Supernatural 6.01 - Thoughts...
First impression?
I'm impressed.
I wasn't angsting, and I wasn't disappointed, and there were times when I was on the edge of my seat going, "What? No! Whut?! Sam? Dean!!"
But yes, in all, I'm okay. I'm still with ya, Supernatural!
Okay... to break it down...
Opening:
I enjoyed it. Tbh, I got a little teary-eyed. It was just sad to see the comparisons between what Dean's life used to be, and what his life is now. And despite all the blood and guts and gore, he seemed happy in his life as a hunter. In suburbia? Not so much. I mean... come on, Dean... construction worker? And hey, the girls still dig him. And while yes, he gets in bed with Lisa, and shows some affection for her, it seemed like Ben was his main concern (but more on that later). So yes, I enjoyed the opening, and it was a little bit of a tear-jerker for me.
Ending:
Dean attempting to give the Impala to Sam? Um, yeah... there were almost tears. It was like Dean was handing over the hunting life for good. But Sam... thank you, Sam, for refusing. It was a great moment, despite the heartache.
Samuel's return:
The actual moment of reunion? I found it touching. Loved the flashbacks and the music. That made me like the moment alone. However... the excuse we get for both Sam's and Samuel's ressurection is kind of lame. I mean, seriously? "Whatever pulled Sam up must have pulled me down"? I'm not buying it. Either Samuel's kin did something, or something out there is wanting these guys alive (maybe whatever is making everything act crazy). Either way, we better get a better explanation before long. (and yeah... it reminded me of Lazarus Rising with Dean's resurrection... and pls don't try to copy that, SPN writers, because you can't do better than Cas.)
The Campbells:
JONAS QUIINN FTW!!!! We better be seeing more of him. In general, they're kind of fascinating, but definitely have a darker feel to them, and I don't trust Samuel. AT ALL. I don't trust the Campbells. But the girl seemed pretty cool, tbh :) I'd like to see more of her and what's up with her. (I mean, come on... who can't love a girl who's first words are telling Dean he has delicate features? <3) (and I'm really curious as to what they're up to, kidnapping a djinn and hiding it from Sam and Dean.)
Sam:
Sam... I don't know what to think of him. He's darker, harsher, almost seems to have hidden motives. I appreciate that he wants Dean back by his side, but he seems as if it's for another reason other than to just have Dean by his side, y'know? It'll be interesting to see more of this Sam, but regardless of who he is the dynamics between the brothers is so crazily freakin' different than what we've ever seen before. I have to see more of it before I judge, but I almost don't trust Sam here either...
Bobby:
I loved Bobby in this episode. He was happy to see Dean get away from the hunting life so he wouldn't get killed... but he didn't let up on Dean. There was still an attitude of "You pushed me away, boy. I'm not gonna make that easy on you..." You could tell Bobby was upset with Dean, at the same time that he was glad he got out and would be safe. And I loved it. I love bobby. Always and forever.
Castiel:
Yes, there's a Castiel section here (would you doubt it, from me? :oP). Like I said before: Castiel is Dean's sugar :D I don't doubt Castiel was thought about, and while obviously I'm sad they've had no contact with Cas in that year, Dean seemed upset that Sam couldn't get in touch with him. Dean pushed everyone away, and Cas was in that hunting life, too, but obviously he's been thinking about him (especially if his subconscious brought him up with the djinn poison).
Dean:
*deep breath* I feel like I could go on forever about it. But what I liked most? You could tell that he wasn't happy with his life... he said it outright. He was wrecked and broken and out of his mind with grief when he went to LIsa's, and he only went because he promised Sam. But he still looked for ways to break Sam out of Hell. How could he not? You could tell he was trying to live the domestic life because that was what Sam expected of him, what Bobby wanted for him (so he'd be safe and have some peace). But clearly we see that it wasn't working for Dean, that there was still a huge part of him that was yearning for something else... he was going through the motions because that's what people wanted for him, and he made a promise. But is he happy? No.
That scene in Bobby's house was fantastic for that. And I loved that scene so much. Not just because I'm not really a Lisa fan (but yes, I'm trying to view her objectively), but because it just shows that, yeah, Dean is still our Dean, just wrecked and broken and pushed into a domestic corner. (Again, he's living his life like someone else wanted him to live it... It makes me wonder if we'll ever see Dean in the life that he wants, and what that would be). (And this is what I liked most about the episode.)
This leads me to...
Dean's "family," aka Lisa and Ben:
Okay, I went into this episode expecting to see Dean all lovey dovey with Lisa, for him to be a great father to Ben and for him and Lisa to be close.
But... I don't think we got that. And the shipper in me is tons of grateful, but I'm putting my shipper aside. *shoves her into the closet* In all fairness, I understand Lisa a little bit... Okay, I don't understand fully why she let Dean into her house when Dean was a mess and she had Ben to look after, but I can get a hint. Lisa says she wants a father figure for Ben. And that was what Dean presented for her. And Dean was a good father figure (we've had no doubt of this since season 1, knowing he practically raised Sam on his own). And when Dean apologizes to Lisa, and Lisa says "You're saying goodbye," what is Lisa's response for getting Dean to stay? That she wanted a father figure for Ben... and that's what ultimately makes Dean stay, I think. (okay, I missed a line or two of Lisa's during their talk on the stairs, because someone walked into the tv room and started talking over the tv :/ so if I missed something, I apologize, but I think I got everything?)
And in terms of Dean and Lisa... Yeah, Dean cuddles with her in bed when he gets into bed, and there's a smooch, but he's hiding the life of the hunter from her. And Dean, you don't lie to your significant other. Yeah, you might want to keep them safe, but... no. Obviously he doesn't trust her enough, or want to involve her with that part of his life. Which is understandable, but doesn't really scream "trust" to me. And, again, it seems like Lisa likes Dean for the fact that he's a good father figure for her son.
And the dream sequence with Azazel... again, it seems like Dean's greatest fear is Ben falling prey to the supernatural things that go bump in the night. Lisa in the dream accuses everything of being Dean's fault, and that's what he can't have. He want to protect Ben, and make sure the people he dragged into this supernatural mess aren't killed by it.
Which brings me, ultimately, to Dean's choice to stay. I already covered it, really, but it seems to me like Dean's staying for protection purposes only, and because he has affection for Ben, especially. Which... it seems like Lisa and Ben are going to be baggage for Dean. Instead of worrying about Sammy and protecting Sammy, now he has to worry about Lisa and Ben. He has to protect them. (It always seems like Dean is protecting somebody... I want him to be able to live a life where he doesn't have to, where the person he lives with and is partners with is completely, totally his equal... they protect him as much as he protects them, but each of them doesn't really need protect. *shipper comes creeping out* *coughDean/Castielcough**shoves shipper back into closet*
But yes...
So I'm okay... I enjoyed the episode, and I'm feeling a whole lot better about where Dean is and why he's still with LIsa and why Lisa is going to be around for a while. Granted, I'm kind of worried that Dean feeling like he needs to protect Lisa and Ben will be angst for angst sake, but... we'll see as the season continues. To be honest, I really can't see Dean and Lisa not resenting each other eventually, if things continue to go this way. Dean made it clear he feels like he should really be hunting again, but the choices others made for him (aka Sam) have forced him into this life of protecting people who aren't hunters. So how happy can he really be?
Okay, i think I said it all?
I'm breathing easier about this season now, and while, yeah, I'm still nervous, I'm feeling good as well. I enjoyed this episode, and while i still have my "what are the boys doing?" and "what are the writers doing?" I'm okay. We'll see what happens.
*shipper comes creeping out of the closet* I'm also waiting for Dean and Castiel's relationship to make some developments this season... it's totally set up where it could happen. right? right? even just referring to their friendship/partnership? *shipper slinks off*
I'm anxiously awaiting next week's episode. :)