stacked day 45: 7.07, 11.05
bigger things on my mind (not the election)
When I started this newsletter, I wanted to be able to send out the essays on the days the episodes aired, so that I could hit the key anniversary dates. The desire to watch the episodes on their proper day ultimately outweighed the desire for them to be read about on those proper days, so here we are: it’s November 4th, and I’m writing this little introduction as 7.07 finishes. It’s another one of those mind-hole episodes, except every time I watch it I’m like okay maybe this is pretty funny. It was written by two guys with rhyming names who are never credited with another episode of Supernatural ever again, Ben Acker & Ben Blacker. They co-created a sketch show called Thrilling Adventure Hour that ran for ten years in Los Angeles. It was in the style of old-timey radio and they had LA podcast legends like Paul F. Thompkins and Whedonverse icons like Danny Strong on. Members of the Supernatural cast appeared, too. This is all according to Wikipedia. Sometimes I wish I had known about it when I was in high school, though, because it unfortunately, embarrassingly sounds like something I would have been into; and more than anything, I loved to see guys from Supernatural in public. Maybe this happened more often after I graduated and I’d come home for holidays, but my friends and I went to LA pretty frequently to catch local comedy shows. I treasure those memories; I love to laugh! I’m even going to see a comedy show in LA in a week or so. All of this being said: it’s a pretty funny episode! But, my mind is elsewhere. I am focusing on the wrong things. If we were having a conversation, I don’t think I’d tell you the plot, and I think this newsletter is best understood as a conversation between me and all of you. I hope it can be less one-sided, but I do love to talk.
The scene I care the most about is at the end. Sam and Dean were fighting because Dean killed Amy, but now they’re okay. Dean tells Sam he killed Amy because he didn’t trust her (valid imo) but after Cas, he’s having trouble trusting anyone. I love every mention of Castiel in a season where he really wasn’t supposed to come back. I think about how much time Dean is given to grieve him when he’s gone; it’s the longest stretch in Season 7, of course, the death that feels realest for everyone involved (viewers, the network, probably Misha Collins, etc). Some say it’s a myth that Cas’s eventual return boosted the show out of its death knell, but what I remember is Season 7 aired on Fridays, and Season 8 did not (Wednesdays, baby!) So, you tell me the truth.
It’s fun to end on such an emotional note, then skip to Season 11. Sam and Dean are about to head out on a case, and Dean asks Sam what they should do about Cas as he continues to recover from Rowena’s spell. Sam says it’s fine, he’s watching The Wire; Dean agrees, he will be occupied for a bit. I love that the angel is watching TV. Me too, man. 11.05 is written by Nancy Won, who writes a few episodes in Season 11 and then leaves the team. Looking at her credits, I like all of them, this one included. I think she’s the one that establishes Sam is a true crime fan1—favorite weird detail! But, it’s interesting for today to be episodes written by people who I don’t have a strong sense of. It almost feels like watching episodes of a TV show I feel normally about instead of sickly obsessive over. But, of course, everyone knows I am sickly and obsessive and often filtering that through my favorite (or not!) guys. I struggle to really deal with what’s happening in these episodes because I am anticipating tomorrow (or, your today); I am thinking so deeply about their metacontext because of everything the show becomes when we consider the metacontext. I want to sit next to everyone who is watching Supernatural for the first time and tell you everything that was happening in 2013. I wanted to be able to send these newsletters out on the proper days the episodes aired so I could hit anniversaries: the pilot, Castiel day, and most importantly, November 5th—Castiel telling Dean he is Really In Love With Him, Actually, For Real! I’ve been thinking about it for weeks, that vindication; truthfully been thinking about it for years. When I’ve wanted to give up on this newsletter, I’ve thought about how I at least wanted to make it to 15.18 “Despair”; I’m sorry to 7.07 and 11.05—you are perfectly fine episodes of TV. I am tempted to dig into my archive and see how I reacted to 7.07 when it aired live; I remember the first time I watched 11.05, I mostly thought about Sam’s true crime thing, rather than the plot development of Amara consuming souls. Sometimes my focus is off, too zoomed in or too zoomed out. These episodes stack in that very particular way—very little actual conversation happening between the two of them, bound by my lack of attention. I’m sorry for the wasted attempt. There’s a scene in Julie & Julia after Julie and her husband have a fight; she blogs about it, tells her readers she is making eggs for dinner instead of making progress in the cookbook. It is an intense moment, the reprieve from your awful ever-present distracted by another layer; my distraction, though, is kind of fun! I refuse to let the election be an interruption, although I know it may be for some of you. Today, let this entry be the equivalent to eggs. 45 essays in; only 138 left to go.
Cleaning House
Give to the Sameer Project’s tent encampment project, providing shelter and specialized support to displaced families in Central Gaza.
Buy a book through the Workshops4Gaza storefront to raise funds for Crips for eSims for Gaza (or donate directly).
Give to displaced families in Lebanon
Unsubscribe from the New York Times
It’s possible there’s a one-off mention of him listening to true crime podcasts earlier, but I’m kind of all mixed up with stacked. I don’t know how to emphasize how ridiculous it is that he loves true crime. The Winchesters should literally be the subject of a true crime podcast—bank robber serial killers that died twice ?????????????????????????????