Quick Reaction: 7x15 Repo Man
SAM!
So, we begin this episode with a blast from the past. I actually *SHOCK* missed the timestamp at the beginning of the episode. I think because the inside of my brain sounded like this:
"Oo, Coeur d'Alene, that's where Smoke Signals was set. I like that movie. *sings*John Wayne's Teeth, are they real? are they fake?*/end-singing* ...Wait, did they just say Lilith? What the?"
Anyway, when my friend asked if a four year jump backwards worked with the timeline, I said yes, because they were hunting Lilith in both S3 and S4. But now I'm actually doing the math...and....I don't think it works. Including the year with Lisa, this would be 2013...so 4 years ago would be spring 2009. Which...wait, yes, it works...I was right the first time. It'd be spring 2009, so they would be hunting Lilith to try to stop her breaking the seals. Without the year with Lisa (which is what they've been doing so far). It'd be 2012, which means that 4 years ago would have been 2008, which means they could be hunting Lilith to try to get her from coming after Sam (or killing Dean). Now, which is it?
Well, I'm actually going to go ahead and say that it makes WAY more sense for it to be 2009 (which makes my timelining heart happy.) Firstly, Dean is TORTURING without batting much of an eyelash about it. Hell, even Sam is on board (that's very S4+ Sammy.) Secondly...um, whatever, it just works with the first point ok? No, wait...secondly...was Dean keen to hunt Lilith in S3? When did they find out that Lilith held his contract? God, I can't even remember right now. But I'm pretty sure in S3, Sam and Dean were still in the "avoid Lilith" strategy right up until No Rest For the Wicked, which was the first time they went after her...unless I'm crazy. Correct me if I'm wrong. But still, I think the ease with torturing (and Sam being fine with it) points to S4, rather than S3. Also, I don't think Sam had that coat in S3.
Okay...um, sorry...we were talking about the episode right?
So, string of murders happening just the same as before. We get the obligatory "why we aren't going after Dick Roman this week" phone call to Frank, and then it's ON TO THE CASE.
BUT WAIT....
LUCIFER!
This is really cool, and it's what I was hoping they were going to do with Lucifer back in 7x02. (I only had to wait 13 episodes! Yay!) I loved how this episode was FINALLY from Sam's POV. We get to see just how much Lucifer interferes...or doesn't interfere with his daily life.
I also really think it's important that we keep in mind that this isn't ACTUALLY Lucifer. I know there are some theories out there that it is...but, in my opinion (and I believe the evidence supports me), Lucifer is just a fragment of Sam's subconscious. He's a hallucination in the traditional schizophrenic sense. We see it in the comments that he makes to Sam...he provides the police officers name...he says stuff like "do you even listen to yourself?" (Seriously, how often have we said that to ourselves? Be honest.)
I thought it was kind of funny, the way Sam wouldn't take the Hallucifer's word on the police officer's name...and then of course, we find out at the end just how much acknowledging Lucifer, even in the slightest, costs him.
The forked tongue = super creepy, btw.
Anyway, um, episode...oh, I should say - jumping back to the four-years previously bit - it was really cool to actually see the aftermath of an exorcism. The kind of cold dropping off at the ER, and telling the dude to walk in himself, and tell everyone he was mugged...oh Winchesters...your bedside manner is deplorable.
I'm jumping around all over the place here, forgive me...but you all know what happened in the episode, so I hardly need to recount it word for word!
I thought the dude who played Jeremy (was that his name?) Jeffrey was AWESOME. He had that hint of a southern accent that was great. He played his injuries really well, and he was both sympathetic when he needed to be, and completely psycho, without actually changing that much. Basically, I just thought he was great.
I should say that as soon as he got that dog, my friend said "Oh no...." and yeah...sad times.
But before canine murder, we get him sending Sam on a wild goose chase...and, I'm sorry, if that librarian was supposed to be chubby, someone needs to be spoken to.
Sam's hallucination in the library was SUPER DISTURBING. It reminded me of this gif that my friend used to use all the time in grad school. It had this stick figure on a computer, and it would head-desk until it was a bloody mess....and um, yeah, I got the sentiment behind it, but it was really disgusting, even though it was just a stick-figure.
But it IS just a wild goose chase...and this is when Sam realizes the discrepancies in the copy-cat killings...and this is when Sam realizes that Dean's in danger...and THIS is when Sam's so worried about Dean, that he talks to Lucifer, because it's just like talking to himself, right? Wrong.
I really thought this episode was very well put together. You see the kid in the warehouse, before you realize who he is. The promo spoiled me for Jeffrey's obsession with being possessed, but if I hadn't seen the promo, I'm sure that would have come as a surprise too....and it was really interesting to play with that idea....that there would be people out there would LIKE being possessed, who would FALL IN LOVE with an evil demon...who would talk about it like sex....
...and of course, I'm just going to pause here and point out the whole reaffirming of the possession=sex theme.
I'm also going to pause here and point out that Lucifer made another rape joke with Sam, and I BETTER THE HELL NOT SEE PEOPLE LAUGHING AT IT. Ugh. When rapists make rape jokes, you are supposed to be horrified, not amused. I feel like I shouldn't have to explain this. That being said, it was a very well done rape reference..."The rapier wit, the wittier rape."...if you weren't paying close attention, it might have slipped you by. This is the kind of episode that I love doing a rewatch of, because you can just psycho-analyze Lucifer's lines to death. But, I do like the fact that they are not hiding the reality of what happened to Sam in the cage.
Where was I? I'm really sorry for jumping around so much tonight, man...I blame the wine...and my brain.
The demon possesses the kid...the kid does a great job too. Man, everyone was just kicking ass in this episode. Even the dog.
Dean shoots Jeffrey. My friend and I were trying to figure out the last time that they shot a human. The Benders? They must have killed a human since then...but then we couldn't even remember if they killed a human (non-possessed) even in The Benders! I mean, the cop shoots one of the dudes, but I can't remember what happens to the other ones...
And then we get back to the hotel, and Dean flops down on the bed...and you gotta love how quickly he falls asleep. I used to do exactly that when I was in grad school. My friend would phone me and say "I'll be there in ten minutes" and I'd say "cool" and hang-up, then I'd think "what am I going to do while I wait?" *belly flop on bed, fall asleep* Ten minutes later there'd be a knock on my door and I'd answer it with the bed-spread imprinted on my face. "Again!?!" my friend would say.
But, yeah...before Dean falls asleep, he describes a psychopath "that's what they do, act normal when they aren't..." (or words to that effect, only harsher)...and well, he just falls asleep...and Sam...poor Sam is stuck in a living hell created by his own broken mind, replete with Lucifer and fire...
Then we get the strangest promo I have ever seen. But, hey, no spoilers.
Okay, so I'm a super scatterbrain tonight, obviously. Let me know what I missed that you desperately want me to talk about....or argue timelines with me in the comments, please! :)
Do we really have to wait until March 9th?
So, we begin this episode with a blast from the past. I actually *SHOCK* missed the timestamp at the beginning of the episode. I think because the inside of my brain sounded like this:
"Oo, Coeur d'Alene, that's where Smoke Signals was set. I like that movie. *sings*John Wayne's Teeth, are they real? are they fake?*/end-singing* ...Wait, did they just say Lilith? What the?"
Anyway, when my friend asked if a four year jump backwards worked with the timeline, I said yes, because they were hunting Lilith in both S3 and S4. But now I'm actually doing the math...and....I don't think it works. Including the year with Lisa, this would be 2013...so 4 years ago would be spring 2009. Which...wait, yes, it works...I was right the first time. It'd be spring 2009, so they would be hunting Lilith to try to stop her breaking the seals. Without the year with Lisa (which is what they've been doing so far). It'd be 2012, which means that 4 years ago would have been 2008, which means they could be hunting Lilith to try to get her from coming after Sam (or killing Dean). Now, which is it?
Well, I'm actually going to go ahead and say that it makes WAY more sense for it to be 2009 (which makes my timelining heart happy.) Firstly, Dean is TORTURING without batting much of an eyelash about it. Hell, even Sam is on board (that's very S4+ Sammy.) Secondly...um, whatever, it just works with the first point ok? No, wait...secondly...was Dean keen to hunt Lilith in S3? When did they find out that Lilith held his contract? God, I can't even remember right now. But I'm pretty sure in S3, Sam and Dean were still in the "avoid Lilith" strategy right up until No Rest For the Wicked, which was the first time they went after her...unless I'm crazy. Correct me if I'm wrong. But still, I think the ease with torturing (and Sam being fine with it) points to S4, rather than S3. Also, I don't think Sam had that coat in S3.
Okay...um, sorry...we were talking about the episode right?
So, string of murders happening just the same as before. We get the obligatory "why we aren't going after Dick Roman this week" phone call to Frank, and then it's ON TO THE CASE.
BUT WAIT....
LUCIFER!
This is really cool, and it's what I was hoping they were going to do with Lucifer back in 7x02. (I only had to wait 13 episodes! Yay!) I loved how this episode was FINALLY from Sam's POV. We get to see just how much Lucifer interferes...or doesn't interfere with his daily life.
I also really think it's important that we keep in mind that this isn't ACTUALLY Lucifer. I know there are some theories out there that it is...but, in my opinion (and I believe the evidence supports me), Lucifer is just a fragment of Sam's subconscious. He's a hallucination in the traditional schizophrenic sense. We see it in the comments that he makes to Sam...he provides the police officers name...he says stuff like "do you even listen to yourself?" (Seriously, how often have we said that to ourselves? Be honest.)
I thought it was kind of funny, the way Sam wouldn't take the Hallucifer's word on the police officer's name...and then of course, we find out at the end just how much acknowledging Lucifer, even in the slightest, costs him.
The forked tongue = super creepy, btw.
Anyway, um, episode...oh, I should say - jumping back to the four-years previously bit - it was really cool to actually see the aftermath of an exorcism. The kind of cold dropping off at the ER, and telling the dude to walk in himself, and tell everyone he was mugged...oh Winchesters...your bedside manner is deplorable.
I'm jumping around all over the place here, forgive me...but you all know what happened in the episode, so I hardly need to recount it word for word!
I thought the dude who played Jeremy (was that his name?) Jeffrey was AWESOME. He had that hint of a southern accent that was great. He played his injuries really well, and he was both sympathetic when he needed to be, and completely psycho, without actually changing that much. Basically, I just thought he was great.
I should say that as soon as he got that dog, my friend said "Oh no...." and yeah...sad times.
But before canine murder, we get him sending Sam on a wild goose chase...and, I'm sorry, if that librarian was supposed to be chubby, someone needs to be spoken to.
Sam's hallucination in the library was SUPER DISTURBING. It reminded me of this gif that my friend used to use all the time in grad school. It had this stick figure on a computer, and it would head-desk until it was a bloody mess....and um, yeah, I got the sentiment behind it, but it was really disgusting, even though it was just a stick-figure.
But it IS just a wild goose chase...and this is when Sam realizes the discrepancies in the copy-cat killings...and this is when Sam realizes that Dean's in danger...and THIS is when Sam's so worried about Dean, that he talks to Lucifer, because it's just like talking to himself, right? Wrong.
I really thought this episode was very well put together. You see the kid in the warehouse, before you realize who he is. The promo spoiled me for Jeffrey's obsession with being possessed, but if I hadn't seen the promo, I'm sure that would have come as a surprise too....and it was really interesting to play with that idea....that there would be people out there would LIKE being possessed, who would FALL IN LOVE with an evil demon...who would talk about it like sex....
...and of course, I'm just going to pause here and point out the whole reaffirming of the possession=sex theme.
I'm also going to pause here and point out that Lucifer made another rape joke with Sam, and I BETTER THE HELL NOT SEE PEOPLE LAUGHING AT IT. Ugh. When rapists make rape jokes, you are supposed to be horrified, not amused. I feel like I shouldn't have to explain this. That being said, it was a very well done rape reference..."The rapier wit, the wittier rape."...if you weren't paying close attention, it might have slipped you by. This is the kind of episode that I love doing a rewatch of, because you can just psycho-analyze Lucifer's lines to death. But, I do like the fact that they are not hiding the reality of what happened to Sam in the cage.
Where was I? I'm really sorry for jumping around so much tonight, man...I blame the wine...and my brain.
The demon possesses the kid...the kid does a great job too. Man, everyone was just kicking ass in this episode. Even the dog.
Dean shoots Jeffrey. My friend and I were trying to figure out the last time that they shot a human. The Benders? They must have killed a human since then...but then we couldn't even remember if they killed a human (non-possessed) even in The Benders! I mean, the cop shoots one of the dudes, but I can't remember what happens to the other ones...
And then we get back to the hotel, and Dean flops down on the bed...and you gotta love how quickly he falls asleep. I used to do exactly that when I was in grad school. My friend would phone me and say "I'll be there in ten minutes" and I'd say "cool" and hang-up, then I'd think "what am I going to do while I wait?" *belly flop on bed, fall asleep* Ten minutes later there'd be a knock on my door and I'd answer it with the bed-spread imprinted on my face. "Again!?!" my friend would say.
But, yeah...before Dean falls asleep, he describes a psychopath "that's what they do, act normal when they aren't..." (or words to that effect, only harsher)...and well, he just falls asleep...and Sam...poor Sam is stuck in a living hell created by his own broken mind, replete with Lucifer and fire...
Then we get the strangest promo I have ever seen. But, hey, no spoilers.
Okay, so I'm a super scatterbrain tonight, obviously. Let me know what I missed that you desperately want me to talk about....or argue timelines with me in the comments, please! :)
Do we really have to wait until March 9th?