4x04: A Flaming Heap of Metal
So did anyone else wake up to headline news last Friday about televisions everywhere being found mysteriously flattened by giant, flaming anvils?
Yeah, me, too.
Perhaps it’s the fact I’ve had to wait to write my episode reaction and the flail has worn off, or maybe it’s because RL has gotten insanely slightly busy and Show thoughts got squished out of my brain, or just maybe it has something to do with the fact I got concussed last Thursday night by the giant, flaming anvil in the middle of my living room that has me wrinkling my nose and scratching my head at this episode. Don’t get me wrong, I liked “Metamorphosis”, but Humphris went a little heavy with the character parallels, and it was hard to hear over racket she was making banging on her Sam’s-dangerous-destiny-or-choice gong with her writer’s mallet. *puts on earmuffs*
Anyway, let me not go on a tangent before I even click play….
THEN: Inter-cutting young and old John and Mary just hammers home what an amazing job casting did for these characters. Amy Gumenick just blew me away, especially considering she a newbie to the small screen. I have a sneaking suspicion we’ll be seeing her face popping up more frequently in the next couple of years.
Nobody should wear Dean’s amulet (except woobie!Sam) and clothes except DEAN, not even stunt doubles. Pffft, safety is overrated. It’s not like the actors could break their hand or anything doing their own stunts.
Castiel: “Your brother’s heading down a dangerous road, Dean…” Yes, yes he is … the road to the 34th annual Hungry, Hungry Hippo tournament in Oconomowoc, Wi (that is really a real place, I’ve been there).
“…so stop it or we will.” Angels want to play Hippos, too! \o/ Too bad there isn’t a blue hippo for Castiel and his tie.
NOW: O.O Show is pulling out all the stops, we have BOYS before the title card!
I love how Show maintains the opening low angle shots of the devil’s trap/protective circle for its exorcism scenes. I think this has been employed for every scene with a trap/circle except “Sin City” where the trap/circle was on the floor and we got a high angle shot instead.
Sam: “Where’s Lilith?” So Sam and Ruby are angling to do something more than just “save people”. According to liar Sam in “LR”, he’s after Lilith to get some payback, but I find it interesting that, according to Castiel, Lilith’s efforts now are directed at the 66 seals, not Sam, Ruby, or Dean. So now is it the “good guys” on the offensive and Lilith and Co. running for the contingency plans? Maybe she’s keen to get Lucifer out of his naughty closet so he can take down Sam (although I suspect that would be too straightforward a motivation, Show tends to be more twisty than that).
Have I ever mentioned how much I love the whooshy and clicky sound effects when a demon’s eyes turn black and then go normal? Is it me, or are the sound guys doing an extra awesome job this season esp. with the wing and coat flapping sounds that precede Castiel’s appearances?
Ruby looks strangely like Katie Holmes here. You don’t Ruby’s body was really “a young girl abducted by an evil cult” or anything? Maybe Dean was onto something back in “No Exit”. *sniggers*
“Slutting around with some demon … all of the things this demon bitch you do in the dark.” *plugs ears and screams,”LALALLAAAA!”* You know, I really think this is getting a little too obvious. Dangling the possibility of Sam/Ruby in our faces every other episode just seems like Show is trying a little too hard. Kripke loves to fan the flames of controversy; he got his kick from posting a purposefully inflammatory episode summary for “LR” mentioning “Sam’s love interest” and then recanting it at ComiCon before giggling about the possibility of “swapping of bodily fluids” while JP looked on with his OHNO-am-I-gonna-have-to-stop-eating-candy-and-steak-and-work-out-ten-hours-a-day?! eyes. Then Kripke turns around and talks about how Show will never turn into Scooby Doo with Sam, Dean, and the go-lucky gang (presumably non-antagonistic girls) driving around hunting ghosts, eating sandwiches, and saying things like “Golly, gee” and “Scooby Snacks”. What better way to pull the wool over our eyes than to heavily hint at something only to have it be NOT true? Reverse Show psychology perhaps? Although with all the flaming anvils this episodes, perhaps the Sam/Ruby overtones are Humphris banging on her gong some more. *reaches for earmuffs*
I’m not against love interests for either Sam (or Dean). In fact, I was over the moon about Sarah and I’m still championing for Jess to reappear as demon possessing someone (there were cryptic references in “PT” that fans the flames of hopeless hope). But what bothers me is the lack of continuity with Ruby and Sam’s relationship at the end of S3 and what we’re seeing now. In fact, I think the fan backlash against GC and her portrayal of a softer, less abrasive Ruby doesn’t have so much to do with her acting abilities (OK, maybe a little) or her interpretation of the character (for all we know, she’s been told to tone down Ruby), but the fact that we don’t understand WHY Ruby is acting the way she is. We haven’t been SHOWN what’s happened between her and Sam in the months Dean was dead. We have nothing to use as a bridge between S3 and S4 Ruby. And because we can’t connect the dots, as a hugely important part of Sam and Ruby’s relationship was just LEFT OUT, it’s no surprise we end up sitting here scratching our heads, going “Huh?”
No matter what level GC’s acting abilities are, there’s no way she can fill huge gaps of her character's story and evolution. That’s the writers’ job. And Kripke is doing a disservice to fans by expecting us to buy this reincarnated Ruby without giving us one small reason why. I maintain that fandom’s rejection of S4-Ruby and Sam/Ruby isn’t just a matter of “OMG-a-female-potential-love-interest-is-going-to-separate-the-boys” knee-jerk reaction that seems to be the stock excuse for many of the female guest stars, but it’s well founded and based on problems in the story construction and fundamental flaws and inconsistencies in characterization for her and the characters she interacts with (which are some of the reasons why Bela’s character, as much as I loved the idea of her, wasn't successful). For me, Sam/Ruby pushes the bounds of believability based on three seasons of Sam characterization and one season of Ruby characterization. We need to be shown what has changed, how they’ve changed, why they’re doing whatever they’re doing in the dark to buy into their story (if it be mentor/student, deceiver/vulnerable psychic, or lovers). And until that happens I think it’s silly to expect fans who enjoy this show as much as we do to sit back quietly and settle for sub-par storytelling. All I have to say is that there better be some heavy hitting Sam and Ruby flashback episodes coming down the pipe because inquiring minds want to know.
*blinks*
Uh … well, I guess that was my random/ranty tanget for this review. I didn’t even have time to get out my glittery tangent-time cue card. :( Just so you all know I’m on page 6 and we’re 1:38 into this episode. Am I beating my old record? Gah.
OK, and moving on…
Sam is really twitchy this season, especially his nose. He’s like an angry bunny … like the killer Rabbit of Caerbannog.
ZOMG! RUN AWAY! I would love to hear angry Sam make those high-pitched meep noises.
Demon with nice white teeth, don’t make Sam an angry bunny or he’ll end you.
*meep noise*
Oops. Too late.
It’s Sam from AHBL-2 only without the blood splatter! Apparently Kim Manners likes to copy himself. :D
I like how Sam’s powers make a demon’s soul go down toward Hell and burns holes in everything instead of fly up and dissipate in a puff of nothingness like spoken exorcisms do. It makes me think that there’s something fundamentally different about what Sam’s doing, that his powers aren’t based on the authority infused in Latin words.
Sam, what are you doing smiling at Ruby like you have a great big secret? Well, knowing you and your lying, secret-keeping ways, you probably do. You have so many secrets you probably keep secrets from yourself. Like the fact you’re really a bunny. *meep noise*
ZOMG!!! Voyeur!DEAN!!! He’s going to kick Sam’s bunny butt for letting Ruby be his Hippo playmate!!! *bounces with anticipation*
Sam: “No more headaches.” Oh, Show, why are you depriving us of migraine!Sam?! The best parts of S2 were Sam suddenly falling to the ground clutching his head and Dean grabbing at him. So apparently in those missing four months when Sam and apparently Ruby were honing Sam’s powers, he was doing a lot of head clutching. Only there was no Dean to grab him. Somehow I’m having a hard time seeing Ruby rushing over to comfort Sam or even hold up half his weight. Squashed!Ruby, FTW!
Also, this is a nice kick to Dean’s words in “NRFtW”, “You’re not gonna teach him anything, you understand me, over my dead body.” Well, guess what, Dean? *jab*
Sam is so happy and proud that he actually saved someone. OMG, Sam, how empty is your life that exorcising demons has become your one satisfaction? *heart breaks* Remember law school and your emo-hoodies? Remember your brother, Dean? Remember unicorns?
Ruby: “None? That’s good.” I’m sorry, who are you again? I can’t seem to place your character.
ZOMG!!! DEAN!!! *eee*
Oh, God. Dean is so angry, he’s not even yelling. He’s the quiet rage kind of guy. You think John was like that when he got angry beyond angry? And unlike what we’ve seen of John and Sam’s relationship, Sam isn’t even bothering to mouth back to Dean. *is scared for Sam who really deserves to get in trouble*
Ruby: “Good to see ya again, Dean.” I’m sorry, but who are you? I thought demons were clever with minds for only their self-preservation and knew when to lie in order to save their own skins. Besides needing to reveal it is Ruby to move the story along, it’s pretty lame to think Ruby wouldn’t spin some yarn to save herself from Dean’s wrath. For all Dean knows, Ruby could’ve been a hunter Sam teamed up with in the last four months. So now apparently demons named Ruby don’t lie. -_-
O.O Fighting.
What a cluster of totally messed-up dynamics. This is the second time we’ve seen Sam save Ruby from Dean (“MM”). Then we have Ruby saving Sam from Dean (you guys did see Dean going after Sam, right, right? OMG.). And finally Sam saves Dean from Ruby. I just love how messy this is all getting with trust being broken, hidden motivations, and lies and secrets flying all over the place! If I were to pick a cap that I think will sum up the major tension this season it would be this one with Dean squaring off against the supernatural forces that be (demons and angels) and a torn and desperate Sam caught in the middle:
hugemind , The Emo Shirt of DOOM (again)! It’s 2 for 4 so far this season! Everyone prepare yourselves, it’s going to be emo-Dean time soon. \o/
Sam’s eyes aren’t moving. He’s totally not reading, but reflecting on his manpain. *glee*
Dean: “You don’t need me. You and Ruby go fight demons.” And that line right there is Dean voicing his greatest fear. That Sam doesn’t need his big brother anymore. That he is somehow replaceable or disposable. I think this season, as painful as it’s going to be, we’re going to see just how much Sam doesn’t need Dean; how much he has grown and changed in those four months of separation. Because I think in the end it’ll come down to the fact that the boys don’t need each other any longer (because the whole dysfunctionalilty of familial sacrifice has to stop) but that they choose to want each other (and not in that incestuous way, but you know if they happened to want each other with their shirts off that would be fine by me). The codependency needs to evolve into a chosen partnership for their relationship to come full circle.
Sam is all helpless, flaily hand motions and Dean’s all purposeful movements and no eye contact (so typical!). Dean does what he’s always done when he out of sorts and can’t cover things up with jokes or humor, he retreats (how much do you guys bet he ran straight to the Impala again?) and then strikes out in anger. Dean deals with things in a tangible manner, with his fists, by breaking things and projecting his emotions OUTWARD.
And it’s so typical of Sam to just stand there and take it all, to not strike back (hello, “Bloodlust”). Unlike Dean, Sam projects his emotions INWARD, internalizing the hurt, guilt, and anger and burying it because, I think, he’s too scared of what will happen if he lets it out. Sam is the boy king of unhealthy suppression. And as much as Sam is outwardly portrayed as bleeding heart of the Winchesters, in his inner world, his head rules his heart to an unbelievable degree. So far this season we haven’t seen the real Sam, the Sam who lost his brother and was left with truckloads of dark emotions, the Sam who at one time was free enough to go full-on emo about his destiny. Now we have Sam who is so terrified and lost he can’t even express his own worry because by doing so will likely unleashing an emotional avalanche that he won’t be able to cope with. So we get this tight, closed-down version of Sam who is barely holding it together. Desperation is the only word that that comes to mind.
Now is anyone else really hankering for a scene where Sam totally loses it? :D
Sam: “I’ve saved more people in the last five months than we save in a year.” So it’s been at least a month since “LR”, probably more unless Sam started exorcising demons with his mind immediately after Dean died. With the references to headaches, it seems like there’s a learning curve and I’m not sure Sam would start honing his powers right away as he’d be set on getting Dean back first and as he said, “trying everything”, so likely it’s been over a month, maybe two, since Dean’s been back.
Dean: “Is that what Ruby wants you to think? The way she tricked you into using your powers… If I didn’t know you, I’d want to hunt you. And so would other hunters.” Them are fight’n words, Dean. I love Dean, but the way he’s undermining Sam by insinuating that he was “tricked” by Ruby instead of taking responsibility for his own choices makes me bristle. But then again, believing that Sam didn’t purposefully choose that path probably makes Dean feel better because we all know that Dean refuses to believe that Sam is evil. For all of the character reversals we’re in the midst of, I think Dean is staunchly holding onto his white and black, good and evil viewpoint: demons=manipulative evil, Sam=little brother not evil/dark/or in any way purposefully bad. I wonder how much longer this worldview will fit Dean’s experiences.
Dean: “Cass said that if I don’t stop you, he will … that means that God doesn’t want you doing this.” Good to know, Dean, you’re on such a casual basis with an angel that you basically told to go screw itself not 24 hours before. -_-
Also, why wouldn’t angels want Sam to use his powers to save people? I’m having a hard time believing that just because Sam’s powers might be rooted in demon blood that what he’s doing with them should automatically warrant the rubber EVIL Stamp of Disapproval. Doesn’t intent count? This spirals back to the destiny vs. choice theme yet again. It makes me wonder (again) if angels have free will, if humans have free will to make their own choices or it it’s an illusion that’s cultivated by the divine. Recall “HotH” and the power of religious suggestion, how the façade of“God’s Will” was the puppet master that propelled people to commit questionable acts and we were left wondering at the end of the episode if God’s Will (i.e. angels) was, in fact, operating behind the scenes after all.
What if God/angels are the power counterbalancing free will? What if demons exemplify what happens when free will and human impulse run rampant (Lucifer was banished from Heaven because he exercised free will, he choose to defy God)? What if humans are caught in between and are the fulcrum that the story is balanced (Hello, Adam and Eve and temptation)? For all intents and purposes, it seems--according to The Show’s lip service at least--Ruby has “chosen” to go against her “natural” demonic nature and “help” Sam. It sure feels like she and Sam are two sides of the choice coin: a supposedly evil creature doing good and a supposedly good person walking down a dangerous road.
*pulls out glittery tangent-time cue card and devil’s horns*
And, btw, I really think the whole “you can’t change the past” line and destiny blabber last episode was injected to prevent the Time Paradox and the generation of multiple realities and copies of Sam and Dean running around in time, not necessarily because it’s now a huge tenant in The Show’s mythos. In any story that deals with time travel has to address the circular events of cause and effect and side stop the time paradox whereby changes one makes in the past don’t preclude the events that precipitated their return to the past in order for them to make those changes in the first place. The easiest way to do this is by declaring that the past can’t be changed because it has already happened, in effect, making destiny (or rather post-destiny *makes up words randomly*) a necessary operator in retrospect and limiting time-traveling realities to only one unchangeable past. And with three seasons filled with hints about human choice, I would find it strange for Show to switch midstream now. I guess I’m just saying that I think choice and destiny can operate simultaneously and that destiny as discussed in “ItB” had to be brought in to clear up potential plot tangles in regards to the past and not so much as a thematic statement that pertains to Sam and Dean’s choices in the present and future.
Gah, can you see I’m still stuck on last, last Thursday? *brain pretzels* Shhh, brain, shhh.
*stashes cue card away and reaches for the chocolate*
OMG, you guys, I need to stop talking, we’re only 7:50 into the episode. *sits on hands and watches quietly*
…
*whispers, “I hate poorly timed phone calls.”*
…
OMG, I never thought someone could make eating mashed potatoes look so disgusting. D: Manners, stop with the extreme close-ups already, we know you directed this episode. Hello, froth much, rabies?
Heh, I bet JA is happy that there’s finally someone who has to stuff more food in their mouth than him, which is probably the reason for his big smile (and JP? Well, JP always looks like that). *cheek smish* Picture from dean_sam.
“Or you have tapeworm”: Or you’re pregnant. Mpreg made canon? *snork*
Sam: “So Yellow Eyes could get in my nursery and bleed in my mouth?” *headdesk* Oh, Sam. I like to believe that this slip-up was Sam’s subconscious at work because Sam’s subconscious can’t lie to Dean. It’s all, “NO LIES, ONLY HIPPOS!” Also, Sam’s subconscious always picks the pink hippo. XD
Now would be an opportune time to tell Dean about Ed and Robert Campbell and all the dead doctors and such. And Dean maybe you should tell Sam about Mary’s deal and John’s first death while you’re busy throwing barbs.
OK, I guess not.
“Jack, a delicious, unmicrowaved, non-take-out, homemade meal is coming.” LOL! That flat, annoyed tone she speaks in is so perfect! *dies* I think I love her (which, of course, means Bad Things will happen to her).
Ground beef, eww. What IS that stuff? D: DX :( Poor MotW actor had to get his stomach pumped or do the whole wine tasting spit thing.
*glee* It looks like neither of the boys are holding the binoculars against their faces. Probably because of the stunt double prank! XD I’ll forgive JA’s stunt double for wearing Dean’s amulet just for this! Vid from janglyjewels
Travis: “Still a mathelete?” XD TRAVIS!! \o/ I wonder if he injured his arm doing his own stunts? ;) By the fond mention of John, it seems like this may be the one man on the planet who John didn’t have a falling out with. Oh, he’s the exposition person this episode!
A what? A roogaru? Roo-gah-rooh? Arooh-laaa-rooo?
OHNO, the v-neck blue sweater of victimhood! RUN AWAY! Looks like Show is spending its budget on classic rock and not wardrobe this season.
Long pig! D: *gags and concentrates on the weirdly textured, bloody rubber finger* Creature effects guy, you can totally do better than that.
Does this remind anyone of the Croatoan promos? Microscope shots, FTW!
Interesting all this talk of the innocent harboring something evil in their BLOOD, something that was passed down to them, something that seems to have the potential for EVIL, something that -*THUNKSPLATSIZZLE*
*crawls away*
Hey, wrong show Melinda. Get back to Ghost Whispering on CBS. *squints* And why are you wearing the RED’s black dress?
LOL! Dean totally turns the flame off before he pretends to blow it out! XD !!! Nice try, Dean-o, but there’s an off switch you just pressed. Coordinate much, Dean? ;)
Show prop continuity! \o/
Sam gets shit-eating grin/eager glee face like its X-mas every time he does research and finds something he thinks is cool. This was the same face he wore in “TIOMS” and in “NRftW” when he had secret information he couldn’t wait to tell Dean about. Sam, if I didn’t know you better, I’d think you’re a bad pretender, but you’re a cute bad pretender. Also, Sam’s roo-gah-roo face is adorable.
Sam: “I just wanted to be prepared.” *dies laughing* OMG, kentawolf, Boy scout!Sam becomes canon. :D
Dean: “Sam loves research. He keeps it under his mattress right next to his KY.” And next to his ruler. XD
Dean: “Long pig!” Oh, you know Dean was just waiting to slip his new word into the conversation somewhere. Look how self-satisfied his is. XD *pets Dean*
Sam: “That way he can fight it … we’re not going to kill him unless he does something to get killed for.” So Sam’s projecting his helplessness onto poor, doomed MotW in an attempt to voice his internal chaos and-*THUNKSPLATSIZZLE*
*dusts self off*
OHNO, the white flowery nightgown of victimhood! RUN AWAY! It’s not looking good, you’re doomed with 2/3 outfits so far. :(
O_o D: DX !!! I’m just going to pretend there wasn’t an almost spousal sexual assault. *covers eyes and ears and rocks in the corner and parrots Castiel, “STOP IT.”*
LOOK KAZ!!!!! \o/ Is it wrong to do victory arms at the sight of a fictional license plate?
Dean: “Nice dude, but he’s got something evil inside of him, something in his blood. Maybe you can relate.” Now Humphries has turned Dean in to a flaminganvil. *facepalm*
Sam: “Stop the car or I will.” !!!! *chants, “Psychicpowerspsychicpowers.”*
OMG, Sam is finally losing it! *dances* Oo, nice camera work.
Sam: “I’ve got demon blood in me, Dean. This disease pumping through my veins and I can’t rip it out or scrub it clean. I’m a whole new level of freak. And I’m trying to take this … this curse and make something good out of it. Because I have to.” And speaking of voicing one’s greatest fear, Sam’s the mirror to Dean’s previous outburst. Remember Ruby’s words from “NRftW”: “You don’t like being different. You hate the way Dean looks at you sometimes, like you’re some sideshow freak." I love how this is consistent with everything we know about Sam from day one. He’s always been the one who has raged against being the outsider, the freak, the square peg that just doesn’t fit to the point he left the only life he knew to try to refashion himself into something else, something normal. We saw this re-emerge in S2 with the PsyKid thread and Sam’s repeated frustration and fear about his powers. Only when Sam’s powers went dormant in S3 did his whole freak phobia go underground. Something seriously BAD had to happen or Sam had to be in a really dark and desperate place for him to make a conscious effort to harness and hone his powers. Oh, Sam. Half of me can’t wait to learn what happened and half of me is scared to see broken!Sammy *bites nails*. I love how Dean just defers to Sam because Dean loves Sam and now he feels bad about making Sam have an outburst. *hugs Dean*
Also, JP and JA’s chemistry is really rocking this season. I’ve always felt they worked well together but this is something off the scales. If you just pay attention to the dialogue, they have the potential to be so cheesy (“I’ve got demon blood in me.”), but they somehow sell it with the emotion.
I think this was probably filmed on River Road on the south side of the Fraser River in Delta, BC. It looks similar to where Croatoan and Hunted were filmed.
Dean: “And your appetite is reaching Hungry, Hungry Hippo levels.” LOL! \o/
Sam: “You feed once and it’s all over. And then we’ll have to STOP you.” What are those dark shadows in the sky? *shades eyes with hand* Are those-? OMG. *runs*
*peeks over the neighbors hedge and looks for any distraction* Hey, *points* Sam has elf ears!
Sam is wearing the shirt he wore in “BUaBS”. You can see how S4’s daylight/outdoor colors are slightly blue-tinted because the white in his shirt isn’t quite white, but blue. Unless Dean washed Sam’s shirt with a pair of navy blue underwear. Somehow I don’t see either of the boys being big on sorting laundry into whites, lights, colors, and darks.
Is Jack spying on Melinda the Ghost Whisperer? How did he find where she lives? I thought he ran out of the bar before she did? Unless he sat outside and stalked her and … shh, brain, shhh … no thinky, you might break. Jack’s not going to eat her because he is Sam’s foil and then the anvils will come back and … ack! He is! D: *ducks for cover*
*glances around*
LOL! This was the scene they were shooting during that BTS video where the boys are goofing off in the corner all by themselves and nobody was paying them any attention like they do that all the time! XD
Whew, Jack choose the non-dangerous path. Jack go home and munch on some raw ground beef, but for our sake do it off screen please … maybe grab some napkins and Stain Stick and go in the closet and do it, mmkay thanks.
LOL! XD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There are the boys I know and love! *double cheek smish*
Jack: “Michelle, I’m home.” Oh, her name is Michelle! Now that she has a name she’s going to die. That’s what happened with Olivia and her giant gun with double-grip handles. :(
OMG, Michelle is pregnant, not Jack! ZOMG, you guys, do you think this is The Big Reveal this episode? I never saw it coming. -_-
WTF, Travis?!?! What are you doing?!?!? We don’t burn babies or mothers or people who are alive, didn’t they teach you appropriate social behavior in kindergarten? Also, you keep apologizing but I don’t think you really mean it. Lies. Um and, Travis, you do know it usually takes nine months until a baby pops out, right? And also, Travis, there’s a little something called reproductive freedom granted by a little court case called Roe vs. Wade. But I can assure you if you keep doing this you most definitely won’t be around for five more minutes let alone 30 years. Why does show make all hunters crazy, psychotic bastards and kills all the ones who seem to be semi-normal (like Olivia and her giant gun with double grips)?
Surprise, surprise Jack is hulking out. Look, David Banner and weirdly colored eyes. “What an unforeseen turn of events.” *jazz hands* *snortlaugh* Jack, don’t take that bite, your ever-loving soul will be damned to HELL and you will become slave to your carnal impulses and end up buying all your meat at Costco … and you’re Sam’s foil … and the flaming anvils! Nooo! Ack! DX Aaslkdjf. *dives under couch pillow*
*resurfaces*
Wait, Michelle just takes off? Bhuz? Well, that’s certainly a convenient way to have her exit the story without having to resolve anything. Huh. *scratches head* I thought maybe Show would spin this in a different direction and have Michelle be Dean’s counterpart whereby she tries to save Jack and ends up as the sacrificial lamb or something. So what does this mean now *fights off anvils* Is this some yet to be resolved story for the next generation of Winchesters to solve? Maybe a plot for the post-S5 movie deal? Heh, my mission is to spin everything into a possible plot for a movie. *dances*
Dean: “Think that’s Travis.” Sam: “What’s left of him”: Even a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser won’t be able to get that whopper of a stain out.
Sam: “I guess you were right about Jack.” Oh, woobie!Sam how much did it hurt to say that?
OHNO! DEAN! OHNO! SAM!
Sam’s forehead is already bloody before Jack starts to wail on him with the improvised flamethrower. See, look the improvised flamethrower is still in Sam’s right hand. Also, that’s the face Sam makes when he sees flaming anvils falling from the sky. RUN AWAY!
OMG!!!!!! SAM IS LOCKED IN A CLOSET AND DEAN IS IN PERIL!!!!!! “NIGHTMARE”!!!! I hope Sam turns into an angry bunny!
The gore is off the scales this episode. I think they purposefully choose whites and greys just so the red blood would stand out so like that. I’m not even going to cap a picture of bloody!Jack because it grosses me out so much.
Sam stop monologing and playing with hangers and concentrate your brain powerz to bust open the door in a fit of frightened rage! *makes Sam!bunny fangs*
Sam: “It doesn’t matter what you are. It only matters what you do. It’s your choice.” Oh, nice job, Show, showing Jack immediately choosing to make Dean a Scooby Snack and then choosing to attack Sam (nice, slow motion to emphasize the latter, btw … and, darn, no brain powerz *wilts*). What kind of message are you sending about Sam, huh? Could you be perhaps implying that maybe Sam’s future is a pit of hopelessness? Sam will revert to his powers to save Dean only to end up selling his soul and dying alone in a flaming fireball? That families will ultimate abandon each other when the going gets tough? That monsters are made by the paranoid acts others? *looks around* *waits* *checks watch* I think Show ran out of anvils.
Huh. *looks around* *shrugs*
What’s all that white stuff on stuntdouble!Jack, an accelerant?
Dean: “It’s just your psychic thing, it scares the crap out of me.” And we already know this from “Simon Said” when Andy mindjacked him into saying (compliments of Superwiki transcript because there’s no way I’d remember this quote), “I'm trying. He's psychic. Kind of like you. Well, not really like you, but see, he thinks you're a murderer, and he's afraid that he's going to become one himself, 'cause you're all part of something that's terrible. And I hope to hell that he's wrong, but I'm starting to get a little scared that he might be right.”
Sam: “I’d really rather not talk about it.” *bangs reversal drum*
HEHE. Sam pronounces blood like “Bluudd.”
Dean: “Not alone.” OMG, Dean ILU. *pins best big brother award to his chest* And that’s what will save Dean and Sam in the end. Amen.
Sam: “These powers, it’s playing with fire. I’m done with them. I’m done with everything … this is my choice.” Hey, mirrors just like in “FB” with Gordon and earlier with voyeur!Jack and I bet it has something to do with transformations and the reflection of the soul and the psychological-
*THUNKSPLATSIZZLE*
OMG, guys, I’m so long-winded. Meh. Mytharc development needs to stop so I will stop blabbing. Sorry about any typos, no energy to proofread in any fashion.
Yeah, me, too.
Perhaps it’s the fact I’ve had to wait to write my episode reaction and the flail has worn off, or maybe it’s because RL has gotten insanely slightly busy and Show thoughts got squished out of my brain, or just maybe it has something to do with the fact I got concussed last Thursday night by the giant, flaming anvil in the middle of my living room that has me wrinkling my nose and scratching my head at this episode. Don’t get me wrong, I liked “Metamorphosis”, but Humphris went a little heavy with the character parallels, and it was hard to hear over racket she was making banging on her Sam’s-dangerous-destiny-or-choice gong with her writer’s mallet. *puts on earmuffs*
Anyway, let me not go on a tangent before I even click play….
THEN: Inter-cutting young and old John and Mary just hammers home what an amazing job casting did for these characters. Amy Gumenick just blew me away, especially considering she a newbie to the small screen. I have a sneaking suspicion we’ll be seeing her face popping up more frequently in the next couple of years.
Nobody should wear Dean’s amulet (except woobie!Sam) and clothes except DEAN, not even stunt doubles. Pffft, safety is overrated. It’s not like the actors could break their hand or anything doing their own stunts.
Castiel: “Your brother’s heading down a dangerous road, Dean…” Yes, yes he is … the road to the 34th annual Hungry, Hungry Hippo tournament in Oconomowoc, Wi (that is really a real place, I’ve been there).
“…so stop it or we will.” Angels want to play Hippos, too! \o/ Too bad there isn’t a blue hippo for Castiel and his tie.
NOW: O.O Show is pulling out all the stops, we have BOYS before the title card!
I love how Show maintains the opening low angle shots of the devil’s trap/protective circle for its exorcism scenes. I think this has been employed for every scene with a trap/circle except “Sin City” where the trap/circle was on the floor and we got a high angle shot instead.
Sam: “Where’s Lilith?” So Sam and Ruby are angling to do something more than just “save people”. According to liar Sam in “LR”, he’s after Lilith to get some payback, but I find it interesting that, according to Castiel, Lilith’s efforts now are directed at the 66 seals, not Sam, Ruby, or Dean. So now is it the “good guys” on the offensive and Lilith and Co. running for the contingency plans? Maybe she’s keen to get Lucifer out of his naughty closet so he can take down Sam (although I suspect that would be too straightforward a motivation, Show tends to be more twisty than that).
Have I ever mentioned how much I love the whooshy and clicky sound effects when a demon’s eyes turn black and then go normal? Is it me, or are the sound guys doing an extra awesome job this season esp. with the wing and coat flapping sounds that precede Castiel’s appearances?
Ruby looks strangely like Katie Holmes here. You don’t Ruby’s body was really “a young girl abducted by an evil cult” or anything? Maybe Dean was onto something back in “No Exit”. *sniggers*
“Slutting around with some demon … all of the things this demon bitch you do in the dark.” *plugs ears and screams,”LALALLAAAA!”* You know, I really think this is getting a little too obvious. Dangling the possibility of Sam/Ruby in our faces every other episode just seems like Show is trying a little too hard. Kripke loves to fan the flames of controversy; he got his kick from posting a purposefully inflammatory episode summary for “LR” mentioning “Sam’s love interest” and then recanting it at ComiCon before giggling about the possibility of “swapping of bodily fluids” while JP looked on with his OHNO-am-I-gonna-have-to-stop-eating-candy-and-steak-and-work-out-ten-hours-a-day?! eyes. Then Kripke turns around and talks about how Show will never turn into Scooby Doo with Sam, Dean, and the go-lucky gang (presumably non-antagonistic girls) driving around hunting ghosts, eating sandwiches, and saying things like “Golly, gee” and “Scooby Snacks”. What better way to pull the wool over our eyes than to heavily hint at something only to have it be NOT true? Reverse Show psychology perhaps? Although with all the flaming anvils this episodes, perhaps the Sam/Ruby overtones are Humphris banging on her gong some more. *reaches for earmuffs*
I’m not against love interests for either Sam (or Dean). In fact, I was over the moon about Sarah and I’m still championing for Jess to reappear as demon possessing someone (there were cryptic references in “PT” that fans the flames of hopeless hope). But what bothers me is the lack of continuity with Ruby and Sam’s relationship at the end of S3 and what we’re seeing now. In fact, I think the fan backlash against GC and her portrayal of a softer, less abrasive Ruby doesn’t have so much to do with her acting abilities (OK, maybe a little) or her interpretation of the character (for all we know, she’s been told to tone down Ruby), but the fact that we don’t understand WHY Ruby is acting the way she is. We haven’t been SHOWN what’s happened between her and Sam in the months Dean was dead. We have nothing to use as a bridge between S3 and S4 Ruby. And because we can’t connect the dots, as a hugely important part of Sam and Ruby’s relationship was just LEFT OUT, it’s no surprise we end up sitting here scratching our heads, going “Huh?”
No matter what level GC’s acting abilities are, there’s no way she can fill huge gaps of her character's story and evolution. That’s the writers’ job. And Kripke is doing a disservice to fans by expecting us to buy this reincarnated Ruby without giving us one small reason why. I maintain that fandom’s rejection of S4-Ruby and Sam/Ruby isn’t just a matter of “OMG-a-female-potential-love-interest-is-going-to-separate-the-boys” knee-jerk reaction that seems to be the stock excuse for many of the female guest stars, but it’s well founded and based on problems in the story construction and fundamental flaws and inconsistencies in characterization for her and the characters she interacts with (which are some of the reasons why Bela’s character, as much as I loved the idea of her, wasn't successful). For me, Sam/Ruby pushes the bounds of believability based on three seasons of Sam characterization and one season of Ruby characterization. We need to be shown what has changed, how they’ve changed, why they’re doing whatever they’re doing in the dark to buy into their story (if it be mentor/student, deceiver/vulnerable psychic, or lovers). And until that happens I think it’s silly to expect fans who enjoy this show as much as we do to sit back quietly and settle for sub-par storytelling. All I have to say is that there better be some heavy hitting Sam and Ruby flashback episodes coming down the pipe because inquiring minds want to know.
*blinks*
Uh … well, I guess that was my random/ranty tanget for this review. I didn’t even have time to get out my glittery tangent-time cue card. :( Just so you all know I’m on page 6 and we’re 1:38 into this episode. Am I beating my old record? Gah.
OK, and moving on…
Sam is really twitchy this season, especially his nose. He’s like an angry bunny … like the killer Rabbit of Caerbannog.
Click to viewZOMG! RUN AWAY! I would love to hear angry Sam make those high-pitched meep noises.
Demon with nice white teeth, don’t make Sam an angry bunny or he’ll end you.
*meep noise*
Oops. Too late.
It’s Sam from AHBL-2 only without the blood splatter! Apparently Kim Manners likes to copy himself. :D
I like how Sam’s powers make a demon’s soul go down toward Hell and burns holes in everything instead of fly up and dissipate in a puff of nothingness like spoken exorcisms do. It makes me think that there’s something fundamentally different about what Sam’s doing, that his powers aren’t based on the authority infused in Latin words.
Sam, what are you doing smiling at Ruby like you have a great big secret? Well, knowing you and your lying, secret-keeping ways, you probably do. You have so many secrets you probably keep secrets from yourself. Like the fact you’re really a bunny. *meep noise*
ZOMG!!! Voyeur!DEAN!!! He’s going to kick Sam’s bunny butt for letting Ruby be his Hippo playmate!!! *bounces with anticipation*
Sam: “No more headaches.” Oh, Show, why are you depriving us of migraine!Sam?! The best parts of S2 were Sam suddenly falling to the ground clutching his head and Dean grabbing at him. So apparently in those missing four months when Sam and apparently Ruby were honing Sam’s powers, he was doing a lot of head clutching. Only there was no Dean to grab him. Somehow I’m having a hard time seeing Ruby rushing over to comfort Sam or even hold up half his weight. Squashed!Ruby, FTW!
Also, this is a nice kick to Dean’s words in “NRFtW”, “You’re not gonna teach him anything, you understand me, over my dead body.” Well, guess what, Dean? *jab*
Sam is so happy and proud that he actually saved someone. OMG, Sam, how empty is your life that exorcising demons has become your one satisfaction? *heart breaks* Remember law school and your emo-hoodies? Remember your brother, Dean? Remember unicorns?
Ruby: “None? That’s good.” I’m sorry, who are you again? I can’t seem to place your character.
ZOMG!!! DEAN!!! *eee*
Oh, God. Dean is so angry, he’s not even yelling. He’s the quiet rage kind of guy. You think John was like that when he got angry beyond angry? And unlike what we’ve seen of John and Sam’s relationship, Sam isn’t even bothering to mouth back to Dean. *is scared for Sam who really deserves to get in trouble*
Ruby: “Good to see ya again, Dean.” I’m sorry, but who are you? I thought demons were clever with minds for only their self-preservation and knew when to lie in order to save their own skins. Besides needing to reveal it is Ruby to move the story along, it’s pretty lame to think Ruby wouldn’t spin some yarn to save herself from Dean’s wrath. For all Dean knows, Ruby could’ve been a hunter Sam teamed up with in the last four months. So now apparently demons named Ruby don’t lie. -_-
O.O Fighting.
What a cluster of totally messed-up dynamics. This is the second time we’ve seen Sam save Ruby from Dean (“MM”). Then we have Ruby saving Sam from Dean (you guys did see Dean going after Sam, right, right? OMG.). And finally Sam saves Dean from Ruby. I just love how messy this is all getting with trust being broken, hidden motivations, and lies and secrets flying all over the place! If I were to pick a cap that I think will sum up the major tension this season it would be this one with Dean squaring off against the supernatural forces that be (demons and angels) and a torn and desperate Sam caught in the middle:
hugemind , The Emo Shirt of DOOM (again)! It’s 2 for 4 so far this season! Everyone prepare yourselves, it’s going to be emo-Dean time soon. \o/
Sam’s eyes aren’t moving. He’s totally not reading, but reflecting on his manpain. *glee*
Dean: “You don’t need me. You and Ruby go fight demons.” And that line right there is Dean voicing his greatest fear. That Sam doesn’t need his big brother anymore. That he is somehow replaceable or disposable. I think this season, as painful as it’s going to be, we’re going to see just how much Sam doesn’t need Dean; how much he has grown and changed in those four months of separation. Because I think in the end it’ll come down to the fact that the boys don’t need each other any longer (because the whole dysfunctionalilty of familial sacrifice has to stop) but that they choose to want each other (and not in that incestuous way, but you know if they happened to want each other with their shirts off that would be fine by me). The codependency needs to evolve into a chosen partnership for their relationship to come full circle.
Sam is all helpless, flaily hand motions and Dean’s all purposeful movements and no eye contact (so typical!). Dean does what he’s always done when he out of sorts and can’t cover things up with jokes or humor, he retreats (how much do you guys bet he ran straight to the Impala again?) and then strikes out in anger. Dean deals with things in a tangible manner, with his fists, by breaking things and projecting his emotions OUTWARD.
And it’s so typical of Sam to just stand there and take it all, to not strike back (hello, “Bloodlust”). Unlike Dean, Sam projects his emotions INWARD, internalizing the hurt, guilt, and anger and burying it because, I think, he’s too scared of what will happen if he lets it out. Sam is the boy king of unhealthy suppression. And as much as Sam is outwardly portrayed as bleeding heart of the Winchesters, in his inner world, his head rules his heart to an unbelievable degree. So far this season we haven’t seen the real Sam, the Sam who lost his brother and was left with truckloads of dark emotions, the Sam who at one time was free enough to go full-on emo about his destiny. Now we have Sam who is so terrified and lost he can’t even express his own worry because by doing so will likely unleashing an emotional avalanche that he won’t be able to cope with. So we get this tight, closed-down version of Sam who is barely holding it together. Desperation is the only word that that comes to mind.
Now is anyone else really hankering for a scene where Sam totally loses it? :D
Sam: “I’ve saved more people in the last five months than we save in a year.” So it’s been at least a month since “LR”, probably more unless Sam started exorcising demons with his mind immediately after Dean died. With the references to headaches, it seems like there’s a learning curve and I’m not sure Sam would start honing his powers right away as he’d be set on getting Dean back first and as he said, “trying everything”, so likely it’s been over a month, maybe two, since Dean’s been back.
Dean: “Is that what Ruby wants you to think? The way she tricked you into using your powers… If I didn’t know you, I’d want to hunt you. And so would other hunters.” Them are fight’n words, Dean. I love Dean, but the way he’s undermining Sam by insinuating that he was “tricked” by Ruby instead of taking responsibility for his own choices makes me bristle. But then again, believing that Sam didn’t purposefully choose that path probably makes Dean feel better because we all know that Dean refuses to believe that Sam is evil. For all of the character reversals we’re in the midst of, I think Dean is staunchly holding onto his white and black, good and evil viewpoint: demons=manipulative evil, Sam=little brother not evil/dark/or in any way purposefully bad. I wonder how much longer this worldview will fit Dean’s experiences.
Dean: “Cass said that if I don’t stop you, he will … that means that God doesn’t want you doing this.” Good to know, Dean, you’re on such a casual basis with an angel that you basically told to go screw itself not 24 hours before. -_-
Also, why wouldn’t angels want Sam to use his powers to save people? I’m having a hard time believing that just because Sam’s powers might be rooted in demon blood that what he’s doing with them should automatically warrant the rubber EVIL Stamp of Disapproval. Doesn’t intent count? This spirals back to the destiny vs. choice theme yet again. It makes me wonder (again) if angels have free will, if humans have free will to make their own choices or it it’s an illusion that’s cultivated by the divine. Recall “HotH” and the power of religious suggestion, how the façade of“God’s Will” was the puppet master that propelled people to commit questionable acts and we were left wondering at the end of the episode if God’s Will (i.e. angels) was, in fact, operating behind the scenes after all.
What if God/angels are the power counterbalancing free will? What if demons exemplify what happens when free will and human impulse run rampant (Lucifer was banished from Heaven because he exercised free will, he choose to defy God)? What if humans are caught in between and are the fulcrum that the story is balanced (Hello, Adam and Eve and temptation)? For all intents and purposes, it seems--according to The Show’s lip service at least--Ruby has “chosen” to go against her “natural” demonic nature and “help” Sam. It sure feels like she and Sam are two sides of the choice coin: a supposedly evil creature doing good and a supposedly good person walking down a dangerous road.
*pulls out glittery tangent-time cue card and devil’s horns*
And, btw, I really think the whole “you can’t change the past” line and destiny blabber last episode was injected to prevent the Time Paradox and the generation of multiple realities and copies of Sam and Dean running around in time, not necessarily because it’s now a huge tenant in The Show’s mythos. In any story that deals with time travel has to address the circular events of cause and effect and side stop the time paradox whereby changes one makes in the past don’t preclude the events that precipitated their return to the past in order for them to make those changes in the first place. The easiest way to do this is by declaring that the past can’t be changed because it has already happened, in effect, making destiny (or rather post-destiny *makes up words randomly*) a necessary operator in retrospect and limiting time-traveling realities to only one unchangeable past. And with three seasons filled with hints about human choice, I would find it strange for Show to switch midstream now. I guess I’m just saying that I think choice and destiny can operate simultaneously and that destiny as discussed in “ItB” had to be brought in to clear up potential plot tangles in regards to the past and not so much as a thematic statement that pertains to Sam and Dean’s choices in the present and future.
Gah, can you see I’m still stuck on last, last Thursday? *brain pretzels* Shhh, brain, shhh.
*stashes cue card away and reaches for the chocolate*
OMG, you guys, I need to stop talking, we’re only 7:50 into the episode. *sits on hands and watches quietly*
…
*whispers, “I hate poorly timed phone calls.”*
…
OMG, I never thought someone could make eating mashed potatoes look so disgusting. D: Manners, stop with the extreme close-ups already, we know you directed this episode. Hello, froth much, rabies?
Heh, I bet JA is happy that there’s finally someone who has to stuff more food in their mouth than him, which is probably the reason for his big smile (and JP? Well, JP always looks like that). *cheek smish* Picture from dean_sam.
“Or you have tapeworm”: Or you’re pregnant. Mpreg made canon? *snork*
Sam: “So Yellow Eyes could get in my nursery and bleed in my mouth?” *headdesk* Oh, Sam. I like to believe that this slip-up was Sam’s subconscious at work because Sam’s subconscious can’t lie to Dean. It’s all, “NO LIES, ONLY HIPPOS!” Also, Sam’s subconscious always picks the pink hippo. XD
Now would be an opportune time to tell Dean about Ed and Robert Campbell and all the dead doctors and such. And Dean maybe you should tell Sam about Mary’s deal and John’s first death while you’re busy throwing barbs.
OK, I guess not.
“Jack, a delicious, unmicrowaved, non-take-out, homemade meal is coming.” LOL! That flat, annoyed tone she speaks in is so perfect! *dies* I think I love her (which, of course, means Bad Things will happen to her).
Ground beef, eww. What IS that stuff? D: DX :( Poor MotW actor had to get his stomach pumped or do the whole wine tasting spit thing.
*glee* It looks like neither of the boys are holding the binoculars against their faces. Probably because of the stunt double prank! XD I’ll forgive JA’s stunt double for wearing Dean’s amulet just for this! Vid from janglyjewels
Travis: “Still a mathelete?” XD TRAVIS!! \o/ I wonder if he injured his arm doing his own stunts? ;) By the fond mention of John, it seems like this may be the one man on the planet who John didn’t have a falling out with. Oh, he’s the exposition person this episode!
A what? A roogaru? Roo-gah-rooh? Arooh-laaa-rooo?
OHNO, the v-neck blue sweater of victimhood! RUN AWAY! Looks like Show is spending its budget on classic rock and not wardrobe this season.
Long pig! D: *gags and concentrates on the weirdly textured, bloody rubber finger* Creature effects guy, you can totally do better than that.
Does this remind anyone of the Croatoan promos? Microscope shots, FTW!
Interesting all this talk of the innocent harboring something evil in their BLOOD, something that was passed down to them, something that seems to have the potential for EVIL, something that -*THUNKSPLATSIZZLE*
*crawls away*
Hey, wrong show Melinda. Get back to Ghost Whispering on CBS. *squints* And why are you wearing the RED’s black dress?
LOL! Dean totally turns the flame off before he pretends to blow it out! XD !!! Nice try, Dean-o, but there’s an off switch you just pressed. Coordinate much, Dean? ;)
Show prop continuity! \o/
Sam gets shit-eating grin/eager glee face like its X-mas every time he does research and finds something he thinks is cool. This was the same face he wore in “TIOMS” and in “NRftW” when he had secret information he couldn’t wait to tell Dean about. Sam, if I didn’t know you better, I’d think you’re a bad pretender, but you’re a cute bad pretender. Also, Sam’s roo-gah-roo face is adorable.
Sam: “I just wanted to be prepared.” *dies laughing* OMG, kentawolf, Boy scout!Sam becomes canon. :D
Dean: “Sam loves research. He keeps it under his mattress right next to his KY.” And next to his ruler. XD
Dean: “Long pig!” Oh, you know Dean was just waiting to slip his new word into the conversation somewhere. Look how self-satisfied his is. XD *pets Dean*
Sam: “That way he can fight it … we’re not going to kill him unless he does something to get killed for.” So Sam’s projecting his helplessness onto poor, doomed MotW in an attempt to voice his internal chaos and-*THUNKSPLATSIZZLE*
*dusts self off*
OHNO, the white flowery nightgown of victimhood! RUN AWAY! It’s not looking good, you’re doomed with 2/3 outfits so far. :(
O_o D: DX !!! I’m just going to pretend there wasn’t an almost spousal sexual assault. *covers eyes and ears and rocks in the corner and parrots Castiel, “STOP IT.”*
LOOK KAZ!!!!! \o/ Is it wrong to do victory arms at the sight of a fictional license plate?
Dean: “Nice dude, but he’s got something evil inside of him, something in his blood. Maybe you can relate.” Now Humphries has turned Dean in to a flaminganvil. *facepalm*
Sam: “Stop the car or I will.” !!!! *chants, “Psychicpowerspsychicpowers.”*
OMG, Sam is finally losing it! *dances* Oo, nice camera work.
Sam: “I’ve got demon blood in me, Dean. This disease pumping through my veins and I can’t rip it out or scrub it clean. I’m a whole new level of freak. And I’m trying to take this … this curse and make something good out of it. Because I have to.” And speaking of voicing one’s greatest fear, Sam’s the mirror to Dean’s previous outburst. Remember Ruby’s words from “NRftW”: “You don’t like being different. You hate the way Dean looks at you sometimes, like you’re some sideshow freak." I love how this is consistent with everything we know about Sam from day one. He’s always been the one who has raged against being the outsider, the freak, the square peg that just doesn’t fit to the point he left the only life he knew to try to refashion himself into something else, something normal. We saw this re-emerge in S2 with the PsyKid thread and Sam’s repeated frustration and fear about his powers. Only when Sam’s powers went dormant in S3 did his whole freak phobia go underground. Something seriously BAD had to happen or Sam had to be in a really dark and desperate place for him to make a conscious effort to harness and hone his powers. Oh, Sam. Half of me can’t wait to learn what happened and half of me is scared to see broken!Sammy *bites nails*. I love how Dean just defers to Sam because Dean loves Sam and now he feels bad about making Sam have an outburst. *hugs Dean*
Also, JP and JA’s chemistry is really rocking this season. I’ve always felt they worked well together but this is something off the scales. If you just pay attention to the dialogue, they have the potential to be so cheesy (“I’ve got demon blood in me.”), but they somehow sell it with the emotion.
I think this was probably filmed on River Road on the south side of the Fraser River in Delta, BC. It looks similar to where Croatoan and Hunted were filmed.
Dean: “And your appetite is reaching Hungry, Hungry Hippo levels.” LOL! \o/
Sam: “You feed once and it’s all over. And then we’ll have to STOP you.” What are those dark shadows in the sky? *shades eyes with hand* Are those-? OMG. *runs*
*peeks over the neighbors hedge and looks for any distraction* Hey, *points* Sam has elf ears!
Sam is wearing the shirt he wore in “BUaBS”. You can see how S4’s daylight/outdoor colors are slightly blue-tinted because the white in his shirt isn’t quite white, but blue. Unless Dean washed Sam’s shirt with a pair of navy blue underwear. Somehow I don’t see either of the boys being big on sorting laundry into whites, lights, colors, and darks.
Is Jack spying on Melinda the Ghost Whisperer? How did he find where she lives? I thought he ran out of the bar before she did? Unless he sat outside and stalked her and … shh, brain, shhh … no thinky, you might break. Jack’s not going to eat her because he is Sam’s foil and then the anvils will come back and … ack! He is! D: *ducks for cover*
*glances around*
LOL! This was the scene they were shooting during that BTS video where the boys are goofing off in the corner all by themselves and nobody was paying them any attention like they do that all the time! XD
Whew, Jack choose the non-dangerous path. Jack go home and munch on some raw ground beef, but for our sake do it off screen please … maybe grab some napkins and Stain Stick and go in the closet and do it, mmkay thanks.
LOL! XD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There are the boys I know and love! *double cheek smish*
Jack: “Michelle, I’m home.” Oh, her name is Michelle! Now that she has a name she’s going to die. That’s what happened with Olivia and her giant gun with double-grip handles. :(
OMG, Michelle is pregnant, not Jack! ZOMG, you guys, do you think this is The Big Reveal this episode? I never saw it coming. -_-
WTF, Travis?!?! What are you doing?!?!? We don’t burn babies or mothers or people who are alive, didn’t they teach you appropriate social behavior in kindergarten? Also, you keep apologizing but I don’t think you really mean it. Lies. Um and, Travis, you do know it usually takes nine months until a baby pops out, right? And also, Travis, there’s a little something called reproductive freedom granted by a little court case called Roe vs. Wade. But I can assure you if you keep doing this you most definitely won’t be around for five more minutes let alone 30 years. Why does show make all hunters crazy, psychotic bastards and kills all the ones who seem to be semi-normal (like Olivia and her giant gun with double grips)?
Surprise, surprise Jack is hulking out. Look, David Banner and weirdly colored eyes. “What an unforeseen turn of events.” *jazz hands* *snortlaugh* Jack, don’t take that bite, your ever-loving soul will be damned to HELL and you will become slave to your carnal impulses and end up buying all your meat at Costco … and you’re Sam’s foil … and the flaming anvils! Nooo! Ack! DX Aaslkdjf. *dives under couch pillow*
*resurfaces*
Wait, Michelle just takes off? Bhuz? Well, that’s certainly a convenient way to have her exit the story without having to resolve anything. Huh. *scratches head* I thought maybe Show would spin this in a different direction and have Michelle be Dean’s counterpart whereby she tries to save Jack and ends up as the sacrificial lamb or something. So what does this mean now *fights off anvils* Is this some yet to be resolved story for the next generation of Winchesters to solve? Maybe a plot for the post-S5 movie deal? Heh, my mission is to spin everything into a possible plot for a movie. *dances*
Dean: “Think that’s Travis.” Sam: “What’s left of him”: Even a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser won’t be able to get that whopper of a stain out.
Sam: “I guess you were right about Jack.” Oh, woobie!Sam how much did it hurt to say that?
OHNO! DEAN! OHNO! SAM!
Sam’s forehead is already bloody before Jack starts to wail on him with the improvised flamethrower. See, look the improvised flamethrower is still in Sam’s right hand. Also, that’s the face Sam makes when he sees flaming anvils falling from the sky. RUN AWAY!
OMG!!!!!! SAM IS LOCKED IN A CLOSET AND DEAN IS IN PERIL!!!!!! “NIGHTMARE”!!!! I hope Sam turns into an angry bunny!
The gore is off the scales this episode. I think they purposefully choose whites and greys just so the red blood would stand out so like that. I’m not even going to cap a picture of bloody!Jack because it grosses me out so much.
Sam stop monologing and playing with hangers and concentrate your brain powerz to bust open the door in a fit of frightened rage! *makes Sam!bunny fangs*
Sam: “It doesn’t matter what you are. It only matters what you do. It’s your choice.” Oh, nice job, Show, showing Jack immediately choosing to make Dean a Scooby Snack and then choosing to attack Sam (nice, slow motion to emphasize the latter, btw … and, darn, no brain powerz *wilts*). What kind of message are you sending about Sam, huh? Could you be perhaps implying that maybe Sam’s future is a pit of hopelessness? Sam will revert to his powers to save Dean only to end up selling his soul and dying alone in a flaming fireball? That families will ultimate abandon each other when the going gets tough? That monsters are made by the paranoid acts others? *looks around* *waits* *checks watch* I think Show ran out of anvils.
Huh. *looks around* *shrugs*
What’s all that white stuff on stuntdouble!Jack, an accelerant?
Dean: “It’s just your psychic thing, it scares the crap out of me.” And we already know this from “Simon Said” when Andy mindjacked him into saying (compliments of Superwiki transcript because there’s no way I’d remember this quote), “I'm trying. He's psychic. Kind of like you. Well, not really like you, but see, he thinks you're a murderer, and he's afraid that he's going to become one himself, 'cause you're all part of something that's terrible. And I hope to hell that he's wrong, but I'm starting to get a little scared that he might be right.”
Sam: “I’d really rather not talk about it.” *bangs reversal drum*
HEHE. Sam pronounces blood like “Bluudd.”
Dean: “Not alone.” OMG, Dean ILU. *pins best big brother award to his chest* And that’s what will save Dean and Sam in the end. Amen.
Sam: “These powers, it’s playing with fire. I’m done with them. I’m done with everything … this is my choice.” Hey, mirrors just like in “FB” with Gordon and earlier with voyeur!Jack and I bet it has something to do with transformations and the reflection of the soul and the psychological-
*THUNKSPLATSIZZLE*
OMG, guys, I’m so long-winded. Meh. Mytharc development needs to stop so I will stop blabbing. Sorry about any typos, no energy to proofread in any fashion.