Supernatural - 4x11 - "Family Remains" Thoughts
Just a bit of a sum-up of what I thought of this week's (long-awaited) episode.
Can I just first express how freaking happy I was that it was FINALLY back this week? It feels like it's been away forever! Seriously, kudos to all the fans who've survived hiatuses before, I don't know how you did it. I was kinda going crazy.
Anyway, I quite enjoyed this episode overall. I do love the mythology of the show, and I think it's part of what makes it stand apart, because it's so strong, but I really loved the fact we had a simple MOTW case this week, and got to just see the boys hunt and do what they do best. We've not had a lot of that this season, so it was refreshing. And it was so bloody creepy! I think by now we all know how much of an actual chicken I am when it comes to any sort of horror, so seriously, I was really nervous and getting scared during certain parts. Like when Dean and Uncle Ted were in the walls, because it was all dark and tight and really, who didn't see the psycho girl coming? And also when Danny started playing catch with some unseen force in his wardrobe. WTF?! Is he mental?! You don't just sit and play, you run in the other direction, stupid! Anyway, did that bit remind anyone else of The Shining? Reminiscent of when the little boy in that has a tennis ball rolled in front of him, but there's no-one there. Creepy shit. And the hillbilly psycho siblings were just horrible - I would be fine with NEVER seeing that image of sis biting into a live rat ever again, kthxbye.
In general, everything in the episode was good - the plot was decent, especially with the twist of the ghost not being a ghost, and having two of them instead of one (even if the incest thing was major squicky), and it was shot really well, they nailed the creepy, horror movie aspect. Music was freaking atmospheric and tense. Even the family didn't bug me, they were all likeable to some extent. But the most important thing from this episode was obviously Dean and his reveal.
I was shocked by what Dean said, but it doesn't change my opinion of him at all, and I understand where he's coming from. It's like the mentality of a bully victim, if they get a chance to get their own back and inflict pain on someone else, they feel good, because they're not the one being bullied anymore. And it's the same for Dean - he's been tortured (not necessarily physically) ever since the death of his mum since he was FOUR YEARS OLD; he's been through an insane amount of pain in his life; he was literally tortured in Hell for THIRTY YEARS!!!; why shouldn't he enjoy being able to inflict that pain upon other people? It's human nature, and on some level, we would all feel the same way. It's sadistic, but like I said, it's human nature. And c'mon, they were in Hell, the people probably deserved it, otherwise, why would they be there in the first place?
Also, I don't buy that he's like the psycho siblings AT ALL. So yeah, he killed the brother, but only because the brother went crazy killer on his ass - anyone would do the same in that situation, and if the only thing you had on hand was a gun, you'd use it, especially with the way the guy was almost near killing him! I get that the kids didn't choose to become the way that they did, and that they were human, but they were too far removed to ever be normal. They were complete animals and would never have been able to live amongst humans, so I think it's a good thing they were both killed. It's probably cold of me to say, but it's just what I think. And I wish Dean wouldn't carry as much guilt over it as you just know he's going to, because he had no other choice but to shoot. It was self-defence.
I just seriously want to wrap him up in a blanket, hug him and look after him forever. He's been through some horrific experiences, and he needs to start healing from that, but I just don't know how it's going to happen yet. The fact that he feels guilty about what happened though, gives me hope, and shows me that he can be healed yet. Because if he didn't feel guilt, and didn't seem affected by what had happened in Hell, then we'd have reason to be worried that he'd never get better. But he does, because that's just the type of person he is, and I have faith that gradually, he'll turn back into the Dean we know and love. He has to, or I will actually kill Kripke.
And will Sam PLEASE do something other than just tell Dean it wasn't his fault? I'm glad he didn't fully drop the issue since it looked like Dean had been avoiding it, but he's still not doing enough to make a difference and actually help his brother, and I don't understand why! Where's the Sam of S3, who just kept pushing and pushing until he got through to Dean, the one who showed him that he was there for him no matter what? This distance between the two is TORTURE! Again with the killing of Kripke if he doesn't fix this, I swear.
On a lighter note, best lines from this episode:
- "What kinda ghost messes WITH A MAN'S WHEELS?!"
- "We could tell them the truth"/"Really?"/"No, not really"
- "I just got molested by Casper the Pervy Ghost, that's what happened!"
- "If you don't get your ass back in that circle, you're gonna have a third hole"
- "Jeez, rent Juno, get over it"
- "Wow. Story ripped from an Austrian headline. Humans, man!"
- "Please nobody grab my leg, please nobody grab my leg!"
Thank frack it's back, that's all I have to say.
Can I just first express how freaking happy I was that it was FINALLY back this week? It feels like it's been away forever! Seriously, kudos to all the fans who've survived hiatuses before, I don't know how you did it. I was kinda going crazy.
Anyway, I quite enjoyed this episode overall. I do love the mythology of the show, and I think it's part of what makes it stand apart, because it's so strong, but I really loved the fact we had a simple MOTW case this week, and got to just see the boys hunt and do what they do best. We've not had a lot of that this season, so it was refreshing. And it was so bloody creepy! I think by now we all know how much of an actual chicken I am when it comes to any sort of horror, so seriously, I was really nervous and getting scared during certain parts. Like when Dean and Uncle Ted were in the walls, because it was all dark and tight and really, who didn't see the psycho girl coming? And also when Danny started playing catch with some unseen force in his wardrobe. WTF?! Is he mental?! You don't just sit and play, you run in the other direction, stupid! Anyway, did that bit remind anyone else of The Shining? Reminiscent of when the little boy in that has a tennis ball rolled in front of him, but there's no-one there. Creepy shit. And the hillbilly psycho siblings were just horrible - I would be fine with NEVER seeing that image of sis biting into a live rat ever again, kthxbye.
In general, everything in the episode was good - the plot was decent, especially with the twist of the ghost not being a ghost, and having two of them instead of one (even if the incest thing was major squicky), and it was shot really well, they nailed the creepy, horror movie aspect. Music was freaking atmospheric and tense. Even the family didn't bug me, they were all likeable to some extent. But the most important thing from this episode was obviously Dean and his reveal.
I was shocked by what Dean said, but it doesn't change my opinion of him at all, and I understand where he's coming from. It's like the mentality of a bully victim, if they get a chance to get their own back and inflict pain on someone else, they feel good, because they're not the one being bullied anymore. And it's the same for Dean - he's been tortured (not necessarily physically) ever since the death of his mum since he was FOUR YEARS OLD; he's been through an insane amount of pain in his life; he was literally tortured in Hell for THIRTY YEARS!!!; why shouldn't he enjoy being able to inflict that pain upon other people? It's human nature, and on some level, we would all feel the same way. It's sadistic, but like I said, it's human nature. And c'mon, they were in Hell, the people probably deserved it, otherwise, why would they be there in the first place?
Also, I don't buy that he's like the psycho siblings AT ALL. So yeah, he killed the brother, but only because the brother went crazy killer on his ass - anyone would do the same in that situation, and if the only thing you had on hand was a gun, you'd use it, especially with the way the guy was almost near killing him! I get that the kids didn't choose to become the way that they did, and that they were human, but they were too far removed to ever be normal. They were complete animals and would never have been able to live amongst humans, so I think it's a good thing they were both killed. It's probably cold of me to say, but it's just what I think. And I wish Dean wouldn't carry as much guilt over it as you just know he's going to, because he had no other choice but to shoot. It was self-defence.
I just seriously want to wrap him up in a blanket, hug him and look after him forever. He's been through some horrific experiences, and he needs to start healing from that, but I just don't know how it's going to happen yet. The fact that he feels guilty about what happened though, gives me hope, and shows me that he can be healed yet. Because if he didn't feel guilt, and didn't seem affected by what had happened in Hell, then we'd have reason to be worried that he'd never get better. But he does, because that's just the type of person he is, and I have faith that gradually, he'll turn back into the Dean we know and love. He has to, or I will actually kill Kripke.
And will Sam PLEASE do something other than just tell Dean it wasn't his fault? I'm glad he didn't fully drop the issue since it looked like Dean had been avoiding it, but he's still not doing enough to make a difference and actually help his brother, and I don't understand why! Where's the Sam of S3, who just kept pushing and pushing until he got through to Dean, the one who showed him that he was there for him no matter what? This distance between the two is TORTURE! Again with the killing of Kripke if he doesn't fix this, I swear.
On a lighter note, best lines from this episode:
- "What kinda ghost messes WITH A MAN'S WHEELS?!"
- "We could tell them the truth"/"Really?"/"No, not really"
- "I just got molested by Casper the Pervy Ghost, that's what happened!"
- "If you don't get your ass back in that circle, you're gonna have a third hole"
- "Jeez, rent Juno, get over it"
- "Wow. Story ripped from an Austrian headline. Humans, man!"
- "Please nobody grab my leg, please nobody grab my leg!"
Thank frack it's back, that's all I have to say.