Supernatural - Season 5

WARNING: SPOILERS FOR SEASON 4



Manipulated by Ruby, Sam killed Lilith and thus broke the final seal to Lucifer's prison. The devil is freed from his cage, and Armageddon has come. And Castiel has died protecting Dean from the archangel tied to the prophet Chuck. But another force intervenes, and at the last second before Lucifer is unleashed upon the world, Sam and Dean find themselves on a plane, away from immediate danger. What's more, that same force has brought Castiel back from the dead.

But the Winchesters' roles in the Apocalypse have just started. Because it turns out that for the final battle between Lucifer and his big brother Michael to happen, two very special vessels are required - an obedient older brother and a younger one that ever rebelled against an unfathomable father. Sam and Dean are the true vessels of Armageddon. But for an angel to occupy a vessel, it has to first give consent. And so the quest for preventing the final battle begins.

Season 5 of Supernatural is the heaviest in terms of plot yet. Initially planned as an ending to the Winchesters' story, it goes on to resolve most of the issues the brothers have between them, and even takes some time to flesh out Bobby and Castiel, making them full-fledged support cast. There are almost no stand-alone episodes, and when there are, they are also either tied somehow to the main arc, or used to further develop the brothers.

Two other characters receive more attention, one of them old, the other - a newcomer. The first is everyboty's favorite Trickster (Richard Speight Jr.) who turns out to be so much more than we originally thought (and the screenwriters originally planned, I bet). He also leads by far the funniest episode in the show yet - the hilarious TV show hopping Changing Channels where the Winchesters are trapped in TV-land and have to play roles to survive. The Trickster has a bigger role to play too, and although it's obvious he wasn't conceived as such from the beginning, it ties perfectly with the show's concepts.

The new addition is the insanely charming and obnoxious demon Crowley (Mark A. Sheppard) - Lord of the Crossroads and a craven opportunist whose instinct of self-preservation makes him want to help the brothers ice the devil. You know he's awesome when he complains about how other demons are after his ass with the immortal words "They burned down my house! THEY ATE MY TAILOR!" Sheppard was pretty great in Battlestar Galactica as the smartass lawyer Romo Lampkin, but his Crowley here is such a disarmingly horrible person, that you just have to love him.

And then of course, there is Lucifer (Mark Pellegrino), riding an imperfect vessel until he can persuade Sam to say yes. The fallen angel is just as cool as could be expected, going more Milton than Bible in being honest, calm, and at the same time utterly maddened by the desire to take revenge on his father for casting him down just for loving him too much. He doesn't need rage, because he knows that he will win, and is almost serene in the knowledge. A very strong character that doesn't have nearly enough screen time.

There are no weak elements that I haven't addressed in previous reviews. Of course, it's a little annoying that a season that has obviously been thought of as final, turns out to not be so, but it doesn't really suffer from that business decision. Some bad acting happens here and there, some weird plot holes, some easy saves where no easy saves should occur, and of course the usual "we can't really do issues well"... wait for it... ISSUE. But nothing that would spoil the fun.

All in all Season 5 is probably the best season of the show so far. True, the plot drags on occasion, but the main arc is so rich and interesting, that it compensates fully. Almost all the episodes are strong, with appearances from damn near every character this show has ever had, plus some new ones. The angels are still trying to outdick the demons (Zachariah wins the cherry with his awesome "Lucifer might be powerful, but I am petty!") while humans can't make heads or tails of what's happening around them. The four horsemen ride on unorthodox steeds, and in the utterly awesome Hammer of the Gods even some pagan deities make appearances. The Apocalypse is no longer nigh, it is here, and it is happening. And Supernatural pulls it off beautifully, managing to finish the season in the most perfect way imaginable. I'm really curious to see how Season 6 will pick up the story.

9/10

X-men: First Class' first trailer

First trailer of the upcoming X-men: First Class. Looks less horrible than I expected, but it still smells suspiciously of another Wolverine failure. Let's just hope that the magnificent cast can save the day...

Subterranean offers a limited edition of Neil Gaiman's Anansi Boys

Subterranean is offering three different types of limited edition of Neil Gaiman's Anansi Boys. Even though the page for the book lists it as "sold out", I received the e-mail today, which suggests that this should change. So if you're interested in some spicy Gaiman action, keep an eye on Subterranean's site.

The author of The Vampire Diaries has been "fired"?

I stumbled upon this piece of news over at The Wertzone. Apparently L.J. Smith - the writer of the hugely successful The Vampire Diaries series - has been fired by her publisher HarperCollins from her own series. It seems HC thinks that the recent books have deviated from the "core of the series". Honestly, I can't believe such a thing could happen in this day and age, but as the series started coming out a good twenty years ago, I guess it's not that impossible. Also, it turns out that Smith was only hired by the publisher to work on an idea they had. I imagine I'd be pretty pissed if it were a series I cared about. In this case I only find the whole thing mildly absurd and a little funny. Especially considering how huge the series has become recently around the whole vampire romance mania and the tv show. Honestly, I'm sorry for Smith, but I'm also chuckling a little.

Cover art for the US paperback edition of Guy Gavriel Kay's Under Heaven

Kay is one of the writers I know I should be reading, but never seem to get around to doing it. I have read his Lions of Al-Rasan as well as the Fionavar Tapestry, but for whatever reason it's been years since I've picked up another book of his. Anyway, for all intents and purposes the comparison between the gorgeous hardcover and the new paperback edition should be in favor of the former, but for some reason I really like the color scheme for this one. It's very vivid and I think it will look great on the actual book.

Cover art for the US edition of Adrian Tchaikovsky's The Scarab Path

I still think that the US editions of Adrian Tchaikovsky's Shadows of the Apt (published by Pyr) are way better looking than the UK version, not to mention the format is easier to read. So, on that note, here's the cover for The Scarab Path - book 5 in the series, and first in the second story-arc. Release date is April 2011.

Home Fires - Gene Wolfe

Gene Wolfe has the amazingly potent power to make me feel stupid. He doesn't do it on purpose, I'm sure, as nobody's really that mean, but he does it regardless. His newest novel, Home Fires, did that job admirably, but not in the most fulfilling way that he's capable of.

The story is - as is always the case with Wolfe - deceptively simple. In a future mildly dystopian America, Skip Grison "contracted" Chelle Sea Blue when they were both fresh out of college. She was bound for the stars with the army, to fight the mysterious Os over the few habitable planets that both races want, and he would stay on Earth and become a successful lawyer. Relativistic time meant that a few years for her would mean decades for him. Thus, when Chelle came back, she would have a rich contracto, and he - a young contracta. It is now 20 years later and Skip is pushing fifty. And the love of his life is due home. But now that they are separated by such a big age gap, will they be able to have the life they once both dreamed of?

Home Fires is a whodunit mystery, channeling a little of Wolfe's own Seven American Nights in terms of atmosphere. From the very beginning inconsistencies start piling up. To get a present for his contracta, Skip uses a company called Reanimation, which "raises" her dead mother by imprinting one of its employees with her brain scan - in short "uploading" her in a new body. Chelle, however, instantly recognizes her mother even though the body is different and much younger. Then they take a cruise on a big ship out at sea, and misadventures and strange meetings keep following them.

The book is exceptionally engrossing, the promise of a resolution to a shapeless mystery dangling in front of the reader like a golden carrot from hell. Every conversation is heavy with the energy of hidden meaning, and even seemingly casual and pointless remarks are made in a tone and using words that suggest more. Most of that is Wolfe's way of confusing you, as there can be no hidden meaning everywhere, obviously. Some of it isn't, however, and it is there that I start feeling stupid.

Because the actual mystery of Home Fires is resolved two thirds of the way, and the reader keeps expecting there to be more. And I am pretty sure there is more, only - unlike with Wolfe's masterpieces like Book of the New Sun or Fifth Head of Cerberus - this time I am not entirely certain whether this is based on the actual book, or my knowledge of the way the writer operates. There are threads left hanging, and there are characters whose presence in the novel remains unexplained. Meetings that could not have been coincidence or chance. Connections that should not be there. And yet it does not seem to amount to anything solid.

Wolfe uses his favorite positioning of the narrative - in the character's head, but outside of their mind; it is completely closed to the reader, and even though you look through Skip's eyes for almost the entire book, you are never witness to his thinking process. Home Fires is separated into chapters, each one followed by a smaller "Reflections" section. The chapters are in third person, while the Reflections are in first, and are exactly that - ruminations on what has just happened, suggestions, guesses and dreams, most of them - suggesting that Skip has figured out more than he lets on... and more than the reader is left with by the end of the novel.

So yes, I am a little frustrated. I enjoyed reading Home Fires, but I finished it with a feeling of being slightly cheated. I am not sure there were enough clues to what actually happens in the story, and for the first time in my experience with Gene Wolfe I have doubts that there might not be anything more than what's on plain sight. Still, the book is beautifully written, with dialogue that is - in an almost Philip Dick way - completely artificial and unrealistic, but at the same time weirdly appropriate to the atmosphere and the story, and flows like black water - opaque and hiding anything that might be lurking beneath its surface, but ensnaring none the less - or maybe for that very reason. Would I recommend that you give it a chance? Absolutely. It is Gene Wolfe, and that means it is always worth reading. I am just not sure I want to give it the reread it might need to be understood.

7/10

Supernatural - Season 4

WARNING: SEASON 3 SPOILERS GALORE!

Season 3 ended with Dean being dragged into hell after his one year was up. Sam, however, survived Lilith's attack, turning out to be immune to her powers. It is now four months later, and Dean is inexplicably back from the dead, sporting a handprint on his shoulder. He claims to have no idea what has happened to him in hell, and even less so concerning his savior's identity. Until the one responsible for his miraculous rebirth reveals himself - Castiel (Misha Collins), an angel of the Lord.

Lilith has started breaking the 66 seals - the locks to Lucifer's prison. For that reason, in the first time in 2000 years, the Heavenly Host is down on Earth, the immensely powerful angels battling the demons who are trying to set their creator free. And Dean has a role to play in the upcoming battle - a key role, important enough so that the Lord has commanded he be saved from hell. But what of Sam? How has he spent the four months since the death of his brother?

Season 4 of Supernatural begins the Apocalypse story-arc. The war between Heaven and hell, in which the Winchester brothers are pivotal. Sam's newfound powers of demon exorcising and Dean's struggling to understand why he is so important that he deserves a second chance are of course the focus of the story, and as can be easily guessed, that means a lot of angst. Which means dragging and ISSUES! But on the plus side, the scriptwriters have learned a little, and this time the drama is a little bit more relateable, the conflicts more focused. The brothers still mostly exchange pointless and inexact half-accusations instead of actually dealing with the problems, but progress has been made.

The true awesomeness in Season 4 however is Castiel. Misha Collins portrays the uptight angel beautifully, and Castiel is in turns strong and commanding, and vulnerable and uncertain. His strict moral code and absolute obedience to the will of the Lord are put to a test more than once, and he quickly becomes the best support character this show has ever had.

And yet, among all that Apocalyptic drama, there is still time for stand-alone fun. Possibly one of the best episodes in the entire show, the black-and-white Monster Movie, with its ridiculous cheesy music and old-school drama, puts the Winchesters in a small town during Octoberfest. There seems to be a vampire there, only it wears a cape and speaks with a Transilvanian accent. Oh, and also a werewolf. With fur, and a muzzle. And that's not counting the mummy! Wishful Thinking takes us to a town where a wishing well actually works, to hilariously demented effects like a bipolar suicidal six-foot living teddy bear for example. It's a Terrible Life on the other hand, introduces us to a weird alternate reality where Sam and Dean are both Joe Normals who have never met each other in their lives, but happen to work in the same office building. Which is haunted...

There are a few gems among the main story-arc episodes as well. In the Beginning sees Dean transported by Castiel back in time to witness the start of the Winchester curse when a young John Winchester and his girlfriend Mary meet Azazel for the first time, while The Monster at the End of the Book introduces Chuck (Rob Benedict) - a mediocre writer of a badly written book series called Supernatural, which just happens to describe the brothers' lives to the smallest detail.

There is a truckload of new characters in this season - both angels, demons and humans. The scriptwriters have finally figured out that no matter how good the dynamic between the two protagonists, a tv show needs an ensemble to function properly. And with the demons switching bodies with such ease, we get to see different acting for the same character, which is also an interesting thing. Particularly the last incarnation of the demon Alastair (Christopher Heyerdahl) is a joy to listen to, as he whines and wheezes his way into sentence after painful sentence with nasal hickness that's just delightful.

In the end though, Season 4 is all about Sam and Dean, as usual, and the story ends in a huge cliffhanger that has you reaching for the next season's box in panic. I can't honestly tell whether it's better or worse than the previous year, but it is a very good season, and worth watching. It is Apocalypse now! Of the Lord!

8/10

A Song of Ice and Fire comic book adaptation

George R. R. Martin announced on his not-a-blog that Bantam has acquired the rights and together with Dynamite Entertainment is going to publish a series of monthly issues. The comics will be scripted by Daniel Abraham and drawn by Tommy Patterson. The first issue is scheduled to be released in late Spring 2011. Until then, here are two concept arts from the artist - of Jon Snow and Tyrion Lannister:

A few more Game of Thrones videos

There has been an on-going series of "Artisan" videos released in recent weeks, all dedicated to different aspects of the production of the upcoming HBO show A Game of Thrones. I thought I'd compensate for my recent lack of activity by posting all the videos that have come out by now. Watch them, they're pretty interesting!

The Artisans: Buster Reeves

The Artisans: Simon Brindle

The Artisans: Richard Roberts

The Artisans: Maisie Williams