Everybody Loves a Clown
Well, not actually. In fact, I'm kinda with Sam on this one. I've never been overly fond of them.
Let's try to recapture some of my squee, shall we?
I wasn't that impressed with this ep when I first saw it, but upon re-watch, particularly today? It's very good!
The MotW is nicely creepy, and the case entertaining, but what makes this ep is the brother stuff. The grief, the conflict, the banter. The fact that each brother recognizes in the other that they're not dealing with John's death, but they won't admit as much of themselves. And we get the start of the reversal regarding John. Dean now carries a huge weight thanks to a secret John told him to keep, and Sam now starts seeing what he missed by always arguing with his dad.
Also? I think this is the first appearance of the Single Tear.
Also also? This is the ep that introduces what could have been a rich cornucopia of opportunity, namely, the Roadhouse. And three of the best guest characters around: Ellen, Jo (yes, Jo), and Ash. Love Ash. Now, when I first saw this ep, Jo annoyed me terribly. I did not think she was a suitable love interest for Dean (which totally felt like the direction they were going to take it), and it bothers me when female characters are introduced for the sole purpose of being a love interest. (Even damsels in distress such as Cassie and Lisa and Jamie serve an additional purpose. In Cassie and Lisa's cases, Dean has a history with them. And Jamie was just awesome and could defend herself.) But when I realized later on that Jo was going to have more of an annoying little sister vibe, I was cool with it. I liked it. And now, knowing how awesome Jo becomes in S5, I can watch this and see her potential awesomeness and not just the annoyance.
Also x3? The humor. The minivan with the loose belt or whatever. "I feel like a freakin' soccer mom."
"Planes crash!"
"And apparently clowns kill!"
"You want to give me some help here?" "Not really."
Also x4? Even if the guys are not in tune with themselves emotionally, they are in tune with each other when it comes to the case.
Dean: Did you bring the--
Sam: (tossing Dean the lock pick kit) Of course. (He tosses it to Dean, who catches it smoothly one-handed.)
I love that! I miss that!
And finally, Sam admits that he's not handling John's death well, and Dean admits the same . . . after Sam is gone, and in his own way, by taking a crowbar to his beloved Impala. Oh, Dean.
ETA: Oh, I failed to mention that I LOVE ELLEN! From the beginning I loved Ellen. Strong presence, grounding influence. A mature woman with purpose and determination. One of the best guest characters they've had. *nods*
Let's try to recapture some of my squee, shall we?
I wasn't that impressed with this ep when I first saw it, but upon re-watch, particularly today? It's very good!
The MotW is nicely creepy, and the case entertaining, but what makes this ep is the brother stuff. The grief, the conflict, the banter. The fact that each brother recognizes in the other that they're not dealing with John's death, but they won't admit as much of themselves. And we get the start of the reversal regarding John. Dean now carries a huge weight thanks to a secret John told him to keep, and Sam now starts seeing what he missed by always arguing with his dad.
Also? I think this is the first appearance of the Single Tear.
Also also? This is the ep that introduces what could have been a rich cornucopia of opportunity, namely, the Roadhouse. And three of the best guest characters around: Ellen, Jo (yes, Jo), and Ash. Love Ash. Now, when I first saw this ep, Jo annoyed me terribly. I did not think she was a suitable love interest for Dean (which totally felt like the direction they were going to take it), and it bothers me when female characters are introduced for the sole purpose of being a love interest. (Even damsels in distress such as Cassie and Lisa and Jamie serve an additional purpose. In Cassie and Lisa's cases, Dean has a history with them. And Jamie was just awesome and could defend herself.) But when I realized later on that Jo was going to have more of an annoying little sister vibe, I was cool with it. I liked it. And now, knowing how awesome Jo becomes in S5, I can watch this and see her potential awesomeness and not just the annoyance.
Also x3? The humor. The minivan with the loose belt or whatever. "I feel like a freakin' soccer mom."
"Planes crash!"
"And apparently clowns kill!"
"You want to give me some help here?" "Not really."
Also x4? Even if the guys are not in tune with themselves emotionally, they are in tune with each other when it comes to the case.
Dean: Did you bring the--
Sam: (tossing Dean the lock pick kit) Of course. (He tosses it to Dean, who catches it smoothly one-handed.)
I love that! I miss that!
And finally, Sam admits that he's not handling John's death well, and Dean admits the same . . . after Sam is gone, and in his own way, by taking a crowbar to his beloved Impala. Oh, Dean.
ETA: Oh, I failed to mention that I LOVE ELLEN! From the beginning I loved Ellen. Strong presence, grounding influence. A mature woman with purpose and determination. One of the best guest characters they've had. *nods*