SPN 4x13: Afterschool Special
I haven't posted about the last few eps, because I just...haven't had much to say about them. But of course, this episode is different. Because it's every good SPN Weechester story come to life. *g*
I have to issue a disclaimer up front. I attended a high school in semi-rural southern Indiana for a time, and so let me say a few things about that:
1. Bullies were the norm at my high school, and cruelty was epic. In short, I feel like the show was set at my high school. They got it exactly right. Except for how I never knew a bully who was tragic and misunderstood. Frankly, if they were, I would have had a hard time caring. And that applies to high school in California, too. Hell, it's any high school. It's just that those midwestern kids really are not all apple pie and sunshine.
2. That big old sign on the wall proclaiming how the school won football championships? Dude, no one in Indiana gives a fuck about football championships. They might put up token banners and play for the championships, but really? They only care about basketball. Seriously. Winning a state basketball championship makes you demigods for a year.
3. Dodgeball, kickball, and tetherball = art forms in southern Indiana schools. Like, as I remember it? You had to be good at at least one, to keep your playground cred. Dodgeball is king.
OK, enough of memory lane as it correlates to fictional hot boys. MOVING ON. Sam is apparently that cool janitor from The Breakfast Club - all-seeing custodian FTW! - and the kids are possessed by alien black oil viruses. Oops, sorry, crossing the fannish streams. Seriously, tho - that's what I got from the first ten minutes. Well, that, and Jensen in his plum-huggers, which was just further proof that Jensen is adorable.
Awwww, no Papa. I wanted Papa. But I love the homage to him, the way he is ever-present in that episode even though we don't see him. We don't even *need* to see him. I will also say, I didn't mind this version of young!Dean. He works for me. He has the right swagger. It's perfect. I mean, you're not ever going to get an identical Jensen clone; the idea is to suggest, to partially imitate, not to mimic. He did ok, for me. YMMV. Also, I loved wee!Sam's steely-eyed staredown of the bully in his first five minutes in his new class. OH HELL YEAH. The relationship between Sam and Dean there is lovely; protective older brother!Dean, champion of the weak!Sam, and a glimmer of they are both going to become, in relation to each other, and as their individual selves. Sam's whole "I'm not evil. I'm not," in the context of having taken his shot at knocking down a bully just makes me love him more. And of course, fandom has long postulated that Sam wanted out of the family business long ago, and began making his moves that direction in high school. I've lost count of the number of stories I've read about it.
Wow, when that girl dressed Dean down? It's like she has x-ray character-assessing vision. Perhaps it's her superpower. *cue eerie music* Poor Dean. "I'm a hero!" Yes you are, baby. Sam gets the accolades for taking the bully down, and Dean gets the rep as a skeevy jerk. But even the girl recognized how sweet Dean is with his brother. Even back then. I feel like there might have been a scene cut here, because I was expecting more of that kind of interaction, and we didn't get it. Hm.
Let's see if I can make a list of the fanon turned confirmed canon: Sam always wanted to be normal; he wanted out of the family business at a young age; he was able to leap tall bullies in a single bound (if he wanted to); Dean was a protective older brother (DUH); John had ever longer absences; they moved frequently and changed schools constantly; a teacher took an interest in Sam early on; Dean was a teenage manwhore who had no rules and no supervision; and Dean raised Sammy from cradle to, uh, well, grave. There's more, right? Because I'm sure that's not even a half-complete list. God, the fan service. It wasn't exactly fresh and new, because fandom has written this story to death a thousand different ways, but it's completely awesome to see it this way on screen.
Salting and burning, yay! It has been way, way too long. I have missed that!! And bonding by the car, but the regular brothers-on-the-road kind, not the epic man pain kind. Not that there's anything wrong with epic man pain, but I've been missing the normal Sam and Dean moments we used to get, and this made me happy.
(And speaking of happy...wow, show. Way to end this episode with an OUCH. There were some gorgeous segues and cuts to commercial, tho, weren't there? Sam lost in his sad memories behind the rainy windshield; wee!Sammy juxtaposed with grown-up Sam as he walked through the halls; and then, that ending. So much complicated stuff going on behind that expression. Are you happy, Sammy? Even a little? *wibble*)
The episode wasn't...it wasn't exactly what I wanted, but sometimes these days I'm not quite sure what I do want from SPN. I guess I'm just along for the ride this season, and we'll see where it goes. But I can say in an unspoilery way, I am really looking forward to next week. *g* (Ironically, I will be out of town on business, and won't even be able to see it until Friday. It figures!)