en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/268009 Comments by Whiskey http://www.pinkraygun.com/2010/11/09/supernatural-family-matters/#IDComment108862888 Great review, Sylvia! I have to say, I actually liked this one, shockingly. It wasn't perfect, but it was good, and I agree, it feels like Show has hit its stride. They packed a lot into this one, and some of it, like Christian being a demon, I didn't see coming. Samuel being shady and up to something, I saw coming from a mile away, as we all did. Also, how awesome was that Alpha Vamp? That actor really knocked it out of the park. I also had unusual amounts of love for Castiel this episode. I'm usually kind of indifferent to him, but something about his part in this one, and the way it was played, really worked for me. The beginning scene, with the angel probing and all was hard to watch, but effectively played. I was also intrigued by the rope issue. If Sam got loose so easily once he decided he wasn't playing along anymore, then he could have gotten loose any time he wanted to. Meaning that he sat there and allowed them to do those things to him, and I like that he didn't just shrug himself free once they were done. He asked, nearly begged, to be untied, trying to make it Dean's decision, and only took matters into his own hands when Dean wouldn't listen. I'm with Veronica here though. I do not like Dean's attitude about any of this. As Veronica pointed out, Dean was more than happy to work with (and for) Crowley when it suited his goals. But now, with Sam's soul on the line, he's balking at it? What gives? If he is that angry with Sam, he needs to walk away for a little while. If he's not that angry with Sam, then he needs to get on board with helping his brother. I understand that Dean is hurt, and betrayed, by Sam allowing him to be turned, and those are completely valid feelings. But I also think that Dean is taking out a lot of other frustrations on Sam, such as losing Lisa, and that's not Sam's fault. It's a funny place to be, because on one hand, I feel Dean's frustration and hurt. He's suffered this past year without his brother, and he's hurt that Sam didn't tell him right away that he was back. Again, totally valid feelings. He's upset that he's lost Lisa and his little family that he was building. Also valid feelings. He's frustrated that he's gotten dumped into this mess, and that he's got to do something that goes against his instincts (in turning the alphas over to Crowley), which is also completely valid. And obviously he's still very upset by the vampire incident, and he has every right to be furious about that. But in choosing to express those completely valid feelings by treating Sam like something that crawled out from under a rock, and by bitching about working with Crowley to save Sam's soul, he's completely undermining the sympathy I want to have for his position. It sucks. It really does. Everything that's happened to him this season has sucked, pretty much across the board. But I hate to break it to him, he's not the only one suffering. He's not the only one who's having a sucky time of it, and he's not the only one struggling. And I really hate this condescending, above it all air I got from him at the end of this episode. I'm hoping it was just a writing issue in this episode. I'm not very fond of these writers as a rule, those this time they did manage to pull everything off pretty well. I don't think Dean should instantly get over all of this; none of them should. But I would really love to hear a little more "we" and "us" from him, and a little less "I" and "me". I definitely prefer Sam, but I like things best when I love both of the brothers. ETA: I completely agree with the lighting and the pretty in this one. Everyone looked marvelous. Tue, 9 Nov 2010 18:21:58 +0000 http://www.pinkraygun.com/2010/11/09/supernatural-family-matters/#IDComment108862888 http://www.pinkraygun.com/2010/11/02/supernatural-you-cant-handle-the-truth/#IDComment107409898 Oh dear, I'm afraid I am that predictable when it comes to Show, and their treatment of Sam. It's not that I don't understand why or how Dean got to that point. I do, and I don't blame him for any of the emotions that led him there. I just completely, utterly disagree with his choice to vent his feelings in a physical manner against his brother. It is in character for him at this point, but that doesn't make it right either. Then the fact that he took it to the extreme he did, that pushed the whole mess firmly into the inexcusable department. Speaking solely for myself, there's no reason or excuse out there that's going to cover what he did. Does that mean I hate him? No, absolutely not. It doesn't mean I think it's unforgivable either. But if he keeps acting like Sam is definitely a monster, and treating him accordingly while leaving no room for the possibility that it really IS Sam, then I'm going to have some very serious issues with Dean. Tue, 2 Nov 2010 18:50:25 +0000 http://www.pinkraygun.com/2010/11/02/supernatural-you-cant-handle-the-truth/#IDComment107409898 http://www.pinkraygun.com/2010/11/02/supernatural-you-cant-handle-the-truth/#IDComment107404804 I sure hope they did it on purpose. They had to have noticed it at the time. But Sam is a very effective loomer on his own, he doesn't need to stand on something, even if it's Dean he's looming over. Tue, 2 Nov 2010 18:28:28 +0000 http://www.pinkraygun.com/2010/11/02/supernatural-you-cant-handle-the-truth/#IDComment107404804 http://www.pinkraygun.com/2010/11/02/supernatural-you-cant-handle-the-truth/#IDComment107402993 "He decides to incapacitate him and get him somewhere until he can find out the truth. He punches him to do so. And then he loses it, and when he loses it he's not hitting Sam, he is hitting the monster who has taken his brother from him. I think if he had still had the knife in his hand at that point, Sam would be dead. He had convinced himself once again this was a monster he was facing not Sam. " I like your Impala comparison a lot better. I think it fits a lot better, to be honest. I have problems with the whole incapacitation thing too. I've heard that offered as a reason/excuse more than once since Friday. Even if Dean had just hit Sam hard enough to knock him out and left it with that, he's still leaving little room for error if that IS Sam. They were both knocked out by Veritas, and now he'd going to give Sam another knock out punch? Really not a good idea. Then he took it to the extreme he did, and if that really is Sam, he could have easily killed him, or left him permanently damaged, without needing the knife at all. The second thing is that Dean taking his anger out on Sam by hitting him, even when he knows Sam is really Sam, is canon. And everything about this scene, from the long, tense pause between when Dean turned back to Sam after he put the knife down, to the look on his face when he threw the first punch, his body language, everything matched the other times we've seen Dean lose his temper and lash out, both at Sam and the Impala. ETA: I also don't like the line of thinking, if I'm taking all of this the way it was meant, that Dean being dead inside and damaged equals his actions being reasonable, while Sam (assuming it is Sam) being dead inside and damaged somehow equals deserving that kind of treatment. I'm hoping I've gotten a wire or two crossed between what you meant and what I'm seeing on that. Tue, 2 Nov 2010 18:21:10 +0000 http://www.pinkraygun.com/2010/11/02/supernatural-you-cant-handle-the-truth/#IDComment107402993 http://www.pinkraygun.com/2010/11/02/supernatural-you-cant-handle-the-truth/#IDComment107371014 "Any posts saying what Dean did is wrong or was harsh, I would really love to know what's their order in the sibling list in real-life." I'm curious about how you think that relates to what Dean did, and whether it's wrong or not. It doesn't matter what place you fall into in your family. It's not a matter of relating, or not relating, to Dean. His feelings, his anger and rage, that is both totally justified and understandable. Whether you're an older sibling, younger, middle or only child, I think it's clear that he had very good reasons for feeling the way he did and most likely still does. Those feelings, legitimate though they definitely were, did not give him the right to do what he did. In choosing to use his fists to express his anger, and in choosing to take things as far as he did, that is where he went wrong. That's on him, nobody else. It was an unacceptable way to express his rage, no matter how much right he had to the emotion, and again, I can't see what bearing a person's place in their family order has on this issue. Tue, 2 Nov 2010 16:07:19 +0000 http://www.pinkraygun.com/2010/11/02/supernatural-you-cant-handle-the-truth/#IDComment107371014 http://www.pinkraygun.com/2010/11/02/supernatural-you-cant-handle-the-truth/#IDComment107360238 I also realize that we, and Dean, don't know if what Sam said at the end was the truth or not. He's been doing a lot of lying lately, and we know he has. That still doesn't change my feelings on the brutality of what Dean did. That wasn't an attempt to eliminate a threat. It was uncontrolled rage, pure and simple. He lost his temper in a very spectacular, in character (unfortunately) way. If what Sam said turns out to be true, I seriously hope Dean recognizes the horrible thing he did, in responding to an expressed desire for help with a vicious beating. "But more importantly, Dean lashing out that way, with punches, shows that Dean isn’t perfect, isn’t the flawless young god some episodes would paint him as. No, it shows Dean as being perfectly human, with his own brand of kryptonite that answers to the name of Sam." I agree with this completely. The problem is, too much of the audience, or at least the audience with an online presence, doesn't seem to get that point at all. They cheered it on. Sam deserved it, they say, he had it coming. They don't see it as a flaw in Dean's character, a flaw that proves his as human as anyone else. They see it as righteous and awesome. Unless Show gives us clear indication that someone inside the narrative (Bobby? Castiel? I don't really care who) sees this incident for what it really is, I think that point is irretrievably lost, having long since sailed over the heads of too many people. "The only thing I’m missing here is the hurt/comfort scene that will surely follow: plastic bags of ice, a stiff shot of whiskey or two, plumped pillows, about a handful of aspirin, and some TV on without a whole lot of conversation." Based on the promos for next week, I wouldn't hold your breath on that scene coming, Sylvia. I actually wouldn't hold your breath on Dean even acknowledging that what he did was out of line, or being all that concerned about Sam. But that could just be the promo monkeys messing with us again. They do so love to do that. I'm going to hope that's all it is, at least. ETA: I also have issues with Dean allowing Lisa to have that conversation with him when he knew that the curse worked over the phone. He knew that she would be forced to tell him the truth, things she might not really want to say. I know he tried to get her to have the conversation at another time, but when she refused, I think he should have at least told her about the curse. The fact that he didn't felt like he was taking advantage of the situation, which doesn't feel right. Tue, 2 Nov 2010 14:53:45 +0000 http://www.pinkraygun.com/2010/11/02/supernatural-you-cant-handle-the-truth/#IDComment107360238 http://www.pinkraygun.com/2010/11/02/supernatural-you-cant-handle-the-truth/#IDComment107360227 Hi Sylvia! I have to say, I enjoyed this one even more than usual. It made me think. Getting the shallow stuff out of the way up front, both of the guys looked awesome this week, and I totally agree that this season so far, at least in most of the episodes (I'm looking at you 6x04) has very much given Jared a chance to show his talent at his craft. I've seen more praise for his acting this season than I've ever seen before, and he deserves it. Sure, he's not perfect; nobody is. But he's proving that he's damned good at what he does. Sometimes I wish I had an audience with the people in charge so I could demand that they admit that their show would have been rubbish if they hadn't lucked out in terms of chemistry and acting ability with their casting. I was also amused by the staging in some of those shots, particularly that first screencap you have up. Like Sam needs any help looming over people. I said last week that this was Show's last chance with me. I still mean it, but unfortunately they kind of left us hanging on this one. To fully process the ending of this episode, I think I have to at least watch the first part of the next one. I need to see what, if any, fallout there is, and how Dean handles it. And now to that ending. Unacceptable. Inexcusable. Totally unjustifiable. End of story. Dean has a history of lashing out at Sam with his fists when he gets angry, and he doesn't seem to think there's anything wrong with it, which is even more bothersome. We've seen this scenario at least twice before; Dean gets mad at Sam, Dean punches Sam, Sam doesn't fight back. Before someone chimes in to say "but that's how guys are!" No. At least, not all guys. I grew up surrounded by them. Brothers, friends, friends of brothers, cousins, you name it. And I've never once seen them come to actual blows with each other. I've seen them get angry, furious even, but there weren't any punches thrown. Wrestling? Sure. Name calling? Absolutely. But nothing even remotely approaching what we see with Sam and Dean. The only time physical violence came into play was with an outsider, in response to a threat or insult. Not with each other. Obviously part of this is down to Sam and Dean's raising and lifestyle. When you live with violence, you become accustomed to it, and I get that as much as someone who hasn't been raised around excessive violence can. But that doesn't excuse it. I think someof my issues with this scene are fandom related. Sam was berated in early S4 for not being sympathetic enough to what Dean had been through. Then he got thoroughly raked over the coals for the fight at the end of When the Levee Breaks, which to a large extent, he deserved for the choking thing. Now Sam is the one who went to Hell (well, the Cage, but for all we know that's like Hell x 100; though knowing this show, since it's Sam who went there, it'll be no big deal) to help stop the apocalypse that he and Dean both started, and he's clearly broken and suffering and so far all he's gotten from Dean, aside from that one hug, is anger, ranting, and distrust (even though he later earned that distrust, I'm talking about from the beginning). Now he's gotten a brutal beating to boot. I don't blame Dean for being angry. He should have been angry, seriously, extremely, horribly angry. That anger is completely understandable and justified. I don't blame him for wanting to let his fists fly, for that desire to vent his rage in a physical way. I do blame him for using his brother as a human punching bag. I do blame him for not stopping until Sam was unconscious. I do blame him for beating an unresisting opponent to that extent. Dean had every right to the anger that led him to that point, every right you could ask for. But he had NO right to do what he did. And to be quite honest, the fact that I see people excusing it, handwaving it, and flat out ignoring it the way that I have and am, almost makes me physically ill. Tue, 2 Nov 2010 14:53:38 +0000 http://www.pinkraygun.com/2010/11/02/supernatural-you-cant-handle-the-truth/#IDComment107360227 http://www.pinkraygun.com/2010/10/26/supernatural-live-free-or-twi-hard/#IDComment106250262 "I've had this sick feeling that my favorite show has gone off the rails and really ISN'T headed in a definable direction, or if it is, just not one I want to travel in. " I have that exact same feeling. :( Maybe we're wrong? I don't feel like that's likely, but it's still possible. Tue, 26 Oct 2010 21:10:00 +0000 http://www.pinkraygun.com/2010/10/26/supernatural-live-free-or-twi-hard/#IDComment106250262 http://www.pinkraygun.com/2010/10/26/supernatural-live-free-or-twi-hard/#IDComment106249864 "Unfortunately they seem to have installed him this season in the mode of I must save my brother from whatever he has become, I need to fix him and get my Sammy back." I have to say, that's not the vibe I've gotten from Dean at all. He was angry with Sam for not telling him that Sam was back, which he should have been. Ever since then the impression I've gotten, with the phone call to Bobby and everything else, is suspicion and distrust. As though his first thought is to find out what's wrong with Sam and how to fix it because it's dangerous, and secondly because Sam is his brother. And if Dean has no purpose besides being Sam's keeper, then I guess Sam has no purpose at all, because he's been far, FAR less developed and featured this season than Dean has been. Dean has a family, and had a normal life, and a lot of very different, new things happen to him this past year, and we're seeing that difference in him and the reasons for it. That's a hell of a lot more than can be said for Sam. He's different, sure. But we're completely in the dark, and likely to remain that way, about WHY he's different. I'd switch their storylines in a heartbeat, if it meant we got to see as much of what makes Sam tick as we've seen of Dean, even in just these 5 episodes. Tue, 26 Oct 2010 21:07:45 +0000 http://www.pinkraygun.com/2010/10/26/supernatural-live-free-or-twi-hard/#IDComment106249864 http://www.pinkraygun.com/2010/10/26/supernatural-live-free-or-twi-hard/#IDComment106248100 I completely agree with the last two sentences of your post, Sylvia. It's beyond old that Dean never makes the wrong choice in a bad situation. It's weakened his character, and I still feel like they've forced Sam to be even worse to better highlight Dean's goodness. I hate it. And I'm beginning to suspect that the writers don't intend to ever give Dean a kryptonite. Tue, 26 Oct 2010 20:55:09 +0000 http://www.pinkraygun.com/2010/10/26/supernatural-live-free-or-twi-hard/#IDComment106248100 http://www.pinkraygun.com/2010/10/26/supernatural-live-free-or-twi-hard/#IDComment106246247 @DemonJenn - I wasn't in the best of moods this weekend either, and I'm honestly still put out. I've invested a lot in this show, and I'm getting exactly zero out of it right now. That equation does NOT a happy fangirl make. It doesn't even make an unhappy but willing to wait and see fangirl. At least not for me. I don't like bailing on shows; the only other one I ever bailed on after getting invested in it was LOST (I left mid-season 2), because I realized the odds of them ever tying things up in a neat and satisfying way were very slim. And I was right. Tue, 26 Oct 2010 20:44:03 +0000 http://www.pinkraygun.com/2010/10/26/supernatural-live-free-or-twi-hard/#IDComment106246247 http://www.pinkraygun.com/2010/10/26/supernatural-live-free-or-twi-hard/#IDComment106245534 That's exactly it, Sylvia. Between the fact that what's fun to play isn't always fun to watch, and the fact that even if he WAS unhappy we'd be unlikely to hear about it in an official capacity, his happiness with his storyline has little to no effect on my enjoyment of Show. Tue, 26 Oct 2010 20:39:28 +0000 http://www.pinkraygun.com/2010/10/26/supernatural-live-free-or-twi-hard/#IDComment106245534 http://www.pinkraygun.com/2010/10/26/supernatural-live-free-or-twi-hard/#IDComment106180972 If that's still true for Jared (I've seen some recent reports to suggest otherwise), and I hope it is, that's all well and good, and I'm happy for him. However, Jared also said he was happy with Season 4's arc for his character, which I most definitely was not happy with. I think my taste differs vastly from Jared's on this point. It could also be a case of what's fun for him to play is not fun for those of us who are already invested in the character to watch. He does evil well, I agree with you there. But wrong, bad, stubborn, possibly evil!Sam is becoming a dead horse at this point. We've already had an entire season were Sam was as wrong and stubborn as could be. Why on Earth do we need to do it all over again? Can't Sam be one of the good guys again? And above all of that, if they just HAD to make Sam the bad one for the umpteenth time, why did they have to go and screw with his love for his brother? That was like, the last good quality he had left. How is taking that away and letting him stand there and smirk while Dean gets turned into a vampire, when all he has to counter it is a cure that MIGHT work, not trashing the only good part of the character they hadn't already destroyed? Tue, 26 Oct 2010 16:10:37 +0000 http://www.pinkraygun.com/2010/10/26/supernatural-live-free-or-twi-hard/#IDComment106180972 http://www.pinkraygun.com/2010/10/26/supernatural-live-free-or-twi-hard/#IDComment106170284 Good review, Sylvia! I've never been into the whole vampire thing, but I don't think anyone could miss how popular it is right now. I have to confess, it's always baffled me, the obsession with vampires, especially since the whole myth was probably rooted in a rabies epidemic. But I'm totally with you on the Little House on the Prairie thing. I wanted to be Laura Ingalls - the book Laura, not the TV show. So much so that my mom had a calico dress, muslin apron and bonnet made for me for an event at school. Pioneer Days, I think it was called. On to the show. I have another confession to make. Show was already on very shaky ground with me, due to Sam's utter lack of relevance in the Bobby and Rufus show, and the further refrain of "Something's Wrong with Sam" that they've been warbling when they weren't ignoring him entirely. So when Sam just stood there and watched the vampire turn Dean, I turned off my television. Throughout all the crap they've thrown at us about Sam, and all the mud they've dragged his character through, they at least had the good sense not to mess with his love for his brother. For them to then go and annihilate that last bit of continuity, that last bit of positive characterization, the last piece of anything we recognize as Sam left in him, was more than I was willing to tolerate. They get one more shot, with this week's episode, and ONLY because I have the faintest, tiniest shred of hope that they might actually bother to let us in on what's going on with Sam. If they can't even be bothered to give us something in that one, I'm over and out. I've hung on through two and a half seasons of either Samless, or Sam-lacking crap, watched them trod all over him and constantly run him down, to further hoist Dean onto a pedestal and canonize him as the saintly, angsty brother who never makes a mistake on anything big and I'm beyond over it. They can have their Dean show, I can't stop them. But unless/until/IF they ever deign to explain things in a satisfactory way (that isn't "Sam effed it all up! Again! Trusted the wrong people! Again! Sam's evil! Again!"...Seriously, they've been singing the "Something's WRONG with Sam" song since AHBL 2, it's just same song, different verse. Time to shit or get off the pot, people.), I'm have better things to do with my Friday nights. If they don't resolve things, and I suspect they won't ever bother finding a satisfying answer to all of this, at least I'll still have your reviews. I find them more enjoyable than what's passing for Show these days anyway. “When Rhett schlepped Scarlett up those stairs, every woman in the audience gasped…and I think that’s what women want, to be schlepped up those stairs [by Rhett Butler].” I added a bit there. I can't speak for womankind as a whole, but the idea of being schlepped up those stairs by just anybody is very O_o to me. Rhett, on the other hand, might just get away with it. "Anything’s possible, but the fact of the matter is something is very wrong with Sam. Show is obviously drawing this out, leaving a trail of breadcrumbs being us in preparation for the startling moment when we will Find Out The Truth. But ratings week ever looms on the horizon, so it’ll be a long time in coming, kiddies." Yeah, I wouldn't hold your breath on that reveal. I'm guessing mid-season at best, but my pessimistic, Show trampled heart thinks it'll be spring sweeps, if it happens at all. I could see them dragging this out and then getting canceled, leaving us with this as a forever cliffhanger. Your point about Sam's heartbeat actually discourages me, if I'm being completely honest. If Sam has a heartbeat, and blood that Dean wanted, then Sam is human. If Sam is human, then all of this crazy behavior of his is probably going to be marked down to him screwing up, again, and not having learned a damn thing from what happened in Season 4, which will automatically trash what development he was allowed in Season 5, which means the character is thoroughly wrecked at this point. We've talked about Guest Towel Sam before. Now he's not even a Guest Towel. He's not even a character. He's a plot device. He exists solely to advance the plot of the season, and to give Dean something to react to. Sam as a character hasn't existed so far this season, and yes, I realize this is only the fifth episode. But given Show's past track record where Sam is concerned, can anyone give me ONE good reason I should trust them to pull this off in the end? Tue, 26 Oct 2010 14:52:22 +0000 http://www.pinkraygun.com/2010/10/26/supernatural-live-free-or-twi-hard/#IDComment106170284 http://www.pinkraygun.com/2010/10/19/supernatural-weekend-at-bobbys/#IDComment104853297 I wasn't going to comment on this, because I try not to feed trolls, which is exactly what this comment seems to be. But I can't resist sharing a quote with you that might help the next time you feel compelled to leave a comment like this somewhere. "Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt." - Abraham Lincoln Tue, 19 Oct 2010 21:07:45 +0000 http://www.pinkraygun.com/2010/10/19/supernatural-weekend-at-bobbys/#IDComment104853297 http://www.pinkraygun.com/2010/10/19/supernatural-weekend-at-bobbys/#IDComment104851743 It probably never occurred to the writers that might be a head scratcher, hee. But it did bug me. I wonder why they picked that particular bit of Scotland anyway? I'd have to rewatch it to be sure, but I thought Rufus said that the whisky Crowley liked was from the northern part of Caithness, which as far as I know isn't really whisky country (especially not peaty whisky, which I thought Rufus said). It's also not MacLeod country either, again, as far as I know. I'm only Scottish by descent, so this is coming from history books mostly. I'm also seriously overthinking it, but I blame the writers for making him Scottish in the first place. :p Tue, 19 Oct 2010 20:55:23 +0000 http://www.pinkraygun.com/2010/10/19/supernatural-weekend-at-bobbys/#IDComment104851743 http://www.pinkraygun.com/2010/10/19/supernatural-weekend-at-bobbys/#IDComment104790719 Okay, now that I've gotten all the positive things I had to say out of the way, I feel like I can let the negatives out as well. I have always hated episodes where the brothers get shoved to the background to make room for a bunch of secondary characters (The Rapture was the biggest offender in this regard, though the last Bobby centric episode toed the line). The show is about Sam and Dean. Not Castiel and the Novak family. And not about Bobby, Crowley, Rufus or Sheriff Mills. I don't appreciate having the show hijacked that way. I know in this case the argument for it was that Jensen was directing, and it would be easier on him to stay behind the camera as much as possible, which makes sense. So I went into this episode knowing it was going to be light on the guys, and heavy on the secondaries. I was prepared for that, and prepared to at least try to enjoy the episode, since I knew that up front. I was still steamed and confused as to why they took this opportunity to make a Bobby episode, when as far as I can see it would have been a golden opportunity to make a Sam episode, exploring where he was this past year without Dean. It's a story that needs to be told, it's a story that would have by nature been light on Jensen's character, so why go with the Bobby and Rufus comedy hour instead? And yes, I realize that we're only 4 episodes in, and maybe they want to keep secrets (again, some more, because they haven't had enough of that particular device yet), but there was no law that said that the episode Jensen directed HAD to be aired early in the season. I know they shot it early (first, if I'm not mistaken), but that didn't mean it had to air early. But I had resigned myself to the reality of what they had chosen to do long before it actually aired. I would have been fine with it all, except for one tiny, or not so tiny really, thing. If the entire reason for keeping the guys in the background on this episode was so Jensen didn't have to wear two hats quite so much, then why was 99% of what little Winchester presence we got Dean? Sam had maybe 5 lines in the whole thing, and none of them were relevant to the plot. His part in this one was so irrelevant that you could go in and edit him out of it and replay the episode, and it would still work just as well as it did originally. Nothing he said or did affected anything. Their whole excuse for this episode being structured the way it was fell apart with that move, and the pass I was willing to give them went with it. I'm sick and tired of the nearly Samless episode trend that now spans three seasons. Which, okay, I could get over it, if they'd ever made a single attempt to balance things. But they can't even bother to make a token attempt at it, and they've seen fit to continue the trend. Either they don't realize it's a problem, or they don't give a damn about it, or the fans that they've upset with it every time. The first scenario seems unlikely, which makes the second the most probable. I can tell you one thing, I might be stuck with Show for the long haul out of sheer stubbornness, but I'll think twice about ever getting involved in another show that involves these producers. Tue, 19 Oct 2010 14:42:26 +0000 http://www.pinkraygun.com/2010/10/19/supernatural-weekend-at-bobbys/#IDComment104790719 http://www.pinkraygun.com/2010/10/19/supernatural-weekend-at-bobbys/#IDComment104790686 Hi Sylvia! I was very curious to see what you would make of the Bobby episode, and I'm glad to see that you enjoyed it! I'm not really sure what to say about this episode. I enjoyed the look into Bobby's life because I like Jim Beaver, and I like watching him act. Bobby himself I'm kind of ambivalent about. Rufus was amusing, but as you said, his behavior here doesn't fit with the way he was presented to us previously (well, except his whiskey expertise), and funny as he was, it was a little OTT. I always enjoy seeing Mark Sheppard on my screen, no matter what character he's playing, but Crowley is a personal favorite out of his repertoire, and he didn't disappoint. He never fails to capture my attention. And his interactions with Bobby are always high quality banter, even at the times when it's mostly one sided. I loved the bit where he played both sides of the conversation. I loved him calling Sam "moose" at the end. I have some issues with his favorite whisky, the region it allegedly came from, and the description Rufus gave of it, if I remember what he said correctly. I also now want a story as to how Crowley wound up in his current vessel, because I doubt a demon who used to be a 17th century Scotsman would have voluntarily selected an English vessel, but all of that is just me being picky. Poor Dean. I don't know how he survived that flight. I'm an easy flyer, and I'm fairly good at entertaining myself, but I've been to the UK and that transatlantic flight is a killer. By the time I landed at my destination on the return flight, I was about to have a meltdown if they didn't let me off that plane. I can't imagine doing that flight if I was scared, or prone to airsickness. So Bobby better never accuse Sam and Dean of being unwilling to help him again. I don't know a whole lot about directing, and I usually count it as a job well done when I can't "see" the directing. You know how sometimes you catch actors visibly "acting", instead of just inhabiting the part? I feel kind of the same way about directors. However, based on my limited knowledge on the subject, I think Jensen did a great job, especially for a first effort. I didn't notice the directing in a negative way, everyone seemed in character, and there were several beautifully staged and framed shots. The pacing was good throughout the episode, which is one of the biggest ways I think directors fail on this show. And from the comments he has made about the experience, it seems like he was concerned with being a good director to his crew, as well as with the camera. So my hat's off to him, job well done! I wouldn't hold my breath about Jared directing though, if I were you. If I recall correctly, he's specifically said that's Jensen's dream, not his. Plus I'm inclined to think he wouldn't get a shot at it, even if he did want it, but that's just my opinion. Tue, 19 Oct 2010 14:42:08 +0000 http://www.pinkraygun.com/2010/10/19/supernatural-weekend-at-bobbys/#IDComment104790686 http://www.pinkraygun.com/2010/10/12/supernatural-the-third-man/#IDComment103647273 The conversation at the end was problematic for me too. Dean's approach, and tone, were way off if he was actually trying to get information from Sam, and not just voice his displeasure. He came across, to me, as aggressive and self-righteous, accusing Sam of not even caring and wanting to know "where were you" when Castiel was torturing the kid. True, Sam did seem accepting of Castiel's actions, once he asked about permanent damage, and he didn't voice any complaints. What bothered me was not as much Dean's asking what was going on in Sam's head, as the way he went about it. Dean was right there too. Sure, Dean voiced his opinion, and he was definitely against it, and he did take that one step toward Castiel once it got started, but he let Sam stop him, and didn't try again. Dean was obviously uncomfortable with the situation, and wanted to protect the kid, and he should have. But he didn't try nearly hard enough to justify the tone he chose to question Sam in. And I think Dean missed a point, or ignored it, in that I don't think Sam or Dean either one COULD have stopped Castiel from getting that information out of the kid. He's a fully powered (or seems to be) angel, and at least as far as we know, they're just human. What could they have done to stop him? I'm trying to put it in my head as Dean choosing that line of questioning, and that manner, because he was feeling guilty, and angry at himself for not stopping it, and was either consciously or unconsciously taking that out on Sam. That works a little better. I really like the two screencaps you've chosen to juxtapose there, of Sam's face. Not just because they're nice to look at (and I'm totally with you; cold, distant Sam from the scene with the prostitute was HOT...and scary) but because they illustrate your point perfectly. We are seeing two different Sams this season, and interesting though it is, I'm not sure I like it at all. I'll need to know what Sam is up to before I can pass final judgment on that one. But if any of his plans involve lying to Dean about Very Important Things, or leaving Dean in the dark on said Things, I'll find a way to jump into fiction and kick Sam's very, very fine ass myself. Mmmm. I think this was the best start to an episode we've ever had. First we get Dean's beautiful shoulders and arms as he's rolling around with Lisa (I was totally expecting them to get attacked too, because I knew it had to be a dream), and then Sam. Wow. Now THAT is what I call a view. Sam, honey, feel free to stand around half naked ANY time you want to. The skin, the hair, the shoulders, the jeans that were hanging as low as decency will allow, all I can say is DAMN. It was glorious from all angles, but I'm especially enamored of that glorious back of his. Gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous. A big, heartfelt thank you to whoever decided to play that scene out the way they did, and to Jared for all the work that has to go into looking like that. That's the kind of fanservice that never gets old. Tue, 12 Oct 2010 14:06:03 +0000 http://www.pinkraygun.com/2010/10/12/supernatural-the-third-man/#IDComment103647273 http://www.pinkraygun.com/2010/10/12/supernatural-the-third-man/#IDComment103647262 I was reading this review, going "Did she forget the opening scenes? Surely not!" I should have known you were saving the best for (almost) last. Great review, Sylvia! I shall endeavor to follow your example and get the srs bsns out of the way first. I was actually pleased to see Castiel again, until he persisted in acting like such an assbutt, to borrow one of his own terms. I get that he's been busy, and taking on tasks that are potentially beyond human comprehension. But seriously, dude, dust those people skills off and at least attempt to use them. Humans cooperate much better with other beings when said other beings are polite and friendly. If you toss amusing into the mix, then all the better. Castiel needs to take lessons from The Doctor on how to get humans to cooperate. Preferably the Eleventh Doctor, but Ten will do if Eleven isn't available. I was on Sam's side with this one though, it was beyond rich that Castiel expected to swoop in out of the blue, after ignoring Sam all this time, and they would just bend to his wishes. Castiel is fortunate that Sam is both smarter, and less stubborn than I am, or he would have possibly been one man short on his little quest. Not that it would have mattered, since Sam and Dean apparently spent the majority of the latter half of the episode playing a rousing game of hopscotch, or something equally unimportant. And I'm with you, Sylvia, I liked Dean's insistence on sticking up for Sam, demanding that Castiel answer the next time Sam calls. It was very brotherly, and very Dean. Typical older sibling reaction; Dean can pick on/snark at/distance himself from Sam all he wants, but if anybody else tries, they've got Dean to deal with. And I mean that in a very good way. I love seeing Dean act like an older brother, not just because he's protecting Sam, but because it's who Dean has always been. It's who he was before Hell, the real Dean, if you will. I like seeing glimpses of that Dean, proof that he still lurks under all the damage that has been done. This episode seemed like a mishmash of very typical elements for Edlund. Shocking, OTT gory deaths? Check. A lot of one liners and "catchy" names for things? Check. Angels taking over and shoving Sam and Dean to the background? Check. A lot of side characters (preferably at least one that qualifies as "zany")? Check. All of which added up to what was, in my opinion, a very unbalanced, shoddily constructed episode that failed to capture my interest in the latter half. It started out SO promising, and then just fell flat. And had WAY too many angels in it, amusing though Balthazar was. Tue, 12 Oct 2010 14:05:56 +0000 http://www.pinkraygun.com/2010/10/12/supernatural-the-third-man/#IDComment103647262