The Girl Next Door (SPN 07.03) - Spoilers Aplenty
With my move, Supernatural airs at 4:00am in my part of the world (and by that I mean, it doesn't actually air, at least not the current season--the season six finale of SPN is this Wednesday--I mean we're seven hours ahead of EST). So I wake up on Saturday morning and there's a download available (which was excruciatingly slow this week). At 11:00am, the ep was available on iTunes. That's downloading for me as we speak. So I'll get to watch this again soon on my TV. \o/
Because I wind up slightly behind all the episode discussion in the States, I'd asked debbiel to do this for me:
Your mission should you decide to accept it is to get online when the episode is over and give us ("us" would be callistosh65, who is another person who wakes up to the ep) your opinion on it. :-) It'll probably be online when I get up tomorrow morning and show up on iTunes after that. But I need to know the general verdict. Don't let me down!
I woke up to this message from her (Deb, I hope you don't mind):
Okay. So I liked it a lot but I can see where some might not.
What did I think?
I loved it. Absolutely freakin' loved it. Season seven is rocking my crazy little world. Here is why:
- Baby Sam. Could I adore Colin Ford any more than I already do? I'm not sure that's possible. There's pleasure to be had simply by watching him grow up (as Sam grows up). But it's interesting to see how this kid embodies so much of what Jared has shown us with Sam. He's got the vulnerability in spades, the frustration with his family life, the intelligence, the steely determination and his asking for a triple red eye had me chortling. He is Sam to me now, as much as Jared is (Colin is even beginning to look a little like Jared!). It's always such a pleasure to see him.
- Jewel Staite and the girl who played her younger self. I know Jewel didn't exactly make people happy on SGA. But to me, she will always be Kaylee on Firefly/Serenity, so I was predisposed to like her. I thought she was very well cast here. Jewel brought the same vulnerability Kaylie had always had to this role. You sympathized with this "monster" who was just trying to fit in and survive. I really felt for her and in fact teared up when she was killed (even though I knew it was coming). Nice work in under 40 minutes. The younger girl who played her was great too (I couldn't find her name; IMDB doesn't list her). At times, her voice even sounded like Jewel's. On the one hand, it's sad that Sam first kiss was with something other than a human. On the other hand, I was glad it was with someone who was willing to defend him like Amy did.
- Jensen's direction. Great suspense at the hospital. Everyone's performances were spot on. The show looked good and flowed. And Dean had a lot more to do here than he did with last year's Weekend at Bobby's. Well done, sir! I think you have a second career if you want it.
- The script (with a couple of minor quibbles).
- I like how Bobby's reappearance was handled more as "Of course I made it out, you idjit" instead of something big and dramatic. And I love that small moment of gentleness when Bobby touched Dean's cheek. That, to me, was so much...sweeter than the big, enthusiastic hugs the male characters in this show tend to give each other.
- I like the idea that Sam has finally embraced he's a freak. That has been a huge arc for this show and this character. It makes sense. What else is he going to do? He's not normal. He'll never be "normal" again. Hell--when was the last time he could even say that with a straight face (Before drinking demon blood? Before YED fed him blood as a baby? When?)? It's about time that switch clicked inside his head.
- I've already mentioned Colin's performance. But that effectiveness was helped immeasurably by the way young Sam was written. He was entirely recognizable as our Sam. Great job, writers.
- The tension in that final scene with Dean and Amy, and then Dean and Jacob. I was riveted.
- The leviathans continue to be scary (And I felt vaguely guilty about what happened to the store clerk at the end. I've said more than once that anything is better with cheese on it. I would have felt more guilty if that individual could actually act.)
- Dean's characterization. I haven't read any other reviews. But I'm certain that if people had issues with this ep, it was probably with this right here. But for me--this is exactly where Dean is right now.
He listens to Sam (after punching him--which, again, is exactly in character for Dean, even if it isn't what you might call admirable) and you can see he sympathizes. But he can't trust Sam's judgment right now. He can't. His brother admits to not knowing what's real, he loses touch with the world and stares off into space, he holds conversations with an invisible Lucifer...you can see why Dean might have his doubts. Add to that the fact that it's practically coded into Dean's DNA to not only protect Sam, but to be the one who makes the hard decisions. He's been raised from infancy to distrust monsters, and he's certainly no optimist (not about a lethal creature choosing not to kill and about his own fate). Plus there's no arguing with the fact that Amy is a murderer. She may murder lowlifes. But she kills nonetheless.
What is most important though is where Dean is emotionally. This has been a long time coming--you could argue this arc dates back to John giving up his life for Dean. Dean is an emotional mess. He's coped to this point by simply pushing it all down and numbing himself with alcohol and porn ( a strategy he recommends to Sam), but that's no longer effective. His guilt over all the deaths, all the loss, is staggering. I've seen fans grumble that we never really got to deal with the fallout from Dean's time in Hell (with the exception of the excellent On the Head of a Pin). I think a little of that is coming into play here. Dean is having a harder and harder time not only justifying his own actions, but his very existence.
One of the really neat things I hope the writers explore is the same thing that some Deancentric fans have been annoyed about. Sam is able to justify some of his actions by saying, "Okay. Yeah. I did some pretty terrible things. But you know what? I've paid an equally terrible price." After all, not only did he suffer the horrors of the Cage, but now he's broken, for want of a better word. And if Sera is to be believed, he won't be fixed. Dean had to deal with Hell as well, no question. But I could see from a character standpoint (and I want to stress I don't actually agree with this POV) him believing he's gotten off relatively lightly. His time in the pit was less and now there is physically nothing wrong with him. Plus, using Hell as an excuse or an equalizer will never be an option for him because of his time as a torturer. Dean will always think, 'Yeah, I went through things that would have driven other men mad. But you know what? I turned around did it to others." He'll never forgive himself for breaking. Never. In Dean's mind, anything Sam did (and we don't know that Sam has ever told him about the nurse--which to my way of thinking is Sam's greatest sin) was in service of a larger, more noble goal (And no, I don't count soulless Sam's acts because Sam wasn't at the helm there. He literally wasn't himself.). While Dean, a guy prone to assuming everyone's burden anyway, damned himself and the world because he wasn't strong enough.
So you can see why he might be hurting. :-)
Anyway, I thought this was an engrossing and moving episode. My mini-quibbles are: I would have liked to have seen Dean be there when Sam woke up, I would have liked Sam to pull a bait and switch with the cake ("Cake, pie--same thing, right?" Dean mourns. "Dude, would I do that to you? Here's your damn pie."), how is Dean walking on that badly a broken leg after three weeks? (though I totally adored him cutting off his own cast).
You guys, this season is so good! I can't wait for next week...
S
P
O
I
L
E
R
S
...when Dean will have to confront at least a little of what his guilt is doing to him and Sam will have the opportunity to surprise him.
Because I wind up slightly behind all the episode discussion in the States, I'd asked debbiel to do this for me:
Your mission should you decide to accept it is to get online when the episode is over and give us ("us" would be callistosh65, who is another person who wakes up to the ep) your opinion on it. :-) It'll probably be online when I get up tomorrow morning and show up on iTunes after that. But I need to know the general verdict. Don't let me down!
I woke up to this message from her (Deb, I hope you don't mind):
Okay. So I liked it a lot but I can see where some might not.
What did I think?
I loved it. Absolutely freakin' loved it. Season seven is rocking my crazy little world. Here is why:
- Baby Sam. Could I adore Colin Ford any more than I already do? I'm not sure that's possible. There's pleasure to be had simply by watching him grow up (as Sam grows up). But it's interesting to see how this kid embodies so much of what Jared has shown us with Sam. He's got the vulnerability in spades, the frustration with his family life, the intelligence, the steely determination and his asking for a triple red eye had me chortling. He is Sam to me now, as much as Jared is (Colin is even beginning to look a little like Jared!). It's always such a pleasure to see him.
- Jewel Staite and the girl who played her younger self. I know Jewel didn't exactly make people happy on SGA. But to me, she will always be Kaylee on Firefly/Serenity, so I was predisposed to like her. I thought she was very well cast here. Jewel brought the same vulnerability Kaylie had always had to this role. You sympathized with this "monster" who was just trying to fit in and survive. I really felt for her and in fact teared up when she was killed (even though I knew it was coming). Nice work in under 40 minutes. The younger girl who played her was great too (I couldn't find her name; IMDB doesn't list her). At times, her voice even sounded like Jewel's. On the one hand, it's sad that Sam first kiss was with something other than a human. On the other hand, I was glad it was with someone who was willing to defend him like Amy did.
- Jensen's direction. Great suspense at the hospital. Everyone's performances were spot on. The show looked good and flowed. And Dean had a lot more to do here than he did with last year's Weekend at Bobby's. Well done, sir! I think you have a second career if you want it.
- The script (with a couple of minor quibbles).
- I like how Bobby's reappearance was handled more as "Of course I made it out, you idjit" instead of something big and dramatic. And I love that small moment of gentleness when Bobby touched Dean's cheek. That, to me, was so much...sweeter than the big, enthusiastic hugs the male characters in this show tend to give each other.
- I like the idea that Sam has finally embraced he's a freak. That has been a huge arc for this show and this character. It makes sense. What else is he going to do? He's not normal. He'll never be "normal" again. Hell--when was the last time he could even say that with a straight face (Before drinking demon blood? Before YED fed him blood as a baby? When?)? It's about time that switch clicked inside his head.
- I've already mentioned Colin's performance. But that effectiveness was helped immeasurably by the way young Sam was written. He was entirely recognizable as our Sam. Great job, writers.
- The tension in that final scene with Dean and Amy, and then Dean and Jacob. I was riveted.
- The leviathans continue to be scary (And I felt vaguely guilty about what happened to the store clerk at the end. I've said more than once that anything is better with cheese on it. I would have felt more guilty if that individual could actually act.)
- Dean's characterization. I haven't read any other reviews. But I'm certain that if people had issues with this ep, it was probably with this right here. But for me--this is exactly where Dean is right now.
He listens to Sam (after punching him--which, again, is exactly in character for Dean, even if it isn't what you might call admirable) and you can see he sympathizes. But he can't trust Sam's judgment right now. He can't. His brother admits to not knowing what's real, he loses touch with the world and stares off into space, he holds conversations with an invisible Lucifer...you can see why Dean might have his doubts. Add to that the fact that it's practically coded into Dean's DNA to not only protect Sam, but to be the one who makes the hard decisions. He's been raised from infancy to distrust monsters, and he's certainly no optimist (not about a lethal creature choosing not to kill and about his own fate). Plus there's no arguing with the fact that Amy is a murderer. She may murder lowlifes. But she kills nonetheless.
What is most important though is where Dean is emotionally. This has been a long time coming--you could argue this arc dates back to John giving up his life for Dean. Dean is an emotional mess. He's coped to this point by simply pushing it all down and numbing himself with alcohol and porn ( a strategy he recommends to Sam), but that's no longer effective. His guilt over all the deaths, all the loss, is staggering. I've seen fans grumble that we never really got to deal with the fallout from Dean's time in Hell (with the exception of the excellent On the Head of a Pin). I think a little of that is coming into play here. Dean is having a harder and harder time not only justifying his own actions, but his very existence.
One of the really neat things I hope the writers explore is the same thing that some Deancentric fans have been annoyed about. Sam is able to justify some of his actions by saying, "Okay. Yeah. I did some pretty terrible things. But you know what? I've paid an equally terrible price." After all, not only did he suffer the horrors of the Cage, but now he's broken, for want of a better word. And if Sera is to be believed, he won't be fixed. Dean had to deal with Hell as well, no question. But I could see from a character standpoint (and I want to stress I don't actually agree with this POV) him believing he's gotten off relatively lightly. His time in the pit was less and now there is physically nothing wrong with him. Plus, using Hell as an excuse or an equalizer will never be an option for him because of his time as a torturer. Dean will always think, 'Yeah, I went through things that would have driven other men mad. But you know what? I turned around did it to others." He'll never forgive himself for breaking. Never. In Dean's mind, anything Sam did (and we don't know that Sam has ever told him about the nurse--which to my way of thinking is Sam's greatest sin) was in service of a larger, more noble goal (And no, I don't count soulless Sam's acts because Sam wasn't at the helm there. He literally wasn't himself.). While Dean, a guy prone to assuming everyone's burden anyway, damned himself and the world because he wasn't strong enough.
So you can see why he might be hurting. :-)
Anyway, I thought this was an engrossing and moving episode. My mini-quibbles are: I would have liked to have seen Dean be there when Sam woke up, I would have liked Sam to pull a bait and switch with the cake ("Cake, pie--same thing, right?" Dean mourns. "Dude, would I do that to you? Here's your damn pie."), how is Dean walking on that badly a broken leg after three weeks? (though I totally adored him cutting off his own cast).
You guys, this season is so good! I can't wait for next week...
S
P
O
I
L
E
R
S
...when Dean will have to confront at least a little of what his guilt is doing to him and Sam will have the opportunity to surprise him.