Rewatch S2: Ep 19 & 20
Oh man...ok, I really should have put Folsom Prison Blues(Ep 19) in with my early post, because there was commentary on What Is And What Should Never Be (Ep20), so I go on FOREVER about it. Plus, I shouldn't have tried to watch Ep 20 and the commentary tonight and written it up, because now it is 3:30am and I am friggin' exhausted.
Anyway, here goes:
Folsom Prison Blues
Hendricksen: "You think you're funny?"
Dean: "I think I'm adorable."
Dean: "Don't worry, Sam. I promise not to trade you for smokes."
-And then Sam actually gets to share a cell with someone taller than him! It's amazing! They found a lot of tall people for this episode. I wonder what that casting call looked like "Need actors over 6'4'' to play prisoners - tattoos a plus."
Dean: [Innocent people are dying]
Sam: "Yeah..innocent"
Dean: "You from Texas all of a sudden?" - haha...he is, actually...and so are you.
Deacon...we never hear about Deacon until now, right? Sam says they barely know him, but he saved their dad once...and they owe him. I guess he is probably somewhere in the journal. I like how Dean is adamant that they are loyal and pay their debts. I wonder if that's something John instilled in them when it came to other Hunters...because John seemed to burn every bridge he came across, but Dean and Sam have a fairly good track record for not pissing off other Hunters (Gordon excluded for obvious reasons).
The guy who plays Randall is a good actor. I like him for some reason...maybe he just reminds me of that dude who played Hayworth in Shawshank...they have the same accent and they are both white with promenant cheekbones, so yeah...
Sam: "Dean, does it bother you at all how easily you fit in here?"
Dean: "No, not really"
-Dean is just really good at adapting...I mean, did it bother him at all that inside of a week he became the best PA on Hell Hazers II?
Deacon: "Make it look real, son" - apparently John's old acquaintances can get away with calling Dean "son". And I don't mean that Dean should have objected to it, I mean that it felt right.
Ooo...it's the Snuff the Rooster song. I love that one.
Sam: "We thought we were screwed last time..."
Dean: "Yeah, we've got to go deep"
Sam: "Deep, Dean? We should go to Yemin"
Dean: "Oo..not sure I want to go that deep"
I never know what these boys mean by "go deep" or "lay low" seems to me they always just keep doing what they are doing...they just use their real names less and sometimes confine Dean to the motel. I guess they just do everything with more care.
What Is and What Should Never Be
Ok, apparently "laying low" and "going deep" means that they ditch all their credit cards and get freaked out by cop cars.
Again, this is an inexplicable thing with me, I guess, but I really like the way Sam says "Wait, no no no, come pick me up first!" - I have no idea why, it's just something about the way he says it. This happens with my friends sometimes too...they'll say something completely innocuous and my reaction will be "my god I love you." Luckily my friends are used to my weirdness and just give me the confused/concerned eyebrow furrow (the one Sam often gives Dean) and then ignore me.
Dean wakes up in the alternate reality with a different necklace on. I think that's really cool...like they knew from the very beginning that that necklace was something special between him and Sam, or at least something special for Hunting...so of course he wouldn't have it in this episode. I don't think I noticed that the first time. He still has a necklace, but it's a silver locket or engraving or something on a silver chain.
I think the only thing Dean must remember about his mum is her telling him that angels would watch over him...I mean, the kid was four when she died. And he's said before that it was the last thing she ever said to him...so yeah, I think it's probably the only thing he distinctly remembers. I think that's really cool, considering.
Dean speaking to the Impala: "Heh, who would have thought baby, we're civilians!" - I like that he includes the Impala as though it's a fellow Hunter.
I love the Dean-mowing-the-lawn scene! What a Wonderful World playing, the sunshine, the enthusiastic wave to the neighbour, the smile...it's both hilarious and, if you think about it too much, rather sad.
Alternate Sam is such a dork. I can't believe that outfit he shows up in....6'4'' muscular guys should not wear such sissy clothes.
Alternate Dean doesn't call Sam Sammy...I'm not sure what to make of this...I guess it fits. In a world where their Mum never died, Sam would never have become Dean's responsibility...Dean wouldn't be an ersatz father at the age of 5...in the pilot John calls him Sammy...so someone could have called him Sammy, I suppose.
The problem with the alternate reality is that Dean's alone. He doesn't have Sam, his wife (although awesome) is a stranger, he may have his mother, but he doesn't really know her either...and everyone in the alternate reality knows him as someone else...someone who doesn't care that him and Sam aren't close...Man, even when Dean gets his wish, he doesn't get his wish.
Dean: "I can fix things with Sam. I can make it up so him...to everyone" - even in quasi-paradise, Dean feels like he has to make up for not being good enough...
Dean: "What? Mum's not supposed to live her life, Sammy's not supposed to get married? Why do we have to sacrifice everything, Dad?" - It really is about trading "your happiness for all those people's lives"...I think this is what this episode really drives home, the fact that the boys aren't happy, that hunting was never really their choice...that they find or make happiness where they can, but that really they are tragic heroes, who sacrifice and go unthanked so that complete strangers are safe and alive.
I love the sequence where Sam wakes up to the noise downstairs - it's a perfect tribute to the pilot...Kripke got Jessica shifting in bed, the way Sam suddenly wakes up, the baseball bat, the silhouette by the window...and then Dean takes Sam down in one move, because Sam is not a fighter this time.
And I like the fact that even though Dean and Sam don't get along, Sam is still a loyal brother...he still insists on helping Dean when he thinks he's in danger. I think it's a little bit of the core of who Sam is bleeding through the illusion...at least, that's what I'd like to think.
And of course, I LOVE this dialog:
Dean: "I don't understand, why you doing this?"
Sam: "Because you're still my brother"
Dean: "Bitch"
Sam: "What are you calling me a bitch for?!"
Dean: "You're supposed to say 'Jerk'"
Sam: "What?"
Dean: "Nevermind."
And then there's the perfect comedic line delivery breaking up a serious moment, when Dean decides to kill himself in order to wake up, and says "No, I'm pretty sure...I'm 90% sure..." with that certain facial expression, man...golden.
Dean: "Ever since Dad, all I can think about his how much this job's cost us. We've lost so much. We've sacrificed so much."
Sam: "People are alive because of you. It's worth it, Dean. It is. It's not fair and it hurts like hell, but it's worth it"
-And then Dean gives this look that just leaves you hanging about whether he actually agrees or not...and it so perfectly sets up the events of the next two episodes...
Kripke Commentary
Yay! DVD features! About frickin' time!
Kripke is a fan of Buffy...in my mind, this is not a good thing. Luckily I trust the rest of the writers on the show..hopefully they are not fans of Buffy...though, I should cut the guy some slack, I've liked his show so far.
Kripke also thought that Dean would be a drifter barfly in the alternate reality, because he wouldn't have Hunting to focus on...but that the other writers pointed out that the Wish had to be a paradise, that Dean had to be tempted to stay, and he wouldn't if his life completely sucked. Thank goodness for the other writers, because Dean wouldn't be a drifter if he had never known Hunting...he would have just found something else to give his life structure. He'd probably only be a drifter if for some reason he lost John and Sam in his teens and had to give up Hunting completely aswell (For those of you who like AUs, this would be a good idea: Crippled Drifter Dean).
Though, Kripke points out that the biggest temptation for Dean to stay is that SAM is happy...that Dean always puts his brother's happiness ahead of his own, and that it wouldn't matter if Dean's life sucked, if Sam was happy, there would be a temptation to stay - and I think he's completely right about that.
It was also Kripke's idea that the brothers shouldn't get along...and that he really argued for that, because he thought that if everything was completely perfect, it'd be horribly boring and lame....and I agree with him there.
And yes, folks, that's really Jensen's prom picture and Jared's High School graduation picture. How adorable. The rest of the photos were photoshopped.
Kripke also talks about how out of his element Jensen felt for this shoot, because we are really seeing a completely different side to Dean...because when he is with his Mum, in this alternate reality, he doesn't hide behind the macho attitude...Kripke really wanted him to basically revert back to being a little boy when he saw his mother, so you get a really open Dean...and even more so, he didn't even have the friendship with Sam/Jared to fall back on, so there was NOTHING to touch base with for Jensen in this episode, really.
Kripke talks a lot about how great both Jared and Jensen are (and I agree). He says "We're unbelievably lucky to have these two guys. They're raging pains in the ass, but great actors. No...I'm kidding [about the pain in the ass part]"
Then he cracks up over the photoshopped picture of the Winchesters in matching sweaters. And I admit, it is pretty funny to think that there's a reality where the Winchesters are the type of family to wear matching sweaters.
And apparently the scene with the Professor was thrown in towards the end, because they needed someone for Dean to talk to about his thoughts...and the monologues they tried to write were all lame.
Then Kripke goes on about how much it rains in Vancouver, and that the actors are frequently cold and soaking wet, but that it contributes a great deal to the mood of the show...and that's why the lawnmower scene looks like a completely different show, because it was actually sunny for one day of the shoot so they filmed that as quickly as possible to take advantage.
Someone laughs at a comment Kripke makes...I mean, someone other than Kripke gets picked up by Kripke's mic. I wonder who. It's a brief chuckle, so it really could be anyone. Maybe just the sound dude.
Kripke talks about how they keep killing off the ladies: "Ends up being a show with just Jared and Jensen, so I understand why there ends up being a major homosexual subtext to the show...why everyone accuses us of it."
-I could go into great lengths about you can have love without sex, or a close male-male relationships without it having to be gay, and how much our current culture sometimes pisses me off in this regard...but that's a whole rant of mine and these posts are about the show...and I enjoy slash as much as the next girl...and really his comment is just funny.
Kripke also talks about how there are no standing sets for the show...so every episode has a set made from scratch, that is then torn apart afterwards. Man, the amount of work that goes into this show is unbelievable. He also talks about how the show has a real cinematic look...and I agree, the amount of work is unbelievable and it really pays off.
He then makes fun of the "Supernatural Troubled Profile" shot of Dean, and jokes that you should count them while you watch the show...haha, this is what makes this show great, they are willing to make fun of themselves so much.
He says that Jared and Jensen found it hard to not have a connection; that they took him aside and told him how much it disturbed them, because after being put through hell for two years on the show, they had this crazy strong bond and suddenly they were being asked to play strangers. (I try not to RPS - see unpublished rant above as well as "dude those are real people!" - but even just from a friendship point of view, that is so sweet).
Apparently the network wanted a sex scene between Dean and Cameron, but Kripke didn't think she should be late for work. lol.
Kripke goes on about the length of shooting...about how it's 14hrs/day 5days/week. Man, Jared and Jensen must really love their job...I can't imagine going to work for 14hrs/day and not killing myself. It'd be nice to find a job that I enjoyed that much though.
Jensen's scene by the grave was one take with 2 cameras rolling and it made the Grips cry. Seriously, that guy is such an amazing actor.
Apparently it takes 30 minutes to shoot one angle for a scene, which is why Supernatural usually always has two cameras rolling at once, in order to cut the production time down...and that everything usually is done within 3 takes for the same reason. Did I mention how amazing Jared and Jensen are? Because seriously...that's amazing.
The nice thing about Kripke's commentary is that he goes on and on about how wonderful EVERYONE who works on the show is...the writers, the directors, the actors, production, makeup, editing...it's really refreshing to hear about the stuff you might not think about or overlook...
Apparently the actor who played the Djinn had to wear the makeup the WHOLE week (even when not on set), and he couldn't get a cab because he scared everyone...poor guy. IMO: Vancouver is like the LA of Canada - people aren't as friendly there, sadly.
I like how Kripke admits that he's good at writing gore, but he's not good at the emotional scenes...and that he says "over 100 people" make the show and take it further than he ever imagined. I think the show is as good as it is because it's collaborative. Because from the interviews I've seen with Kripke, if it was actually just him writing this stuff, it wouldn't be nearly as good...no offense to him of course, he admits it himself.
And I'm done! Holy carp. Now it is nearly 4am. I am an idiot. I'm pretty sure that my review goes downhill intellectually towards the end, and that there is probably a lot of stuff I will kick myself for not including tomorrow...but man, I be sleepy.