Hello Charlie! I like you. Please don't die, become evil, or save the day AGAIN. If only one of those can happen, have fun with your evil dead self.
So everybody and their cousin get entrance to the Factory of Answers. Way to keep the super secret lair secret for what....3 days guys. Something tells me that the warding isn't going to work if you keep letting folks, supernatural or not, in. Perhaps turn it into a museum and charge admittance. "And we're walking....walking...and we're not touching that...and we're walking..."
Carver Edlund....Chuck....the books....metasodes....GAH! I'm with Sam. Let's burn those and computer virus the online copies. They have such selective memory about what happened in seasons 1-7. Why do they always bring up the worst parts?
This looks great! I am really looking forward to this filler because I'm dreading the last 3 myth arc eps. This was is just for fun and I need the break.
This could actually be good -- for a filler ep. Charlie kinda grew on me and , like Dahne said, if she's not made out to be the big hero of the ep or die, it may turn out ok. Dreading the last 3, but looking forward to the end of this season so I can delude myself into believing season 9 might actually be watchable.
God, I hated the Supernatural book series crap. I generally dislike the meta episodes for this show, anyway. I wish I could scrub that alternate universe where they played themselves on a show called Supernatural from my brain cells.
So, you'd rather have Charlie turn evil and die than save the day? That's a little harsh. She's, like, the one generally well-liked recurring female character they've introduced, and the only recurring gay character, and you'd rather her be killed off than take focus away from the dudebro leads that the whole show is already about anyways?
LOL. I love that Chuck's books are now online and Charlie has read them. It was so funny. I can hardly wait for next week. I do not want to see Sam or Dean take back seat to heroine, Charlie.. It sucked the first time. It sucked even more the second time. If it happens again, I'm going to start a campaign to kill her off. lol
Absolutely! And I don't know why you are making it about being female or gay? This is a TV show not a social commentary. She's a secondary character, period. I am dead tired of secondary characters saving the day while the Winchesters sit/stand/are pinned to a wall watching. They spend as much time watching the action (when they aren't unconscious of course) as we do these days, lovely Winchester wallpaper. It's about time the Winchesters get to be the heroes in their own story and for secondary characters to be exactly that - secondary.
And many will join you. Another awesome character down the drain because the writers can't figure out what this show is actually about. Of course, then people will accuse "fangirls" of killing off another female character instead of what it is actually about....wanting the Winchesters to actually get the win.
Meta is a sore spot for me. Meta snuck in episodes has always been fun for me like when Dean talks pea soup in The Usual Suspects or when the clerk wears a Red Hood shirt in Girl Next Door. However, metasodes where it is meta for meta's sake almost always falls flat for me. It takes me right out of the episode which should be the complete opposite plan for a TV show. I admit that French Mistake was better to me than MatEotB and Real Ghostbusters but I'm not as much of a fan of it as most. The Supernatural books make me roll my eyes hard. Can't believe they forgot that the brothers always look for each other and hell is hard to get out of, but they remember Carver Edlund.
Am I missing something here?? Didn't they like, stop the apocalypse and the leviathan, and a shit ton of other monsters? They literally defeated heaven and hell. Why is it such a outlandish concept that there might be other people in the supernatural universe that can hunt monsters? Another character down the drain because she's helping the Winchester's get the win, like i don't understand???
Representation matters. When people from different groups aren't included in media - even cheap, pulpy stuff like Supernatural - it erases them, it says that they aren't a part of society. There are so many people who are pleased with Charlie as a character, who are happy that there's at least one well-written female who isn't reduced to a stereotype or a love interest or evil, that there's a gay character who isn't a punch-line.
The Winchesters are always, ultimately, going to be the heroes of the story. They can stand to share the spotlight with another character now and then.
Because the first time she saved the day, the Winchesters were stuck in a van after a series of losses instead of wins. The writer even had the characters comment about it. The second time she saves the day while the Winchesters are incapacitated. She has no hunting training and yet she saves experienced hunters twice now, making them look incompetent. It's not as bad as Krissy granted but if she saves the day again they have made it a pattern and not one that I want to keep happening. Look at season 8 and tell me how many times the Winchesters have gotten the unqualified win. I can count them on one hand. The Winchesters have become bystanders in their own story while every secondary character and guest star have saved their bacon. It was old not getting Winchester wins in season 7. It's intolerable now and makes even good characters feel Mary Sued until I don't want to see them ever again. I am not at that point with Charlie. I like her because she adds fun to the episodes. But if she saves the Winchesters again this time, all bets are off.
Supernatural has made the mistake before of being a sound bite for social issues, religious themes, and politics. It has always hurt the show for me. I watch Supernatural to be entertained. I don't watch it for people to preach at me and I certainly do not like it when the show is driven by any of those things instead of the plot and characters. Plot and characters should not serve an agenda for anyone on any side for any reason. Their first priority is to tell a good story and to be true to the canon/foundations they have established from the beginning. It is canon that the Winchesters are the heroes of Supernatural. To never let them be that, to turn them into the PiP's of the episodes is a great disservice. There may be many people who want Supernatural to be a beacon for social issues above all else, but I would bet that many more would rather them just tell the story and be entertaining. Quite frankly I do not see how the Winchesters getting the win instead of Charlie would be a bad thing. They are after all the main characters and the people with the most experience in the hunting world.
I get Dahne's concern. I like Charlie and some other characters, but the Winchesters need to start taking more names than guest stars. They're supposed to save the day once in a while.
That's all well and good, but saying that there's no place for other characters to show a little heroism is going too far. Saying that characters should be written off the show is definitely going too far - it's not the presence of those characters that's the problem, it's the fact that the writers are running out of ideas for what to do with Sam and Dean.
Doing a good job with representation is not "preaching about social issues" or whatever you seem to think it is. It's just being decent and representing the world realistically. Being decent with regards to representation is not a trade-off with entertainment value either, and I don't know why you'd have that idea. Elementary does a good job of being both.
The Winchesters getting the win for the episode was not the issue. The issue was saying that a character ought to be killed off just because she's had all of three episodes over two seasons focused on her, and she gets to be a hero. And apparently that's too much or something.
I like Charlie and I am glad she is back. She's fun and I love all the geeky references she makes. However, it will be too much if every time she comes on screen she saves the Winchesters. It is too much no matter who the character is. My favorite recurring female character is Sheriff Jody but if she starts coming on and making the Winchesters look like incompetent hunters then I will want her gone too.
I truly do not care if Charlie is a lesbian or not. It's not the focus of her character for me. For me she is funny and brainy and usually that is needed at the juncture in the season that she appears. She adds fun during long depressing stretches. She is entertaining and that's what matters to me. I don't judge her any differently than any other character on the show. For instance, Garth dying would be a big plus for me. I don't know if Garth is gay or not, but I know he is annoying and seeing him on screen is like nails on a chalkboard for me. Others do not agree, but that is my opinion. I want him to be forever absent.
If representation is a key factor, then by all means add underrepresented characters to the show. They need more characters anyway. However, the second what they are representing becomes more important than the plot or the Winchesters, it is too much. They are characters first and if those characters become part of a persistent problem with the writing, I want them gone. Any secondary character can be replaced; the Winchesters cannot. Can a secondary character get the win sometimes? Yes, but not when that is happening ALL the time in the season. The Winchesters should never be sidelined repeatedly for a secondary character.
Let's be honest. The reason Charlie wins and keeps coming back is not because the character's a lesbian or because she is representing an underrepresented group. It's because she's played by Felicia Day and she's a big get for this small show. They are trading on her geek cred. I've never been a fan of using big name guest stars in place of telling a good story for your characters and audience, and if Charlie gets the win this time that will be exactly what has happened.
Not surprisingly, I loved the Supernatural books. :-D RE: everyone and the innocent in danger of the week, being invited in is a little crazy making and...typical. LOL
I LOVE Charlie! "Sorry you have zero luck with the ladies" haha :D I really like that Charlie has read Chuck's books. Finally a filler episode that actually looks good!
Before I watched this Clip I really loved Charlie... And now I have a problem: I need a new word, 'cause the word "love" isn't enough... She is adorable! Awesome! The best female SPN character (sorry, Mary, you're now on the second place. Please, Charlie, stay alive and return in season 9 ;_;
So far they've only told Prometheus and his girlfriend (who had no real reason to tell anyone else), and Charlie, who helped them save the world last season and is on very good terms with them.
Oh because it's so intelligent to kill off every character that adds a new dynamic to the show. But if you want to kill the show too in the process go ahead. The majority of the audience don't want to see the same repetitive boring "only-brothers" crap. Having strong supportive characters, their interaction with them only makes the lead characters stronger and better. Charlie is a fantastic addition for so many reasons and I hope she will make more appearances in season 9.
I like Charlie. I guess those who thought she would have nothing to do with Sam can be happy, as they seem to be getting along here (although I kind of wish she hadn't brought up the dead/bad girlfriends).
Never a big fan of the book story, but it's a pretty clever way to have a new character catch up with the show's history. And if they don't make her do old "Wincest" jokes, that's even better, as I think that was played out with Becky.
I always want to see Sam and Dean letting more people in and having something of a loose family structure. I'd like Charlie to be a part of that too. I also hope we get to see more of her friendship with Dean, as I think he really needs that in his life.
The entire point of Charlie as a character is that she is the hero of her own story, not some damsel in distress for the Winchesters to save (though they have physically saved her both times you claim she overshadowed them).
All I'm getting from this series of comments is "how dare a secondary character have agency/take up screen time/not be a plot device for Winchester manpain." Part of the reason the show was so dull in recent seasons is because there weren't (m)any fleshed out supporting characters and the plot really dragged because of that.
While I can understand taking issue with someone getting screen time because they're a "big get" I don't think it's right to call for the character's death. Especially not one as well executed and important to the shows fans as Charlie.
Basically, the Winchesters aren't the only ones allowed to be heroes nor should they be. It's good for them to have other connections and kind of unrealistic for them not to.
LOL, you knew this was coming..I LOVED French Mistake, like that the show can make fun of its self, the not many people watching cracked me up, Jared married "Ruby", just so much to laugh at in that ep. I enjoyed the book series stories and Chuck.
About Charlie, I am in agreement with you and seeing as how a lot of fans don't like love interest for the guys, maybe she is so well liked because she is gay. My favorite females were Jo and Jodi MIlls.
Is always good to see Charlie :) she's amazing, and what's even more awesome is the fact that she's not a love interest for any of the boys (let's face the fact that every single female on the show was a love interest for the Winchester). I love her and i'm very excited about this new episode, so please, never ever take her away from me
The opening scene at "Jared's" McMansion was my favorite part of the whole episode. Seeing the brothers' reactions to Fake Ruby was priceless - one of the reasons why I liked French Mistake better than most metasodes.
If secondary characters weren't saving the Winchesters all the time now, I wouldn't have a problem with it. I certainly didn't the few times it happened in seasons 1-3. I have a real problem with it now because it is the rule instead of the exception. Charlie can be the hero of her own story - that's what webisodes are for and that would be a lot of fun. I just don't want her taking over the Winchester story.
Yes except all Crowley would have to do is have some demons pick up Hailey and her son and he would know the entrance to the secret Batcave. That's not smart.
The show is already in the process of killing itself off. It doesn't need help. I like secondary characters and I want to see more secondary characters. However I don't want to see secondary characters become the main focus of the show or for them to constantly show up Dean and Sam. I want it to be better balanced and season 8 has been about as unbalanced as you can get. I like Charlie but the writers need to let the Winchesters save her this time. After all, she is already 2 and 0.
Crowley could easily just have people follow Sam and Dean and see this place they are staying in for days or weeks at a time. That would probably be more practical than Hailey or her son being taken. I think the show just ignores it. Until they start bringing someone like Naomi there I probably won't notice as much.
I love it when people take it on themselves to speak for the majority??? And for the record i love "guest stars" but i'm sorry but if it wasnt for the " boring only brothers crap" you wouldn't of had a show for other people to "star " in.... so don't knock Sam and Dean!!..
On another note, why is it every time I come to an article there is a group of people being whiny asses about characters besides Sam and Dean getting the spot light every now and then? Would you please, for the love of god, let the show expand and grow? I'm sick of seeing this attitude with Cas and I don't want to see it with Charlie either.
xD I already imagine the type of conversation it would be between the character who make games/movies reference and the one who doesn't understand anything
Bwah! So pointed and yet so true. I'd love to see the book that explained this "new canon" that was never mentioned in the original series. This season is like a bad spin-off.
Absolutely! But then we wouldn't have the plot contrivance of Kevin hiding the tablet and vainshing. We couldn't write a plot that is straight forward and makes sense, now could we.
There were a lot of in jokes that the regular viewer wouldn't understand. I know, because I talked to a few of them. But whatever. I knew that'd be an unpopular opinion here. Everyone else worshipped that episode.
Ugh I love charlie so much! I love how she understands Dean and I like how she gets along with Sam so well and I hope she sticks around because she is such a great character <3
Most of my reasons for not wanting her around is I don't like Felicia Day. I've explained my issues with her. I'm not fond of the Charlie character. I likely wouldn't care for her if she wasn't played by Day, either. I have nothing against secondary characters when they play their role as secondary characters. It doesn't automatically translate into not doing anything of substance, though. As long as the Winchesters (and anyone else who've earned it) remain the leads of the series, they can intro as many secondary characters they want - but keep them well-written, well-acted and integrated well into the storyline.
Way to be pedantic. You know as well as I do that she/he was just paraphrasing, based on the show's track record of throwing female characters into the show for the purpose of illuminating the boys' own emotional needs, or perhaps what they feel deprived of, rather than building them up to function as characters in their own right. Or failing that, they fall into the unfortunate roles and stereotypes of myths that we've been brought up to fear, hence Ruby sliding into the 'temptress Deliah' role in season 4 (and yeah, okay, she was a bit like that in season 3 as well, there was just the obvious build-up of woman-and-sex-being-used-to-break-up-family parable in season 4 that disappointed me because...well it gets recycled so often in everyday conversation between random 'stand-up' dudes and the stories they want to tell.)
Of course, this can't be said of all female characters, not even the ones that have been brought down to so rigidly stick into the mould of 'supporting pillar' and nothing else (poor, poor Lisa). Meg, I suppose, was always a soldier first, strike-out-on-your-own second.
I guess sometimes, I wanted these female characters to not fall into these death-traps. And maybe I wasn't the only one. Why else has Charlie been so well received?
All media is a form of social commentary. Because it informs/reinforces the way viewers choose to see the world. I would have thought that was obvious? And TV shows, no matter how niche their intended audience may be, strive to take advantage of that.
Supernatural as you well know, has a lot to say on the subject of 'family' and what makes a person a monster, or perhaps what can allow a 'monster' to attain personhood. And if that doesn't, at some point, fall under the definition of social commentary, I dunno what to tell you. Unless what you think of 'family' and 'monsterisity' can in no way have any bearing on society itself.
I'm sorry. MarissaAO put it a lot better, though she/he quite rightly bend the conversation in the direction of representation, rather than the broad, perhaps metaphysical definitions I've barely outlined above. It's just a sour point, because quite frequently, the people who say, 'why you gotta make a big deal outta everything?' have seen themselves represented again and again, through countless novels and shows and billboard advertisements. And you can see the problem. Because you might be one of those minorities, gnashing your teeth and asking 'why can't I see myself on the television, why can't I see someone like me, who doesn't end up dead and/or punished for it?' I don't know you, and I've never met you and have no idea of the intricate pain that's been weaved into your life. It happens to all of us.
Except some of us, of course, never see it represented. Maybe you're one of them. Maybe you're not. But it's something to think about at any rate.
And now I have to apologise - when I first saw your sentence 'This is a TV show not a social commentary' my knee-jerk reaction was a strange mixture of astonishment and rage. 'No way,' I thought, 'no one can be this naive, this thoughtless, this blind.' And that was wrong of me because it details how I immediately leapt to an assumption. Something i get the feeling that perhaps you did when you wrote out that sentence.
lt was a nice scene. Sam looks terrible, but I hope he's holding up reasonably ok!. That was a funny remark he made of what Charlie said he had zero luck with the ladies and Dean agreeable look haha.
I honestly didn't know who Felicia Day was before I watched Supernatural. I didn't fall in love with Charlie because of the actress, though I do think Day did a brilliant job with the character. I fell in love with Charlie because she was a butt-kicking female geek. As someone that identifies myself as a geek, I LOVE seeing other geeks on television, especially when they get to have awesome lines and be the hero. For me, the fact that she was gay was just a total bonus. But yeah, my main point there was that I didn't like Charlie because of Felicia Day, but I did start liking Felicia Day because of Charlie.
Also, I respect your opinion, but I freaking love Garth! I love the humor that he brings to the show when he's there. I hope we'll get to see more of him next season too.
I can understand, to a degree, what you are saying about the Winchesters. But again, I find myself with a different opinion. I've never felt like any of the 'secondary characters' take anything away from the plot or the Winchesters. I've loved episodes that focused on characters like Bobby and Castiel in the past. And I really feel that episodes such as those are so few and far in between, it absolutely takes nothing away from Dean and Sam being the main protagonists and heroes of the story. For me, Supernatural is a show not about The Winchester Brothers first and foremost and on top of everything else, but it is a show about family and family don't end in blood. John and Mary, Ellen and Jo, Cas, Bobby, and now hopefully new characters like Charlie and Garth, are every bit as important to me to have in the show. I LOVE Dean and Sam and can never have enough of them, but it's nice to have other characters to love too. To be completely honest, I am a big fan of Castiel and my favorite parts of Supernatural have involved Cas working with Sam and Dean. I love Team Free Will more than anything. But in 8 seasons of the show, I've never once felt like Dean and Sam were being overshadowed or sidelined by anyone; it's always been clear to me that those two characters and their bond IS the heart of the show and I enjoy that and wouldn't want it to change either. I'm just saying that there's room for more than JUST that on the show.
But, of course, everyone is going to have different opinions about what they like best. And I appreciate that this discussion has not devolved into name-calling and insults like I've seen happen with other discussions about SPN, so thank you everyone for that. It's nice to be able to calmly and respectfully discuss our differing opinions about a show we're all clearly passionate about. :)
To answer your last question, fans don't have to fear Charlie being a love interest, she is gay..so they can like her. I don't like her in any case. I did like Jo and wanted her and Dean to get together, Jodi Mills was awesome.
Yes. Zap2it's Carina had the sneak peek clip on that site and confirmed that JP had the "SamHair" trimmed. I think it looks good, more like his S3/4 hair.
That makes no sense. If it weren't for the "brothers only" there would be no show in the first place and they ALWAYS bring in new supporting characters. Geez.
I'm still convinced most of it has to do with Felicia Day being so popular. I'd really love to rewind time, put someone else in the role and see if she's just as loved.
Yeah she's really cool. I was unsure with the first episode she was in, in season 7, because they overplayed the "super awesome female nerd" angle so it felt a little forced, and disclosed her being lesbian in a really contrived way, which made it seem the writers were just trying to show off their own tolerance (kind of reminded me of Britta and her "lesbian" friend in Community) rather than build a believable character. But even then it meant she had personality traits that went beyond her looking moody and worried all the time or telling the boys she wanted to have sex with them. I do find it a bit mad that the writers took that long to figure out that the reason female viewers tend not to respond to female characters on the show was that every single one of them was solely defined by their feelings towards the boys and seemed to be cast on looks rather than an interesting performance. The exceptions like Ellen and Missouri? Everyone loved them. No matter what you say about Sera Gamble's time as showrunner, she's probably the only person on the team who would have understood that if you want female viewers to like a female character, that character has to actually have a personality.
Charlie's someone you can imagine hanging out with. You can imagine what music she might like, where she eats out. There's not many female characters on the show you could say that about. What music does Amelia listen to, for example? What sort of novels would she read? No idea. She just likes two guys and she's a vet. That's the sum total of her personality.
That's operating on the assumption that Charlie doesn't track them down via their IP addresses and turns up on their doorstep. An equally, and in some ways more, plausible outcome.
NOTE: Name-calling, personal attacks, spamming, excessive self-promotion, condescending pomposity, general assiness, racism, sexism, any-other-ism, homophobia, acrophobia, and destructive (versus constructive) criticism will get you BANNED from the party.
Wow, Sam does not look good at all.
ReplyDeleteAnd LOL, Chuck's books. And hee at "Sorry you have zero luck with the ladies" and "They're online now, so good luck with that"
OMG! How much do I ADORE that Charlie's read the Carver Edlund series!!! And yeah for Carver Edlund!!!
ReplyDeletelol Chuck's books. XD
ReplyDeleteHello Charlie! I like you. Please don't die, become evil, or save the day AGAIN. If only one of those can happen, have fun with your evil dead self.
ReplyDeleteSo everybody and their cousin get entrance to the Factory of Answers. Way to keep the super secret lair secret for what....3 days guys. Something tells me that the warding isn't going to work if you keep letting folks, supernatural or not, in. Perhaps turn it into a museum and charge admittance. "And we're walking....walking...and we're not touching that...and we're walking..."
Carver Edlund....Chuck....the books....metasodes....GAH! I'm with Sam. Let's burn those and computer virus the online copies. They have such selective memory about what happened in seasons 1-7. Why do they always bring up the worst parts?
Funny clip! I love that Charlie found the books. :)
ReplyDeleteToo bad Charlie pronounces 'Salina' wrong.... But I'm a born and bred Kansas girl, so maybe I'm one of the few who would notice.
Hee hee! Oh, this is delightful!
ReplyDeleteThis looks great! I am really looking forward to this filler because I'm dreading the last 3 myth arc eps. This was is just for fun and I need the break.
ReplyDeleteIs it just me or did Sam get a little haircut? Aw.
ReplyDeleteThis could actually be good -- for a filler ep. Charlie kinda grew on me and , like Dahne said, if she's not made out to be the big hero of the ep or die, it may turn out ok. Dreading the last 3, but looking forward to the end of this season so I can delude myself into believing season 9 might actually be watchable.
ReplyDeleteGod, I hated the Supernatural book series crap. I generally dislike the meta episodes for this show, anyway. I wish I could scrub that alternate universe where they played themselves on a show called Supernatural from my brain cells.
ReplyDeleteSo, you'd rather have Charlie turn evil and die than save the day? That's a little harsh. She's, like, the one generally well-liked recurring female character they've introduced, and the only recurring gay character, and you'd rather her be killed off than take focus away from the dudebro leads that the whole show is already about anyways?
ReplyDeleteI'd notice. I'm born and still living in Kansas, too. I am still lol'ing at their representation of Lebanon this season.
ReplyDeleteLOL. I love that Chuck's books are now online and Charlie has read them. It was so funny. I can hardly wait for next week. I do not want to see Sam or Dean take back seat to heroine, Charlie.. It sucked the first time. It sucked even more the second time. If it happens again, I'm going to start a campaign to kill her off. lol
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely! And I don't know why you are making it about being female or gay? This is a TV show not a social commentary. She's a secondary character, period. I am dead tired of secondary characters saving the day while the Winchesters sit/stand/are pinned to a wall watching. They spend as much time watching the action (when they aren't unconscious of course) as we do these days, lovely Winchester wallpaper. It's about time the Winchesters get to be the heroes in their own story and for secondary characters to be exactly that - secondary.
ReplyDeleteAnd many will join you. Another awesome character down the drain because the writers can't figure out what this show is actually about. Of course, then people will accuse "fangirls" of killing off another female character instead of what it is actually about....wanting the Winchesters to actually get the win.
ReplyDeleteMeta is a sore spot for me. Meta snuck in episodes has always been fun for me like when Dean talks pea soup in The Usual Suspects or when the clerk wears a Red Hood shirt in Girl Next Door. However, metasodes where it is meta for meta's sake almost always falls flat for me. It takes me right out of the episode which should be the complete opposite plan for a TV show. I admit that French Mistake was better to me than MatEotB and Real Ghostbusters but I'm not as much of a fan of it as most. The Supernatural books make me roll my eyes hard. Can't believe they forgot that the brothers always look for each other and hell is hard to get out of, but they remember Carver Edlund.
ReplyDeleteAm I missing something here?? Didn't they like, stop the apocalypse and the leviathan, and a shit ton of other monsters? They literally defeated heaven and hell. Why is it such a outlandish concept that there might be other people in the supernatural universe that can hunt monsters? Another character down the drain because she's helping the Winchester's get the win, like i don't understand???
ReplyDeleteRepresentation matters. When people from different groups aren't included in media - even cheap, pulpy stuff like Supernatural - it erases them, it says that they aren't a part of society. There are so many people who are pleased with Charlie as a character, who are happy that there's at least one well-written female who isn't reduced to a stereotype or a love interest or evil, that there's a gay character who isn't a punch-line.
ReplyDeleteThe Winchesters are always, ultimately, going to be the heroes of the story. They can stand to share the spotlight with another character now and then.
Because the first time she saved the day, the Winchesters were stuck in a van after a series of losses instead of wins. The writer even had the characters comment about it. The second time she saves the day while the Winchesters are incapacitated. She has no hunting training and yet she saves experienced hunters twice now, making them look incompetent. It's not as bad as Krissy granted but if she saves the day again they have made it a pattern and not one that I want to keep happening. Look at season 8 and tell me how many times the Winchesters have gotten the unqualified win. I can count them on one hand. The Winchesters have become bystanders in their own story while every secondary character and guest star have saved their bacon. It was old not getting Winchester wins in season 7. It's intolerable now and makes even good characters feel Mary Sued until I don't want to see them ever again. I am not at that point with Charlie. I like her because she adds fun to the episodes. But if she saves the Winchesters again this time, all bets are off.
ReplyDeleteYep, I didn't like The French Mistake either. Far too meta for me.
ReplyDeleteSupernatural has made the mistake before of being a sound bite for social issues, religious themes, and politics. It has always hurt the show for me. I watch Supernatural to be entertained. I don't watch it for people to preach at me and I certainly do not like it when the show is driven by any of those things instead of the plot and characters. Plot and characters should not serve an agenda for anyone on any side for any reason. Their first priority is to tell a good story and to be true to the canon/foundations they have established from the beginning. It is canon that the Winchesters are the heroes of Supernatural. To never let them be that, to turn them into the PiP's of the episodes is a great disservice. There may be many people who want Supernatural to be a beacon for social issues above all else, but I would bet that many more would rather them just tell the story and be entertaining. Quite frankly I do not see how the Winchesters getting the win instead of Charlie would be a bad thing. They are after all the main characters and the people with the most experience in the hunting world.
ReplyDeleteI get Dahne's concern. I like Charlie and some other characters, but the Winchesters need to start taking more names than guest stars. They're supposed to save the day once in a while.
ReplyDeleteThat's all well and good, but saying that there's no place for other characters to show a little heroism is going too far. Saying that characters should be written off the show is definitely going too far - it's not the presence of those characters that's the problem, it's the fact that the writers are running out of ideas for what to do with Sam and Dean.
ReplyDeleteShe has already shown heroism twice. She's saved the day twice. It's time for the Winchesters to now save her.
ReplyDeleteDoing a good job with representation is not "preaching about social issues" or whatever you seem to think it is. It's just being decent and representing the world realistically. Being decent with regards to representation is not a trade-off with entertainment value either, and I don't know why you'd have that idea. Elementary does a good job of being both.
ReplyDeleteThe Winchesters getting the win for the episode was not the issue. The issue was saying that a character ought to be killed off just because she's had all of three episodes over two seasons focused on her, and she gets to be a hero. And apparently that's too much or something.
I like Charlie and I am glad she is back. She's fun and I love all the geeky references she makes. However, it will be too much if every time she comes on screen she saves the Winchesters. It is too much no matter who the character is. My favorite recurring female character is Sheriff Jody but if she starts coming on and making the Winchesters look like incompetent hunters then I will want her gone too.
ReplyDeleteI truly do not care if Charlie is a lesbian or not. It's not the focus of her character for me. For me she is funny and brainy and usually that is needed at the juncture in the season that she appears. She adds fun during long depressing stretches. She is entertaining and that's what matters to me. I don't judge her any differently than any other character on the show. For instance, Garth dying would be a big plus for me. I don't know if Garth is gay or not, but I know he is annoying and seeing him on screen is like nails on a chalkboard for me. Others do not agree, but that is my opinion. I want him to be forever absent.
If representation is a key factor, then by all means add underrepresented characters to the show. They need more characters anyway. However, the second what they are representing becomes more important than the plot or the Winchesters, it is too much. They are characters first and if those characters become part of a persistent problem with the writing, I want them gone. Any secondary character can be replaced; the Winchesters cannot. Can a secondary character get the win sometimes? Yes, but not when that is happening ALL the time in the season. The Winchesters should never be sidelined repeatedly for a secondary character.
Let's be honest. The reason Charlie wins and keeps coming back is not because the character's a lesbian or because she is representing an underrepresented group. It's because she's played by Felicia Day and she's a big get for this small show. They are trading on her geek cred. I've never been a fan of using big name guest stars in place of telling a good story for your characters and audience, and if Charlie gets the win this time that will be exactly what has happened.
Not surprisingly, I loved the Supernatural books. :-D RE: everyone and the innocent in danger of the week, being invited in is a little crazy making and...typical. LOL
ReplyDeleteThis clip is PURE GOLD <3 OMG!!!Can't wait til next week.Freakin hellatus.Sammyyyy :'( He looks very sick and exhausted...
ReplyDeleteI LOVE Charlie! "Sorry you have zero luck with the ladies" haha :D I really like that Charlie has read Chuck's books. Finally a filler episode that actually looks good!
ReplyDeleteBefore I watched this Clip I really loved Charlie... And now I have a problem: I need a new word, 'cause the word "love" isn't enough... She is adorable! Awesome! The best female SPN character (sorry, Mary, you're now on the second place.
ReplyDeletePlease, Charlie, stay alive and return in season 9 ;_;
So far they've only told Prometheus and his girlfriend (who had no real reason to tell anyone else), and Charlie, who helped them save the world last season and is on very good terms with them.
ReplyDeleteOh because it's so intelligent to kill off every character that adds a new dynamic to the show. But if you want to kill the show too in the process go ahead. The majority of the audience don't want to see the same repetitive boring "only-brothers" crap. Having strong supportive characters, their interaction with them only makes the lead characters stronger and better. Charlie is a fantastic addition for so many reasons and I hope she will make more appearances in season 9.
ReplyDeleteI like Charlie. I guess those who thought she would have nothing to do with Sam can be happy, as they seem to be getting along here (although I kind of wish she hadn't brought up the dead/bad girlfriends).
ReplyDeleteNever a big fan of the book story, but it's a pretty clever way to have a new character catch up with the show's history. And if they don't make her do old "Wincest" jokes, that's even better, as I think that was played out with Becky.
I always want to see Sam and Dean letting more people in and having something of a loose family structure. I'd like Charlie to be a part of that too. I also hope we get to see more of her friendship with Dean, as I think he really needs that in his life.
God I love Charlie with the strength of ten million burning suns don't die please you are perfect darling
ReplyDeleteCharlie is amazing! And I love her interacting with Sam and Dean :_) I can't wait to see her meeting Cas in season9!
ReplyDeleteAh, a rational person! I love those. :)
ReplyDeleteThe entire point of Charlie as a character is that she is the hero of her own story, not some damsel in distress for the Winchesters to save (though they have physically saved her both times you claim she overshadowed them).
ReplyDeleteAll I'm getting from this series of comments is "how dare a secondary character have agency/take up screen time/not be a plot device for Winchester manpain." Part of the reason the show was so dull in recent seasons is because there weren't (m)any fleshed out supporting characters and the plot really dragged because of that.
While I can understand taking issue with someone getting screen time because they're a "big get" I don't think it's right to call for the character's death. Especially not one as well executed and important to the shows fans as Charlie.
Basically, the Winchesters aren't the only ones allowed to be heroes nor should they be. It's good for them to have other connections and kind of unrealistic for them not to.
Nuh uh. Love ALL the characters! Charlie is bamf :)
ReplyDeleteLOL, you knew this was coming..I LOVED French Mistake, like that the show can make fun of its self, the not many people watching cracked me up, Jared married "Ruby", just so much to laugh at in that ep. I enjoyed the book series stories and Chuck.
ReplyDeleteAbout Charlie, I am in agreement with you and seeing as how a lot of fans don't like love interest for the guys, maybe she is so well liked because she is gay. My favorite females were Jo and Jodi MIlls.
I am not a Charlie fan, and I am tired of her always making snide comment to the guys.
ReplyDeleteIs always good to see Charlie :) she's amazing, and what's even more awesome is the fact that she's not a love interest for any of the boys (let's face the fact that every single female on the show was a love interest for the Winchester). I love her and i'm very excited about this new episode, so please, never ever take her away from me
ReplyDeleteThe opening scene at "Jared's" McMansion was my favorite part of the whole episode. Seeing the brothers' reactions to Fake Ruby was priceless - one of the reasons why I liked French Mistake better than most metasodes.
ReplyDeleteCharlie is currently one of my favorite side characters, I'm SOOO glad she's back <333
ReplyDeleteIf secondary characters weren't saving the Winchesters all the time now, I wouldn't have a problem with it. I certainly didn't the few times it happened in seasons 1-3. I have a real problem with it now because it is the rule instead of the exception. Charlie can be the hero of her own story - that's what webisodes are for and that would be a lot of fun. I just don't want her taking over the Winchester story.
ReplyDeleteGood point. It is typical.
ReplyDeleteYes except all Crowley would have to do is have some demons pick up Hailey and her son and he would know the entrance to the secret Batcave. That's not smart.
ReplyDeleteThe show is already in the process of killing itself off. It doesn't need help. I like secondary characters and I want to see more secondary characters. However I don't want to see secondary characters become the main focus of the show or for them to constantly show up Dean and Sam. I want it to be better balanced and season 8 has been about as unbalanced as you can get. I like Charlie but the writers need to let the Winchesters save her this time. After all, she is already 2 and 0.
ReplyDeleteCrowley could easily just have people follow Sam and Dean and see this place they are staying in for days or weeks at a time. That would probably be more practical than Hailey or her son being taken. I think the show just ignores it. Until they start bringing someone like Naomi there I probably won't notice as much.
ReplyDeleteI love it when people take it on themselves to speak for the majority??? And for the record i love "guest stars" but i'm sorry but if it wasnt for the " boring only brothers crap" you wouldn't of had a show for other people to "star " in.... so don't knock Sam and Dean!!..
ReplyDeleteSnide? What is snide about "thanks for saving the planet"?
ReplyDeleteI love Charlie so of course she'll probably die. Show, hear me now - DO NOT KILL CHARLIE! Got it?
ReplyDeleteYes a meeting between Charlie and Cas would be awesome (and interesting cause the characters are so different)
ReplyDeleteWow, awesomely cute clip!
ReplyDeleteOn another note, why is it every time I come to an article there is a group of people being whiny asses about characters besides Sam and Dean getting the spot light every now and then? Would you please, for the love of god, let the show expand and grow? I'm sick of seeing this attitude with Cas and I don't want to see it with Charlie either.
Speak for yourself. Some loud fans doesn't make it "majority".
ReplyDeleteI don't want her evil or killed off, but I agree that the Winchesters should save her this time.
ReplyDeleteThis clip made me like Charlie even more. Thank you for thanking the boys for saving the world. ♥
ReplyDeleteHow is she taking over the Winchester story when she's only been in three episodes?
ReplyDeletexD I already imagine the type of conversation it would be between the character who make games/movies reference and the one who doesn't understand anything
ReplyDeleteIs it me, or does Jared look smoking in this clip, I mean little unhealthy maybe, but the stubble and the subtle haircut, yeeey!
ReplyDeleteBwah! So pointed and yet so true. I'd love to see the book that explained this "new canon" that was never mentioned in the original series. This season is like a bad spin-off.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely! But then we wouldn't have the plot contrivance of Kevin hiding the tablet and vainshing. We couldn't write a plot that is straight forward and makes sense, now could we.
ReplyDeleteThere were a lot of in jokes that the regular viewer wouldn't understand. I know, because I talked to a few of them. But whatever. I knew that'd be an unpopular opinion here. Everyone else worshipped that episode.
ReplyDeleteSAM'S.HAIR.OMG.
ReplyDeleteUgh I love charlie so much! I love how she understands Dean and I like how she gets along with Sam so well and I hope she sticks around because she is such a great character <3
ReplyDeleteMost of my reasons for not wanting her around is I don't like Felicia Day. I've explained my issues with her. I'm not fond of the Charlie character. I likely wouldn't care for her if she wasn't played by Day, either. I have nothing against secondary characters when they play their role as secondary characters. It doesn't automatically translate into not doing anything of substance, though. As long as the Winchesters (and anyone else who've earned it) remain the leads of the series, they can intro as many secondary characters they want - but keep them well-written, well-acted and integrated well into the storyline.
ReplyDeleteEven Sheriff Mills? Ellen? Their own mother?
ReplyDeleteWay to be pedantic. You know as well as I do that she/he was just paraphrasing, based on the show's track record of throwing female characters into the show for the purpose of illuminating the boys' own emotional needs, or perhaps what they feel deprived of, rather than building them up to function as characters in their own right. Or failing that, they fall into the unfortunate roles and stereotypes of myths that we've been brought up to fear, hence Ruby sliding into the 'temptress Deliah' role in season 4 (and yeah, okay, she was a bit like that in season 3 as well, there was just the obvious build-up of woman-and-sex-being-used-to-break-up-family parable in season 4 that disappointed me because...well it gets recycled so often in everyday conversation between random 'stand-up' dudes and the stories they want to tell.)
ReplyDeleteOf course, this can't be said of all female characters, not even the ones that have been brought down to so rigidly stick into the mould of 'supporting pillar' and nothing else (poor, poor Lisa). Meg, I suppose, was always a soldier first, strike-out-on-your-own second.
I guess sometimes, I wanted these female characters to not fall into these death-traps. And maybe I wasn't the only one. Why else has Charlie been so well received?
Hooray, indeed, for rhectorical questions.
All media is a form of social commentary. Because it informs/reinforces the way viewers choose to see the world. I would have thought that was obvious? And TV shows, no matter how niche their intended audience may be, strive to take advantage of that.
ReplyDeleteSupernatural as you well know, has a lot to say on the subject of 'family' and what makes a person a monster, or perhaps what can allow a 'monster' to attain personhood. And if that doesn't, at some point, fall under the definition of social commentary, I dunno what to tell you. Unless what you think of 'family' and 'monsterisity' can in no way have any bearing on society itself.
I'm sorry. MarissaAO put it a lot better, though she/he quite rightly bend the conversation in the direction of representation, rather than the broad, perhaps metaphysical definitions I've barely outlined above. It's just a sour point, because quite frequently, the people who say, 'why you gotta make a big deal outta everything?' have seen themselves represented again and again, through countless novels and shows and billboard advertisements. And you can see the problem. Because you might be one of those minorities, gnashing your teeth and asking 'why can't I see myself on the television, why can't I see someone like me, who doesn't end up dead and/or punished for it?' I don't know you, and I've never met you and have no idea of the intricate pain that's been weaved into your life. It happens to all of us.
Except some of us, of course, never see it represented. Maybe you're one of them. Maybe you're not. But it's something to think about at any rate.
And now I have to apologise - when I first saw your sentence 'This is a TV show not a social commentary' my knee-jerk reaction was a strange mixture of astonishment and rage. 'No way,' I thought, 'no one can be this naive, this thoughtless, this blind.' And that was wrong of me because it details how I immediately leapt to an assumption. Something i get the feeling that perhaps you did when you wrote out that sentence.
lt was a nice scene.
ReplyDeleteSam looks terrible, but I hope he's holding up reasonably ok!. That was a funny remark he made of what Charlie said he had zero luck with the ladies and Dean agreeable look haha.
I honestly didn't know who Felicia Day was before I watched Supernatural.
ReplyDeleteI didn't fall in love with Charlie because of the actress, though I do think Day did a brilliant job with the character. I fell in love with Charlie because she was a butt-kicking female geek. As someone that identifies myself as a geek, I LOVE seeing other geeks on television, especially when they get to have awesome lines and be the hero. For me, the fact that she was gay was just a total bonus. But yeah, my main point there was that I didn't like Charlie because of Felicia Day, but I did start liking Felicia Day because of Charlie.
Also, I respect your opinion, but I freaking love Garth! I love the humor that he brings to the show when he's there. I hope we'll get to see more of him next season too.
I can understand, to a degree, what you are saying about the Winchesters. But again, I find myself with a different opinion. I've never felt like any of the 'secondary characters' take anything away from the plot or the Winchesters. I've loved episodes that focused on characters like Bobby and Castiel in the past. And I really feel that episodes such as those are so few and far in between, it absolutely takes nothing away from Dean and Sam being the main protagonists and heroes of the story. For me, Supernatural is a show not about The Winchester Brothers first and foremost and on top of everything else, but it is a show about family and family don't end in blood. John and Mary, Ellen and Jo, Cas, Bobby, and now hopefully new characters like Charlie and Garth, are every bit as important to me to have in the show. I LOVE Dean and Sam and can never have enough of them, but it's nice to have other characters to love too. To be completely honest, I am a big fan of Castiel and my favorite parts of Supernatural have involved Cas working with Sam and Dean. I love Team Free Will more than anything. But in 8 seasons of the show, I've never once felt like Dean and Sam were being overshadowed or sidelined by anyone; it's always been clear to me that those two characters and their bond IS the heart of the show and I enjoy that and wouldn't want it to change either. I'm just saying that there's room for more than JUST that on the show.
But, of course, everyone is going to have different opinions about what they like best. And I appreciate that this discussion has not devolved into name-calling and insults like I've seen happen with other discussions about SPN, so thank you everyone for that. It's nice to be able to calmly and respectfully discuss our differing opinions about a show we're all clearly passionate about. :)
To answer your last question, fans don't have to fear Charlie being a love interest, she is gay..so they can like her. I don't like her in any case. I did like Jo and wanted her and Dean to get together, Jodi Mills was awesome.
ReplyDeleteSam looks horrible, but evidently had time to stop for a hair cut. LOL! Charlie rocks!
ReplyDeleteYes. Zap2it's Carina had the sneak peek clip on that site and confirmed that JP had the "SamHair" trimmed. I think it looks good, more like his S3/4 hair.
ReplyDeleteThat makes no sense. If it weren't for the "brothers only" there would be no show in the first place and they ALWAYS bring in new supporting characters. Geez.
ReplyDelete>>Why else has Charlie been so well received?<<
ReplyDeleteI'm still convinced most of it has to do with Felicia Day being so popular. I'd really love to rewind time, put someone else in the role and see if she's just as loved.
Yeah she's really cool. I was unsure with the first episode she was in, in season 7, because they overplayed the "super awesome female nerd" angle so it felt a little forced, and disclosed her being lesbian in a really contrived way, which made it seem the writers were just trying to show off their own tolerance (kind of reminded me of Britta and her "lesbian" friend in Community) rather than build a believable character. But even then it meant she had personality traits that went beyond her looking moody and worried all the time or telling the boys she wanted to have sex with them. I do find it a bit mad that the writers took that long to figure out that the reason female viewers tend not to respond to female characters on the show was that every single one of them was solely defined by their feelings towards the boys and seemed to be cast on looks rather than an interesting performance. The exceptions like Ellen and Missouri? Everyone loved them. No matter what you say about Sera Gamble's time as showrunner, she's probably the only person on the team who would have understood that if you want female viewers to like a female character, that character has to actually have a personality.
ReplyDeleteCharlie's someone you can imagine hanging out with. You can imagine what music she might like, where she eats out. There's not many female characters on the show you could say that about. What music does Amelia listen to, for example? What sort of novels would she read? No idea. She just likes two guys and she's a vet. That's the sum total of her personality.
"let's take Charlie to the Batcave"
ReplyDeleteThat's operating on the assumption that Charlie doesn't track them down via their IP addresses and turns up on their doorstep. An equally, and in some ways more, plausible outcome.