Right In Two

Right In Two is a Vividcon Challenge vid that premiered at the 2009 Vividcon Challenge Show. The challenge theme for that year was IDIC.
The vid mixed Supernatural footage with external source from the news showing racial riots and other civil unrest. The vidder's summary: "Does God exist? If so, where is He? Because all is NOT right with the world."
The vid generated extensive debate and discussion both during the convention and afterwards.
==Structure of Vid==
The vid opens with a quote by Robert Browning: "God is in heaven and all is right in the world." This will turn out to be an ironic statement, since by the end of the vid it will become clear that God is *not* in heaven and nothing is right in either heaven or our struggling world.
In the first clips the voice of the angel Castiel can be heard introducing himself to Dean Winchester as an "Angel of the Lord." Images of riots are intercut with Castiel looking baffled, confused and passive.
The lyrics at this point help put the scenes into context:
:Angels on the sideline,
:Puzzled and amused.
:Why did Father give these humans free will?
:Now they're all confused.
A brief shift in the vid brings the angel Uriel into view where both he and Castiel can be seen talking at a park bench. Viewers of Supernatural will know that Uriel's character shows nothing but disdain and disgust at humanity, believing that humans are God's flawed creations. He repeatedly refers to them as "mud monkeys." The vid then intercuts Castiel watching more scenes of violence and riots while the lyrics ask:
:Don't these talking monkeys know that
:Eden has enough to go around?
:Plenty in this holy garden, silly monkeys,
:Where there's one you're bound to divide it.
:Right in two.
The vid - and song - continue as the lyrics point out humanity's' flaws and our inherent destructiveness. Note that use of the word "monkey" to describe humanity in the song may resonate with fans familiar with Uriel('s views on humanity) and the show:
:Monkey killing monkey killing monkey.
:Over pieces of the ground.
:Silly monkeys give them thumbs.
:They make a club.
:And beat their brother, down.
:How they survive so misguided is a mystery.
:Repugnant is a creature who would squander the ability to lift an eye to heaven conscious of his fleeting time here.
Finally at the chorus, we see images of humans and angels battling and, eventually angels battling one another. On the show, there is a split among angels who want to initiate the Apocalypse and wipe humanity from the face of the earth (Uriel) and those who seek to prevent it (Castiel). 
The repeated chorus illustrates that the conflict on earth is mirrored not only by conflict between humans and angels but also conflict between the angels themselves. Whether human or angel, we all feel the same need to devolve into violent and destructive conflict; in essence cutting ourselves and each other "into two":
:Cut it all right in two 
:Cut it all right in two 
:Cut it all right in two 
:Cut it all right in two 
At the end of the chorus Uriel is killed, his spirit exploding into a burst of white that burns blackened angel wings into the pavement around his body. Castiel is left bloody and battered. The vid ends with Castiel and Dean sitting on the same park bench where Uriel and Castiel had once argued over humanity's fate. This time Castiel is silent, with both angel and man staring in front of them as the camera slowly pulls away.
==Context==
Supernatural is a show that has attracted an intensely loyal audience. However, many fans are not unaware of the problematic race and gender biases that are built in the plotlines and woven into the backdrop. Female and black characters are killed off regularly. Women are either evil demons or victims (see Women's Work). The fact that the main angelic villain (Uriel) is played by an African American was considered, by many, to be the final insult. Vidding or writing within Supernatural requires that both the creator and reader either disconnect from these realities or confront them head on. Most fans opt for the former, while still acknowledging their existence in the back of their minds. Still, those who are not fans of the show often cite the racial and gender issues as one of the main reasons they cannot watch Supernatural or participate in the fandom.
==Vidder's Comments==
In December 2009, the vidder disclosed her identity and offered the following apology:"It's been interesting to read about viewer reactions up to this point. I fully expected the vid to push people's buttons given its controversial aspects of violence, race, religion, and gender if you look hard enough. I've wondered how people would react to these real world issues within the fannish context of a Supernatural vid. For many viewers, this vid fails and offends spectacularly, and that is completely understandable. One could argue that I tackled too many issues and did not present them in a clear manner, or that a fannish vid is not the appropriate venue to do so. For those for whom this vid works at all on any level, I hope that it's made you think a little about these issues within fandom. [Such as the fact that the TV show Supernatural chose to make] (The angel in a black host .... the bad guy. Really? Yes, I am angry.).....I want to offer my sincerest apologies to anyone who was offended by this vid."Anonymous vidder's original vid announcement and subsequent apology, dated August 20 and Dec 30, 2009 respectively; WebCite.
==Reactions/Reviews==
The reactions to the vid were primarily negative and may have been pushed along by a growing schism between vidding fans that was developing.The schism is detailed further on the Vividcon 2010 page. 
==References==
Category:Supernatural Vids
Category:2009 Vids