SPN thinky thoughts (with spoilers!)
All to go behind the cut.
So.
Wow, that's a lot to take in at once. I'm not going to try to recap any of it, but there's a whole raft of possibilities in what's going on that mean yet more pain for the boys. The choices Sam has made since deciding to try to get Lucifer back in his cage have been about him blaming himself for everything and thinking he's the only one who could (and should) stop the apocalypse. Fair enough, and in his headspace that was probably the right thing, as well as letting Dean have his 'normal' life, but holy crap, after all that the two of them had been through, letting Dean think Sam was in hell this whole time? That's just not on. However, Sam's lack of emotion is absolutely fascinating to watch, and completely in character from what we've seen of him living through Dean being gone (and while it's self-imposed, Dean is again gone from Sam's life) and combine that with his PTSD from being in the worst part of hell with the worst creature, I think it'll take a long time for Sam to get back to any semblance of emotional stability. Removing himself from his emotions is a classic way for both him and Dean to cope, but Sam's better at shutting it all down.
As for the Campbells, they all just creep me the hell out. I'm beginning to be more concerned than I ever thought I would be that Mary's bloodline was the one that led to Sam being Lucifer's vessel. We know John's led to Michael because that's what enabled Adam to stand in for Dean, so does that mean there's something inherently hinky with the whole Campbell clan? Or am I just thinking that because they're really disturbing? Sam has been with them a long time - potentially the better part of a year - and they've been keeping secrets from him that whole time? Not good.
And Dean. He's clearly not happy from the very start, but he's making the best of things. He and Lisa can see their relationship for what it is - not a massive romance, but something they can both cope with. I like that Lisa is practical, intelligent, good for him and also very honest about what she thinks and what she has. Dean, as ever, ends up making the decision that he feels obligated to: stick with people he loves to protect them. As usual, he blames himself for all the bad that's happened and that could happen. As usual, he's putting everyone else first.
Out of the two of them, though, I think Sam is currently in the most danger. He's spending all his time with people who aren't telling him what they're doing, who he thinks are some kind of family, and who he seems to trust. His idea of a good day is being able to breathe fresh air and know Dean is alive and well, but it's like he never expects to be happy again. I can see why.
Still, the acting choices from both of them were great, and the direction and editing choices also excellent.
I'm really intrigued to see what comes next story and relationship-wise. I'm not looking forward to another load of episodes where the brothers are estranged again - it's too depressing.
On the writing front, though, there was something missing. There was far too much tell and far too little show. Think back to when Dean came back from hell - we had something like 10 minutes of Dean, very little dialogue, all show, show, show. Sam comes back and we get a 'hey, I'm back, I'm me, let's hug, oh, and here's some family'? Yeah, that was taking the easy road and did very little for me, sorry. Maybe at some point we'll get a bit of looking back to see what Sam's year has been like, but for a programme that only usually resorts to tell for little things like 'remind me again why we're here?' / 'it's where the body was found', it was a bit of an abrupt change.
No idea what's coming up next week, but if it involves the creepy Campbells being run over by a truck driven by Sam who's figured out they're evil, that would be fine.
So.
Wow, that's a lot to take in at once. I'm not going to try to recap any of it, but there's a whole raft of possibilities in what's going on that mean yet more pain for the boys. The choices Sam has made since deciding to try to get Lucifer back in his cage have been about him blaming himself for everything and thinking he's the only one who could (and should) stop the apocalypse. Fair enough, and in his headspace that was probably the right thing, as well as letting Dean have his 'normal' life, but holy crap, after all that the two of them had been through, letting Dean think Sam was in hell this whole time? That's just not on. However, Sam's lack of emotion is absolutely fascinating to watch, and completely in character from what we've seen of him living through Dean being gone (and while it's self-imposed, Dean is again gone from Sam's life) and combine that with his PTSD from being in the worst part of hell with the worst creature, I think it'll take a long time for Sam to get back to any semblance of emotional stability. Removing himself from his emotions is a classic way for both him and Dean to cope, but Sam's better at shutting it all down.
As for the Campbells, they all just creep me the hell out. I'm beginning to be more concerned than I ever thought I would be that Mary's bloodline was the one that led to Sam being Lucifer's vessel. We know John's led to Michael because that's what enabled Adam to stand in for Dean, so does that mean there's something inherently hinky with the whole Campbell clan? Or am I just thinking that because they're really disturbing? Sam has been with them a long time - potentially the better part of a year - and they've been keeping secrets from him that whole time? Not good.
And Dean. He's clearly not happy from the very start, but he's making the best of things. He and Lisa can see their relationship for what it is - not a massive romance, but something they can both cope with. I like that Lisa is practical, intelligent, good for him and also very honest about what she thinks and what she has. Dean, as ever, ends up making the decision that he feels obligated to: stick with people he loves to protect them. As usual, he blames himself for all the bad that's happened and that could happen. As usual, he's putting everyone else first.
Out of the two of them, though, I think Sam is currently in the most danger. He's spending all his time with people who aren't telling him what they're doing, who he thinks are some kind of family, and who he seems to trust. His idea of a good day is being able to breathe fresh air and know Dean is alive and well, but it's like he never expects to be happy again. I can see why.
Still, the acting choices from both of them were great, and the direction and editing choices also excellent.
I'm really intrigued to see what comes next story and relationship-wise. I'm not looking forward to another load of episodes where the brothers are estranged again - it's too depressing.
On the writing front, though, there was something missing. There was far too much tell and far too little show. Think back to when Dean came back from hell - we had something like 10 minutes of Dean, very little dialogue, all show, show, show. Sam comes back and we get a 'hey, I'm back, I'm me, let's hug, oh, and here's some family'? Yeah, that was taking the easy road and did very little for me, sorry. Maybe at some point we'll get a bit of looking back to see what Sam's year has been like, but for a programme that only usually resorts to tell for little things like 'remind me again why we're here?' / 'it's where the body was found', it was a bit of an abrupt change.
No idea what's coming up next week, but if it involves the creepy Campbells being run over by a truck driven by Sam who's figured out they're evil, that would be fine.