Supernatural: It’s the Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester
Between a Rock and Another, Really Hard Rock
by Sylvia Bond
Supernatural Episode Review – Season Four, Episode Seven
“It’s the Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester”
I’d thought we’d already had our Halloween episode for this season, but here we have another one. I’m not complaining, though, because while the other one was done for laughs, this one was not. It creeped me out, left me with a ton of questions, and gave me and other fangirls lots to talk about. First up was the old “razor in the candy” trick, which I thought was a terrific start because that urban legend is one of the oldest in the book. However, the razor was just a convenient way for the VOW to die. What I’d like to know is who the hell dreamed up the Mouth-Cam on this guy? We are inside his mouth just after he’s chomped on razors and is pulling them out of his gums. Urk. Double Urk. (But it’s a good kind of gross.) The second VOW (a young eager miss attending a Halloween party in a short-skirted nurse outfit) dies in a boiling cauldron full of apples. Nice, huh? (I thought it would be more razors and had actually covered my eyes in preparation.) But the episode is, thankfully, not really about that. It is about the destiny of a certain two brothers, hurray!
Sam and Dean, yeah, them, go to investigate razor guy and dead nurse chick. They are dressed in FBI outfits again, and while I cannot (and will not) help but admire the dark swath their combined suited shoulders make against the air, and adore thinking of them figuring out which tie to wear, I wish Show would be more inventive with the disguises like it used to be. Yes, I know, the FBI disguise is a sure thing and will always get them in the door, but surely someone, sooner or later, is going to be calling down to the J. Edgar Hoover building to verify, and the boys will be found out. Even if Hendrickson is dead, the FBI hires smart people, and someone’s going to get wise and the boys will land in jail. Again. (On second thought, maybe that’s not such a bad idea, eh?)
During the interrogation of the dead nurse chick’s friends is the return of the Brotherly One-Two Punch. It’s the kind of dialog we used to get, back in the old days, where no matter how tricky the plot or difficult the gig, the brothers would find time out of their busy schedules to sally back and forth as if they were again 14 and 10 years old, or 10 and 8, or at whichever age Sam started to talk because you know durn well he never hesitated telling Dean (and the world) exactly what he thought. There’s more than one of these exchanges in this ep, and this one goes like this: Upon seeing the chick in the cheerleader costume, Dean goes, “I got this one.” Sam says, “Two words: Jail bait.” Dean says, “I would NEVER!” Upon which Sam gives him the look that, without him saying a single word, says, “I cannot believe not only that you are such a reprobate but that you are related to me.” (With dimples ablazing! Padalecki has the most amazing dimples, don’t you think?) It’s this kind of verbal brotherly exchange that I’m always calling out for and here it’s being handed to me. It’s not a long exchange, no, but it’s there, and my fangirl’s heart shouts out with glee because someone on Show has figured out that THIS is what we like. THIS.
Interspersed amongst the FBI-interrogation scenes are two lovely dithers at the motel du ep, inside of which, the boys, for once, are doing their VERY own research! Let’s stop a moment and be thankful, shall we? In the first one, Sam is on the couch (looking very nice against the green), and Dean marches in chomping on candy. They’ve found one hex bag, and soon they’ve found two, and back at the motel, Dean is on the laptop, concentrating (trying very hard, one assumes, NOT to pull up a porn site), and Sam is, by golly, lounging on the bed. LOUNGING there with his long legs, and while I kind of get the feeling that Show set up this shot for the angle (so as to get both boys in the same shot) I like the idea of Sam reading in bed, and I like being able to watch him do it.
It’s Sam who figures out the Samhain legend (enjoying himself most deservedly while doing so), that there’s probably some witch trying to summon a demon who rises up on the last night of harvest and then he, in turn, raises up a whole lotta other bad dudes to make the world a messy place. I think what Show is doing here is taking poetic license because not only is “Samhain” pronounced sow-en (or a variation on this, depending on your source), Samhain is a celebration, an end of harvest feast, and not a person. But I’m going to stick to my poetic license excuse, besides, the Demon-Cam was cool!
What’s even more fun about this scene and the image of Sam researching on a bed is Dean’s throw-away remark about leprechauns who have, he says grimacing, “Small hands.” Then he makes this almost obscene gesture, and I’m like what? Apparently, not only do leprechauns exist in the boys’ universe, the boys have had run-ins with them before. I’ve suddenly got these hysterical images in my head of the Winchesters going up against these tiny men dressed all in green, complete with tiny Irish brogues, their tiny fists doing tiny nasty leprechaun things, and I’m laughing even though I’m not sure why. Nevertheless, I’ll just put in my request now for a leprechaun-based episode, shall I?
In the next scene we get more of the Dean-eating-candy running joke, and when he comes back to the motel to discuss the idea that the cheerleader chick might be more involved than the boys previously thought, we get another Brotherly One-Two Punch scene. Sam says something dismissive about the cheerleader and Dean says, “Yeah, well, if you were a 600-year-old-hag and you could pick any costume to come back in, wouldn’t you go for a hot cheerleader?” Sam says nothing, and Dean says, “I would…” and sort of trails off with this porny look in his eyes, and Sam says nothing, but you can TELL he’s thinking something along the disparaging lines of: “Why are you ALWAYS such a horndog??” Sam has such a superiority complex, I swear. I’m beginning to agree with Dean that he needs to get laid and soon.
The boys go check out the art teacher to ask about the cheerleader (using, oddly, totally different FBI cover names), and the art teacher (“Call me Don.”) paints a very black picture of the cheerleader indeed. (I suspect him immediately, but then, I always was squicked by teachers who tried too hard to be friends with the kids.) What’s more interesting to me about this scene than the advancement of the plot, is the advancement of the story behind how Dean spent his time in hell. He spent it miserably, one assumes, but here we get something more of that, instead of just some really quick flashbacks. As Dean’s staring at the art masks drying overhead, he hears screaming. Now, I don’t know if these are his own screams or someone else’s but I really appreciated the time Show took to lay this thread out, that Dean is starting to remember. Sam asks, “What were you thinking there?” and Dean totally covers. For all Dean gets so snappy at Sam for lying to him, he’s not doing much better himself. Which only builds the anticipation of a complete meltdown for either or both of them. Mark your calendars!
The boys go back to the motel where outside they are met by the useless boy-dressed-as-astronaut asking for candy. By useless I mean that it doesn’t forward the plot, but who cares because in addition to the oddly filmed Kid-Cam (we get the kid’s view of Sam and Dean staring down at him) we get another Brotherly One-Two Punch! The kid wants candy, see, and Dean, thinking it’s odd that the boy is trick-or-treating at a motel, says, “We don’t have any candy.” To which Sam says, gesturing, “No, we have a ton in the–” and Dean cuts him off, saying, “We did but it’s gone.” It’s gone because Dean ate it ALL, and the glaredown between the kid and Dean is priceless; the kid has no fear of Dean, none at all. As for the verbal sally, I really am a lucky fangirl; lighthearted moments like this, where Sam merely rolls his eyes at Dean’s antics, remind me how well these guys know each other, and how much brotherly love there is between them. Which is the first and most important reason why I watch Show. The MOW (and all attending VOWs) is purely secondary, if that.
And then, at last the moment comes. Dean and Sam enter their motel room, which looks like a whole lot of other motel rooms (are the Motel Decorators on holiday? I miss the rabidly wild rooms we used to see in Season 2), to find two men within. One is the soap angel, and the new one is Uriel. (Uriel is, among other things, the “Fire of God,” which I took to mean you just better stay out of his way. I’m not sure how I feel about having yet another angel hanging around when I don’t properly understand the motivations of the first one, but it sure does feel like it’s getting a little crowded around here, angel-wise. More angels do not for more dramatic conflict make, you know.) Padalecki plays it perfectly: Sam is wide-eyed and eager, he’s believed in angels forever and has wanted so badly to meet this angel, who, after all, pulled his brother out of perdition. He steps up and in the most fanboyish way EVER (stuttering and blushing), his expression so full of gushing admiration, devotion, and respect it’s almost embarrassing, and says, “Oh, my GOD.” Which becomes even more embarrassing for him as he tries to apologize.
But it all goes even more awry and I was really quite touched when Sam held out his hand for the angel to shake, and Castiel almost doesn’t return the gesture. Whether this is because he’s an angel and doesn’t really know how to shake hands, or whether he’s a bit put off at the thought of shaking the hand of someone tainted by demon’s blood, I don’t know, still there’s this horrible, long pause, and Sam’s bright face just falls. And even when the angel does shake his hand back, and covers the grip with his other hand, he says stuff about Sam’s demon blood, and you can see it in Sam’s eyes how torn he is about this.
One the one hand, he looks like a whipped puppy, wanting this guy’s approval but falling short. On the other hand, yeah, Sam remembers his demon blood just fine, thank you very much, and would the soap angel like a taste of just what that demon blood can do? Again Padalecki demonstrates his acting strength, because with that marvelous bone structure of his, somehow managing to make him look gaunt and lush at the same time, he shows us that Sam is a coin with two very different faces, and depending on how the coin is treated, Sam could either go darkside or he might not. The jury is still out on that one.
What I expected more from, I think, is in Dean’s initial reaction to the meetup. His attitude towards the soap angel has been diffident at best. He’s talked about the angel to Sam, but has seemed in no particular hurry to either a) say how he really feels about it all and b) to hasten the meeting between them. So what I thought I’d see coming was Dean having a little freak out the moment they opened that door and saw those angels standing there, as in, here is the moment, oh, crap! Which was, truth be told, my reaction. I might be projecting. I do that sometimes.
But the scene was still cool because even as the angels are flapping their invisible wings around in irritation, the brothers retain a united front. The angels, you see, want to “smite” the town to get rid of the witch who wants to raise Samhain. (This is one of the seals holding Lucifer in hell, apparently.) But Dean and Sam refuse to allow them to do this. Sam is flabbergasted and surprised that angels (who are supposed to be just and righteous) would be willing to kill 1,214 souls just to get at one witch. (He is beautifully open-mouthed in his shock.) As for Dean, he uses himself as a weapon, because if that’s what the angels are planning, then he’s not leaving town, and they’ll be killing him too, and how would the Man Upstairs like that, huh? Typical Dean, he’s a strutting cock-of-the-walk, but it’s not bluster, he means it. And when he means it like that? Just take a look at the flash in those eyes, and tell me it doesn’t make you want to swoon. I know I did.
In the next scene, while Dean shouts out mock-obscenities at the kid who egged his car, Sam mourns the loss of his angels. He’s been praying to them forever and ever, amen, but now they turn out to be a-holes on a mission. In other words, dicks. There’s good stuff here in this brightly lit car dither. Dean is back in swing, giving big brother advice on how to love baseball in spite of Babe Ruth, how to love God in spite of some bad apple angels. But it’s Sam’s face that kills me, with his hair falling forward a little; he looks sad but resigned, totally in little brother mode, letting big brother comfort him with sports analogies and obscene comments about Sam “fingering his bone.” Ah, brothers. (What’s also cool here is that Sam seems to be more upset by what the angels have planned than by how they treated him; such is his good heart.)
There’s a conversation between the angels in the park, where we are treated to the idea that angels don’t like humans very much, and who can blame them? Humans are first in God’s eyes AND they have free will, whereas angels have to follow orders, like, all the time. Show spent too much time on this scene, as I don’t really care what the angels think, luckily, we are swiftly returned to the brothers figuring out the gig and racing to the art teacher’s house to rescue the cheerleader.
Except the cheerleader is in on it, Sam and Dean kill the art teacher, then she raises Samhain. Then, of course, Samhain breaks the cheerleader’s neck. I saw that coming a mile off; whenever anyone on Show puts their hands like THAT around someone’s neck, there’s going to be breakage. And all the while the boys are writhing on the floor. (The double blind involving the cheerleader wasn’t necessary, I think, because it added complications that didn’t really forward the plot, and cost Show money. They could have saved the money they spent on the blond chick and used it to pay for more screen time for the boys. Tell me you agree with me here.)
Samhain is raised, a seal is broken. It gets cool when Sam decides to cover his and Dean’s faces with the art teacher’s blood, because not only do I really, really enjoy the image of Sam touching Dean’s face (and Padalecki has such nice, large hands), we get another Brotherly One-Two Punch. After Samhain marches past them, Dean asks, “What the hell was that for?” Sam says some stuff about Halloween lore and masks, and then says, “I gave it a shot.” Dean says, “You gave it a SHOT?” in that incredulous tone he’s used on Sam a hundred times and which is such a nice flashback to earlier seasons showing us how weirded out he is by Sam using ratiocination to figure it all out, that is, using intuition rather than logic to put the pieces together. Delicious brotherly glare ensues.
Dean and Sam then race to the cemetery, which is where they are sure Samhain will go. In the car they have another brotherly dither, this time about how they are going to bring down Samhain. Sam suggests that they might have to go above and beyond, while Dean insists that they use Ruby’s demon-killing knife. What I love here is the “don’t hate me because I’m powerful” expression on Sam’s face. He so wants Dean’s love and approval, and I love it when the two brothers are mired in disagreement because it brings out such lovely expressions for them both: hooded eyes, sidelong glances, twists of the mouth, and somber ticks of jaw muscles. I also liked the little cool “sheeek” sound the knife makes when Sam whips it out of Dean’s hands. (The nice lighting doesn’t hurt either, so thank you Lighting Guys!) But Samhain beats them to the cemetery and locks the kids in. Since the kids were all wearing costumes, I’m not really sure how the demon saw them. No matter. It’s a plot device that will soon separate the brothers, with Dean staying to rescue the stupid kids and Sam going off on his own to slay the demon.
When I saw the bodies crawling out of the crypt, I had a moment of happy for all the zombie lovers out there, not least of which is Dean himself. There wasn’t a whole lot of lurching or shambling, no body parts falling off, but Dean gets to fight zombies, and while he was obviously worried about Sam, he himself was having a perfectly good time. Dean likes to kill things, see, and if zombies are at the top of his list, zombie GHOSTS are like a little piece of heaven. I think it’s because the killing of these particular supernatural things is straightforward, and they simply have no idea how fast he can move, can make no retorts to his “Come and get it, stinky” comments. There’s been so little of this type of battle this season that I forgot how freaking HOT Dean is in the midst a fight, the supple ease of his muscles beneath his jacket, and that grimace of satisfaction as he offs each and every one of them.
When Dean is having fun taking out some zombie ghosts, Sam takes the demon-killing knife and goes off on his own to confront Samhain. Now, everybody knows that the first rule of being in a horror TV show is to never separate like that; it’s a rule that is frequently ignored, much to the dismay of the subsequent victims. I can’t imagine that both Dean and Sam, at the same time, didn’t realize that it might, in light of Sam’s troublesome habit of falling off the wagon, perhaps be better if Sam killed zombies and Dean dealt with the demon. And because I can’t imagine this, I put it off to the writers thinking this would be fun, somehow.
But apart from my inner critic launching itself at this one (and really, Dean wouldn’t have lasted two seconds with Samhain), I did enjoy Sam’s battle with the demon. It starts off brilliantly when the demon flashes the Hand of White Light at Sam, expecting that it’s going to fell our beautiful boy. As he’s doing this, I’m muttering aloud, “Oh, yeah, like THAT’s going to work!” and “Good luck with that,” and so on, because I knew, I just knew it wouldn’t. And I was very pleased with Sam’s response to him, sardonic and full of pride as he says, “Yeah, that demon ray gun doesn’t work with me.” This boy knows what he can do, what he’s capable of, and there just isn’t anything sexier than the look in the eyes of a self-assured man.
The fight that follows is full of whumpage and then limpage and I found myself a little distracted during the battle because, just as with Dean, it’s been some time since I’ve seen a really good, knockdown dragout fight with Sam in it. Like THIS. I think Show dragged the filming of this scene out on purpose, because there’s just way too many clips of Sam with his shoulders braced and his hair flying for my poor hormones to manage very well. (My enjoyment of watching men fighting is just not something I’m ready to admit, though I imagine it must be akin to men’s enjoyment of women mud wrestling and therefore already known to the public.)
Although the demon wasn’t very light on his feet, I was worried about Sam, especially when he lost hold of the demon-killing knife. Yeah. Trouble ensues, because the demon is fairly powerful and determined and after waiting 600 years (which is when he was last cast into hell), this is his night. The relevant conundrum that Sam is confronted with is whether or not he will use his forbidden powers and save himself from Samhain. As a fangirl, this is a question that does not need asking, since the answer is so obvious, even though I know that Sam would be in SO MUCH TROUBLE should he do what he’s done before and lied about again, and again, and again. And then one more time after that. And then I became distracted by the fact that the lighting was such (oh, those lighting boys, ever on the job! Big smooches for ya!) that Sam’s eyes glimmered a rather strange color as he raises his hand to exorcise the demon. I couldn’t figure out whether it was yellow or white, but there was something there, something so very WRONG that my breath stuck in my throat and I though, “Oh, poor Sammy.”
I know he should and I wanted him to, and what makes this scene even better than the delicious anxiety of this dilemma is a number of things. First, we get some nice, good, old-fashioned Sammy, flashbacks to Season 1 in the best of all possible ways. As in, he’s grabbing his head in pain like he’s got the mother of all headaches, just like he used to. AND, second, just as I was saying to the TV (yes, I talk to my TV, don’t you?) “If he’s hurting that much I better be seeing a nosebleed pretty quick,” and LO, there it was, a nosebleed, probably because Samhain was a fairly powerful demon and thusly required more effort on Sam’s part. Perfect. And THEN, Dean has seen the whole thing and has the most remarkable expression combined of sorrow and resignation, as if he finally figures it out (or starts to) that Sam isn’t messing around with his powers for the fun of it, he’s doing it because he has to. Best of all, though? Is Sam’s face as he sees Dean there: his very precious “don’t hate me because I’m a freak” expression, he wants Dean to accept him and forgive him, because for all the brothers fussing and fighting, sometimes they let their guard down and this is one of those times, and Padalecki’s got this expression down pat. (Sam’s little chin wibble at the end of this scene just KILLED me.)
Then we go to Sam, angrily packing in the motel room. Uriel shows up to give Sam an angelic talking to, saying stuff like, “You were told not to,” and blah blah blah. I think in Sam’s mind he feels that he can control the situation, that he can keep abreast of the darkness. It gets better as Sam says to the angel, “My brother was right, you are dicks.” The coolness here is threefold, one that Sam says “my brother” which implies that no matter what, the two of them will always be a united front, and two, the glare in his eyes tells me (as it should tell the angel) that Sam does not take orders, not well, and not at all. Not even from Dean, who he has been disobeying for quite some time. Then, three, is the look on Sam’s face when the angel kind of whiffles forward on some nice, creepy and unseen angel wings, and Uriel threatens to turn Sam into dust if he continues to be less than useful.
The threat here is very intense and sexy, plus, Padalecki has Sam do that FACE again, the little-boy-lost expression that tells me with no uncertainty whatsoever that Sam was doing his BEST and if Hell is going to make him its child, then Lucifer and all his minions are going to have a battle on their hands because I do not think Sam is going to go gently into that not-so-good night. Yeah, Show might be setting itself up to have Dean and Sam battling each other, representing the opposing sides of Good and Evil, but the Sam they have created will not have his whole heart in it, and the battle will easily be won by his brother. (Not that anyone dies in said battle, right Show? Right? Uh…Show?) Uriel then tells Sam to ask his brother (that’s Dean) about his time in hell, because, apparently, Dean’s on his high horse about what happened down there. How that’s possible (do they even have high horses in hell?) I’ll never know, but it’s apparent that Show is laying down little breadcrumbs for fangirls like me to follow. I just hope they don’t get blown away by a demonic wind or corporate suits farting. (Which, sometimes, is tantamount to the same thing, wouldn’t you say?)
In the end, Dean and the soap angel are sitting in the park, looking at kids playing, at the trees, the sky, the dirt, all of which are evidence of God’s bounty. In addition to another “my brother ‘n me” unity statement from Dean, we get some reveal, when the soap angel says that what God told them (the angels) to do was to obey Dean’s orders to the letter because it was all just a test. Dean of course is mystified, but what I thought was interesting was what the soap angel admitted. The easy route for Show to have taken was to have the soap angel tell Dean that he passed the test. Instead Show has the angel admit that he doesn’t know whether or not Dean passed the test. While I enjoyed this nebulousness of the angel’s, at the same time I mourned the easy defanging of this ambiguous and potentially dangerous character. Partly because next to Uriel he now comes across like a kindergarten teacher, lacking some titillating frisson of danger, but mostly because he might soon become very, very dull. And they’ve spent far too much time and effort on this character for that.
This ep, overall, was a cerebral one for me because of the threads Show was laying down and the questions presented, for example, are all angels good, will there be a battle between the brothers, and, lastly and most importantly, how do these boys keep getting better looking every week? Plus, it seemed a Sam-ish episode to me, whereas previous episodes have had very little of Sam. (Not that there will ever be enough of EITHER brother!) Sam’s been detached and absent, and based on this episode, I’m still waiting for the fallout from Sam taking it and taking it and TAKING it about the whole demon blood thing, and never once lashing out. All he’s looking for is acceptance from his brother. Which, of course, he’s always had, but now that acceptance is stretching thin and what’s developing is a deep rift between the brothers over this. Fallout. I demand fallout! I want fighting and biting, nightmares and headaches. I want evidentiary evidence of PTSD for Dean and more nosebleeds for Sam, because the nosebleed we got this time around is pretty much one of the only markers that Show’s given us as to how freaking hard this has all been for Sam. I like to watch both boys suffer, and I’ll admit that here because it would be disingenuous not to, and I’m honest like that. (And no, I’m not getting help.)
Sylvia Bond is a ten-year technical writing veteran with too many degrees under her belt to count. She lives in Colorado, but does not ski, preferring instead to spend her money and time at the annual Great American Beer Festival, taking road trips across the United States, and reading historical fiction from the comfort of her fluffy green arm chair. She has been involved in fandom since 1993 and been writing fanfic since approximately 1993. What she finds most amazing about fandom (besides the open heartedness of fans and the sheer amount of creativity) is how visible fandom has become. “In my day,” she says, “we had to hide behind P.O. boxes to get fanfic. But nowadays, people wear t-shirts that shout their affiliation and share their shiny toys on the internet.” It’s a wonderful world.
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Hey, Sylvia.Great recap as always.
I think I’m gonna be the first to reply, heee.
This is the first episode that I feel like watching Supernatural that I love. The brothers doing research together, solve the case together, and I don’t think since season 4 started we ever see them surf the net.Isn’t that sweet?
Hi Sylvia!
Oh how I love this show. This episode was completely awesome. It was multi-layered, rich, emotional, thought-provoking and oh my the boys looked damn good. They keep getting better looking. How is that possible! Seriously!! The camera LOVES our boys.
I enjoyed all of the dither and the expressions and the angst. I enjoyed the shout outs to the earlier seasons.
The dithering in the car
The banter in the Impala
The unspoken love between them
The research
The expressions
Sam’s headaches
Dean’s love of candy
I could go on and on……..
Anyway, I still ‘heart’ Castiel. He is complicated like Sam and Dean. Complex characters make me think. I celebrate rich characters.
You are right this was a cerebral episode. It made my head hurt.
I always yell at the TV whenever the boys seperate.
Will they EVER learn. United is better.
Anyway, Sam’s awe at seeing Castiel and meeting him was pure joy. As tall as he is he looked about five years old. My heart ached for him, though, when his entire world crashed down on him after he met the angels. So very sad. Oh, and Castiel’s comment to Dean about taking orders from John. Wow, that one had to hurt.
On another note, there is no one else on the television screen today who can hold a candle to these two.
They understand the essence of Dean and Sam. They know who they are and because I have watched this show now for so long I feel like I know them too.
You know, I am not sure my heart can handle the episode when we explore Dean’s journey into hell.
Season 4 has been a wild ride so far but we all know the ride is just getting started.
Take care
Joan
I loved this episode.
Oh Dean – the last scene with Castiel hit me hard. Cas tells Dean that he will have a lot on his shoulders in the coming months. Dean’s life is an endless parade of evil, death and horror and here’s this angel pitying him. How much is one handsome, badass hunter supposed to endure? When his memories from hell finally surface, that will be some awesome TV, watching him break. I’m looking forward to some epic comfort from Sam. (Please Mr. Kripke. amen)
I was impressed by some of the directors choices in this episode:
1- The inside the mouth razor cam was genius and horrible.
2- During the scene where Samhain/Don was about to kill his sister, there were these 2 shots which involved speeded up camera movements. They added a touch of otherworldlyness to the scene.
3- I also loved the scene when Samhain tried the white light demon death ray on Sam. Thought it was cool how the whole screen went white then goes back to normal and Sam just strides through it like a tall, boyish immune thing.
This season is kickass. My love for SPN has no bounds.
I couldn;t enjoy this ep at all, I’m afraid. Total misrepresentation of an important pagana holiday with virtually no mention of the real stuff, and a rip-off of an ongoing storyline from The Real Ghostbusters to boot.
There was never a belief in a “demon” named “Sam Hain”; Samhain was just the name of the holiday, it wasn’t named after someone but rather the time of year. And it’s pronounced “Sow-wen”. I still love the show, and normally try to just take things in stride, but that was just too upsetting for me.
Awesome recap as always, Sylvia. I am right on board with you about the “don’t hate me because I’m powerful” look and I think my favorite scenes of all time will be Sam’s fanboy reaction and then subsequent lament about angels, and Dean being the awesome big brother. I was thinking that Dean regard for Sam to continue believing in angels was part because he loves his brother and wants him to be happy, and also part that it helps him fight off going darkside. Nothing I love more than those brotherly moments and we get some nice ones here.
The comments about leprecauns reminded me of that fic where the boys are cursed by red-caps to eat and eat and eat and porn ensues. Have you read that one? It’s hilarious. “Life is a banquet” or something like that.
When Sam says, “That demon ray gun stuff doesn’t work on me”, I think I would have exploded an ovary if I’d had any. That fight made me happy in my pants too.
And that *LOOK* at the end from Sam- “Dean? You know I had to, right Dean?” I want to hug him!
I am intrigued by Uriel’s comment about Sam being “useful”, and it makes me wonder if, instead of using Dean to keep Sam in line, they are using Sam, threatening that he might go darkside, to get *Dean* to do what they want.
I really enjoyed this episode, so much brotherly interaction and finally Sam got to meet Castiel. Course, it didn’t go very well for him and I wonder if that might not be the push that sends Sam toward the dark side. I love Castiel and I think he is wonderfully complex and I still find him more intimidating than Uriel. You don’t know what Castiel really thinks, and he is so subtle – remember how he ‘gently’ reminded Dean about who got him out of Hell? Much more effective than the bullying tactics Uriel used on Sam. Personally, I think that Uriel knows that Sam doesn’t take orders and he is hoping to push him into doing something so that the angels can smite him. Uriel wants Sam gone and has no patience for him or any human, Castiel on the other hand, seems willing to see if each human is deserving in his own right. Uriel and Dean with the whole ‘pissing’ contest was just funny, two bulls out there pawing the ground, while Castiel is quiet, and like water, flowing around arguments and thus standing a better chance of persuading the boys. IMO only of course.
Dear Ima,
Hey, thanks! It was a lot of fun this week. And congratulations on being first!
It was sweet to see them surf the net again, just like old times. I’m all for progress and characters changing, but it felt really comfortable to see them doing it the way they used to a bit, to see something familiar. They really need to continue doing research on their own like this.
Best Regards,
Sylvia
Dear Joan,
Oh, you are SO right, there was so much to love this week, not least of which was the marvelous camera work and closeups of the boys. I’ll never get tired of them either. Like I mentioned to Ima, there was also lots of the old days, scenes we like to see, and if Show thinks we need something new, then perhaps it should consider what happened to “new” coke. New doesn’t mean better, it just means new.
So you like the soap angel, eh? Lots of people do, and I do as well. My problem is if they make him a “nice” angel, then he won’t be as dangerous and therefore not as fun. You see? I want him scary, I want us to be unsure of what he’ll do next.
Personally I’m looking forward to finding out what Dean is on his supposed high horse about hell – even though, like you, I know it’ll be rough. Well, Dean can take it, I tell you! He and Sam both. (Besides, I like watching them struggle through the hard times.)
Best Regards,
Sylvia
Hi Sylvia,
Thouroughly loved your review and I look so forward to them every Tuesday.
Loved this episode. The brotherly interactions were wonderful finally after seeming so off this season (and maybe rightfully so).
I loved that Sam finally, finally got to meet Castiel. His fanboy reaction and subsequent diappointment as Dean tries to cheer him up are so far some of my favourite scenes from all the 4 seasons.
Jared was beyond awesome. He always amazes me how he can go from little innocent fanboy when meeting Castiel to sexy badass young man as he walks towards Samhain in defiance.
His chin wibble really killed me too as did the heartbreaking look on Dean’s face.
It’s interesting the way Show has set up that Dean who is the chosen one by God reacts snarkily and rudely to Castiel and has to be reprimanded by Castiel to show him some respect whereas it is the demon-blood tainted “bad” brother Sam who initially shows total respect by extending his hand for a handshake. I felt that kind of took Castiel by surprise. Ooh, how I always love those shades of grey that Show gives us.
Really enjoyed Sam lounging on the bed researching (they gave us that twice in the same episode! Be still my heart!)
And I too have to sheepingly admit that I love seeing men fighting.
Do you think that when Sam said angels (and I love the way his voice cracked then) were supposed to show mercy that he was also thinking about himself and his situation?
I also loved the way Sam said “dicks” to Uriel with a little snarl. Grrr!
I agree with you too that the last scene took some menacing nuance away from Castiel which I kind of enjoyed before but maybe it is too soon to judge that yet. And I also cannot wait for Sammy’s fallout and Dean’s PTSD to happen.
Looking forward to next week,
-Tonia
Dear Pat,
I loved this episode too, though, oddly, not the first time around. I had to walk away for a bit and then come back to it to figure out everything that was going on. The ep definitely didn’t spoonfeed us anything, and was all the more satisfying for it.
It always amazes me how another fan watching the same ep will get something totally different out of it. Like what you pointed out about how the soap angel says there will be more coming Dean’s way and that he doesn’t envy Dean this burden. That is, now that you mention it, a little ominous, because yeah, can he take it? I think he can because his whole life has been training and preparing up to this point, so he’s more ready than anyone else would be. Still, it’s a little sad to think of it, because he’s been through so much already.
Disagree with you about the razor cam! There was more than one shot of the inside of that guy’s mouth, and I thought the whole thing was madness, but, at the same time, I realize that the special effects guys (and the camera guys) get bored sometimes and need to think up whacky things to do. So there you go.
Didn’t notice the slowed down camera, and besides, more boys, less cleavage has always been my motto. Not interested in boobage, no, want shoulders and manly thighs! (But I’m sure it was a nice technique just the same.)
WORD on the white light scene and I ENVY you your description: “…Sam just strides through it like a tall, boyish immune thing.” A tall boyish immune thing? Oh, that’s just perfect, that’s what that is. Cause he looked JUST like that. Prideful. Beautiful. Padalecki pulled that scene off excellently.
And agreed, Season 4 is shaping up nicely. I anticipate more goodness to come, because Show is on a ROLL!
Best Regards,
Sylvia
Dear Wolfen Moondaughter,
Well, were they misrepresenting a pagan holiday, or making up their own demon to avoid messing around with a celebration that some hold dear? Besides which, poetic license means that Show gets to do what it wants here; Show makes its own universe, its own playground. And, what’s more, the point of Show is two brothers and that sexy car of theirs; the MOW is just a context within which the boys’ loveliness is framed. Sorry you didn’t enjoy it this week, though.
Best Regards,
Sylvia
P.S. The way I hear it, all stories are taken from someplace else; there’s no such thing as a new story.
Dear Rick,
What a lovely post! The only thing lovelier was SAM in this ep; I’ve missed that boy like you would not believe. Or maybe you would, because you pointed out all the scenes I liked especially well, the fanboy one and the look he gives Dean at the end of killing Samhain. “Don’t hate me because I have these freakish powers, Dean. DEAN? Deeeeeeeeean!” (And lord how the camera loves Padalecki.) Not that Dean would turn from his brother, even if he’s pissed, like he keeps showing us.
I totally missed the comment about Sam being useful, but I like your theory. Sometimes the most obvious plot is not the most important one. Is it a double blind? Are we being led astray by the purloined letter? Heck, maybe because they can’t kill Sam (threats aside) maybe they’re trying to work it so Dean does?
I think I missed out on the leprechaun story; still giggling at the images in my head. Link?
Best Regards,
Sylvia
Dear San Brown,
I think the meeting of Sam and Castiel was one of the highlights for me too, and, like you, I wasn’t surprised that the angel didn’t quite take to Sam. (His loss!) Loads of fans like Castiel, as well; I imagine we’ll see more confrontation between the littlest Winchester and the big sorta bad guy from heaven.
As for Uriel, he seems to have taken the place of the baddy, like you say, he’s going to push Sam into doing something he ought not to. Only Dean will be able to stay Sam’s hand on that day! Personally, I’m looking forward to a confrontation where Dean’s going to have to make a choice. Which, if it’s between Sam and anything else? No contest.
Best Regards,
Sylvia
Dear Tonia,
Thank you for the lovely compliment! Tuesdays are fun for me too.
Sam/Padalecki really rocked this week, it was nice that there was so much of him, plus, so many complex and interesting scenes with him in it. And, truth be told, I’ve never seen him looking so adorably yummy and glowing. He must be eating all the right things, getting his sleep, taking his vitamins – whatever it is, he’s bursting with sleek health, and was quite the eyeful. The lounging on the bed was a bonus, too, but the chin wibble wins my vote as the MOST fun moment of this ep! (Oh, and the fight scene, mmmmmmmmm.)
I don’t think that when Sam said angels were supposed to show mercy that he was thinking about himself only. I think that his reaction was a general one with regards to the population as a whole and himself included because he’s crushed by the reality of angels now standing before him. His reaction is too aggressive, and Sam tends to get that way when protecting innocent lives. I personally think he’s totally flabbergasted that angels aren’t nicer. I know fans have been pointing out that Sam surely has read the Old Testament and knows that angels go around smiting and laying waste to entire cities, still, angels are good and just and merciful too, but these angels are showing no signs of the latter.
I like what you point out about the naughty boy and the good boy. Dean is the womanizer, the pool shark, and yet, he’s the one with the halo and the wings. His soul is pure, I’ve always thought, more pure than Sam’s. Sam is far too human and conflicted, his world is grey rather than black and white like Dean’s. Both boys are headed for a fall, don’t you think? Oh, Show, bring on the PTSD!
Best Regards,
Sylvia
Sylvia,
Oh certainly, they have poetic license. But Sam portrayed it like that was indeed the true origin and purpose of the holiday. When you’ve spendt a couple of decades battling misconceptions of your faith, it’s a bit tiring to see it crop up again in mainstream media — especially when, in recent years it seemed like said media was finally being more tolerant towards us.
I have an uncle who won’t let his children celebrate Hallowe’en even in a secular context because he considers it demonic. So for me (and a number of other pagans I have talked to), hearing Sam say things that echo the ignorant things that have been said of pagan beliefs in the past is disheartening. And this comes on the coattails of the Christian Children’s Fund turning down Gen Con’s contribution in memory of Gary Gygax because they feel D&D is played by devil-worshippers, and wanted no tained money. I was hoping we’d gotten past such preconceptions, but stories like this worry me that those who are uninformed will continue to be so.
How often after watching a show does anyone bother to question how much is true and research the matter for themselves? It would be one thing if everyone knew about Samhain’s true origins and they were offerng the story as an alternate one, but when the bulk of the audience is *not* familiar, it hardly seems fair to misrepresent it.
That uncle I mentioned once wanted to ban Disney because they owned Mirimax, and Mirimax produced The Priest, a film about a priest who killed people. I can’t blame him for being upset, and he had every right to boycott it as he so pleased. But at least the public knows better in that case, knows that priests in general are not killers and that the character in the film is an anomally — they are informed, and know as they watch what is fact and what os fiction (because not everything in a work of fiction *IS* fiction, or at least some of it has preconceptions attatched to it that everyone accepts). The average viewer does *not*, on the other hand, know the true origins of Samhain. So as upset as my uncle was in that situation, imagine how much more frustrating it is to be pagan when the common view of opaganism for many years was an innaccurateone, one which the media was constantly and inaccurately reinforcing?
Yes, I know, it’s fiction, but fiction set a world we know should strive to keep the references to history and folklore as accurate as possible, not just make something up off the cuff and portray it as “the way it is” when there is already pre-existing lore. I had actually been impressed by the show’s efforts at research in the past. Of course, they don’t *have* to cater to their pagan audience, but if they want to keep that part of their audience, they *could* choose to be more considerate of it. Just like that audience could in turn choose not to watch — as I did that night. And I can only imagine that, somewhen down the road, when I make a reference to my holiday, I;m going to have to explain the reaility of it to some nitwit who assumes it was indeed started in worship of a demon.
As for the borrowing of another show’s plot, this was a bit more specific than say two sci fi shows both having transporters or spaceships. They both used “Sam Hain” as the name of a Demon who rules Hallowe’en — a demon that does not exist in real-world folklore/history. If they’re going to borrow a concept from another show, I wish it had been one that didn’t piss me off the *first* time around. XD But I still kept watching Ghostbusters after Sam Hain’s appearance, so I will likely keep watching Supernatural as well, at least for now. I just was adding my personal feelings, same as everyone else — mine just happen to not be positive. :/
But I’m glad for the rest of you that you were able to enjoy it ….
Hi Sylvia
Yes, I adore the soap angel. I don’t think he will ever become too nice. He reminds me so much of Dean.
Like I said, he is complex. I do see Castiel and Dean forming an alliance and a bond which in my eyes has already started to form. I honestly think when push comes to shove Castiel will be there for Dean and Sam but I believe he won’t be so nice to the evil which will be unleashed if the seals are broken.
I bet when Castiel was alive, he was just like Dean!
Yes, I remember the new coke and it was terrible!
You know, Castiel, Dean and Sam are my eye-candy!
Take care
Joan
Ooooh! Another excellent review Sylvia!
There was much that I enjoyed about this episode; the dithering, the brotherly moments (oh how I enjoyed those), and what seemed, after our recent Sam deprivation, to be an embarrassment of riches on the youngest Winchester front.
I thought Jared really knocked this one out of the park. The scene with the angels was beautiful, the looks on Sam’s face, and the stammering and fishing for the right words to say lest offend their holy guests, and then the way the light just died when Castiel didn’t take his hand right away. Poor Sam. Then again in the car with Dean, everything about Sam from the look on his face to the tone of his voice to the way he was kind of slumped in the seat, it all spoke of his disillusionment, and the rocking of his faith. Beautiful.
As a side note, those dimples are downright dangerous in person, and should be marked as weapons of mass fangirl implosion. Seriously, those things will kill you if you get too close to them. Also, the hands are mind bogglingly huge and lovely.
Right, back to the not shallow stuff. One thing this episode accomplished for me personally was to cast Castiel in a different, more flattering light. I’ve not been a fan of him up to this point, and I still wouldn’t classify myself as a fan, but I like him a whole lot more. His hesitation to take Sam’s hand made me squirm a bit for Sam’s sake, but when he did take it, despite immediately bringing up the demon blood, he seemed as warm and sincere as Castiel ever has. Then he made a point of telling both of the guys to get out of town, not just Dean. That, plus the fact that Castiel fares well in comparison to Uriel’s arrogance and superiority, makes me feel much better about our original angel on the scene.
Uriel. Didn’t like him from the moment he was introduced, and that opinon didn’t change any by the time he got around to threating Sam, which gave him a pretty much permanent black mark in my book. I get the feeling though, that we weren’t meant to like Uriel, so perhaps I’m just following the trail Kripke’s laying out for us on this one.
Dean. Oh Dean, I’ve missed you. Missed your goofy habits like eating too much candy and being such a horndog. Missed you talking to your brother and making innuendo jokes just to get a rise out of him. Missed you being a big brother. I feel like they gave us the real Dean back with this one. He was strong and determined and protective of his Sammy and kicking zombie ass. It felt so good to have him back. The scene in the car, the things he said and the way he tried to shore up the crumbling foundations of his little brother’s faith, a faith he’s never shared, made me want to hug Dean and stuff him full of cookies. And the scene where he stood up to the angels? Made me want to give him a round of applause, perhaps even a standing ovation.
Samhain. Oy. Where to start? Aside from the fact that I spent a good five minutes lecturing my television on what Samhain really is, and who it is not, and cringing every time they opened their mouths and butchered the pronunciation, it wasn’t their worst monster of the week. I finally got over it and went with it not being the Samhain I know of, and decided it was actually Sam Hain, who just happened to have a very similar name. Cause otherwise I was going to start pulling my hair out.
I also have a theory about why Sam Hain saw the kids in the crypt. Little kids, when they trick or treat, tend to wear actual masks, or at least a fair amount of face paint. Older kids, not as much. If I remember correctly, at least two or three of the kids whose faces we ever saw in that crypt, didn’t have on masks or heavy paint. The main kid, the stoner did, but Sam Hain never responded to that kid either, and the paint could be why. Just a thought.
You are so not alone in the fight scene enjoying department. I blame it all on Sam and Dean. They look far too good when they’re getting whumped.
I like the breadcrumb trail they’re leaving us, but I can’t relax and enjoy it until we actually get the meltdown payoff on it. Both Sam and Dean are due one heck of an epic meltdown in my opinion, and until we actually get it, or something at least vaguely like it, I can’t appreciate the clues they’re giving us. Like you said those demonic winds (or corporate suit farts, and yes, they are much the same thing) blow all too suddenly in Show’s vicinity, and they might just obliterate all this careful foreshadowing. Once things come together onscreen, I think I’ll need to rewatch the whole season, just to fully appreciate the way it all comes together.
I love episodes that make me think, or rock the way I understand or view a character. So on that front alone this episode wins. Add in the stellar, subtle performance Jared turned in and the fact that it rekindled my love of Dean and it makes me a fairly happy fangirl. And that’s something I wasn’t sure was going to happen this season.
Sorry for the double post, but I forgot something.
I liked your point that Sam was more concerned with the angels showing mercy to the town than to himself. That’s such a quintessentially Sam way to look at it. It’s been so long since we’ve seen him act so completely in character in that regard that I was beginning to fear he’d lost that part of himself, or that he had been so jaded by life that he no longer cared about the bigger picture. It’s awesome to have that little piece of him back in place, for the moment anyway. I don’t really trust the writers to keep it that way, unfortunately.
Dear Wolfen Moondaughter,
I can’t tell you how many fans posted, if not a full blown paper on the true story of Samhain (including many shouts of, “It’s a holiday, not a person!”) then, at the very least, a link to the Wiki article (among others) on the subject. Most articles seem to recognize that faulty transcription brought about the idea of a demon named Samhain, and not only that, but no one, no matter how hard they try, is able to trace the origins back further than 1770. So, lots of fans seem to know the truth about the matter, if that helps you any.
Maybe Show is playing loose and fast with the idea of a demon being connected to a pagan holiday, but the idea of poetic license still holds. Show used a made up demon, and called him by a name that is not pronounced like the true holiday, rather as if they didn’t to mess with the real holiday. I can’t imagine that Show isn’t fully aware of the real legend behind the fake one; they used what they needed for the plot. As for the Real Ghostbusters, I’m completely sure that they, in turn, borrowed the storyline from somewhere else, who also borrowed it from somewhere else, and so on. I think even Scooby-Doo used this one; it’s an old, old storyline.
Still, at the same time, I can appreciate your concerns about the pagan religion being misconstrued and your lack of enthusiasm at having to explain, yet again, that “it’s a holiday, not a person!” And your other point is pretty significant, because the fact that Show in the past has done a fairly good job presenting real facts means that some viewers are going to accept Samhain as a Halloween demon at face value. Although, to be honest, the kind of people who watch this particular show (intelligent, curious) are apt to go look it up on the Internet as accept any storyline/legend/lore blindly on faith. Which doesn’t solve your main issue here, that of the media messing around with your religion.
I appreciate you coming by and posting like this, even if your comments aren’t glowing with enthusiasm about this week’s episode. You’ve certainly opened my eyes about this issue.
Best Regards,
Sylvia
Dear Joan,
But you see, I don’t WANT Dean and the soap angel forming an alliance, however near and dear to your hear this might be! I feel that if Dean’s got this angel on his side like you say, then he’s completely impervious to any danger whatsoever, and that will completely take away the sense of tension in the plot. Why worry when an angel is there to see that Dean is around; if Dean can come to no harm, then where’s the fun in that? It’s not fun, that’s what.
Best Regards,
Sylvia
Dear Jen
Thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed it!
I love what you have to say about Sam and Padalecki. The way Padalecki has grown physically (and beautifully!) and developed as an actor fits perfectly well with Sam’s newfound powers and the feeling of a strength bursting out of the seams, not quite knowing what to do with itself. I’m looking forward to more of the same, now that Show appears (for the moment) to have remembered that there are TWO brothers, and the younger one is just as sexyhot as the older one.
Disagreeing with you here. I don’t exactly see Castiel as warm, even if he is sincere. The character comes across as a little stiff and distant, he’s got a job to do, and is not really up on human manners or habits. He’s an angel, and that’s what he is; you can’t humanize an angel, and I think the actor playing him has been, up till this point, hitting it on the mark. If you’re an angel newly possessing a human body, however willing that body might be, then it’s going to be a little weird at first. Even if the soap angel is getting used to being in that body, I don’t think he’s ever going to become human, or understand humans. It’s his duty to relate to Dean, to look after him, and to keep him on track with God’s job for him.
I might be one of a handful of fans not on the “Oh, I love Castiel!” bandwagon, but that’s okay. I get the sense that Show is going to some double blinds and messing around with how we should feel about this character. It should be fun!
As for Ureil, I think we’re supposed to not like him, the whole love to hate aspect of that character seems very clear to me.
Dean, Dean, Dean. The character that Ackles has created is rock solid by now, but, like you, I’m constantly surprised and pleased with the return of the old-fashioned Dean, the one who eats too much of the wrong stuff, who tramps around, who marches through the world like he knows exactly who he is and hang anyone who’s got a problem with that. The return of big brotherness was especially pleasing. As was Sam’s empathy towards the world, being more worried about them than himself. And doing a beautiful job being glum about it. Or being beautifully glum, whichever more accurately describes the fact that Sam is beautiful when he’s depressed and how whacked is that?
Re: Samhain. See other posts. : D
The kids in the crypt were all in costume, and as such (masks or not) should not have been visible because they were disguised as someone else. Right? Wasn’t that the deali-o?
Whumpage, bloody noses, limpage, it’s what I live for. Stay shallow with me, won’t you?
Best Regards,
Sylvia
Re Sam/Padalecki: I totally agree. I’m in love with the way that Jared’s physical and professional growth in recent years mesh so perfectly with Sam’s growth. It’s just perfect. Sam looked so young and almost green in the first season, and now he has filled out, physically and emotionally, and I like the way you put it, that his strength seems to be bursting out of the seams and maybe even overwhelming him a little with its intensity.
I’ve always enjoyed watching Jared act, ever since I first saw him on Gilmore Girls, but lately he is just amazing me with his polished performances and the way he can convey so much with just a look. It’s awesome and so much of what I love about Sam is tied up in the way that Jared plays him. Like you said, Show seems to have FINALLY remembered that Sam is a lead character, not a set of guest towels. Let’s hope they keep it that way.
Re the costumes: From what Sam said, and did, in that basement, I got the impression that the masks were the important part of the costume, that the hiding of your face was what counted. Then again masks/costumes aside, what Samhain did with locking those kids in and bringing zombies to kill them didn’t make sense anyway, so it was probably just another writer’s screw up.
Shallow is always fun, and Lord knows there’s plenty of it to be had when we get to watch two beautiful boys each week. I will absolutely stay shallow with you, and I hope there’s more lovely whumpage and limpage to come.
Thanks for your reply, and another great review! Looking forward to next week’s!
I’m so glad I finally had the chance to read your review! I had a blast and I liked a lot of the stuff you pointed out.