and the writer will have to actively convince us otherwise. (Luckily, most of my favorite writers are skilled enough to do just that, but still, hardly seems fair.) And I often sense that the writers themselves are frustrated by spoilers, some of them going so far as to leak decoy information to preserve the surprise.

I do like to gossip about which guest stars I love who might be appearing on shows I love (although I don't need to know all the details about who they'll be playing) and I looooooove to discuss and dissect an episode as soon as I've seen it. (My mom also likes to discuss post-episode, and she's a big BSG fan. I've been on deadline and have DVRed the last 3 eps. She keeps calling to ask, "Did you just see that? What the frak?" and I keep telling her, "Not yet! Say NOTHING!" and slamming down the phone. Well, not slamming exactly, she is my mom. And it's a cordless.)

IMO, spoilers do exactly that--they SPOIL part of my viewing experience. But clearly most people don't feel that way, judging by the number of spoilers that are posted and/or confirmed on the internet on a near hourly basis. So, those of you like my friend (who calls herself a spoiler-whore), why do you like knowing ahead of time? Is it just the value of having knowledge beforehand? Does it actually enhance your viewing, or is it more like a fix to keep you plugged into the show between eps? Have you ever stumbled across a surprise you wish you hadn't? (I've done this. I DVRed a previous season finale of Lost, wouldn't let anyone talk to me about it, then accidentally stumbled across a spoiler headline when I was on a TV site trying to find what channel some other show came on.)

Are you a spoiler purist, or semi spoiler purist? (Tell me I'm not alone!) I will admit that because of my strong reactions, my family will generally warn me before I go see a movie if a child is harmed in a particularly graphic way or the dog dies (Show!). Also, I don't have a problem with trailers. I did watch the first few minutes of this season of SPN, which was tantalizing and answered one main question, but here's the thing with a good trailer, I feel it should raise more questions than it answers. I guess that's what it boils down to, I like having stuff to try to figure out! Can Dean break the bargain? How will he get out? What happened while he was there? Will we see the Trickster again? Will we ever see John again? How far will this rift between the brothers go? How will they mend it? Where will we be by the end of the Season?

These are the questions that haunt me.

Please do not email me if you have all the answers.

Supernatural March Madness!

It's still my blog day, so I'm going to slip in a plug here for the second annual Supernatural March Madness. It's like basketball March Madness, only with voting for Supernatural episodes, instead.

Head over and vote for your favorites, and make sure to keep going back for upcoming brackets. If you scroll down a little, you'll see the explanation for how it works.

Be warned. Not all of the matchups are difficult, but some are very much so. Choosing between "Lazarus Rising" and "Ghostfacers"? Not fair, man, not fair. Well, for me, anyway.

So join in the fun! Right now! :)

Jump the Shark

Remember before season 3, when it Bela and Ruby were announced? If you're at all tapped into "the fandom," you saw the uproar it caused. People were afraid they'd be love interests, or riding around in the back of the Impala, or something.

Then there was the synopsis of "The Kids Are Alright," the episode where Dean wondered briefly if he had a son. Same uproar. People were afraid a kid would interfere with the hunting, or he'd be riding around in the back of the Impala, or something.

In the case of the son, the episode was excellent--the way it was handled fit perfectly into the structure of the show. Since Ruby and Bela were recurring characters, that was a little tougher. Many people hated them--the acting, the characterization, the way they...

...messed with the brothers.



I think that's the element that drives this outcry every single time. The fans fear any development that would interfere with the brotherly dynamic, and the central conceit of the show--two guys on a road trip to fight evil.

Which brings us to this season's uproar.

STOP READING HERE IF YOU DON'T WANT SPOILERS. I MEAN IT. YOU'VE BEEN WARNED. (ALSO, AVOID THE COMMENTS.)

It all started back on January 5, when Kristin of E! Online posted this teaser about Jeffrey Dean Morgan's character, John Winchester:

"Turns out, Jeffrey may be a daddy to a secret son on a certain show, and this certain show will be changed forever because of this upcoming plot twist."

In the comments trail of that post, once someone said flat out that it could mean a third Winchester brother, all hell broke loose. Furor may have continued in certain forums, but for the most part, people blew it off as "TV-reporter hype" where she planted seeds that don't connect to reality.

On January 14, in Mega Buzz by Matt Mitovich et al (of TV Guide.com), we got the following bit:

I heard a rumor that Supernatural is adding a new lead — and it's a long-lost Winchester brother?! Please say this is just a rumor! — Jessica M.

MATT: Consider the CW forewarned (literally, by yours truly) that Supernatural would be playing with hellfire if they went this route. Asked to address this near-sacrilegious buzz, series creator Eric Kripke will only say, "Stay tuned." Sources, meanwhile, tell me that whatever the truth is here, it's going to make for a very interesting story arc.

On February 9, Kristin confirmed the casting of Jake Abel as an 18-year-old, third Winchester brother for the episode airing on April 23. This was also reported on many other TV sites, apparently first by TV Guide, but this was the one I saw. There were details that made it harder to blow off, and also turned up the lamenting. It's a one-time casting, the brother won't be seen again. It's the result of an affair, and John knew about him.

I personally have never thought about, worried over, and feared a spoiler as much as I have this one.

If this is exactly as described, I think it will take a lot to make the fandom accept it. Some will probably not buy that John would have been unfaithful to Mary's memory a mere 7 years after her death, not when he was still totally obsessed 22 years later. Others, who are more pragmatic, will admit it's unrealistic that he didn't sleep with other women during those years.

Personally, I think I could handle the boys finding out they had a brother in a focused sense, but not a global one. The emotions of them meeting, etc., would be well done, I have no doubt, especially because it seems likely Adam would be in danger and Sam and Dean have to save him. But after that, what? If the stories are right, we don't have to worry about the whole "back seat of the Impala" thing. But Sam and Dean wouldn't leave him behind, unprotected and alone. Of course, he could have a good family situation, but still. I'm sure Lilith and Alistair would love to have something to use against the boys, and do they really need more conflict? The show is loaded already, and the specter of brother versus brother is more than enough, in my opinion, without making it a triangle.

This could be a "trick," like The Trickster or the djinn, with an alternate reality or something like that. When the first rumors surfaced, this was what most of us figured. We trust Kripke and Co., especially this season, because even though there have been a few standalone episodes we didn't care for, and some chemistry and acting issues in some we loved, the road they've been taking us down has been marvelous, even if we hate every step of the way.

But even the most beloved showrunners/creators can misstep. Is this one going to be Kripke's? All we can do is wait until April 23 and judge for ourselves. In the meantime, Kripke did do an interview here that doesn't really tell us anything but is pretty funny.

So what do you think is going to happen? What does this mean for the brothers and for the show going into season 5? Weigh in in the comments!

Favorite Supernatural Writers

I never knew writers of shows before Supernatural. But as I watched, I knew I loved some shows more than others. As I watched, I realized I enjoyed some episodes more than others. Some were funnier, some were more heart-felt.

John Shiban was my favorite writer early on. I LOVE “Scarecrow” and “The Benders.” He let me down a bit with “Everybody Loves a Clown,” but redeemed himself big time with “Croatoan,” one of my all-time favorite episodes.

Kripke writes the season premieres and finales, and has a hand in the ones that are heavier on the store myth. He’s writing more episodes this season than he has since the first, and I love how he portrays the boys’ relationship.

I’ve heard fans accuse Sera Gamble of trying to make Supernatural into a romance. She does have more episodes that have the boys entangled-“Faith,” “Heart,” “The Kids Are All Right,” and “I Know What You Did Last Summer.” She explores more of the consequences of what this life costs our boys.

Ben Edlund tends to write the funny ones: “Monster Movie,” “Bad Day at Black Rock,” “Ghostfacers!”, but he also wrote “Night Shifter,” which was one of the darkest episodes. Still, he lightened it with humor.

Some of my favorite episodes were written by one-time writers: Trey Calloway wrote
“Hell House” and David Ehrman wrote “Provenance.” Trey is working on CSI:NY and David worked on “Lincoln Heights” after Supernatural.

I’m impressed with two new writers this season, Julie Siege, who wrote “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester” and “Criss Angel is a Douchebag,” and especially Andrew Dabb, who wrote “Yellow Fever” and “After School Special, ”two of my favorite episodes this season. I look forward to see what else they have in store.

Here’s a list of the writers and their episodes. Who are your favorites?

Eric Kripke
“Pilot”
“Wendigo”
“Home”
“Shadow”
“Devil’s Trap”
“In My Time of Dying”
“All Hell Breaks Loose Part 2”
“The Magnificent Seven”
“No Rest for the Wicked”
“Lazarus Rising”
“Heaven and Hell”
“Death Takes a Holiday”

John Shiban
“Scarecrow”
“The Benders”
“Dead Man’s Blood”
“Everybody Loves a Clown”
“Croatoan”
“Tall Tales”
“Folsom Prison Blues”

Sera Gamble
“Dead in the Water”
“Faith”
“Nightmare”
“Salvation”
“Blood Lust”
“Houses of the Holy”
“Heart”
“All Hell Breaks Loose Part 1”
“The Kids Are All Right”
“Fresh Blood”
“Jus in Bello”
“Time is on my Side”
“Are You There, God? It’s Me, Dean Winchester”
“I Know What You Did Last Summer”

Raelle Tucker
“Dead in the Water”
“Faith”
“Nightmare”
“Salvation”
“Children Shouldn’t Play with Dead Things”
“Hunted”
“Roadkill”
“What Is and What Should Never Be”

Richard Hatem
“Phantom Traveler”
“Asylum”

Eugene Ross-Leming
“Route 666”

Brad Buckner
“Route 666”

Trey Calloway
“Hell House”

Daniel Knauf
“Something Wicked”

David Ehrman
“Provenance”

Cathryn Humphris
“Dead Man’s Blood”
“Born Under a Bad Sign”
“Bedtime Stories”
“Dream a Little Dream of Me”
“Metamorphosis”
“Sex and Violence”

Matt Witten
“Playthings”

Ben Edlund
“Nightshifter”
“Hollywood Babylon”
“Bad Day at Black Rock”
“Malleus Malificarum”
“Ghostfacers!”
“Monster Movie”
“Wishful Thinking”

Jeremy Carver
“Sin City”
“A Very Supernatural Christmas”
“Mystery Spot”
“Long Distance Call”
“In the Beginning”
“Family Remains”

Robert Singer
“Sin City”

Laurence Andries
“Red Sky at Morning”

Andrew Dabb
“Yellow Fever”
“After School Special”

Julie Siege
“It’s the Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester”
“Criss Angel is a Douchebag”

Ten Inch Hero

As provocative as the title is—and they do make fun of it in the special features—Ten Inch Hero actually refers to a sub shop in Santa Cruz, California. The story revolves around the staff of Beach City Grill. Tucker (John Doe), the owner, is a peace-loving hippie father figure with a thing for Zo (Alice Krige), the Wiccan who works at the crystal shop across the street. Jen (Clea DuVall) is a sensitive, but insecure young woman who’s had a year-long, online relationship with the mysterious Fuzzzy_22 and is considering a face-to-face meeting. Gorgeous Tish (Danneel Harris, rumored true-life love of Jensen) knows how to work her looks and manipulate men by saying she’s never had the big O, but her relationships are as shallow as the way most men view her. Priestly (Jensen Ackles) is the wisecrack cook with some serious bod mod and slogan t-shirts who just wants someone to look beyond his edgy exterior. And Piper (Elisabeth Harnois) is the newbie, an artist who arrived in town looking for the daughter she gave up for adoption when she was fifteen. Together they’re a loyal, dysfunctional and loving family, despite the fact that all of them are something other than what they seem.

I admit the only reason I wanted to see this indie was because of Jensen. I’d heard reviews were positive, but I never expected to fall in love with the film the way I did. Funny and heart-warming, without being overly cheesy, the simplistic story is one of not judging a book by its cover and finding courage to bust the shackles we bind our own selves in.

Betsy Morris’ script is sharp, snappy, sentimental and sexy. The interchanges between the cast are not only believable, but memorable. You’ll laugh, cry, scream, and sigh. If I were to change anything it would be this: Tish’s character, despite a very likeable performance by Danneel, isn’t developed well enough to explain why a guy would want her beyond her stunning physicality. Also, her sex scenes could’ve been a little more suggestive instead of blatantly gratuitous, which depletes the audience who might otherwise see the film (a bummer as far as getting Jensen more exposure). Also, Priestly gets brave but changes his “wrapping paper” when I wish he wouldn’t have and Jen never does get her cowardly lion to woman up. Nitpicks aside, this little romcom is going in my keeper cabinet and I think you’ll find it charms your heart too.


This movie is available to rent at your local Blockbuster, and for sale here.

Also, for your enjoyment, Priestly’s collection of shirt slogans:

Tip Me or Die

Cat. The Other White Meat.

It’s Tourist Season, Shoot Them At Will

You Know Your Problem? You’re Stupid.

Surf Naked

Orgasm Donor. Ask For Your Free Sample.

Save a Tree. Eat a Beaver.

I Sell Crack for the CIA.

No One Knows I’m A Lesbian

You Can Read

TRAILER:




The HYSTERICAL Tampon Scene w/ Jensen:

Coming This Week!

March is here, which brings us mentally, if not physically, closer to spring. (We had snow this morning, but it's melted already!) We have less than two weeks, now, before our show returns. In the meantime, here's what we've got for you this week:

Monday: Terri reviews Ten Inch Hero, the independent romantic comedy co-starring Jensen Ackles. This little movie is available to rent at your local blockbuster, and for sale here.

Tuesday: MJ talks about her favorite writers on the show. Be sure to stop by to see if yours match!

Wednesday: Natalie addresses the SPOILER ALERT controversy over an upcoming episode. (Seriously, you'll want to skip Wednesday if you don't want spoilers and speculation.)

Thursday: Tanya presents "Do You or Don't You?" and talks about her mixed feelings about spoilers.

Friday: Trish provides this week's episode review!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Happy Birthday, Jensen!

Now that he's 31, I don't feel quite so dirty....