Wherein I Upset Fans of Supernatural
May. 2nd, 2009 12:07 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jadedmusingsAllow me to preface this by saying that I am a fan of Supernatural. I have seen the first three seasons and I will purchase season four when it is available on DVD (believe me, I'd be watching the new episdoes as they aired if I could pick up the CW where I live). The writing isn't great, but some of the story elements plus good acting manage to make it look pretty (pun intended) and make it compelling. However, being a fan doesn't mean I can't find faults with it, nor does it mean I should turn a blind eye to the misogyny prevalent in the show.
I should probably do a whole series of posts on this, and I really wouldn't mind watching the episodes over again. I'm not sure I have the time for that at the moment, but I guess if I took it slow and life doesn't jump up and dump more "wonderful" surprises in my lap, I could do it. It'll depend on a lot, but I have been re-watching the first two seasons and I've noticed a few things I wanted to mention.
If there is a female character that appears, rest assured she will either wind up dead, turn out to be a demon or otherwise evil, need rescuing, will be hit on by Dean, or will serve no other purpose than to stand around and scream. Oh, and apart from the Very Special Episode in season one wherein we learn Racism Is Bad, Mmmkay, they are all thin and blond (ok, there are a few brunettes, but they're all thin and the majority are blond). You could say that Jo is an exception to this, and while Jo is something of a hunter, she always winds up needing to be saved by one of the Winchesters (Dean even saves her from Sam when Sam is possessed). Ellen I guess is the exception, but she's rarely seen outside of the bar even if she can handle a gun. Plus she's Jo's over protective mother, tough, and is meant to come across as scary to Dean and Sam. Oh, and she's the only mother in the show that doesn't wind up dead or nearly loses a child.
If there is a character of color he/she will either wind up dead or turn out to be evil and/or crazy. A prime example of this is Gordon. He starts out as an ambitious hunter, much like Dean, but quickly turns out to be too overzealous and downright psycopathic once he becomes a recurring antagonist. In the season two episode "Croatoan," the loan black man in town survives the demonic virus only to have his throat slit by a demon at the end. There is the psychic in season one (whose name escapes me) who is both good and she manages to live, but she's a plus-sized black woman and she's so sassy because all plus-sized WoC are sassy, didn't you know?
...yes, I think doing a review of seasons one through three would better serve my point.
Anyway, I bring this up because a show like Supernatural likely got sold and became popular because of another show in the same genre: Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It is rather ironic that a show lauded by many as the first one to get a great deal right when it comes to portraying strong female characters (though NOT perfect, especially in the later seasons) allowed a show like Supernatural to enjoy its success. There is a decided lack of estrogen in Supernatural, and what estrogen is there plays on the age-old stereotypes of evil, manipulative women. (Good gods, do not get me started on Bella and how shittily her character was handled...hell, I could do an entire entry on her and probably should. Oh, and the Nice Guy episode with the zombie.)
Really, when I sit down to watch Supernatural, I am entertained, but I do so because I can shut down the feminist part of my brain. Yet, I think it's unfair for me not to admit that I do see what's there and call it out for what it is. I suppose in some ways this does make me a bad feminist, and I'll admit that because I do support the show by purchasing the DVDs and by saying I'm a fan. I think maybe if I had more options for shows with a paranormal/horror theme that didn't portray women so poorly, I wouldn't like Supernatural as much.
And this is just me musing on all of this. I think I will sit down at some point, put on my Humorless Feminist Hat(TM), and do a couple of entries on Supernatural.
I should probably do a whole series of posts on this, and I really wouldn't mind watching the episodes over again. I'm not sure I have the time for that at the moment, but I guess if I took it slow and life doesn't jump up and dump more "wonderful" surprises in my lap, I could do it. It'll depend on a lot, but I have been re-watching the first two seasons and I've noticed a few things I wanted to mention.
If there is a female character that appears, rest assured she will either wind up dead, turn out to be a demon or otherwise evil, need rescuing, will be hit on by Dean, or will serve no other purpose than to stand around and scream. Oh, and apart from the Very Special Episode in season one wherein we learn Racism Is Bad, Mmmkay, they are all thin and blond (ok, there are a few brunettes, but they're all thin and the majority are blond). You could say that Jo is an exception to this, and while Jo is something of a hunter, she always winds up needing to be saved by one of the Winchesters (Dean even saves her from Sam when Sam is possessed). Ellen I guess is the exception, but she's rarely seen outside of the bar even if she can handle a gun. Plus she's Jo's over protective mother, tough, and is meant to come across as scary to Dean and Sam. Oh, and she's the only mother in the show that doesn't wind up dead or nearly loses a child.
If there is a character of color he/she will either wind up dead or turn out to be evil and/or crazy. A prime example of this is Gordon. He starts out as an ambitious hunter, much like Dean, but quickly turns out to be too overzealous and downright psycopathic once he becomes a recurring antagonist. In the season two episode "Croatoan," the loan black man in town survives the demonic virus only to have his throat slit by a demon at the end. There is the psychic in season one (whose name escapes me) who is both good and she manages to live, but she's a plus-sized black woman and she's so sassy because all plus-sized WoC are sassy, didn't you know?
...yes, I think doing a review of seasons one through three would better serve my point.
Anyway, I bring this up because a show like Supernatural likely got sold and became popular because of another show in the same genre: Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It is rather ironic that a show lauded by many as the first one to get a great deal right when it comes to portraying strong female characters (though NOT perfect, especially in the later seasons) allowed a show like Supernatural to enjoy its success. There is a decided lack of estrogen in Supernatural, and what estrogen is there plays on the age-old stereotypes of evil, manipulative women. (Good gods, do not get me started on Bella and how shittily her character was handled...hell, I could do an entire entry on her and probably should. Oh, and the Nice Guy episode with the zombie.)
Really, when I sit down to watch Supernatural, I am entertained, but I do so because I can shut down the feminist part of my brain. Yet, I think it's unfair for me not to admit that I do see what's there and call it out for what it is. I suppose in some ways this does make me a bad feminist, and I'll admit that because I do support the show by purchasing the DVDs and by saying I'm a fan. I think maybe if I had more options for shows with a paranormal/horror theme that didn't portray women so poorly, I wouldn't like Supernatural as much.
And this is just me musing on all of this. I think I will sit down at some point, put on my Humorless Feminist Hat(TM), and do a couple of entries on Supernatural.
