Title Card Glee

                                   

Honest to goodness … there are sooo many things about the show Supernatural that I love, but I have to tell you, the Title Card ranks right up there in Keeper’s Top Five.  From the very beginning it has been The Boys, BDW, The Metallicar, The Music, and the Title Card.  Seriously … it is amazing to me how something so seemingly insignificant can just make me down right giggly.

I know I’ve discussed the Title Card before, yet here I go again.  I think it’s going to have to be an annual event now because each year fascinates and tantalizes me a little bit more.  This particular year is no exception.  I mean, seriously … shattering glass?  Awesome!!

That lightning strike Title Card for the First Season … it seemed a fitting beginning.  A bolt of lightning, ominous and foreboding as it flashed across our screen, leaving behind the title of Supernatural.  As it flashed and faded, it let us know that a storm was brewing … a storm that seemed to begin November 2, 1983 … catching up the seemingly normal, happy Winchester family and casting them smack dab in the middle of it.  Nothing remains the same after a strike of lightning hits and this certainly was no exception.

Second Season was actually when the Title Card truly drew my attention as a forebear of events to come throughout the season.  Why else the change from a lightning strike to a blast of fire, branding Supernatural across our screens, complete with the pentagram.  Beginning with In My Time of Dying and blazing through to the end of All Hell Breaks Loose Pt. 2, there was a fire burning in Dean for one thing … protect Sam, not only as his father told him but also because it was his job, one he knew even before his dad told him.  Thinking about the pentagram in the Title Card … it seems appropriate, doesn’t it?  Remember?  In the Pilot?  Sam and Dean sitting with the girlfriend of the last guy taken by the Woman in White?  She was wearing a pentagram that Troy had given her.  She wore it because it freaked her parents out with all that “devil stuff”, but Sam earnestly leaned forward explaining that the pentagram was actually a symbol of protection.  Isn’t it interesting how the year had Dean spending it protecting Sam, only to have it end with Sam vowing to protect … to save Dean? 

Then comes that Third Season Title Card, black demon smoke blasting forth from a Key of Solomon’s Devil’s Trap before giving us Supernatural.  Everywhere we turned that season there seemed to be demons.  The Devil’s Gate had been opened and the repercussions seemed to be endless.  Demons intent on taking over, demon’s biding their time, demons hunting for The Boys, and then the cunning ones … intent on trapping The Boys for their own interests.  No less intense were the personal demons The Boys had to deal with throughout the year - insecurity and fear being a couple of the biggest ones to cast their inky black shadows over the hearts of the Winchesters.  The year ended with the demons seeming to have won … Dean was taken to hell, while Sam was left in hell on earth … both to be tortured by demons – external and internal.

The fluttering of black wings brought a whole new Title Card for Season Four.  Angels … Supernatural gave us Angels of God.  The season began with an angel raising Dean … gripping him tight and raising him from perdition, but as we find out later … not soon enough.  Dean had broken the first seal and the season was spent with Winchesters working with and dodging against these seeming warriors of God, until the magnitude of reality came crashing at the end … leaving one angel siding with Dean, rebelling against his brothers in an effort to reach Sam before he mistakenly brought forth the Angel of the Apocalypse, Lucifer. 

Blood … blood is life and also the Title Card depicting Season Five.  This was a bloody season, looking back.  Blood brought forth Lucifer and in the end, blood was the sacrifice that sent him back.  And in between, it was a bloody battle for The Boys.  You know how the saying goes … Blood is thicker than water.  That means family.  Bonds were stretched and seemingly broken, but in the end … family won out.  Bloody and broken by Lucifer within Sam’s body, Dean watched as his brother gained back his ground, and gave himself to save the world. 

A world that had Dean retiring from hunting, of returning to Lisa and Ben at the request of his brother, of backyard barbeques and normal jobs … a world that looked all shiny from the outside, but was only separated from the darkness of the supernatural by a picture window of glass.  Making the Season Six Title Card of shattering glass all the more ominous. 

I don’t know how this Title Card will continue to foretell the theme of this season.  I have a thought on that, but I’m not ready to give it over.  Only time will tell if the shattering glass is so that The Boys may “see face to face”, or whether it is a shattering of illusions.  Or, could it be a how the glass flies and wounds as its reality shatters?  Only those within the sacred Writer’s room know for sure at this point. 

Yep … the Title Cards tell their own story for each season, creating a mood and atmosphere.  The exceptions to this are rare – A Very Supernatural Christmas, Monster Movie, The Monster at the End of This Book, and Changing Channels – where the change in mood setting is deliberately changed and therefore, the Title Card is given a change as well.  Just as the music, they set the tone for the episodes and the season.  They are a small, yet huge part of what makes Supernatural such a unique show.

One that isn’t afraid to shatter boundaries and preconceived notions in order to entertain and drive its obsessive fans crazy each week. 

Not that I’m admitting to being obsessive. 

I just like Title Cards. 

*grins*

Little Brothers ... Some Things May Change, But Some Things Don't

Hmmm.

It's been awhile since I've done this. By "this" I mean writing one of my rambles. I've done some intermittent personal blog type writing, but to take an episode or a Supernatural thought and just begin writing ... nope. I'll say it again ... it's been awhile. I did get one started last spring, it actually got kinda lengthy ... like really, insanely lengthy. Problem was, it rambled so far that all train of thought got lost somewhere on the path. I hope that one day I can do some trimming and wield it back into a sense of some coherency. It was/is on eppy 5.13 - The Song Remains the Same and I blame John Winchester ... young or old, the man just gets to me. :-)

I mean ... seriously ... "Shut up, all of you! Look ... not another word or so help me, I will turn this care around!" *giggles* Matt Cohen or Jeffrey Dean Morgan ... doesn't matter ... my mind blends their voices at this point and I am hopelessly in YDW/BDW fangirl love!

Ahem. *deep breath*

Aaaaanyhow ... as I said ... it has been awhile. So, I thought a bit of practice might be in order. A refresher course in Rambling 101 for both you and for me.

Now ... let me remind everyone ... a ramble, as stated in the English dictionary, is a walk taken merely for pleasure, without a definite route. That's the positive. And definitely true. I enjoy these writing excursions and I, for sure, don't have any route in mind when I begin. My brain just kinda takes off and my fingers follow without knowledge of where they're going. Of course, I have to be honest, there is also a negative connotation to my "style", if you would, of writing. It should also be noted that rambling talking/writing is considered aimless and discursive, or rather ... digressive or, as one synonym so aptly puts it ... long winded. *sigh* I don't try to be long winded, but I do tend to wander and I realize this. Ya'll have been supportive of the lengths in which I write, however, I'm gonna try to limit some of this because I'm not sure how lengthy things can be in this area of the Blogosphere. I really don't want to break this one. Ya know?

Plus, there's the fact that somewhere along the way I seem to have lost hours in the day and it's just not as physically feasible to write discursively (ie. long winded tomes).

Yet rambling with you is also something that I miss tremendously, so it is that I'm here, testing a few of the waters with a ramble or two (if I get lucky) before the Season Six premiere on the 24th. I'm gonna begin with a thought I had. I've been watching The Pilot ... actually Disc One of Season One ... and then, for some reason I flipped over to eppy 5.22 - Swan Song. Then I flipped back to The Pilot.

I will be talking more about The Pilot in another blog I hope to post before Friday, but this thought kept popping on me, begging to be written on it's own. No real reason, certainly no pathway, just some aimless thought about the fact that ... no matter how old, how tall, or how big and how muscular Sam Winchester gets, he will always be Dean Winchester's little brother. Always.

That is just plain fact.

I was six years old when we got my little brother. I remember, like it was yesterday, the feeling of sitting on that high, leather couch ... my feet clad in my little white anklets and black Mary Janes ... trying not to wiggle too much, yet squirming under the constant, watchful eye of the lady behind the typewriter across from my seat. I remember being led by the hand, by that same lady, to a small green room that seemed crowded with a large table and chairs. Sitting on a couple of those chairs were my mom and my dad. In my mom's arms was this little person ... not much bigger than my beloved Baby Boo doll I had gotten for Christmas just a couple months earlier. Of course, this "dolly" had spindly arms and legs that seemed constantly moving all by themselves, as opposed to Baby Boo, whose limbs I had to make move to just sit her up. This little person didn't have any hair and he couldn't talk, but when he looked at me with those big eyes ... and then smiled ... I was hooked.

From that moment on ... forever and for always ... I was a big sister.

Forty-three years later, I take the job just as seriously as I did when I was six.

It's hard to explain and, if you are not the older sibling by more than just a year or two, you might not ever completely understand, but when that mantle of "older sibling" fell upon my shoulders that day ... everything changed. Here was a person who could aggravate me so entirely, scare me incredibly silly, frustrate me fully and yet ... never once in all these years have I stopped loving him, caring for him, wanting to protect him ... no matter how far apart we might live. I can tease him. I can torture him. I can pull rank on him. That is my right and privilege as an older sibling, but woe to the individual who hurts him in any way, shape or form!

I may seem mild, but there are times when I can be quite formidible. Messing with my little brother can bring that side out, most definitely.

After being the older sibling for so long, it is hard to realize that it's okay to let go ... to relinquish the control ... to allow my little brother to move forward without me holding his hand, guiding his steps, protecting his back. My little brother hasn't been little for a very long time now, yet, when he is sad or hurting, I still yearn to be with him to comfort him, to wrap him in my arms and let the world and it's troubles melt away. When he is happy or excited, I want to be right there celebrating with him, hugging and doing the dance of joy.

Such is the nature of the older sibling.

Sam Winchester may be a "Sasquatch" ... he may be taller than his older brother, he may have gone to college and grown in they eyes of the world, he may battle demons and supernatural creatures of the dark formidably in his own right, however he is still, and always will be, Dean Winchester's little brother Sammy. In the five years that Supernatural has been airing, we have watched the evolution of the Winchester brother's relationship. We've seen both Winchester boys grow and age as life has battered on them body and soul. There have been twists and turns, heartache and pain, but through it all one thing always remained ... Dean Winchester held tight to the reins of being the big brother. It took him five years to truly realize that it was okay to let Sam go, to let Sam truly make the "big" decision(s) - right or wrong. To not just say the words "I do know that if anybody can do it ... it's you", then to let him go and simply be there to back him up ... to support him ... no matter the outcome.

Cas: "I just want you to understand ... the only thing that you're gonna see out there is Michael killing your brother."
Dean: "Well, then I ain't gonna let him die alone!"

It wasn't just the moment that John put his infant son into the arms of his older brother on that fateful, November 2nd night that started Dean on the road of protector. He always had been. While we don't have any "canon" story to prove it, I fully believe that from the time baby Sammy was brought into this world, Dean took on the mantle of older sibling. That night of Winchester infamy simply solidified the importance of protecting Sammy. It was reinforced throughout the years as John began his journey into the world behind the veil, hunting out the darkness that lies waiting in shadows.

John: "Lock the doors and windows, close the shades, and most important ..."
Young Dean: "Watch out for Sammy. {looks at his little brother} I know."

John: "I want you to watch out for Sammy, okay?"
Dean: "Yeah, Dad. You know I will."

Dean did ... he always had ... he always would. How could he not?

Dean was the big brother ... the older sibling.

He gave Sam the last of the Lucky Charms.

He stole presents and gave Sammy a Christmas.

He told his little brother the truth, even when it hurt both of them to know it.

He let Sam have the "normal" life he wanted, never asking for anything during that time.

He teased and taunted his little brother with everything from itching powder to electric hand buzzers.

He saved Sam from the Woman in White, the fire in his bedroom, Bloody Mary, a rogue lamp cord, a crazy family ... need I go on?

Lest the SammyGirls get upset with me, I'm not saying that Sam didn't have his moments, because he did ... plenty of them ... and he had plenty of reasons, not the least of which were to prove to his big brother that he was no longer in need of protection, that he was no longer Sammy the chubby 12 year old. But that is a ramble for another day. I'm missing my little brother and I'm wanting to discuss older siblings, so Dean gets the hotseat for the moment.

Remember that scene in Season Two's Croatoan? You all know the one ... in the clinic ... after Sam's infected? That moment between the two brother's is memorable and heart wrenching, to say the least ... but the lead in says even more ...

"I'm gonna say this one time ... you make a move on him, you'll be dead before you hit the ground. You understand me? I mean, do I make myself clear?"

Dean Winchester protected his younger brother Sam his entire life, watched over him, kept him safe ... it was his focus, his "one job", his responsibility ... and when a knife severed Sam's life, it also severed Dean's life's focus.

"I couldn't let him die, Bobby. I couldn't. He's my brother."

However, no matter how hard we older siblings work at protecting our younger siblings, in the end, much like a parent who must trust that they have taught their child the skills to know right from wrong, the older sibling has to let the younger one out from under their wing ... out of their shadow ... knowing they might fail ... hoping and praying that they will succeed beyond our wildest dreams ... and all the while standing on the side, to catch, to support, to cheer.

To simply be there.

It wasn't easy for Dean Winchester.

To acknowledge that Sam wasn't his "baby brother" any longer. But he did it.

"You're not a kid anymore, Sam and I can't keep treating you like one. Maybe I gotta grow up a little too."

To give Sam the trust that he had earned. But he did it.

"I don't know if we've got a snowball's chance. But ... But I do know that if anybody can do it ... it ... it's you."

And, even when beaten and bloodied, continued to be with his little brother the only way he knew how ... because ... while some things may change ... some things don't ...

Dean: "Sammy ... are you in there?"
Lucifer/Sam: "Oh, he's in here all right. And he's going to feel the snap of your bones. Every single one. We're gonna take our time."
Dean: "Sam ... it's okay. It's okay, I'm here. I'm here. I'm not gonna leave you. I'm not gonna leave you."

That's just what older siblings do.

Construction of a New Ramble Room ... Aka. Mojo Are You Back?

~~~~~~~~~~~

September 13th

Seems appropriate to begin constructing a blog dedicated to my ramblings about the television show, "Supernatural" on the anniversary date of it's series premiere.

As every dedicated fan of the series is aware, Supernatural debuted on the WB network on September 13, 2005. It is now five years and five completed seasons later and, as the Sixth Season premiere date grows ever closer, I find myself as enamored with this tale of two brothers as I was when it first began. Much like the "little engine that could", this show has persevered through schedule changes and network changes and kept on climbing ... gaining a richness in story and a legion of fans.

Yep ... I'm a fan.

Darned proud of it.

Through this little program I have found friendships not just across the country but also around the world. Friendships that share, not only a passion for our show ... for Our Boys ... but also an affection for each individual and their lives. Together, much like the individual members of the cast and crew of Supernatural, we have faced birth, sickness, and even death. We have supported each other in the loss of jobs, celebrated birthdays and holidays, been a source of constancy and caring in a world that has at times been scary and uncertain. We've also had moments of devolving into complete 12 year old squealing girls. Ahem. Not that THAT occurs often, of course. *grins*

Through this little program I have discovered a passion for writing that transcends the world of Kripke's Supernatural. My rambling began as a simple desire to contemplate and discuss thoughts and feelings on episodes as they aired. It has evolved into a desire to write, not only about Supernatural but also about other topics, not simply television related but also life as I view it, as it swirls around me. It's a unique experience to write something that is just off the top of your head and have other people not only read it, not only like it, but to also find something in it that touches their life, their heart, their mind ... either through laughter or sorrow. My imagination has always been healthy and when combined with reality ... well ... I find expressing myself through writing tends to keep me out of the proverbial loony bin.

Through this little program I have discovered a passion for road trips ... back road explorations of this incredible country we call home. I have made three Supernatural related journeys so far. In doing so, I have had the opportunity to explore the heartland of Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Illinois, not to mention my home state of Oklahoma and, my home away from home, Texas. I may not ever know the back roads like the back of my hand, like Dean & Sam Winchester, but forget the passport to other countries, I'm filling my passport of our 50 states.

Yep. For these reasons, and many more, I'm a fan of Supernatural.

Supernatural, a show that debuted 5 years ago on this date. A show that may not appeal to everyone but is undeniably unique in today's plethora of crime scene drama, medical bed-hopping sagas, game shows, reality programs, and your basic laugh-in-a-can shows. Now, before you scoff ... I am, have always been, and most likely will always be, a television junkie. I delight in said crime dramas and teeny-bopper guilty pleasures. However, none of them have ever held my attention, encouraged my imagination, or created such a wealth of story history that is not just maintained but is continually being given more depth and richness.

None have enticed me so thoroughly as Supernatural.

So, I open this site ... to write and discuss. It's not a new idea. There are hundreds of sites ... there are multitudes of communities ... all dedicated to fans discussing Supernatural. Begs the question, why am I doing this now?

Why?

First, and foremost, because I want to do it.

Secondly, because friends I care about have asked me to start writing about Supernatural again.

I'm not a novice at this. I used to do it. I used to have a place where I could specifically write about Supernatural. I had a cozy little corner in a Blogosphere known as TVGuide.com. Rose's Rambles was the title and every week or so found me delightedly attempting to review and discuss each new episode, or re-watching old episodes, or contemplating the weaving of the Supernatural tapestry. My little Ramble Room ... filled with floor pillows, comfy sofas, and my own special rocking chair, not to mention a side board of soft drinks and snacks and my ever-present little pot of tea ... may have been a product of my imagination, but it was populated by many friends (real ones - I'm not THAT crazy) that would visit and share their thoughts and viewpoints, make comments, or simply read what I had to say. When it was destroyed (ie. dismantled) by the wrecking ball (ie. web changes) of the powers that be (ie. corporate entities) at TVGuide.com, I was lost. Bereft. Heartbroken.

Since then I have wandered ... looking for a place to settle. I tried to find my niche in a couple of different communities set up for Supernatural fans. I don't have any problems with either ... they're filled with great people, but they just never felt like "home".

Losing a home can make a person feel very displaced and discombobulated. Even if it is an imaginary place in cyberspace.

To make matters worse, it was as though when I lost my cyber-home, I lost my Supernatural writing mojo. I didn't lose my desire ... and I sure didn't lose my thoughts and opinions ... but I couldn't seem to focus, to put thought to internet paper, to complete the blog and post it. Characters died and were brought back, hell was visited, dreams went wonky, enemies became friends and friends were realized as enemies, angels were suddenly upon us - warriors of God and of other agendas, brothers forgot how to be brothers but in the end the realization that family is most important won through, the past was visited, beginnings were viewed and the future loomed with strife and devastation, and STILL the mojo was all wonky.

Kripke's Five Year Vision was completed and I missed writing about it!

I may not be seven any longer, but I have suddenly found myself wanting to cry "Do-Over"!!!

However, I am no longer seven. I'm a responsible person.

Even if there are people out there with sudden bursts of snickering at that last statement.

So it is that I have sought opinions and I have sought comfort. Blogger has given me a little home for my non-Supernatural thoughts and rambles and so I decided to see if I could create a little nest here for my Supernatural Tapestry Rambles.

It's a bit scary, but then again ... it's not.

See, I forgot my first rule of writing. I write for me, kinda like a hot fudge sundae of delight. If someone else wanders in and reads ... that's simply the whipped cream on top. If they decide to comment, discuss, or question further ... well ... that's just the best strawberry on top. (Sorry ... don't care for cherries.)

I'm not a part of a known community, so I may get lost among the hustle and bustle of larger groups. But that's okay. It's kinda like a certain show I know and love. *wink*

Also, I don't do spoilers ... there won't be anything here but thoughts on what has already transpired.

Plus, the timing is right.

I'm constructing my new blog at the same time my pal, Sera is constructing Season Six. Series creator, Eric Kripke concluded his five year vision with the eradication of Lucifer amidst an apocalypse of heavenly proportions. He has turned the reins of the show over to Sera Gamble and, in many ways, we are starting anew. There is an anticipation of the unknown, much like there was five years ago. As always seems to happen with this show, we might think we know what's going to happen ... but then ... we don't.

So, I'm constructing this little room ... I still have work to do. However, I hope you will note it's address and stop back in from time to time, to read, to laugh, to commiserate, to discuss, to contemplate.

I feel my mojo may be coming back.