Heading out to case the promise land

Hmm. So, SPN. Seems like I won't be quitting it. Like at all. certainly not for the next 2 days. Because 702 was awesome. Not just the Sam and Dean stuff (though that, I have to tell you, was a lot of wonderful right there on its own), but it was interesting and creepy and well-written.

The awesome stuff first! (To be followed by the stuff so awesome they have not invented the word for it.) Breakfast in bed, the casual demand to see his hand. It was all so sweet and domesticated, and then immediately, in true SPN style, followed by a discussion of just how often Lucifer was in Sam's head. Dean calling to discuss the case, because Sam's psychotic break will not prevent Dean wanting to talk it out with him. And that psychotic break, which is being handled so, so much better than I could've hoped for. I love Lucifer, so snarkily and creepily menacing, and I love that it's still fake Dean who tells Sam all the stuff he's most scared of. I love that this is a recurring thing on the show for Sam, because for Sam, hearing Dean say it makes it true by default, and also because it's yet more confirmation that the scariest thing for Sam is Dean not loving/believing in him.

All of Dean's pre-warehouse concern--not wanting to leave him alone, and all the yelling, which was so much better than last week's yelling, because he's so obviously doing it because he's fucking terrified. And then, to enter that other category of stuff: Dean with hand clutching! So, so desperate for Sam to be okay, and pleading with him to see that Dean was real. And of course, finally telling Sam he'll get through it by believing in him. And Sam actually doing it. I just--it is like all the things I have ever wanted. I love that Dean's presence in 522 let Sam beat Lucifer, and I love that getting to Dean was Sam's only motivation for reliving hell in 622. But I might love this more than any of that, because it's Dean explicitly asking for Sam to make him his foundation, and Sam is doing it, and at least for the moment, it's working. I don't even know what to do with that.

And then he crawled to him, and was all heartbreaking while he was panicking and screaming that Sam had to carry him. mollyamory has been trying very hard to turn me into a rational person lately, and has been pointing out how despite my assertions that Sam is always the one not saving Dean, Dean almost certainly feels that he never gets to save Sam, and on those rare occasions where he does, he can't even trust it, because something always comes along to take him away again. She had all sorts of persuasive arguments about Sam dying and then maybe coming back wrong, and then being wanted by Lucifer, and then going to hell, and then getting out of hell, and then having no soul, and then getting his soul back only to go into a coma--twice!--because of hell trauma. But really, this ep did a pretty good job of making her point for her, what with how he saves Sam from his own head, only to nearly lose him from a whole other thing a few minutes later. If I were Dean, I suppose maybe I'd have a hard time doing anything but yelling and freaking out, too. Possibly, I should stop giving him a hard time for it.

The most terrible thing of all is that I'm sort of starting to hope that they might actually take care of each other, and that they'll both realise that they save the other just by being around. I mean, Sam quite clearly is going to need Dean to be even semi-okay, but I'm loving that Sam is still functional enough to be there for Dean--he's been doing a fabulous job of stepping up since the end of S5, and all through the back half of S6, and staying strong for Dean is pretty much how he held it together in 701/702 for as long as he did. I just. I keep developing the insane hope that this is actually going to be the season where they each learn to let the other carry them again. And the stupid show is apparently insisting on feeding it.

Other things that were awesome include Bobby offering Sam alcohol mid-meltdown, both because it is so obviously a terrible therapy, and also because it's just so in character. And Bobby telling him he beat the devil before. Thank you! I will never be tired of thinking that about Sam, and I am pleased somebody in canon has actually acknowledged it. Also, sheriff Mills, who is made of win. She should totally show up to order Bobby around some more.

Bobby is not dead, obviously. And Dean, equally obviously, was not actually threatening to murder Sam.

***

I have been watching other televisual things too. Merlin, which surpassed all my expectations by actually being really enjoyable. Admittedly, Arthur of course still hasn't learned about Merlin's magic, but I really like that there are other people (yay Lancelot!) on the show who do know and want to protect him.

More than that, I was just really pleased by the Arthur/Merlin relationship. They were actually friends, and, even better, they actually showed us why they are. The idea of Merlin sacrificing himself for Arthur because he thinks it's his destiny isn't nearly as interesting as the idea that he wants to do it because he believes Arthur's someone worth sacrificing himself for, just because he's Arthur. It's been a while since the show made that motivation compelling, but they really did this ep. And, much like SPN, the story and the pacing were surprisingly excellent. It definitely wasn't the plodding, uneventful start I've come to expect from Merlin season openers.

Also, Fringe! I am about halfway through the first season, and so far I find it both ridiculous and charming. Getting someone else's consciousness in her brain! Questioning people after their dead! Inventing a method of time travel and then...not bothering to try it out! Tech-literate teenagers clicking on mysterious message popups of unknown origins!

I am most pleased, to be honest, by Pacey playing the piano. (At some point, I will probably think of him as Peter, but it hasn't happened yet.) I think Olivia is kind of awesome, but as I told musesfool, she is a little bit too earnest for me to love her properly yet. I realise this is possibly a terrible thing to admit, but before anyone judges me too much, let me say that I'm pretty sure I used to make a similar criticism of Sam Winchester (and my other criticisms of him were much, much harsher), and look how that turned out.

***

In conclusion: 64GB iPhone, praise Jesus. On the other hand, no advance on the 16GB Nano. 16GB wouldn't hold my music 2 years ago. wah wah wah, all the violins are playing just for me.