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In the past, scientists were easy to recognize, white lab coats, horn rimmed glasses, and a collage degree.  Today’s scientists blend in a little bit better, backwards facing hats, cargo shorts and t-shirts.  The equipment however is no less impressive, and the purpose hasn’t changed, to discover and learn about the world around us.

As paranormal investigators and ghost hunters that is the very thing we try to do.  We have seen things in this world that modern science cannot explain.  A select few of us decided we would not sit on the side lines and let the world tell us that the things that we’ve experienced could not have happened just because modern science hasn’t found an answer for it yet, we decided we would look for the answers ourselves.

From full bodied apparitions to unexplained voices they all happen and for a reason, but why, how.  That’s what we want to know. So do our clients.  For most of us the clients are the fuel that keeps us going. We feel a deep feeling of responsibility to help those that are having these experiences.  We go looking for them, but our clients do not ask to be woken up in the middle of the night with the shadow of a figure standing over there bed or have things in there home constantly disappearing or moving seemingly by themselves, and that’s just examples of a calm haunting. Some hauntings have been known to be so serious as to affect the health or threaten the very life of the client.

Who are they supposed to turn to when the rest of the world just thinks they’re being irrational or just imagining things.  A few years ago no one knew.  Today, thanks to mainstream media, they now know that there are people out there that believe their stories and want to help them any way they can.

Shows like “Ghost Hunters”, “Paranormal State”, and now the new “Ghost Lab” to name a few, show people that they don’t have to face these experiences alone.  We don’t  laugh, we don’t make jokes, they talk and we listen and do everything in our power to supply the help they need.  Because, like them, we’ve been in there shoes.  We face a constant stream of criticism from skeptics and even some religions.  The networks that have decided to air shows based on the paranormal have opened a door into our world and have educated millions of people on topics that used to be considered taboo.

People who have lived for years with unexplained occurrences happening around them now don’t feel so alone, they see that there are other people out there that live through the same things, and so have allowed them to seek our help without fear of embarrassment feeling there is something shameful about living with spirits.

Now each show has a different way of doing things.  Some shows concentrate more on evidence some on history or telling the story of the haunting, some concentrate more on the relationship that develops between the  investigator and the client.  Personally, this is my favorite format.  The first show that I saw that put more emphasis on this aspect than any others was “Paranormal State” I applauded PRS for showing exactly to what lengths we as investigators go to help our clients.  More so than “Ghost Hunters” did, while TAPS will go to no less extremes for their clients, that relationship is not really shown on the show.  Before “Paranormal State” some viewers thought all we did was go in, shake the clients hand, do the investigation, show the client what was found, then leave.  This is not the case at all.  And then this aspect seems to have been completely lost on “Ghost Lab” where so far it seems they just use the client to do a quick history on the location, before they show the investigation.  While I’m sure they also work very closely with there clients as well, this is just a different format for their show.

While anyone can find fault  with any of the shows today individually, collectively they all show a fairly good picture of all the aspects of the life and times of a modern day paranormal investigator.

Patrick French: Founder/Director, Huntsville Ghost Hunters www.myspace.com/huntsvilleghost / huntsvilleghost@myspace.com

Graphic provided by Patrick French

Post from: SF Universe

Supernatural: Pre-Finale Preoccupation Part II

(Spoiler warnings? not needed… other than the episode title, photos and description provided by the network, we members of the SFA – Spoiler Freaks Anonymous — have been in serious withdrawal symptoms going into the finale.  Speculation will run rampant, though!  And keep in mind that points are generalities; your views will most likely differ. Part I covers the players, Part II covers the issues.)

We can count the hours now before we get some answers to questions that we’ve been struggling with all season long.  Just a few endless hours to close out season four and set the groundwork for season five.  The riffs of “Carry on My Wayward Son” have become a tradition for each finale and while budget cuts have severely affected the signature classic rock this season, this song’s presence has become tradition.

The players are all in place on the chessboard of the impending Apocalypse.  In one corner we have Heaven and The Angels, with our beloved Castiel, his boss Zachariah, and the dearly-departed Anna who was much more interesting as a human who could hear angels talking in her head than she ever was as a fallen angel.  In the other corner we have the minions of Hell led by Lucifer, and with demons Ruby and Lilith making a power play for Queen Bee.  And smack in the middle of it all are the Winchester Brothers, brave, stubborn, determined, broken, and each drawn by diverging destinies to stop the rise of Lucifer.  For the first time in four seasons, it appears that they will be fighting towards these end means separately.  And it better be the last time… because there is something completely and intrinsically wrong in using the words ‘Winchester’ and ‘separate’ in the same sentence. (Credit: MICHAEL MULLER/THE CW ©2006 The CW Network LLC. All Rights Reserved)

One thing that will be utterly fascinating is that Executive Producer and Creator Eric Kripke wrote and directed this finale episode.  For the first time we will be able to see ‘Supernatural’ entirely through the creator’s eyes: his characterizations, his motivations, his vision.  This should be interesting!

THE MYTHOLOGY: We’ve known for a long time that Kripke and his writers will base their stories on existing myths and urban legends.  The fact that one can google all their monsters has been a show signature. They will take ALL the multicultural representations of a particular legend and then pick and choose those aspects which best fit their story, thus creating their own unique Supernatural version.  For this reason, it is nearly impossible to use the myths themselves to try to guess story direction since we do not know which parts of a legend they will choose.  The only danger here for the creative team is to work hard to avoid pulling a ‘Heroes’ in making the mythology as a whole so convoluted, ridiculous, and unbelievable that will have us wondering what the heck happened.  One of the great things about ‘Supernatural’ was its simplicity and  believability despite the subject matter it was presenting, although suspension of disbelief is getting harder and harder to come by.

Finale Speculation has run rampant as to what may be presented and what questions have been left unanswered.  Here is a brief rundown.  If anyone has a different theory not listed, we’re anxious to add it!

*  What is the end game plan of the Yellow-Eyed Demon?

*  How much of what is happening is due to angel agenda vs. demon agenda?

*  What happened to the “Leader of the Demon Army” and “Boy King” slant started in S2?

*  Why did Dean’s ability to see demons go poof?

*  The death of Lilith will be the final seal to free Lucifer

*  Lilith doesn’t break the final seal, she IS the final seal

*  Sam is a vessel for Lucifer since Lucifer is a fallen angel and angels can only inhabit special folks

*  The first human that Lucifer tempts becomes a demon.  We believe Lilith to be the first human, but what if it turns out to be Sam, as tempted by Ruby?

*  Corrupted angel Uriel told Sam that he isn’t being smited as long as he proves useful. Who and what manner defines ‘useful’?

*  The transformation of Sam from human to demon will be the final seal

*  Lilith’s meatsuit becomes the vessel for Lucifer

*  Lilith’s meatsuit becomes the new meatsuit for Ruby

*  Castiel will temporarily jump meatsuits into Dean

*  Ruby is not really Ruby but some other demon

*  Castiel will turn evil

*  Ruby will die

*  Bobby will die sacrificing himself for the Boys

*  We know demons can’t be trusted, but shouldn’t angels be the good guys?

*  Ruby is a double-agent for the angels in exchange for redemption

*  Sam will go evil and turn into a demon

*  Dean will go evil instead, shocking everyone

*  Dean will get angelic powers

*  Dean will have to kill Sam to prove his faith/loyalty; spilling family blood is the final seal

*  Is there any significance to Sam’s name being Samuel which connects to “Samael”, the angel of Tuesday, who is said to have taken Lilith as his bride and is the supposed name of Lucifer before he fell?

*  How much will the ongoing theme of FREE WILL mess up everybody’s plans?

*  … ???

OK, who needs some aspirin right about now?  Place your bets boys and girls; the winner will get bragging rights to say “I out-guessed Kripke!”  After all, if a thousand monkeys typing will eventually type an actual word… then a thousand fans speculating will eventually guess Kripke’s plan, even though they won’t know it. (oh relax, I’m not calling us monkeys!)  My only fear is that our overactive imaginations have raised our expectations too high with too many possibilities. All throughout season 3 we were told there was no way to save Dean and at the end he was sent to Hell.  All throughout season 4 we have been told that Sam is turning darkside.  Jared has been begging to play evil, the clues are all set up, therefore why expect a rabbit out of the hat and something different?

THE SEASON FAUX PAS: One thing that our Show has been guilty of this season, in addition to some rather patent inconsistencies, is keeping too much hidden away. We needed to see more of Ruby’s true nature so that we could truly love to hate her; Dean’s PTSD; more of Sam’s angst, despair, bereavement, and desperation and what he went through while Dean was in Hell. Sadly, the episode that was supposed to be devoted to this became instead a vehicle to showcase how politically correct the new Ruby meatsuit was prior to the demon sex stunt. Thus we are now a little short-changed in being shown how or why the different roads the boys have taken are causing the conflict in their relationship. All we are getting is the end result without the background to understand why it’s happening. Maybe we are supposed to figure that out for ourselves, but too many viewers are getting all the wrong messages.  And this is resulting in the inevitable choosing of sides splitting along the Sam-lines or the Dean-lines.

THE FUTURE: One has to wonder once you have presented Lucifer and the Apocalypse, where exactly do you go from there?  Perhaps the answer is as simple and satisfying as: back to your roots of saving people, hunting things… the family business.  I know one thing I don’t have ANY interest seeing on a long term basis:  demon!Sam vs. angel!Dean. The thing that has always set Supernatural apart and raised it on a pedestal above this television wasteland has always been the portrayal of the brothers’ relationship – family above all else.  Shows and movies that have themes of brother vs. brother are a dime-a-dozen.  Supernatural was unique in that it didn’t rely on that overused theme to move its story along. Even in shows where brothers are on the same side, that special bond is simply missing from the screen (i.e. Peter & Nathan Petrelli).  I believe Kripke & Co. fully recognize that the brothers’ relationship is intrinsic to the DNA of the Show.  After all, Robert Singer is still there, and he was the one that looked beyond the blood, gore & horror that everyone else was salivating over like giggling teenagers and pointed to the brother-bond saying ‘THAT is the core of your show’.

I have no doubt that the brothers finding their way back to one another will be a big theme in season 5, just as it was in season 1, thus bringing us full circle.  Even though the relationship will appear to be irreparably fractured, the brothers WILL get past the pain. They won’t forget what has taken place, but they can forgive one another, and allow their familial love to guide their hearts.  Kripke & Co. know their bread & butter is the brothers’ relationship. Before heroes can rise, they need to fall to rock bottom, and this has always been a hero’s journey. Supernatural has always been about Sam-n-Dean…. not Sam & Ruby or Dean & Castiel, and certainly not Sam VS. Dean.  After all, this was the concern that permeated discussions at the end of the third season.  With Master Kripke teasing that Dean would be spending a bit of time in Hell, viewers were having nightmares about multiple episodes lacking the presence of one of the brothers.

Most viewers have NO interest seeing demon!Sam vs. angel!Dean on a long term basis.  And long term in this case is a quarter of a season.  I don’t expect things to be fixed nicely in one or two episodes, but I certainly don’t want to see it drag out to 5-6 episodes.  One season of separation has been more than enough.  The writers had their fun, destroyed the relationship, and now it is time to fix it.  Beyond the demons, angels and apocalyptic battles, the reason we keep coming back is because of that bond, exemplified so excellently by series stars Ackles and Padalecki.

THE FANS:  It is no secret there exists a definite and unique love-hate relationship between the fans and Master Kripke. The episode “The Monster at the End of the Book” allowed the perfect opportunity to poke fun at us, while they poked fun at themselves.  I only wish he would expand his online surfing to a few more forums where there are responsible adults who can discuss the pros and cons of episodes without starting flame wars. The Master appreciates the support we provide and the grassroots efforts that have helped Supernatural get to Season Five. Yet the vociferous nature of the constant biting critiques have made it difficult to strike a balance between what he as the creator may want to present and what we as the fans may want to see.  With every viewer necessary in the count to maintain the numbers on this small network, no doubt concessions to the creative vision were made along the way.  (The pros and cons of that whole scenario are best left to their own study.)  Technically, our job is done now.  Our beloved Show has been given the gift of a fifth (and by all counts, final) season, and now our nagging nitpicking won’t really matter all that much anymore.  They could have Sam run off to marry Ruby and start making little demon babies and the outcome won’t matter.  Not that we will simply sit back and enjoy the ride – it’s not in our nature – but the ride no longer needs to conform so much to our wants and desires.

The stage is now set for the finale.  I’m actually dreading this finale.  Not because it will continue to pit Sam against Dean and leave us with a shocking cliffhanger, but because the outcome will then pit the Sam-fans vs. the Dean-fans all summer long. And THAT will be a hell to listen to worse than any torture Dean suffered.

Recently, datenshiblue on Live Journal offered fandom with an excellent perspective. Simply stated:  “Supernatural” is a story about humanity trying to survive in a world of supernatural forces.  While there are two sides (good/evil, heaven/hell), a more correct representation of those two sides is <the Winchesters vs. everybody else>. I really like this train of thought.  Let’s keep this in mind as we go at each other during the summer discussions, provided our brains don’t turn into mush after this finale.

THANK YOU SUPERNATURAL CAST and CREW: For all the ups and downs, hits and misses, and our general praises and gripes, Season Four has been truly incredible.  From the minute that Dean clawed his way back from Hell, to this finale that will no doubt leave us speechless, it has been a fantastic ride.  Words of appreciation are not enough for the stellar performances that we have been gifted with by Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki, Misha Collins, and Jim Beaver as well as the entire supporting cast.  To Eric Kripke and his team of writers, thank you for continuing to entertain us and awe with your creativity. To the inimitable Mr. Kim Manners, you will be in our hearts and prayers, and your presence missed.  To the entire crew in Vancouver who make it all possible under difficult conditions and inhuman deadlines, we thank you.  And to The CW and WB, look for avenues of appreciation that matter to you the most: our support of your products and sponsors.

OFFICIAL NETWORK DESCRIPTION:   “Lucifer Rising” -The Battle Between Heaven and Hell begins. The apocalypse is coming, and Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) prepare for the fight in very different ways. Sam joins Ruby (Genevieve Cortese) on a final run to kill Lilith (guest star Katherine Boecher), while Castiel (Misha Collins) and Zachariah (guest star Kurt Fuller) tell Dean it’s time to play his part in stopping Lucifer. Eric Kripke wrote and directed the episode.

Watch the SUPERNATURAL Season Finale, 9:00 pm Thursday on The CW.

(I also want to take just a moment to give a big shoutout of thanks to this fandom who offers some of the most fascinating and intelligent discussions on our little TV show on the CW Lounge, SN.tv, TWOP, LJ and other places. And to some dear friends who keep me sane and offer lots of food for thought in our weekly SPN discussions:  malanti.mage, Kamelion, IMTheresa, Kim, and Deej.)

Photo: Michael Courtney/The CW©2009 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Post from: SF Universe

Supernatural — Pre-Finale Preoccupation Part I

by Liana B.  (mousitsa@sbcglobal.net)

(Spoiler warning? nah, not really… other than the description provided by the network, we members of the SFA — SpoilerFreaks Anonymous — have been in serious withdrawal going into the finale.  Speculation will run rampant, though!  And keep in mind that points are generalities; your views will most likely differ. Part I covers the players, Part II covers the issues.)

SEASON FINALE TIME

Hard to believe we have reached the 22nd episode already. And thanks to the early generosity of The CW, it is a season  finale and not a series finale.  Unlike other seasons, this one seems to have sped right by. But then again, that’s what happens when you are presented with something so truly entertaining, creatively impressive, and completely enjoyable to watch.  Something that one looks forward to every week in great anticipation.  Something that provides so much food for thought that the week in between seems shortened by participating in countless discussions analyzing what was presented.  This is the point where folks tell us devoted fans that we need to ‘get a life’.  Well, I often work 8-10 hours a day, take care of family, spend time with friends, and worry about finances — I have a life! This is simply my way of escaping it for a bit since the problems of the Winchesters truly make my own pale in comparison.  I used to make fun of the Trekkies for their obsession, but now I understand it.  Speaking of which, I wish ‘Supernatural’ lent itself to a cool nickname, like Trekkies, X-Philes, Losties… the ‘Supernaturalies’ just doesn’t have quite the same ring to it.  Of all the possible nicknames I’ve heard for the fandom, SuperFreaks seems to be a catchy one, although it makes us sound like something Sam and Dean would hunt.

The finale is titled “Lucifer Rising.”  I don’t think series creator, Eric Kripke, could’ve been any more blatant than that in order to hint at what is coming. It makes a nice companion to the series opener “Lazarus Rising” and brings us full circle in a way.  But to heck with Lucifer Rising, my Ulcer is Rising trying to wrap my head around everything that has happened this season!  In season four, the story expanded to include angels along with demons, factions of Heaven and Hell, and as if that wasn’t enough, it had to throw in the Apocalypse for good measure. That’s right boys and girls, The Freaking Apocalypse!  Despite the complexity of its mythology and rich layers of characterization, it is still relatively easy for new viewers to jump in and enjoy Supernatural.  Part of that reason is that each season follows a simple theme:  find dad, hunt The Demon that killed mom (1), uncover Sam’s destiny (2), prevent Dean from going to hell (3), avert the rise of Lucifer (4).  Mysteries and questions tend to last all season long, but by season’s end enough questions are answered to provide the viewer fulfillment and reward for being there, while setting up the groundwork for the season to follow.  Unlike, for example, Lost which is mystery upon mystery with hardly any answers.  This also prevents the ultimate fate of X-Files from happening, which practically imploded from the weight of its own compounded mythology.

There really is no satisfactory way of covering ALL the issues we have been presented with throughout this season without writing a thesis; therefore the attempt that follows is only a wide sweep.  But first we must get to know the major players a little better.

THE BROTHERS:

Let’s get this point out in the open quickly.  Although it is upsetting to see the brothers at such an emotional distance, we knew it was coming as it was building up all season.  We knew at some point it would be Dean vs. Sam.  I’m not so concerned that the story went this way — after all, it makes for good drama.  I’m more concerned in how long they plan on keeping up this schism into S5.  Supernatural has always been about Sam & Dean and certainly NOT Sam vs. Dean.  I’m confident that Kripke & Co. recognizes this enough to quickly return to it after the shock factor of the finale wears off.  Otherwise he shouldn’t be too surprised if voodoo dolls and burning effigies suddenly start appearing on his front lawn.

DEAN: He’s literally been to Hell and back.  He is the older brother who has felt it is his lifelong job to look after and protect his younger sibling, even to the point of giving up his own life and being sent to Hell as a result of a demonic deal, controlled by Lilith, gone bad.  So where has the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder been hiding?  By simple medical definition PTSD includes nightmares, flashbacks, insomnia, and anger, as well as significant impairment in social & work functions, and relationships. PTSD lasts for many months.  It’s not that we haven’t seen those symptoms in Dean’s case, it’s that we only saw glimpses.  And part of the season’s inconsistencies have been that Dean exhibited this shell shock in one episode, but in the next he was the “old Dean” in his happy, unaffected self.

Dean is a man whose outward bravado serves to cover up a damaged psyche, loads of daddy issues, low self-esteem, and general inclination to blame himself for everything gone wrong. To say he has a lot on his plate is an understatement.  He was raised from perdition by the angel Castiel, only to discover he is nothing more than a pawn who has yet to be told what Heaven wants with him.  Both fathers, earthly and heavenly, have told him he must basically either save Sam or kill him.  He not only fears he must do harm to the younger brother that means everything to him, but discovers that his own actions in Hell led to the events putting the impending Apocalypse into motion.  And it is now his duty to step up and stop it.  Problem is that he has no idea what will be required of him in order to do that.  But with Supernatural, it wouldn’t be agonizing drama if it somehow didn’t involve Sam and those bonds of brotherhood.

SAM: The unsuspecting bundle of joy that was fed demon blood when he was just six months old has been told he will be the Boy King and Leader of Big Demon Army.  It’s a strange position to be in for someone who has been sheltered and protected by his older brother all his life.  But our Sammy has grown up, evidenced by his physical presence, sharp hunting skills, and newfound ability to kick his brother’s tush in a smack down.  That latent demon blood gifted him with psychic ability that has now turned into super mojo allowing him to kill demons with his mind.  A little superpower can’t be all that bad when trying to rid the world of demons, can it?  Except that in order to power-up, he needs to suck down loads of demon blood courtesy of the veins of his new BFF Ruby, in effect acting like a drug-addicted vampire.  It appears that the amount of demon blood needed to make him strong enough to take down an uber-demon might change him into a monster forever.

Driven in part by obsession and revenge that appears to be genetically preconditioned, and the immeasurable guilt felt of not being able to prevent his brother’s trip to Hell, Sam is on a one man mission to kill the big bad demon Lilith, no matter what the cost to himself and his soul.  He is convinced that killing Lilith will prevent the Apocalypse.  He feels he is the only one that can do this job, despite protests from Dean, and the ends seem to be justifying all means.  Including turning his back on the one person that has always had his back, his brother.

THE SUPPORT TEAM

CASTIEL: If anyone was expecting harp-playing cherubs with fluffy wings, then they weren’t watching Supernatural.  The angels in this world are soldiers who follow orders from higher up and have no problem smiting entire towns.  They are not supposed to question or feel emotions.  The dire situation has forced the angels to come off the observatory posts they’ve manned for thousands of years and walk the earth among the humans. It has been Castiel’s job to prime Dean, but in the process he has started questioning and feeling, putting that old thing of Free Will into the mix once again. Does Cas have his own hidden agenda? Is he truly friend or foe?  And how did we viewers get so freaking lucky to have Misha Collins cast as this fascinating character?  It has been confirmed that the talented Mr. Collins has been signed on as a series regular for season five, which means there will be more than meets the eye to our darling angel.

BOBBY: Jim Beaver is such a talent and they are so fortunate to have this true gentleman as part of their team.  I’m surprised they haven’t done the smart thing and made him a series regular by now. He has earned it, he deserves it, and we easily accept more of Bobby so that Jared and Jensen can get some relief on those long filming hours.  ‘Uncle Bobby’ is the closest thing to family the Boys have left. He has also been the recipient of some recent fan backlash based on a brief glimpse of a somewhat unexpected turn in his characterization.  My, how quickly we turn evil calling for his head on a platter!  Sadly, nasty rumors are floating around that Bobby is about to bite it.  If Kripke & Co. feel it’s necessary to subject us to what has now become the most overused, tired cliché in finale TV — tune in for a shocking death, gasp! — then hopefully they have the good sense to find a way to spare his life come season 5.  After all, what good is having an angel around if you can’t call in a favor or two?

RUBY: (Strictly discussing the character and not the actor portraying said character.)  Since Kripke seems to be enamored with this one and has kept her around for two seasons, I really wish he would do something with her other than be the somewhat politically correct roll in the hay, part-time demon blood pusher, and all-around girl Friday looking longingly at Sam in ways best belonging on 90210. I mean, I know that Supernatural is on The CW, but if I wanted  One-Tree-Hill-With-Ghosts, I would just skip the ghosts and watch One Tree Hill.  Or if they wanted to show Sam (or Dean) rolling in the hay, there are plenty of human  one-night-stands to fulfill the naked-for-Sweeps quotas.  But the unnecessary parallels between Sam sleeping with a demon and Dean sleeping with an angel were simply, well, unnecessary.

Inconsistent writing and characterization have made Ruby into a protracted mystery that has turned into a general annoyance at this point.  And that’s not in a good love-to-hate manner that a true antagonist offers (such as Gordon, Meg, YED) but in a simple hate-her-get-her-off-my-screen manner.  It is not a simple matter of ‘I hate Ruby for what she is doing to Sam’, which it legitimate, but I hate the manner in which they are presenting her. Period. Granted there was a change of actresses from Katie Cassidy to Genevieve Cortese, but there has been no shade of personality of the Character Formerly Known As Ruby between the seasons.  I hope that her true motivations and agenda are finally revealed in this finale and that we are spared from any further demon-with-a-heart-of-gold sap.  I would love for her to be revealed as having an evil agenda, and right when she thought she was manipulating Sam we find out that Sam has been manipulating her all along!  Wouldn’t that be a great twist?!  On second thought, MasterK, don’t bother doing anything further with her — Ruby appears to have run her course, so just kill her, and move on to a better character truly worthy of the title ‘demon antagonist.’  Have I mentioned Lilith yet?

HERE COMES TROUBLE

LILITH: She is the attractive, new uber-demon.  After the absence of Meg, who left a huge hole in the tapestry of great female demons, I couldn’t wait for Lilith to join in considering how underwhelming Ruby has been.  “She’s going to give the Yellow-Eyed Demon a run for his money” Master Kripke promised.  Lilith finally grew up and we saw shades of her potential.  Great casting in Katherine Boecher… perfect eye candy and completely believable in her evil snark!  We really DO need a decent female around, particularly one that can be a terrific antagonist, and especially now that we lost the other decent female, Pamela the psychic.  Can we keep her, MasterK? can we, huh? with sugar on top… pretty please!

ANGELS/DEMONS (Heaven/Hell): Neither side always tells the truth and both sides have factions and hidden agendas.  This is ultimately a battle between good and evil.  Shades of gray are necessary for good drama, but the lines between good and evil can’t be so blurred that you no longer know who the good guys and bad guys are. A battle of good vs. evil needs to have those players for good on one side, against those players for bad on the other, even with their minor morality flaws clouding the scenario.  We know the Winchesters are the heroes, flaws and all, but having characterizations that lead to shades of angelic-Ruby and demonic-Castiel is actually a bit groan inducing rather than drama inducing.
The major chess pieces are now on the apocalyptic playing field, although I have now lost track on whose move is next… God’s or Lucifer’s.  Best thing to do at this point is to just watch on Thursday!  It’s going to be an anxiety-filled, heart-breaking, adrenaline-inducing, and thrilling battle between Heaven and Hell that is not to be missed and guaranteed to offer more twists than even ‘24′ can muster.

Come back tomorrow for Part Two of Liana’s insightful pre-show look at Supernatural.

The CW©2009 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Post from: SF Universe

There are some things which make an indelible mark upon one’s soul. Historical events like the end of World War II or the fall of the Berlin Wall send shockwaves through the zeitgeist, while more personal events like your first crush or your first successful job remain in the consciousness of few people. And then there are events like the cancellation of BBC’s Doctor Who that fall somewhere in the middle.

The old show featured incredibly talented actors working with fragile props and lousy special effects. Sometimes the scripts came across as mundane and clichéd. I suppose this was the price of a show living at the bottom of BBC’s budget chain. But I loved the show with a passion, as did many of my friends. And if the people around me didn’t love Doctor Who, they hated it with just as much passion. There seemed to be no middle ground. So when I heard the somber news, that the Doctor had made his last trip in the TARDIS, I was crushed.

So, apparently, were lots of fans. No one could bring themselves to admit the ride was over. Fanfic abounded, as did the conventions, and eventually legitimate publishing houses saw a market in publishing further adventures and missing adventures.

For over twenty-five years, the fans greedily devoured tales of the Doctor. Then, around 2004, someone at the BBC realized they weren’t quite through telling their own stories. And a new Doctor Who was born. Bigger budget, better special effects, sturdier props and actors who, in the words of the Doctor himself, are “absolutely brilliant.”

For those of you new to the franchise, here’s a little recap. The Doctor is a Timelord, an alien from the planet Gallifrey. He has two hearts, a time machine, and penchant for getting himself into trouble. Enjoying the new series does not require knowledge of the previous. However, there are a lot of little details to the history, presented in the new series as in-jokes or presents to the old fan base. If you want to know what these moments are, Wikipedia and other fan websites can catch you up very quickly.

The series itself has taken a rather dark turn. The Doctor is alone now, the last of his kind. He wanders the universe seeking redemption and at times doesn’t seem to play well with others. The first season presents a never-ending cast of greedy bystanders that would not be out of place in Dante’s fourth circle of hell. They are always looking for “compensation” and mostly getting their comeuppance by the time the episode is over. Rose Tyler, the first of the new companions, is the everyman counterpoint to this horror as she willingly jumps into the fray with no thought of personal gain.

Where the first season is an introduction to the universe of the Doctor, the second is full-on old-fashioned mayhem. The plots take a turn from the previous string of morality plays. While the series still follows its “war is horrible” philosophy, we are given sympathetic side characters who find strength in adversity, even if they do have to die by the end of the episode.

I don’t claim to see such weighty themes in every story. I’m hard pressed, in fact, to come up with a common one for season three. And season four harkens back to the original series, incorporating the sense of exploration and adventure the fans were beginning to miss. The writers stick in references to the old series, like presents on Christmas morning. Yet understanding these references are hardly integral to enjoying the show. Thousands of brand new fans enjoy the new version of Doctor Who without carrying the baggage of the old. And as well they should.

There are few series which can claim success in a second incarnation. Die-hard fans give short shrift to anything that doesn’t fit their notion of “how it should be.” It is impossible to compare the new series with the old. There is no better and no worse. “Who” simply is. Its constantly evolving canon keeps to the rules we know while delightfully pushing the boundaries.

In the four years since the Doctor’s re-introduction to television, we’ve seen two actors come and go in the role of our beloved time-traveler. A third actor, Matt Smith, is poised to pick up the reins. What he brings to the role we have yet to see. If historical trends hold true, I foresee a bright future for all of us, including the Doctor.

Brandie Tarvin lives in Florida with her fiancé and is owned by two cats. She has written several short stories, including “Just My Luck” in Pirates of the Blue Kingdoms and “The Monster of Mogahnee Bay” in Blue Kingdoms Shades & Specters. Both are available through Amazon.com. For more details, check out her website at www.brandietarvin.net.

Photos by Newscom

Read the other two Doctor Who essays by Karen Miller and Keith DeCandido

Post from: SF Universe

I have a terrible confession to make. Possibly it might even be seen as heretical – but here goes.

The very first Doctor Who episode I ever watched was ‘The Runaway Bride’.

And now I pause this commentary so readers can pick themselves up off the floor, reach for a stiff drink and possibly the phone to call for an ambulance.

You good now? Good. Alons-y!

As a child, I remember my uncle loved Doctor Who. I remember him watching it whenever he was visiting. I remember that I loved the theme music, but that otherwise I just wasn’t interested. Fast forward a few decades and oh look! I still wasn’t interested. Friends told me I should watch the rebooted version of the show but no, no, no, I knew better. I caught one glimpse of stupid silver men lurching through a kitchen or something and I said, Ha! That silly nonsense is not for me!

But they kept saying I should watch it, so at last I gave in. I saw that my local tv station was screening an episode called ‘The Runaway Bride’ and I thought: I will watch it, I will hate it, and I will shut them up.

Me and my big mouth.

I watched it, and fell spectacularly in love with this skinny boy in a suit, who broke my heart grieving for some bird called Rose about whom I knew bugger all. And five minutes after ‘The Runaway Bride‘ ended, I was online ordering Seasons 1 and 2, and panting for Season 3 to air.

When I think of ‘Doctor Who’, it’s David Tennant’s face that rises before me. And when I got my dvds in the mail and watched Season 1 I enjoyed it enormously, but with the knowledge that Christopher Eccleston wasn’t staying. That he was going to morph into David Tennant. And I was okay with that. It was Tennant’s Doctor who got me hooked on the show. And I have loved watching him for three seasons now. Laughed with him. Cried with him. Been astonished with him. Terrified with him. Humbled with him. In my heart, David Tennant is the Doctor.

And now he’s leaving. Which makes me very, very sad. Because I have loved his Doctor so much. In fact, I dedicated a book to Tennant, and to Russell T. Davies, to thank them for the wonderful roller coaster ride they’ve taken me on these past few years.

But as sad as I am to lose Tennant – and I really am, did I mention that? – I find myself kind of intrigued and excited too. Because as of next year there’ll be a new Doctor in town. Matt Smith, his name is. They’ve just announced his casting, you might’ve heard something about it. I’ve never seen him act, all I’ve seen is a photo of him, and you can’t tell a damn thing from a photo. Actors are chameleons. They whip in and out of characters faster than you can say ‘Sybil’.

So while I am intrigued and excited, I’m also feeling a bit discombobulated … because now I’m a Who fan and I don’t want to stop loving the show. I don’t want this to go wrong. I don’t want to be crushed and mangled and have to sleep with the Tennant Who DVDs under my pillow, weeping for what can never be again.

The central brilliance of Doctor Who, I think, always was this genius solution to keeping the show going while allowing actors to move on with their careers or even possibly, inconveniently, die. But I am a Who virgin. This is my first time to lose the Doctor who was, well, the Doctor. For me. And judging from the fan reaction to the news of Matt Smith’s casting, I ain’t the only one.

So to my fellow virgins – and to the fans who liked Eccleston’s Doctor but who also, like me, fell in love with Tennant’s — can I just say this? Let’s all of us take a slow, deep breath and chill, shall we? Let’s not rush to judgement. Let’s not kneecap young Mister Smith (lucky his first name isn’t John, eh?) before he’s even set foot out of the Tardis. Let’s give the poor bloke a chance to show us what he’s made of. By all means, we’re free to not fall in love with him once we see him in the part. But let’s not go building the gallows quite yet, what do you say?

Because this is Matt Smith’s introduction to Who fandom. And I, for one, don’t want him to feel hated just because he isn’t David Tennant. I, for one, want to feel proud I’m a fan. To quote another brilliant SF show – This has happened before, and will happen again. It’s the nature of Who. Companions change, and so does the Doctor.

On with the adventure, I say!

Karen Miller is a writer of speculative fiction. In addition to her mainstream epic fantasy novels, she writes ‘The Rogue Agent’ fantasy series under the pen-name K.E. Mills, and sometimes plays in other people’s universes. So far she’s romped with Star Wars and Stargate. Her website is: www.karenmiller.net

Post from: SF Universe

Take it away, Keith. . .

*   *   *   *   *   *

I am now going say something that violates all the rules of the Internet and blogging.

I have no opinion on the casting of Matt Smith as the Doctor.

Yes, he’s replacing the incredibly popular David Tennant. That doesn’t concern me in the least, because he’s the eleventh guy to play the part (thirteenth, if you want to toss Peter Cushing and Richard E. Grant in there). There is nobody on television more replaceable than whoever is playing the Doctor. The folks who have been saying that Tennant was impossible to follow in 2008 were the same ones saying that Christopher Eccleston was impossible to follow in 2005. They were wrong in 2005 and they were wrong in 2008.

As for Smith himself, I must again violate a sacred Internet tenet by saying I’m going to reserve judgment until I, y’know, see him in the role. Or any role, as the only work of Smith’s I’ve seen is The Ruby and the Smoke, and I have no recollection of it, due to TR&TS having bored the living crap out of me.

But Smith impressed Steven Moffat, which is really what counts. A hallmark of Moffat’s prior productions, Coupling and Jekyll, has been picture-perfect casting. Also, there are few writers who have shown the care and understanding of Doctor Who that Moffat has, and this goes all the way back to 1996 when he had a brilliant short story called “Continuity Errors” in one of Virgin’s Who anthologies, Decalog 3: Consequences (which also had a story by some hack named DeCandido—wonder whatever happened to him?), through to The Curse of the Fatal Death and his magnificent episodes of the 21st-century TV show. I think we should give him a little credit based on what he’s done to date.

Yes, in his pictures Smith looks like an emo teenager, but that’s a big look right now, and one that has probably gotten him work. Besides which, if you look at some of David Tennant’s publicity photos from 2005, he looks like a mod poofter. In fact, take the suit off, and Tennant still looks like a mod poofter. But he’s been a most excellent Doctor, despite being the second-youngest person to take on the role.

Well, third-youngest now. And that’s another thing. The last time there was a hue and cry over how will they ever replace this incredibly popular Doctor who’s won over the hearts and minds of so many fans (Tom Baker), he was replaced with the youngest person ever to play the role (Peter Davison). It’s tradition! Or, uh, something.

In any event, I’m going to not play by the rules and refuse to form an opinion until it’s an informed opinion.

So there.

Keith R.A. DeCandido is the best-selling author of many many many novels, comic books, short stories, novellas, eBooks, and nonfiction in a wide variety of media universes, most recently the novel Star Trek: A Singular Destiny and the ongoing Farscape comic book from BOOM! Studios. He was the first native-born American citizen to write official Doctor Who prose fiction with his short story “UNITed We Fall” in 1996’s Decalog 3: Consequences, which also had a short story by some guy named Moffat (wonder whatever happened to him?), and his story “Life from Lifelessness” was in the Short Trips anthology Destination Prague; he also edited the 2008 Short Trips anthology The Quality of Leadership. Read his regular ramblings at kradical.livejournal.com.

Photo Source: Newscom

Post from: SF Universe