SPN Review: 4x04
After an episode, I usually have a little sift about to see what others have been saying about the ep - because people are smarter than me and notice things like KAZ 2Y5 - but I've had to stop myself today what with all the negativity floating about. I'd rather like to keep my warm, fuzzy, after-show glow thank you very much!
- Oh Sam. That demon was kinda asking for it there. Did you see the smirk on Ruby's face when Sam exorcised him? I'm hoping that was alluding to a potential Ruby double-cross in the future. It'd be rather disappointing were her motivations actually good. Oh and I'm still rooting for the Lilith theory, considering we still haven't seen a flash of black eyes from Ruby.
- DEAN *YAY ARMS* I'm a little undecided about how I feel about this. On the one hand, yay, the boys aren't keeping secrets from each other and we got messy fallout earlier than I expected. On the other, lying to each other only serves to up the ante and revealing so much early on seems to me like a waste of a good opportunity. I don't understand fandom's need to have the boys divulge EVERYTHING RIGHT THE FUCK NOW OR WE'LL KILL YOU KRIPKE! Where's the drama in that? What I do like is Dean having apparently learned his lesson from Hunted and telling Sam mostly everything, contrasted with Sam bottling quite a few things up. This isn't a negative point on the episode for me actually, just a consideration, perhaps because getting a pay off so soon isn't something we're used to. I may end up being really pleased with such an early reveal should it lead to Sam going behind Dean's back, as I think it might.
- I know I'm about to completely contradict what I just said (see: undecided), but I'm glad that since they brought the possibility of Dean discovering Sam's powers up, they didn't cop out and have him arrive too late, or something.
- The boys' reactions here are exactly what I wanted: Sam's "Oh God" face and the pained fury just rolling off of Dean.
- Haha, at least Dean and Ruby's relationship still fits pattern despite Ruby 2.0; Ruby reveals herself, Dean goes for her. It's interesting to see Dean lunge toward Sam after he shrugs his brother off, instead of returning to his original target. Presumably it's to retrieve the knife, but part of me thinks he was ready to get some of that anger out there.
- Ruby is rather obedient *suspicions increase* you know, Ruby 2.0 isn't bothering me too much at the moment because currently she's assumed the blink-and-you-miss-her role. I imagine her lack of presence and anything resembling acting skills would have me banging my head off the nearest available surface were she in the episodes for longer than three minutes at a time. At least Katie's Ruby was bitchy and actually portrayed contempt for Dean.
- That last look Dean sends Sam's way sways much closer to hurt than anger *snugs Dean* though I do rather feel for Sam too *snugs Sam*
- No way would Dean actually leave, not in a million years. Methinks it was Dean simply making a statement of how upset he was. Tis for the same reason he punches Sam (know that I'm eyerolling over the wank on this), which is why I'm glad he does, just a further illustration of how messed up Dean is over this. There's even lamp destruction (though I did get rather distracted by Dean's amulet catching in his jacket collar)!
- This scene could have been one giant screaming match, and there are not enough words in the world to describe how much I love that instead, the boys took it to a quiet, meaningful level. I was actually tearing up.
- Nice acknowledgment of the time Sam spent without Dean, more of this please Kripke. Though what I'd prefer is having Sam eventually admit turning to his powers as a coping mechanism or a way to eventually save Dean, rather than, "well you were gone, so I needed an alternative hunting method to make up for the lack of you, not because of the lack of you," as it's coming across.
- I love how earnest Sam is here, how much he believes what he's saying and how much he wants Dean to believe it too. Oh and how increasingly upset they both get, oh boys!
- Dean just called Castiel 'Cas'...I may have to draw hearts round this moment forever, though at the moment I'm currently too busy drawing hearts round this scene. Remind me when I'm done, would you? It's strange that Dean seems to have flipped to believing Cas (yes, I am using that now it's canon, and please don't whine so much about it fandom that they don't ever use it again - god, this must be what the Bela and Jo fans felt like) since last week's ep, but then I reckon it was more an appeal to Sam's faith rather than a conversion.
- They both look set to burst into tears when that phone rings. So much for no chick flick moments Dean *snuggles them both and whimpers* oh boys, I say again. My heart just breaks for Sam when he's talking to Travis on the phone.
- GROSS BACK THINGS *squirms*
- OH NOES SAMMY! The moment the words were out about the demon blood, I had my hands covering my mouth. Way to put your foot in it Sam. Oh god, look how upset Dean is. I don't know if I can take the angst, it's been so long I've forgotten how painful it is! *flails*
- Oh gross. As a side note, that raw meat's so red I was convinced it was jelly. Hee, the boys' looks of disgust match mine.
- Haha, awesome dig Dean.
- Thought Travis was cool, nice to see a new face, even if he gets eaten in the end.
- Dean's pretty. Gorgeous shots of him in this scene.
- Were it not for last week's episode, I would have thought the line about it running in the family was a small anvil about Sam's powers. Though I still think the wife being pregnant again, ie. a 30 year cycle, is a nod to the 22 year cycle of the YED.
- OW OW OW OW OW MY HAND! MY HAND!
- I love that despite their ongoing issues, Dean still jumps in to save Sam from potentially insulting Travis over the research thing.
- I'm choosing to step over the anvils, huge as they are (I'm a giraffe, did you not know?). The similarities between Jack and Sam are rather heavy-handed, but thinking of it as a freestanding MOTW, I like it and Jack's plight. That could be because I think the actor playing Jack did a superb job and also partially because the anvils in Heart left me cringing (as did the actress); these, while arguably worse, somehow didn't because the boys were talking about them.
- Hee, Dean's look to Sam on the steak line! I love you Dean!
- Actually, I lied, I'm going to talk about the anvils. We seem to have taken a step back in time here to season two, not only with the issues the boys are talking about but the dynamic between them too. While I absolutely adore the potrayal of Sam here (a Sam reminiscent of that of early season two), I still reserve the right to dislike that he seems unchanged after such a long period without Dean. Yes, he's using his powers, but neither seem to have impacted his character adversely at the moment. It could be argued that using the powers is a sign Sam's changed, but when he's not doing that, he still seems like the Sam we all know from previous seasons.
- I actually couldn't watch the scene between Jack and his wife first time round. I thought he was going to take a chunk out of her!
- On second watch, it kind of annoys me that Sam uses the line that Dean treats him like a freak (though I do love Jared's delivery of "I'm a whole new level of freak"). It seems like a stupid argument, considering all the times Dean's stood by Sam despite of it. Don't get me wrong, I understand where he's coming from considering Dean flips every time the psychic stuff comes up, but surely the more correct thing to say then would be that he knows how much it scares Dean, rather than accuse him of looking at him differently?
- Love the change of expression on Dean's face during Sam's tirade, almost as if he starts to understand a little (as an aside, that green ensemble is doing wonders for Dean). I also like Sam's justification for using the powers. Note that this isn't me contradicting myself again, my issue is with why he started, not why he continued.
- I've just noticed The Forehead is making a prominent appearance in this episode *shies away from it* on a further note, Sam looks crazily taller than Dean in the scene with Jack. Like, more than usual *stares*
- Like the reflection of Jack's eyes in the glass, tis creepy.
- Dean's little laugh as he closes the door makes me grin.
- EWW EWWW EWWW NOT THE NECK! I HATE NECK THINGS! EYUGH! Also, he looks incredibly gross too, what with all the blood and decomposing skin.
- Wow, so not only does he turn evil to save his wife, but he lets her go, despite his transformation. Another anvil show? One does wonder if the turning evil to save Dean is alluding to what Sam will do in the future or what he's already started to do with practicing his powers, if his initial intention was to use them to save Dean. I know this is an unpopular opinion, but I would love Sam to go evil the same way Jack did - not as a slow build, but as a gut reaction to save Dean that tips him over the edge. That way, Sam can be evil for a wee while till it comes to a point where he's faced with the chance to kill Dean and then he can't, because he loves him too much, so he comes back to the good side of the force and doesn't sacrifice himself to save Dean the boys hug. My future!personal!canon, let me show you it. It's totally going to happen *nods* Kripke lied when he said Sam was Luke, he's actually Anakin/Darth Vader (he's totally tall enough for it too) and since Dean's Han Solo, there'll be no sacrificing oneself for one's family DAMMIT!
- God, I love Sam's look of relief when he hears Dean's alive. How many times has it been vice versa, with Dean threatening to break someone if they hurt Sam? Loved seeing this reversed.
- I gotta commend the actor playing Jack again, he's brilliant in this scene. As is Jared.
- I don't quite understand why Sam shuts Dean down when he tries to apologize. Other than OMG SAM DOESN'T WANT TO TALK it doesn't seem like Dean's setting up to fight with him on it again, so his line about not wanting to explain himself doesn't make sense to me. Probably just me, but yeah. ANYWAY, I like that Sam doesn't want to talk, because it's an indication that despite current appearances, he has changed.
- I know that that's supposed to be an artsy shot at the end, but I just think it's weird.
- I don't believe Sam saying he's going to stop, not only because of the way he won't look at Dean when he says it, but also the way he says, "This is my choice." Nope nope nope, not believing that at all. Also, I know the anvils are hinting that Sam won't have a choice in the end, but I'm hoping that he will just like Jack - for good or ill.
Overall, I really liked the episode. Despite my misgivings at such an early climax to the Sam powers storyline and the anvils dropped, I loved the emotion displayed by both boys - twas such a better payoff than having them screaming at one another - and I felt for the MOTW. I think my squee over it has dwindled in rewatching and reading fandom reaction, but overall, it's still getting a thumbs up.
Quotes
- "Is that made up? That sounds made up."
- "And that is my word of the day."
- "Stop the car or I will."
- "Wait, we're here to save you...I guess." "We should go." "Ya."
- "I guess psychopaths don't have to explain themselves."
- Oh Sam. That demon was kinda asking for it there. Did you see the smirk on Ruby's face when Sam exorcised him? I'm hoping that was alluding to a potential Ruby double-cross in the future. It'd be rather disappointing were her motivations actually good. Oh and I'm still rooting for the Lilith theory, considering we still haven't seen a flash of black eyes from Ruby.
- DEAN *YAY ARMS* I'm a little undecided about how I feel about this. On the one hand, yay, the boys aren't keeping secrets from each other and we got messy fallout earlier than I expected. On the other, lying to each other only serves to up the ante and revealing so much early on seems to me like a waste of a good opportunity. I don't understand fandom's need to have the boys divulge EVERYTHING RIGHT THE FUCK NOW OR WE'LL KILL YOU KRIPKE! Where's the drama in that? What I do like is Dean having apparently learned his lesson from Hunted and telling Sam mostly everything, contrasted with Sam bottling quite a few things up. This isn't a negative point on the episode for me actually, just a consideration, perhaps because getting a pay off so soon isn't something we're used to. I may end up being really pleased with such an early reveal should it lead to Sam going behind Dean's back, as I think it might.
- I know I'm about to completely contradict what I just said (see: undecided), but I'm glad that since they brought the possibility of Dean discovering Sam's powers up, they didn't cop out and have him arrive too late, or something.
- The boys' reactions here are exactly what I wanted: Sam's "Oh God" face and the pained fury just rolling off of Dean.
- Haha, at least Dean and Ruby's relationship still fits pattern despite Ruby 2.0; Ruby reveals herself, Dean goes for her. It's interesting to see Dean lunge toward Sam after he shrugs his brother off, instead of returning to his original target. Presumably it's to retrieve the knife, but part of me thinks he was ready to get some of that anger out there.
- Ruby is rather obedient *suspicions increase* you know, Ruby 2.0 isn't bothering me too much at the moment because currently she's assumed the blink-and-you-miss-her role. I imagine her lack of presence and anything resembling acting skills would have me banging my head off the nearest available surface were she in the episodes for longer than three minutes at a time. At least Katie's Ruby was bitchy and actually portrayed contempt for Dean.
- That last look Dean sends Sam's way sways much closer to hurt than anger *snugs Dean* though I do rather feel for Sam too *snugs Sam*
- No way would Dean actually leave, not in a million years. Methinks it was Dean simply making a statement of how upset he was. Tis for the same reason he punches Sam (know that I'm eyerolling over the wank on this), which is why I'm glad he does, just a further illustration of how messed up Dean is over this. There's even lamp destruction (though I did get rather distracted by Dean's amulet catching in his jacket collar)!
- This scene could have been one giant screaming match, and there are not enough words in the world to describe how much I love that instead, the boys took it to a quiet, meaningful level. I was actually tearing up.
- Nice acknowledgment of the time Sam spent without Dean, more of this please Kripke. Though what I'd prefer is having Sam eventually admit turning to his powers as a coping mechanism or a way to eventually save Dean, rather than, "well you were gone, so I needed an alternative hunting method to make up for the lack of you, not because of the lack of you," as it's coming across.
- I love how earnest Sam is here, how much he believes what he's saying and how much he wants Dean to believe it too. Oh and how increasingly upset they both get, oh boys!
- Dean just called Castiel 'Cas'...I may have to draw hearts round this moment forever, though at the moment I'm currently too busy drawing hearts round this scene. Remind me when I'm done, would you? It's strange that Dean seems to have flipped to believing Cas (yes, I am using that now it's canon, and please don't whine so much about it fandom that they don't ever use it again - god, this must be what the Bela and Jo fans felt like) since last week's ep, but then I reckon it was more an appeal to Sam's faith rather than a conversion.
- They both look set to burst into tears when that phone rings. So much for no chick flick moments Dean *snuggles them both and whimpers* oh boys, I say again. My heart just breaks for Sam when he's talking to Travis on the phone.
- GROSS BACK THINGS *squirms*
- OH NOES SAMMY! The moment the words were out about the demon blood, I had my hands covering my mouth. Way to put your foot in it Sam. Oh god, look how upset Dean is. I don't know if I can take the angst, it's been so long I've forgotten how painful it is! *flails*
- Oh gross. As a side note, that raw meat's so red I was convinced it was jelly. Hee, the boys' looks of disgust match mine.
- Haha, awesome dig Dean.
- Thought Travis was cool, nice to see a new face, even if he gets eaten in the end.
- Dean's pretty. Gorgeous shots of him in this scene.
- Were it not for last week's episode, I would have thought the line about it running in the family was a small anvil about Sam's powers. Though I still think the wife being pregnant again, ie. a 30 year cycle, is a nod to the 22 year cycle of the YED.
- OW OW OW OW OW MY HAND! MY HAND!
- I love that despite their ongoing issues, Dean still jumps in to save Sam from potentially insulting Travis over the research thing.
- I'm choosing to step over the anvils, huge as they are (I'm a giraffe, did you not know?). The similarities between Jack and Sam are rather heavy-handed, but thinking of it as a freestanding MOTW, I like it and Jack's plight. That could be because I think the actor playing Jack did a superb job and also partially because the anvils in Heart left me cringing (as did the actress); these, while arguably worse, somehow didn't because the boys were talking about them.
- Hee, Dean's look to Sam on the steak line! I love you Dean!
- Actually, I lied, I'm going to talk about the anvils. We seem to have taken a step back in time here to season two, not only with the issues the boys are talking about but the dynamic between them too. While I absolutely adore the potrayal of Sam here (a Sam reminiscent of that of early season two), I still reserve the right to dislike that he seems unchanged after such a long period without Dean. Yes, he's using his powers, but neither seem to have impacted his character adversely at the moment. It could be argued that using the powers is a sign Sam's changed, but when he's not doing that, he still seems like the Sam we all know from previous seasons.
- I actually couldn't watch the scene between Jack and his wife first time round. I thought he was going to take a chunk out of her!
- On second watch, it kind of annoys me that Sam uses the line that Dean treats him like a freak (though I do love Jared's delivery of "I'm a whole new level of freak"). It seems like a stupid argument, considering all the times Dean's stood by Sam despite of it. Don't get me wrong, I understand where he's coming from considering Dean flips every time the psychic stuff comes up, but surely the more correct thing to say then would be that he knows how much it scares Dean, rather than accuse him of looking at him differently?
- Love the change of expression on Dean's face during Sam's tirade, almost as if he starts to understand a little (as an aside, that green ensemble is doing wonders for Dean). I also like Sam's justification for using the powers. Note that this isn't me contradicting myself again, my issue is with why he started, not why he continued.
- I've just noticed The Forehead is making a prominent appearance in this episode *shies away from it* on a further note, Sam looks crazily taller than Dean in the scene with Jack. Like, more than usual *stares*
- Like the reflection of Jack's eyes in the glass, tis creepy.
- Dean's little laugh as he closes the door makes me grin.
- EWW EWWW EWWW NOT THE NECK! I HATE NECK THINGS! EYUGH! Also, he looks incredibly gross too, what with all the blood and decomposing skin.
- Wow, so not only does he turn evil to save his wife, but he lets her go, despite his transformation. Another anvil show? One does wonder if the turning evil to save Dean is alluding to what Sam will do in the future or what he's already started to do with practicing his powers, if his initial intention was to use them to save Dean. I know this is an unpopular opinion, but I would love Sam to go evil the same way Jack did - not as a slow build, but as a gut reaction to save Dean that tips him over the edge. That way, Sam can be evil for a wee while till it comes to a point where he's faced with the chance to kill Dean and then he can't, because he loves him too much, so he comes back to the good side of the force and doesn't sacrifice himself to save Dean the boys hug. My future!personal!canon, let me show you it. It's totally going to happen *nods* Kripke lied when he said Sam was Luke, he's actually Anakin/Darth Vader (he's totally tall enough for it too) and since Dean's Han Solo, there'll be no sacrificing oneself for one's family DAMMIT!
- God, I love Sam's look of relief when he hears Dean's alive. How many times has it been vice versa, with Dean threatening to break someone if they hurt Sam? Loved seeing this reversed.
- I gotta commend the actor playing Jack again, he's brilliant in this scene. As is Jared.
- I don't quite understand why Sam shuts Dean down when he tries to apologize. Other than OMG SAM DOESN'T WANT TO TALK it doesn't seem like Dean's setting up to fight with him on it again, so his line about not wanting to explain himself doesn't make sense to me. Probably just me, but yeah. ANYWAY, I like that Sam doesn't want to talk, because it's an indication that despite current appearances, he has changed.
- I know that that's supposed to be an artsy shot at the end, but I just think it's weird.
- I don't believe Sam saying he's going to stop, not only because of the way he won't look at Dean when he says it, but also the way he says, "This is my choice." Nope nope nope, not believing that at all. Also, I know the anvils are hinting that Sam won't have a choice in the end, but I'm hoping that he will just like Jack - for good or ill.
Overall, I really liked the episode. Despite my misgivings at such an early climax to the Sam powers storyline and the anvils dropped, I loved the emotion displayed by both boys - twas such a better payoff than having them screaming at one another - and I felt for the MOTW. I think my squee over it has dwindled in rewatching and reading fandom reaction, but overall, it's still getting a thumbs up.
Quotes
- "Is that made up? That sounds made up."
- "And that is my word of the day."
- "Stop the car or I will."
- "Wait, we're here to save you...I guess." "We should go." "Ya."
- "I guess psychopaths don't have to explain themselves."