Just finished season 9 of Supernatural. You’ve got to give that show credit for being one of the few that *demands* a deus ex machina ending. Anything less, after all this fighting over who’s going to take God’s place and Castiel’s moments of mysterious grace, would be a let down. I can’t wait to see what season 10 has to offer.
While we’re on the topic of shows that appropriate Christian mythology for their own ends, I want to say that Messengers is crap. We’re supposed to believe that God turned some humans into angels and sent the Devil to earth to tempt some other humans into becoming the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, all because he’s testing humanity? What a convoluted and cruel way for an omnipotent being to decide what he wants to do next. It seems ridiculous: objectively, no more ridiculous than a strictly biblical eschatology, but the latter has the weight of time and belief to lend it a patina of respectability. The plot of Messengers is both silly and not original … a combination it’s hard to get excited over. The actual execution is also pretty bland.
Continuing in the theme, I’m looking forward to the Lucifer show. D. B. Woodside’s character — the angel trying to pressure Lucifer back into hell — reminds me of the angel from Constantine, but hopefully that’ll be the only point of similarity between the two shows. The concept of Lucifer turning to crime fighting is almost too much for me to wrap my head around (I can only imagine the reaction of various Christian action organizations), but I have a history of enjoying shows that revolve around immortals assisting cops. I hope he ends up having more powers than just the ability to convince people to tell him their innermost desires.