2x22
For the sake of making the last one of the season a Big Freakin' Deal, I wrote this review out old-school style: in a long, bloated narrative. The parts in bold are commentary (what would ordinarily be my bullet points), and the rest is re-cap. There is excessive use of victory arms (\o/) towards the end. fyi.
( 2x22: All Hell Breaks Loose )
( 2x22: All Hell Breaks Loose )
I imagine he's probably bemoaning himself for leaving, unsupervised, a grieving kid who has enough knowledge to be dangerous
I loved that line. Absolutely perfect. I really hope to see more of Bobby in season 3.
I'm mean enough to be disappointed that Ellen's alive, but only slightly. *g* Dean was so happy to see her, I'll give her a pass this time. ;)
I must have missed a memo, but I'm totally confuzzled as to why we had a new Crossroads Demon this time. I liked the old one. Maybe she was busy so her Mom came instead? Anyway, it was a pretty good scene, but I agree, this CD is really not that good. But man, when Dean kissed her! Smoke practically rolled out of my TV. JA is amazing. If he doesn't AT LEAST get an Emmy nomination out of this ep, there is no justice.
So much to love in this ep and you definitely hit it all. And I agree with you on the mytharc. I was really surprised at the controversy that seems to have erupted since the ep aired. I mean, I loved the whole YED thing as much as anyone (and again, I ask, considering the show we're talking about, can we really be confident that anyone is truly gone for good?) but it had to end sometime. Maybe the storyline could have been stretched for another season (in which case they'd be moaning about it getting stale...) but four or five? I don't want the show to change but it has to evolve. They were building to something with the psykids and Sam's abilities, etc. They had to get there sometime. I'm actually really excited about the way Kripke & Co have set up season 3. The time pressure, knowing there's only one year, what they're going to have to do, to try and save Dean...and there's a huge change for them both, Sammy being the one to save Dean for once. I think Sam's hungry for it, and it's going to be interesting to see how Dean takes it. The way he reacted at the end of the finale, when Sam said "and what's my job?", it was like the idea of anyone, especially Sammy, sacrificing for him...it was just completely alien to Dean. That boy has been carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders since he was old enough to hold a gun and it's going to be something to see, how he adjusts to someone else helping carry the load. Also, he didn't tell Sam about the CD's stipulation, about how if Dean tries anything to "weasel out" of the deal will get Sammy dead again. But oh, the look on Dean's face when Sammy was talking about saving him. The sadness in his eyes, like he knows one year is it, and he's got to live every second of it, make the most of every moment with his brother. I was talking to a friend about the deal, and she was saying that the CD said if Dean did anything to weasel out, not Sam, and I was like...yeah, maybe, but that's a hell of a loophole. She knew Sam would be coming back to life, so I'm a little concerned that she'll naturally treat any attempt by either of them to break the deal as reneging on the contract. At any rate, I'm interested to see if Dean tells Sam, or if he just tries throughout the season to make sure Sam stays alive, even if that means trying to keep Sam from saving him.
That moment with Ghost!John. *clutches heart* The way he looked at Dean, like he was telling him he was proud, that he could be at peace now, that Dean was worth the sacrifice, all the pain and the time in Hell.
Oh show! *wibble*
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See, I'm torn - sometimes, I want this show to take an epic feel, which means having more characters running around, but other times the intimacy of just the winchesters feels right, too. I guess if Kripke's using Star Wars as inspiration, maybe he should shoot for epic. For more Bobbys. (AND I DEMAND AN ANDY/ASH REPLACEMENT ASAP) Goodness knows the boys are going to need more, if the war is as big as they think it is. Hell, they're gonna need their own army.
I'm totally confuzzled as to why we had a new Crossroads Demon this time.
I loathed the old one, but compared to this one, I totally want her back. I don't get how the CB summoning thing works, either. If a different one came every time, Dean should have kept on summoning until he hit a more bearable deal. Crazy boy. :/
If he doesn't AT LEAST get an Emmy nomination out of this ep, there is no justice.
Kim Manners NEVER got an Emmy in his whole run on XF. Emmys generally don't take stuff like sci-fi seriously (I think the only reason XF the show won anything was because they were on FOX and just a HUGE audience draw), and they most certainly don't take the CW seriously. If Ackles wants an Emmy, he has to do a stint on a more prestigious network.
I was really surprised at the controversy that seems to have erupted since the ep aired.
There was controversy? What's going on, did people think they cut it too short?
I'm actually really excited about the way Kripke & Co have set up season 3. The time pressure, knowing there's only one year, what they're going to have to do
Yesss, I love this too, having the course set out for us. Sometimes it doesn't work, but in SPN's case it builds the suspense. A+
Sammy being the one to save Dean for once.
IIRC, someone did a saving!count where they tallied up how many times who saved who, and surprise! It was pretty much even down the line! Yes, I was surprised, too, I expected Dean would be the lead horse. But it is so good to see Sammy in action the way he was in faith. I get the feeling that when Dean does the saving, he's really really worried as hell, "holding it together", etc., but when Sam does the saving, he just gets really pissed as hell at whatever is the threat. It's kinda hot. And I've been DYING for some hardcore monster killing, so maybe next season will be it, now that Sam's in place, demon blood and all!!! :)
CD said if Dean did anything to weasel out, not Sam, and I was like...yeah, maybe, but that's a hell of a loophole
Oooh, yeah that was probably implied by the CD that it included Sam, too. Times like that I wish Dean would be able to call up the XF genie bitch and have her be his "lawyer" to the demons. XD
I'm a little concerned that she'll naturally treat any attempt by either of them to break the deal as reneging on the contract.
I will be shocked and suprised if Kripke doesn't gloss over this detail and actually show Sam starting to drop dead when they try to find a way out. I fully expect Krip to stretch that clause for miles and miles to fit what he needs to do. ;)
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I'm actually the opposite. I prefer insular more than epic, because for every character running around, that's less screen time for Sam and Dean. *greed* I never liked Ash or Ellen (and my feelings about Jo are well-documented) so I wouldn't be sorry if they didn't come back. I'm mean. ;)
I do like Bobby though. He's really grown on me, and the actor who plays him is wonderful. He's gone from being a sort of interesting supporting character who pops up once in a while to really establishing himself as a very important force in Sam and Dean's lives. I really like the father figure angle. Go Bobby! *g*
I'm interested in this Crossroads Demon thing. Lucy said that a lot of people didn't like her and it's the first I heard of it, so I guess that's why they replaced her. I actually liked her. I'm curious, why did you loathe her? I thought she was pretty sexy.
And now we're stuck with her Mom. Happy now? ;)
I was really surprised at the controversy that seems to have erupted since the ep aired.
There was controversy? What's going on, did people think they cut it too short?
I was reading over on supernatural_tv, in one of the discussion threads, it was mostly positive but a few people said they were disappointed and they were unhappy with the set up for season 3, and they basically said that if the focus of the show shifts from the Winchesters fighting the demon to Sam trying to get Dean out of the deal, the show is going to change and not be the SPN we love anymore and it's going to start to suck, because when all great shows start to change they wind up sucking. And keep in mind, this was before the finale even aired on the West Coast! It was like minutes after the show aired out here.
So that's why I was saying, the YED storyline had to end sometime, because a lot of shows make the mistake of keeping a mytharc going TOO long, and what are you going to do, still have them hunting the YED in two or three years? I don't think people should be so worried. I think it's a terrific set up for season three and I see it not as changing, but evolving, which is as it should be. Stagnation isn't good for anybody. Besides, the threads that run throughout the show, love, family, sacrifice, those are being adhered to and strengthened by the developments of the finale. Dean has sacrificed himself for Sam and now Sam is determined to do whatever it takes to keep Dean alive, and to me that's VERY exciting, to see how that plays out, especially with Dean's self-destructive determination to sacrifice everything for his family. He has a very fatalistic attitude and I think too, Bobby really nailed it when he said that about Dean having low self-worth. He probably thought he was lucky to get a year! He really doesn't think he's worth saving. It's all for Sammy, it's always been for Sammy, and maybe that's what got some people riled up. Maybe they prefer the Dean protecting Sam thing and they're afraid it's all going to change. I don't see that happening. I think Dean is going to still see protecting Sam as his sacred duty, which is why he would probably savor every minute of his year with Sam and then march willingly into Hell. The challenge, I think, is going to come from Sam trying to stop that happening, and how far is Dean going to be willing to go to make sure he doesn't welsh on the deal and therefore get Sam killed? Will they actually end up battling each other over this? Yikes!
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Man, I can't wait for season 3! I think it's going to be fantastic. I mean, this is just the sort of thing I like, which is focusing on the brothers and their love for each other and doing whatever it takes to save each other. It's still good vs. evil but this is just as personal as what went on in seasons 1 and 2. I think Kripke is going to have plenty of surprises up his sleeve as well, and I think it'll be very interesting, as you said, to see how far he stretches that clause.
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I thought she was really hot, too, but I every time she opened her mouth, it was as campy as if I was watching Callisto monologuing on Xena. I hate it when SPN gets campy in a serious episode. And her mom was 10x worse. Her mom was just drooling over Dean and trying not to let her lines get in the way. Not that I blame the woman, but that's why it's called Acting. Demons get hungry for souls, but they do not fawn over them, so that made me cringe.
if the focus of the show shifts...the show is going to change and not be the SPN we love anymore...
Ah, well I think the don't have to worry about that because the show was always about the boys going through stuff together. A different mytharc isn't going to change anything...you could even think of mytharcs as a really, really, huge motw in the big picture. And changing the motw isn't going to change the show. No, what would really change the show requires something like, oh, MULDER LEAVING AND GETTING REPLACED BY TWO NEW LEADS.
I ♥ Kripke for proclaiming from the getgo things will be moving along, people will be coming and going, and nothing (besides the broyay, metallicar, music and general badassery) is going to get dragged on forever.
it's not that Sam loves Dean any less than Dean loves him, but he's always been the baby...So I think for him, the idea of Sam protecting him, it's strange and new and sort of hard for him to wrap his head around.
Lol, as ridiculous as that reasoning sounds in words, it's true. Like, my sister and I have always been "equals" for all practical purposes, but there is still a family hierarchy which prevails nonetheless, an attitude on all our parts that she is still the youngest and needs to be looked after more than anyone else. It's silly to consider it objectively because she's not a kid anymore, but still...it's a totem pole of protectiveness thing. So yeah, I can relate to Dean about the idea of Sam protecting him is kind of anti-instinctual and almost unnatural.
I think Kripke is going to have plenty of surprises up his sleeve as well
I'm still rolling from the fact, especially after Asylum, knowing that Kripke actually lurks around like some creepy lurker and listens to us. It's crazy!
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if the focus of the show shifts...the show is going to change and not be the SPN we love anymore...
Ah, well I think the don't have to worry about that because the show was always about the boys going through stuff together. A different mytharc isn't going to change anything...you could even think of mytharcs as a really, really, huge motw in the big picture. And changing the motw isn't going to change the show. No, what would really change the show requires something like, oh, MULDER LEAVING AND GETTING REPLACED BY TWO NEW LEADS.
Exactly! I couldn't believe how overanxious people were getting about season 3, and season 2 wasn't even cold in the ground yet. Seriously, relax people. Kripke hasn't let us down yet. And you're absolutely right, the essential focus of the show has always been the Winchester boys standing shoulder to shoulder, fighting the forces of darkness, fighting for what's right, trying to settle the score. Whether it's their Mom or Dad or even one of the brothers themselves they're trying to protect/avenge, it's still the same badass show. I think the new mytharc (which is really just an extension of the old one) is going to make the show even better. I'm excited...it's like the Metallicar is revved up and there's hundreds of miles of brand new road stretching out ahead. And the way they've laid the groundwork, it's just tremendously exciting.
So yeah, I can relate to Dean about the idea of Sam protecting him is kind of anti-instinctual and almost unnatural.
YES! You hit it right on the head. Every instinct in Dean tells him to protect Sam. There's no way he's gonna take a chance on anything happening to his little brother again, even if it means he himself is damned to Hell. And of course, there's Sam, equally determined to make sure he saves Dean from that very thing. So in a way, they're working together but working at cross-purposes too. I mean, don't get me wrong, Dean wants to live as much as the next guy. Maybe even more, given the things he's seen. But if it comes down to a choice between his life and Sam's? No contest. It's going to be very interesting to see how that plays out.
I'm still rolling from the fact, especially after Asylum, knowing that Kripke actually lurks around like some creepy lurker and listens to us. It's crazy!
LOL! Okay, this is probably a dumb question, but exactly what happened? You mean Asylum the con and not Asylum the ep, I take it. What exactly happened or was said to let everyone know that Kripke's among us? (thinks about everything I ever said in unlocked posts...*g*) Man, that really is crazy but it's kinda cool too. And he LISTENS, that's what amazes me. That's why the Dean/Jo pairing went nowhere, because the fans didn't want it. That's why (I assume) we have a new Crossroads Demon. I think that's what blows my mind...not that he's watching, but that he actually gives a damn and he makes his choices to an extent, in accordance with what he's heard and seen. That's just freaking cool.
Sorry for the repost, I somehow managed to italicize everything! *g*
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I was scatterbrained when I said that, I meant Asylum on top of everything else like the interviews w/ Sera, Krip, etc. Just the general impression that they're watching us (w/ Manners, of all people, pimpin' fanfic for amusement? I would imagine after XF, he wouldn't be interested in our fangirling at all. AT ALL. *is still shocked*) . It's kinda freaky. And ITA, we're the reason why Dean/Jo never happened and maybe why there's a new CD. I think it's cool, too, but I hope in the end Kripke doesn't care too much about whatever we're whining about and that Kripke Does What Kripke Wants. If he listened to us too much, SPN would turn unbearably fanficcy, and it certainly felt that way sometimes in S2.
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Yeah, I agree with you. When everything shakes loose, it's pretty cool that Kripke actually considers what the fans are saying to be worth hearing, and that he's not unwilling to change plans he's made when he realizes they're just not working for us. But definitely, I wouldn't want him to be a puppet of the fans or too easily swayed. I'm comfortable with him in the driver's seat. There have been a few bumps in the road (to think we might have ended up with Dean + Jo forever *shudder) but as far as I can tell, he hasn't let us down yet. It was his cool-ass vision that brought us the Winchesters in the first place, and I'm really looking forward to seeing what he brings us in season three.
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Oh man, that reminds me to think what if we ended up with Jensen playing Sam? I'd bet money that Jensen would make Sam 3x more interesting than the way Jared plays him.
And it's so easy to make Dean come across as a cocky asshole, but Jensen made him a loveable/vulnerable, cocky asshole. I seriously feel like the CW bought a Lexus for the price of a Toyota when they hired Ackles. Not so good for him, but GREAT for us. XD
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Really? I don't have the DA dvds. What did they say, exactly?
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The commentary track, they just raved about him, going on and on about what a great actor he is, how he really sells it, how professional he is and how great it was to work with him, and there's one episode where his character has to play a pretty complicated piece on the piano, and they were saying that they'd actually hired a professional pianist to do the playing in the hand shots, but they ended up not even needing him because Jensen literally learned how to play it in like one day, some insane amount of time or something, and he just played it flawlessly. No one could believe it. They really couldn't say enough about him.
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