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[retro_eidas]

Buddy TV posted some spoilers (pretty much rehashed from some recent cast interviews), however, since I'm bored as hell and freezing my ass off I thought I'd make a prediction about said spoilers...

"Back to the Future II," the title of the 13th episode of Supernatural's fifth season, marks the first episode of Misha Collins' Castiel when Supernatural returns in January. It also marks the return of Julie McNiven's Anna.

With Supernatural briefly shifting its focus on its heavenly creatures, fans can look forward to a possible showdown between heaven's latest dropout Castiel and rogue angel Anna. Blaming Sam for jump starting the apocalypse, Anna plans an assassination plot and travels back in time to kill the young John and Mary Winchester to prevent baby Sam from being born.

The article does claim at the end Anna likely doesn't die in this episode. Although, if one has any sympathy for her at all, that almost seems worse with regard to Show. After all that? I don't imagine anything pleasant is remotely in store in her future, not after what's happened to pretty much everyone who've threatened, attempted to kill or killed Winchesters. If she doesn't die, she either gets away scot-free... or she suffers. Considering how Show too often treats it's female characters? I sort of know which way I'm leaning.

I also don't think it's Dean, Sam, Mary or Castiel she should really be worried about, but Lucifer. She threatens his vessel and also alters the future in such a way he might have never resurrected from the Pit?

Not to mention the fact she willingly fell to Earth... and Luci doesn't care for the "hairless apes" much.

Lucifer is going to be pissed off if he discovers her shenanigans and this seems almost set-up in such a way he's bound to. Too much of this impacts him directly for him not to.

So yeah, prediction.....


Part of the reason why I think this is going to happen is I could believe too easily Lucifer wouldn't just kill her quickly and painlessly, he'd want her to suffer. For what she tried to do and her strange, grotesque proclivities towards the "hairless apes".

Also - a more out-there reason - I did find it interesting Jo died the same way Dean did in NRFTW, torn up by a hellhound. Though Dean didn't die in "Croatoan", he was willing to die the same way Ellen did, by Sam's (who's practically like his son) side as Ellen died by her daughter's. Could be just crackspec, but this is coming off like a trend. One female character that died like Dean and the other emulating a way Dean was willing to die, perhaps another female character goes to Hell like Dean?

However, even if that did happen, it might not be all bad. Bear with me here, and I can't take the credit for this as it was sparseparsley's spec over on SPNP's post for these spoilers, but let's say Anna does get dragged to Hell. However, down there, she meets up with Meg. Anna convinces Meg that Lucifer isn't remotely working for her best interests and they team-up? Though I was never a big fan of Jo, I always preferred her interactions and dynamic with her mom. Unfortunately, they'd very likely share a mutual hatred of Castiel (Anna probably feeling betrayed by him two-fold post-5.13 and Meg not too happy he used her as meat bridge in 5.10). If this happens, they could be like a female version of GO's Crowley and Aziraphale. Kripke's certainly homaged Good Omens to the point Gaiman and Pratchett should probably sue his ass, wouldn't be shocked he took it a step further.

Comments

[sailorhathor.livejournal.com]

I really like the idea of Anna getting thrown into hell for torture/possible turning. It finally makes her interesting. As an angel, all she does is preach and lecture; it's annoying. Maybe the actress can do evil better. Seeing her turn might be worth her surviving the episode.

Plus, I have a thing for angels of hell. That could be good.

It could actually make me like the idea of Anna femmeslash as well.

[eido.livejournal.com]

What's kind of hurt Anna the most IMO is, now that we've gotten all these fallen angels in the story (and those potential for falling/casting out, *still hopes for Raphael to get more time*), they almost all have these big dramatic, even epic reasons for being in their particular situations and backgrounds. Most of them have also appeared in better episodes. I don't want to fallback on acting potshots either but, let's be honest, most of those other angel characters are also portrayed by higher caliber actors than Julie M. All capable of turning sows ears into silk purses. Julie M is adequate, but she's just no Misha, Robert Wisdom, Richard Speight Jr or Marksha.

Though I understood Anna's reasons for falling as an attempt to extol the virtues of humanity >>> Heaven, but ... the arc just didn't play out as well as it should have done. Especially for a midseason arc. The actors couldn't really salvage it either. Anna has had this arc following her around like a bad penny, despite her saving Castiel and killing Uriel in OTHOAP, people still largely refer to her as the maudlin chocolate cake and sex angel chick who fucked Dean with a "Titanic" shout-out.... while there's Lucifer trying to burn the earth, Gabriel with the whole Trickster arc and Castiel risking his life nearly every appearance for the main characters' sakes. They're absolutely killing it. Anna has a lot of catching up to do.

Anna needs something big to shake-up her story (and shake off 4.09/4.10) AND as a means to put her somewhere in the same dramatic ballpark as these other larger-than-life fallen angels if Kripke intends to keep her around. They could go for the big epic death, but we already lost two female characters this season by that method. They could have some good guy secret agenda arc, but that is often hard to accomplish satisfyingly without stepping into the main cast's turf and screentime. Another popular, easier, method is turning them darkside (or make them darkly ambiguous) which, in all honesty, is my preferred method with Anna. We haven't had many proper female villains (or dubious characters) in Show. With the exception of Meg, Lilith was pretty much relegated to the Creepy Child cliche and perhaps the less said about Ruby's and Bela's arcs the better. Bad guys are also fun to play. Maybe they could actually succeed with Anna where they failed or lacked opportunity with Bela?

Frankly, with the way Anna used to pop in, throw out some advice, but (with the exception of killing Uriel) not really do anything helpful for the most part? Especially in Show where actions tend to speak louder than words? I think her character could fit surprisingly well with the character of dubious allegiances. Better than Bela imo, since Anna also is part of the angel mytharc (and, you know, cosmic superpowers they should really let her use once in awhile. Supposedly she'll get to use them in 5.13, but that remains to be seen).

[love-jackianto.livejournal.com]

'Maybe they could actually succeed with Anna where they failed or lacked opportunity with Bela?
'
This! I always thought Bella would have made a great foil, but the writers never seeded to know what to do with her. Hopefully they'll do better with Anna.

[sailorhathor.livejournal.com]

Julie M. definitely doesn't do Lecture Angel well. It may just not be her thing. I liked her better when she was just a crazy girl who could hear angels. Actually being an angel, well, that didn't work. Another actress may have been able to lecture everyone and I'd like it, but Julie's just irritating at it. The writers definitely need to give her something else to do besides swoop in Mary Sue-style and save Castiel's ass, tell everyone their business, and disappear.

The actors who have done the archangels have all been good. They have the presence needed to play superior, pissed off beings.

The problem with Bela for me was that she got the best of the boys too many times. You'd think they would have learned their lesson quick, but instead, they kept letting her come back and screw them over more. The writers didn't handle her well in that respect. I don't care how pretty she was, it just didn't make sense. It made the whole thing come off like some bad fanfic where the writer was so in love with their own OFC that they threw logic out the window so the boys would keep trusting her and Sam would want to have sex with her even though she shot him.

I hope Anna finds a good place in the show as a villian who thinks they're doing the right thing. If she can do that well, maybe I'll finally be able to watch her appearances on the show without rolling my eyes non-stop.

[eido.livejournal.com]

I liked her better when she was just a crazy girl who could hear angels. Actually being an angel, well, that didn't work.

Ditto. I get the impression we weren't the only ones either, which makes me wonder if they may revisit a little crazy, manic Anna in 5.13. Her plan doesn't really sound like something a totally sane person would come up with, especially knowing, as an angel, the past can't be changed (Castiel's words back in 4.03).

Another actress may have been able to lecture everyone and I'd like it, but Julie's just irritating at it.

I do wonder what Julie Benz (Layla in "Faith") or Lindsey McKeon (Tessa) would have been like as Anna. Their characters were similar to Anna in the whole h/c rel'p they had with Dean, Lindsey especially nails otherworldiness a la Misha's Castiel. However, I thought both Julie B and Lindsey had more chem with Jensen (just talking to each other) than Julie M had with him at any point. Of course, Show being ass-backwards as it sometimes is, Anna is the one Dean had the sex scene with. *rollseyes*

The problem with Bela for me was that she got the best of the boys too many times.

Ugh, yeah, that was... insufferable. A little too much OOC with the boys made to look like perpetual idiots to accomodate her / make her look better. All the writing surrounding Bela was too damn lazy.

I hope Anna finds a good place in the show as a villian who thinks they're doing the right thing.

Which was pretty much Sam's arc last season. Though one lacked empathy, though Sam hadn't agreed at the time, in his actions as a hero, Sam was a sympathetic villain / tragic hero. Maybe we should start calling her Annakin as she sort of sucks/can't act?

[love-jackianto.livejournal.com]

'Ugh, yeah, that was... insufferable. A little too much OOC with the boys made to look like perpetual idiots to accomodate her / make her look better. All the writing surrounding Bela was too damn lazy.'
So much of this! I hated the part where Dean became a blushing virgin when Bella said she wanted to have angry sex with him. Were the writers honestly trying to say that NO women has ever said Dean was good looking?

[sailorhathor.livejournal.com]

>> Her plan doesn't really sound like something a totally sane person would come up with, especially knowing, as an angel, the past can't be changed

When I read the synopsis for this ep, I did think that it didn't sound like the most well thought out plan I'd ever heard. I mean, does Anna think the other angels won't get wind of her plan and just stop her or resurrect anyone? How can she ever hope to succeed? *points at Anna* Cuckoo, cuckoo...

The concept of Bela was good; I refuse to believe that every person who hunts is in it because someone they love was killed by a monster. There have got to be some people in there for money and sport. But the good pretty much stopped there. They went a bit overboard for me when Bela was getting million dollar bids on magickal items. I just... no.

[eido.livejournal.com]

I'm almost wondering if she's, unknowingly, working under some heavenly (Bible boot camp) directive. She only thinks she's working under her own will? Dean the only survivor in the slaughter? That seems awfully convenient. And somewhat scary. Considering humans suffer with the Lucifer or Michael options? I'd be curious if the angels would leave well enough alone even if Lucifer stayed in the Pit/never had his numero uno vessel (is Anna going to kill Nick and his family too btw?) "This isn't the first planetary enema we've delivered." ?

I think there was set-up there for something really intriguing with whoever trained and taught Bela about the supernatural world (likely on her path trying to find a way out of her contract), yet apparently wasn't necessarily on the most altruistic side of the fence (of course, unless that was all Bela branching off on her own greedy path). Could have left open a whole new brand of hunter come into the picture aside from Bela. Eh. Apparently wasn't meant to be.

[sailorhathor.livejournal.com]

Do we know yet how Anna gets away from the angels? Maybe she doesn't. Maybe she's doing this job for a particular angel who doesn't want this epic final battle to happen. Maybe Gabriel decides this is the best way to get it all over with. Or Anna escapes somehow and does it all on her own. So many possibilities.

Bela's pretty much been the only hunter we've seen who did it principally for money. I'd like to see more hunters who do it for that reason, and for sport/thrillseeking. It'd be interesting.