{"id":4313,"date":"2014-12-26T13:00:16","date_gmt":"2014-12-26T21:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/?p=4313"},"modified":"2014-12-15T17:10:44","modified_gmt":"2014-12-16T01:10:44","slug":"mark-watches-supernatural-s07e21-reading-is-fundamental","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/2014\/12\/mark-watches-supernatural-s07e21-reading-is-fundamental\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Watches ‘Supernatural’: S07E21 – Reading is Fundamental"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the twenty-first episode of the seventh season of\u00c2\u00a0Supernatural<\/i>, YES. KEVIN TRAN, YOU ARE MY EVERYTHING. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch\u00c2\u00a0Supernatural<\/i>.<\/p>\n

Well, holy shit, that was so wonderful.<\/p>\n

There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s just SO MUCH going on here, everyone! KEVIN TRAN and MEG BEING AMAZING and CASTIEL and LEVIATHANS and\u00c2\u00a0h e l p<\/i><\/p>\n

Kevin Tran<\/b><\/p>\n

I think Kevin\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s character is rooted in a stereotype (of the overachieving Asian kid with an overbearing mother\/schedule), and I also think there are clear signs that the is\u00c2\u00a0already<\/i> moving away from that idea. One way that the writers do this is by giving Kevin the chance to\u00c2\u00a0constantly<\/i> reflect on how his life has\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 well, I was going to say that it had become chaotic, but it kind of already\u00c2\u00a0was<\/i>, no? And that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s what I found compelling about Kevin. Like him, I was so determined to be\u00c2\u00a0perfect<\/i> in high school, convinced that my entire life hinged on my 4.30+ GPA and my AP classes and my extracurricular activities. While a lot of what I learned\u00c2\u00a0did<\/i> end up being important to me, GUESS WHAT. NEVER FINISHED COLLEGE<\/i>. So I found Kevin\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s storyline so relatable because you know what? I couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t control the events in my life that led me to dropping out of college. But they also helped me learn that\u00c2\u00a0high school wasn<\/i>\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t the end of my life<\/i>. It was important, but not\u00c2\u00a0everything<\/i>.<\/p>\n

What\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s also interesting to me about Kevin is that he is almost a companion to the character of Charlie Bradbury in the last episode. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s taken\u00c2\u00a0Supernatural<\/i> a long time to get to these types of characters: people who do not become superheroes or courageous warriors under pressure. Kevin is, plainly speaking, mortified and stressed out by what he is experiencing. Like\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 we actually see him have an anxiety attack in this episode. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s legitimized, Dean isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t remotely cruel about it, and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not written off as a supernatural side effect. Kevin\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s reaction to what\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s happening to him\u00c2\u00a0is his own<\/i>. And I think it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s important that the writers have given us two characters in a row who have this much emotional depth to them. Kevin is an unwilling prophet who is utterly terrified by the horrors he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s seen, AND THAT\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S PERFECTLY FINE.<\/p>\n

PLEASE LET KEVIN AND HIS MOTHER SURVIVE THE NEXT EPISODE, PLEASE.<\/p>\n

Castiel<\/b><\/p>\n

Castiel\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s characterization within this episode is fascinating to me, and I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m still trying to get a grasp on it. Like Sam and Dean, I went into this initially believing that something was \u00e2\u20ac\u0153wrong\u00e2\u20ac\u009d with him. It had never occurred to me that he was exactly as he wanted to be. After taking Sam\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s burden, he was changed, possibly irrevocably. And all of it was as a\u00c2\u00a0result<\/i> of what he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d done in season six. As infuriating as it was for Dean to experience this version of Castiel, I think that it was clear that Cas was drowning in guilt.\u00c2\u00a0This<\/i> was his way of overcompensating. He talks of the human world with wonder and amazement. Not that this is a display or that he doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t genuinely feel this way about humanity; I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the case.<\/p>\n

But the show is deliberately ambiguous about this, and once the Garrison angels arrive, matters are complicated. Hester and Inias are shocked at the sight of Castiel, and then Hester is enraged by what she perceives as his foolishness. But I noticed that Castiel made no effort to assert authority over these angels whatsoever. No, he doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t seem interested in power at all, even if that power will help Dean and Sam. His disinterest is related to his desire to avoid conflict, so my theory? Cas is going to great lengths to prevent himself from\u00c2\u00a0ever<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0<\/i>grabbing for power again. Though I do wonder how long he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll stay neutral. He still cares about Dean, so what happens if Dean is threatened during his pursuit of the Leviathans? Sure, Castiel offered up his blood so he could help kill Dick Roman, but is that it? Is he unwilling to do anything else?<\/p>\n

I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d also be interested to see the angels make a return to the show\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s mythology because\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 well, what are they doing now that Castiel has killed most of them? Who is running things?\u00c2\u00a0Anyone<\/i>? Who chose Kevin Tran as the prophet? Why involve him in any of this? Would the angels have invoked this tradition if the Winchesters hadn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t intercepted the Word of God from Dick Roman? IMPORTANT QUESTIONS WITH MARK.<\/p>\n

Meg<\/b><\/p>\n

Gods, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all, there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s SO MUCH fantastic character development within this single episode. Meg operates within a unique part of the Winchester\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s life because she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a demon \u00e2\u20ac\u201c a rare sight these days \u00e2\u20ac\u201c who demonstrates\u00c2\u00a0repeatedly<\/i> in \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Reading is Fundamental\u00e2\u20ac\u009d that she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s telling the truth. For the moment, it really is in her best interest to keep the Winchesters alive and Castiel a secret. But by her very nature, we shouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t trust her. At any moment, she could turn against them. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s what demons do.<\/p>\n

Except Meg, historically, has done a lot for these two. I have no problem admitting to her storied past, but even in this season, she hasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t backed out on her deals and she hasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t contradicted any promises she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s made. That puts her in a fairly unique state: a demon that\u00c2\u00a0might<\/i> actually be trustworthy. But for how long? At what point does her self-preservation put her at odds with the Winchesters? I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t see any way that she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d turn against them in the\u00c2\u00a0recent<\/i> future, especially since she wants them to take down Crowley. But let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s say they do; what then? What role does she play relative to the Winchesters? She\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a demon!!!<\/p>\n

At the very least, Sam and Dean are making gestures that show that for the moment, they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re ready to trust her.\u00c2\u00a0Somewhat<\/i>. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a precarious alliance, and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s one that I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t expect will last very long, you know?<\/p>\n

Leviathans<\/b><\/p>\n

So, my guess is that Dick Roman wanted to destroy that specific tablet so that no one would know his weakness, right? Regardless, they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve figured out that Kevin Tran has it. HOW??? How did they figure that out? And what are they other two types of blood that they need? Fallen\u00c2\u00a0what<\/i>? Oh lord, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll be finishing this season soon. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122M SCARED.<\/p>\n

The video for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Reading is Fundamental\u00e2\u20ac\u009d can be downloaded here for $0.99<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Mark Links Stuff<\/b><\/p>\n

– Mark Does Stuff is now on Facebook<\/a>! Feel free to Like the page, which I’m running myself, for updates and SILLINESS.
\n– If you would like to support this website and keep Mark Does Stuff running, I’ve put up a detailed post explaining how you can!<\/a>
\n– Please check out the MarkDoesStuff.com<\/a>. All Mark Watches videos for past shows\/season are now archived there!
\n– My Master Schedule<\/a> is updated for the near and distant future for most projects, so please check it often.\u00c2\u00a0My next two Double Features are now in the schedule! I will be watching <\/b>The Sarah Connor Chronicles<\/i><\/b> and then <\/b>Leverage<\/i><\/b>. <\/b>Commission away!
\n– I will be at quite a few conventions and will be hosting events throughout 2015, so check my Tour Dates \/ Appearances page<\/a> often to see if I’m coming to your city!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"