Supernatural 5x08: Changing Channels
I don't think I've been quite so concerned about the length of the run of filler episodes as some, largely because I categorise 5x06 as mytharc, albeit of the standalone variety, but I was still getting itchy wanting to get back to the main plot.
So it was nice to see Show roll up its sleeves and dive back into the nitty gritty this week, even though they definitely took the scenic route. With bonus laugh track.
* Talking of the soundtrack, they definitely turned the echoes up to eleven when the show dived into the Trickster's TV scenarios. In fact, the echoes started outside the warehouse... a giveaway clue/cue that something was off kilter.
* I guess Dean's not given up the cheeseburgers just yet. Unless the need for a bigger mouth is a cunning defence trick.
* The wallpaper. It blinds me! And Jensen is definitely pitching his voice higher for sitcom!Dean. The theme tune and credits sequence is fluffy and adorable. My favourite moment is definitely Sam finding the sheet-draped ghost in the wardrobe. And I'm not sure I've ever seen the boys smile so much. It's almost as blinding as the wallpaper.
* Clever moment, introducing the TV shows by having one of them playing in their motel room before they get yanked from real life. Watched by Dean, who has channel surfed through the history of film and television in search of pop culture quotes. "When did you hit menopause?"
* "You might say you wouldn't like him when he's angry." Hee. The Incredible Hulk shoutout is classic Trickster. Even more so that he uses the classic Lou Ferrigno version.
* Another off-screen conversation established. It's pretty clear now that Sam must have told Dean about the thousand Groundhog Days of death scenario in Mystery Spot. And if Dean wants to gank the Trickster so badly for it, then I wonder if it's as much about his understanding of what that experience did to Sam as the deaths he underwent himself but doesn't remember. Is he coming the protective older brother again... though really, vengeance is more Sam's gig, surely? Interestingly, Sam seems to have got past that - I guess in many ways season four was worse - and is in full on recruiting mode. Allies for the apocalpyse!
* Aw. When the blonde nurse comes along calling for Dr Sexy and makes eye contact with Dean, he looks hopeful she means him, then devastated when he realises she's looking for someone else. Sexual vanity, thy name is Dean Winchester. And I was half expecting the girl who died on Sam's operating table to be Jess. I'm pretty sure the "You're afraid. You're afraid to operate again. And you're afraid to love" conversation was metatextual. Sam's still got to be a little afraid of his excesses in a hunting context, hasn't he?
* Then Dean gets shot and they get a painful demonstration of just how real this game can be. Poor Sam, forced to operate and not knowing what to do in a sterile operating theatre environment. "I need a penknife, some dental floss, a sewing needle, and a fifth of whisky. Stat."
* Ouch at the questions in the Japanese game show. Those were more painful than the penalty for failure... though I guess Sam might disagree. And what hurts most is that the boys don't even get to hear them, since they're in Japanese. I like that they referenced Sam choosing Ruby over Dean again, since that's at the heart of Dean's trust and betrayal issues with his brother. But Dean's question is the one that truly got to me. I don't think Show has ever gone there before. It's always been about what life would have been like if Azazel hadn't cursed their family by visiting Sam's nursery at the right time, because Dean can't imagine a life where Sam isn't part of it. Even when he and Sam don't get along, as in "What Is And What Should Never Be", he still programs his brother into his fantasy. But Dean's life could have been radically different if John and Mary had never had a second child, or at least not had one 9 1/2 years after Mary's deal. He'd be an only child, probably with two still living parents, and a civilian with a mundane job. And he'd probably have the wife and kids and nice house in the suburbs; all the things that he wistfully hankers after but knows can never be part of the life he currently has.
* I'm sure it's no coincidence that the girl assistants were wearing little devil outfits, demon horns and everything. And Cas showing up really spoils the party. "Mr Trickster does not like pretty boy angels." Or at least, he doesn't care for pretty boy angels who aren't on board with the vessel program.
* Oh, Sam. So acutely uncomfortable doing his public service announcement commercial. And that's two weeks running. Are the supernatural beings giving commentary on his girlfriend choices last year?
* Was Dean sniffing for sulphur when the Trickster slammed him up against the wall? And did he catch a whiff of angel dust instead? Probably not, since at this point they still believe it's possible to kill the Trickster, but he's definitely in assessment mode after Castiel's warning. Yet again we get "play the roles that Destiny has chosen for you." Free will, guys, free will. Resist to the end.
* "I hate that we're in a procedural cop show. And you want to know why? Because I hate procedural cop shows." It figures that Dean would have a disdain for this particular genre. It's too close to his own job, so he'd sit there gnashing his teeth over the details they get wrong. And with the fake IDs and the credit card scams and the grave desecrations, he's always lived on uncertain terms with the law. Given his own circumstances, his sympathy is going to be with the victims and the falsely accused, not the people the show focusses on and who are forever getting in his way.
* Fake-out staking, the remake! Which leads us to...
* Sam-Impala-KITT. And I'm sure it's just icing on the cake for the writers that Dean is now playing Michael Knight. Dean pulling holy oil out of the Impala's trunk Sam's ass. "Should I honk?" Oh, I am never going to be able to ship Dean/Impala in the same way ever again...
* "It's about two brothers who loved each other and betrayed each other." A bit on the anvilicious side, but it's worth it for the sideways look that says that Dean gets the parallel instantly, and Sam doesn't quite see it until it's spelled out for him.
* Love those holy rings of fire, the angelic equivalent of the devil's trap. And Gabriel is interesting, as Raphael was. Neither one of them has a personal stake in one side or the other, exactly, they just want to get on with things, to get the apocalpyse over and done with. There's the usual angelic lack of concern with who might get caught in the crossfire, but I think Sam and Dean might just have shaken Gabriel a little. And an archangel on their side would be an even better coup than a trickster would.
* Also, I can't help but wonder. Is he 100% archangel, or is he an archangel in a trickster meatsuit? That'd be quite fascinating, as a sideways power up.
So it was nice to see Show roll up its sleeves and dive back into the nitty gritty this week, even though they definitely took the scenic route. With bonus laugh track.
* Talking of the soundtrack, they definitely turned the echoes up to eleven when the show dived into the Trickster's TV scenarios. In fact, the echoes started outside the warehouse... a giveaway clue/cue that something was off kilter.
* I guess Dean's not given up the cheeseburgers just yet. Unless the need for a bigger mouth is a cunning defence trick.
* The wallpaper. It blinds me! And Jensen is definitely pitching his voice higher for sitcom!Dean. The theme tune and credits sequence is fluffy and adorable. My favourite moment is definitely Sam finding the sheet-draped ghost in the wardrobe. And I'm not sure I've ever seen the boys smile so much. It's almost as blinding as the wallpaper.
* Clever moment, introducing the TV shows by having one of them playing in their motel room before they get yanked from real life. Watched by Dean, who has channel surfed through the history of film and television in search of pop culture quotes. "When did you hit menopause?"
* "You might say you wouldn't like him when he's angry." Hee. The Incredible Hulk shoutout is classic Trickster. Even more so that he uses the classic Lou Ferrigno version.
* Another off-screen conversation established. It's pretty clear now that Sam must have told Dean about the thousand Groundhog Days of death scenario in Mystery Spot. And if Dean wants to gank the Trickster so badly for it, then I wonder if it's as much about his understanding of what that experience did to Sam as the deaths he underwent himself but doesn't remember. Is he coming the protective older brother again... though really, vengeance is more Sam's gig, surely? Interestingly, Sam seems to have got past that - I guess in many ways season four was worse - and is in full on recruiting mode. Allies for the apocalpyse!
* Aw. When the blonde nurse comes along calling for Dr Sexy and makes eye contact with Dean, he looks hopeful she means him, then devastated when he realises she's looking for someone else. Sexual vanity, thy name is Dean Winchester. And I was half expecting the girl who died on Sam's operating table to be Jess. I'm pretty sure the "You're afraid. You're afraid to operate again. And you're afraid to love" conversation was metatextual. Sam's still got to be a little afraid of his excesses in a hunting context, hasn't he?
* Then Dean gets shot and they get a painful demonstration of just how real this game can be. Poor Sam, forced to operate and not knowing what to do in a sterile operating theatre environment. "I need a penknife, some dental floss, a sewing needle, and a fifth of whisky. Stat."
* Ouch at the questions in the Japanese game show. Those were more painful than the penalty for failure... though I guess Sam might disagree. And what hurts most is that the boys don't even get to hear them, since they're in Japanese. I like that they referenced Sam choosing Ruby over Dean again, since that's at the heart of Dean's trust and betrayal issues with his brother. But Dean's question is the one that truly got to me. I don't think Show has ever gone there before. It's always been about what life would have been like if Azazel hadn't cursed their family by visiting Sam's nursery at the right time, because Dean can't imagine a life where Sam isn't part of it. Even when he and Sam don't get along, as in "What Is And What Should Never Be", he still programs his brother into his fantasy. But Dean's life could have been radically different if John and Mary had never had a second child, or at least not had one 9 1/2 years after Mary's deal. He'd be an only child, probably with two still living parents, and a civilian with a mundane job. And he'd probably have the wife and kids and nice house in the suburbs; all the things that he wistfully hankers after but knows can never be part of the life he currently has.
* I'm sure it's no coincidence that the girl assistants were wearing little devil outfits, demon horns and everything. And Cas showing up really spoils the party. "Mr Trickster does not like pretty boy angels." Or at least, he doesn't care for pretty boy angels who aren't on board with the vessel program.
* Oh, Sam. So acutely uncomfortable doing his public service announcement commercial. And that's two weeks running. Are the supernatural beings giving commentary on his girlfriend choices last year?
* Was Dean sniffing for sulphur when the Trickster slammed him up against the wall? And did he catch a whiff of angel dust instead? Probably not, since at this point they still believe it's possible to kill the Trickster, but he's definitely in assessment mode after Castiel's warning. Yet again we get "play the roles that Destiny has chosen for you." Free will, guys, free will. Resist to the end.
* "I hate that we're in a procedural cop show. And you want to know why? Because I hate procedural cop shows." It figures that Dean would have a disdain for this particular genre. It's too close to his own job, so he'd sit there gnashing his teeth over the details they get wrong. And with the fake IDs and the credit card scams and the grave desecrations, he's always lived on uncertain terms with the law. Given his own circumstances, his sympathy is going to be with the victims and the falsely accused, not the people the show focusses on and who are forever getting in his way.
* Fake-out staking, the remake! Which leads us to...
* Sam-Impala-KITT. And I'm sure it's just icing on the cake for the writers that Dean is now playing Michael Knight. Dean pulling holy oil out of the Impala's trunk Sam's ass. "Should I honk?" Oh, I am never going to be able to ship Dean/Impala in the same way ever again...
* "It's about two brothers who loved each other and betrayed each other." A bit on the anvilicious side, but it's worth it for the sideways look that says that Dean gets the parallel instantly, and Sam doesn't quite see it until it's spelled out for him.
* Love those holy rings of fire, the angelic equivalent of the devil's trap. And Gabriel is interesting, as Raphael was. Neither one of them has a personal stake in one side or the other, exactly, they just want to get on with things, to get the apocalpyse over and done with. There's the usual angelic lack of concern with who might get caught in the crossfire, but I think Sam and Dean might just have shaken Gabriel a little. And an archangel on their side would be an even better coup than a trickster would.
* Also, I can't help but wonder. Is he 100% archangel, or is he an archangel in a trickster meatsuit? That'd be quite fascinating, as a sideways power up.