Rewatch S7: Shut-Up, Dr. Phil (7x05)
Okay, time for Buffy people. I am one of those very very few people who are not Buffy fans. It's no fault of Buffy's of course. I just really hate vampire-centric shows. I'm racist against vampires really, it would be a huge character fault, if they were real...as it is, it just means that I can't enjoy a very small percentage of pop culture.
Anyway, let's get on with it...
Oh god... I forgot how horrific the deaths were in this episode. GROSS HAIRDRYER DEATH.
I like the gay hair-dresser stereotype, so sue me. But I especially liked the way he screams in this, because I felt it was more realistic than most of the screams in horror movies or on the show. Personally, when I'm terrified, I make little whimpering noises like an injured dog or a cornered bunny.
RED PLAID SHIRT OF ANGST!
-Used appropriately, because Dean is having sad nightmares.
So, nightmares are Cas, Sam, and then killing Amy.
And then Dean reaches for a beer...sadly empty. Here's a tip folks: Studies show that drinking after a sad/traumatic event, actually makes the memories of said sad/traumatic event MORE PROMINENT You can't actually drink to forget... because the act of trying to drink to forget makes you always remember. Neuroscience! It's fun to read about and teaches you better behaviour! (At least in men, anyway, most studies are done on men - which kind of sucks, because men and women actually have different brain chemistry .. which means that women get the short-end of the stick when it comes to knowing stuff about our brains... or how we'll react to prescription medication. I read an article about that too. I have a weird love of reading articles about Neuroscience.)
ETA: This is actually a REALLY nice motel room, in my opinion.
Dean: "Somebody better be chasing you."
Sam: "It's good for you."
Dean: "No, it's not good for you. Look at you? You're a mess and you stink."
- It's funny, because of all the pre-series fic I read where John is making Sam and Dean do laps/sprints/etc... yet, Dean seems to be very anti-exercise. Kind of hilariously improbable, given how both Sam and Dean look.
Dean: "Ever hear of a town called Prosperity, Indiana?"
Sam: "Has anybody?"
-Haha.
Sam: "You know, one more thing. What's going on with you?"
Dean: "We have had this conversation, Sam"
Sam: "No we haven't. You see, in order to do that, you'd have to... speak."
- So, this isn't the first time Sam's tried to have this conversation. I'm not surprised.
Dean: "Okay, let's see if you can get this straight. You're New Sam - Lance Armstrong."
Sam: "Biking."
Dean: "Right, and I'm still me, okay? So you might see things different now. Call it a runner's high or some crap, but that doesn't mean that something is going on with me, okay?"
- So yeah, this is where Sam's storyline started bugging the crap out of me - because he goes from losing-his-shit, to healthier mentally and physically than he was before. And you suddenly get NO MENTION of any hard mental problems. Instead, it's Dean having the nightmares, and it's Dean basically having a mental breakdown... and yeah, it kind of pisses me off, because YES, I know Dean is horribly sad about Castiel and worried about Sam and horribly conflicted about his decision to kill Amy and lie to Sam about it...but it really just feels like they gave Sam's storyline to Dean - or, at the very least, missed the opportunity to have BOTH brothers suffering from two completely different mental breakdowns. Seriously...because the other thing that pisses me off is that Sam never calls Dean on his shit (I'm not talking about this episode, obviously, because he does...but later... Sam never calls Dean on the fact that he's obviously suicidal. Why would he not do that if Sam's this great healthy guy all of a sudden? But, let's say, if SAM were visibly suffering mentally, it would make a lot of sense - because we would see that Sam was too busy trying to stay sane to try to drag Dean out of his own mental anguish.
-Okay, now that all being said - Dean does bring up a good point here. I really hate it when other people are really happy...like, say they get married, or they have a new kids...and they're all flooded with "I just got married" or "I just had a kid" happy hormones, and suddenly they just ASSUME that you must be miserable because you are single and don't have children. There's nothing wrong with being single and not having children, if that's what you want and that's what lifestyle makes you happy. Thank you.
Sam: "Yeah, okay."
Dean: "No, don't say 'yeah, okay' like 'yeah, okay'"
Sam: "Yeah, okay"
- I love this exchange because it's so brotherly. Like when Sam punches Dean in the nuts in bugs.
Oh yeah, Leviathan guy was chasing them....I completely forgot about him last episode. I wonder what he was doing for a full week or whatever it was.
Fort Langely! :) I love Fort Langely. I think it's where I would eventually end up living if I decided to stay in BC and wanted to buy a house for some reason.
Gay hairdresser again. Actually, he's not really the stereotype... he's just a cool dude. Maybe he isn't even gay...whatever, I like him.
Dean: "Of course, they don't have pockets in those robe thingies they make you wear..."
Sam: *Some line making fun of Dean for knowing about spas*
Dean: "Shut up, I observe with my eyes."
- Dean Winchester is Sherlock Holmes. ;)
Oh, I saw this set on the location tour in 2011. The fake billboard, the bulldozer and the trailer... I don't think the porta-potty was there anymore, but they were done filming so that was probably why.
SUPER GROSS DEATHS Ugh.
Hey, it looks like he's wearing Sam's jacket from S1 I'm not going to double check though...he's gross and dead.
Dean: "What do we know about the vic?"
Cop: "Dewey Stevens. Owner of Dewey Stevens Construction, biggest outfit in town, libertarian, methodist, tenor, blue ribbon pecan pie champ, asmatic. ... we're a close knit community."
- I just like Dean's face when the cop lays out that much detail. Also, I thought the cop was a good actor... kind of, doing his job, but really depressed about it.
The picture behind them in the construction site trailer actually looks like something that they are building/have built in Fort Langely.
Sam: "Really? From a freakin' flask. What are you, bad Santa? On the job?"
Dean: "We're always on the job."
- Not that I approve of on the job drinking, or Dean's drinking, but he DOES have a point.
Song playing in Leviathan's car: "No one knows he's crying, no one knows he's dying on the inside...because he's laughing on the outside..."
- This is kind of hilarious song to be playing as a menacing creature approaches town. That being said, it's very on the nose appropriate for Dean's story arc.
SPIKE! James Marsters... did I spell that right? I saw him when he was on Torchwood, but that's about it. He seems like a nice dude.
Sam: "Could you point me to the restroom? I had a little bit too much java."
-TMI, Sam...seriously, we don't need to know what you drank and that you need to piss, just ask to use the loo and keep it at that.
I do love Sam running up the stairs. It's very cartoonish.
Don: "It's true, I had a recent ... little thing with a business associate."
Dean: "A thing?"
Sam: "Like a shoe or a golf club"
Dean: "A waffle iron."
Sam: "Yeah"
Dean: "See Don, wives generally think of an affair as more than just a thing."
- I like Sam and Dean's little stand-up comedy routine here. Also, I like the fact that they aren't chauvistic pigs who are like "good for you buddy, was she hot?" :P
Dean: "Now, if we were to guess that the ah, business associate was Wendy Goodson, would we win the weekend trip to Maui?"
- I like this line too.. this whole conversation is kind of relaxed and informal in a way that most "interview the local suspects" conversations are not.
Dean on the phone: "Bobby, hey, it's Dean, listen- ... Winchester! Yeah, okay, very funny."
- Hehehe, I like this little joke too. Especially considering that last episode Sam called Bobby and simply identified himself as "me."
I like the fact that they actually have a cover for Sam standing around outside.
I love Sam setting off the car alarm...mainly just how huge he looks next to that little car.
Dean: "Spoiler alert: Jenny Klein's next...."
- I like that Dean actually used the phrase "spoiler alert"
- Also, Jenny Klein is one of the SPN writers.
Man, they are just wearing suits all over this episode...
Way to leave evidence that you were there, Dean.
Another gross death! ... or almost-death, as the case may be. The hearts in the cupcakes were really well done. Good job, props department!
I do like the subtle things, like how Dean blocks Jenny with his body when Sam goes to shoot the coin.
Jenny: "...HEARTS IN MY CUPCAKES!"
Dean: "Should I slug her?"
Sam: "Give it a minute."
- And Jenny freaking out is a nice bit of comedy too.
Jenny: "You know? There's no you know!"
Sam: "No?"
Jenny: "Don Stark is my boss. That's it. He's married for godsakes."
"Yeah, well..."
Jenny: "Me and Don Stark - ew."
- I also love this, because it makes Jenny into a more rounded character instead of a trope, or whatever. Instead of being "slutty young secretary/lover stereotype" she's "actually just a nice assistant who has standards, thank you very much."
Oh and unrequited Lesbian love... no one can ever do this better than Mai Hime. Though, I do like how they don't make the lesbian thing an issue.
Don: "Two FBI guys came by asking questions."
Maggie: "Hunters, sweetheart, that's what they were."
- I love this too, because we VERY rarely get to see instances where the monsters know a)who Sam and Dean are, and b)that they're coming.
Dean: "Now she's just getting nasty. Killing the girlfriend is one thing, but his commemorative bust? That's gotta hurt."
- Men are weird about their pride and accomplishments. Or maybe I'm just being sexist.
Dean: "No, I don't need to write it down, I'll remember go ahead..." *asks Sam for writing impliments with movements*
- Again, it's just a nice bit of kind-of domestic comedy.
Dean: "Dude, pie..."
...
Dean: "Ugh...that is-"
Sam: "Chicken feet, just what the recipe calls for. Butcher's fridge is down."
Dean: "I can smell that!"
-Winchesters really can't stand rotten chicken feet. Also, Sam once again ruins Dean's pie experience.
Maggie's friend: "But we'll get through this, because you have people who love you, and he can't take that away from you."
*dies*
- Hehehe.
Sam: "Yeah, bewitched just got a lot less funny."
Dean: "It's like when they switched Darrens"
- I love this line because earlier Dean claimed to have watched bewitched SOLELY because Nicole Kidman was in the remake as a redhead and she was hot. Yet, here, he admits to knowing about the original two Darrens... which means he totally watched the original series. Dean can make fun of Sam all he wants, but it's quite clear who the TV/Movie-geek of the family is.
Leviathan guy is watching you.
I love how the not chilled chicken feet mean that the spell doesn't work...since in previous episodes, the Winchesters have gotten away with close approximations, but not this time!
Sam: "Okay, plan B"
Dean: "What's plan B?"
Sam: "Talking."
- See, Sam IS a good lawyer. Also, this reminds me of how Soulless!Sam always seemed to have a plan B. So, it's nice to see that glimmer of that part of Sam... even though I don't think Soulless!Sam's plan B would EVER be "talking."
Dean: "Okay okay okay! Obviously you two are capable of taking each other out. But you haven't, which means, that you two - you still value whatever it is you've got. And you want to keep that dance going...maybe it's punishment, maybe it's sick messed-up, erotic, kinky, clamps and feathers kind of love"
Sam: "Okay, okay, that's going way too deep there, cowboy. What he's trying to say is that you two, no matter what it is you have, you're bonded."
- Okay, this is funny...but, more importantly, this is exactly what I was saying about Dean and Castiel in 7x01. They could have taken each other out at any time...or at least, Cas could have taken Dean out at any time, but he didn't... which means that he still loved him... and the only reason Dean tried to kill Cas was because he convinced himself that it wasn't Cas anymore. Then, when Cas was better for a couple of seconds, Dean was obviously still pissed (I think he's STILL working through his Cas-anger), but he didn't try to kill him, he was KIND to him.
- I like how Sam calls Dean "cowboy"... especially after he's been talking about kinky kinds of love, because I distinctly remember that line from Frontierland where Sam declared that Dean "had a fetish." ;)
- Also, I think Sam agrees with me on my first point, because there's got to be a reason he uses the word "bonded" - which is exactly what Dean and Castiel are...profoundly. (And that is my reluctant destiel shout-out for the day, you can thank me later, destiel fans).
Sam: "Listen, I don't think Don was lying when he said he regrets the whole Wendy thing."
Maggie: "Thing?! Sit down!"
Sam: "AHH, Affair, that's right - terrible."
- I just like Sam correcting himself while in extreme pain. A man after my own heart.
So, the witches are 800 years old, at least. This puts them right up there with the other witch the Winchesters let escape: Patrick, from The Curious Case of Dean Winchester. So, yes, you can continue to complain about them letting the witches go, even though Dean was insistent that Amy had to die - so it seems out of character - but there HAS been a precident. I think what it comes down to is that there are beings that Sam and Dean just AREN'T a match for...as purposturous as that seems.
Don: "What about 1492-"
Maggie: "That man was about to set sail! He could possibly fall off at the end of the earth, so I took pity, what's your excuse?"
- Okay, so, forget potential character-irregularities, THIS is the part that annoys me. In 1492, people KNEW that the world was round. I mean, arguably, if you were some peasent in a remote village with no education, you might not (same is true today)...but if you were in a major port-city, and were a witch, chances are you could read a book or talk to people. And people KNEW that the world was round - SAILORS knew that the world was wrong. The problem with Columbus' trip wasn't that people thought the world was flat, it was that Columbus was BAD AT MATH and had calculated the world to be much smaller than it was. He was setting sail without enough food to make it to China - THAT was the problem. If the American continent hadn't existed, they'd have all died in the Great Pacific/Atlantic Ocean.
Sam: "See, guys guys, you're talking. All these years, you buried your anger, and your disappointment, until it tore you apart - and all you needed to do was talk!"
- Again, a little on the nose, this dialogue. We get it...it's a reflection of how Dean is tearing himself apart by burying all his anger and grief and guilt.
Computer animated bees! I once had a nightmare about computer animated bees. It was far scarier than this...but that was because there were more of them.
Don: "You're the woman I want to never grow old with."
Maggie: "I could never murder you either, Don."
- Aww, romance.
Dean: "Shut-up"
Sam: "I didn't say anything."
Dean: "It's been a long day."
Leviathan: "And it's not over yet."
- Oh yeah! I keep forgettting about that dude. I kind of like him.
Dean: "Don! Thank you, we owe you."
Don: "What is that thing?"
Sam: "I guess we should be figuring that out."
Dean: "It is on our to-do list."
- Yeah, and this is the thing about this season... the Winchesters spend a lot of time hunting things that AREN'T leviathan, and then being like "oh yeah, leviathan!" Much like I am with their little leviathan stalker. And then Bobby dies, and Dean is all like KILL LEVIATHAN, and Sam is like, okay, but first GHOSTS AND SHIT! WOO! And Dean is like "UGH" And then Sam is like "NO I GO CRAZY" and Dean is like "OH NOW YOU WANT TO GO CRAZY?! WHERE WAS THE BUILD UP?! IT COULD HAVE BEEN A BETTER EXCUSE TO NOT BE HUNTING LEVIATHAN THIS WHOLE TIME!" And we all agree with Dean.
Sam: "Were you, uh, were you listening to the Starks tonight?"
Dean: "A little, when I wasn't getting slammed into a wall or stung by bees."
Sam: "You notice how they uh, opened up, got everything off their chest."
Dean: "Yeah, kudos on selling them that crap."
Sam: "Yeah, it wasn't crap, Dean, it worked."
Dean: "Sam, I am so very very very VERY very very tired."
Sam: "Dean, like it or not, the stuff you don't talk about doesn't just go away, it builds up. Like whatever's eating at you right now."
Dean: "There's always something eating at me. That's who I am. Something happens, I feel responsible, alright. The Lindburgh baby, that's on me. Unemployment, my bad."
Sam: "That's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about whatever you're not telling me about! Look, Dean it's fine. You can unload that's kind of what I'm hear for... I mean we're good, right?"
Dean: "We're good."
*Dean gets in car*
*Sam makes an "I want to strangle you" motion*
- Firstly, I like Dean's line about being very very tired...he IS, he hasn't been sleeping well.
- Secondly, again, our monster of the week reflect the Winchesters - who are in a marriage themselves...sadly, to each other, because they've got this twisted messed-up thing.
- Thirdly, having Sam being a therapist for Dean when he was insane just two episodes ago REALLY ANNOYS me.
- Fourthly I love Dean's line about how he feels responsible for everything - including unemployment - it's just so spot on true, and I love the fact that Dean at least KNOWS that about himself now.
- Fifthly, I think Sam can tell that they aren't good, because if they were good, Dean would be talking to him... even when he was dying in S3, he eventually opened up to Sam... though, it's true that it did take him a really long time to. I think the record for Dean keeping a secret from Sam is 10 episodes. Sam's record is one and a half years, but technically Dean just found out, Sam never told him.
- Sixthly, I love Sam little "I'm going to strangle you" motion.
And that's it! Short one this time, because there wasn't much substance to this episode, IMHO.
I feel like these rewatches are getting a little negative, which is something I try to avoid on this journal... I'm going to try to stop complaining about the dropped storylines so much, I promise.... I'm sorry if I'm annoying some of you.
Next time is Slash Fiction...with COMMENTARY! Yay!