Boatloads of complaining ... or, you know, just the one boat.

[apocalypsos]

Okay, so I have these thoughts about tonight's episode of SPN. Or more specifically, one aspect.

I like Jo.

I don't love her yet but then again, I haven't had nearly enough time to love her. I like her in concept, though, and what I saw tonight (for the most part, which I'm about to get to) I liked as well. That's not to mention that I thought Alona Tal was adorable on Veronica Mars and was anticipating seeing her again.

Like I said, I like Jo.

But I would have liked her better if at no time had either her or Dean mentioned hooking up or getting hit on.

I know Dean hits on everything, but there are a few reasons I'd be more inclined to like Dean and Jo together if they hadn't flirted tonight. For one thing, his father just died, for crying out loud. He's in the middle of trying to work out his emotions over the whole thing and they've got him feeling this connection with her now? Why? Because she was the first pretty girl he ran into? I would want to see the pairing more if they weren't just, "Well, you didn't immediately hit on me. Want to hook up? Maybe later, okay? Okay!"

Another thing that bugs me about the pairing is that Dean ALWAYS does this. It's always the heat and the sex first and any sort of real relationship second. Even with Cassie ... I mean, he didn't spend that long with her, and yet he makes a crack after sex about them always being good at that. What I was hoping for is that at no point would he have hit on her, at no point would she have mentioned guys hitting on her, and that the two of them would start off just talking. Nothing more. Just finding a friendly connection, that's all.

If Kripke wanted me to believe a little more in the pairing, I would have preferred friends first. Maybe Dean realizes that he can talk to her differently than he can talk to Sam. Talking to Sam means turning the conversation into this thing where there's baggage. Talking to Sam means when he's talking about rebuilding the Impala or the demon hunt or whatever, he's really talking about something else. But what if the relationship had merely started out as Jo being someone he could just talk to? No assumptions of what he really means, just someone willing to sit down and shoot the shit with him. No hitting on one another, maybe a little sniping at one another, but more like reluctantly friendly conversation.

I didn't want them to immediately discuss hooking up, I wanted Dean to make a friend.

ETA: Okay, I've figured out a better way of putting it, I think.

I can see Jo giving Dean an immediate No because of this.

When we look at Dean in the episode, all broken and pretty with his one lonely tear, we think, "Aw, poor baby!" and want to give him pity sex.

But we didn't grow up around hunters. Hunters who, for the most part, have been portrayed as slovenly, morally questionable, criminally inclined, psychologically damaged in some way or another, ready to commit violent acts, and quite possibly womanizers and/or alcoholics. Jo isn't seeing hunting the way we see it, she sees it from an everyday point-of-view. These are the same guys who come into her mother's roadhouse to get wasted after a hunt and hit on her. I would not be the least bit surprised if she'd sworn off hunters as possible dates from the minute she'd gotten interested in guys. Regardless of how pretty Dean might be, she is not an everyday girl who's going to be impressed by his bravery.

If she'd given him a, "Don't even think about it, buster. Hunters are too high-maintenance," I would have bought that, given the men and women she's grown up around.

Comments

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

I think I would have liked an immediate shootdown better, though. I mean, when does Dean ever get a complete and total shutdown? She left him with the option open, which ... eh. Something about the way it worked out doesn't sit well with me.

[winterlive.livejournal.com]

i could not have bought her character as being realistic at all had she utterly shut down dean winchester. esp whilst said winchester was being all noble omg.

i do not know why having this character on the show is controversial. helps?

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

I could. "I know how you hunters are with girls" + "I heard stories from your dad about you and how you treat women" (if that "Who?" line hadn't been in there about John) + "Aren't you still grieving over your dead dad?" = I probably wouldn't have gone near him right now, either, if I were her, pretty face or not. She's in a unique position as a girl if they'd made it so that she'd met John ... she's heard of Dean through John, she already knows his flaws, she's been around hunters enough not to impressed by said nobility, and ... you know, the mourning. If not for that pesky "Who?", though. *grumbles*

As for the controversial thing ... well, you know, girl supposed to hook up with Dean long-term = EVOL. I don't know ... all the bitching in fandom over those spoilers about her and all.

[winterlive.livejournal.com]

i know not of said spoilers.

i don't know, man. i speak not of you when i say this, but there seems to be something of a gollum complex with some corners of fandom and dean. i just picture his poor little face, horrified, as they crouch over him and rub his head and murmur about how they must keep the nasty others away from the precious, they wants it for themselves but we won't lets them have it, no.

i would be okay with it if she hooked up with dean. i think that would be nice for him, to have somebody know his secret and take no guff from him anyway. i mean, she's a superhot hunter chick. *I* would nail her, i dont know why dean can't. :)

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

I guess it's just that I don't get why a girl who's grown up around hunters would ever even think about hooking up with one. I mean, WE think they're cool, but we haven't had to watch them come in and get sloshed while grabbing our ass and telling people about the thing they just killed.

For the most part, the hunters we've seen have been criminally, morally, and psychologically flawed to all kinds of fun extremes. I just have a hard time understanding how someone who's seen guys like John and Daniel Elkins and Ash and the schmuck from next week's episode passing through would ever want to go near a hunter. These aren't exactly the pinnacle of the dating pool.

I can't even see a girl who's sworn off hunters for those reasons breaking her rule for Dean, pretty or not.

For the record, I'll be okay with it if they hook up. I just want somebody to write it better. (I would not be adverse to stepping into said role ... *shifty eyes*)

[winterlive.livejournal.com]

if it's all you know, man, you go with it.

her daddy was a hunter. and if you grow up with a guy who thinks he's a hero as your father - and he actually IS a hero - i bet you wind up with some issues of your own, y'know? i totally buy that she'd be interested in dean. with all that nobility jazz, he's probably a dead ringer.

now ellen. i bet SHE has sworn off hunters for a bunch of really good reasons. i will totally buy that for a dollar.

[lots42.livejournal.com]

Well, from her perspective, she can't hook up with a guy who doesn't know about the monsters, any halfway clever guy would go after her. But I agree it's a bit odd.

[lots42.livejournal.com]

Oh lord, I messed that up. Like with the Winchesters, any halfway clever monster would go after any demon-hunter's snuggly-bunnies.

[lots42.livejournal.com]

Well, who knows? I would imagine a lot of the hunters are in it for the thrill. Adrenaline junkies. It's obvious the No-Comb Boys are in it for (mainly) the protecting of innocents.

Just rambling.