SPN & Equilibrium

[retro_eidas]

I'm sure there's similarities to other dystopian stories like Fahrenheit 451 or 1984, but I'd just been watching "Equilibrium" and the whole emotionless dystopian world there seems similar to what Kripke was going for with some of the descriptions of angels and angel society. Though funny, Castiel was the only really emotionally-challenged one of all the angels. Maybe Anna somewhat after her Heel Face Turn. Otherwise the angels are hardly emotionless "marble statues". Heh. I don't know if that's supposed to say what a good little soldier Castiel was before Dean came along or Kripke just felt like fanboying "Equilibrium" one or two eps and promptly forgot about it in favor of angels as emo, smug bastards or dicks?

DUPONT: The Grammaton Cleric, whose sole task it is to seek out and eradicate the true source of man's inhumanity to man - his ability to feel.

PRESTON: There's no war. No murder.
PARTRIDGE: What is it you think we do?
PRESTON: No. You've been with me, you've seen how it can be - the jealousy, rage.
PARTRIDGE: A heavy cost. I pay it gladly.
Equilibrium

ANNA: I mean it. Every emotion, Dean, even the bad ones... It's why I fell. It's why... Why I'd give anything not to have to go back. Anything.

ANNA: Perfect... Like a marble statue. Cold... No choice... Only obedience.
Heaven & Hell

****

PRESTON: I'll do what I can to see they go easy on you.
PARTRIDGE: We both know they never "go easy".
PRESTON: Then, I'm sorry.
PARTRIDGE: No, you're not. You don't even know the meaning. Its just a vestigial word for a feeling you've never felt.
Equilibrium

CASTIEL: I'm sorry.
ANNA: No. you're not. Not really. You don't know the feeling.
Heaven & Hell

****

MARY: Let me ask you something.
[Grabs his hand]
MARY: Why are you alive?
PRESTON: [Breaks free] I'm alive... I live... to safeguard the continuity of this great society. To serve Libria.
MARY: It's circular. You exist to continue your existence. What's the point?
PRESTON: What's the point of your existence?
MARY: To feel. 'Cause you've never done it, you can never know it. But it's as vital as breath. And without it, without love, without anger, without sorrow, breath is just a clock... ticking.
Equilibrium

CASTIEL: You try to understand - this is long foretold. This is your...
DEAN: Destiny? Don't give me that "holy" crap. Destiny, God's plan... It's all a bunch of lies, you poor, stupid son of a bitch! It's just a way for your bosses to keep me and keep you in line! You know what's real? People, families - that's real. And you're gonna watch them all burn?
CASTIEL: What is worth saving?! I see nothing but pain here. I see inside you. I see your guilt, your anger, confusion... In Paradise all is forgiven. You'll be at peace. Even with Sam.
DEAN: You can take your peace... and shove it up your lily-white ass. 'Cause I'll take the pain and the guilt. I'll even take Sam as is. It's a lot better than being some Stepford bitch in Paradise. This is simple, Cas! No more crap about being a good soldier. There's a right and there's a wrong here and you know it. [Forces Cas around to face him] Look at me! You know it.
Lucifer Rising



****

DUPONT: No? Don't look so surprised, Preston. Why should Father be more real than any other political puppet? The real Father died years ago. The Council simply elected me to pursue his paternal tradition.
Equilibrium

ZACHARIAH: Grunts on the ground, we couldn't just tell 'em the whole truth. We'd have a full-scale rebellion on our hands. I mean, think about it, would we really let sixty-five seals get broken, unless Senior Management wanted it that way?

DEAN: Tell me something. Where's God in all this?
ZACHARIAH: God? God has left the building.
Lucifer Rising

****

DUPONT: It is not the will of the Council, it is the will of Father -- and he is law.

DUPONT: You must understand, Preston, that while you -- and even I -- may not always agree with it, it is not the message that is important, it is our obedience to it. Father's will. Call it faith.
Equilibrium

MICHAEL: From the beginning, he knew this was how it was going to end.
DEAN: And you're just going to do whatever God says?
MICHAEL: Yes. Because I am a good son.
DEAN: Huh. Yeah well, trust me, take it from someone who knows, that is a dead end street.
MICHAEL: And you think you know better, than my father? One, unimportant little man? What makes you think you get to choose?
The Song Remains The Same

Comments

[love-jackianto.livejournal.com]

'However, I have been pretty disappointed with this season in general, Cas' development/how they're using him is only part of it. I've mentioned in other posts, but as an SPN season it's been ok (season 4 was better), but judging it from a strictly apocalyptic fic standpoint? It's been poor.'
Hear! Hear! To say I've been disappointed with the non-Apocalypse would be an understatement. They could have at least tried harder to tie it into their standalone episodes. I'm hoping season six will be better but I'm a little worried because Kripke stepped down as show runner.

'it sounds like they're going to pull some sort of reset. That's not lazy writing 101 or anything. Eh.'
I've heard that too. I heard that season six is going to have even more standalone MOTW episodes than this season. What exactly was the point of the Apocalypse again?

[eido.livejournal.com]

Hear! Hear! To say I've been disappointed with the non-Apocalypse would be an understatement.

And no one on the writing staff (well, Edlund maybe) are a Neil Gaiman or Terry Pratchett, they can't get away with the anti-climactic apocalypse a la Good Omens. Even that would have to take a very talented and careful hand if it ever were adapted. This creative team just doesn't have it in them. They haven't forgotten how to make SPN, but I wouldn't trust a single one of them within 10 ft of a decent apocalyptic adaptation.

They could have at least tried harder to tie it into their standalone episodes.

I was whining about it for awhile and to thandie above, but I think they really did make a mistake in not opening the season much bigger. We wouldn't have had to see any of it, but something that jarred the world to the point it could be felt by everyday citizens. You know, the people Dean and Sam and Cas would be meeting all the time and those they're trying to save (one of the cornerstones of that humanistic story that Kripke says he prefers and loves so much). These people wouldn't have had to know the truth about why whatever devastation happened, but it still would have been keenly emotionally effecting. Whatever incident and the reverberations of it obviously impacting the lead characters the most and mounting from the reactions of the world around them. What did Lucifer do? Harass some guy we just met. Terrible, yes, and Mark Pelligrino is a fine actor, but that just wasn't apocalyptic at all.

I've heard that too. I heard that season six is going to have even more standalone MOTW episodes than this season. What exactly was the point of the Apocalypse again?

I'm telling you, if they pull some big reset, I'm really not sure how motivated I'll be to tune into next season.

[22by7.livejournal.com]

You know, the people Dean and Sam and Cas would be meeting all the time

CASTIEL MEETS PEOPLE OTHER THAN WINCHESTERS? LOL U CRAY CRAY

[eido.livejournal.com]

He has had scenes with Ellen, Jo, Chastity (off screen mostly) and Anna. That's something mebbe?

[love-jackianto.livejournal.com]

'What did Lucifer do? Harass some guy we just met. Terrible, yes, and Mark Pelligrino is a fine actor, but that just wasn't apocalyptic at all.'
That is what gets me, the times when they do deal with the apocalypse it seems like it takes place in a vaccume.

'They haven't forgotten how to make SPN, but I wouldn't trust a single one of them within 10 ft of a decent apocalyptic adaptation.'
So true. I had such high hope for the apocalypse but it's not a bang but a whimper.

'I'm telling you, if they pull some big reset, I'm really not sure how motivated I'll be to tune into next season.'
I feel the same way, to go back like the apocalypse never even happened after all that build up would be more lazy writing than I could probably stomach, but than I'm having trouble getting motivated to watch this season. It's not just the anti-climactic apocalypse but also the writing has been so inconsistent this season that the characters sometimes feel like the bad-fanfic versions of themselves (Dean in particular) and a lot of time the writers just skim the surface and don't tell us anything we didn't already know about the characters (we've known Dean was dead inside since season two). Or in Castiel's case they don't tell us much of anything about him at all.