Supernatural: the Real Ghostbusters

[norwich36]

Well, that wasn't as bad as I feared it might be, but it also wasn't nearly as funny as the other episodes with Chuck. Kind of a filler episode, really. But at least it didn't trip my embarrassment squick hard enough that I couldn't watch.

Things I liked

1. I don't know how I became a Chuck/Becky shipper, but I am, so I was really glad Becky got over her Sam obsession when she saw Chuck's heroism in action. (And it was sweet of Sam to pretend like he cared--hee!) I actually like Chuck. Yes, he's a shameless Kripke avatar, but so what? As Marysues go, he's on the less-annoying end of the spectrum; I kind of love what a sad sack he is, and his incredible discomfort at having to answer questions about his books with Sam and Dean actually in the audience was hilarious. And I also have to say, I kind of feel for him in that scene where he's obviously mooning after Becky at the same time she's mooning after Sam, because he used to think of Sam as his own fictional creation, and it would suck to be surpassed by your own invention!

And while Becky has some really stereotyped annoying qualities, I actually kind of like her despite them. (Possibly because I fear I would turn into the same kind of annoying fan if I were actually in the presence of Sam and Dean!!!)I loved that she actually knows the books *better* than Chuck, and she was able to give them a clue about the Colt. And I think she and Chuck are a good match.

2. Most of the humor in this episode seemed rather strained to me, but a couple things did make me laugh out loud: the two panels they announced (Dean as frightened little boy--hee! I was hoping we'd get to see him in that one) and the homoerotic subtext one (despite the fact that I find that unlikely at such a male-dominated convention). The first questions from the audience to Chuck made me crack up, too--you can tell they've actually heard a lot of those before. Also the really obvious names all the fake Sam'n'Deans had on their cop ids--Lennon and McCartney, hee!--were great self-parody.

3. I liked that Demian and Barnes were inspired to help, through their terror, because it's what Sam and Dean would do. That I found authentically moving (whereas the later speech to Dean about waking up every day to save the world? Not so much).

Things that were mildly to moderately annoying

1. All of fandom has already complained about the fact that this was a fanBOY convention, which doesn't represent actual Supernatural conventions--and the boy fans got to be heroes while the girl fans are just annoying--so I don't really have to. Though I do wonder if they actually were trying to avoid offending all the fangirls by making the con fanboys instead, trying not to mock their actual fanbase? It's hard to say. At least the heroic fanboys turned out to be gay. I wasn't really very offended either way; it just felt like the writers of this episode were a little out of touch with actual fans, which meant that I wasn't very offended but I wasn't very amused, either.

2. This episode didn't really have much of a point. Last week's episode was all meta-y, too, but it turned out to be very connected to the mytharc. But Becky could have easily revealed the knowledge about the Colt in another setting, and the ghosts in this ep don't seem really related to whatever else is going on in the show, so this really did just feel like a filler episode.

Comments

[roxymissrose.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it was kind of fillery with the small point of helping people is a good thing but I don't mind the occasional break. There's something in me that kind of likes being abused, so despite embarrassed yawping, I really enjoyed the ep.

We watching also thought it was hilarious, the all boy audience--suuuuure. The only guys in attendance to these things are boyfriends or brothers....

[norwich36.livejournal.com]

I actually like humor and meta episodes, just probably not two in a row.

I was just reading someone else's review of this, and someone pointed out that half of the fanbase is in fact men, but I know that's not representative of cons! Still, I tend to go with the charitable reading that they made it mostly boys so they wouldn't insult the actual fervent fans, who are mostly women.

[rsadelle]

I thought this ep had almost no redeeming value. I am WAY OVER Becky - I think she crosses the line from funny because it's true to mocking - and nothing that was going on had much point. I did like the tags at the end - both Dean being an idiot and taking ten times as long as I did to get what the fanboys' relationship was and the hilarious Sam and Becky bit.

[norwich36.livejournal.com]

Well, like I said, Becky doesn't bother me so much (especially given all the fannish speculation that she might be God--see what crazy theories you miss when you don't read other reviews? And that development might in fact be the BEST THING EVER) partially because I am totally shipping her with Chuck--but I can see why you think she is a caricature of fangirls.

But yeah, this isn't going to be an episode I ever rewatch.

I have to say, the only thing that ACTIVELY triggered my embarrassment squick when I was watching was Dean's "Well howdy partners" after Demian and Barnes came out.

[rsadelle]

Hooboy. Apparently I do miss things.

Yeah, that was embarrassing.

[shopgirl318.livejournal.com]

I liked this one also. It didn't feel like a convention episode it felt like a ghost mystery. I don't think it was bad or embarrasing as the reviewers thought it was. Becky/Chuck = otp who knew! lmao. I agree on comparing to the convention, I don't think they were comparing it to the events. I think they were just having a little fun with it, it was amusing at times but I didn't feel insulted. I could be wrong though, I am not really heavily involved in the supernatural fandom.

[norwich36.livejournal.com]

I didn't actually mind the mystery, I just like it when the mystery of the episode is somehow more thematically tied either to the Winchesters or the overall plot-arc.