Review: 7.02 "Hello, Cruel World"
Originally posted at SupportSupernatural.com
Supernatural 7.02: Hello, Cruel World
Written by Ben Edlund
Directed by Guy Norman Bee
Music: “Black Water” by The Doobie Brothers
There seems to be an All-In/ Balls-To-The-Wall philosophy in effect for Season 7. The kick-assery of 7.01 spilled into 7.02 like Leviathan into the drinking water. I simply cannot understand the dip in ratings thus far… have you lovely viewers not been spreading the Winchester Gospel? Reach out-tell your friends Season 7 is too much rock for one hand! Get them back, people, because if this fount of awesome continues, I’m gonna needs me a Season 8!
::putting my soap box away (for now)::
I remain tee-totally enamored by Misha Collin’s take on the Leviathan currently inhabiting Castiel… I mean, Castiel’s vessel. Or… Jimmy Novak’s skin? Ah, hells bells, whatever. I’m a fan of Misha’s Leviathan. He’s Cocoa Puffs crazy; I like that in a Big Bad, and really, is there anyone better suited to Cocoa Puffs crazy than Misha Collins? (Stick with me here-this is a compliment.) I am still convinced that we have not seen the last of Castiel this Season, although I will admit that I had to pause and sob for a solid ten minutes when Dean pulled Castiel’s trench coat out of the watering hole.
And Jensen! His anguished face and “Okay, so he’s gone” gut-punched me almost as much as his “Dumb son of a bitch” with wobbly lips and his tightening grip on the reverently rolled coat. Dear lord (and by lord, I mean Guy Norman Bee, who seems determined to kill me one day with his magical and mad directing skills), I’ve never seen such an emotion-wracking opening five minutes. Sheesh.
But Jensen (and Mr. Bee) were not done with me just yet. Those bastards. They had to go and bring on A Poignant Moment between Bobby (the fabulous Jim Beaver) and Dean. It went a little something like this:
Bobby: Share your feelings.
Dean: Nah.
Bobby: That’s horse crap, but I’ll always be here, waiting for you to feel your feelings.
Dean: Yeah, yeah, yada yada let’s do couples yoga yada yada… Big Bad…
Bobby: Idjit.
Dean: Must. Not. Smile. But I can totally smirk.
Bobby: Heh heh… point made.
My heart gave a squeeze the wrong side of painful when Sam told Dean that Hallucifer suggested that Dean was not real. Oh man, how could it get worse? But then… Dean confronted Sam about how to tell the difference between hallucination and reality. His whole “believe in me” monologue was worthy of a standing O. I had to pull out my already damp hanky for that scene.
The cast of Leviathan hosts were interesting to me, particularly Annie (the little girl who knew where babies come from). As someone who is terrified of creepy kids, I would have liked to see Annie stick around as a Leviathan for a little while. It’s pretty cool how they learn from their host bodies. That stands to reason since they were locked in Purgatory thousands of years ago without a window topside. Edgar (Benito Martinez) seems to be the liaison between “the boss” and the human-hosted Leviathans. Benito did an impressive job of portraying an ancient evil with subtlety and aplomb. Dr. Gaines (Cameron Bancroft) eerily reminded me of Pestilence from Season 5. I wonder if that bit of casting was done by accident. Either way, Cameron Bancroft did well in the role. I imagine we’ll see both Edgar and Dr. Gaines in future episodes.
Oh, and zOMG, I jumped like crazy when we saw the Leviathan’s true face (or at least its teeth and… tentacles?). I haven’t been truly scared by a Supernatural episode in quite a while. It was a wonderful and hair-raising treat!
So, I was a fan of Kim Rhodes’s Sheriff Jodie Mills in past episodes, but she kind of drove me crazy in this one. I cannot believe she followed Dr. MonsterFace, MD for as long as she did. When you are a close personal acquaintance of Bobby Singer, wouldn’t you have picked up the damn phone a bit earlier? I get what Ben Edlund needed to happen. They needed someone in the know inside the hospital to get word to the boys, but it smacked of deus ex machina to me. It would have been better if Sheriff Mills had been given anything to do after she called Bobby. But no… they just shoved her in a taxi and sent her on her way. It was a (sloppy) shortcut I’m not used to in Supernatural.
I’m not exactly sure what to say about Sam’s ordeal. It’s breaking my heart and my way of coping is to close my eyes, put my fingers in my ears and go lalalalalala. Unfortunately, this episode plucked the fingers from my ears and duct taped my eyes open. The writers have always loved to poke at Sam with a stick to see how deep his brow can furrow and how deep the pit of Sam’s despair actually is (they dropped a pebble down that pit seven seasons back and they are still waiting for the splash). Poor Sam. But really, maybe this is good. I mean… it has to be good, right? They are going to fix him. I trust the writers/producers/Sera. I trust the writers/producers/Sera. I trust the writers/producers/Sera. (Repetition helps; try it.)
By the way, Jared Padalecki is doing admirably with the rapidly shifting emotions of Sam. His face is so expressive; it’s a gift. Hey… does his hair look thicker to anyone else? It’s so… luxurious.
I wonder how long they will continue to torture Dean. He’s watching his brother fall apart. He saw his BFF die (lalalalalala). He might have lost Bobby. He broke his leg. He’s drinking like a damn fish. Seriously, despite his claim that he “keeps [his] marbles in a lead freakin’ box” I worry about him. Sometimes a rock needs to just be a guy for a while and not a rock, you know?
Mark Pellegrino is kicking ass and taking names as Hallucifer. I hate him, which I count as a win for Mark. If I didn’t absolutely loathe him, what would be the point? (I tip my jaunty hat to you, sir.) So as much as I hate him, I cannot wait to continue on this trippy trip down Hell’s Memory Lane. I was a little worried when he flickered out of Sam’s noggin’ after Dean’s intervention… but then he POOF came back in the ambulance, yay! Wait… it’s probably wrong that I want him to stick around since Hallucifer = Sam’s epic emotifest. Hm. Color me conflicted.
Okay, no more avoidance… I cannot wrap my head around the fact that THEY TORCHED BOBBY’S HOUSE! What the bleep bleeping hell? They already DID that to The Roadhouse. And now… now… whimper… not Bobby’s. And where is Bobby? Did he… is he… Oh, I can’t even type it. I refuse to believe it. I mean… NO. Let’s just agree to Not Think About It until next week. Huh, I guess there is a little more avoidance. Sorry gang, I can’t talk about the possible deaths of Cas and Bobby in one review. My head will explode.
Hats off to Ben Edlund for writing words powerful enough for me to rewind certain scenes over and over again. This episode was just wrenching. Ugh. Here are a few of my favorite quotations from this week, compliments of the great Ben Edlund:
Dean: Don’t let Satan change my presets.
Bobby: Foot surgery; died this morning. [NOTE: I’m adding this one because as it happens, I’m undergoing major foot surgery at the end of this month, so this was pretty terrifying to hear.]
Dean: This discussion does not require a weapons discharge!
Dean: I know a thing or two about torture. Enough to know it feels different than the pain of this regular stupid crappy… this.
Dean: I am your flesh and blood brother. I’m the only one that can legitimately kick your ass in real time… Believe in that. Believe me, okay? You’ve got to believe me and make it stone number one and build on it. Dean: You better not be in that crater back there. I can’t… if you’re gone, I swear I am going to strap my Beautiful Mind brother into the car and I’m going to drive us off the pier…. You said you’d be here. Where are you?
What is to come next week? I can’t bear to watch the spoilers, but I can’t bear to sit idly by and wait! The last we saw the Winchesters, they were heading straight for the belly of the beast (Sioux Falls General Hospital)! Oh noooo! Dr. MonsterFace, MD is there with his monstrous hospital administrative support staff!
Oooh, and what’s this? There was a nanosecond’s flash of Castiel in the “Stay tuned for scenes from next week’s Supernatural” at the very end. Does that mean he’ll be making an appearance next week? Fingers crossed!
Damn, I am IN LOVE with Season 7. How about you? Why not make it your goal this week to convince one new person to get on board the Supernatural Train? Try hosting a “Get To Know The Winchesters” party (you know you’ve been meaning to re-watch Seasons 1-6 again)! Go forth and spread the good word, folks!
Bekah’s Been Drinking:
Well, I pretty much drank this whole episode… again. I drank whenever there was a mention of Hell/the Pit/ the Cage or a Sam hallucination. I got to 14 (give or take 6). Not the worst I’ve had, but I sure did feel a little bit like Castiel in “99 Problems” by time it was all said and done.
Next week, join me in drinking every time there is a Leviathan on screen. Tee hee. We’ll switch to casual sipping after the first 13.
Supernatural 7.02: Hello, Cruel World
Written by Ben Edlund
Directed by Guy Norman Bee
Music: “Black Water” by The Doobie Brothers
There seems to be an All-In/ Balls-To-The-Wall philosophy in effect for Season 7. The kick-assery of 7.01 spilled into 7.02 like Leviathan into the drinking water. I simply cannot understand the dip in ratings thus far… have you lovely viewers not been spreading the Winchester Gospel? Reach out-tell your friends Season 7 is too much rock for one hand! Get them back, people, because if this fount of awesome continues, I’m gonna needs me a Season 8!
::putting my soap box away (for now)::
I remain tee-totally enamored by Misha Collin’s take on the Leviathan currently inhabiting Castiel… I mean, Castiel’s vessel. Or… Jimmy Novak’s skin? Ah, hells bells, whatever. I’m a fan of Misha’s Leviathan. He’s Cocoa Puffs crazy; I like that in a Big Bad, and really, is there anyone better suited to Cocoa Puffs crazy than Misha Collins? (Stick with me here-this is a compliment.) I am still convinced that we have not seen the last of Castiel this Season, although I will admit that I had to pause and sob for a solid ten minutes when Dean pulled Castiel’s trench coat out of the watering hole.
And Jensen! His anguished face and “Okay, so he’s gone” gut-punched me almost as much as his “Dumb son of a bitch” with wobbly lips and his tightening grip on the reverently rolled coat. Dear lord (and by lord, I mean Guy Norman Bee, who seems determined to kill me one day with his magical and mad directing skills), I’ve never seen such an emotion-wracking opening five minutes. Sheesh.
But Jensen (and Mr. Bee) were not done with me just yet. Those bastards. They had to go and bring on A Poignant Moment between Bobby (the fabulous Jim Beaver) and Dean. It went a little something like this:
Bobby: Share your feelings.
Dean: Nah.
Bobby: That’s horse crap, but I’ll always be here, waiting for you to feel your feelings.
Dean: Yeah, yeah, yada yada let’s do couples yoga yada yada… Big Bad…
Bobby: Idjit.
Dean: Must. Not. Smile. But I can totally smirk.
Bobby: Heh heh… point made.
My heart gave a squeeze the wrong side of painful when Sam told Dean that Hallucifer suggested that Dean was not real. Oh man, how could it get worse? But then… Dean confronted Sam about how to tell the difference between hallucination and reality. His whole “believe in me” monologue was worthy of a standing O. I had to pull out my already damp hanky for that scene.
The cast of Leviathan hosts were interesting to me, particularly Annie (the little girl who knew where babies come from). As someone who is terrified of creepy kids, I would have liked to see Annie stick around as a Leviathan for a little while. It’s pretty cool how they learn from their host bodies. That stands to reason since they were locked in Purgatory thousands of years ago without a window topside. Edgar (Benito Martinez) seems to be the liaison between “the boss” and the human-hosted Leviathans. Benito did an impressive job of portraying an ancient evil with subtlety and aplomb. Dr. Gaines (Cameron Bancroft) eerily reminded me of Pestilence from Season 5. I wonder if that bit of casting was done by accident. Either way, Cameron Bancroft did well in the role. I imagine we’ll see both Edgar and Dr. Gaines in future episodes.
Oh, and zOMG, I jumped like crazy when we saw the Leviathan’s true face (or at least its teeth and… tentacles?). I haven’t been truly scared by a Supernatural episode in quite a while. It was a wonderful and hair-raising treat!
So, I was a fan of Kim Rhodes’s Sheriff Jodie Mills in past episodes, but she kind of drove me crazy in this one. I cannot believe she followed Dr. MonsterFace, MD for as long as she did. When you are a close personal acquaintance of Bobby Singer, wouldn’t you have picked up the damn phone a bit earlier? I get what Ben Edlund needed to happen. They needed someone in the know inside the hospital to get word to the boys, but it smacked of deus ex machina to me. It would have been better if Sheriff Mills had been given anything to do after she called Bobby. But no… they just shoved her in a taxi and sent her on her way. It was a (sloppy) shortcut I’m not used to in Supernatural.
I’m not exactly sure what to say about Sam’s ordeal. It’s breaking my heart and my way of coping is to close my eyes, put my fingers in my ears and go lalalalalala. Unfortunately, this episode plucked the fingers from my ears and duct taped my eyes open. The writers have always loved to poke at Sam with a stick to see how deep his brow can furrow and how deep the pit of Sam’s despair actually is (they dropped a pebble down that pit seven seasons back and they are still waiting for the splash). Poor Sam. But really, maybe this is good. I mean… it has to be good, right? They are going to fix him. I trust the writers/producers/Sera. I trust the writers/producers/Sera. I trust the writers/producers/Sera. (Repetition helps; try it.)
By the way, Jared Padalecki is doing admirably with the rapidly shifting emotions of Sam. His face is so expressive; it’s a gift. Hey… does his hair look thicker to anyone else? It’s so… luxurious.
I wonder how long they will continue to torture Dean. He’s watching his brother fall apart. He saw his BFF die (lalalalalala). He might have lost Bobby. He broke his leg. He’s drinking like a damn fish. Seriously, despite his claim that he “keeps [his] marbles in a lead freakin’ box” I worry about him. Sometimes a rock needs to just be a guy for a while and not a rock, you know?
Mark Pellegrino is kicking ass and taking names as Hallucifer. I hate him, which I count as a win for Mark. If I didn’t absolutely loathe him, what would be the point? (I tip my jaunty hat to you, sir.) So as much as I hate him, I cannot wait to continue on this trippy trip down Hell’s Memory Lane. I was a little worried when he flickered out of Sam’s noggin’ after Dean’s intervention… but then he POOF came back in the ambulance, yay! Wait… it’s probably wrong that I want him to stick around since Hallucifer = Sam’s epic emotifest. Hm. Color me conflicted.
Okay, no more avoidance… I cannot wrap my head around the fact that THEY TORCHED BOBBY’S HOUSE! What the bleep bleeping hell? They already DID that to The Roadhouse. And now… now… whimper… not Bobby’s. And where is Bobby? Did he… is he… Oh, I can’t even type it. I refuse to believe it. I mean… NO. Let’s just agree to Not Think About It until next week. Huh, I guess there is a little more avoidance. Sorry gang, I can’t talk about the possible deaths of Cas and Bobby in one review. My head will explode.
Hats off to Ben Edlund for writing words powerful enough for me to rewind certain scenes over and over again. This episode was just wrenching. Ugh. Here are a few of my favorite quotations from this week, compliments of the great Ben Edlund:
Dean: Don’t let Satan change my presets.
Bobby: Foot surgery; died this morning. [NOTE: I’m adding this one because as it happens, I’m undergoing major foot surgery at the end of this month, so this was pretty terrifying to hear.]
Dean: This discussion does not require a weapons discharge!
Dean: I know a thing or two about torture. Enough to know it feels different than the pain of this regular stupid crappy… this.
Dean: I am your flesh and blood brother. I’m the only one that can legitimately kick your ass in real time… Believe in that. Believe me, okay? You’ve got to believe me and make it stone number one and build on it. Dean: You better not be in that crater back there. I can’t… if you’re gone, I swear I am going to strap my Beautiful Mind brother into the car and I’m going to drive us off the pier…. You said you’d be here. Where are you?
What is to come next week? I can’t bear to watch the spoilers, but I can’t bear to sit idly by and wait! The last we saw the Winchesters, they were heading straight for the belly of the beast (Sioux Falls General Hospital)! Oh noooo! Dr. MonsterFace, MD is there with his monstrous hospital administrative support staff!
Oooh, and what’s this? There was a nanosecond’s flash of Castiel in the “Stay tuned for scenes from next week’s Supernatural” at the very end. Does that mean he’ll be making an appearance next week? Fingers crossed!
Damn, I am IN LOVE with Season 7. How about you? Why not make it your goal this week to convince one new person to get on board the Supernatural Train? Try hosting a “Get To Know The Winchesters” party (you know you’ve been meaning to re-watch Seasons 1-6 again)! Go forth and spread the good word, folks!
Bekah’s Been Drinking:
Well, I pretty much drank this whole episode… again. I drank whenever there was a mention of Hell/the Pit/ the Cage or a Sam hallucination. I got to 14 (give or take 6). Not the worst I’ve had, but I sure did feel a little bit like Castiel in “99 Problems” by time it was all said and done.
Next week, join me in drinking every time there is a Leviathan on screen. Tee hee. We’ll switch to casual sipping after the first 13.