Hello to my Supernatural friends! I know I am extremely behind in re-caps, but I promise I will get back to them. Real Life has called, in major ways over the last couple of weeks. I won’t be able to watch tonight, but will catch up tomorrow with the premiere. Thought it would be fun though to provide a place where people can chatter to their hearts’ content. No need to worry about spoilers. Talk away, and those of us who are behind can play catch up.
I am going to keep on keeping on with Season 2 re-caps and I thought I might separate the two conversations out, although there will always be crossover. The fun for me in the early season re-caps is to really look back and study what has gone down before, and try to ignore retrospect, try to put aside the fact that we know where all this is going. What has happened since is all very interesting, too, but as of Season 2, it hasn’t gone down yet. So maybe I’ll put up Open Threads for Season 10 stuff, and then keep doing early season re-caps, to keep the threads separate. I don’t know! Life is a whirlwind right now, but that’s what I’m thinking in the middle of the whirlwind.
Can’t wait to see the premiere! Miss you all!
Haven’t seen anything yet, but that picture is creeping the bejeezus out of me already.
The silver eye is almost worse than the demon eye.
He needs to consult Patch about a patch.
hahaha
He don’t need no stinkin’ Patch, although ew. Yes, he does.
also … “Patch.” hahahaha Like, that was his character’s name.
Bren – we have been laughing about this since HIGH SCHOOL. It will never get old. I’m proud of us.
The series re-cap last night got me seriously psyched. Dean singing “I’m too sexy for my shirt…” during the promos (hadn’t seen them before) was too much. Not a fan of Deanmon as a moniker, but they didn’t ask me. I loved the YouTubes of people as they were watching the season 9 finale.
Only hours away…
Thanks for doing this, Sheila.
I refuse to participate in the “Deanmon” name myself. Nope. I find it stupid and I wish they had consulted me as well. :)
Heading out. So have fun. I’m jealous! See everyone tomorrow!
Thanks Sheila! AVC canned their coverage so I was starting to get the shakes….
And yes, how could they go with Deanmon? Even Deamon would have been better.
Sheila,
Bless you! like Jessie I wasn’t sure where I would be able to discuss this season since AV Club dropped Supernatural. I know some of the gang aren’t caught all the way up, and I would hate to spoil anyone’s enjoyment. So again thank you!
Jessie re: AVC they didn’t even give Supernatural the dignity of a season premier recap! I think they even kept some shows with fewer commentaries! Oh well, I’m glad we have this space.
Yeah I didn’t like Deanmon either.
Loved the recap show last night. When I heard “Chuck” narrating it made me smile. It’s starting now!!
Sigh. I am on the road, still 2 hours from home. My friend is DVR-ing it for me, bless her, but I probably won’t get to watch tonight. Hope everyone’s enjoying it!
Hi everyone!
I’ve been reading – lurking – for a while now, and loving these recaps. I might try to participate in conversations, although english not being my first language makes me even more shy than usual. But I don’t know anybody following this show, i stumbled upon it this summer, binge-watched it like crazy, and now i’m hooked and i NEED people to talk to about the show.
So, see you soon.
(His silver eye makes me think of shapeshifter Dean in season 1. Creepy)
Hi, Lyrie – welcome! It’s fun to talk about the show, that’s for sure.
Lyrie – we’re kind folk here. Sheila is the best hostess ever and treats all her guests with respect. Not many of my friends have the same SPN obsession that I do, I’m grateful for Sheila’s space.
awww – thanks!!
I watched it tonight, did my 1st ever SPN live tweet which was kind of fun. I thought the episode had a lot of momentum and promise. It still looks like the angel story line is not the best. There was still humour, loved the scene between Sam & the Gas n Sip kid.
Okay, finally watched.
Sam and the Gas n Sip kid was hilarious!!
And angels? Yes. Yawn.
I can’t wait to see what you all have to say about that episode. Just like Kim (thanks for the warm welcome, btw), I’m afraid the angels are going to be boring. I really hope I’ll be proven wrong because I love Cas and the question of freedom vs. order. But seriously, I miss Zachariah. Am I the only one wanting to see some more angels like Zach or Lucifer? I want to shake their feathers!
Overall, I liked the episode. I was pleasantly surprised by Dean – not at all what I expected.
Is it just me or are the colours becoming even brighter? The Gas’n’sip scene HURT my eyes. I miss the look of the first seasons. Particularly when I see this kind of scenes. Ouch, my eyes.
Lyrie – yes, we have discussed how much we yearn for Zachariah or Balthazar – or, my personal favorite, Uriel. Give us some bad-asses. Not these drones who – sorry – ALL LOOK ALIKE.
Castiel is boring me now too. Castiel as damsel-in-distress is especially un-interesting. Especially when compared to Dean and Sam and Crowley.
I actually liked the color scheme of the episode – kind of dark and dreary, and those rainy car scenes at the end were gorgeous. The gas ‘n sip stood out as the only “normal” setting in the bunch – hence, the bright lighting. Everything else felt like it was falling to pieces. The bar, Castiel’s hotel room, that barn where Sam was held – everything felt deteriorating and shabby. And the night scene of Sam beside his car felt very moody Zodiac-ish. So I was okay with it!
Things I liked:
Pat Benatar during the “Then.”
Castiel’s solid gold POS Lincoln. And its suspension.
The Gas-n-Sip exchanges, especially the Breaking Bad nod “Say my name!” and “Did I conduct a field interview? No.” “Where’s the porn?”
Crowley baiting Sam. “Dean and I thought you’d hit another dog.” And the line that four score and seven million fans whisper, “Dean Winchester completes me.”
The brother-chemistry between Dean and Crowley in their hotel room, the name calling.
And then there are the curiosities:
Dean needs to burn/exercise the Mark of Cain or he becomes a demon?
Crowley needs help to create a perfect Hell? What’s a perfect Hell, an endless library of all the books too sappy for Nicholas Sparks to have written? I better start living right.
Why do the angels need to hunt down all of the fallen ones who haven’t returned? How can angels serve Heaven when it’s just a place? Did Castiel really break Sam’s arm? And who’s the guy who grabs Sam?
A solid season opener. But like Lyrie, I could have done without douchy angels. I’m just hoping we don’t get a whole feminine hygiene product aisle full of them like last season. And I missed Baby. When Sam’s car died, and you couldn’t see what he was driving, I was in some serious suspense. Who messed with Baby? I’m glad Baby isn’t hurt.
// Why do the angels need to hunt down all of the fallen ones who haven’t returned? How can angels serve Heaven when it’s just a place? //
Yes, and even more importantly: Tell me why I should give a shit. Please.
But I’m an optimist and try to look on the bright side. There was a lot that was good and intriguing in the episode. It feels relationship-based. Crowley-Dean, Sam and missing-Dean – and then there was the interest of the guy who grabbed Sam, hinting at some history with Dean. Ahhhh, those GAPS built into the Winchester storyline that allow people like that rockabilly tough-guy to stroll into the scene and suggest that there are entire chapters we haven’t been privy to.
The karaoke killed me. I believe I have mentioned a couple of times – that we never see Dean get drunk. I mean, he drinks, but he’s not a “hog the mike at karaoke guy” – I think that’s an exact quote from one of the re-caps or the comments. So I laughed out loud to see him hogging the mike and wasted in the Season 10 premiere. HA. And the SONGS he was singing. Soooooo ridiculous and so awesome.
JA is great. The gloom is gone. Here is what Dean would be like if he stopped worrying – and also here is what Dean would be like if he did whatever he wanted. It’s Dean … but NOT Dean.
And yes: there are so few women on the great SPN soundtrack, so it was awesome to have a powerhouse of a lady start off the season. It’s about time.
With some more thought, I’m guessing Dean has Baby. I don’t recall seeing her, though.
Sorry to hear that RL’s causing you trouble, Sheila. Here’s hoping for things to get better soon!
But I have to thank you for coming up with this s10 open thread idea – after all, this is my favorite place to go to when I want to talk Supernatural. I can’t wait to hear what all you smart and witty people think about the episode.
Personally, I think that if it weren’t for the angel storyline slowing the pace down, this could’ve been a pretty good episode. I loved Sam’s determination to find and save Dean. His expression when he found out Dean is a demon… poor Sammy! I loved Crowley. I cringed at the horrible karaoke singing, but otherwise I really enjoyed Demon Dean (I refuse to call him Deanmon), even his interactions with Ann-Marie. The Gas-N-Sip clerk was hilarious. And Cole seems like an interesting character so far too. So all in all, I’m satisfied :-)
Hunenka – Oh, you’re so nice – but “Real Life” hasn’t been worrisome or bad – just busy – and all of the writing I’m doing now is for paid gigs. The New York Film Festival is happening right now, and I’m going to screenings and writing about it, and I’m on a panel for another film festival, and blah blah … just super super busy. Paying rent! Now if someone would PAY me to write about Supernatural … Bah, it’s okay. I’ll do it for free!
The look on Sam’s face when Cole (is that his name? I didn’t catch his name in the episode at all) – held out the phone to him … Sam looked absolutely devastated. This is why JP is so good, too. The entire episode had him hard and focused and pissed – as Sam would be – but in that moment you saw the real thing going on underneath. JP never misses those moments. He always comes through. Thought it was tragic.
And the angels. God. Snooze-fest. Hannah is not good. She’s not an interesting character, or an interesting actress. Harsh, but I have to say it. It’s like they trapped themselves into a corner with the Metatron Bartholomew plot-line – they forgot that the angels in Season 4 were wild and ferocious and mysterious. Maybe we know too much about them now. I don’t know.
And Lord help me if I have to see an entire season of Castiel wheezing and sickly. I like the character – but I’m not gaga over him. I like him when he is useful, and when he is connected to the brothers. I’m not all that invested in him as a character otherwise. I realize that is not the case for his fan base and there are those who love him above all others – no disrespect meant to any of you who feel that way. But he makes the show uneven … Crowley somehow adds punch and tension, highlighting the brothers, upping the ante for them … Castiel for, what, 2 seasons now, has been peripheral. It’s an odd situation – I’m trying to think of an equivalent in another long-running show and coming up empty.
I loved the whole Dean/Ann-Marie thing. Crowley’s aside that real Dean would stay away from someone like her – which is an interesting insight, and something we all have discussed here before. He sleeps around but he picks carefully. I liked her a lot. I also liked her teeth. Just have to point that out.
I love Demon Dean in general. I had a feeling I would.
Hi All,
Sheila thank you for this open thread. While I have been enjoying your movie reviews, et al. I was starting to worry about where we were going to celebrate making it through hellatus!
Deanmon?! I’m with Ash here “what the f…”
mutecypher, I shared some of your question, but I worried that it was because I missed stuff in the episode as my television feed kept interrupting and I lost parts of scenes.
Who is the guy who took Sam? Should we know him? Who is giving the Angels orders? (I’m trying to care) Why does losing your grace make you cough?
Lyrie, I’m with Kim, this is a great group of people to share ideas with.
All hail mirrors! The female server that Demon Dean was hooking up with, did she say at the something along the lines of “see how messed up I am, I’m going to leave here thinking I deserve that”? A perfect mirror for Dean who seems to be lost under the dark shadow of shame for what he has become.
My condolences regarding Sam’s hair. It looks like it was just a trim…
Heather – // Who is giving the Angels orders? (I’m trying to care) //
hahahaha I have no idea. It seems like boring Hannah is just trying to wrassle up the troops or something. The dialogue was so … stilted I tuned out.
// Why does losing your grace make you cough? //
That is one of the funniest things I’ve ever heard.
I loved that line from Ann Marie, Heather, and I loved her delivery of it (not to mention his complete unconcern about it all). There was real pain behind it for her. And yes good point about the mirrors. We must keep an eye out for mirrors! Ann Marie was clearly a mirror – and Crowley sensed something different about her – the “damage” – which real Dean would have steered far clear of. A necessary piece of perspective there.
The guy who took Sam is clearly a mirror for Dean too – but yes, I have no idea who he is. I mean, he looks like a rockabilly version of Dean.
Speaking of rockabilly, I love Dean’s slightly longer greased-up hair. But that brings us to Sam’s hair. Not sure I approve of the trim. I fear change.
I don’t remember Sam getting his arm broken at all. My apologies.
I know Kim, I was so bummed — so unceremonious!
But I enjoyed it a lot. I wasn’t expecting Dean to be merry AND gloomy!
Seems like maybe “are you a good guy pretending to be bad or a bad guy pretending to be good” is going to be the theme for a while. Feels like the cousin of the usual problematics, the usual questions — that word pretending, though. Interesting. The angels — yes, dull, and out of place in the first episode I felt — but it fits. I do like Hannah, and Cole’s little mysteries are intriguing.
Only a show in its tenth season could get away with lines like “I miss him”….but does it have to?
Any time Sam gets to be a hardass is the best time. Jared seemed to have a good time chewing on his weird closeups and Jensen at times did not look like Dean at ALL.
// I wasn’t expecting Dean to be merry AND gloomy! //
Yes, and how on earth he pulled THAT off is one of the greatest mysteries of our time.
Oops, so sorry, but I don’t like Hannah! Maybe it’s how she is written – maybe I want her to step aside to let some rogue angels who have a personality take the screen. Perhaps we are in the recovery process – Heaven getting back its equilibrium, blah blah … but I’m confused about Castiel’s investment at this point as well. I don’t know – the angel sections were not particularly well-written (the three-way in the running stream in particular) – so time will tell.
I do love that Castiel still has that ridiculous car.
// Only a show in its tenth season could get away with lines like “I miss him”….but does it have to? //
BAH. Right? Please don’t put subtext into text until you absolutely have to, writers!!
// Any time Sam gets to be a hardass is the best time. //
Totally agree. He’s so so good. And it’s somehow hugely cathartic seeing him so committed to saving his brother. It’s what we DIDN’T get from Season 8 with Purgatory – and then there was the separation-breakup-drama of Season 9 – soooo gratifying because I felt the show needed it – but it really felt good to see Sam just so iNTO it. The chewing jawline, etc. Good stuff.
I love the footage of Dean from the convenient store, especially when he glanced at the camera. “Dean” was not IN that face at all. There was that blank-ness.
Also, how great is it that Sam was basically forced to refer to his brother as “Porn Guy.” And after the seasons and seasons of joking about Dean and porn, finally he is just called “Porn Guy.” THAT’S how you pay off a joke over almost a decade.
how very dare you Heather, Sam’s hair is a beautiful forest creature.
I agree re: angel questions. The guy who took Sam is a new character — we don’t know his deal yet! I am trying to figure out at which point in the timeline Dean may have done something to him.
Me too!
I would love it if it was during the time Sam was at Stanford and Dean was alone with John. Those are the years I want to know about.
But whatever it is, it’s extremely intriguing. I like that actor a lot, whoever he is.
During season hiatuses Sam’s hair is allowed to go off by itself on retreat and hang out with others of its kind.
hahahahaha That took forever to load, and it was hilarious.
Helena. Helenaaaaaaaa.
Lyrie, I agree with pretty much everything you said here. The angels have all become to ridiculously homogenized. Zachariah was menacing and forceful, Bartholemew, Hannah, and to some degree, even Gadreel are just flat and do nothing for me emotionally. I love Castiel and I don’t understand why he and Sam can’t both solve the problems of Deanmon (sigh) and Cas’ grace together at the same time.
And as far as the look/mood from the colors, it might not have bothered me as much before reading all of Sheila’s recaps, but now it REALLY IRKS me that there are no shadows or darkness, just technicolor wonderland throughout. Also, we’ve moved so far away from the hunter’s universe we grew to love that Cole used ZIP TIES to bound Sam. ZIP TIES!? Arg. I can’t even explain why that bothers me so much, but it does.
Kimster – hahaha zip ties!! I missed that.
I did love the scene when he pulled up behind Sam at night. It was extremely Zodiac-ish.
All in all, though, I thought the colors were pretty dreary in this episode – we still don’t get those crazy shadows like we got in Season 1 and Season 2 (RIP Kim Manners) – but I thought it was dark and moody, and I loved the rainy car scene that closed it out. Dark dark blue, with strange flashes of tail-lights on Dean’s face – it was beautiful and sad.
//Helenaaaaaaaa.//
Ah c’mon. It’s a beautiful beast, especially unleashed in the wild.
I just want to comb it…………….for days…………….
Ma’am, step away from the long-horn.
I very much enjoyed the episode last night over all. The whole Gas-N-Sip exchange was my absolute favorite part…even more then Dean’s bad karaoke and the fact that he just didn’t care one little bit. Loved that!
I loved Crowley and especially his little exchange with Sam on the phone. It seemed just shy of an elementary school “He likes me more than yooouuuuu” type taunt but still loved it!! I did NOT however like the “jerk” and “bitch” exchange between Dean and Crowley. That one hurt my heart…..a lot. Intentional of course by the show. Sam and Dean haven’t even done that since…season 2? I’ve been waiting for 8 seasons to see that again and when it happens it is between Dean and Crowley….ugh.
I wasn’t pulled in by the angel storyline so far. I read that they wanted to give Cas more of his own storyline since he is a series regular now…but so far the angel one just doesn’t pull me in. Guess we’ll just have to see how that one goes.
The mysterious man who captured Sam is intriguing. So far I can’t figure out who in the world he might be. He didn’t know Sam but knew of him which would seem to indicate a pre-series connection? I like his character so far.
I too missed seeing Baby. I assume Dean was driving her during the phone call at the end but I missed seeing her. Another intentional by the show I’m sure.
Over all very happy with last night and can’t wait for the season to continue!
// I read that they wanted to give Cas more of his own storyline since he is a series regular now //
BOO. I want him only connected to the brothers – that’s how this thing really works for me. But I will not be a Negative Nellie and wait and see how it plays out. So far, though, I am not drawn in, nor by his consumptive tuberculosis.
That phone conversation between Crowley and Sam was great. Definitely: “He’s mine now.” Same ol’ same ol’ for Dean – everyone paying attention to him and fighting over him. At least he’s busy singing “I’m too sexy for my shorts” and so he doesn’t care.
Wasn’t crazy about the “jerk bitch” callback. It felt imposed. Self-conscious.
And you know, you’re right – no Impala scene. Real Dean had the Impala as an exterior manifestation of his life, his sense of self, he loved it, it connected him to other things, family, manliness, all that – maybe now Demon Dean couldn’t care less about any of that stuff. Which is fascinating – a fascinating choice from Singer et al. I like it!
Jessie –
//Only a show in its tenth season could get away with lines like “I miss him”….but does it have to?//
Yeah, that was some weak cheese, wasn’t it?
With Dean in the wild, maybe we have some wacky hotel rooms to look forward to. They need to visit the Madonna Inn – just to refresh (http://www.madonnainn.com).
It seems that Crowley and Dean were basically camped out above the bar, right? I am laughing imagining the bartenders and bar-backs and all the regulars being like, “Jesus, when is that ASSHOLE gonna move on so we can get our karaoke night back?”
Kimster –
//ZIP TIES!? Arg. //
Yeah, I bet the guy has little bungie cords attached to his weapons so they don’t get knocked out of his hands when something more powerful hits him. Efficiency and manhood, oil and water.
That was pretty bad-ass though, with the bomb in the car.
I loved that scene. The way it was filmed, the whole thing.
So let me work this out because I’m not good with plot stuff:
Cory (I referred to him in my head as “the rockabilly guy” because I didn’t catch his name) was seen lifting weights. His worried wife hovered in the kitchen. A Fax came in. His son handed it to him. Next time we see him he’s pulling up behind Sam’s car.
Is that right? Am I missing something?
Yup. So who sent the fax? What is Cole/Cori (didn’t catch his name, need to re-watch the DVR tonight)? Is he human or something else? And he seemed stymied by Dean’s “loss Sam or not, but if you do I’ll kill you.” Makes him seem more super-soldier/minion than mastermind.
And yes, we care about angels because….?
Merry/Gloomy Dean… oooh MGD – I like that much better than Deanmon. MGD is my nomination.
For a second I thought he was one of the hunters who killed Dean and Sam in the episode where they go to heaven. That this was payback. I need to watch it again – because I spent so much time going, “Wait, WHO IS THAT” that I was basically missing the moment.
Calm down, Sheila. Let it unfold. Just take in what’s on screen. Stop gibbering around like a maniac, going, “Wait, why don’t I know this person??”
loss = kill
Jessie //how very dare you Heather, Sam’s hair is a beautiful forest creature.//
hahaha, no harm meant to the mane of magnificence, I only meant to offer condolences because it seemed shorter and more ‘contained’ than the glory of season 8/9. And I know that the hair is a deal breaker for some.
Hey, I have an idea for the angel storyline. So they go all Highlander “there can be only one” and every time they kill an angel, they take their grace. Considering how stabby- stabby they are it shouldn’t take long before we have 7 or 9 (insert appropriate biblical number here) badass angels left. But then I guess they would all get angel consumption and die… oh well.
There’s gotta be a lot of unclaimed grace flying around at this point.
Ok. Just watched it.
Rainy, moody, very Zodiac. We’re not in Kansas now, Toto.
Donds to Pat Benatar! Next episode – Heart!!
Sam: Just. Awesome. Still eating cornflakes for breakfast. Broken arm? Something clearly happened during hiatus. Castiel seems to be involved? Coughed too loud and made Sam fall off a ladder?
Loved the waitress. Too on the nose for me to begin with then steered in into proper, grown up emotional territory. Aw, that final exchange between her and Dean. Thank you, Supernatural. You complete me.
On the other hand: angels. Bleh. Just frig off.
All these Breaking Bad references. Am I going to have to watch it just so I can keep up with Supernatural?
Crowley – Crowley just wanted a friend/fiend? Already howling at the moon has gone tits up – but Crowley always had a hidden end game and we don’t know what it is yet. This is good.
Demonic Dean. Taking some getting used to. The voice is now subsonic – my internal organs start to hurt when he speaks. The hair – frankly shocking. Karaoke – had my eyes closed throughout, too much to process. Loving all those closeups of his bleak, bleary, bestubbled face.
Also, Deanmon??: nonononono. Sounds like someone killed on page 10 of the Iliad. Or a minor tyrant from Asia Minor circa 500BC. (Talking of the classics. That Crowley gets everywhere.)
All in all, a good opener. Bring on the darkness.
Helena –
what is it about the corn flakes that is so touching to us?? I just love it. It was best when Dean chased them with whiskey – but still. I love it. It’s so … regular.
// Coughed too loud and made Sam fall off a ladder? //
Okay that took me by surprise and I am guffawing.
Castiel was annoying me but I do have to say: Kudos, Misha Collins, for creating that cough. We’ve all had coughs like that, coughs that won’t quit – and I thought he created it brilliantly.
// then steered in into proper, grown up emotional territory. Aw, that final exchange between her and Dean. Thank you, Supernatural. You complete me. //
I agree. She had a lot of stuff going on. And the realization that no, Dean was not some hero defending her honor – he was an aggro roid-rage boy looking for a fight. That last scene between them was very good – especially because Dean honestly couldn’t have cared less. And again: I liked the casting. She wasn’t 20 years old. I appreciate such details in casting. Too many young women and guys almost twice their age. SPN doesn’t do that.
There was definitely a lot to process with the karaoke. My mind shut down as well with the amount of information coming off the screen.
I like the power play between Dean and Crowley. It’s disturbing.
// Or a minor tyrant from Asia Minor circa 500BC. //
hahahahaha
Or a reggae song.
Mutecipher : i didn’t want to be the one to bring up the lack of Impala, so thank you. The fact that I am in love with this car says a lot. I hate cars and guns. Except Baby and The Colt.
Sheila : You’re right, they were some beautiful dark scenes. They make the Gas n Sip and Trout scenes all the more ugly, imo. Well, ugly is probably not the right word. Oh well.
As of now, I will call this version of Dean Porn Guy, and the angels the Trouts.
So, the Trouts get nauseous. Why doesn’t Hannah zap them there ? Would that make Castiel constipated ? Or would he cough more ? I’m getting really intrigued by the biology of angels inhabiting human vessels. Which means the rest is really not that interesting ?
I’m intrigued by Cole, but mostly, I can’t wait to see how things will go between the brothers. Here’s hoping to see some new stuff. Move on, guys ! Sam is a giant grown man, and yet, my heart haches for poor Sammy. And in the teaser, he is scary as fuck. And when he stares at that phone reading « Dean », he breaks my heart. Well done, Padalecki.
Crowley wanted to work with Cas. Then with Dick Roman. Now he wants to work with Dean. He just really needs a friend, right ?
I loved that Sam and Cas each have a(n actual) mirror scene. Of course, not Porn Guy. What for ? He doesn’t give a shit. I love that he doesn’t give a shit. (That last scene compared to the last scene of The Purge. Ouch.)
I also love that there a lots of parallels between Sam & Dean, Cas & Dean, Dean & a beautiful blond waitress (and these parallels never cease to amaze me and make me laugh a little).
Other stuff i loved : Castiel’s car. Dean singing karaoke. Sure, the kid in the Gas’n’Sip is funny, but what really made me laugh is the stupid transition between sick-Cas to drunk-karaoke-singing Dean.
// I’m getting really intrigued by the biology of angels inhabiting human vessels. Which means the rest is really not that interesting ? //
hahahaha
I know, right? Yes, so there is dizziness. Nausea. Consumption.
What a buncha drips. You think Balthazar would ever have been coughing alone in a dark room and complaining about nausea?
I have to admit: the note left by Dean (Crowley?) tore at my heart.
That’s what Season 8 and 9 were all about, and yet it was the reverse – Sam telling Dean he had to let him go. Very very nicely done, I thought. That’s the thing, isn’t it. The brothers have to “let each other go” and only in doing so can they get out of the cycle.
// I loved that Sam and Cas each have a(n actual) mirror scene. Of course, not Porn Guy. What for ? He doesn’t give a shit. I love that he doesn’t give a shit. (That last scene compared to the last scene of The Purge. Ouch.) //
Right! Porn Guy is like Honey Badger.
We need to really keep our eyes peeled for mirror stuff. Season 9 had so many good ones – and love that there were a couple in the premiere. That’s what this show ultimately is about – man confronting himself, the characters confronting themselves – in relation to other people. But who the hell is that guy in the mirror. Can I live with him? Is he me? and etc.
The parallels were great, yes. The show is so rich that way.
// the stupid transition between sick-Cas to drunk-karaoke-singing Dean. //
hilarious!
“I miss him, boo hoo, cough cough …”
Yeah, well, he’s not missing you!
Other things I loved:
Dean playing darts against the Mt. Rushmore mural. Hilarious. Lasted just a second but it’s a perfect little detail (and also tells you exactly where in America they are. Or, at LEAST you know it’s one of the Dakotas. The mural image came before Sam tracked the call to N. Dakota.) I love when SPN uses murals/backdrops/trompe l’oeil effects – so much fun – and that was a really good one. Ridiculous.
Crowley saying: “I will cut off my own face.” I’m gonna steal that line.
“I will treasure our Flickr albums forever.” hahahaha
Helena –
//Donds to Pat Benatar! Next episode – Heart!!//
Then some Imogen Heap for the episode after that.
Lyrie –
Here’s Billie Davis singing her version of Trout of The Morning.
hahahahahaha
I am sorry I missed the talk last night after the show. I thoroughly enjoyed this episode except for the big yawn that was the angels. I think Lyrie has just renamed the angels for me, hence forth they will be known as trout. That makes them more interesting right off.
I went to bed giggling over the porn guy skit. The kid nailed his role, made the most out of it. Sam’s face though when he saw the evidence that Dean was a Demon,, hurt. Jensen nailed the whole black eyed blankness we have all grown so used to. The Crowley and Dean scenes were as perfect as I had hoped they would be. Telling Dean to Sit, like a dog, really Crowley. I was waiting for that blade to end up Crowley’s butt. I don’t know if he was testing Dean’s limits or he is that cocky.
I thought the look of the show was a balance and had at least some of the feel of the earlier eps. I don’t think we will ever get our look back and will have to content ourselves with the older episodes.
Ann Marie, I liked her. She had good chemistry with Jensen right off and she was accessible. Cole, I am still not sure about the actor yet. I will need to see him next week. I find myself very impatient for next week.
Thank you again Sheila for this forum. Don’t work too hard.
I know, telling Dean to sit!! Ouch.
It’s hard for me to not work hard – I am trying to find a balance – thank you!!
Glad to see Diabolo Dean is not wearing plaid. But also not wearing a henley. Boo. Or a beard. Double boo.
Also, the Lack Of Shirt Thing. Did you get the usual ‘For.God’s.Sake.Cover.Up.Dean’ reaction or were you like me, too busy processing the whole In Crowley’s Bed with a Woman and Bad Hair Thing. (That side parting! I just don’t know what to think!)
The henley is too cuddly and vulnerable. Perhaps when he’s back to himself, he’ll bust out the henley and we can relax.
He looked kind of schlubby, to be honest. The big baggy over-shirt. Like a guy who doesn’t care.
I was more drawn to the tattoo on his chest, which I had forgotten about, and which is kind of fascinating, considering who he is right now. And no, I felt no nervousness for him about covering up. Funny, right? I also loved that he basically stood there in front of Crowley, cock blowing in the wind. Dean!! But still, I wasn’t nervous for him the way I usually get when nakedness is involved. I felt … relieved, maybe? This is what I was hoping for with Demon Dean. An Id run loose. A Dean who doesn’t care. Who would Dean be if he were just allowed to BE? THIS Dean is okay, because he is protected by his ego. Hats off, Jensen. You’ve given us a worried mush-ball with a tough-guy voice for 10 years and suddenly there’s this whole other level. He mentioned in interviews how much homework he did, how hard he worked on Dean as a demon, how much thought he put into it. Not a surprise at all – but it’s great to see the final result of all that private work.
Also, the final sequence, the rain smeared windscreen, Dean’s face emerging in and out of the darkness, first in silhouette, then in light, then back to darkness again.
Serge Ladouceur, you complete me.
It really was gorgeous. A different look. Really poetic. Dean is unknowable now, it’s all in the look of it. Great.
Oooohhh Helena, those images are so pretty. Icy and hot, very nice.
//Also, the Lack Of Shirt Thing. Did you get the usual ‘For.God’s.Sake.Cover.Up.Dean’ reaction//
Interesting, because I felt no worry also, just kept trying to place what exactly was so different. He seems beefcake-y-er in a way we haven’t seen before. A bigger, beefy, flat-topped, Bud White kinda look. Also noticed that Crowley, who is usually so flirty, seems to have last that around naked Diablo Dean.
Bud White! Yes!!
//Interesting, because I felt no worry also, just kept trying to place what exactly was so different//
Worse than turning into a demon – he’s turned into someone ordinary. He’s lost that air of vulnerability, the need to protect, the need to hide. Everything is upfront , in every sense of the word.
The vulnerability, yes … one of his most distinguishing characteristics – is gone. How challenging that must have been for him – to remove THE THING that defined this well-known character …
It didn’t feel put-on or “acted” to me – it felt very organic.
I remember saying back in the “Skin” re-cap that JA would be great as a kind of Preppy Killer. And so too would JP – the scene later in Season 2 when he goes to harass Jo. That sense of entitlement, the pretty-boy entitlement to sex … Neither Sam nor Dean have that sense of entitlement – and to see them both inhabit characters who DO … and to see how well they both played it … goosebumps.
//what is it about the corn flakes that is so touching to us?? I just love it. It was best when Dean chased them with whiskey – but still. I love it. It’s so … regular.//
It’s so regular – cornflakes, with no fancy extras – and so childlike. That scene in Something Wicked where they fight over breakfast cereal and Sam hands Dean the toy. Also, for me, it’s a scale thing. Padalecki is so huge, and he’s eating out of that little tiny bowl like Daddy Bear stealing Baby Bear’s porridge. Do they not have bigger bowls in the bunker?
Right!! hahahaha Teensy bowl.
Like, he’s 6 foot four and all muscle. Is that really going to be enough breakfast to keep him going through the day? How about some bacon, Sam?
//A Dean who doesn’t care. Who would Dean be if he were just allowed to BE? THIS Dean is okay, because he is protected by his ego. //
It’s also a kind of that version of Dean that was mooted for the What is and what should never be, a loser barfly.
It’s interesting to see Crowley losing patience with this version, as if it’s not quite what he bargained for. This Dean isn’t suggestible or malleable, he can’t be hurt or made vulnerable (or so we are led to believe) and so might just not be as biddable or useful as envisaged. That order to ‘sit’ – like a dog. But Dean doesn’t. But Crowley is still his dealer, inasmuch that it seems Dean needs to kill in order not to turn into a demon, so there’s that …
Right, Crowley seems like a disappointed lover on the morning after. “Wait … THIS is who you are? I don’t like THIS.”
It would have been interesting to see a more malleable Dean, but I’m glad it went this way. This Dean is a loose cannon. Who still stands in a convenient store looking through porn mags as though it’s 1984. Dude, you heard of the Internet? I love it though. “Where’s the porn?”
H & H —
Yeah, I wasn’t worried for Dean at all when he had his shirtless/pantsless moment. Easy breezy beefcake.
Heather —
Your condolences are generous and kind! It’s true, there has been a trim, but to acceptable levels.
Lyrie —
Trouts, ha!
It’s true that we run the risk of familiarity breeding contempt with Crowley, but at the moment I am really enjoying Shepard. That little thing he does with his jaw after he gravels out his innuendo, like he is always evaluating how much under someone’s skin he is getting; it makes his dialogue more about pressing his advantage than about a character trait. I don’t really understand why he is so invested in being BFFs with Dean at the moment (and I miss Crowley’s crush on Sam) — his apparent emotional tie is curious, and perhaps a hangover from his aborted cure? Dean’s complete lack of interest is funny, though.
Sheila —
ha ha, you can hate Hannah. I don’t mind her vibe. A little confused by her outfits, but whatevs. I agree, if we’re going rogue angels they should be more the “mud monkey” type than the “double rainbow” type. But really, they should all just go home already. Meanwhile let’s all pray Cas is through with his consumptive-prostitute-in-a-Parisian-brothel deal asap.
// But really, they should all just go home already. //
hahaha Right? Nobody cares.
Or … does anyone care? I’m not really aware of all of the different pockets of fandom. I am sure there are some who care.
And yes: what is Crowley after? What is he DOING? I know that Mark Sheppard knows – but it’s not clear at the moment (nor should it be.) I miss his crush on Sam too – but it was kind of interesting, yes, his “He’s with ME now, whaddya think of THAT” conv. with Sam. Like it’s a lover’s quarrel. Only they’re quarreling about Sam’s BROTHER, which has all kinds of sick connotations.
Also, it’s interesting to compare Soulless Sam with Demon Dean. Some similarities but also very different. Crowley would have found a much more willing partner in whatever-it-is with Soulless Sam, who never slept, fucked women while standing up, and seemed to never take time off. He didn’t need it. But Demon Dean? Karaoke? Some ongoing friends-with-benefits thing with a waitress? Shouldn’t Dean be more FOCUSED? “Sit, Dean, sit …” says Crowley.
Hmmm. It’s all extremely interesting.
“I miss him, boo hoo, cough cough …”
Poor Sam and Cas, though. Weeks and weeks now. Can’t stop thinking about Dean. Wondering where he could be. Who he is with. What is he thinking? Is he thinking of them? And will he ever return, someday?
and that note on the pillow …
It’s horrible.
I find it so gratifying, somehow, to see Sam so committed to this search, so pained. He went through a lot in Season 8 and Season 9 and it seems like he’s come out the other side. Would you agree?
All the bull shit with the trials, and Dean and Gadreel – seems to be gone. He wants/needs to save his brother.
This is the guts of the show, in my opinion – the real hook – and it was extremely satisfying to see Sam on that quest. No bull shit. No holding back. No neurotic “but he did this to me …” All of that has been washed away.
We needed the bleakness of Season 9 to get to this point – as rough as much of it was.
//How about some bacon, Sam?//
Yes, should be eating Shark Flakes or Beef Flakes or just more substantial.
And wash the bowl straightaway, Sam, dried on cornflakes are a bugger to wash off if you don’t have a dishwasher.
//Cas is through with his consumptive-prostitute-in-a-Parisian-brothel deal asap.//
Like thingy in Moulin Rouge. Or thingy in La Boheme. Anyways up, that room was disgusting. Great work, Jerry Wanek!
That room was SO gross. You know that the walls were slimy to the touch.
It was all very Fantine in Les Mis. Or, yes, Nicole Kidman in Moulin Rouge. Let’s hope he gets better quick. I’m already tired of it.
Oh Jessie, that clip! LMAO! Exactly it.
//Who still stands in a convenient store looking through porn mags as though it’s 1984.//
And wears baseball caps! WTF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Right! Dean in a dude-bro baseball hat? Help us all!!!
It was great!
The thing about the karaoke … I was wondering, is this the musical episode? Or will there be a big season finale Sing Off between Sam, Dean and Crowley? Suggestions?
Also, Too sexy for my shirt I got. But what was the other song?
Imaginary Lover, I believe, which is funny in its own way.
Sheila —
I agree, the contrast between the S8 and S9 premieres and this one is illuminating. A lot of hard work done in S9 deconstructing the relationship; Sam’s comment in The Purge about how Dean’s actions are less about love and more about his inability to be alone; it’ll be interesting to see how much that comes back to haunt Sam. The opening scene of this episode was designed to make you worry about how far Sam has gone to get Dean back (the bait-and-switch as to who she was talking to). Why is he doing what he’s doing? Like Crowley said, no more dogs to hit now after their re-commitment halfway through S8.
So it’s a delight to see this reinvestment, the drive — we love it, the actors love it — but the shape of it, the toll of it, hmm; a lot of potential there. I hope it has the same critical capacity as the S9 traumas, but ends more happily.
The note was heartbreaking — what got me even more was his logical deduction, upon seeing the surveillance footage, that Dean was a dead meatsuit. Oh lord, horrific! The reality is actually preferable!
// Sam’s comment in The Purge about how Dean’s actions are less about love and more about his inability to be alone; it’ll be interesting to see how much that comes back to haunt Sam. //
Interesting! Yes – careful for what you wish for. Because now it’s happened, and it sucks.
// The opening scene of this episode was designed to make you worry about how far Sam has gone to get Dean back (the bait-and-switch as to who she was talking to). //
Wait … I need to watch it again – remind me??
When Sam was on the phone, you mean? To some dude named Mike? Or something else?
This is not the musical episode, Helena — that’s the fifth one, I believe.
Sheila —
Yes, the Sit thing, and Sam insisting that Dean is not Crowley’s pet — in the eyes of Crowley, Dean is not Dean-for-himself, but Dean-as-object, Dean-as-tool. Perhaps this will be a reckoning for Dean. You say upthread that he’s kinda got no worries, all id, but I found him rather broody. Soulless Sam was NOT broody! Good point of comparison.
Although it is impossible to imagine real-Dean calling such attention to himself by hogging the karaoke mike – that’s kind of what I meant about not caring anymore. Real-Dean liked to drink and fuck around but he always kept himself on a pretty short leash (sit, Dean, sit.) He never goes off the rails. He’s too focused on his job.
Yeah, I found him broody too – especially in those scenes with Crowley. You know all those little sexual innuendoes that Crowley always throws at Dean – and the sort of “oh shit, here comes the sex stuff again” looks on Dean’s face … almost like he’s being forced to participate in his own sexual harassment – Or, not really harassment – but it’s just a kind of teasing that is a hot-button for Dean, since it’s so familiar. Crowley was still throwing all that stuff at Dean, and now there’s zero reaction except a big grin. Kind of interesting.
But yeah, the broodiness – I felt that too. The Mark still working on him. Too much booze. Annoying company. Not enough fun. Crowley always there. They’re sharing a room. I mean, God. Get separate rooms, you guys. Old habits die hard.
and yeah, Soulless Sam was not broody at all! Scary.
AND. That final phone conversation with Rockabilly Guy. God, Ackles played that great. He didn’t give anything away. He didn’t betray the character he is now playing – he heard Sam’s scream and didn’t blink. He wasn’t cold like Soulless Sam – or it was a different kind of coldness. There was no passive-aggressiveness in it – like he descended into in Season 9. “This is me being honest …” and all that.
He was like, “Look, I told him to let me go. he knows I’m a man of my word. I will find you and kill you but I’m not racing into the trap you’re setting. I’m done. For real.”
I believed him. It was really well-played.
it is impossible to imagine real-Dean calling such attention to himself
Oh yes, definitely! Demon Dean gives no fucks and that is amazing to see — also amazing is how obviously out of his depth Crowley is. Dean is always sizing him up.
Wait … I need to watch it again – remind me??
We open on the demon-woman talking about how the Winchester she is talking to is, shockingly, “one of us”, twisted, no soul. And then WhipPanToSam!!
OH YES. Forgot about that. Right – a nice blurring of the boundaries. SPN would be nothing without that good-bad-which-is-which blur.
He wasn’t cold like Soulless Sam – or it was a different kind of coldness.
This reminds me of my struggles (not bad struggles, interesting ones) with understanding the boundaries of Soulless Sam, his abstraction, how he felt about the relationship, what is caring, what is feeling, what is love, baby don’t hurt me, etc. Every week we’d get a little more info. Demon Dean apparently caaaares…about…Sam? the aspect of Dean that is the relationship? Is it an ego thing? A definitional thing? An ownership thing? I look forward to trying to figure out what this actually means for Dean atm.
I’m trying to get a handle on what Dean actually is.
He died, right? Metatron actually did kill him.
So … sorry for my density … what exactly IS Dean right now? It’s Dean’s actual soul – correct – he’s not been filled with someone else. That seems to be important. But …
anyway. Help me out. I’m not too bright with these types of subtleties. I get swept away by the acting and the shots (I loved the slow pull-back on Sam alone in the bunker kitchen) – that sometimes I get confused.
I’m with you – was totally riveted/disturbed/challenged by Soulless Sam – it is one of my favorite arcs in the whole series – never get sick of it.
Sam’s issue as Soulless Sam was that the soul was gone. The “thing” that makes us US. In SPN terms, the “soul” then seemed to mean a moral compass, things like empathy – things that psychopaths apparently do not have (and, according to some studies) have never had. Psychopaths can be made – through early childhood trauma – but they can also be born, apparently. So with Sam we got to see Sam with his empathy removed. which was endlessly fascinating to me. (Especially in the fairy episode – where the whole thing was treated humorously. Dean freaking out about Tinkerbell, Sam listening, and saying: “I’m not supposed to laugh, right.”)
Dean, though, as a demon – DOES get all those things. He’s NOT Soulless Sam. He still has a soul – Crowley did say that, right?
There’s so much heaviness with Dean, so much guilt and shame about who he is, and all that, and how much he has to protect himself to just get through the day. This Dean has all of that removed. But there are vestiges there of Dean … you can see it – he HAS emotions, but he also has clarity from having snipped a lot of those ties. Ties that kept him human.
anyway, just babbling out loud right now.
no, you’re not dense, it’s not fully explained. He’s not reanimated…he’s not remade, like Cas was after being exploded by Lucifer…he’s alive, he has a soul, he’s a demon but not fully demon (yet?)… It’s as though the Mark of Cain never actually allowed him to die.
Thing was, Soulless Sam did have a kind of moral compass. He had the same basic sense of humour (minus the tenderness). He had the same basic interests. He didn’t murder or steal indiscriminately. He paid for sex instead of taking it. He had desires, he had memories and memories of feelings. So it’s almost like the soul is a mechanical link between memory and personality and feeling.
So with Dean, hmm. The soul is there, but, corrupted, only certain connections are getting through? Then the question becomes, what is corruption?
// So it’s almost like the soul is a mechanical link between memory and personality and feeling. //
Right. Sam knew he was supposed to have feelings – but finally he just had to admit he didn’t. “I don’t care about Lisa and Ben. I know I’m supposed to, but I don’t.”
Dean is definitely in a different place than that. That phone conversation at the end – with rockabilly Special Ops hunter guy – Dean was not “soulless.” He was just separated – THE thing that has never been possible for him. And he wasn’t angry or tormented about it. Just matter of fact. He didn’t lack emotion – the way Sam sometimes did.
he just … was separate. Not TOO separate that he was like, “I don’t care what you do” – He now has that guy on his list as someone he needs to kill – to revenge what he assumes will be his brother’s death. But he won’t step in to stop the death – because he told Sam to let him go. He watched that Matt guy get rough with the waitress – and he stepped in (overdid it – but still – he wasn’t watching Matt get rough and shrugging it off, or – worse – laughing, or joining in). So those are normal recognizable impulses. Human, even.
But his Dean-ness is … not gone. But changed.
This is gonna be good. I REALLY look forward to seeing where all this goes.
I was a little harsh after the first watch of the episode, I think. I’ve been reading all of your recaps like a novel and re-watching along so it’s such a stark comparison. That being said, the zip ties still bother me a little – with Cole’s military arsenal, he couldn’t spring for some handcuffs?
Crowley :
Sheila – // Crowley saying: “I will cut off my own face.” I’m gonna steal that line. //
Crowley does have all the best lines, doesn’t he?
« Does the Tin Man have a sheet metal willy? Of course I lied! » Ah! (« willy » will ALWAYS be funny to me.)
« The misadventures of Growley and Squirrel ». I’d read that. Better: i’d buy the audiobooks if it was narrated by Crowley/Sheppard. I love Mark Sheppard.
« We’ve howled, we’ve brayed, we’ve done extraordinary things to triplets »…
What? That’s an image I’ll never get out of my head, thanks. That goes with Yellow-eyed/Campbell Grandpappy kissing is own daughter, a little boy fingering a clown, and the idea that Bobby might have drawn a devil’s trap with semen. The things this show gets away with, I swear. I love Supernatural.
(And now thanks to Sheila, Dean’s « cock blowing in the wind. » No. No. Nope. Well, too late.)
Why wouldn’t Crowley want Dean to go full demon? Interesting. We’re sure he has, as usual, an ulterior motive. But why would Porn Guy care? That tickles me.
« – Our future ? – Professional future. » I love that he has to clarify that. So, you weren’t talking about your triplets banging future? Oh, ok, then.
Trouts :
Sheila – //What a buncha drips. You think Balthazar would ever have been coughing alone in a dark room and complaining about nausea? //
Right, Balthazar would have stolen multiple graces by now and would be too busy fucking triplets with Dean and Crowley to care.
(« Nighttime around here is a revelation ». Revelation. Ah ah. Daniel, you have beautiful strange blonde eyelashes, but give us back Zachariah. Or Uriel. But Zach’s my favourite.)
Ok, so, maybe one thing i like about the angels : the two guys want to TALK. They’re all sweetness and look-at-the-sunset (fucking hippies), and the two women-angels are having a pissing contest with their shiny blades. For a show that’s so often accused of being misogynistic, i find that interesting.
Speaking of angel blades : does everybody have one, now? Why did the two guys who went after Dean have one?
Mutecypher : // Here’s Billie Davis singing her version of Trout of The Morning. //
Ah ah!
Cole :
We laughed about the zip ties. Re-watching the episode, I noticed that everything about Cole is so neat : his guns, his clothes, his zip ties, hell, even his lifestyle. He is clearly NOT a hunter, he’s too clean for that. I think i’d like his story with Dean to be all about a horribly human drama, something along the lines of Dean fucking up in the line of duty, making a mistake, not directly involving the supernatural world. Some of my favourite episodes involve human monsters (The Benders), and Dean’s reaction to it : « Demons, I get. People are crazy. »
I don’t really like the character yet, but I’m slow. As long as he keeps his horribly muscly shoulders covered, we’re OK.
Jessie : // Seems like maybe “are you a good guy pretending to be bad or a bad guy pretending to be good” is going to be the theme for a while. //
Yes, as also pointed out by the cop : “We dont know if this guy’s a hero or a psychopath”.
Cole has an opinion about it.
Dean :
Sheila and Helena : // Imaginary Lover, I believe, which is funny in its own way. //
Yes, I heard JA say it was Bob Singer’s choice, because it was one of the rare songs about masturbation he knew. Ah!
//The voice is now subsonic – my internal organs start to hurt when he speaks. //
Hum, yes. Technically, the clitoris is mostly internal. Does that count?
// There was definitely a lot to process with the karaoke. My mind shut down as well with the amount of information coming off the screen. //
The first times i saw them, it made me so uneasy I couldn’t watch. Dean is so terrible he’s not just an asshole who doesn’t care, he’s also ridiculous. And Ackles really goes all the way, and that hurts, and I admire him for not protecting « our » Dean at all that way – I’m having trouble explaining it well, but of all the acting choices he made for demon Dean, this is what I find the more ballsy. I hope I’m making sense.
Sheila :
// And again: I liked the casting. She wasn’t 20 years old. I appreciate such details in casting. Too many young women and guys almost twice their age. SPN doesn’t do that. //
// I also liked her teeth. Just have to point that out. //
How not to love Ann-Marie (and her teeth)? She calls out Porn Guy on his bullshit, and more importantly, that little blond woman calls the King of Hell « jackass ».
Personal notes :
As a child, I believed Americans never said goodbye on the phone and spent their time hanging up on each other. That’s because that’s how they do it on tv. See here, Sam finishing Castiel’s question « …still even remotely Dean ? » Then he hangs up on him – go cough yourself Cas. Would anybody finish a conversation like that in real life? Please, American friends, enlighten me. I understand it is because it would not be very interesting to waste precious time to see the characters say « ok, thanks, goodbye, call you later ». Still, it makes me laugh a little every time. I’ve met many Americans in my adult life, but I’ve never had to talk to them on the phone. The day it happens, I wonder if I’ll even think about saying goodbye.
Because I’m an obsessional freak, I thought it would be a good idea to make a selection of my favourite images of the episode. Because.
http://postimg.org/gallery/4umicbjg/
Are you scared of me, yet, or can I keep playing with you guys for a while? (We OK, now?)
Helena :
// Bring on the darkness. //
YES !
Americans definitely say “Talk to you later” or “Bye” on the phone. It’s just an annoying thing that screenwriters do – have people not say “goodbye” or hang up properly.
There’s a funny compilation of clips about it.
// Some of my favourite episodes involve human monsters (The Benders), and Dean’s reaction to it //
Me too! I get the sense that it was a human thing, whatever it was. And bad. I’m so curious. I can’t wait!
// it was one of the rare songs about masturbation he knew. //
Huh. So Cyndi Lauper’s “She Bop She Bop” didn’t come to mind?
Also, I’m not sure … but something tells me this song mayyyyyy be about masturbation. Not sure what gives me that idea. Maybe the title? Maybe the lyrics? Maybe the whole darn thing?
Don’t worry – the link is safe for work.
//Re-watching the episode, I noticed that everything about Cole is so neat : his guns, his clothes, his zip ties, hell, even his lifestyle.//
Cole may be super tidy but he’s not too tidy to be a hunter. Remember John Winchester’s foam-sculpted chocolate box assortment of shuriken and His and Hers holy water bottles? (Also ex-army – maybe that’s a Thing.) Or Gordon’s methodically ordered rack of pain? Or Pastor Jim’s Via Dolorosa of Weaponry.
//The first times i saw them, it made me so uneasy I couldn’t watch.//
I confess, my hands were over my eyes. If they could have covered my ears I’d have done that too. On the other hand, it’s quite a feat to be able to sing and then sing as if you can’t hold a tune in a bucket, so props to Ackles for Dean’s craptastic renditions of odes to self love. He’s the Portsmouth Sinfonia of Karaoke.
//Hum, yes. Technically, the clitoris is mostly internal. Does that count?//
Babe, lovely thought, but that wasn’t the anatomical area I had in mind.
Talking of which:
//Growley //
Bugger Deanmon, that’s Dean’s new name. Here’s to ‘Crowley and Growley’s Excellent Adventure.’ Party on, dudes!
// Via Dolorosa of Weaponry //
hahahahahaha
Yes – I agree. Each hunter has his own style. Some lackadaisical, some tidy, some all geared-up – it’s a very individual thing. Not so much Army, as Special Forces, where every gun is hand-made practically to do what those guys need it to do.
Helena – WHERE did you find that Zarathustra clip?? That is soooo funny!
and yes, very true: to be someone who actually can sing be believable as a horrible singer is no small feat.
Sheila – Finally coming out of lurker mode after looking through your Season 1 and 2 recaps. Would it freak you out if I said that reading your commentary (and comments from others on these threads) is like sitting down to watch these episodes with a good friend who really gets what this show is about. Literally I was reading one of your recaps and nodding my head vigorously in agreement and my husband was like WTF are you reading?
While the premiere was uneven (please, someone take the angel storyline after life support because it is already dead), there were great spots. My favorite shot too was “the slow pull-back on Sam alone in the bunker kitchen” because it made Sam sitting at that table with his sad bowl of cereal look as small and lonely as a six-year-old boy. Love both JA and JP and how they show vulnerability.
Promos for next week freaked me out for Sam. Can’t wait.
// and my husband was like WTF are you reading? //
hahaha Hilarious!
Paula – thanks! Glad you like my re-caps!
// it made Sam sitting at that table with his sad bowl of cereal look as small and lonely as a six-year-old boy. //
Exactly. I just watched that shot again – with the little bit of music behind it – and it’s a stunner. Then matched with the overhead shot of Castiel through the ceiling fan (another stunner) – which then brings us into Dean’s ridiculous karaoke. Really well put together sequence.
Moulin Rouge…
I have this odd desire to watch Cas sing “Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend” while swinging on a trapeze swing.
But no desire for him to have a “Come What May” duet with anyone.
Jessie
//I don’t really understand why he is so invested in being BFFs with Dean at the moment (and I miss Crowley’s crush on Sam) — his apparent emotional tie is curious, and perhaps a hangover from his aborted cure? Dean’s complete lack of interest is funny, though.//
I was wondering about this as well. “I deserve to be loved! I just want to be loved.” still seems to resonate somewhere in Crowley….and apparently he’s decided he wants to be loved by a Winchester. You could see his jealousy in the dripping “It looks like I’ve been Winchestered,” scene in the finale and now he seems bent on recreating a version of the brother relationship for himself…..in a much more creepy way. “Dean Winchester completes me.” ??????
Sheila
//But yeah, the broodiness – I felt that too. The Mark still working on him. Too much booze. Annoying company. Not enough fun. Crowley always there. They’re sharing a room. I mean, God. Get separate rooms, you guys. Old habits die hard.//
Agreed!! Why would they be sharing a room? Old habits indeed. I really and truly believe that the reason that Dean was in Crowley’s bed with Ann Marie wasn’t an intentional trying to tick Crowley off thing….it was habit. If Dean and Sam had been sharing a hotel room that would have been Dean’s bed. You can see the momentary startled look in his eye as he glances over at the other bed and then the grin and shrug.
It does make me wonder a bit. Traveling around with Crowley, sharing a room with Crowley, doing the whole jerk, bitch, thing….is there a tiny part of Demon Dean that misses his brother, or is there indeed some fundamental trait at the core of Dean…demon or not…that simply doesn’t want to be alone?
I just re-watched the scene and now I think that Dean was in Crowley’s room. Which is clearly obnoxious behavior. I had missed that. “Get a room you two.” “I HAD a room until you two soiled it!” I’m not sure – maybe the rooms blend together for them – in the haze of triplets and alcohol.
// is there a tiny part of Demon Dean that misses his brother, or is there indeed some fundamental trait at the core of Dean…demon or not…that simply doesn’t want to be alone? //
Ooooh, I like that last thought a LOT.
It’s certainly hard to picture Dean as a loner. It’s why there’s such an existential struggle around his character. Sam I can see surviving outside of the context of the show’s structure – but Dean … it’s that tension that keeps me interested. Like – what the hell will happen to this guy? It is inconceivable, imagining him … re-integrating – into a world he never was a part of anyway. It’s why I feel he should knock someone up. I mean, not NOW, when he’s so WEIRD – but when he gets back to himself. But we’ve covered that before. Take all that care-taking energy – and give it to someone who really needs it – be the father his dad wasn’t – fill his days with being useful.
Come to think of it – it is really weird that Crowley and Dean are hanging around, doing nothing. Not weird in a bad way – just a really interesting choice – not one I expected. It’s almost like Crowley is waiting … impatiently … for Dean to ‘get it’. WHAT isn’t clear – “stadium tour”? Dean’s happy where he is. Crowley’s already had enough, which is saying a lot.
As usual you guys have so much insight – God willin’ & the creek don’t rise, I’ll have some time to go back & rewatch. There was a lot there that need’s a close watch, which I didn’t get by playing on Twitter.
I’m pretty sure that was Baby Dean was driving. Interesting that they blamed Sam’s injured shoulder on Castiel, it served 2 purposes, to explain why Sam is in a sling, and to show Cas as a liability and why he isn’t there helping Sam search for Dean. Jared actually injured his shoulder wrestling with Osric Chau before one of the conventions late spring. He had to have shoulder surgery. They joked about his injury in a later panel (sorry don’t remember which ones) they call Osric “Master Chau” don’t know if this is from injuring Jared.
Anyway lots to think about.
And Mutecypher – I nearly cracked up when you mentioned the Madonna Inn cuz I was thinking the same thing before I read your post :-)
// Interesting that they blamed Sam’s injured shoulder on Castiel, it served 2 purposes, to explain why Sam is in a sling, and to show Cas as a liability and why he isn’t there helping Sam search for Dean. //
Right! I didn’t catch that the first time around. So a demon hurt Sam’s shoulder during some interrogation, I’m assuming, Cas was busy … coughing … and unable to help … Hopefully tthey will fill in some of those blanks for us.
Kimster, the cable ties didn’t bother me — particular kinds of them are often used in law enforcement and the military — and this guy was very militarised. Cheap and strong restraining device for the guy. Felt natural.
The thing I didn’t like about that “let’s kidnap and knock out Sam again” scene was (aside from its repetition — he was knocked out next to a car by a punch in the last season finale!) was that it made his instincts look TERRIBLE. Would it have been so hard to make him twig earlier? I thought by the way he was looking around he did but apparently not.
// was that it made his instincts look TERRIBLE. //
Agreed. No way would Sam, at that point, be like, “Hey, guy, could ya help me with my car?” and all “aw shucks” not realizing that the dude is laser-bombing him with his intense eyeballs. Sam’s much better than that.
Just wanted to let you know that I had been binging on your blog since August. I finished reading it about two weeks ago. I don’t know which was worse – waiting for the season premiere or for another blog entry. As someone said up thread, this blog is like watching with good friends who understand the show.
I have a few thoughts that I would like share.
I was under the impression that Dean and Anne-Marie were in Crowley’s room and when he pointed it out Dean looked around and noticed that it wasn’t his room but didn’t care.
Loved the porn guy scene. That kid nailed it. I just about died laughing at the “conduct a field interview ” line.
I was surprised at Cas during the discussion with Daniel about taking the two rogue angels back to heaven. Cas chose free will and now he is not giving the opportunity to another angel. It just didn’t make sense to me.
My son and I are calling Cole a Winchester hunter.
Thanks for giving me a place to come and discuss my favorite show.
Tonya – Thank you so much! I’m glad you found my stuff and enjoy it! I’ll start up the Season 2 re-caps again in a week or so when I’m not so buried in other writing stuff.
I was so bored with the angels I wasn’t paying attention to what they were talking about. I’ll do better next time. I’m not sure why Castiel is still around, frankly (besides him being a series regular). He feels totally peripheral to me. The whole “choosing free will” thing feels like it was a million years ago – and it was great – a wonderful addition to the main duo – but the thru-line with THAT Castiel has been totally lost (in my opinion). But then I was bored by the angels and Castiel for most of Season 9 so I’m already tapped out.
I will maintain an open mind though and try to pay better attention.
Oh my God and I can’t even believe I didn’t mention the football table game. I will admit to a secret desire all along to see Sam and Dean play knock-hockey because … well, the reasons are obvious. I didn’t say I was sane. But I grew up playing knock-hockey, as well as table-football – it’s a part of my life, I’ve played it with boyfriends, it’s so stupid and so fun especially when you take it really really seriously – and FINALLY we got a (sort of, close enough) knock-hockey scene.
Super satisfying.
I am easily pleased, as I’ve said before. I continue to try (desperately) to believe it is one of my best qualities.
And the way the scene started – the stand-off of closeups – like it was a Western. You think it’s something serious. And then you realize they’re just about to play a knock-football game.
It was so male. It was my childhood. Like, that’s how we played it. There were tears. Tantrums. It was barely fun. But we couldn’t stop.
Sheila, knock hockey sounds so, so dirty. I guess you are talking about air hockey? Which, yes, is life.
hahahaha Everything is dirty in the SPN universe. “I would love to see Sam and Dean play knock-hockey (wink wink).” haha. No, it was actually not a euphemism.
I guess it’s spelled “Noc” hockey – I just googled it, but since I was introduced to it when I was only 4 years old, the spelling means nothing. We always called it knock hockey. And then there were the stand-up table games, of soccer (which kind of exploded in popularity when I was in grade school – suddenly soccer was huge) – and football, like the one in the episode. To this day, if I walk into someone’s den or kid’s room or man-cave and there’s one of those table-football games, I feel drawn to begin playing. It is somehow irresistible.
We would try to re-enact the “miracle on ice” game from 1980 on my friend’s hockey table game. We were bored children and there was no Youtube and no Internet.
I should probably just order one for my apartment and call it a day. I’d never leave home again.
Okay knock hockey is weird but looks like awesome fun. I’ve never seen it before. I love playing pool (I am terrible) and air hockey (I am terrible and very violent)…I would die to own an air hockey table. Foosball not so much. Too fiddly.
I’d only ever heard it referred to as “foosball.” Maybe it’s the West Coast name? Like “wicked” is a North East amplification similar to “way” or “totally” in the South West (of the San Fernando Valley).
“Knock-hockey” sounds much more fun for a game likely to be played in an inebriated state.
It’s best when said in a Boston accent – which 100% of my family has.
“Knawk-hawkey.”
// (I am terrible and very violent) //
hahahahaha We’d make a great team.
I’m no good at pool either but I love to play. I dated a guy who was so good at pool he would clear the table in one try. People didn’t want to play with him because it was no fun for them. I literally would just hang out on the sidelines, watching him and bringing him beer like a little groupie. But it was so fascinating. And that was when you could still smoke in bars, and he’d do it all with a cigarette dangling from his mouth, and a pack of cigarettes rolled up in his T-shirt sleeve – unironically. Like, he actually needed them there, easy access.
“That deaf, dumb, and blind kid sure plays a way wicked game of foosball,” sang no one ever.
Helena : //
//Hum, yes. Technically, the clitoris is mostly internal. Does that count?//
Babe, lovely thought, but that wasn’t the anatomical area I had in mind. //
Oh god, I was only talking about my internal organ(s). I wouldn’t dare talk about yours my first week here!
Sheila, you want to see Sam and Dean play knock-hockey? We understand. And twister, and staring contests, and arm wrestling, and three-legged racing, kissing tag… I’ve gone too far.
I was thinking about the question of ‘what is a soul in the Supernatural world’ brought up above thread and had some thoughts because it is such a fun question. This is what I was thinking:
– In Supernatural the soul is immortal and generally immaterial.
– It is power in itself somehow.
– The connection between the body and the soul is broken when the body dies and then the soul flies free but it is then somehow contained by a superpower. Which superpower seems somewhat determined by intent (lead a life god would like and go to heaven, lead a life the devil du jour would claim and go to hell, be sacrificed to a pagan tree god and your soul goes to them, etc.)
– The MOK seems to keep the soul attached to the body after stabbing, but frees it from human constraints and therefore give one the power of a demon.
Maybe demons are souls who ‘let go’ of their humanity, either through pain or shame.
Who knows. But it is fun to speculate.
Demon Dean to me seems to have the “I don’t give a shit” (sorry Sheila’s Mum) of someone who has lost everything. Sometimes it is easier to believe you are an evil monster than really see yourself. The challenge will be for him to not cross the line and willfully become a monster. And I guess that is the same danger for Sam ultimately.
Oh Heather I love all of this!
These are the speculations that really excite me. I am thinking now of that beautiful scene in Season 9 with all the little bright souls flying back through the night to re-enter their person – and what happened to each person when their soul was removed was different. They didn’t become automatons. It was unique to that individual – as I recall, Sam made an observation to that effect.
There’s something else here – something that was building through Season 9 – with all those great confrontations between Sam and Dean and Dean getting all watery-red-rimmed-eyed and slightly-bearded … and Sam getting stronger and more separate and grownup – Dean being unable to face himself (hence all those staring at himself in mirror moments). And not just himself but how bad it actually is in there. Who knows how bad it is for Dean? Castiel, maybe, although he doesn’t really understand human stuff all that well. Benny got it. Tessa got it.
I keep thinking of 16 year old Dean crying at the end of Bad Boys. I’m thinking about it in terms of the soul – or his Dean-ness, or whatever you want to call it. That moment was a crucible. He chose his life in that moment. Maybe it was the only thing he could choose – but it WAS a choice. All of the things that happened to him, all of the things he has done, all that trauma that JA is pouring into the performance (but then – beautifully – covering it all up) … all of that stuff HAS to go somewhere. Ultimately. Early on we saw him re-direct all of that awful stuff into pleasure. Food, music, sex. Then that ability (gift, I would call it – all of that stuff is his survivor’s instinct) was taken away from him – by Gadreel, Kevin’s death – Finally, the strong man cracked.
People do get tapped out. It’s like shell-shock. You’ve had enough. Your system literally cannot take anymore.
So. What are we left with. And what is a “soul” in that context? Not just a celestial thing, or an entity that goes somewhere when you die – but someone’s essence. Your you-ness. Dean’s Dean-ness. No one can live the life he has lived without paying a price. JA’s brilliance is that he has shown that price – chipping away at him – for seasons now. The Dean who came out of Purgatory was NOT the same guy who went in. You know?
I’m just babbling here. But I’m thinking about Death (I hope we see him again!!) reaching in and feeling Sam’s soul – and telling Dean how mangled and flayed and ruined Sam’s soul felt to him. That it was a dead thing, beyond repair. This was extremely touching to me – and I took it personally – or I relate – because of my mental health problems and stuff which I won’t bore you with – but I have felt that my Sheila-ness, my whatever, was beyond repair. Maybe that’s one of the reasons why Soulless Sam was my favorite arc. It didn’t feel supernatural at all. It felt like an extremely accurate metaphor for trauma survival.
And Crowley used similar words as Death’s to describe Dean in the phone call with Sam.
// Demon Dean to me seems to have the “I don’t give a shit” (sorry Sheila’s Mum) of someone who has lost everything. Sometimes it is easier to believe you are an evil monster than really see yourself. The challenge will be for him to not cross the line and willfully become a monster.//
“someone who has lost everything.” That’s what I’m feeling too. And there is a kind of wild freedom in that – after a lifetime of doing for others, and worrying, and being the grunt … to just give up, say “fuck it,” choose oblivion, opt OUT – but freedom like that also sucks. Limits help us define who we are. Dean’s flailing right now. No wonder Crowley watches the karaoke concert with a look on his face like, “This? I brought him back from death for … this?”
I love the whole soul conversation. I know all the writers on SPN have really given it a ton of thought – and it’s pretty rich territory.?
I feel the burning need to weigh in on the zip-ties. I liked them. To me, he seems like a Special Forces guy gone rogue (and those guys are already rogue). Those guys make their own weapons, customizing them, they always have shit all over their person in their pockets – little knives and flashlights and probably GPS gadgets – they are McGyvers. All of them. I know I’ve told the story about my Special Ops guy – sitting in a bar, the first night we met, maybe 2 hours into talking – I said: “Lemme ask you something. Do you have a roll of duct tape on your person at this very moment.” He drew the duct tape out of his pocket and we both roared laughing. I know who I’m gonna call if the zombie apocalypse starts. Zip ties seem like a good idea, you can shove them in your pocket, you can buy as many of them as you want – they’re cheap – and they get the job done. Stuff that is made for other people – like handcuffs, or even chain-link – Special Forces guys sneeze at that stuff. Because it’s generic, made for the masses, and those guys see themselves as unique (indeed they are). The way that guy packed his weapons – they were all totally weird-looking, jiggered up- hand-made – he had customized them, put shit all over them.
I’m not saying he’s Special Forces – although Sam’s little dig about the Army recruitment poster tells me he was getting the same vibe – but there’s always been that Special Forces energy around hunters.
Like John’s ridiculous customized trunk, with the little hidey-holes for holy water. I know Helena mentioned that upthread. Hunters are fussy. They make shit themselves. They customize things. They improvise. They fetishize their weapons. They work on them, taking them apart, putting them back together. They are practical. They use what’s handy.
Zip ties feels like this guy’s “stamp” – his own customization of his regalia – he had had it with handcuffs, or chains, or ropes. He’s been there done that. Zip ties work for him.
You all have inspired me with the foosball talk. My spouse has a table in the basement but I don’t like to play. So I’m going to play in a different way and dress up the little players as characters from The Wizard of Oz… yup, we all have our own fun.
Oh that will be fabulous!! Hopefully there’s room for a Charlie character!
One thing I did like about the angels – was all the angel-warding on the pickup truck. That struck me as so funny – one of those background details, not even focused on or made a big deal out of – that only Supernatural fans would pick up on. There was a big warding sign on the side of the tent, too – but it was the signs all over the truck that really cracked me up. Picturing that thing riding around town.
Knock Hockey–I like that. At first I thought you were talking about a different game, and I was trying to figure it out. Out here it’s fooseball. I don’t know why. Knock hockey is way more descriptive, and yeah, sounds kinda dirty!
I’m a bit late to the party–I really felt the need to rewatch the show before I tried to talk to anyone about it. Watching with my husband and cats on the sofa and kids in the other room on Tuesday was so — distracting. Last night I put on my earphones and watched it on my laptop. Way more intense that way! I didn’t even turn the volume down when D.D. started singing, though I might have looked away some. I just have a couple of extra things to add, mostly about Dean :-) :
1) That private smile and not quite laugh when Anna Marie said, “It’s your funeral.” He found that amusing, but he still managed to sidestep it. Oof-da.
2) Did anyone else find it interesting that, while he was drinking all the time at the bar, he doesn’t get plastered until after Crowley tells him that Sam is on his way? Was that just a last hurrah, or did Crowley get under his skin, just a little? (Loved all of the Crowley-Dean interactions, by the way. And I wouldn’t put it past Crowley to have intentionally let Sam trace the call to get Dean moving on, or Dean to have been stalling all this time, “howling at the moon” so that he wouldn’t have to deal with Crowley’s master plan.)
Also, about Cas–I do agree that the angel wars have been the weakest elements of the last couple of seasons. But they do serve a purpose, plot-wise, of containing Castiel so that he doesn’t become a fix-all. At this point, he’s such a popular character that they can’t really write him off (at least, not without a sendoff of the same level as Bobby was given) but for the story to continue to have dramatic weight, they have to power him down. They’ve done this in so many ways–he’s cut off from heaven, or he’s leading the angel rebellion, he’s insane, he’s unreliable because of Naomi’s manipulations, and lately, he’s preoccupied trying to fix the mess he feels responsible for in heaven. I just wish that some thread could be found in his storyline that would tie it more closely to the boys, that it would become more personal to Sam and Dean, in the way it was during s. 5. (Not that I would want the apocalypse back by any means!)
He does serve a purpose, storywise, though. Purely on a plot level, Metatron’s arc couldn’t have been completed last year without his involvement. More importantly, I think he is a mirror to the boys, and he also is that rare outside perspective for them. I’ve read that his story parallels Sam’s in some ways, and I think that’s true. It’s also true that, as Misha has said, that while he still sees himself as Dean’s protector, Dean is also his mentor who has taught him what it means to be human. So he’s a character that the writers use to reflect ideas of humanity back to the boys and to us.
Barb –
// they have to power him down. //
Yes. That’s the problem with Castiel, right? I can’t remember which commentary track it was where they addressed that. They were like, “We let him enter the scene – but we had to limit his interaction because he was so powerful” – so it’s been an ongoing issue. If he’s powerful enough to basically wave his hand and heal wounds and heal cancer and heal Bobby lying dead … then he can’t really “come along for the ride” all that much because it skews the power balance.
Even the times where Cas is like, “This is beyond my powers …” I never really believe it, because his powers are so all-encompassing.
I can see why they have tried to “humanize” him – especially seeing as how popular he is. But something has definitely been lost in the transfer (for me). Yes, it’s just how the relationship has developed over the course of 6 years – that’s bound to happen – but they honestly don’t seem to know what to do with him right now. Sometimes I feel like the Castiel fans are so powerful (no judgment – that’s a good thing), that the writers “give him his own storyline” to satisfy that one fan base – while pissing off or at the very least irritating the rest.
I wish he had stayed human longer. I think that would have been fascinating.
BUT. I’m not writing him off – I don’t really do that – he works in the story because of the connection with the brothers. It grounds Castiel, and it brings out interesting things in the Winchesters. The premiere was a bust, as far as the angels are concerned, but maybe they’ll find a way to make it work. What’s fascinating too is that we are entering Season 10 without a clear villain – Metatron and Abaddon are gone. Crowley is sinister, but he’s also a beloved character … a friendly scruffy demon. Definitely dangerous but he doesn’t really count as a Big Bad – not yet. In this context, Dean is the villain – which is fabulous.
I loved the line: “I can’t figure out if this guy is a hero or a psychopath.”
Ahhhh. That was satisfying, a dovetailing of all the ambiguity that makes SPN what it is.
I think, though, the whole “Dean taught Castiel to be human” thing … I don’t know. It didn’t quite work for me, although there was some humor in it – Castiel trying to high-five people, and trying to go on dates, etc. Dean trying to teach Castiel about humor or irony, all that stuff – very funny. Castiel’s monologue to Sam about the peanut butter and jelly was a particularly low point, in my opinion. It felt extremely shallow and – well, for me, it was dumb. Philosophy for 5 year olds. Which, I guess, could make sense if you think of Castiel as a brand new human – but it felt to me like the episode thought that that was a very very deep metaphor – when it wasn’t at all. It would be nice if there were higher stakes there in terms of Castiel and humanity – almost along the lines of Crowley yearning, against his will, for the complexity of being human.
Whatever it is – we need STAKES.
Anyway, we shall see!
Oh no, a discussion with angels and Boston accents. Now I have this whole Dogma riff going on in my head where Matt and Ben go play Knawk-Hawkey after they kill everyone in the boardroom at Mooby. I will cut off my face own face if God ends up being Alanis on SPN. And Alan Rickman as Metatron instead of Curtis Armstrong … I love Alan but Curtis IS Metatron.
We all agree that Chuck Shurley is God, right?
And speaking of Metatron…
Does anyone else have the suspicion that Metatron somehow tricked Gadreel into letting evil into the Garden of Eden way back when? Metatron has this need for stories. But what kind of stories can there be when humans are in the Garden? No conflict. As my favorite blogger said, drama has never worked that way in the history of drama. So Metatron tricks Gadreel somehow, evil enters, we get expelled, and Stories Galore. Then eons later, the weaselly, conniving, and resentful Metatron can’t resist making Gadreel his patsy again.
Just a theory. Oh, look at the time. It’s Beer O’Clock. Hasta.
I will never stop missing Chuck.
I knew I had seen Cole’s son somewhere: he’s the kid who draws evil robots in Plucky Pennywhistle’s Magical Menagerie in season 7!
I’m sure nobody cares, but it kept bugging me.
//Portsmouth Sinfonia//
They are hilarious, aren’t they? This was a Brian Eno project, actual professional musicians playing an instrument they weren’t trained to play. There are more recordings on youtube and they are all like this, so enjoy.
It was a toss up between the PS and the legendarily awful Florence Foster Jenkins.
The comment about the skill required for competent musicians to play ‘badly’ was prompted by ‘Darlene and Jonathan Edwards,’ highly trained professional musicians who formed a comedy duo. What they do is more subtle and very funny.
Your mileage may vary. But it makes me laugh.
//I think, though, the whole “Dean taught Castiel to be human” thing … I don’t know. It didn’t quite work for me, although there was some humor in it – Castiel trying to high-five people, and trying to go on dates, etc.//
I think there’s some of that, but it’s also, way back in Season 4 and 5, it was Dean who was always challenging Castiel to do the right thing and think for himself rather than follow orders he knew to be morally wrong. As well as encouraging him to get drunk and have sex. And other stuff to do with loyalty and friendship in Season 6 with the whole Crowley gaslighting shenanigans. Although since then all that has been subsumed by the landslide of events and high fives.
Yes – there was real urgency in those conversations in Season 4 and Season 5. It was thrilling. The real disconnect between order and chaos, independence and blind faith … Castiel’s betrayal of the angels, by warning Dean … and his confusion as to what the hell he was DOING. The moment in the “green room” when Dean realized Castiel was on his side – electric. All of that was really good high-stakes stuff.
Something new has to come into that conversation to make it interesting – since that bridge has been crossed. I have faith they’ll find it.
//I have faith they’ll find it.//
me too.
In the meantime … Hannah the angel really reminds me of those people in the Season 1 episode about the apple tree. She’s someone who believes in killing for the greater good, but in a Shirley Jackson kind of way. She is so ordinary and unspectacular – boring – in her manner and thinking. But she’s all about killing as a way of solving issues of divergent thinking or deciding loyalty. She’s Bartholomew and Naomi all over again, even as she protests that they were a catastrophe never to be repeated, and the (only) frightening thing about her is that she can’t see it. I don’t know if that’s meant to come across or is an odd unintentional disconnect.
She definitely feels like a callback to early Castiel – and like the connection to Scarecrow too.
Ruthless. Convinced she’s right. And also scared.
I was very distracted watching “Black” and haven’t had a chance to re-watch. I seem to be going against the grain but I didn’t mind the angel scenes, particularly at the river. I felt they were trying to re-establish the mystery of angels, that they are not human, and only some of them are curious about humans enough to make the attempt. And those two are dead now, too, leaving only Cas as a wise older brother to all his “siblings”, with Hannah showing some interest in humans, or at least in Cas’ interest in them. I’m still curious as to where they will take the angel story line.
As to the zip ties: didn’t Cole say “Breathe” just before he tightened them(I was distracted. . .)? By holding your breath, and tensing your muscles, you can gain a miniscule amount of wiggle room that, maybe, you could use to free yourself. It demonstrated how careful and familiar Cole is with tying people/things up.
But, yeah, no way Sam should have fallen for his “let me help you ruse”, particularly because Sam would have picked up the guy’s hard, military edge, and Sam would have been extra cautious because of his injured arm. I almost suspect it’s a running joke for the writers to get Sam knocked out at least once an episode. Think of the concussions, the brain damage. Poor Sam.
// that they are not human, and only some of them are curious about humans enough to make the attempt. //
That was always an interesting element to the angels – completely unexpected. They are supposed to be “our” protectors and yet the way Uriel sneered about humanity … pretty cool, and definitely gave Castiel something to fight against once he started getting more involved with the Winchesters.
I guess I feel like that storyline has played itself out – and I’m not interested in Castiel as an individual unconnected to the Winchesters. His scenes feel like a spinoff at times. Don’t get me wrong – I like him, and even love him sometimes – but mainly in those story lines when he is deeply involved with whatever the Winchesters are doing (and, even better, harried because of what was going on in Heaven – events we never saw. Divided loyalties, frustrated because he has to come when they call him, etc. It gave him stakes.)
I’ll have to watch again and look for the “Breathe” moment from rockabilly hunter-nemesis. It sounds vaguely sexy.
//I don’t know if that’s meant to come across or is an odd unintentional disconnect.//
Particularly disconnected is the thinking that it’s the ‘right thing to do’ to put Metatron in jail as that’s being mature and grownup, but it’s also ‘the right thing to do’ to kill errant angels who just want to go to the Burning Man festival.
Burning Man – hahahahahaha totally
//Castiel’s monologue to Sam about the peanut butter and jelly was a particularly low point, in my opinion. It felt extremely shallow and – well, for me, it was dumb. Philosophy for 5 year olds. //
Yeah, I’m not fond of that speech, either. Maybe it was an attempt to illuminate how angels experience reality, to show why they disparage human experience? After all, if you have the ability to be a “wavelength of celestial intent” and discern the properties of anything on a molecular level, how can you value a being that can only move one way in time and experiences the world as a jumble of sensations? Anyway, it was neither as deep as it wanted to be, or as funny.
As for Hannah, I liked her when she first appeared, though we do need to see some more personality from her. I get the feeling that they are setting her up to be a link in the chain of Castiel/angels/humanity. Maybe it’s Cas’ turn to be a mentor?
The PB&J made it feel like a low-rent Sesame Street episode. Here is what I learned, and here is the show-and-tell that a child can understand. There’s a cutesy element to some of the writing for Castiel that is a turnoff for me. Castiel is many things – but I can’t stand it when they treat him in a cutesy manner. I get it, he’s comic relief a lot of the time (and I have no idea how Misha Collins can make it through some of those deadpan takes without laughing – the outtakes are eloquent at how difficult that is!)
I definitely see him in a mentor position – trying to counsel the rogue angels that there is a better way – “we were talking, we were getting somewhere”, etc. And Hannah flat out doesn’t get it. She really is a Manson girl. “But he told me to do this, so we do it.” She’s Castiel in Season 4, ruthless and driven and righteous. Maybe it’s the performance that doesn’t work for me. Naomi worked because she was so Alpha. Hannah feels submissive. I don’t know – something’s off. I suppose it all makes sense if you think of the disorientation of the fallen angels. It’s just not enough of a hook for me – especially not in comparison with the Winchester plot.
For me, Castiel works best as a sidekick.
But we’ll see. It’s early (to say the least).
[he’s the kid… in Plucky Pennywhistle’s…] I know that sometimes SPN re-uses actors but that may be the link we’re looking for! Carver said that Cole is ‘hunting’ Dean because Dean killed Cole’s father when Cole was 10 (how old would that make Dean?). So he’s not a Hunter, he’s just gone crazy hunting for revenge – per Carver Cole doesn’t know anything about the supernatural and has no idea that Dean isn’t quite human or that demons exist. Looking forward to seeing that story played out – especially since DD doesn’t do that guilt thing anymore so he won’t care about Cole’s daddy issues.
Angels. Yeah. So need the BAMF back. Although it would be ok if Hannah actually took on the BAMF action! Go ladies! Or if anyone would do it because they used to be so awesome and now they are SO PATHETIC. Come on writers!
Per usual, this is the only place I look forward to the comments! So much appreciation to Sheila for letting this happen.
Can we talk more about Crowley and exactly what it is he wants? I’m not buying the “more perfect hell” line. Didn’t he already do that with the DMV line hell? There’s something more to his obsession with Dean and wanting to be Dean’s BFF (and bring Dean down to his level). I think THAT’S why the crappy motel room and not some luxury hotel. There’s something about Dean and Sam’s relationship that Crowley wants to recreate for some reason.
Also, did anyone else see the Jensen Ackles tweet about Dean needing to put his shirt on? Jensen? Have you been reading here?
Natalie – yes, let’s talk about it!!
My first time watching I spent trying to get used to Drunk Singing Demon Dean and was missing what was actually going on. Which is …. nothing, really. That was the most fascinating thing.
Crowley obviously wants to be “moving on” out of that bar – but Dean doesn’t want to go. Crowley lacks the power to MAKE Dean do anything. He still has to try to seduce him. His “howl at the moon” sales pitch has now manifested in this particular Dean – but that’s not what he had in mind. I need to re-watch the final scene of Season 9 for a refresher course.
What was kind of interesting is that the whole thing was so relationship-based – and I think I mentioned it upthread somewhere – you’re right: what seems to be happening there is that Crowley wants to be BFFs – at least that was how he taunted Sam about it: Dean’s mine, now, he’s all MINE, bwahahahaha.
His “let’s take things to the next level” was vague to the point of indefinability – and Dean looked totally uninterested in stopping the party.
Dean also is not interested in being “friends” with Crowley – at least not to the degree Crowley seemed to have expected. They’re picking up triplets (which – ew) – and basically hanging out playing knawk-hawkey (ha – sorry – foosball) – but Crowley is like a jealous bored wife. “Is this all there is?”
What was he expecting? What was he hoping for?
Is this a vestige of his desire to be “human”, and one of the guys?
I don’t know. At least judging from the pilot, what he really WANTS is to be best friends. Which is totally ridiculous but also totally Crowley.
Also – this is where I kind of lose interest but: what is the current state of Hell? Abaddon is gone. Crowley is checked out. But … who’s running things? Is Crowley back “in”?
Like I said, those types of plot points aren’t as interesting to me as the relationship stuff – but I agree with you that the DMV Hell has already been done, his plans, all that … where exactly do his ambitions lie right now? What does he want?
And yes, ha, I saw that Tweet!! Funny.
Unless some Demon upstart is threatening to take his place in Hell, Crowley appears to have lost most of his loyal base to Abbadon by the end of season 9. The gruesome demise of Abbadon wouldn’t have changed that. As far as the Demons really understand things A Winchester killed her. Thus we have Crowley getting rid of her staunchest supporters by sending them Dean’s way, the knobs. I bet Hell is in much the same disorganized state as Heaven. Sam and Dean are in a good position right now to do some serious damage to these pains in the ass. They just need to get themselves together once again and go at them.
If I were a religious person I would say that Sam and Dean are a beautiful culmination of a very long game plan by God. LOL, they would of course hate it.
I think part of Crowley’s actions can be explained by the fact that he’s not quite 100% demon anymore. And even when he was, he wasn’t exactly a typical demon…though, we’ve seen that demons aren’t all the same. They still have desires and some are still capable of love.
(I’ve always sort of thought of SPN’s demons as concentrated human evil. Decades of Hell-torture wears away things like compassion until all that is left is just the anger, fear, negativity, etc. The fact they can be “saved” seems to me to indicate that, really, demons are still just human souls. They are basically super-powerful ghosts.)
Mostly though, I’ve been thinking that what Crowley wants is loyalty. Someone he can trust, someone who won’t betray him at the first opportunity. If he can somehow make Dean his friend, then he will always have Dean’s help. He was practically half-way there last season. Dean talked about killing him, yet I wonder if he actually ever would have followed through with it.
A couple of other random thoughts…
I am also disappointed that the AVC has dropped SPN. Not cool.
Apparently Osric Chau has studied marital arts. (I was looking for a link for that and found this and now I think I love him.)
I think I like Porn Guy’s new hair.
Um. That would be martial arts, not MARITAL arts. Which maybe he has studied too. I don’t know.
Helena : I knew Florence Jenkins and the Sinfonia, but THANK YOU for the video of Darlene and Jonathan Edwards. It is equally horrible and satisfying. Love it!
Sheila, the Movie phone hang ups compilation! I didn’t know it was missing in my life until I found it. Thank you!
Lyrie – are you familiar with the phrase “I’m playing all the right notes. But not necessarily in the right order.”?
Sorry for the late replies, all work and no play…you know. I agree Jessie, Sam’s been a hunter (and knocked out/bound enough) for far too long to not be suspicious of that whole set up. However, interestingly enough, I did like the reminder that Sam knows jack squat about how to fix cars, that was always Dean’s job.
Helena: Fantastic, thank you!
Sheila, thank you for the tribute to Mr. Cummings that you put up today. The final stanza and line of “i carry your heart with me” made me think of Supernatural and my deepest wishes for how this season progresses.
“here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows
higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that’s keeping the stars apart
i carry your heart with me(i carry it in my heart)”
Helena could probably do something beautiful with this.
Also Sheila, I have been meaning to respond to what you wrote but I kept thinking about it instead.
//This was extremely touching to me – and I took it personally – or I relate – because of my mental health problems and stuff which I won’t bore you with – but I have felt that my Sheila-ness, my whatever, was beyond repair. Maybe that’s one of the reasons why Soulless Sam was my favorite arc. It didn’t feel supernatural at all. It felt like an extremely accurate metaphor for trauma survival.//
First of all, there is no boredom at all. I feel interest, compassion and admiration for people willing to share their stories, especially regarding mental health. And also, I want to say that I think I know exactly what you mean. I love that this show is able to tell stories about pain and survival and levels of resilience; it is the biggest hook for me and I love seeing the different types of strength played out. That being said I also feel such strong protectiveness for the characters, something I never thought particularly about before you brought it up in your recaps. The trauma of this season, sometimes I worry, will be too much as I really don’t want the show to end as a tragedy. And so, I am going to remember that beautiful final stanza from “i carry your heart with me” whenever I worry too much.
Here’s to a good show tonight!
Way late on returning to this, but the more I think about it, the more I think Crowley might also be thinking there’s a certain inherent power in just having won a Winchester over to the dark side – and Dean specifically, because Sam already has demon blood in him. With Sam, it would have been like luring a recovering alcoholic to fall off the wagon, but winning Dean over is a more pure corruption. I’ll be giving this more thought as I watch tonight.
May – be glad I’m not a Freudian. Otherwise I would have read a lot into the whole martial/marital thing. (What auto correct?) ;-)
//Helena could probably do something beautiful with this.//
Thanks for the suggestion, Heather, I’ll see what I can do.
… That photo at the top.
My brain keeps substituting this instead.
He now has that guy on his list as someone he needs to kill – to revenge what he assumes will be his brother’s death.
“When a man’s partner is killed he’s supposed to do something about it. It doesn’t make any difference what you thought of him. He was your partner and you’re supposed to do something about it. Then it happens we were in the detective business. Well, when one of your organization gets killed it’s bad business to let the killer get away with it. It’s bad all around-bad for that one organization, bad for every detective everywhere.” –Sam Spade (speaking of Iconic Tough Guys) in The Maltese Falcon
Dean doesn’t rush around trying to save Sam because he told Sam to let him go. That doesn’t mean he’s going to let Cole get away with it, scot-free.
Technically, Cole’s capture of Sam doesn’t have anything to do with Sam’s quest to find Dean, but Dean doesn’t know that; he thinks that Sam got himself in trouble: “…whatever jam he’s in now, that is his problem.”