First Impressions: 5.12 Swap Meat
A new season and a new set of episode reviews. Enjoy!
With each of these reviews I'll include 2 cropped caps from the episode. One of Dean and one of Sam. I decided to do something different and make them b&w.
Consider these fanart. If you take either of them, please give credit. :)
I'm a bit late with this, sorry. Since I've got my comm spn_westcoast to monitor and discuss the episodes as they air with other viewers, I don't get to take notes during the initial showing anymore. So these notes (which are a bit long - sorry!) were made during my 3rd viewing of the eppy.
Note: "==============" signifies a commercial break.
No recap this week.
Keep in mind I knew the basic plot of this eppy months ahead of time. I knew it would not be a body swap between Dean & Sam, but one between Sam and some other guy.
I’m going to say right off the bat, that I have problems with this episode. The premise was fine, but the way in which it was written failed IMO. This review is going to be a little different than my usual ones and less of a play-by-play.
We start off with Sam ordering a banana dacqueri at a bar and catching the attention of a cougar out trolling. But of course, this isn’t Sam, it’s actually Gary, a high school kid we’ll learn more about in a little bit. He’s the one who’s swapped bodies with Sam. I love Jared’s performance here as Gary. It must have been great fun to play someone who’s pretending to be someone other than who he is and I think the episode would have been better if they had stuck with this reality-view of the swap. Once we see Gary in Sam’s clothes, it clues us in as to who’s really there, but it’s not what we really should be seeing.
But the humor in the scene is great. “Crystal, I would LOVE to have the sex with you.” LOL!
After the title card we’re in Housatonic, Massachusetts (say that 5 times real fast) and it’s 36 hours earlier. The boys are reminiscing with the best babysitter they ever had as kids. Back when John was gone for 2 weeks and Sammy was making his own reading list. It’s nice to learn more about their childhood. But this family has a suspected poltergeist and the woman’s daughter was attacked, with the words “Murdered Chylde” scratched onto her stomach. They tell the family to take a vacation and they’ll deal with the uninvited guest.
The brothers head off to a diner to do research and eat. Dean’s got his bacon cheeseburger and Sam his salad shake. “Oh, you shake it up, baby.” LOL! Dean wonders if Sam wants that domestic life - wife, kids and all that, but Sam doesn’t want that anymore. Moving on, Sam’s found a legend about the house involving a guy killing a witch named Maggie Briggs there. Meanwhile, Gary, who works at the diner is watching the guys, especially Sam. Creepy.
We cut to evening and Sam is walking and telling Dean on the phone that he couldn’t find any evidence of a Maggie Briggs ever existing. Btw, recognize the locale? You’ll see a familiar Taverna on the corner behind Sam. It’s the same street from the end of “Hook Man” and from “Mystery Spot”! Yes, I squeed when I saw them only because I visited that place back in August! *squee* :D Anyway....Sam hangs up, but hears a noise. Next thing he knows he’s shot in the neck with a tranquilizer dart. This brings up a problem. Wouldn’t it make sense to pull that dart out right away? But no...Sam holds his hand around it and his neck, groaning a bit before he finally does a nice faceplant. Good thing he was in a grassy yard.
He wakes up in the woods somewhere and wearing Gary’s ugly diner uniform, complete with his name tag. He then walks down a road, finding an inhaler in his pocket (which seems like a minor thing, seeing as the asthma problem Gary has barely comes into play) and is approached by a police car to take him home. Thing is, home is of course, Gary’s home, complete with two worried parents who rush out to greet him. Sam is naturally confused until he looks in the window of the patrol car and sees Gary’s image instead of himself.
=========================
Meanwhile, Gary is in the motel room admiring his new muscular physique in the mirror. Dean comes in and asks where he’s been and Gary deflects it easy by showing that he brought Dean some food. Damn, this kid already knows the way into Dean’s heart. He did make one mistake in letting the maid in, who saw the guns on the bed and now they’ve gotta get out of there. Gary heads out to the car where he swiftly dumps all the extra phones from the glove compartment into a dumpster! Gah! Dean gets into the car and Gary asks to drive. After revving the engine several times, to which Dean says, “You wanna get the lead out Andretti? Come on.” So the kid puts it into gear, but he’s got it in reverse and despite Dean’s warning, backs the Impala right into the dumpster. Ouch! *pets Impala* Dean’s pissed and well, who can blame him? Love the exchange as they switch places....
Gary: “I am really, really sorry!”
Dean: “Shut up!”
Heehee!
But you gotta wonder why Dean didn’t question this incident more. Sam knows how to drive and surely Dean would know if he was drunk or not. The logic of it doesn’t compute and this alone makes Dean look like an idiot. Oh, and recognize that building as they tear out of the parking lot? Also the motel from “Mystery Spot”. Hee!
Sam, back in Gary’s bedroom is calling “Dean’s other, other cell”. Heh. Sam’s been calling every phone they’ve got, to tell his brother he’s in the wrong body. Nice work with both actors in front of the mirror. Sam goes searching the room and finds that Gary’s a smart kid, a frustrated virgin, and he’s messing with some serious witchcraft. “You little satanic bastard.” Hee! And check out Jared in this scene...he’s doing some serious sweating. LOL Give that man a towel!
He heads downstairs for breakfast and the dad wants to know what happened to the plan and not drinking and all that and Sam’s just trying to find out more information. This freaks out the parents a bit, but amuses the younger sister. He then gets flustered with it all and does something very un-Sam like. He reaches over to the mom’s plate and takes her toast and starts eating it! She then reminds him he has a wheat gluten allergy. Ooops. And again, this doesn’t add up. Why would Sam do such a thing? It’s out of character. Dean would be more likely to take from someone else’s plate. And why was this wheat gluten thing a big deal anyway? Because of the asthma? He was sick in the bathroom and then he was fine. What did that have to do with the plot....at all? *sigh* Sam finds out from his “sister” that there’s a book that he’s been keeping secret. Finally, we’re getting somewhere.
Elsewhere, Gary and Dean are heading off to work on the case when Gary slips some valuable information about Maggie Briggs. Turns out she was a which and had an illegitamate child with Pickett, the house owner, and he killed her and buried her in the basement. They get in the car and Gary loves the music that’s playing, asking Dean to turn it up. This surprises Dean, but he goes with it. This one I’ll let slide, ‘cause goodness knows Sam’s heard enough classic rock over the years. It’s not completely impossible that he might actually like some of the stuff. After all, he did sing along with Bon Jovi in "No Rest For The Wicked".
Sam’s at school, running into Gary’s friends and locating his locker. He finds the usual high schooler stuff and an old leather-bound book in the back. Bad....very bad.
Dean and Gary are checking out the basement and Gary’s a little too gung ho over having a shotgun in his hands. Dean questions it, but again....lets it go. They find the grave and Dean digs in as Gary keeps watch. Thing is...Gary decides to point the gun at Dean! He apologizes, but is thrown into the wall before he can kill Dean. Dean goes into full big-brother mode and rushes over. Soon the spirit of Maggie Briggs is there, Dean in her sights, but Gary burns the bones just in time. Phew!
========================
Sam’s leaving the school campus and Gary’s friends want to know why. Trevor swiftly fires off another dart into Sam’s neck and down he goes. *sigh*
Gary & Dean are at a local bar having drinks and sharing the same greasy burger meal, which again, Dean questions. The Sam he knows wouldn’t eat that kind of food, but Gary explains it away and the drinking begins...a little less successfully on Gary’s part. He’s going on about the day being awesome and Dean wonders why he’s so happy. Just as Dean’s getting really suspicious, Gary brings up about having your life decided for you and all that. This actually works, because with Lucifer and Michael eyeing the boys for their meat suits, that would be a logical thought of Sam’s. Gary also brings up that he’s drunk, so okay....Dean accepts it. Dean looks happy for a moment because he and Sam are actually drinking together. How sad is it that this moment happened and it wasn’t really Sam at all? The burgers arrive and Gary goes on about Dean being a “good guy” and Dean just looks....puzzled. Time goes by and Dean’s now sitting by himself. We see the tale end of the opening scene and Dean watches as Gary leaves the bar with Crystal.
Gary: “We’re gonna do it!” *giggles*
By now the gears are finally (Finally!) turning in Dean’s head. Something is NOT right here.
Sam’s now tied up in Trevor’s basement, whose parents are out of town. Trevor’s called Gary who assures him he’s working up to killing Dean. Sam overhears this and right away he’s worried. Gary hangs up and Crystal comes into the room in her shiny black Dom outfit. Yeah, Gary, you’re way in over your head in a lot of things. Idiot. Sam learns that the kids have been conversing with demons and are set to collect the bounty now on Dean’s head. He tries to talk some sense into them. “You’re crossing a line you won’t come back from. Believe me.” This rattles Nora, but Trevor decides to do a demon summoning spell. Yikes.
Gary returns to the motel room and sees Dean asleep. He grabs a gun only to have Dean come from the shadows and punch him. Yay! Dean!
Dean: “You’re not Sam. Who the hell are you?”
Gary: “Ow!”
Hee!
Trevor is doing the ritual, despite Sam’s protests. Nora wakes up possessed. Uh oh.
==========================
Sarah Drew does an amazing job here at being possessed. She just eats up the screen. The demon’s thrilled to have not only Dean but Sam’s meat suit within it’s grasp. Trevor is such an idiot, demanding his reward. Oh, you’ll get it, buddy. Heh. The demon leads him on, asking him what he wants.....money & love, the old favorites. He gets the counter offer, the demon’s hand through his guts. She licks the blood off her hand, “Yum. Tastes like moron.” Okay, two things here....one - Why didn’t Sam just recite the exorcism ritual and get rid of that demon before it killed Trevor???? and two - Fake blood is nasty tasting stuff. I’m just sayin’.
Dean’s listening to all the phone messages Sam left - 38 of them to be exact. My problem is....why are we hearing them in Sam’s voice. Wouldn’t they be in Gary’s voice? Hmmm....yet another inconsistency. Gary’s tied up and freaking out, saying he doesn’t want to die and that he’s sorry. Dean finds out where Sam is and that Gary’s only 17 years old (and an idiot...oh, wait....that was implied). Before he can learn anything else, he’s flung across the room and collapses on the floor. Poor Dean....every Thursday..... Demon possessed Nora is there.
Sam’s trying to get out of his bonds and just to make sure we know this is still Gary, we see his image reflected in a mirror.
Back to the motel room and Dean’s still out of it. Nora’s untying Gary and offers him “anything”. He wants to be a real, powerful witch. The demon gets it, but there’s a catch....he has to meet the boss and all he has to do is answer yes to one little question. So now we know all Lucifer needs is Sam’s empty vessel. Sam doesn’t even have to be in there. That complicates things. Anyhoo, Dean comes up behind and tries to stab her with the demon-killing knife, but she fights him off and onto the ground again. She promptly starts kicking him in the stomach. Ouch! Dean looks up at Gary and finally the kid gets smart and starts saying the exorcism spell. The demon’s shocked....and angry and soon turns on Gary. Awesome how, naturally Gary gets strangled in Sam’s place. Hee! Dean takes over the Latin (ooooh, Jensen saying Latin again - Yes!!!!) and the two of them trade off with the ritual until the demon takes off out of Nora’s body.
Dean: “...adios, bitch.”
Gary: “Um, it’s adinos.”
Hee!
Cool scene and all, but to paraphrase Meg in 4x02 “50 words of Latin and Trevor would still be alive.” Sam should have taken out that demon. Those poor parents.
========================
Nora’s curled up on a bed as Gary, with Sam now back in the motel room, performs the ritual to put them back in the correct bodies. Now that everything’s normal again, Dean lets Gary know that if he was of voting age he’d be dead because he and Sam would kill him. It seems a little halfhearted as far as threats go, but then for a 17 year old kid, what is Dean gonna do? Rightfully he deserves far worse for the harm he caused, not to mention his friend’s death, but it seems like the point was well taken and the guys take the two of them back to Gary’s house. Sam tells Gary that he needs to chill out ‘cause his life’s not that bad. “Rebel a little bit....in a healthy, non-satanic way.” He also points out that Nora likes him. Yeah, this kid’s pretty clueless. Oh, well. Gary & Nora go inside and Dean is impressed by what Sam said. Sam confesses he totally lied and that the kid’s life sucks ass. They get in the car and Sam complains about the normal family life being stressful, that they lucked out by missing it. Dean counters that maybe they didn’t know what they were missing. The same music that was playing before comes on and right away Sam complains. Dean mutters “Welcome back, Kotter” and turns it down as he pulls out of the driveway and down the street.
I’ve just about covered all the problems as I see them in this episode. Despite all that, it was enjoyable to watch. But that’s really all I can say for it. Overall, it really didn’t add much to the show. We got a little insight into the boy’s childhood, but that’s really all. And the whole Dean’s got a bounty on his head? Um.....how is this news? Meg stated in 5x01 that every demon was gunning for him and then the possessed mom in 5x06 said harming Dean was encouraged. Learning Dean’s on the demon hit list is not shocking info.
Anyway, I laughed at the episode and enjoyed it for what it was worth, but it’s not one of SPN’s finer hours. Considering the show’s track record, you gotta give them the odd turkey every now and then. Every show has them and one or two a season isn’t really much to complain about.
With each of these reviews I'll include 2 cropped caps from the episode. One of Dean and one of Sam. I decided to do something different and make them b&w.
Consider these fanart. If you take either of them, please give credit. :)
I'm a bit late with this, sorry. Since I've got my comm spn_westcoast to monitor and discuss the episodes as they air with other viewers, I don't get to take notes during the initial showing anymore. So these notes (which are a bit long - sorry!) were made during my 3rd viewing of the eppy.
Note: "==============" signifies a commercial break.
No recap this week.
Keep in mind I knew the basic plot of this eppy months ahead of time. I knew it would not be a body swap between Dean & Sam, but one between Sam and some other guy.
I’m going to say right off the bat, that I have problems with this episode. The premise was fine, but the way in which it was written failed IMO. This review is going to be a little different than my usual ones and less of a play-by-play.
We start off with Sam ordering a banana dacqueri at a bar and catching the attention of a cougar out trolling. But of course, this isn’t Sam, it’s actually Gary, a high school kid we’ll learn more about in a little bit. He’s the one who’s swapped bodies with Sam. I love Jared’s performance here as Gary. It must have been great fun to play someone who’s pretending to be someone other than who he is and I think the episode would have been better if they had stuck with this reality-view of the swap. Once we see Gary in Sam’s clothes, it clues us in as to who’s really there, but it’s not what we really should be seeing.
But the humor in the scene is great. “Crystal, I would LOVE to have the sex with you.” LOL!
After the title card we’re in Housatonic, Massachusetts (say that 5 times real fast) and it’s 36 hours earlier. The boys are reminiscing with the best babysitter they ever had as kids. Back when John was gone for 2 weeks and Sammy was making his own reading list. It’s nice to learn more about their childhood. But this family has a suspected poltergeist and the woman’s daughter was attacked, with the words “Murdered Chylde” scratched onto her stomach. They tell the family to take a vacation and they’ll deal with the uninvited guest.
The brothers head off to a diner to do research and eat. Dean’s got his bacon cheeseburger and Sam his salad shake. “Oh, you shake it up, baby.” LOL! Dean wonders if Sam wants that domestic life - wife, kids and all that, but Sam doesn’t want that anymore. Moving on, Sam’s found a legend about the house involving a guy killing a witch named Maggie Briggs there. Meanwhile, Gary, who works at the diner is watching the guys, especially Sam. Creepy.
We cut to evening and Sam is walking and telling Dean on the phone that he couldn’t find any evidence of a Maggie Briggs ever existing. Btw, recognize the locale? You’ll see a familiar Taverna on the corner behind Sam. It’s the same street from the end of “Hook Man” and from “Mystery Spot”! Yes, I squeed when I saw them only because I visited that place back in August! *squee* :D Anyway....Sam hangs up, but hears a noise. Next thing he knows he’s shot in the neck with a tranquilizer dart. This brings up a problem. Wouldn’t it make sense to pull that dart out right away? But no...Sam holds his hand around it and his neck, groaning a bit before he finally does a nice faceplant. Good thing he was in a grassy yard.
He wakes up in the woods somewhere and wearing Gary’s ugly diner uniform, complete with his name tag. He then walks down a road, finding an inhaler in his pocket (which seems like a minor thing, seeing as the asthma problem Gary has barely comes into play) and is approached by a police car to take him home. Thing is, home is of course, Gary’s home, complete with two worried parents who rush out to greet him. Sam is naturally confused until he looks in the window of the patrol car and sees Gary’s image instead of himself.
=========================
Meanwhile, Gary is in the motel room admiring his new muscular physique in the mirror. Dean comes in and asks where he’s been and Gary deflects it easy by showing that he brought Dean some food. Damn, this kid already knows the way into Dean’s heart. He did make one mistake in letting the maid in, who saw the guns on the bed and now they’ve gotta get out of there. Gary heads out to the car where he swiftly dumps all the extra phones from the glove compartment into a dumpster! Gah! Dean gets into the car and Gary asks to drive. After revving the engine several times, to which Dean says, “You wanna get the lead out Andretti? Come on.” So the kid puts it into gear, but he’s got it in reverse and despite Dean’s warning, backs the Impala right into the dumpster. Ouch! *pets Impala* Dean’s pissed and well, who can blame him? Love the exchange as they switch places....
Gary: “I am really, really sorry!”
Dean: “Shut up!”
Heehee!
But you gotta wonder why Dean didn’t question this incident more. Sam knows how to drive and surely Dean would know if he was drunk or not. The logic of it doesn’t compute and this alone makes Dean look like an idiot. Oh, and recognize that building as they tear out of the parking lot? Also the motel from “Mystery Spot”. Hee!
Sam, back in Gary’s bedroom is calling “Dean’s other, other cell”. Heh. Sam’s been calling every phone they’ve got, to tell his brother he’s in the wrong body. Nice work with both actors in front of the mirror. Sam goes searching the room and finds that Gary’s a smart kid, a frustrated virgin, and he’s messing with some serious witchcraft. “You little satanic bastard.” Hee! And check out Jared in this scene...he’s doing some serious sweating. LOL Give that man a towel!
He heads downstairs for breakfast and the dad wants to know what happened to the plan and not drinking and all that and Sam’s just trying to find out more information. This freaks out the parents a bit, but amuses the younger sister. He then gets flustered with it all and does something very un-Sam like. He reaches over to the mom’s plate and takes her toast and starts eating it! She then reminds him he has a wheat gluten allergy. Ooops. And again, this doesn’t add up. Why would Sam do such a thing? It’s out of character. Dean would be more likely to take from someone else’s plate. And why was this wheat gluten thing a big deal anyway? Because of the asthma? He was sick in the bathroom and then he was fine. What did that have to do with the plot....at all? *sigh* Sam finds out from his “sister” that there’s a book that he’s been keeping secret. Finally, we’re getting somewhere.
Elsewhere, Gary and Dean are heading off to work on the case when Gary slips some valuable information about Maggie Briggs. Turns out she was a which and had an illegitamate child with Pickett, the house owner, and he killed her and buried her in the basement. They get in the car and Gary loves the music that’s playing, asking Dean to turn it up. This surprises Dean, but he goes with it. This one I’ll let slide, ‘cause goodness knows Sam’s heard enough classic rock over the years. It’s not completely impossible that he might actually like some of the stuff. After all, he did sing along with Bon Jovi in "No Rest For The Wicked".
Sam’s at school, running into Gary’s friends and locating his locker. He finds the usual high schooler stuff and an old leather-bound book in the back. Bad....very bad.
Dean and Gary are checking out the basement and Gary’s a little too gung ho over having a shotgun in his hands. Dean questions it, but again....lets it go. They find the grave and Dean digs in as Gary keeps watch. Thing is...Gary decides to point the gun at Dean! He apologizes, but is thrown into the wall before he can kill Dean. Dean goes into full big-brother mode and rushes over. Soon the spirit of Maggie Briggs is there, Dean in her sights, but Gary burns the bones just in time. Phew!
========================
Sam’s leaving the school campus and Gary’s friends want to know why. Trevor swiftly fires off another dart into Sam’s neck and down he goes. *sigh*
Gary & Dean are at a local bar having drinks and sharing the same greasy burger meal, which again, Dean questions. The Sam he knows wouldn’t eat that kind of food, but Gary explains it away and the drinking begins...a little less successfully on Gary’s part. He’s going on about the day being awesome and Dean wonders why he’s so happy. Just as Dean’s getting really suspicious, Gary brings up about having your life decided for you and all that. This actually works, because with Lucifer and Michael eyeing the boys for their meat suits, that would be a logical thought of Sam’s. Gary also brings up that he’s drunk, so okay....Dean accepts it. Dean looks happy for a moment because he and Sam are actually drinking together. How sad is it that this moment happened and it wasn’t really Sam at all? The burgers arrive and Gary goes on about Dean being a “good guy” and Dean just looks....puzzled. Time goes by and Dean’s now sitting by himself. We see the tale end of the opening scene and Dean watches as Gary leaves the bar with Crystal.
Gary: “We’re gonna do it!” *giggles*
By now the gears are finally (Finally!) turning in Dean’s head. Something is NOT right here.
Sam’s now tied up in Trevor’s basement, whose parents are out of town. Trevor’s called Gary who assures him he’s working up to killing Dean. Sam overhears this and right away he’s worried. Gary hangs up and Crystal comes into the room in her shiny black Dom outfit. Yeah, Gary, you’re way in over your head in a lot of things. Idiot. Sam learns that the kids have been conversing with demons and are set to collect the bounty now on Dean’s head. He tries to talk some sense into them. “You’re crossing a line you won’t come back from. Believe me.” This rattles Nora, but Trevor decides to do a demon summoning spell. Yikes.
Gary returns to the motel room and sees Dean asleep. He grabs a gun only to have Dean come from the shadows and punch him. Yay! Dean!
Dean: “You’re not Sam. Who the hell are you?”
Gary: “Ow!”
Hee!
Trevor is doing the ritual, despite Sam’s protests. Nora wakes up possessed. Uh oh.
==========================
Sarah Drew does an amazing job here at being possessed. She just eats up the screen. The demon’s thrilled to have not only Dean but Sam’s meat suit within it’s grasp. Trevor is such an idiot, demanding his reward. Oh, you’ll get it, buddy. Heh. The demon leads him on, asking him what he wants.....money & love, the old favorites. He gets the counter offer, the demon’s hand through his guts. She licks the blood off her hand, “Yum. Tastes like moron.” Okay, two things here....one - Why didn’t Sam just recite the exorcism ritual and get rid of that demon before it killed Trevor???? and two - Fake blood is nasty tasting stuff. I’m just sayin’.
Dean’s listening to all the phone messages Sam left - 38 of them to be exact. My problem is....why are we hearing them in Sam’s voice. Wouldn’t they be in Gary’s voice? Hmmm....yet another inconsistency. Gary’s tied up and freaking out, saying he doesn’t want to die and that he’s sorry. Dean finds out where Sam is and that Gary’s only 17 years old (and an idiot...oh, wait....that was implied). Before he can learn anything else, he’s flung across the room and collapses on the floor. Poor Dean....every Thursday..... Demon possessed Nora is there.
Sam’s trying to get out of his bonds and just to make sure we know this is still Gary, we see his image reflected in a mirror.
Back to the motel room and Dean’s still out of it. Nora’s untying Gary and offers him “anything”. He wants to be a real, powerful witch. The demon gets it, but there’s a catch....he has to meet the boss and all he has to do is answer yes to one little question. So now we know all Lucifer needs is Sam’s empty vessel. Sam doesn’t even have to be in there. That complicates things. Anyhoo, Dean comes up behind and tries to stab her with the demon-killing knife, but she fights him off and onto the ground again. She promptly starts kicking him in the stomach. Ouch! Dean looks up at Gary and finally the kid gets smart and starts saying the exorcism spell. The demon’s shocked....and angry and soon turns on Gary. Awesome how, naturally Gary gets strangled in Sam’s place. Hee! Dean takes over the Latin (ooooh, Jensen saying Latin again - Yes!!!!) and the two of them trade off with the ritual until the demon takes off out of Nora’s body.
Dean: “...adios, bitch.”
Gary: “Um, it’s adinos.”
Hee!
Cool scene and all, but to paraphrase Meg in 4x02 “50 words of Latin and Trevor would still be alive.” Sam should have taken out that demon. Those poor parents.
========================
Nora’s curled up on a bed as Gary, with Sam now back in the motel room, performs the ritual to put them back in the correct bodies. Now that everything’s normal again, Dean lets Gary know that if he was of voting age he’d be dead because he and Sam would kill him. It seems a little halfhearted as far as threats go, but then for a 17 year old kid, what is Dean gonna do? Rightfully he deserves far worse for the harm he caused, not to mention his friend’s death, but it seems like the point was well taken and the guys take the two of them back to Gary’s house. Sam tells Gary that he needs to chill out ‘cause his life’s not that bad. “Rebel a little bit....in a healthy, non-satanic way.” He also points out that Nora likes him. Yeah, this kid’s pretty clueless. Oh, well. Gary & Nora go inside and Dean is impressed by what Sam said. Sam confesses he totally lied and that the kid’s life sucks ass. They get in the car and Sam complains about the normal family life being stressful, that they lucked out by missing it. Dean counters that maybe they didn’t know what they were missing. The same music that was playing before comes on and right away Sam complains. Dean mutters “Welcome back, Kotter” and turns it down as he pulls out of the driveway and down the street.
I’ve just about covered all the problems as I see them in this episode. Despite all that, it was enjoyable to watch. But that’s really all I can say for it. Overall, it really didn’t add much to the show. We got a little insight into the boy’s childhood, but that’s really all. And the whole Dean’s got a bounty on his head? Um.....how is this news? Meg stated in 5x01 that every demon was gunning for him and then the possessed mom in 5x06 said harming Dean was encouraged. Learning Dean’s on the demon hit list is not shocking info.
Anyway, I laughed at the episode and enjoyed it for what it was worth, but it’s not one of SPN’s finer hours. Considering the show’s track record, you gotta give them the odd turkey every now and then. Every show has them and one or two a season isn’t really much to complain about.