Review, Sort Of: Supernatural, S10 Episode 8, "Hibbing 911"
"Hibbing 911," written by Jenny Klein and directed by Tim Andrews, was a light, entertaining comedy involving an odd-couple of female sheriffs. Kim Rhodes and Brianna Buckmaster had real chemistry as no-bullshit Jody Mills and ray-of-sunshine Donna.
Unfortunately, the episode also had the Winchester brothers. They were real wet blankets. Honestly, they were useless except to remind us at the end that the Mark of Cain is screwing up Dean. Not as badly as it did last season, but hey, we couldn't have more than a couple of episodes as a crazed demon, could we?
I sure could have. Damn, they are boring. They might have been neutered, for all I know. (Note to self: never watch an early season episode before writing one of these.)
Sam gets knocked out in every fight, the brothers get tied up, they do NOTHING inspired to mess up the monsters. Do they even bother with story boards, or they just xerox the same one over and over? When Sam was possessed by Gadreel, he had some pretty impressive fights, including when he and a demon crashed through a glass door, or when he was thrown into a clothes closet. Now, as I mentioned in my previous review, one punch and he's out. Come ON!! I hate to bring up early seasons, but...BAMF Sam, Research Sam, snarky to his brother Sam, angry Sam...I miss Sam.
Meanwhile, the Mark of Cain seems to have changed its power from Dean needing to kill to Dean needing to rub his arm once in a while and be kind of tense. Honestly, I don't have anything else to say about this episode.
Enough! On to the good part! Sheriff Jody Mills arrives at a Sheriffs' Retreat. She doesn't want to be there, in part because she's worried about leaving her former vampire daughter, Alex. One of the best running gags is Sheriff Mills arguing with Alex over the phone about not throwing a kegger in her surrogate mother's absence.
Once she gets there, she is greeted by an overpowering dose of sweetness in the form of Sheriff Donna, first seen last season in "Purge". Donna's ex-husband, Doug, is also there.
Jody is partnered with Donna for the weekend. Jody can't get over how masochistic Donna is about her ex-husband, Doug. They sit at the bar, and Donna looks into the next room, where Doug is dancing with a pretty sheriff.
Jody: “Honestly Donna, I just met the guy, but Doug seems like kind of a dick."
Donna: “But he was my dick."
When Dean and Sam arrive, in their Fed suits, Jody gives Dean a hug, but saves the real juice for Sam--as who wouldn't?
"Don't mind us, we're contractually obligated to be here."
"But this episode would be so much better if you weren't!"
"Sorry, the fans bitch when we're not forcibly inserted into an episode that doesn't need us."
Dean: “How’s Alex holding up?"
Jody: “Awesome, already head of the cheerleading squad."
Sam: “Wow, really?"
Jody: “No Sam, she smokes grass under the bleachers. But at least she’s not luring men to their deaths."
The plot: a group of vampires (who, for reasons unknown because it certainly wasn't necessary), eat all of the victims' flesh off their bones. What the fuck? Just go with it, if the people in charge don't care, why should I? Even if in the previous episode where Jody rescued Alex from her vampire family, they stuck close to the established lore? Sam and Dean show up, Donna sees what she thinks is her boss killing someone, they all get caught and tied up in a barn...what? Oh, excuse me, I fell asleep.
Dean frees himself and goes wild on a couple of vamps, and Donna beheads the head vamp, an annoying teenager who's thousands of years old but never learned not to stop whining.
Donna has seen her sheriff friend with vamp teeth. And now needs a change of pants
"I understand, Donna. I've needed to change my pants, too."
Sam dutifully lets himself be knocked out by somebody smaller...again.
Meet the world's most annoying vampire
"Oh, crap, the writers think I'm Sam!"
This is just for the hair.
I call shotgun!
"I'm fine! The Mark of Cain isn't screwing with me at all! No, my nose isn't growing!"
"Gee, Dean, well...okay...it would be more interesting if I argued with you, but I'm busy being set decoration."
Random Thoughts
What are they doing with Sam's hair this season? It barely movies! Why don't they put him in one of these beanies he wears off-camera?
Is it me, or are Jensen and Jared barely trying anymore? They must be so tired of doing the same crap every season, even if they're not allowed to say so.
Next week: the midseason finale, wherein we are promised all sorts of awesome stuff. Yeah, right.
Unfortunately, the episode also had the Winchester brothers. They were real wet blankets. Honestly, they were useless except to remind us at the end that the Mark of Cain is screwing up Dean. Not as badly as it did last season, but hey, we couldn't have more than a couple of episodes as a crazed demon, could we?
I sure could have. Damn, they are boring. They might have been neutered, for all I know. (Note to self: never watch an early season episode before writing one of these.)
Sam gets knocked out in every fight, the brothers get tied up, they do NOTHING inspired to mess up the monsters. Do they even bother with story boards, or they just xerox the same one over and over? When Sam was possessed by Gadreel, he had some pretty impressive fights, including when he and a demon crashed through a glass door, or when he was thrown into a clothes closet. Now, as I mentioned in my previous review, one punch and he's out. Come ON!! I hate to bring up early seasons, but...BAMF Sam, Research Sam, snarky to his brother Sam, angry Sam...I miss Sam.
Meanwhile, the Mark of Cain seems to have changed its power from Dean needing to kill to Dean needing to rub his arm once in a while and be kind of tense. Honestly, I don't have anything else to say about this episode.
Enough! On to the good part! Sheriff Jody Mills arrives at a Sheriffs' Retreat. She doesn't want to be there, in part because she's worried about leaving her former vampire daughter, Alex. One of the best running gags is Sheriff Mills arguing with Alex over the phone about not throwing a kegger in her surrogate mother's absence.
Once she gets there, she is greeted by an overpowering dose of sweetness in the form of Sheriff Donna, first seen last season in "Purge". Donna's ex-husband, Doug, is also there.
Jody is partnered with Donna for the weekend. Jody can't get over how masochistic Donna is about her ex-husband, Doug. They sit at the bar, and Donna looks into the next room, where Doug is dancing with a pretty sheriff.
Jody: “Honestly Donna, I just met the guy, but Doug seems like kind of a dick."
Donna: “But he was my dick."
When Dean and Sam arrive, in their Fed suits, Jody gives Dean a hug, but saves the real juice for Sam--as who wouldn't?
"Don't mind us, we're contractually obligated to be here."
"But this episode would be so much better if you weren't!"
"Sorry, the fans bitch when we're not forcibly inserted into an episode that doesn't need us."
Dean: “How’s Alex holding up?"
Jody: “Awesome, already head of the cheerleading squad."
Sam: “Wow, really?"
Jody: “No Sam, she smokes grass under the bleachers. But at least she’s not luring men to their deaths."
The plot: a group of vampires (who, for reasons unknown because it certainly wasn't necessary), eat all of the victims' flesh off their bones. What the fuck? Just go with it, if the people in charge don't care, why should I? Even if in the previous episode where Jody rescued Alex from her vampire family, they stuck close to the established lore? Sam and Dean show up, Donna sees what she thinks is her boss killing someone, they all get caught and tied up in a barn...what? Oh, excuse me, I fell asleep.
Dean frees himself and goes wild on a couple of vamps, and Donna beheads the head vamp, an annoying teenager who's thousands of years old but never learned not to stop whining.
Donna has seen her sheriff friend with vamp teeth. And now needs a change of pants
"I understand, Donna. I've needed to change my pants, too."
Sam dutifully lets himself be knocked out by somebody smaller...again.
Meet the world's most annoying vampire
"Oh, crap, the writers think I'm Sam!"
This is just for the hair.
I call shotgun!
"I'm fine! The Mark of Cain isn't screwing with me at all! No, my nose isn't growing!"
"Gee, Dean, well...okay...it would be more interesting if I argued with you, but I'm busy being set decoration."
Random Thoughts
What are they doing with Sam's hair this season? It barely movies! Why don't they put him in one of these beanies he wears off-camera?
Is it me, or are Jensen and Jared barely trying anymore? They must be so tired of doing the same crap every season, even if they're not allowed to say so.
Next week: the midseason finale, wherein we are promised all sorts of awesome stuff. Yeah, right.