Hibbing 911, a cop show title, in which the ball is passed to Sheriff Jody Mills in the long line of characters exhibiting their own stories in the anthology style tenth season of Supernatural.
Welcome to another gripe review, in which I had to look up character names on the show's IMDB page to know who I was supposed to write about. I wished I could write about Sam, Dean, Castiel, or even Crowley. Maybe Supernatural got cancelled when I wasn’t looking and Jensen and Jared got guest roles on a different show.
The blessing this week was that the spotlight was on Sheriff Mills, a character I've liked since she came on the show. At times I wished she had more of a presence in the series as opposed to characters like Metatron or Garth.
So what do you, as a showrunner, when your gripe reviewer doesn't dislike the character you're supposedly centering your episode on?
You saddle her with this ray of sunshine:
Gripe #1 - Sam and Dean having cameo roles in Sheriff Jody Mills' guest staring hour within Sheriff Donna Hanscum's story
Pretty much what it says. A lot of folks might be fooled into thinking this is Sheriff Mill's story and therefore not be so hard on it. A keener eye would however see how it is in fact someone else’s story. Sheriff Mills - like Sam, Dean and Castiel in most S10 episodes so far - is an observer. The real emotional journey belongs to the annoying giggle-bot Donna Hanscum, whom I couldn't stand for the few seconds she had in episode 9.13, let alone an entire hour.
For those who disagree, here is an overview of how the episode went down: Sheriff Mills (our eye in the story) arrives at the site and is judgmental of what she signed on to. She reluctantly steps in and the first thing she sees is Donna (the emotional center and main character of the story,) who all but reaffirms her abhorrence. Throughout the episode however Jody gets to know Donna and slowly draws parallels between her struggles and her own. In the end they come to an understanding of each other's differences and a bond if forged between them.
I want to remind you that this is still Supernatural, yet I made it through that description without mentioning its main characters even once. Sure I could have said, "and Sam and Dean are along for the ride," but that doesn’t mean they have anything more than cameo roles. The internal journey belongs to Donna, and the one who observes and learns from it is Jody. Sam and Dean are only there to remind us we’re still watching Supernatural and haven't accidentally changed the channel.
Gripe #2 - The insufferable Donna Hanscum
You may ask why it is such a big deal for me if a long running show dedicates a standalone episode to a bit character. Isn't that what standalone episodes are typically about? Yes, but in the earlier seasons, even if the standalone episode was about an unknown shmoe whom I was supposed to care about (and usually didn't,) Sam and Dean still played observers whose story paralleled the mini-arc. They didn't relinquish that role to a secondary character too. This is the first time I'm seeing it happen on Supernatural.
That being said, there have been TV shows who dedicate entire episodes to an unknown who would take the reins and pull us through the entire hour with minimal involvement of the main cast. It's rare but it has been done, primarily on long running shows when the steam cools off in the lead character department and writers have to take a break before they start them off on a new journey.
The key difference however is that those single-ep characters are usually highly unique and very entertaining. The reason the writers/creators trust them to shoulder the task is because they know they can hold an audience's attention for that amount of time without the viewers wanting to gouge their eyes out. Donna sadly, isn't that type of character. She's the exact opposite.
I can't talk enough about how much I couldn't stand her (it feels like I say this a lot about side characters this season.) Her dialogue is forced and looney toony, and her acting is one note. The actress' answer to every situation is a nervous grin and a rush of words that, in real life, won't come out of a normal person’s mouth. I guess she's supposed to be funny even though I didn't laugh once. To me, everything she said was to convince me what a lovable goof she is and how much I should care about her, or feel sorry for her. Or perhaps it was the opposite. Perhaps I was supposed to dislike her before I got to know her better at the end, and cheer for her inevitable, inexplicable, saving of the day.
But that didn't happen, because on top of the bad writing and acting, Donna herself is insufferable as a character. Unlike Jody who is wise and confident, Donna acts like an idiot who is stuck on a guy without a single redeeming quality. He isn’t funny, charming, or even sexually appealing for us to understand why she's so infatuated with him. The lack of any attribute other than utter meanness in Doug damages Donna as a character. She comes off as an ignorant woman who dismisses domestic abuse in favor of pleasing a man who seemingly only gives her more of the same. Those kinds of characters, while present and practical in some stories, aren't usually sympathetic leads, unless the story is willing to spend the necessary time and attention to show us their inner growth and transformation. For all we know, after this episode, Donna might run back to Doug again. I recall no psychology books saying that chopping the head off a vampire would cause you to get over your jerk-faced ex.
Gripe #3 - A whole lot of insufferable characters
Donna's ex is only one example of how shallow and intolerable the supporting cast of this episode is. From Doug, who's only angle is to be obnoxious, to Deputy Brice who plays the know-it-all, to Len who gets a full blown side story after showing up on screen for T-5 nervous minutes, everyone has their over-the-top, one-dimensional acting switch on. Like Jody, we are stuck in the company of a group of people we wouldn't want to spend more than thirty seconds with, yet have to tolerate for an entire hour.
It's not that rude characters like Doug or Brice are bad. I'm not saying the show should fill its secondary cast with saints. But even bad guys and throwaway characters should be believable, have some shades, and show a bit of personality. Alistair (both actors,) from season 4 is a nice example to look at. In his first appearance he was there only for a few minutes, yet I still remember his dialogue and facial expressions and the chill he gave me with his lisp. With these guys, the only thing I remember is their one personality trait hammered into my head.
Gripe #4 - Let's tack on another directionless surprise plot to the end of the episode
Of course no season 10 episode would be complete without a full out exposition extravaganza. After we're put through 35 minutes of Donna's story she too takes the back seat and we find ourselves in a read-through performance of Len's story. Len, who? That's right, the guy who... really didn't do much other than give a speech and vamp out over a corpse. Now we have to hear his sad story in reminiscence.
What's more eye-roll worthy about this part is that apparently, we're supposed to care about Len. He and everyone else drones on about the sorry things that happened to him while Sam and Dean saw through their bonds. The tale finishes exactly when the boys are done cutting themselves free. Len dies in faux angst; Donna saves Jody, and I applaud everyone whose names I still can’t remember.
Kudos - This Sam and Dean scene
Dean: Maybe I'll go crack the deputy.
Sam: Right, but this time try to be a little less defensive of your "pretend job."
Dean: This badge means something.
Sam: I made it at Kinko's.
Dean: Yes, you did. Be proud of that.
This dialogue was the only part of the episode I enjoyed, a moment of pure SPN in something that looked like a mediocre, headed-for-cancellation network show. Throughout the hour, Sam and Dean's function was either to plant reminders for us about the Mark of Cain, so at least a semi-decent stage was set for next week, or to facilitate the Donna/Jody story. This scene alone was a throwback to classic Supernatural, when the show took time to highlight its heroes as characters by showing us moments of lightness and fun. This was Sam and Dean as I knew and loved, before they became plot vehicles, story observers, and cameos on their own show.
Please make good use of the comment section. It’s only one more episode before we all go into our winter hibernation.
PS. I watched next week's promo and I am in pleasant shock. Are they really going to give us a Dean-centric story with Castiel as the one whom he confides in, and Sam as the one who cares so much Dean has to warn Castiel not to let him interfere? Are we really going to see Team Free Will emotional interaction? Of course I shouldn't keep my hopes up based on just one clip, but if they really mean it with the images of bloody Dean surrounded by corpses and Cas finally back with the brothers maybe next week is an unexpected Christmas gift just in time.
PS2. Congratulation on Destiel winning the top spot as 2014's most shipped couple.
Tessa
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