Supernatural: Good God, Y’All

Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

by Sylvia Bond

Supernatural Episode Review – Season 5, Episode 2

Season 5 is off to a rocky start and by that I don’t mean the eps, I mean the relationship between the brothers! They broke up. AGAIN! Even though we all know they’re totally going to get back together in the end, it’s still rough on them, and on me. But let’s talk about the rest of the ep so at least you know I was paying attention to something other than Sam’s hair. Although there was plenty of that, too.

First off, this ep is more reasons why you don’t want to come to Colorado. Besides the fact that the air’s too thin, we get six feet of snow from September to April, we’re famous for Alfred Packer, and hotel that was the inspiration for the hotel from The Shining, previous eps such as Dead Man’s Blood, Just in Bello, and Wendigo prove that Colorado is a state that will hurt you. About the only fun, non-scary thing is Tiny Town, which is a little village where everything is miniaturized, including the train.

Adding to the overwhelming list of bad things that happen in the state of Colorado, War, one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse, arrives in River Pass in his cherry red Mustang to incite the locals to hallucinate and believe everyone who is not on their team is a demon. It’s a pretty clever trick, and sends the people of the town to battle it out. The team that our boys hook up with is hiding in the basement of a church, in a room lit with candles and shimmering with whispered prayers. There’s the usual montage of collectables: the pregnant woman, the old man, the accountant, the priest, the young punk, etc. Eventually the boys see through the disguise and might prevails and War is vanquished. That’d be a pretty neat trick in real life, eh?

Sam and Dean visit Bobby in the hospital. Bobby is in The Dad’s old blue bathrobe and jammed into a wheelchair. (Please note that Bobby has barely a glance for Sam, even though it’s Sam standing in long-legged vigil at the doorway.) While Bobby’s still not dead, he’s not going to walk ever again. Now, I’m all for Bobby dying, I’m a firm believer that the boys need to escape out from under the protection of the surrogate parental assistance that Bobby provides. But this? I don’t dislike Bobby personally, but would never have wished this on him. I’d ruther he go out swinging and growling and taking a couple of bad guys with him when he goes. Not this wasting away.

But the boys need to grow up and to do that, Bobby needs to be removed. I feel pretty comfortable thinking he’d be suicidal right about this point, and anticipate some nice drama there. If by chance some miracle does happen, and Bobby is saved, it’ll be insipid and very disappointing, because at the moment, Show is taking the bold stance that Hunting has consequences for which there is no reset button.

At least most of the time. Dean and Sammy have Very Special reset buttons, and that’s as it should be. Pamela, for example, tried to help the boys, and she got her eyeballs burned out and then she died by a gut wound and bled to death. Hendrickson tried to help the boys and he got tortured and then incinerated. The Dad tried to help the boys, and he went to hell. Jo and Ellen have tried to help and Jo got tied up and battered by Evil Sam. And so it goes. If you help the boys, you pay with your skin.

The Soap Angel shows up. He’s got a plan to find God because God is the only one who can stop the apocalypse. There are some pretty hysterical comments from Dean that Our Father is off somewhere drinking something alcoholic out of a coconut, and it’s probably the best that the Holy Father can muster up for a quick vacation. But then, if Dean was always slated to be possessed by the Archangel Michael because Michael was, to quote the Soap Angel, heaven’s fiercest warrior, then why oh why do we need God now? When did Dean suddenly not become “righteous” enough for the job? And Michael did it before, sending Lucifer into the pit, so why can’t he do it again?

The way the characters talk about it, I’m anticipating that God will show up in His own Holy Meatsuit, courtesy of one of the God types established on Joan of Arcadia, sort of a non-assuming Everyman but possessing the Light of Goodness in his eyes. I have to ask myself, how did we get to this point where we actually have God the Father walking onstage? What were they thinking? I can picture the writing team, jigging to the strains of their third Moolate of the morning, deep in the throes of digging out of the Biblical hole that they wrote themselves into some time ago. This is what they’re saying to each other: We’ve got angels and demons and now Lucifer. What’s left? What’s our last card? Oh, the God card, right. Okay, that’ll work. Joe, pass the sugar.

I mean, demons possessing humans, okay. Some were once humans, okay. Angels also possess humans, but only with permission, okay. That Lucifer needs to posses a human, but also with permission, still okay. It seems a little farfetched, though, for Himself to posses a human, when He can appear in a Burning Bush or a Whirlwind. But, most importantly, who are they going to get to play El Shaddai? I mean, what are the SAG rates for playing a role like that?

At any rate, the Soap Angel wants Dean’s amulet because it glows in the presence of God, which feels a little ret-conned, but I’m willing to go with it because of the way the scene was played. Seriously, who has the power to make an amulet that glows in the presence of Our Most Merciful Father? An angel? Maybe Lucifer himself? But I appreciated the way that Dean was reluctant to hand it over. He doesn’t value much in the way of material things, but this is the amulet that Sam gave him one Christmas, the one where The Dad was in absentia (and probably incognito, as well) and not there for the festivities. Wee Sammy, who had acquired the amulet from Magical Uncle Bobby, decided that since The Dad lied and wasn’t there, he’d give it to Wee Dean. Who put it on then, and has worn it since.

I’m pretty sure the leather thong the amulet dangles from has been replaced a time or two, but Dean’s never without the necklace. Significant here is the foreshadowing of Dean, as he grows into God’s Warrior, giving up everything that means anything to him and making choices where picks he God’s Plan over everything else, including family. The list of what he will give up is very short but significant: the necklace, the Impala, and, finally, but definitely not leastly, SAM. The only thing I missed getting in this scene was any looks or words between Sam and Dean to mark the moment because the reason Dean loves the amulet is because Sam gave it to him.

A phone call from Rufus sends the boys off to River Pass. Rufus Turner is a character we saw once in S3, in Time is On My Side. Back then he was weathered and wise, and told Dean right up front that the poor lad didn’t have anything to look forward to, even if he didn’t die young. Well, Rufus is back, trying to defend the town from demon infested townsfolk. He’s still weathered and wise and has hooked up with the young and inexperienced Jo (yes, her!). I liked the contrast between the two characters and would love to know a bit more about the back-story and how they hooked up.

I’m particularly fond of the scene with Sam and Dean strolling down the deserted street, shotguns at the ready like a couple of gunslingers in Dodge City at high noon. This western montage is accompanied by moving, liquid camera angles and the strains of Spirit in the Sky that is playing on the radio of an abandoned car that is still running, and kind of gives a MTV soundtrack feel to the scene. (Rock and roll music is prominently back in this ep, meaning that the music budget’s been upped, hurray!)

The sun, blazing overhead, looks nice on the boys’ skin, glinting in Dean’s eyes and shimmering off of Sam’s hair. You remember Sam’s hair, uh-huh. My first impression was that they let it grow a tad too long for my tastes, and parted it in the middle, and while it’s nicely in Sam’s face, from the front it looks too combed. From the back, though, there’s this adorable little flip as it curls up against his neck. But it gets more arty and tousled later in the ep, so never fear.

The first person they meet in town is Ellen Harvelle, and I have to say, female Hunters kick ass! It’s nice to see Ellen again, in full hunting mode, taking no quarter and handing it out as she sees fit. But where has she been? Hunting with her daughter Jo, of course, because Jo won’t stay home and Ellen can’t let her go by herself. We haven’t seen her since the end of S3 and what a sight for sore eyes she is. I’ve missed Ellen and while I’ve not missed the Roadhouse, I missed the realism of her, her experience, the mostly unknown back-story, and especially her lack of patience with the Winchester boys.

When they find her, of course there’s a tense moment, guns drawn, but then there’s the meet-and-greet. First Ellen hugs Dean, then she slaps him as a reprimand for not contacting her sooner. Well, given that the last time they met, they all let a bunch of demons out of hell, etc., I can see why they didn’t. The odd thing is like with Bobby, there’s only a glance from her to Sam, and no real greeting. It’s like he’s the invisible boy, and his darling face twitches as he tries to contain pain and remorse and guilt and everything bad that he feels since no one likes him anymore.

Anyway, Ellen takes them into the basement of the church where the boys hook up with the aforementioned collection of humans, where there’s much discussion about who, what, and where. Sam’s big plan is to arm everyone, including the pregnant women, so the boys decide to go to the sporting goods store to get ammo and guns. In the hallway, we get a nice little dither which includes more unspoken dialog than actual words. Sam figures out that Dean doesn’t want him to go outside because Dean’s afraid that Sam will get hit on by demons. While Dean doesn’t actually deny this, the old battle between what Big Brother knows is right and Little Brother’s struggle to assert himself comes up again. I liked this scene even though it was a tad short and really, too dark to see much besides the glitter of their eyes.

Sam and Dean dither in the street and finally big brother lets little brother go on his own to get some salt. (Nothing good can ever come of Sam being on his own! You’d think the guys would learn from previous experience that every time they separate, someone almost gets killed!) Sam goes shopping at the Quick Mart, and in walk two youths who are, to all appearances, possessed. There’s a demon battle, very well done, lots of hair flying and grunting and Sam displaying his Fight Fu, using his own strength and prowess to best them, rather than his demon powers. He ends up stabbing them both, and there they lay, as the puddles of blood grow around Sam’s feet.

Sam contemplates the knife blade and tests it with his thumb. Sam knows what’s at risk here, and even if there is no other audience, no one to see him, Sam must resist the temptation to lick the blade. Or his thumb. I found this scene to be extremely well done, and Sam, beautiful in his misery and confusion and self-doubt and the wanting want as he eyes the blade. There’s a weary slump to his shoulders, and his Samhair is delicious, all a-tumble in his eyes from the battle.

Just as the blood starts dripping from the blade onto the floor, in walks Dean. (The way Sam and the dripping blade was filmed felt very reminiscent of the post-fight scene in the movie Serenity, where River Tam stands there with blood dripping off her weapons of choice.) In a second Dean knows what’s been going on, and there’s this riveting moment as Sam sways on his feet, looking as guilty as hell, even though he’s done nothing wrong. The fact is, he wanted to, and Dean knows it. Looks are exchanged and the ramparts of trust between them continue to crumble away.

Back at the ranch, the boys and Ellen try to teach civilians how to load guns and rifles, but the best part of this scene is, yes, a sweet conversation between the brothers about how Sam can’t save people like he used to. Which means that he’s getting back in touch with his old self, the one that questioned his own actions and worried about the ramifications of things. In stomps Ellen to bust up the conversation, announcing that she’s going after Jo. Once again, we get the big brother/little brother discussion about why Sam shouldn’t go out there with Ellen. Sam says he’s learned his lesson and won’t fall off the wagon, but Dean is doubtful.

No sooner are the words out of Dean’s mouth then quickly follows one of the most violent wall-slams on Show in memory. I’m a Wall Slam fan, I like the way the boys take each other’s shirts in their fists and push each other into walls (or doors) and there’s clutch and struggle and intimacy that’s all so darned wonderful. But while it’s fiercely done, it’s typically laced with tenderness because Winchesters might get worked up enough to do some slamming, they still care about each other. Wall slams allow them to convey the depth of emotion behind that caring, through violence.

But, this time, when Dean expresses his doubt about Sam’s ability to resist demons, with a twitch of his shoulders, Sam shoves Dean into the wall, hard. There’s no clutching or tenderness, just this lightning fast shove and Sam’s bared teeth, looking like he was ready to bite or punch to get his point across. It was a fantastically good moment and really upped the ante for Sam’s internal self-directed fury.

The lack of trust between the brothers is the crux of all that’s bad and worrisome here. It’s dramatically relevant that every move Sam makes is considered questionable by Dean, and that every hesitation on Dean’s part makes Sam MAD. Watching the back and forth was like watching a fierce tennis match, or a good thrust and parry scene from any Errol Flynn movie that had swords in it. (Which was most of them!) Back and forth they go with longing looks laced with angst, and communication skills in the toilet and basically get nowhere.

Sam and Ellen walk the streets of the deserted town, looking for Jo. Naturally, they stumble upon a nest of demons and a battle ensues. Naturally, since it’s Thursday, Sam gets whumped on the head and tied up. For such a big boy, he does get tied up a lot, but I guess that’s the only way he can be controlled. At any rate, Rufus and Jo are the ones who’ve got Sam, and they throw holy water in his face and try to shove salt down his throat. It’s only when they start in on an exorcism that he starts figuring it out, that they think he’s a demon, just as he thinks they’re demons. (And all this without help, and while being tied up and under duress! Go Sam!)

In walks Roger to have a chat with Sam. He’s the meatsuit that War is occupying at the moment, and he starts laying into Sam, because he knows all of Sam’s secrets and knows which buttons to push. You know, the usual stuff because I guess there’s a Hell’s Quarterly or something to share information about our intrepid heroes. Basically he tells Sam what he’s thinking and feeling, that he wanted the blood from the slain boys, and that he’s filled with an overweening pride.

I’ll admit to rather liking this scene, and it’s not really (only) because Sam was tied up, and he looks really good dripping wet, but because Sam got a Scene. All To Himself. Which is a marvelous thing, and a very rare animal. What’s good here is the closeups of Sam’s face. Oh, how I’ve missed this face, this kind of closeup, this kind of lighting and all for Sam. He’s all messed up and dappled with salt and blood and his eyes are enormous, like one of Margaret Keane’s big eyed children. His hair is tousled and the boy looks wrecked. Why are they more adorable like this?

Back in the basement, there’s a crucial scene for Dean. Ellen walks back in sans Sam, and Dean is just on the verge of hurtling out into the street to look for his brother when he stops. Here we are shown that Dean is shifting into becoming a real soldier, a warrior for God. He actually stops at the door and considers the issue, and even though it’s Sam who is lost, he’s got the responsibility for all the people in the basement. I’ve always thought that Dean was growing towards wisdom with every step and this scene shows it. He turns to Ellen to get the facts and announces that they have to have a plan. Go Dean! And when Dean’s first impulse is to call Bobby or ask Sam, Ellen tartly reminds him that all they have is each other so they need to go ahead and figure it out. Finally! Show demonstrates that it understands that sometimes it’s more interesting if the characters can’t call for help.

As they read the Bible and figure it out, one of the funniest lines was from the priest who, upon learning that the apocalypse is upon them, stands up and says, “The apocalypse?” Like, hello, padre, your whole life is based on the premise of the Second Coming. I kept expecting him to say, “The apocalypse apocalypse?” And then for Dean to say, “Sorry padre, I guess you’ll need a new line of work since it is, actually the End of Days and your contract doesn’t run beyond that.” But since I don’t write for Show, this cute bit of dialog went unspoken.

There’s a demon battle between everyone in the town, a demon free-for-all if you will. Rufus and Jo hole up in a house with the windows laced with pipe bombs, and Sam is still tied up in the chair. Thus arriveth Ellen and Dean to prove what the brothers have figured out, that there are no demons, they’re only hallucinations. And (finally) up the stairs runs Dean to rescue Sam, who’s posing as a hunky damsel in distress. I particularly liked the bit where they finished each other’s sentence about who is causing all the damage. And that Dean, yeah, got to rescue Sam, that’s the other bit I liked. You know why? Because there was a smidgen of brotherly touching, that’s why.

Together Sam and Dean cut off War’s ring finger and grab up the ring and save the town. There’s a cute little joke about the making a pit stop at Mount Doom to deliver a ring, which I’m sure will please all LOTR fans, but it’s the last scene that did me in.

The last scene at the end of the ep is a mixture of Brotherly Goodness and Static Nothingness. The boys are gorgeous and beautiful in the full pseudo Rocky Mountain sunshine and for this we are grateful. They have a brotherly conversation, and for this we give thanks. I love the fact that Sam comes clean that there’s something wrong with him, but it was a bit eerie to have him parrot War’s words almost verbatim. Is Sam just parroting War because he has no other thoughts in his head? Or does he really feel this and War was just framing the ideas for him? But I like that he’s facing up to his past and trying to determine the course of his future.

But in the present, he’s talking to Dean and there are nice closeups. The conversation is good too, Sam says he screwed up and that he’s sorry, and that he’s going away now. Dean doesn’t stop him, which hurts Sam. In fact, the whole episode is about this moment, where the brothers break up. And then Dean says, “You want to take the Impala?” Say, Dean, why don’t you peel yourself out of your skin and let Sam take that along as a piece of you to protect him from the weather and the world? Because it amounts to pretty much the same thing. (And frankly I think the offer of the Impala was Dean’s way of making sure Sam would come back to him. The End of Times could come, but Sam knows well and good that Dean would KILL him if he didn’t return that car, and, underneath it all, that’s what’s important here.)

The conversation makes sense, dramatically, but there’s a few things wrong with it, and I hope you’ll play along just for the moment. First, this separates the brothers and makes Show even more the Bobby, the Soap Angel, Dean, and Dean’s Brother Show, and in fact, it gets Sam out of the way pretty neatly. This is not a good thing. Some promos from next week indicate that Sam will have a little adventure on his own, but the key words are “little” and “on his own.” Sam should have adventures with his brother Dean!

Second, the scene itself was a little on the static side. The ep is basically over, but there is no follow through or up or any goodbye scene, however brief, with Ellen and Jo and Rufus. There is no burying of the dead or any dénouement. Instead we have the boys sitting at a picnic table. Sitting, mind you. Not cleaning their guns or tending to bumps and scrapes, but just sitting with their hands folded in front of them like they were in school. Sam says goodbye and Dean says goodbye and it’s all very cool and calm.

Sure there were furrowed brows and long last looks, and for them that loves them, it’s as clear as if it had been spoken, that this is tearing the boys apart. But for the casual viewer, it’s going to be a little muddy and confusing. But really, that’s a very small criticism in the face of the idea of the scene itself, which is really, for all it’s so still, full of beautiful colors and lights, and has as its center, two beautiful boys.

Then Sam gets up, his big shoulders looming in the camera lens, and strides to the Impala, glinting black in the sunlight. He reaches in and pulls out his backpack, which is ostensibly stuffed with stuff. Then he walks the length of the Impala, stroking it as he says goodbye to (say it with me now) “the only real home he has ever known.” So thusly, Sam goes off, and Dean is now alone. How they’ll meet up again is the story that needs telling, because, like I said at the beginning of this article, you know they’re totally going to get back together in the end. And when they do? The makeup sex, so to speak, is going to be AWESOME.

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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