chasingtides | I've Even Got An Improbably Ethnic Name

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I've Even Got An Improbably Ethnic Name

I've read that Misha Collins will be a series regular on SPN if it gets a fifth season (which is looking more and more likely as I cross my fingers). (ETA: Article: here.) While I probably like Misha Collins more than the average fan (I do mod

mishaland after all), I am not sure I like this. Jim Beaver isn't a series regular. JDM wasn't a series regular. I don't think either Ruby was a series regular. While I do like Castiel as a character and think he provides a good counterbalance to the demons, especially Ruby, this is a show about two brothers.

Misha is awesome. I love him dearly. I kind of want to grow up to be him. I am already from Massachusetts and have an improbably ethnic name.

I love Castiel. I have a thing for angels who question authority. I think it comes from growing up Catholic. They can't feel guilt so we can push all of our guilty Catholic needs onto them. I like that Castiel can kick ass and take names (4.01 Lazarus Rising) and then have moments of softness (4.07 It's the Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester). I like that he's trying to learn to be human and that he still loves God and that he trying to learn compassion and seems to have a better heart than Uriel.

However, he still isn't Sam and Dean. I still think that season two was the best season ever and love to read and write fic there. The show is "epic love story of Sam and Dean," not the show about two guys and their angel buddy.

The one thing that could make this sit better with me is if Ruby became a regular, too. I don't much like Ruby for reasons I have trouble articulating, but Castiel makes me like Ruby more (and I think I might like Castiel more because of Ruby).

Castiel feels like an important counterbalance to Ruby to me. This means that if Castiel became more important, then Ruby would need to counterbalance him for me. They come from opposite sides (Heaven and Hell) and are both trying to move toward the middle (Earth, humanity). I think they could learn a lot from each other if they stopped hating each other so much. They are very much the same.

However, were Castiel alone (or Ruby alone or Bobby alone) to become a regular like Sam and Dean, I would be a sad panda. I'm not even sure why I feel like it would ruin the balance and dynamic of the show, but I think it would. As much as I love our resident angel, he is nowhere near as important as Sam and Dean.

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maybe he is wrong and they'll just make him reoccurring.

I really hope so? The article (I edited the original post to include a link) suggests that it's the fan reaction that might spur this move. I would hate to think that I'd contribute to that. :(

I took it to mean regular like John, Bobby, and Ruby were. Not like the boys are.

I tend to agree with you. I love the expanded world on S4 and the inclusion of angels and demons more, but I do miss the S1 and S2 "Sam-and-Dean against the world of evil" thing quite a bit. I tend to get a bit nostalgic when I think back on the earlier episodes and how Sam was just Sammy and Dean was his big brother. They don't really feel like the same characters anymore. But I guess when you go through what Sam and Dean have gone through in the lat four years, you change.

... And now I'm rambling.

You can be a regular and still not be in every ep. If the final season is going to be our big battle (no spoilers, just my little thoughts) -- then Cas would be in many eps.

I'm thinking of other shows that have many "regulars' -- some are more regular than others. I am not at all knowledgable in this field, but maybe you get the term "regular" if you are in 1/2 of the season? What I'm saying is if you will be in a certain # of eps - you get regular status.

So I don't see him setting up shop in the back seat anytime soon - but I CAN see him appearing in many eps while the battle starts to rage. And even then, you don't know how long his screen time will be. In the Beginning did not have him in many scenes - just a few select scenes. I could handle that.

As for Ruby -- you know the fan base is very divided about her and the actress playing her. It's very possible Kripke is still figuring out how to handle that -- or there may be another actress change or she will not be as prominent as Cas -- we may get other demons - ala Lilith to fill up the demon balance.

So I wouldn't worry - for me -- if 5 is the final season -- I'm soaking it all up and nothing is going to get me down -- in fact I hope we get a big push to make some "direct to DVD" movies after the series ends.

The CW advertised Ruby and Bela as series 'regulars' when their characters were first announced. I'm kinda thinking this is along the same lines - he'll likely be more of a recurring guest star.

That's interesting to take note of. I thought about that when I got S3 and saw they featured both Lauren and Katie on one of the flaps.

Ugh. Eat my comment, computer, won't you. Moving on.

I'm not entirely sure why I am uncomfortable with the idea of them potentially making a change in the show ( even if it's making Castiel a regular ) for fan reaction. Lately, show stuff that isn't in regards to the episodes themselves have irritated me a little. But aside from that, maybe it disturbs me to think that they might be changing the story based on popularity. But I might be uneducated in this area, because I'm basing this on the idea that Kripke planned for five seasons, which makes me think he really had the major plotpoints and storylines down. At the same time, I could be wrong, and this is still a business. It's not so easy to keep a show afloat, particularly on the CW and with the way SPN is hardly advertised.

That said, I completely agree with you, on everything up there. Despite who they bring in, be it John, Bela, Ruby, Bobby, Castiel, Anna, etc., it's clear that the focus has always been ( and in their words, will always be ) on the brothers.

I think this is a good thing because it secures his presence in future eps so he can't run off and get another job and not be available to be Castiel anymore. A lot of great guest stars got axed because they couldn't return to the show, Sterling Brown for one, and I couldn't handle a non-Misha Castiel. I'd rather have him present and accounted for and checked-in on throughout the seasons to fulfill that contract rather than leaving it up to chance that he can come up to Vancouver as they need him.

I don't think Supernatural is going to become the Castiel show (though I would love that someday in addition to the Sam'n'Dean show) as a result. No moreso than it has shifted to become the story of anyone other than the Winchesters as the world expands.

I did and do love the concept that Sam and Dean are IT and that theme and sense in the show. But I don't think we would have made it to Seasons 4 and 5 without tossing a few more folks against the wall to see what sticks. I think the growing has been organic even if I don't always care for the characters they've tried out.

I guess my analogy is that Sam and Dean are the primary colors. You can do anything with them, ahem, make any color or scene or mood or whatever you want...Sam and Dean can somehow get there. But having a recurring character like Castiel is like the ability to shade those colors, bring things out in them, alter our perceptions of them. I would miss him now that he's been here.

In no way is he our Big Damn Heroes, but I think having him contractually locked down seems to me like a giant sigh of relief that his character can be a character and not just angelic cannon fodder before the ever-swinging blade that is our plotline. That Misha can consider his acting choices with a sense of arc and fluidity and that they may have something intriguing planned is great to me.

I think this is a good thing because it secures his presence in future eps so he can't run off and get another job and not be available to be Castiel anymore...and I couldn't handle a non-Misha Castiel. I'd rather have him present and accounted for and checked-in on throughout the seasons to fulfill that contract rather than leaving it up to chance that he can come up to Vancouver as they need him.

Popping in to say that this whole part gave me the lulz for serious.

Well, when a show's got needs, honey, a show's got needs!

I agree with you but how regular is 'regular' exactly? I was thinking more along the lines of how Bobby is a 'regular' character. Ah well. I trust Kripke to do what he's gotta do. YAY for a 5th season and YAY for more Cas!

To be honest, I'm glad that season 4 is introducing so many new characters and now we have a proper story arc. I loved s1&2 but I'm kind of over the "Sam and Dean go to a town, find teh evil!11, salt and burn the bones, omg happily ever aftah!".

I dunno. They were pretty funny. (And I still love those eps. Yellow Fever made for some pretty lulzy gifs.)

Mostly, I really like the SamandDean Show and don't want to lose it.

Maybe Castiel and Ruby can get a post-apocalyptic spin off where they glare at each other a lot and try to be human. It can be unintentionally comedic and they periodically wonder what the Winchesters would do, foolishly believing Sam and Dean to be normal humans.

Katie Cassidy was listed as a reccuring regular in season 3, actually.

Anyway, I was hoping they'd let Misha come on as a regular for season 5. It can only help them get a fifth season pick-up. here's my theory:

The CW likes shows about teenage girls, right? The CW also seems to hate Supernatural, yes? Well (bear with me, here), Kripke's pitch for season 5 is that it involves the aftermath of the Apocalypse and stars Jared, Jensen, and Misha. Since Jensen and Misha are both typically girls' names, they get a fifth season (because girls seemingly outnumber guys on the cast), and the CW has no idea until September.

In my perfect world, that's Kripk's plan.

Oh, you know, maybe he'll just pop up occasionally like Rubella did. Are we still calling them that? *wanders back off into her fantasy land*

I heartily agree. Love the Misha, but if I had to pick, I would just want my boys back. :/

Yeah but I think they mean that Castiel is reoccurring in Supernatural. Like how Bobby and John were reoccuring.

Doesn't "Regular" mean at least 8 episodes? And haven't people speculated this could be a pre-emptive move so he doesn't sign on for another series?

I only say this because I'm involved in the Stargate Atlantis fandom and we had a huge issue a season or two back when they made a character a "Regular" and she only ended up being onscreen for something like five minutes in half of her episodes and I think she was in 12/18 of the season, and she was the base commander. Only two episodes featured her in a large part.

I'm saying this, because, I kind of think maybe if they DID make him a "Regular" it would be a lower amount of episodes. Plus, there's always the chance that he could "rip out his grace" thus becoming human, which would add a little more depth to his storyline, though I doubt Kripke would do that, since then the final season would be too focused on him.

Saw this linked on the newsletter.

For what it's worth, I believe "regular" in that sense means the typical deal of 13/22, meaning an actor is credited as regular and has a primary commitment to the show but will only appear in up to 12 or 13 episodes. That's tops and it can be less. Smallville has been doing it for 4 years now with the Lois Lane character. The actress is in 13 episodes every year but is a regular.

Also, before Season 3 began both Katie Cassidy and Lauren Cohan were made series regulars so it has been done before.

I think only Jensen and Jared will remain "leads", that is the people who are in every single episode and therefore a class of their own.

That said, I'm very happy for the prospect to keep Castiel on. Personally I would not with Ruby because I'm holding on to the slim hope that this good demon nonsense will be a ruse and the character play itself out by the end of the Season.

Personally I would not with Ruby because I'm holding on to the slim hope that this good demon nonsense will be a ruse and the character play itself out by the end of the Season.

Could not agree with you more.

I'm pretty sure he meant a regular in the same sense as Katie Cassidy and Lauren Cohan were last season. It basically means they have him under contract so he can't be lost like the actors for Hendricksen and Gordon were. Gordon was supposed to play a much bigger role last season but because Sterling K Brown had gotten another job, they had to change everything.

Thank God I am not the only one who is skeptical about this. In general, I am not a huge fan of the Angel storyline, and while I like Castiel, I only want to see him in small doses. I'm not interested in him as a character. I'm interested in how he affects Sam and Dean. And that's it! Nothing more. I feel like the angels have sort of taken over the mytharc and eclipsed Sam and Dean - we're not watching their battle against the apocalypse, we're now watching the Angels. And really? That's a totally different story. I don't see how any of this will get better for a viewer like me if they make Castiel a regular.

This season has been so off and on for me, and perhaps it's because S2 is my favorite and I really do want the Sam&Dean Show with tastes of my favorite reoccurring players. I love Castiel as played by Misha and I don't want to lose him but I don't need him in every ep any more than I need Ruby in every ep. Small doses work for me.

I figured they meant Cas will be a reccuring regular the same way Ruby and Bella were.
(if they do mean a regular as in we'll see Cas almost as much as we see the boys thats not gonna work AT ALL.)

Im okay with Cas being a reccuring regular but if we're gonna be seeing more of him he's gonna need to start interacting with Sam more.
I don't want more of any character to mean less of one of the boys.

BUT as long as thats not the case Im happy with the news. :)

PS.
I hope they clear up if by regular they meant a flat out regular or 'reccuring regular' so I know how to fully react. lol

Yeah, Katie and Lauren were regulars If you watch the credits for the eps they were in last season, you'll see that their names appeared immediately after Jensen's and before the people designated as guest stars. Beyond a change in position for Misha's name in the credits, I have no idea what Kripke has in mind for Castiel. I do know that at the online communities he checks for fan feedback there's been a chorus of Deangirls hoping Sam and Dean separate so the show can focus on Dean and Castiel. Before this season, I'd have said Kripke would never do that. But considering the way Sam, and consequently SamnDean have been sidelined this season, I think he'd do anything. After all, the ratings are up and the Deangirlies, at least the ones he pays attention to, are delighted that Sam isn't intruding on Dean's show so much anymore.

As for Ruby, I hope she sticks around. If we can have morally ambiguous angels, why not morally ambiguous demons? Plus, she's the only thing giving Sam a storyline right now. Dean has the world to save and angels to contend with and Sam's not a part of that. If Ruby goes, Sam's got nothing going on.

If Ruby goes, Sam's got nothing going on.

I could not disagree with you more. What about Sam's demonic powers? What about the fact that Uriel and Castiel both seem to have a vested interest in Sam and his powers? And what about how he seems to be taking a more protective role in relation to Dean (something of a reversal of season one)?

Sure, Dean's got his heaven-and-hell plot arc, but he seems to be taking Sam with him, come hell and high water, and Sam's got issues of his own now, separate from Ruby.

Sam’s powers are on the wane, and with them the story of his own, internal struggle with good and evil, as well as any interest Castiel and Uriel will have in him. I honestly hadn’t noticed a Sam/Dean role reversal. And yeah, Sam *should* have issues; being stuck with demon blood, being the designated antichrist (at one time, anyway), trying to turn his curse into something good -- these are all worthy of attention. But except for IKWYDLS and the one scene in “Metamorphosis” when Sam finally tells Dean what it feels like being a whole new level of freak, Sam’s stuff has pretty much been ignored. Even "Pumpkin", which seemed like it might be about Sam’s issues,turned out to be about Dean’s stuff: Dean’s role as humanity’s savior, the decisions Dean will have to make, Dean’s terrible burden. And we can now add to this litany of woe Dean's suffering over his memories of hell. Sam has no part in any of this and, without his powers, no story of his own, either, except for his questionable association with Ruby.

Speaking of dropped Sam-storylines, whatever happened to that business about him maybe not being the same Sam he was before he died? Seems like this might've been a good time to get back to that. But this is The Dean Show now. I miss SamnDean.

I think its good news. I really like the character of Castiel and I think Misha is a great actor and will bring a lot to the show.
I'm assuming it means he will be a 'recurring regular' and not 'co-star' or third lead. Both Lauren Cohen and Katie Cassidy were 'recurring regulars' last season, which meant they would be in a minimum of six and maximum of 12 episodes and were paid considerably more than guest stars -- like Jim Beaver, so that SN would have first dibs on their time.
I wish they would make Bobby a recurring regular too. Ruby -- I just want her gone. At this point, I don't even care how -- just -- gone.

I couldn't agree more and it's nice to hear this side from a Castiel fan, I'm pretty indifferent to him as a character, certainly not a lover but not a hater, but the idea of him being involved in the Sam/Dean dynamic all the time really, really depresses me, I'm so not on board with it I can't even tell you!

Regular casting is not about a character being in every episode of the whole show. It isn’t about it becoming the Sam and Dean and Castiel show. It is about securing the actor in place of the role. Look at Heroes. Many of those people are regulars, but they don’t appear in every single episode. But the makers of the show have to sign them to a contract in order to keep them. Even if the actor is signed up for something like twenty episodes, that doesn’t mean he has to appear in all of them. He just has to be paid for them.

Kripke lost out on other characters like Hendrickson because they never had him to a contract, and when it came to Supernatural or another well-paying, probably more stable job, he chose the latter. Jim Beaver would have been signed, but he has a new show, and therefore is unable to appear in that many episodes or be signed to a contract. Misha is already signed on for another six episodes this season, but if at some point and time during the break he gets a better job offer and leaves, the show would have a huge amount of crap on there hands. Really they would have to choose between killing the character off the camera or making Castiel 2.0, both likely to piss of the fans.

It’s unlikely they would ever sign up Genevieve Cortese as Ruby since she is not very well liked, and therefore they can just have Ruby body hop when needed. This is why Cortese becoming a regular is less-likely. But that doesn’t mean Ruby is leaving anytime soon, just means Cortese might be leaving soon.

Now I am just worried that with negative reactions to this news (from what I've seen), they are just going to end his arc this season. I never understood the fear of this becoming anything less then the Sam and Dean show just because another regular is introduced to the show. Honestly, if it takes that much for them to keep a good actor and character on the show, and not constantly introduce, then kill or have the characters disappear, then I am all for it.

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I've Even Got An Improbably Ethnic Name

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