Supernatural - 208 - Crossroad Blues
Once again this is really late, but at least now I should be back on track and be able to follow the coming episodes a little more close.
Thus I bring you, my review:
I liked the recap, if only because we got to see a little of John again. It was different when he was just ‘missing’, but now he’d really gone, and I want him back!
The intro was good; the fact that they actually brought in a real person to the show and played around the myths about him was just wonderful. Honestly one of the ideas I’ve enjoyed the most when it comes to the weekly urban legend.
I think the love for the first scene with the boys has been expressed in pretty much every review I read for this episode. And I can only say that I am very much in agreement.
Sam: So much for a low profile. You’ve got a warrant in St. Louis and now you’re officially in the Feds’ database.
Dean: (laughs) Dude, I’m like Dillinger or something.
Sam: Dean it's not funny. It makes the job harder. We gotta be more careful now.
It was nice, Dean almost seemed like his old self. I’ve not thought about it a lot, but after watching some of the season 1 episodes again, the difference is big. In this scene he was more of his old self, season-1-Dean.
Dean: What do you got on the case there, you innocent, harmless, young man you?
Love that Sam seemed to be jealous of Dean and his police record. Like that mean Dean is getting more credit for the work they’ve been doing.
So this weeks case, at first when they were talking about wild dogs I was kind of thrown. If it had been werewolves I would have been more exited. That was however until I saw the nice picture Dean found.
Sam: But anyways, whatever they are, they’re big, nasty…
Dean: Yeah, bet they could hump the crap out of your leg. Look at that one, huh?
(Sam sighs)
Dean: What? They could.
Oh, Dean. Unlike some other viewers that line amused me. Again, it’s more like the old Dean. However you gotta sometimes wonder who the older brother is considering all the ‘dude, come on’ looks that Sam gives Dean.
The first interview scene seemed a bit… sterile. I’m thinking about the location. Was this some flat for sale, or were they actually at this guys place, it doesn’t exactly look like a home.
I liked his reference to Mozart and Van Gogh, and the line about true geniuses dying young. It’s food for thought, but I doubt Mozart went out at the age of 2 or 3 and made a pact with a demon. Lol.
Dean having interviewed the girl at animal control, even though we didn’t see it we can all guess how it went down. I love the fact that he can get so many details out of someone while just by flirting a little bit. Come to think of it we’ve never really seen him do it, and I can think of at least three times he’s had to do that to get information. However this time we ended up with what has become one of my fave bits in the entire show:
Dean: I don’t know what this thing is.
Sam: You mean Carly’s Myspace address?
Dean: Yeah, Myspace. What the hell is that? Seriously, is that like, some sort of porn site?
Yes, Dean! That is exactly what it is. Well… it’s not that far from the truth. I love the fact that Dean doesn’t know what it is, and that Sam can now make fun of him for it. Though honestly I kind of wish I didn’t know about it either.
Also the little gleam of hope in his eyes when the thought that it might be a porn site comes hits him. These boys… they really need some attention, I’ll take Dean, Sam is up for grabs. ;p
I liked the second interview better. That looked more like a place somewhere would live. (Don’t ask me why I care.) I really liked that Dean connected the Lloyds bar thing so quickly.
The scene in the motel room with the doctor lady, I liked it. Especially when that guy comes to claim the rent and his face is all distorted. That was nasty! I’ll say it again; the show is getting better at that stuff.
The crossroads, first off Lloyds bar looked like a total dump judging by the outside. I loved that Dean was the first to notice the flowers and that Sam was the one who knew what they were called. It’s a subtle thing, but it shows how they work together and fill in whatever the other is missing.
Our boys are clever enough to figure out what the deal is and now they know what they’re looking for.
Dean: That doctor lady? Wherever she’s running, she ain’t running fast enough.
The doctor lady bites the dust. Did not look like a lot of fun. However I am very curious about what kind of fabric her pants were made out of. I think wardrobe choose that on purpose to make it look even worse when the Hellhound attacked her.
I enjoyed the flashback to when Robert Johnson made the deal. Good way of clearing it up for people who might not have gotten the connection. Plus it was good foreshadowing to what would happen later in the episode.
Sam: So it's just like the Robert Johnson legend, right? I mean, "selling your soul at the crossroads" kinda deal?
Dean rocks with his music knowledge again. Though he probably has read up on it for other reasons too, but I liked that he set Sam straight about it, and that Sam had no idea about Robert’s music.
I wonder what kind of music Sam really likes, as he doesn’t seem to be a major fan of Dean’s music… or did he just have a problem with the cassettes?
Dean: Sam, there's occult references all over his lyrics.
I love the discussion that follows, because that is a valid question that is posed.
Dean: Somebody goes over Niagra Falls in a barrel, you gonna jump in and save 'em?
Sam: Dean.
Dean: Alright, fine...
These people did make this deal, they knew what would happen, but does that mean that they don’t deserve help? Should Sam and Dean really risk their own necks to save these people? Did the people who entered into this pact truly know what it meant?
The guy the go to find first seemed to be fully aware of what he had done, and he was ready to take his punishment. It was a nice twist, somebody who didn’t want to be saved, because of what he knew he had done. The boys knew better than to argue with him.
Dean: Well, we know a little about a lot of things, just enough to make us dangerous.
I liked the conversation they had with the guy though, and that they learned something new with that voodoo protection powder or whatever it was. I also liked the guys paintings, very cool.
There was a good twist there though, that he might have been the one who called the demon, but the others had been sought out by it. I mean; it’s one thing if you’re the one seeking the thing out, but if it comes to you and offers you whatever you want I think the rules of the game changes a bit.
I enjoyed our introduction to Evan; he obviously knew what was coming since he sent his wife away. I think I would have reacted the same way she did when he made special mention that he loved her. That’s usually a sign that something’s up, at least on TV.
The wife is gone and our boys stop by to have a little chat with Evan. I liked that he freaked out when Dean asked him about Lloyd’s bar. The guy doesn’t know what to expect, so of course that’s gonna scare him.
Dean: C’mon, we’re not demons!
Sam: Any more bright ideas?
Yes! Dean can kick the door! Love it when he does that.
Had somebody told me before I got into this show that I would be squeeing over some guy kicking in doors I would have laughed at them… they would have been right though…
I love the fact that Dean is ready to kick in the next door, but Sam stops him halfway and just opens it.
Also when they finally get in and Sam is trying to be all understanding and sympathetic, while Dean is not even trying to hide that he doesn’t like what Evan has done. Even when Evan finally tells them why he did what he did, Sam feels even more sympathy for the guy while Dean hardens.
Dean: Well that's worth a trip to hell.
Sam: Dean, stop.
We all know how this affects Dean. He still has so much going on inside his head regarding John, so meeting a guy that made a similar Dean, of course that’s going to set him off. Still he’s ready to try to save the guy, so his wife won’t have to live with the same pain that Dean is carrying around. There’s no doubt in my mind that Dean was willing to help Evan because of the wife, and not Evan.
Sam: No. No way.
Dean: You're not allowed to say 'no', Sammy. Not unless you got a better idea.
Sam: Dean you can forget it all right? I'm not letting you summon that demon.
Who can blame Sam for being worried? He knows that Dean is broken after what happened to John, and he’s scared about what Dean might do.
Sam: You know, you've been on edge ever since we found that crossroads, Dean, and I think I know why.
I liked that Sam wouldn’t let Dean just run off without saying what he thought about it, and what he was worried about. I imagine almost every viewer had the same thought when they heard what Dean was going to do; ‘Will he bring back John?’
What kind of bothered me about this scene was the repetition from the end of ‘Children Shouldn’t Play With Dead Things.’ The whole ‘I’ve been thinking it, and you have too.’ speech. I get that what they were discussing in each episode was a bit different, but not big enough for Sam to actually have to wonder if this was what Dean was thinking as Dean has pretty much told him that’s what he’s been thinking.
Though I choose to believe that in the prior conversation Dean was just saying that John took his place to die, while here they’re saying that the consequense of that was that John had to go to hell.
Dean: Just keep him alive okay.
Sam: Dean..
Dean: GO!
Sam is left behind to protect Evan, while Dean goes to save the day and Jensen provides us with an amazing performance.
I liked it when the Demon first showed up. Dean was trying to play cocky and the demon letting him know straight away that she knew everything about him.
When Dean told the demon they should conduct business in his car because it was more private, did that sound dirty to anybody else? ;p
I honestly had no idea how this barganing would turn out, especially when Dean said that he would give himself up to save Evan. I knew there had to be a plan I just couldn’t figure out what, until I saw the devil’s trap under the car, but the demon noticed it, so I felt a little uncertain about how he would do it.
That bitch, taunting Dean about John. I so wanted to jump in the screen and strangle her and then hug him. Dean was trying so hard to keep his emotions hidden, but they leaked through. When she started dangeling the prospect of bringing John back, the look on his face, just to painful.
When she started leaving, all the emotions running across his face, and the bottom lip shaking just waiting for the right time to call her back, just so beautifully played.
I started suspecting something was up when she came in under the tower, but the way she was talking about bringing John back, I was thinking that Dean might actually go for it. When he walked away from her, and asked for stakeknives I gotta admit I had no idea what to think. By that point I had understood that he had some way to trap he, but honestly I was a bit caught up in the prospect of getting John back.
I loved how he trapped her though, that was awesome, and then her starts giving her demands. About letting Evan live. Wonderful!
Sam is back at the house protecting Evan. I liked that, the boys had to be at different places to be able to save this guy. When the Hellhound broke through and you could see the claws digging in to the floor, that was very cool.
Now, I’ve never gotten why the Sam-fangirls made such a fuss when he spoke latin. I couldn’t see what the big deal was. I do now! Seriously! Dean speaking latin, has to be about one of the hottest things ever.
To bad the music and Sam and Evan running away from the Hellhound had to be played on top of that so I couldn’t hear it all, but still, very enjoyable. And it worked, Dean gets what he wanted and the bitch breaks, though she didn’t really loose anything as she gets to make out with Dean! Hell, she got the better end of that deal. She seemed really into it too.
Dean: What the hell was that for?
Dean's Demon: Sealing the deal.
Dean: You know. I usually like to be warned before I’m violated with demon tongue.
The fact that Dean toys with the idea of finishing the exorcism was good. She did have a good point as to why he shouldn’t though. Because I don’t doubt she would have found a way to come back and take her revenge somehow.
Dean is a gentleman and lets her go, and she starts taunting him about John again, that fucking bitch.
Demon: You see, people talk about Hell. But it's just a word. It doesn't even come close to describing the real thing.
Dean: Shut your mouth, bitch.
It’s funny though, that as soon as Dean takes a step towards her, telling her to shut up, the demon leaves the girls body. She was in the middle of taunting him, and when he takes one step closer she bolts. I’m thinking there’s something to that.
One side note: the actress playing the demon: I know some people have bashed her for not being able to hold a southern accent. What struck my mind was that she seemed to struggle speaking with an American accent. I got the few attempts at southern, but there were a few lines where I think I detected a different accent. At times she spoke just like Lucy Punch when she’s trying to speak American, and she’s originally British. I dunno, was just a thought.
The boys are back in Dean’s beautiful car, and of course Dean is hurting.
Dean: How could he do it?
Sam: He did it for you.
Dean: Exactly. How am I supposed to live with that? You know, the thought of him, wherever he is right now. He spent his whole life chasing that yellow-eyed son-of-a-bitch. He should have gone out fighting. That was supposed to be his legacy. You know? Not bargaining with the damn thing. Not this.
Sam: How many people do you think Dad saved, total?
Dean: That's not the point, Sam
Sam: Evan Hudson is safe because of what Dad taught us. That's his legacy, Dean. Now we're still here man, so we gotta keep going, for him.
Sam is doing his best trying to comfort Dean, and trying to make him focus on the good things and what they could do. They’ve saved so many lives and still Dean carries around all this guilt.
Sam: Hey, Dean?
Dean: Yeah?
Sam: When you were trapping that demon, you weren’t... I mean, it was all a trick, right? You never considered actually making that deal, right?
I loved that Dean didn’t answer, and the look on Sam’s face. I just feel so sorry for the both of them. Both of them have to carry this around, and in a reversal it’s Sam who has to look after Dean, make sure he’s hanging on.
It’s just heartbreaking to watch. *Cries*
I knew Dean wouldn’t make the deal with the demon, but I wanted him to. The Winchesters are smart they would have fought that thing off somehow. I would never have been able to resist that offer; Dean is strong, but breaking, he won’t be able to take much more of this. I just keep waiting for the episode where ha falls apart.