Zombies Should Be More Fun Than This
by Sylvia Bond
Supernatural Episode Review – Season 5, Episode 15
“Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid”
It is a dark and stormy night. Lightning flickers over a deserted graveyard, when suddenly, two hands push out of the earth, followed by the head of a man whose skin is textured by decomposition. He pushes himself up and out, because he’s got things to do and places to be. And thus is introduced the long-awaited, post-hiatus zombie episode!
The zombie’s prey is easy to spot, because he’s the very next guy on the screen. His name, we soon learn, is Benny. And you can tell Benny’s a bad guy by his ripped jeans (he’s even got holes in the crotch, no less) and sleeveless shirt, his biker hair, earrings in his ear, and the glint of man-jewelry, ‘cause that’s how bad guys dress. AND he lives in a trailer!
But he’s drinking a beer (probably an all-American brand like Bud or PBR), and, according to Benjamin Franklin, beer is God’s way of telling us he loves us and wants us to be happy, so Benny might be a God-fearing man. Plus this guy’s watching the Discovery Channel, or maybe National Geographic, because he might be trying to improve his mind.
In spite of the clever parallels as to what’s happening on the TV screen between the cheetah and its wildebeest prey and what’s happening to this guy, I think we’re supposed to think that he’s truly evil (because of the way he looks and how he lives) and that he deserves what’s coming to him. However, I think it would have been more interesting if Benny had been clean-cut and working on his stamp collection while drinking a sweet tea. That way, the blood on the walls as his head came off would have been more of a shock. No matter, I have bigger fish to fry in regards to this episode.
Yes, Sam and Dean. They are sweet fish. Let us fry them. In butter.
Sam and Dean go to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, to investigate the report of a guy coming back from the dead. What makes this significant in any way is that Sioux Falls, South Dakota, is where Magical Bobby lives. I can see the Magical Bobby-based episode from miles off, much to my dismay, in spite of Dean’s off the cuff comment that they will have to work this gig themselves.
Sam and Dean show up at a diner in order to meet Digger. He tells them about how he saw this guy named Clay (who died five years ago) crawling into Benny’s trailer window, and that he probably killed Benny, only no one will believe Digger. Sam and Dean are, as per usual, disguised as FBI agents. Now you know how I love diners, and Sam and Dean as FBI agents are beautiful to behold, dressed in dark suits and will you look at those shoulders? Both sets are a manly, ax-handle wide. The ties, as well, have stripes going in the same direction, which means that the boys are getting along, plus they look all sparkly and pretty and rested, and I really like looking at them like that. But honestly I’m tired of the FBI disguise. It seems to be this all-encompassing, totally safe way to interview civilians, and because no one can touch them in this disguise, there’s no risk to it.
It’s old and boring, so the first wink of this disguise and I’m rolling my eyes, right? But as the boys double-team Digger for the information, and everything is going smoothly, in walks the sheriff. Digger refers to her as “Fargo,” which I’ll take as a lovely and much-deserved nod to the tough character of Sherriff Marge Gunderson in the movie Fargo (played by Frances McDormand, who has been far better praised for this role than I have time for here.). She comes upon them, wanting to know what they want with Digger. As soon as they flash their badges and their perky grins and intense gazes at her, she instantly wants proof of their IDs. (She’s immune to their charm, it seems, and that makes her a very rare bird indeed.)
Sam hands her the card so she can call their supervisor, but of course, her call goes to one of the phones at Magical Bobby’s house, appropriately marked so he knows which role to play. I loved this setup the last time we saw it; I thought it was a perfect nod to the reality of being an FBI agent, because yeah, sometimes people are going to want to talk to your supervisor.
So she calls and Magical Bobby answers the phone, and I expected it to go smoothly like it did in the past. But it doesn’t, and do you know why? Because the sheriff recognizes Magical Bobby’s voice, and darn it, I laughed out loud. I thought it was beautiful. Not only do the boys get caught red-handed, but Magical Bobby does too, and I’d say it’s about time.
Sam and Dean trundle out to Magical Bobby’s house, where he lives amidst the scraps and heaps of iron and old cars by which he makes his living. They ask Magical Bobby about the zombie thing, and he says he’s looked into it and there’s nothing for the boys to do so they should go away now. But check it. Magical Bobby’s house is clean. And when I say clean, I mean top to bottom. By my current understanding, he can’t use his legs, so how in heckfire did he clean the tops of everything? Sadly, Sam and Dean are oblivious (except for a comment about how everything smells like soap) and drive off in the Impala. In the rain.
Sam and Dean arrive at a cemetery to dig up Clay’s grave. Or at least, they dig up a coffin, which turns out to be empty, and a very fine sight it was. The digging, I mean, not the coffin. I love watching the boys at work together, doing physical labor like this and I think that’s for two reasons. One, they’re beautiful when they’re all sweating and grunting and manly and stuff. And two, because the digging up of a grave in the middle of the night harkens back to a more innocent time, when saving people, hunting things was all there was to it, and we didn’t have any of this, “and oh, yes, we’re hiding out from Lucifer, and trying to say no to the AA. Michael, and waiting to get shafted by the holy host, etc.”
Off they go to Clay’s house, because zombies, as you know, like to go home, where they are surrounded by family and friends and pictures of happier times in the past. Sam and Dean break in easily enough, but soon they are confronted with the Zombie Clay, who is a nice guy, really, and just wanted justice and revenge because he knows it was Benny who shot him in the back five years ago. Zombie Clay is dressed in nice clean pajamas and doesn’t want Sam and Dean to wake his kids, so he’s willing to come along quietly. Which is an odd turnaround for a zombie episode, because zombies? Aren’t nice. Except at the end of that one movie Shaun of the Dead, but even then they drooled.
Astonishingly, they are confronted by the sheriff, who arrests the boys, and is not at all concerned about Zombie Clay, who gets to go free because he’s a zombie and a tax payer. Which I thought was a good little switcheroo, even if I was confused, because Sam and Dean in handcuffs is always nice. I also like seeing Sam and Dean in jail, but that’s a personal dark kink of mine that does not need discussing here.
Alas, all too quickly, Magical Bobby shows up to bail them out and take them home, where they quickly discover the presence of, ta da, Magical Bobby’s zombie wife, Karen. He once killed her in a bungled attempt to do the right thing and destroy a demon. But it’s really okay, because she’s moved back in with him and has cleaned the house, is looking after MB, and hums as she makes pie. Which she starts shoving at Dean like they’re going to save his life.
I do love the scene were Dean is eating pie, and that is because I know he loves pie. What I also love is Sam making his classic Sammy bitchface to get Dean to stop, and I’m sure Sam is objecting to Dean eating pie for the same reason it gave me pause: The pies were made by zombies! Zombies aren’t alive! They’re dead and crawling with germs! Ack!
In a longish scene where the camera spends too much time on Magical Bobby and not enough on the boys, MB admits that because of the apocalypse, the dead are rising from their graves and since it happened in the bible, it’s not such a bad thing, is it?
Magical Bobby tells the boys that only 15 to 20 families actually have a zombie of a dead loved one living with them, and why, he’s even got a list! (Even though MB originally lied about the whole thing to the boys, all their research has been done for them, as usual.) Naturally, it’s Sam who takes the paper from Magical Bobby, and this made sense to me, because I think Sam is the kind of guy who likes a good list now and then.
And although the scene had too much Magical Bobby going blah, blah, blah, and reading from the bible, I thought the boys looked very pretty. I like them in a domestic setting once in a while, sitting around a table covered with a homey tablecloth. The light seems to glow on their faces, making their eyes sparkle a bit and their skin look soft. So I concentrated on that instead of on Magical Bobby, just to make the time go faster. And then, of course, I laughed out loud at the point where Dean hears that it’s the Grim Reaper who is behind all of the shenanigans in town because he covers his eyes with his manly hand and very tiredly comments, “Awesome, another Horseman, it must be Thursday.” I also liked it very much when Sam went to sit on the sideboard. He’s wearing a green, plaid, snap-button shirt with the sleeves rolled up so you can see the definition on his forearms, oh, baby. Don’t do it to me like that!
The boys end up at Roy’s Diner, where they have coffee and a dither, which of course I adored. It was old timey stuff, and the boys are working and talking and drinking coffee together, and it’s a very blissful scene. (I did notice the daily specials on the menu for Roy’s. The prices are right, but the lack of mention of a steak plate was wrong. I don’t know if you’ve ever been to South Dakota, but when you get there, they will want to feed you steak.) Anyway they dither about what to do and agree that Sam will do research while Dean stakes out Magical Bobby’s place to keep an eye on him. (Insert here my regularly scheduled complaint about the boys separating for any length of time.)
Next up, we see Dean standing guard outside of Magical Bobby’s house because he doesn’t trust Zombie Karen, even if she does make great pie. And there’s some beautiful camera work here, just gorgeous to look at. First there’s a close-up of Dean, scowling, and that’s never a bad thing. Then after a quick view of the house, we get Dean again, and oh, how I did love this shot.
The camera gives me Dean, leaning with those long legs of his against the Impala, which is a sleek black mass amidst the detritus of the scrap yard. And then the camera dollies in for a close-up, and then closer still, up to Dean’s intense face, with that one eyebrow drawn down in a half glare. It’s an iconic and delicious moment which to me represents Dean and his chosen task of standing guard against all the evil of the world, hooks up very nicely with the remark he made in the ep “Sam, Interrupted”, where he talks about being the only one who can save the world. (All Ackles is doing for this shot is standing there, but, oh my, how he stands.)
Zombie Karen comes out and wants Dean to come inside for more pie, which he does, trusting her not at all, but being willing to go along with it. Plus he gets more pie, which he eats, but the odd thing is that there are about a gazillion more pies all lined up, just waiting for him like debutantes at a cotillion ball. She remembers being killed by Magical Bobby and all, but all I could think about as I watched this scene was how nice Dean looked sitting there eating pie.
Meanwhile Sam does some research. He’s on his own, sadly, but I do get a shot of his beautiful backside and long, lean legs as he strolls across a tidy and manicured lawn. Once he peeks in the window, we learn that even the sheriff has a little zombie boy all her own, who she and her husband are reading to. Then he goes to a house where another suspected zombie is living. And then it gets gross and X-Files from there.
Remember the episode of the mutant woman hiding under the bed? That’s what this scene felt like. Inside is a zombie who has started to fall apart so badly, she’s coughing up mucus. She wants Sam to come closer, and closer still. He stands there for a moment with a cute, confused expression on his face as he considers whether or not it would be really bad manners to refuse a zombie, but being a nice boy, he does what she asks. But then she tries to eat him and spits up on him. Gross!
However, the grossout factor portends the shape of things to come, because eventually it comes to light that zombies will eventually start eating the people close to them. But you only see this once or twice so, on the whole, the zombies aren’t very scary. In fact they’re the opposite of scary. The zombie wife makes pies and cleans house. The zombie boy lets himself be read to by his mommy and daddy, and on it goes.
The boys go to Magical Bobby’s to tell them their discovery, but drama, drama, drama, he throws them out. Oh, like that’s never something Magical Bobby’s done to a Winchester before, so why are they so surprised? But they are shocked and hurt and allow themselves to be escorted out via Magical Bobby’s sidearm. The boys have a quick dither in the Impala, while the lamplight reflects brightly in their eyes. They dither the same thing they dithered before, and Dean’s choice is again the same. He’s going to go back and take care of Magical Bobby, while Sam is responsible for rescuing everyone else. That’s an uneven task allotment if you ask me (not that Sam’s not up to it), but moreover, they’re again separated, which is not the way I like things to go.
Dean goes back to Magical Bobby’s place, where all is not well, because Zombie Karen has collapsed and it’s obvious she is turning. So yeah, Magical Bobby knows he’s got to shoot his wife in the head because that’s the only way you can get rid of this particular type of zombie. So he holds her hand and talks to her and angst over the whole mess, and bam, he shoots her. Only we don’t see him shoot her, we are with Dean who hears the shot and rushes in and oh my GOD, there’s Magical Bobby crying. Only I couldn’t care less. Or, that is to say, I could have cared more if the same camera time was given to Sam’s troubles.
Because you know what Sam had to do? Oh yeah, the sheriff’s boy turns from a sweet, little zombie into a mommy-and-daddy-eating zombie and must be put down. Sam rushes in to save the day and takes the sheriff outside to safety. Then he takes the pistol and, with his Samhair falling adorably in his eyes, goes into the house and shoots the kid in the head to spare the mom. But do we get to see Sam doing this? Do we get to see Sam angsting over this? No we get bubkus! And is it because Sam isn’t affected and shouldered his way through that just fine? I doubt it. We don’t get to see it because the camera is on weeping Magical Bobby the whole time. And this seems like a waste to me because Magical Bobby is not a major character or a father figure, he’s a retconned uncle who only has time for Dean. Drives me crazy.
Sam and the sheriff gather the members of the families affected by a zombie visit and take them all to the sheriff’s office. Although, strangely, the members of the 15 to 20 families amount to only 10 or so people; shouldn’t the sheriff’s office be packed? It’s not even close to full. Never mind. It’s the zombie apocalypse, which for Sam would be much more preferable than a zombie clown apocalypse. Still, Sam’s awfully pretty when he’s in charge. And I did like the discussion about whether or not Magical Bobby was considered the town drunk by the townspeople. MB doesn’t seem the type, so is it a role he’s playing to keep people at a distance? Or does he really drink enough to get that title? If you find out, let me know.
Back at the ranch, Dean is loading up Magical Bobby’s van for him. Not because Magical Bobby can’t, but because the script calls for Dean to be all action and movement, and at the same time, Magical Bobby sits in his wheelchair. Dean goes into the scrap pile to investigate a noise, and then gets attacked by a zombie.
It’s a pivotal moment for this episode, as indeed it would be for all zombie-related tales, because as everyone knows zombies attack one after the other without stopping. They come at you and they come at you, and as you shoot each one (in the head, in this case), then more come behind them, so soon Magical Bobby and Dean will be up to their eyeballs in zombies. Which they soon are and the Shootout at the Zombie Corral is on!
Magical Bobby shoots in one direction only, but luckily for him, all the zombies attacking him come from exactly that direction. Dean does some shooting too, but soon he’s got his hands full getting Magical Bobby inside, because again, the script calls for Dean to push Magical Bobby’s wheelchair for him and shoot at the zombies (once they were in motion, I did not see Magical Bobby’s gun go off), even though Magical Bobby is perfectly capable of pushing himself through the junkyard. (Although we don’t see how Magical Bobby gets inside the house using his wheelchair, I’d hesitate to say it’s magic, and must assume it’s a ramp that was put in at one point).
The gunfire continues in the house, blam, blam, blam. I think I would have cared more had Sam and Dean been fighting the good fight together, but never mind, I could complain till I turn blue and it’s just not going to happen. Eventually Magical Bobby and Dean are cornered in a closet, and soon run out of ammo, because the rest of the ammo is in Magical Bobby’s van where Dean has so kindly loaded it. Dean has a funny moment when he assures Bobby that zombies are idiots and can’t pick a lock. Only the zombies start doing exactly that, and Dean snaps, “I’m making this stuff up as I go. Sue me!”
Luckily for me, the ep picks up a bit when Sam and the sheriff rush in to save the day and shoot all the zombies for Dean and Magical Bobby. Sam is all Samhair and muscle and movement, and then it’s over. Then there’s the funeral pyre, and Sam has wrapped all the bodies and built a pyre and doused them with a flammable liquid. I like how he’s concerned about the survivors, because Sam is ever the empathic one, and I hope he never changes.
Once more back at the scrapyard, Bobby sits, ansgting over his wife, who he’s now had to kill twice, oh, woe. Magical Bobby tries to apologize, Sam brushes this off, and Dean says that he doesn’t know anything about love, which anyone could tell you isn’t true. Then Bobby explains that Zombie Karen had a message from the Grim Reaper, that Bobby was to be killed because of all the help he’s given Dean and how he’s one of the reasons Sam’s still saying no to Lucifer, which completely threw me for a loop, because I have no idea how Magical Bobby helped on that one? Does anyone? Drop me a line and let me know, okay?
But I don’t really care that the zombies were supposed to kill Magical Bobby, and I wish they would have, because he’s given them enough help already. It’s kind of like in Season Three of Star Trek, when there wasn’t anything that Spock couldn’t save the crew of the Enterprise from. It got all too easy at some point, as it has here, and all the urgency and drama just gets sucked right out of the story. And thus the episode ends.
My friend in Alaska has posited the theory that the first episode after every hiatus is lame and that I shouldn’t get my hopes up, on account of I’ll only be disappointed. And while I can’t say I agree with her 100%, this time around, I’ll say I kinda do. Because, like the title of this review says, zombies should be more fun than this.
Now, personally, I’m not in to zombies, but many of my friends are. There’s something about the whole zombie scenario that they like, chief among them, I believe, is that in each zombie story there is a plethora of zombies that can be killed in so many very interesting ways. Zombies shuffle, they come at you, body parts falling off, there’s a never-ending stream of them, and still more than that, coming at you, and you shoot and hack and scream and run, and still they come. And this is fun for zombie lovers, they assure me, it’s death and mayhem and killing and all in the name of saving the world.
So. Show, reflecting perhaps on the popularity of zombies, comes up with a zombie-themed episode and good for them. Many of my peeps were excited, and I was excited for them and prepared myself to be, while not interested in the zombie parts of the ep, but instead, interested in Sam and Dean killing zombies, especially Dean since he has often professed a love of the sport. But oh, man, I was even more bored than the subject ought to have made me because the zombies weren’t very scary or interesting, even for me, a non-zombie fan.
And not only that, the whole episode was about Bobby Singer and who cares about him? When Magical Bobby shows up, my brain turns off. I don’t care about this character; I don’t care about any of his dilemmas. Some people might and good for them. He’s overdone, overused, and I’m over him. Now, before anyone starts flinging hate at me, let me be very clear. Jim Beaver is not the issue. He plays the character just fine, and sometimes has such great lines that he makes me laugh out loud. What I resent is the intrusion of the character of Magical Bobby into a story line that doesn’t need him as much as it has him. I’m so ready for Magical Bobby to die, I cannot even begin to tell you. I wish the zombies had gotten him.
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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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. 
Ah, Syl! I love Bobby, always have, always will. I don't resent this episode being about him, not one bit. As for Dean always coming across as the hero and Sam coming in second, most fans are Dean fans, and that's the answer to your question. This hasn't been about Sam for a long time now, and never will be again. I am an EEO gal when it comes to the brothers, but even I can see how the story has switched over to being more Dean-centric since season 4 started.
Back to Bobby. I loved him and his angst and how protective the brothers were about him. He and Dean have always been closer, so it seemed appropriate for Dean to be the one to watch over him while Sam took care of everyone else. I cried when Sam killed Jody's little boy, but it was because I felt sorry for HER. She did an excellent job of portraying a strong woman who lost not only her son (for the second time), but, because she hadn't listened to Dean in the first place, her husband, too. I cried when Karen warned Bobby that she was turning, because, clearly, she wasn't like the other zombies who turned and just ate whatever loved one was closest. She gave Bobby enough time to put a bullet in her head, because, let's face it, he could have just sat there, watched her turn, and allowed her to devour him. It would have solved all his problems, wouldn't it? If he were dead, he wouldn't have to worry about the Winchesters any longer.
Other folks have complained that Sam and Bobby aren't really that close, so why is Bobby standing in the way of Sam saying yes to Lucifer? I'll tell you why–because Bobby is both brothers' safe haven. He's their uncle/father figure, whatever you want to call him. He's there for advice, solace, FBI backup (except this once, which was hysterical), attachment to John. They need him; he needs them, if for nothing else, a human connection. Without Bobby, who do the Winchesters have left? No one. Each other. And I suspect their enemies will do all they can to sever that, too, and brutally. So, Syl, I wouldn't be so quick to wish Bobby gone, whether by death or just walking away from the brothers. He's all they have.
If you're interested, please check out MY review of this episode at:
http://www.moogi.com/shows/supernatural/season5/e…
Feel free to make comments!
Love, Robin
Syl, you just don't like Bobby, and want him to die. I don't. I found this episode to be both funny and tragic, like a really good Shakespearean play.
You're right, Rob, I don't like Magical Bobby because I feel his character is intrustive to the true heart of the story, which is about the brothers. If it seems like it's not about the brothers, or even if it isn't about the brothers, that doesn't change my mind from wanting it to be. I know that lots of people, including you, like Magical Bobby, and that's totally fine, to each their own. MB is an interesting character, in his way, but there's been too much of him.
Perhaps, as you say, "most" fans are Dean fans, but it's a vague total, that might reflect a 51% vs 40% split. So yeah, there might be a majority there, and okay, but that doesn't mean that Sam fans can't want what they want and be passionate about how they feel, so you're saying that I'm in a minority doesn't change my mind about how I feel about Sam. Plus, it doesn't really answer why Dean comes across as the hero. Are there more Dean fans because Dean's the hero? Or is Dean coming across as the result of Dean fans demanding more, and wanting Dean to be the hero? I would think it is the latter, most people like to support a hero. But there's more than one way to be a hero, and both Sam and Dean fit that bill.
Sorry, a 51% to 49% split…if I could do math, I'd be in a different profession!
If I were to give you a mathematical figure, I'd say it's more like 70% Dean, 30% Sam, but that's strictly from my own observations.
Robin
You think? I'm wondering if there's ever been a count. I'm totally willing to be proven incorrect about all this. If anyone has the numbers, please send them.
Sylvia, I think it would matter on where you chose to poll the fans. If you did so online, particularly off of a fansite, or popular LJ comm, then you might come out with what Robin says, a 70/30 split. If you did so at a big con, I think the gap would close and you'd get more of a 60/40.
But if you were actually able to sit down and poll all the fans, including the ones who watch, but don't have an online presence, that's when the real numbers would come out, and I think it might look more like what you described, with Dean just barely edging Sam out. And there would be a possibility that it would come out even too. If you added the chance to select "Both" then I think Sam and Dean would each lose their individual category, and the two of them together would take the majority. That's one of the reasons that I think TPTB are screwing themselves over by greasing the squeaky wheel to the detriment of the rest of the machine. That squeaky wheel could stop squeaking, and by then everyone else will have lost interest, or be so thoroughly meh about things that they won't respond to the grease.
I like your take on the matter a lot better. I want to believe you're right. But from what I've been hearing, the golden boy of the day is Mischa Collins. "Misch-Misch" – and I'm probably one of the very few people who fail to perceive his charms – is even more popular than Dean these days. I confess that the reason behind all this adoration remains a mystery to me.
Bobby might be a father figure to Dean, I do not doubt that as much as I doubt that he's ever been there for Sam in any way resembling a father figure. Whenever he expresses concern, it's for Dean. Personal advice? It's about Dean. If he's got lore or supernatural knowledge, yes, it's Sam that' he's talking to a lot of the time, but being Sam's librarian doesn't make them close.You can choose to disagree with me, which you probably will, but I see no evidence to support what you are saying here.
Bobby tried hard to keep in touch with Sam after Dean's death. He buried Dean along with Sam. I'm sure he tried to keep in touch, just as he did in "Mystery Spot." No one will ever convince me that Bobby doesn't care just as much for Sam as he does Dean, but Sam isn't as forthcoming with Bobby the same way Dean is. Sam took off right away, wouldn't allow Bobby in after Dean's death. Love, Robin
I think that's a two way street. Bobby might have tried to keep in touch with Sam, and wanted to help cremate Dean's body and do all that stuff, but Sam turned him away. I think Bobby's efforts were laudable. (And you're right to remind me of this, because I had forgotten.) But at that point, when Dean went to hell, I don't think the two of them had the relationship where Bobby's reaching out would have affected Sam in any way. He probably felt mostly on his own before Dean went to hell, so anyone there for him, offering support, even Bobby, would have mattered not at all to him. He probably wouldn't have even noticed Bobby's efforts – esp with Ruby around to distract him.
Bobby is not all they have – they have each other, and that's a stronger bond than will ever be between Dean and anyone else, including Bobby. Yes, that puts them at risk, but while it may be a weakness that the demons and all the minions of hell might use to destroy them, it is also their greatest strength. As if often the case, weaknesses and strength go hand in hand. As do love and hate; even if Sam and Dean are fighting, which they often are, when push comes to shove, they would choose their brother over anyone else in the world. If you don't agree with me, then obviously you have a different view of the brother's relationship than I do. Which, again, is okay, because there's room for more than one opinion here.
I would never, ever say that the relationship between Dean and Sam isn't the core of SUPERNATURAL, and, indeed, the main reason I love this show so much. I believe it is their love for each other that is going to tell heaven, hell, demons and angels alike to go screw themselves, ultimately, because that love is so strong, it will surely conquer all evil. Sam and Dean don't need anyone but each other, but it kills me to see them struggling so hard, together and apart, when I know how much Bobby cares for them and would undoubtedly give his life for them. The same goes for Castiel. The sad thing is, the Winchester brothers will probably end up completely alone in this war.
I guess we'll wait and see. I'm going to cry a lot when/if Bobby dies. I cried when Jo and Ellen died, too. I know this is a show about the Winchester brothers, but I've come to love a lot of the folks who loved them.
Robin
I know people will cry when and if Bobby dies, and I can see why you're attached to him, because yeah, there is a connection, and it's not like he hates Sam! I guess I get peeved when people throw out the "father figure" idea when I don't see it between Bobby and Sam….but here's the other thing. If Bobby goes down making a sacrifice, or dying to save the boys? His death will have meaning and a huge significance for the boys, like Ellen and Jo's death did.
I was thinking about this on the way home, and I think it's eerie to see your word echoing my thoughts, that in spite of what you want or what I want, the point of being a hero is that, in spite of the support group they might have, in the end they are on their own, as heroes are, when they go off to do their heroic deed.
Really, all I want is for Sam and Dean NOT to die at the end of this!!!
Really, all I want is for Sam and Dean NOT to die at the end of this!!!
You are preaching to the choir about that, Syl! I've said it over and over–neither brother can die, or I will be soooooo upset! The fact that we're getting a sixth season of the show comforts me, but I'm hearing rumors that Dean is going to be an angel? I do NOT want that to happen, because it means he's going to die, or at least I assume so. I don't want Dean an angel while Sam is human, that just doesn't work for me! I want both brothers to be human. On the other hand, if Sera can make it work, I'll watch. I don't want to be another SPN naysayer.
I guess I'm getting REALLY worried. I read something in the new TV Guide that I didn't mean to read, a huge spoiler, and I'm so pissed I accidentally read it! DAMN!
Sadly, I think Robin is right. It will never be about Sam again. To quote episode 5.10 (which I hated), I'm abandoning all hope of that. Sera Gamble is reputedly a samgirl but she won't resist pressure. I'm starting to think that Jared is right when he says that the best thing for Sam would be to redeem himself and then die. Jensen and Mr. Collins can take care of Season 6.
Well, I've always had a tendency for the minorities. If you're interested, here is one of the reasons why I support the minority in this case:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIaD1Yl_G6c
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CeKn456i7o
I hope you enjoy.
La la la I'm not listening to you! (At least not about the part where the story is not about Sam and never will be!) But those videos? Hadn't seen 'em, and now. Oh, yeah, I've supported the dimpled, green-eyed, smoky hot minority, and these vids show the reason why. : D
Thank you VERY much for sharing those.
Sorry, Sylvia. I'm just a little sad. Don't mind me.
As for the videos, my pleasure. I like to share what is beaufitul with friends.
I hear you on that one. One ep, I felt that Ackles was a little off his game. Just a little, mind you. His acting is usualy at 115%, that I thought maybe he had a cold, or wasn't that into the script or something. So I mentioned it, and it was just an observation, maybe half a sentence, but I was very quickly accused of "Dean-bashing." This astonishes me. I always like to give credit where it's due, but I'm also allowed to make observations and critiques as I see fit. How is that bashing? I'm pretty sure most fans are more balanced than that particular poster was, so I try not to let it get to me.
Sylvia, there are many balanced fans that can sensibly discuss different opinions, and bless them. But I'm sorry to say that your experience is not an isolated case. I visited a Brazilian site the other day and had the unhappy idea to comment that Sera Gamble has the reputation of being a Samgirl. I won't even mention what I heard there, because it's not worth my time and effort. The most kind thing I was told is that I'm a sick person.
He plays the role of the Soap Angel well, but while I'm sure he's a perfectly nice guy, I don't understand all the passionate adulation. Methinks that the character is the new game in town, and it's easy to get excited about something that's new.
I'm finding the show so *strange* these days – the writers don't seem to have anything new to say, at all, about their characters. Just these empty hours of silly plots, where the boys' thoughts and feelings are of no importance / don't exist. I feel like these engaging characters are slipping away somehow, and the hour of can't-miss TV with me hanging on the edge of my seat over the boys' fates has turned into a show I remember to watch sometime Thursday night, while folding laundry.
Hell, they just devoted a whole hour to a Bobby story and didn't have anything new to say about *him* either. What's the point? And why should this all motivate me to tune in for a sixth season?
All these are very good questions, and I'm pretty sure there is a whole host of fans asking the very same thing! We want to care about these characters, otherwise, yeah, there's laundry to fold and sock drawers to organize, and spring is lurking right outside the back door.