Excuse me, I saw Brooklyn this morning and have been crying, off and on, for what feels like the entire day. I’m a wreck. My people! My great-grandmothers and fathers … that was what they did, and endured. Bah! I haven’t been to Ireland in almost 10 years, and that’s way too long a gap, after going almost every year for a stretch. I’m aching to go again. What a phenomenal and beautiful film.
Along with the Brooklyn-weep-fest, I also spent half the day thinking it was Tuesday. Have two deadlines this week, and just came up for air from heavy frenzied writing, and realized what day it was, like 10 minutes ago.
The Trickster directs! Take it away, Trickster!
Catch you all on the flip side.
So many feeeeeels! Sam, Dean, young Sam & Dean! Sully was a great character; I wouldn’t mind seeing him again. There were many laughs too: Dean catching Sam fighting nobody, the guys reactions to seeing Sparkles crime scene, that dude’s fierce air guitaring. One eyeroll moment… how’d the girl get big old Dean into the house and tie him to the chair?
Richard did a great job directing.
Richard can put a camera right up in JP’s grill any time, he’s doing god’s work there.
He got Sam’s hair really well, too. And the pyjamas.
No bare feet though :-(
Hi:)
I just wanted to say, that I loved young Sam. I think the actor was very well cast – he looked exactly like child Jared – and he played Sam beautifully:) These shining eyes!
Dean was even more ridiculous in his encounters with witnesses than usual… But as he was a pretend shrink, I guess he matched the expectations… Aren’t all shrinks a bit nuts?
I also liked his “homey” appearance:)
And I think that the creatures in this episode were really nice:) Although it seems they also have a kind of their own bureaucracy (Sully was “in management”?) so please do not let them come back and become boring like angels…
Agreed. Anything but that…
//Aren’t all shrinks a bit nuts?//
Hey! I resemble that! ;-)
Can’t wait to see it! Avoiding comments section until then … but very much looking forward!
“The Bert and Ernie context” still has me laughing. “The family that showers together” does takes the cake for the most awkward Dean victim encounter of all time. Pull up!
Young Sam was amazing and I didn’t realize we were getting young Dean too. Both great actors. For all the goofiness, it was surprisingly touching and for once I’m having trouble finding the words on this one. “I was a lonely kid”/”you weren’t lonely you had me”.
Pretext not context. Frigging auto correct gets me every time.
.//“The Bert and Ernie context”//
‘Context’ worked for me too, somehow.
And don’t forget the awkward “manicorn”.
Yep, that’s a keeper. Though the word ‘brony’ kept going through my head for some reason, too.
And Sully’s face at Dean’s offer to flush the mermaid down the toilet.
Burying the mermaid … just the muddy tail at the bottom of the grave.
I’m guessing the family were out of town at this point.
Or maybe they were taking a family shower upstairs now that it’s a thing.
Yeah, they buried Ariel in a shallow grave behind the playset, but surely they didn’t leave Sparkles in the beanbag chair in all his gooey, glittery glory?!
Sam: Here I’ll get the head. Dean you get the…umm…back end.
Dean: Watch out for his…spiraly, horny thing. (I can’t believe I just said that.)
Sully: Hurry up before they get out of the shower.
Dean: Damn! I got glitter on my cardigan.
And just a hand motion to say, “yep, I crossed a line.”
“He’s no Clapton.” Dean’s a tough sell on this whole imaginary friend thing.
I’m just here to say
– Cardigans.
– Dead guy’s bathrobe.
Thassorl.
Dead guy bathrobe combined with matching slippers and the dad voice is so good. Sam in his softie pajamas with his little bowed bed head. Bunker lounge wear. We need more of this.
And Dean’s jammie shorts. We got a very gratuitous shot of kung fu LEG right after my favorite line. (Dean totally deadpan) “I’m gettin’ my gun…”
“Rise and shine, Sammy.” Contemplating morning in the bunker… Last time Sam woke to an alarm was ‘Mystery Spot’ (with the Trickster) right? Wow, what a different feel. There are some gorgeous shafts of natural light cutting through the cavelike darkness in Sam’s room and more in the hallway. Being below ground do they have some high up windows like basement apartments? (I’m not ashamed to say I watch the sexy Scott McG, also 11 seasons, on Income Property.) Great job RS on creating that early morning moody vibe to then contrast with the brightness of Sparkles. And yes, bring on more ‘Hunters At Home’.
Helena, I’ll see your comments and raise you:
“She’s got Sparkles on her face!”
Barb, I can’t hear that word on SPN without thinking of Charlie so it made me a bit sad.
I get that–though I hadn’t thought of her in this context (hmm, context–).
That whole scene had us laughing out loud, though, something which hasn’t happened with this show in a while.
Just realized that the actress who played the Sparkles mom is the realtor from S2 Bugs.
Thanks, I recognised her but couldn’t remember from where.
Didn’t end well there, either.
that actress needs so many awards for getting through that scene with the blood on her face.
Question: The girl said she’d consulted a witch to find out how to connect with Sully. My first thought was Rowena… anyone else go there?
Crossed my mind, but I need their supernatural world to be big enough to encounter many witches. It’s bad enough that all demons are Crowley centric. I prefer a more chaotic, wild feel to the monster world rather than mega covens, alpha vamps, royalty controlling everything.
hi. what really struck me down was to watch sammy get that scolding off attitude with sully, rigth on his way to get a bus to milwakee. that was a prelude of souless sam if not or how cold minded determinated he would get in the future.
//surprisingly touching//
This was the best insight of the show into little Sam/inner child Sam. It’s revealing that what Sam wanted most was to be like Dean and be part of that father/son team, bond. Dad and Dean were so caught up in protecting little Sammy that they didn’t recognize this.
“I was a lonely kid”/”you weren’t lonely you had me”
Dean didn’t see this either because he was so much a part of Dad’s world as is often the case with 1st borns, in my experience. Good for him that he eventually got it (and hard for Momma!Dean to admit), “when I wasn’t there for Sam Sully helped him.”
Did Sully help Sam? Interesting that the idea of running away was Sully’s. He kept subtly urging the idea to little Sam and then again to big Sam. I got a tiny sinister chill when he said, “ever think about running away?” in response to Sam’s revelation of needing to return to the cage. We know Sam has run away many times – Stanford, Amelia, that cabin with the dog on rt 66. Is Sully the one who put the idea in Sam’s head that running away is an acceptable way to not face your life?
More than anything Sam wanted/needed his brother to talk this stuff through with – then and now. Is Sully an extension of Dean? After all Dean in deeper moments candidly admits that he has always wanted Sam to escape (run away from) the Hunter life in spite of his actions and words to the contrary. He is also the one refusing to discuss Sammy facing the cage.
I know I’m flip flopping like Nicky the mermaid, but it also occurred to me that Yelloweyes put evil influences throughout Sam’s young life. Could Sully have been part of this plot to isolate Sam from the support of his brother and father? Now could he be encouraging Sam not to fight the Darkness, not to follow ?God’s leading?
I really love the character of Sully, but I also love that SPN can give me those niggling doubts and weird tingles up my spine.
//”ever think about running away?”// at first it seemed cute as part of their game of ‘ever think’ but it is odd. If it was his role to help kids face their fears and move on, what fear did that advice help with? And to hear it twice was a little disturbing. I love it that even the sweetest things have layers to them in these stories.
When Sully started talking about middle management, I was worried they were going to turn out to be another class of angels, like guardian angels. *praise hands* that didn’t happen.
//I love it that even the sweetest things have layers to them in these stories.//
I wasn’t even gonna go there, but what if he purposefully lead Reese’s twin into the street? Seems like that would be rule #1 whether you see a car coming or not. The other Zannas seemed to be really respectful of parents and encouraged their kids to be cooperative.
Sully as a positive influence: One kid dead, one went nuts and went on a murder spree, and one drank demon blood and started the apocalypse…twice. Hmmm, maybe there’s a reason he isn’t in the field anymore.
Ok I rewatched this and am rethinking poor Sully. Maybe disturbing was too strong on the running away comments. He really seems a big softy with a “sure, Sam, you want to run away? I’ll run away with you” kind of vibe. Also the way he was supportive of everyone rang true even to praising Dean for being a good big brother.
***I was wrong. I rewatched and the running away idea came from Little Sam not Sully. The fear he was trying to help Sam face was the fear of stepping out and being his own person which manifested itself in a 9 yr old as “Dad will kill me if I run away.” Ultimately Sully was successful in giving Sam the confidence to go off to Stanford. Little Sam feared Dad’s rejection, not really “Dad will kill me”, but Dad might stop loving me. The phone call from Dad was what 9 yr old Sam needed most at that moment, assurance that Dad loved and wanted him. (Natalie?) And Barb, you’re right about the adult coversation. It was a gentle reminder to big Sam that running away had never solved the problem. “I did (think about it) and I have (run away), but…” I’m sorry that Dean didn’t get that Sully was there for Sam not just when he (Dean) was physically not there for him. It’s Mary and Martha. The caretaker is so busy caretaking that he won’t sit down to listen!
Funny, I didn’t read that scene with adult Sam and Sully in that way at all. I thought that it was a gentle challenge on Sully’s part, not advice. He was asking Sam if he still wanted to run away, knowing that Sam didn’t, anymore, in order to suggest that he could face his fear of the Cage head on.
JP was amazing in that scene, btw.
Barb, you’re not wrong about Sully or JP or the scene. //I got a tiny sinister chill// All this speculation was due a “tiny” chill. It’s probably just as innocent as it seems. The scene was especially poignant and beautiful anyway you look at it.
That actually made me tear up. That was a well-written scene- the way Sam could barely talk about the Cage too- ugh, JP.
And, just sayin’, what’s up with lettin’ Reese, the double Zanna murderess, just drive away in her VW bug like she doesn’t belong in a rubber room?
that was effing hilarious. She’s just killed two innocents and stabbed a third and they’re all waving and grinning like morons as she drives away. See ya Reese! Toot toot!
What the hell is right. She was psycho enough to track down a witch and force her to help her. The witch said that the Zanna were nice but sweet little Reese didn’t believe her which means what? That she threatened or tortured the witch to help her? But it’s all good because we took the big knife away and she hugged it out with Sully.
hi. when i saw the round piece of the handle’s blade, i thougth, for a moment, that it was very similar to the round pieces of the three swords that we could see in the shoot of the ep. where sam had the vision of the cage.
Seriously, drop her at the nearest asylum, “Found one of yours when she assaulted me, talking about mermaids and manicorns.” And hope Amara doesn’t suck her soul out before they can fit her for a straight jacket, if she hasn’t already.
Agreed. Not even Jodi’s number for this one?
One thing that occurred to me about Reese, though–in a way, she became a hunter, didn’t she? She was just hunting the wrong thing! We think.
Another fun house mirror for the boys?
This is the season for all the parallels and throwbacks, isn’t it? It was acutally a good one because Reese went off the rails after her sister died and became a ruthless heartless hunter like Mystery Spot Sam.
And siblings… Plush was sister/brother, this was twin sisters…
I just love this season. Love, love, love. And I adored Sully. That actor was fantastic. I hope we see him again.
Me too! This episode quickly became my favourite so far. So many great things I don’t know where to start. I only wish I wasn’t so behind everyone here! I generally don’t get a chance to watch the new episodes until Friday or Saturday.
So many old school Dean “Frankly If Anyone Cares I Find This APPALLING” faces. Classic.
“Hey slacker, am I burying Ariel by myself?”
My favorite was his full face and body contortions when he got “THE LOOK” from Sam and Sully regarding flushing her body. His whole body just contorts and then paralyzes when he asks what Sully suggests doing. Jensen Ackles, man.
That little hand gesture for ‘over the line’ followed by the submissive clasped hands. Hysterical.
How are we not talking about Weems yet? Telling his sweet little boy that “mommy drank a lot of juice tonight” and taking him to wash the sheets after he wet the bed. He looked like a mullet wearing loser and Dean asks, what’s so special about you? Now, I’m not a big cryer (and I wasn’t drinking any alcohol at the time) but that made me tear up because he loves that kid AND THEN HE STARTS AIR GUITARING.
Loved Dean’s “no way I’m admitting to being impressed by that” reaction to Weems’ air guitar!
I liked Sully headbanging along of the guitar.
Weems: an Ash for children. “He’s a genius.” <3
Was I the only one who needed a few seconds to accept the manicorn and not freak out at the idea of a very big man-ish being in a little girl's room only she could see?
The scene where the brothers finally see the blood everywhere was pretty amazing, though. So funny, really sweet at the same time… "all the shrinks in the world."
I love that we can keep re-visiting their childhood. It's season 11, and I was crying like it was all so fresh. Nothing is forgotten (I mean, except Adam). It all goes back to all the seasons before. That's pretty amazing.
We've seen that motel-room thingy with the cow and the barn before. Which episode? Aaaagh, it's gonna make me crazy if I don't find it.
I miss you guys! I can't believe it's almost Christmas already, and it's the second season with you. So awesome!
Look who’s back! Has it already been two seasons? S11 has been so consistently good. No nuns yet.
When I saw Weems I thought of you and Ash, haha. Maybe he was little Ash’s friend? Although he had so much confidence it makes me wonder if he was like Dean and didn’t need one as a child.
Each of the Vanna WAS weird and big with an element of creepy (especially Sparkle). I guess that’s a credit to the writing that by the time they died, you were attached to them. And such weird dark humor in their deaths. Ugh, that image of the mermaid tail being buried is still in my mind.
// When I saw Weems I thought of you and Ash, haha//
Ha, you know my obsessions! (and I also noticed Mutecypher’s reference to Benny in the previous episodes post, btw. You guys, <3) I can totally imagine little Ash being the super confident kid who's smarter than the teacher and knows it.
// I guess that’s a credit to the writing that by the time they died, you were attached to them. //
Until he got stabbed, I was kind of waiting for Sparkle to do something creepy. When I realized he was the actual victim, I felt so guilty. He had just opened wide his arms to welcome the little girl back… It gave me the sads. So yeah, super well done.
I just re-watched the scene. Sparkle had really cleaned the room super well. Oh, that is so sad. Poor Sparkle. :(
I was a little cautious about possible creepiness, but the zanna were all such adorable softy goofs. Why did Sparkles have to die :(
It’s as if Ash was an imaginary friend
I enjoyed the episode, it was good to get more Sam focus. Do we call it SaD – for Sam Drama? To distinguish it from the BM scenes.
Along with the other logic holes already mentioned, how would a Zanna choose a shape? Was Sparkle forever a manicorn, waiting for the next needy child to imagine just that shape of imaginary friend? What was Weems claim-to-coolness before guitars became cool? Seems like they should be shapeshifters – with kind hearts.
But it was a sweet, fun episode. I liked Dean’s firm, manly belting up of his robe to emphasize how serious he was about speaking to Sam alone. And I liked the number of attractive women walking past the camera just as various scenes began. Loki has his weaknesses.
//Was Sparkle forever a manicorn// not only a practical question but an existential one. Funny how he was seated at a tea party with a little girl. Another great flashback to Audrey and her pretend friend that came alive. “For tea parties!”
//Loki has his weaknesses// hahahaha
And all that sweet stuff on the breakfast table. Loki’s sticky fingers were all over this one.
SaD is accurate… poor Sammeh.
//Was Sparkle forever a manicorn, waiting for the next needy child to imagine just that shape of imaginary friend?//
There’s an app for that ‘OkZanna’. The profiles are all pictures for kids who can’t read. Swipe right for like, left for icky, and the new super like swipe up. It’s taken the creepy guesswork out of imaginary friends…
Million dollar idea. Crowdsource it.
And the app ZandR for imaginary friends who want to find imaginary-friends-with-benefits.
I desperately need the GIF of Dean’s “crossed a line” hand and face gesture for moments like this…
Uh oh, Pull Up! Pull Up!
“A dragon lives forever but not so little boys
Painted wings and giant rings make way for other toys
One grey night it happened, Jackie Paper came no more
And Puff that mighty dragon, he ceased his fearless roar
His head was bent in sorrow, green scales fell like rain
Puff no longer went to play along the cherry lane
Without his life-long friend, Puff could not be brave
So Puff that mighty dragon sadly slipped into his cave, oh!”
Still makes me cry…
Was Puff a Zanna? Don’t you hope some other little boy or girl wanted a mighty green dragon as a friend?
Are Zanna a metaphor for good parenting: if you do it right the kids outgrow you and move away.
Mutecypher,
Puff is the greatest Zanna ever! Who wouldn’t want to frolic in the autumn mist of Honnah Lea with a friendly dragon? My mommy used to sing this to me and I sang it to my babies. I used to think that Jackie Paper had died until Momma explained that he just grew up – still cried, still do.
I think you’re onto something with that Zanna/parent thing. Yep!
The moment that made this episode for me was when Sully wanted to start crying and Dean told him to “let it out,” and he said he had to stay strong for Sam. Such a great Dean parallel. Both needing to bottle up what they are feeling so Sam isn’t upset. Guys, Sam is a grown ass man. Let him see you weak!
Except for the end of season episodes, I think this is my favourite previously EVER. The unicorn! The bearded tooth fairy! The cupid! The hot little naked lady with nipples! And one of the thing that has made my laugh more than anything in my life: the depressed teddy bear yelling “whyyyyyyy?”
This is TOO good.
I found it super disturbing that it launched straight from that into the montage of Hell flashbacks…
All the cuteness to lift you up then rip your heart out.
//”whyyyyyyy?”// That teddy bear was still one of the best bits on the show. “Why am I here?” And little Audrey taking the porn and the booze back to the Quickie Mart on her bike. Ben Edlund was the best. I have been down on some of the writers in previous seasons **Wren – this is me, head bowed, ashamed of my negativity** but Jenny Klein really came through on this last ep.
Off the record, but I’m not too into Buckner and Leming in general. So no bowed heads :D
Oh, Wren,that duo…
Lyrie, A**** gif use.
Holy shit, Dean made a Miyazaki reference. Makes me so happy! I shouldn’t be surprised, of course he’s seen Neighbor from Totoro!! (There’s a huge Studio Ghibli retrospective going on in NYC for the entire month of December, so I’ve got Miyazaki on the brain as it is – too many films to see in one month.)
Mork from Ork, and Totoro … they’re like THIS.
I cannot stop laughing at Weems weeping for Nicky, hands outstretched: “SHE WAS MY GIRL.”
Dude committed to that. I am laughing out loud as I type this.
He was gold. Last season we were talking about best one-off characters. Weems just displaced “Where’s the porn” dude. “My fat saved me.”
The Totoro reference was glorious.
This season just keeps hitting home runs so far. Another episode I absolutely loved. Jared absolutely knocked it out of the park in this episode. When Sam was having the conversation with Sully about the cage, he turned right back into that nine year old little boy, soft, vulnerable and somehow small. Having the conversation with Sully somehow seemed to give Sam the determination he needed to be able to talk about the Cage later on with Dean. That scene was amazing….unfortunately….or fortunately….I’ve seen the outtake video they did of that scene from a mess up line by Jensen, so I actually started laughing and some of the seriousness was ruined. Despite that my excitement continues to build over what seems to be coming.
I thought the actor that portrayed young Sam was very good and I was happily surprised at the return of Dylan Everett as young Dean. I would love to see more of him. Looking forward to the mid season finale next week….those are usually always intense episodes.
//he turned right back into that nine year old little boy, soft, vulnerable and somehow small//
Ugh, right? Poor giant tiny.
That goddamn outtake. I swear I saw Jared trying not to laugh in the actual scene as well.
The other way is back there. Look, the other way has been there the whole time. Dying
And, to anyone out there working on a map of the bunker – apparently the hallway to the bedrooms ends at the kitchen and then access to the library is up a couple of steps…and who knows what then? Just sayin’.
Melanie and I were talking about this because there must be a lift or something to get the telescope up to the conservatory to view the stars (ok we don’t know if there’s really a conservatory but there should be). Was thinking about sending a tweet to Jerry Wanek to ask if the production design team ever came up with something like this for fun. They strike me as an obsessively detailed group, ha.
I’m really bored in the Detroit airport right now and googled it. Here you go:
http://www.supernaturalwiki.com/images/4/45/MenofLettersFloorplanBIG.jpg.
Brilliant!
The kitchen looked really weird to me. I certainly never noticed 2 doorways and 2 steps up to the library. What’s with the bathroom sink in the corner? Sam crossed the room to get water for coffee from the kitchen sink rather than using the sink right behind him. (And he obviously wasn’t making enough for Dean because there was barely enough water for one moose mug. Honestly, Mama!Dean would have fixed the coffee and set the timer the night before. Pretty sure Sam didn’t even know how to make his own coffee til he hooked up with Amelia because Don was the one who always made her coffee. He had to learn then because Dean and Don were both missing, presumed dead. Wow that took a turn, but coffee is REALLY important in our house.
Card catalogue!!! Sam must have finished organizing the books because he went straight to the right shelf and book like he was born in a library – he spent enough time there as a kid I guess.
Which means he meticulously picked up, cleaned and organized all those books on the shelves again after the almost-Frankenweenie book burn.
Apparently he ate Dean’s chili while he shelved…
Just think, 90% of this show’s viewers have never seen an actual card catalogue or even know what one is.
Um… what’s a card catalogue? (I’m sixteen and British, okay?)
Before computers Libraries were navigated via card catalogues. One could look up an author, title, or keyword on 5×7 index cards in little drawers in the library. The card would indicate the exact shelf position of the book or books one was looking for. For example Sam wanted to know about “Zanna”. Now I personnally would have tried “Xana” first, but anyway…he looked alphabetically in the back of last drawer under Z. When he found the card with Zanna on it (keyword) it obviously told him the title and shelf position of the book with info on Zanna. That’s a little oversimplified but sort of like google or bing if someone had to meticulously type out every response. And, yeah, pretty sure British libraries used these too.
http://images.wisegeek.com/library-card-catalogs.jpg
Oh, of course. I guess I knew that- just not by name. I love these little atmospheric details in the Bunker. Thanks :)
Sam flipping through the card catalogue pleases my inner book nerd. Lol
Not just random flipping…I took note that he went to the back of the last drawer to the Zs for ‘Zanna’. THAT is attention to detail!
That makes it even better