Rewatch S5: The Curious Case of Dean Winchester (5x07) and Changing Channels (5x08)
Two today, because for once I actually had the time (I'm sure there is something that I'm forgetting that I have to do...)
Also, there are two, because for some reason I have surprisingly little to say about these episodes...
THE CURIOUS CASE OF DEAN WINCHESTER
The badges have dates on them...I wonder what dates they are. Good since and expiry? Does that mean in 2012 they'll have to make new IDs? Probably. They'll be OLD by then.
I love how Sam is constantly pulling at his collar when he wears his suit - yeah, Sammy, you really could have been a lawyer. You hate that monkey suit.
I also like how smooth Dean is on the phone with Bobby:
"How you doing?"
"Doing?"
"Yeah, just, I mean, in general?"
"I hope I have that kind of kick when I'm his age."
"Yeah, like either of us will live that long"
"True."
-I like how matter of fact they are about it now. I mean, on the one hand, you could consider it really depressing. They're father basically raised them into a profession where over 30 for them is old-age. On the other hand, I think it sort of shows some growth - in that, they are better mentally equipped to perhaps one day actually ACCEPT each other's deaths without selling their souls. (I don't think they're quite there yet though).
The hotel room number that Cliff is sexing it up in is 44...in a Chinese hotel. In China, the number for is extremely unlucky and means death. Hotels usually skip 4 and 44 and 444 etc. when numbering their rooms. I have no doubt that Supernatural gave the room that number for this exact reason.
I love Dean taking a moment to wink at the girl before he goes back to glare at the dude.
"It was a game."
"Like x-box?"
-Oh Sam...this is a funny bit of dialog, but given Sam's childhood, I highly doubt he would have named x-box first.
"One of those ladies was here for free!"
-Hahaha...I love this guy's measure of his own success.
When Cliff describes Patrick, the "Irish accent" line is added on a cut-away shot of Sam and said very quickly...it makes me wonder if for some reason they didn't know that Patrick was going to have an Irish accent when they first filmed the scene...or possibly wrote it? Hmmm...probably that's it. They forgot to add it into the script after casting and then realized in post that it should be in there or something.
"Stay classy!"
-There's a line somewhere (or maybe it was one of my friends or family?) that said that no one who uses the word "classy" is classy....but man, I really do love Dean using the word "classy" (for the record: I say classy all the time...usually sarcastically.)
"Your turn to grab dinner"
"Usual?"
"Extra bacon"
-I love this bit of phone-dialog, just because it's a small instance of Winchester domesticity.
"I don't know what you think I did to your wife or girlfriend...mother or sister. But I just want you to know my feelings are real."
-Hehe, I love Dean's look at the "mother or sister" part.
I wish my gaelic was better so that I could properly pick apart the show for inaccuracies (or not). But unless they are saying "Hello, how are you? I'm tired." then I'm lost.
Then we get old!Dean, in the form of Chad Everett! He does a great job getting Jensen's mannerisms down. His voice is a LITTLE Clint Eastwoody, but who can blame him...and the mannerisms totally make up for it.
Life for instance, the guilty head-bob when he admits to Sam that it's him.
"So you were just going to shoot some old guy, is that it?"
-Haha, Dean....Sam shoots everyone who isn't you (and sometimes he shoots you too, but let's not talk about that.)
"It's like Grumpy Old Men!"
"Shut-up, Sam!"
-Hahaha...I love Sam's smile. He's genuinely tickled.
"Enjoy the twilight of your life. Should have taken better care of that ticker though."
-You know, I've read a couple of fanfics that utilize the same schmoop trope of Sam claiming that monsters always go after Dean's heart...but they have a point. It's true. Sam's throat and Dean's heart both seem to have targets painted on them.
Jared does uncomfortable (in the pants) so well....
"I still think I should play"
"No, you're not good enough. I'm better, Bobby's way better..."
"So what I don't get a say any more?"
"Sammy, when you get to be our age-"
"You're 30, Dean!"
-This could be seen as a joke about Dean's insta-aging, but it's actually an illustration of the way Dean sees himself and the way he sees Sam. Sam's young, Dean's been old since he was 4.
Oh Bobby...I'm not actually going to talk about what Bobby says here, besides to say that Jim Beaver is awesome...and Chad Everett did a good job on Dean's chin-wobble and clenched jaw.
So, now we get to my only major problem with this episode. The witch has a really passive-aggressive over-the-top way to get out of her relationship. You want to die and leave your man, so you give his enemies a way to reverse all his work - which would mean also KILLING HIM! Seriously? Patrick does not seem like a tyrannical overlord of a boyfriend...I'm pretty sure if you sat down and had a REASONABLE conversation with him, he would let you go...you know, just like what happens in the end?!?! I mean, yes, this is a nice misdirect with the spell and whether Sam is playing without Dean's knowledge, or playing just to swipe the DNA and he really does suck at poker...but you'd think you'd be able to find a misdirect that doesn't make this witch-lady seem completely bonkers.
"You know, Bobby, killing you is officially on my bucket list"
-This is turning into me just listing my favorite lines...but, ah well.
Also, I believe I said this in my Quick Reaction post back when this episode aired...but my goodness, Jared is gorgeous in this episode.
And I LOVE LOVE Sam's reaction to Patrick telling him that Dean is going to die within minutes...it all ties in with "I'm not going to let him die alone" because he looks terrified and then tries to run to Dean - even though he hasn't won and he'd have nothing to offer once he got there...I mean, you could argue it was an act to lure Patrick into a false sense of security, but I really don't think it was.
As Dean collapses he says "Sam" ...awww. :(
"I'm all in"
"Don't do that, son."
"I can't leave until it's over. Fine. it's over. Now where is my brother?"
"There's poker and then there's suicide."
"Just play the hand"
-I love how Patrick is genuinely remorseful - like he now regrets letting his anger get the better of him in forcing Sam to keep playing, because he didn't want to kill Sam...
"For a witch, you're so nice. It's actually kind of creepy."
-You know what I love about this line? It's so...un-Sam-like. Sam's usually pretty polite, even to monsters...at least, in my recollection he is. And if he's not polite, then he's outright angry at them. But this is just blunt and honest...and there's just something about it that I like.
Also, Sweaty-Sam! So, I believe, again, that I talked about this in my quick reaction...but back in the day, when Sam used his powers (before demon-blood), he'd get all sweaty. So, although he tells Bobby that he just got lucky in the end...part of me wants to believe that he somehow mojoed his way through this. It's a stretch, but it's still a slim possibility.
At the end when Sam DOES tell Bobby that he just got lucky. I thought it was pretty high-road of him to say that...because he could say "See! I TOLD YOU I COULD PLAY POKER! STOP TREATING ME LIKE A CHILD! I RULE!" Instead he attributes it to luck, leaving Bobby and Dean the supposedly greater poker players that they believed themselves to be.
Again, I'm not going to talk much about Dean's speech to Bobby, besides the fact that I liked it...and it was sad, because Bobby IS family and the idea of him "checking out" is pretty horrible.
Dean looks so frickin' young when he steps out the door...just the way the "sun" hits him.
CHANGING CHANNELS
Man, I remember when this first aired, I pretty much was on the floor laughing for the first five minutes it. The sitcom acting is so cheesy, but cheesy like they are being cheesy on purpose - and the way Jensen turns "son of a bitch" into a sitcom catch-phrase is AWESOME.
The theme song is what had me on the floor when I first saw the episode. So much so, that I had to watch it again afterwards because I hadn't heard any of the words.
I LOVE Dean's face as he watched Dr. Sexy. He's so ENGAGED. It's hilarious.
Jump ahead to when the boys figure out it's the trickster (tiny sidenote that I didn't like that lady dissing Norton's Hulk)...
I really liked Sam's thinking here, and then we get this dialog:
"Alley with the Trickster?"
"Yeah"
"A bloody violent monster and you want to be facebook friends with him? Nice Sammy"
"The world is going to end, Dean. We don't have the luxury of a moral stand."
-So, I couldn't help but think 'Am I immoral?' (the answer is probably yes). But I like how even after the whole Ruby mess, Sam is still willing to bend his morals when he thinks the situation has become desperate (and by 'like' I mean that I like the fact that it's character consistent.)
I love the abandoned warehouse they use...it's gorgeous. (please note: My artist sister paints abandoned things...I have grown to have an appreciation of them).
"Dude, what the hell?"
"I don't know"
"No, seriously, what the hell?!"
"I. don't. know!"
Ah Dean's fanboy reaction...I can only guess at the reason that Jensen is so good at this ;)
"Because I swore what makes Dr. Sexy so sexy is the fact that he wears cowboy boots, not tennis shoes!"
"Yeah, you're not a fan."
"It's a guilty pleasure!"
-Hehehehe
I also love how they subtly change filming styles...with the walking down corridors while conversing, just like every other hospital show out there.
"Lady, what the hell?!"
-I love Sam calling women "lady"...I don't know why.
"You are the finest cerebral vascular neurosurgeon I have ever met, and I have met plenty."
-HAHAHAHA
There could be meta here...what with the girl telling Sam that it's not his fault, that sometimes people just die and now he's afraid to love...because um, well, Jessica DID die, and Sam IS afraid to get close to anyone ever again. That being said, the Trickster blames Sam for the apocalypse later, so it's probably just coincidence.
I love Sam's "no no no no no..." when Dean gets shot...it's such a real reaction.
"I don't know how to use any of this crap."
"Figure it out! [...]"
"I need a penknife, some dental floss, a sewing needle, and a fifth of whiskey....STAT!"
-And then we get the nice shot of the whiskey and dental floss on the surgical tray - so great. I love Winchester field-medicine too...also, I love Sam in that ridiculous surgeon hat.
There's a continuity error between the wide shot and the tight shot of Sam's hands though - on the wide shot he's (realistically) got blood all over his fingers....on the tight shot he doesn't.
Cas comes in and says they've been missing for days - which sort of screws up Gabriel's claim that they only had to survive 24 hours.
"Mr. Trickster does not like pretty boy angels"
-I'm pretty sure the Japense game show host IS Mr. Trickster.
"Would your mother and father still be alive if your brother was never born?"
-Let's take a moment, please, to mourn the slow death of the subjunctive case in the English language....
The Subjunctive Case,
It gave us a way to differentiate between reality and hypothetical situations in centuries of English writing/usage. On a personal note, when I was a child and had a severe speech impediment, my ability to use the subjunctive case is what reassured my mother that I was not mentally-disabled in any way. These days, even I sometimes slip up and forget...forget the wonderful hidden meanings of "were"...as in, "Would your mother and father still be alive, if your brother WERE never born?" - because, friends, Dean's brother WAS born and there is no changing this. This is reality. Using "were" would have made it quite clear that Dean was being asked a hypothetical question..to be answered, "If my brother WERE never born, than yes, yes my mother and father would still be alive" - and it sounds so much classier that way, does it not, friends? Sadly, in this modern age of text-speak and five-minute blogs, people just don't have the time to use correct language, and good aspects of speech get lost in the shuffle, fall threw the cracks, and disappear from our tongues forever. You will be missed, Subjunctive Case...you will be missed....
Seriously though, OUCH of a question. It really is all Sam's fault. Thank goodness neither of them even understood the question...that being said, Mary is the one who got knocked up a second time. Who do we blame? The chicken or the egg? :-P
Ah the genital herpes commercial...awesome. I wonder if that lady is on Dean's fishing doc. :)
Then the Trickster gets angry! And it actually is the first time we've ever seen him angry. We've seen him amused, and annoyed, but not angry.
Again, in the CSI show, I love how they change the filming style to match - you get the different lighting, and you also get the special effects shot of the inside of the body when Dean stabs the lollypop guy.
Then we get the Sampala! Yay!
"Dean?"
"What?"
"That feels really uncomfortable"
*slams trunk*
"Ow!"
-Hehehe...awesome.
"Gabriel, okay? They call me Gabriel."
-Lovely deliver of this line. Gabriel is such a major player in Judeo-Christian mythology (not to mention his role in Islam).
"Why'd you ditch?"
"Can you blame him? I mean his brothers are heavenly douchnozzles"
"Shut your cake-hole!"
-I love the whole 'I can speak bad about my family, but no one else can' thing. Also, I love the fact that Gabriel told DEAN to shut his cake-hole. It's such a Dean line. It really shows that even though they are at odds at the moment, Gabriel really is someone who "gets" the Winchesters...he's the only socially-savvy angel we've met.
I also appreciate the fact that he just wants it to be over. I think Gabriel and I deal with family drama the same way - avoidance.
"[bring Cas back] or we're going to dunk you in some holy oil and deep fry ourselves an archangel"
-I love that for a moment, Gabriel looks frightened before he schools his features.
"And for the record, this isn't about some prize fight between your brothers or some destiny that can't be stopped. This is about you being too afraid to stand up to your family!"
-Again, I think Gabriel and Dean would have been best friends in another life...Dean never could stand up to his father.
"Don't say I never did anything for you"
-This was really the Dean-Gabster episode...whereas Mystery Spot was the Sam-Gabster episode.
My best friend and I were talking about the mythological issues of Gabriel being Loki...like, when exactly did he become Loki? Where is the REAL Loki? etc...but really, I don't really care. I liked the fact that they made the Trickster, Gabriel. That being said, I realized, I think, even at the time, that they had just killed the Trickster...that Changing Channels would be the last completely far-fetched absurd plot that they could do, since they needed the Trickster in order to justify those. Mind you, there could be OTHER Tricksters...but they wouldn't be this one...they wouldn't be a constant foil, nor be played by Richard.
I'm still hoping they bring Gabriel back somehow...but for some reason, I think dead angels are deader than most - they're dead like YED. Dead and not coming back unless they are hallucinations or dreams.
ETA: Gabriel was killed by an angel-killing sword. Yes, God brought Castiel back twice - but both times Castiel had only been exploded...I know death is death, but to me, for some reason, the angel-killing sword felt like more of an irreversible death than being exploded. I'd love to be proven wrong though.
Until next time...
Also, there are two, because for some reason I have surprisingly little to say about these episodes...
THE CURIOUS CASE OF DEAN WINCHESTER
The badges have dates on them...I wonder what dates they are. Good since and expiry? Does that mean in 2012 they'll have to make new IDs? Probably. They'll be OLD by then.
I love how Sam is constantly pulling at his collar when he wears his suit - yeah, Sammy, you really could have been a lawyer. You hate that monkey suit.
I also like how smooth Dean is on the phone with Bobby:
"How you doing?"
"Doing?"
"Yeah, just, I mean, in general?"
"I hope I have that kind of kick when I'm his age."
"Yeah, like either of us will live that long"
"True."
-I like how matter of fact they are about it now. I mean, on the one hand, you could consider it really depressing. They're father basically raised them into a profession where over 30 for them is old-age. On the other hand, I think it sort of shows some growth - in that, they are better mentally equipped to perhaps one day actually ACCEPT each other's deaths without selling their souls. (I don't think they're quite there yet though).
The hotel room number that Cliff is sexing it up in is 44...in a Chinese hotel. In China, the number for is extremely unlucky and means death. Hotels usually skip 4 and 44 and 444 etc. when numbering their rooms. I have no doubt that Supernatural gave the room that number for this exact reason.
I love Dean taking a moment to wink at the girl before he goes back to glare at the dude.
"It was a game."
"Like x-box?"
-Oh Sam...this is a funny bit of dialog, but given Sam's childhood, I highly doubt he would have named x-box first.
"One of those ladies was here for free!"
-Hahaha...I love this guy's measure of his own success.
When Cliff describes Patrick, the "Irish accent" line is added on a cut-away shot of Sam and said very quickly...it makes me wonder if for some reason they didn't know that Patrick was going to have an Irish accent when they first filmed the scene...or possibly wrote it? Hmmm...probably that's it. They forgot to add it into the script after casting and then realized in post that it should be in there or something.
"Stay classy!"
-There's a line somewhere (or maybe it was one of my friends or family?) that said that no one who uses the word "classy" is classy....but man, I really do love Dean using the word "classy" (for the record: I say classy all the time...usually sarcastically.)
"Your turn to grab dinner"
"Usual?"
"Extra bacon"
-I love this bit of phone-dialog, just because it's a small instance of Winchester domesticity.
"I don't know what you think I did to your wife or girlfriend...mother or sister. But I just want you to know my feelings are real."
-Hehe, I love Dean's look at the "mother or sister" part.
I wish my gaelic was better so that I could properly pick apart the show for inaccuracies (or not). But unless they are saying "Hello, how are you? I'm tired." then I'm lost.
Then we get old!Dean, in the form of Chad Everett! He does a great job getting Jensen's mannerisms down. His voice is a LITTLE Clint Eastwoody, but who can blame him...and the mannerisms totally make up for it.
Life for instance, the guilty head-bob when he admits to Sam that it's him.
"So you were just going to shoot some old guy, is that it?"
-Haha, Dean....Sam shoots everyone who isn't you (and sometimes he shoots you too, but let's not talk about that.)
"It's like Grumpy Old Men!"
"Shut-up, Sam!"
-Hahaha...I love Sam's smile. He's genuinely tickled.
"Enjoy the twilight of your life. Should have taken better care of that ticker though."
-You know, I've read a couple of fanfics that utilize the same schmoop trope of Sam claiming that monsters always go after Dean's heart...but they have a point. It's true. Sam's throat and Dean's heart both seem to have targets painted on them.
Jared does uncomfortable (in the pants) so well....
"I still think I should play"
"No, you're not good enough. I'm better, Bobby's way better..."
"So what I don't get a say any more?"
"Sammy, when you get to be our age-"
"You're 30, Dean!"
-This could be seen as a joke about Dean's insta-aging, but it's actually an illustration of the way Dean sees himself and the way he sees Sam. Sam's young, Dean's been old since he was 4.
Oh Bobby...I'm not actually going to talk about what Bobby says here, besides to say that Jim Beaver is awesome...and Chad Everett did a good job on Dean's chin-wobble and clenched jaw.
So, now we get to my only major problem with this episode. The witch has a really passive-aggressive over-the-top way to get out of her relationship. You want to die and leave your man, so you give his enemies a way to reverse all his work - which would mean also KILLING HIM! Seriously? Patrick does not seem like a tyrannical overlord of a boyfriend...I'm pretty sure if you sat down and had a REASONABLE conversation with him, he would let you go...you know, just like what happens in the end?!?! I mean, yes, this is a nice misdirect with the spell and whether Sam is playing without Dean's knowledge, or playing just to swipe the DNA and he really does suck at poker...but you'd think you'd be able to find a misdirect that doesn't make this witch-lady seem completely bonkers.
"You know, Bobby, killing you is officially on my bucket list"
-This is turning into me just listing my favorite lines...but, ah well.
Also, I believe I said this in my Quick Reaction post back when this episode aired...but my goodness, Jared is gorgeous in this episode.
And I LOVE LOVE Sam's reaction to Patrick telling him that Dean is going to die within minutes...it all ties in with "I'm not going to let him die alone" because he looks terrified and then tries to run to Dean - even though he hasn't won and he'd have nothing to offer once he got there...I mean, you could argue it was an act to lure Patrick into a false sense of security, but I really don't think it was.
As Dean collapses he says "Sam" ...awww. :(
"I'm all in"
"Don't do that, son."
"I can't leave until it's over. Fine. it's over. Now where is my brother?"
"There's poker and then there's suicide."
"Just play the hand"
-I love how Patrick is genuinely remorseful - like he now regrets letting his anger get the better of him in forcing Sam to keep playing, because he didn't want to kill Sam...
"For a witch, you're so nice. It's actually kind of creepy."
-You know what I love about this line? It's so...un-Sam-like. Sam's usually pretty polite, even to monsters...at least, in my recollection he is. And if he's not polite, then he's outright angry at them. But this is just blunt and honest...and there's just something about it that I like.
Also, Sweaty-Sam! So, I believe, again, that I talked about this in my quick reaction...but back in the day, when Sam used his powers (before demon-blood), he'd get all sweaty. So, although he tells Bobby that he just got lucky in the end...part of me wants to believe that he somehow mojoed his way through this. It's a stretch, but it's still a slim possibility.
At the end when Sam DOES tell Bobby that he just got lucky. I thought it was pretty high-road of him to say that...because he could say "See! I TOLD YOU I COULD PLAY POKER! STOP TREATING ME LIKE A CHILD! I RULE!" Instead he attributes it to luck, leaving Bobby and Dean the supposedly greater poker players that they believed themselves to be.
Again, I'm not going to talk much about Dean's speech to Bobby, besides the fact that I liked it...and it was sad, because Bobby IS family and the idea of him "checking out" is pretty horrible.
Dean looks so frickin' young when he steps out the door...just the way the "sun" hits him.
CHANGING CHANNELS
Man, I remember when this first aired, I pretty much was on the floor laughing for the first five minutes it. The sitcom acting is so cheesy, but cheesy like they are being cheesy on purpose - and the way Jensen turns "son of a bitch" into a sitcom catch-phrase is AWESOME.
The theme song is what had me on the floor when I first saw the episode. So much so, that I had to watch it again afterwards because I hadn't heard any of the words.
I LOVE Dean's face as he watched Dr. Sexy. He's so ENGAGED. It's hilarious.
Jump ahead to when the boys figure out it's the trickster (tiny sidenote that I didn't like that lady dissing Norton's Hulk)...
I really liked Sam's thinking here, and then we get this dialog:
"Alley with the Trickster?"
"Yeah"
"A bloody violent monster and you want to be facebook friends with him? Nice Sammy"
"The world is going to end, Dean. We don't have the luxury of a moral stand."
-So, I couldn't help but think 'Am I immoral?' (the answer is probably yes). But I like how even after the whole Ruby mess, Sam is still willing to bend his morals when he thinks the situation has become desperate (and by 'like' I mean that I like the fact that it's character consistent.)
I love the abandoned warehouse they use...it's gorgeous. (please note: My artist sister paints abandoned things...I have grown to have an appreciation of them).
"Dude, what the hell?"
"I don't know"
"No, seriously, what the hell?!"
"I. don't. know!"
Ah Dean's fanboy reaction...I can only guess at the reason that Jensen is so good at this ;)
"Because I swore what makes Dr. Sexy so sexy is the fact that he wears cowboy boots, not tennis shoes!"
"Yeah, you're not a fan."
"It's a guilty pleasure!"
-Hehehehe
I also love how they subtly change filming styles...with the walking down corridors while conversing, just like every other hospital show out there.
"Lady, what the hell?!"
-I love Sam calling women "lady"...I don't know why.
"You are the finest cerebral vascular neurosurgeon I have ever met, and I have met plenty."
-HAHAHAHA
There could be meta here...what with the girl telling Sam that it's not his fault, that sometimes people just die and now he's afraid to love...because um, well, Jessica DID die, and Sam IS afraid to get close to anyone ever again. That being said, the Trickster blames Sam for the apocalypse later, so it's probably just coincidence.
I love Sam's "no no no no no..." when Dean gets shot...it's such a real reaction.
"I don't know how to use any of this crap."
"Figure it out! [...]"
"I need a penknife, some dental floss, a sewing needle, and a fifth of whiskey....STAT!"
-And then we get the nice shot of the whiskey and dental floss on the surgical tray - so great. I love Winchester field-medicine too...also, I love Sam in that ridiculous surgeon hat.
There's a continuity error between the wide shot and the tight shot of Sam's hands though - on the wide shot he's (realistically) got blood all over his fingers....on the tight shot he doesn't.
Cas comes in and says they've been missing for days - which sort of screws up Gabriel's claim that they only had to survive 24 hours.
"Mr. Trickster does not like pretty boy angels"
-I'm pretty sure the Japense game show host IS Mr. Trickster.
"Would your mother and father still be alive if your brother was never born?"
-Let's take a moment, please, to mourn the slow death of the subjunctive case in the English language....
The Subjunctive Case,
It gave us a way to differentiate between reality and hypothetical situations in centuries of English writing/usage. On a personal note, when I was a child and had a severe speech impediment, my ability to use the subjunctive case is what reassured my mother that I was not mentally-disabled in any way. These days, even I sometimes slip up and forget...forget the wonderful hidden meanings of "were"...as in, "Would your mother and father still be alive, if your brother WERE never born?" - because, friends, Dean's brother WAS born and there is no changing this. This is reality. Using "were" would have made it quite clear that Dean was being asked a hypothetical question..to be answered, "If my brother WERE never born, than yes, yes my mother and father would still be alive" - and it sounds so much classier that way, does it not, friends? Sadly, in this modern age of text-speak and five-minute blogs, people just don't have the time to use correct language, and good aspects of speech get lost in the shuffle, fall threw the cracks, and disappear from our tongues forever. You will be missed, Subjunctive Case...you will be missed....
Seriously though, OUCH of a question. It really is all Sam's fault. Thank goodness neither of them even understood the question...that being said, Mary is the one who got knocked up a second time. Who do we blame? The chicken or the egg? :-P
Ah the genital herpes commercial...awesome. I wonder if that lady is on Dean's fishing doc. :)
Then the Trickster gets angry! And it actually is the first time we've ever seen him angry. We've seen him amused, and annoyed, but not angry.
Again, in the CSI show, I love how they change the filming style to match - you get the different lighting, and you also get the special effects shot of the inside of the body when Dean stabs the lollypop guy.
Then we get the Sampala! Yay!
"Dean?"
"What?"
"That feels really uncomfortable"
*slams trunk*
"Ow!"
-Hehehe...awesome.
"Gabriel, okay? They call me Gabriel."
-Lovely deliver of this line. Gabriel is such a major player in Judeo-Christian mythology (not to mention his role in Islam).
"Why'd you ditch?"
"Can you blame him? I mean his brothers are heavenly douchnozzles"
"Shut your cake-hole!"
-I love the whole 'I can speak bad about my family, but no one else can' thing. Also, I love the fact that Gabriel told DEAN to shut his cake-hole. It's such a Dean line. It really shows that even though they are at odds at the moment, Gabriel really is someone who "gets" the Winchesters...he's the only socially-savvy angel we've met.
I also appreciate the fact that he just wants it to be over. I think Gabriel and I deal with family drama the same way - avoidance.
"[bring Cas back] or we're going to dunk you in some holy oil and deep fry ourselves an archangel"
-I love that for a moment, Gabriel looks frightened before he schools his features.
"And for the record, this isn't about some prize fight between your brothers or some destiny that can't be stopped. This is about you being too afraid to stand up to your family!"
-Again, I think Gabriel and Dean would have been best friends in another life...Dean never could stand up to his father.
"Don't say I never did anything for you"
-This was really the Dean-Gabster episode...whereas Mystery Spot was the Sam-Gabster episode.
My best friend and I were talking about the mythological issues of Gabriel being Loki...like, when exactly did he become Loki? Where is the REAL Loki? etc...but really, I don't really care. I liked the fact that they made the Trickster, Gabriel. That being said, I realized, I think, even at the time, that they had just killed the Trickster...that Changing Channels would be the last completely far-fetched absurd plot that they could do, since they needed the Trickster in order to justify those. Mind you, there could be OTHER Tricksters...but they wouldn't be this one...they wouldn't be a constant foil, nor be played by Richard.
I'm still hoping they bring Gabriel back somehow...but for some reason, I think dead angels are deader than most - they're dead like YED. Dead and not coming back unless they are hallucinations or dreams.
ETA: Gabriel was killed by an angel-killing sword. Yes, God brought Castiel back twice - but both times Castiel had only been exploded...I know death is death, but to me, for some reason, the angel-killing sword felt like more of an irreversible death than being exploded. I'd love to be proven wrong though.
Until next time...