11.11 Reaction Post (complete with spoilers)
I liked it.
Okay, there's more to it than that. I didn't universally like it, there were some things that I could have lived without, but I have to admit that all the pretty and wonderful Sam moments kind of blunted those edges. (Wow he looked good.)
What I liked:
SAM. I loved that he was pretty much consistent with the characterization he's shown for the whole series. There were times when he seemed frustrated and almost angry with something, probably himself. Dean invited him to speak about what he was going through (!) and Sam said he didn't want to. But Sam also admitted that he was not okay.
I loved the interaction between Sam and the two supporting characters, Mildred and Eileen. He was so... good. Just so good.
Dean. It has been a very long time since I've felt good about Dean on SPN, but last night he showed a lot of concern about Sam. Not just Sam's physical well-being, but he showed concern for Sam's mental health as well and it's been a very long time since he's displayed any concern about Sam's mental or emotional state. That made me feel good, really good, and I might go and bake a pie or something in celebration. No really.
Eileen. Yes, I adored her interactions with Sam, and maybe I wouldn't mind seeing them together just a bit (because really, all the parallels, and no one but a hunter and a legacy could understand the levels of trauma that either of these guys has been through, and of course Eileen is bad-ass enough that she can take care of herself.) But also Eileen. Here is this woman who has a disability that most people would see as a disadvantage to hunting, and she has survived and thrived. She can hold her own next to the guy who has taken on archangels and won. Eileen is bad-ass, and I love her.
Mildred. Okay, I could have lived without the inappropriate touching, but there's a real attitude in modern popular culture that a woman's sex life dries up when she turns 30. Mildred was unabashedly sexual. She was also old, but still had all of her faculties and was able to work with the others to fight the banshee. So - that was actually subtly awesome.
Things I could have lived without:
Casifer. Again, the portrayal was just... I get that every actor puts his own stamp on the character, but Lucifer isn't hammy. He's cold, calculating. That whole "I burn cold" thing. That's not there with Misha's portrayal, and it's supposed to be. Otherwise, we don't know we're looking at the same guy.
Dean. I understand why Dean spoke to "Cas" about Amara instead of Sam. Ever since "Bloodlust," Dean has shown that being someone Sam looks up to is central to his identity. It would be very difficult, if not impossible, for Dean to confess a perceived weakness like that to Sam.
So I understand why he'd be reluctant. At the same time, the stakes are a little too big for Dean to not tell Sam about his issues with Amara. It's as if Dean just doesn't learn from everything they've been through, or thinks it doesn't apply to him. Sam's been very open this season about everything that's going on with him. When he finds out that Dean won't give him the same courtesy, doesn't trust him enough, it's going to have a VERY negative effect.
Things I'm On The Fence About:
Sam's Apology. I'm glad we got some explanation of what went on. It's better than "I went for a drive and hit a dog," because while I fully believe that Sam had every right to do whatever when he believed that Dean was dead, and should have honored his agreement with Dean, it was out of character for him to just pick up from Roman Enterprises and not know for sure.
So now we know that he did look.
I don't know that I feel that he should have apologized (see literally the paragraph above), but I think it's perfectly within his character to think he needs to apologize. Especially since Dean's certainly hammered it into him that he needs to atone for it.
Dean told him that he forgives him; he's said that about Ruby and about the demon blood and about his soulless escapades, only to throw them in Sam's face again so I'll admit that I tuned it out. Sorry.
What I don't like, although again it's perfectly in character, is that it was a good opportunity for Dean to apologize to Sam and it wasn't taken.
On the whole, though, I really liked the episode. I really hope we see Eileen again.
Okay, there's more to it than that. I didn't universally like it, there were some things that I could have lived without, but I have to admit that all the pretty and wonderful Sam moments kind of blunted those edges. (Wow he looked good.)
What I liked:
SAM. I loved that he was pretty much consistent with the characterization he's shown for the whole series. There were times when he seemed frustrated and almost angry with something, probably himself. Dean invited him to speak about what he was going through (!) and Sam said he didn't want to. But Sam also admitted that he was not okay.
I loved the interaction between Sam and the two supporting characters, Mildred and Eileen. He was so... good. Just so good.
Dean. It has been a very long time since I've felt good about Dean on SPN, but last night he showed a lot of concern about Sam. Not just Sam's physical well-being, but he showed concern for Sam's mental health as well and it's been a very long time since he's displayed any concern about Sam's mental or emotional state. That made me feel good, really good, and I might go and bake a pie or something in celebration. No really.
Eileen. Yes, I adored her interactions with Sam, and maybe I wouldn't mind seeing them together just a bit (because really, all the parallels, and no one but a hunter and a legacy could understand the levels of trauma that either of these guys has been through, and of course Eileen is bad-ass enough that she can take care of herself.) But also Eileen. Here is this woman who has a disability that most people would see as a disadvantage to hunting, and she has survived and thrived. She can hold her own next to the guy who has taken on archangels and won. Eileen is bad-ass, and I love her.
Mildred. Okay, I could have lived without the inappropriate touching, but there's a real attitude in modern popular culture that a woman's sex life dries up when she turns 30. Mildred was unabashedly sexual. She was also old, but still had all of her faculties and was able to work with the others to fight the banshee. So - that was actually subtly awesome.
Things I could have lived without:
Casifer. Again, the portrayal was just... I get that every actor puts his own stamp on the character, but Lucifer isn't hammy. He's cold, calculating. That whole "I burn cold" thing. That's not there with Misha's portrayal, and it's supposed to be. Otherwise, we don't know we're looking at the same guy.
Dean. I understand why Dean spoke to "Cas" about Amara instead of Sam. Ever since "Bloodlust," Dean has shown that being someone Sam looks up to is central to his identity. It would be very difficult, if not impossible, for Dean to confess a perceived weakness like that to Sam.
So I understand why he'd be reluctant. At the same time, the stakes are a little too big for Dean to not tell Sam about his issues with Amara. It's as if Dean just doesn't learn from everything they've been through, or thinks it doesn't apply to him. Sam's been very open this season about everything that's going on with him. When he finds out that Dean won't give him the same courtesy, doesn't trust him enough, it's going to have a VERY negative effect.
Things I'm On The Fence About:
Sam's Apology. I'm glad we got some explanation of what went on. It's better than "I went for a drive and hit a dog," because while I fully believe that Sam had every right to do whatever when he believed that Dean was dead, and should have honored his agreement with Dean, it was out of character for him to just pick up from Roman Enterprises and not know for sure.
So now we know that he did look.
I don't know that I feel that he should have apologized (see literally the paragraph above), but I think it's perfectly within his character to think he needs to apologize. Especially since Dean's certainly hammered it into him that he needs to atone for it.
Dean told him that he forgives him; he's said that about Ruby and about the demon blood and about his soulless escapades, only to throw them in Sam's face again so I'll admit that I tuned it out. Sorry.
What I don't like, although again it's perfectly in character, is that it was a good opportunity for Dean to apologize to Sam and it wasn't taken.
On the whole, though, I really liked the episode. I really hope we see Eileen again.