You have some really interesting thoughts here. I occasionally wonder about this. Because usually I'm very concerned with the role of women on a show I'm watching, their importance and how they interact. Either a couple or partnership show like The X-Files, or an ensemble like The West Wing.
Mary and Jess do serve as symbols more than anything else, but not in a way that diminishes who they were when they were alive. I honestly don't know what to make of the role of women on SPN, whether it is a concern for me or not. The guest star women are usually fairly strong/independent types, with a few exceptions. But the show really isn't about the women in their lives. It's about the Winchesters.
And as you point out, there are shows with more prominent roles for women that in many ways undermines their strength with the story arcs. Despite frequently being victims on SPN, on the whole I think women come across positively on SPN--they're cops, they're friends, or lovers, they're smart, intelligent, incredibly strong, sweet or just plain evil. The random Dean chippies are not shown as victims of his seductions, they're shown as happy, willing, and able to have fun as much as he is.
But on the whole, I dont know what to make of it usually, and decided to relax and not think about it. The show has never offended me in that way. Maybe there aren't enough good roles for women on TV overall, but I think women have done well on TV lately, and we don't have to be looking over our shoulder because there's a guy-driven buddy show. SPN isn't kind to its female characters, but it doesn't denigrate them. The women are never caricatures. There are plenty of women there just as scenery, but the show does that to its male leads (Sam in a towel) as much as it does to the women.
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Mary and Jess do serve as symbols more than anything else, but not in a way that diminishes who they were when they were alive. I honestly don't know what to make of the role of women on SPN, whether it is a concern for me or not. The guest star women are usually fairly strong/independent types, with a few exceptions. But the show really isn't about the women in their lives. It's about the Winchesters.
And as you point out, there are shows with more prominent roles for women that in many ways undermines their strength with the story arcs. Despite frequently being victims on SPN, on the whole I think women come across positively on SPN--they're cops, they're friends, or lovers, they're smart, intelligent, incredibly strong, sweet or just plain evil. The random Dean chippies are not shown as victims of his seductions, they're shown as happy, willing, and able to have fun as much as he is.
But on the whole, I dont know what to make of it usually, and decided to relax and not think about it. The show has never offended me in that way. Maybe there aren't enough good roles for women on TV overall, but I think women have done well on TV lately, and we don't have to be looking over our shoulder because there's a guy-driven buddy show. SPN isn't kind to its female characters, but it doesn't denigrate them. The women are never caricatures. There are plenty of women there just as scenery, but the show does that to its male leads (Sam in a towel) as much as it does to the women.