My dear friend Mo Ryan, with whom I've had face to face passionate discussions for both The 100 and Supernatural, wrote a very bold review about last night's major development on The 100. In it, she shared some thoughts about why she quit watching Supernatural after season 10. I've got to say, I'm in total agreement. Here are her words:
I watched “Supernatural” for 10 years before finally giving up, and I didn’t give up immediately after the show killed off Charlie (Felicia Day’s character). But it never sat right with me, never, in part because it was one of the worst-written episodes in the history of the show (and this is a show that once featured a demonically possessed truck). A great character — who is also a lesbian — got a stupid death in a crappy, astoundingly tin-eared episode for no reason. Truly, there was no defensible reason, and it really bothered me in a number of ways. But I finished out the season, even though the show had done other really dumb stuff in the past (do not start me on the pointless death of Rufus).
Various patterns had finally gotten to me, I realized the summer after Season 10 ended. Charlie’s death wasn’t just dumb, sloppily handled and pointless, it fit part of a pattern within the show of women dying in questionable ways so that men can feel (transitory) pain.
I just haven’t been able to bring myself to watch the show this season, because it’s let me down too many times and in too many ways when it should have known better. There was no excuse for the show going down that road the way it did; it was simply lazy, bad writing. “Supernatural” had just shown me, one too many times, that it didn’t care about things that matter to me. That’s OK — it doesn’t have to care! I also don’t have to watch.
There were only so many examples of sexism, large and small, that I could be expected to take, and I found after Season 10 ended that I had reached my limit. I was done, for the foreseeable future. I’m not ruling out the possibility of going back to the show again — I might! I hear the show has tried to correct and change some elements that bothered me. But after a decade of trying to digest, ignore and forgive slights, dumb patterns and problems, I just couldn’t justify the use of that mental energy for that purpose anymore.
Here's the link to the article (MAJOR SPOILER WARNING if you watch The 100 and haven't seen the episode yet).
http://variety.com/2016/tv/columns/the-100-lexa-dead-clarke-relationship-13-1201722916/
It's funny, I was so in agreement I went back and read my scathing review of "Dark Dynasty". I realize that I still haven't forgiven the show for going down this path, allowing the sloppy writing by a pair of notorious sloppy writers who will never be fired, even though I am watching season 11 and enjoying it better. For having no sensitivity to a popular fan character just for the sake of plot.
Has Supernatural solved these issues in season 11? Has the powerful female motif in this season been an attempt to address the accusations of sexism that surfaced from season 10 (and before)? Or, do you think they don't really care what happened in season 10 and have moved on? Or, is Supernatural trying to hard to address things that "matter to fans" after all the backlash from this? Do you agree with Mo's thoughts in general?
I don't have any answers myself, but I thought this would make a great topic for discussion!