Supernatural: Two Minutes to Midnight
Who’s Wearing the Halo Now?
by Sylvia Bond
Supernatural Episode Review – Season 5, Episode 21
“Two Minutes to Midnight”
Did I like the episode this week? Yes, I did, very much. I had a good time watching it, the boys looked especially pretty (and sparkly and rosy and rested), and on top of all that, the story of how the boys are going to avert the apocalypse got told a little bit more. Plus, there were little tidbits of information and subtle switches and interesting turns in the relationship between the brothers, thusly I had things to think about, so all the way around, I was a happy fangirl.
The basic plot is that the boys must get the Magic Ring from Pestilence, who is currently in Davenport, Iowa, shaking things up and spreading his germs. Pestilence is nasty, and Matt Frewer plays him very well, with a Jim-Carrey-on-low-simmer-about-to-boil air. The boys combat him, demon deals are made, and Sam not only comes into his own, but is verbally acknowledged for doing so. Even the Soap Angel has something nice to say about and TO Sam. My cup runneth over.
In the opening scene at MB’s house, Sam leans against the kitchen counter and calmly states that his idea of being Lucky’s meatsuit is only going to happen if there is a consensus. I liked it very much that Sam was trying to have a reasonable conversation about it, and isn’t planning to go haring off on his own, doing the daring do. But the others aren’t participating in kind. MB is trying not to take sides, whilst Dean struts and points and plays the Big Brother role.
If there is anything Big Brothers have a hard time with, it is that, in their minds, Little Brothers are still “only little” (even if, and especially in this case, it is only a metaphorical “little”). They are also too young and inexperienced to drive, can’t balance their checkbooks (also a metaphorical checkbook, since the Winchesters do not, to my knowledge, have any bank accounts), nor are they capable of paying their bills, or feeding their fish, and they don’t even know enough to shake their own peens after they urinate, even though they’ve been doing any and all of the above for years.
What I love is that even after Sam’s acquiescent shrug, Dean points at him very sternly and says, “This isn’t over.” And this from the guy who doesn’t like to have those touchy-feely talks, so I’m pretty sure the conversation to come will involve more finger pointing, as well as bossy statements like “Because I said so,” and “You’re an idiot if you think that’s going to work.” Somewhere in there, however, will come a statement from Dean to Sam that sounds like “You’ll get yourself killed, you stupid jerk,” which is Winchester-speak for “I love you, dude, so don’t die on me.” (Plus, right away, I notice that the lighting is soft but direct, and makes the boys eyes sparkle and their skin look touchable, which bodes well for the lighting and close-ups for the rest of the ep.)
The Soap Angel calls from his hospital bed, and explains as he complains that he’s got no angel mo-jo to speak of. (Nor any underwear, most likely.) He is bashed up and dressed in a hospital johnny, which is kind of cute. He also seems to be the right kind of angel this week, my kind of angel, not quite used to his human skin, not understanding what aspirin is for, and just a little bit confused with no wings to carry him places. Dean is on the phone with him, trying to control every single aspect of every single thing, like older siblings do, while MB and Sam stand around with their mouths in their faces, not allowed to participate. Which, since Dean is being bossy, makes sense, as there’s not much you can do when the firstborn takes over the joint.
Off the boys go to the convalescent home where Pestilence is doing his little dance of filth and right away, I realize that the boys are on the hunt together, sitting in the Impala, dithering about what to do, which brought me great joy, because this is how it should always be. They’re both using binoculars to scope the joint. Thankfully, someone on the camera crew figured out that you actually can’t see anything using binoculars if someone’s head is in the way, so both boys are looking forward through the front windshield instead of pretending they can see through the other one’s head as they aim their binoculars out the driver’s side or passenger side window.
The boys enter the home, and figure out that what they need to do is get in the security room so they can watch the cameras and try and figure out which one is Pestilence. There’s a cute bit where Dean asks the security guard which room his Nana is in, but it’s the part that follows that I liked especially well. Sam and Dean ensconce themselves in the security room to monitor the cameras. Show has a montage of time passing, and in it you see Dean sleeping or moving about or fidgeting, and all the while, Sam is glued to the screen, practically not moving a muscle.
The scene reminded me of other scenes like it in other eps, where the boys monitor security cameras or do research in a darkened room or perform other quiet but attentive activities. Always, Dean is moving like a restless wind, and Sam is still like a stone. I like it when Show remembers the boys’ basic and intrinsic characteristics, because sometimes Show forgets, but it didn’t this time. As a very important aside, lest someone thinks I didn’t notice, the Samhair is in full sway at this point, with wild sweeps of hair from that window’s point of his, as dark locks lay against his tawny skin. I’d like to think that Show is doing this for me personally because I enjoy it so; however, my ego is not that big.
Via a suspicious glitch in the security monitor, Sam spots Pestilence, wakes Dean up, and soon the boys are stomping down the hallway, Sam with his demon killing knife, and Dean with his sawed-off shotgun. Naturally, Pestilence has his minions on lookout (he’s not stupid, which always makes for a good villain), and the boys are soon hit with a number of nasty diseases, any of which could be responsible for the whumpage that follows. The coughing up blood, or choking on mucus, or both, starts up first. Then follows the dizzy spells, and the sweating, and the somehow attractive blood-stained lips.
My favorite moment, I’ll have to admit, was when the boys are doing a sort of stumbling dance as they try to soldier their way through feeling like crap, done to the tune of some marvelous dizzy-cam. As Dean crashes to the ground, Sam tries to leap out of the way. As Sam leaps, his demon killing knife is pointing straight up, and for a second I thought for sure Sam was going to commit hari-kari. Luckily, he’s nimble enough to move in a sideways direction and avoid the blade.
There was probably more than one take of this scene, but I really liked the fact that Show chose this one, because it paints a very nice picture that while the boys are graceful, handsome, strong, and quick on their feet, sometimes, they stumble over each other and fall on their faces. Also nice was the bit where Sam, struggling on, manages to get his knife in the demon’s face, and then, timber, down he goes anyway, face first, like the giant redwood that he is. It’s really well done, as well as fun and still true to the characters.
There’s a bit more sweaty, bloody-mouthed whumpage as Pestilence torments the boys. He yanks Sam head back by his hair, and mutters dark things, and then and he steps on Dean’s hand to keep him from getting to the knife while he pontificates about how great disease is. Of course, I always like it when the bad guy messes with the boys like this. It sounds strange to admit that they’re kind of pretty when they suffer and sweat and groan, but this isn’t really anything new, so I should just get over myself and admit it out loud: I like whumpage, so there!
Just in time comes the Soap Angel to rescue the boys. Turns out he’s got a little bit of mo-jo left, and I guess that’s okay, though I don’t usually like it when the boys don’t rescue themselves. This time around, it seemed fitting that the Soap Angel would know where the boys were (MB told him) and “took the bus” because his wings don’t work anymore. And maybe it was his turn to cut off the finger of one of the Four Horsemen, just to keep things fair.
Back at the ranch, there is a group dither over what to do next. I particularly liked Dean’s slumped posture, the way he rests his chin in the crook of his elbow and plays with the ring while the rest of the gang talk. The slump and the fidgeting were understated, giving Dean the air of someone still getting over a very bad cold (not to mention a case of the Black Death, the Swine Flu, and maybe even pneumonia, and whatever else Pestilence slammed the boys with), and you don’t usually see Ackles play Dean with such a road-weary air, so it was a nice touch.
MB starts handing out intel, like how many people will die in the upcoming disaster in Chicago, like it’s candy. Even as I’m wondering how he knows this, Sam asks the obvious question, how did you put all this together, anyways? Just as I’m about to suspect that MB went ahead and made that deal with the crossroads demon, ta-da, in walks Crowley. It’s predictable but fun. It also means that Sam is the only one who hasn’t made a crossroads deal, though not for lack of trying. And then, just as I’m about to ask the most obvious next question, Sam asks it for me. He got the expression of a 12 year old looking at the innards of dead animal he’s just discovered run over in the road. It’s terribly gross to contemplate, but he just can’t help himself, so Sam looks at MB and says, “Did you kiss him?” (So cute.)
MB says no, and of course, Crowley can prove that MB did kiss him, because he took a picture in retaliation for MB supposedly using tongue during the kiss. Ostensibly, Show is being brave, having a male/male kissing scene. They committed to the scene, they followed through with the scene, and they weren’t afraid to show the scene. It was almost over the top enough so that I wanted to cover my eyes, but I didn’t because I was laughing the whole time. (Show must have had such fun doing this scene!) At the same time, how come there are no kisses for Sam ever, let alone one where he shares a male/male kiss with another character? Everybody else, from fat cat bankers, to angels (Zach), MB (kissed Crowley), and Dean (Lisa kissed him) has been kissed recently. But no kisses for Sam! What’s up with that? It’s all kinds of wrong.
After some posturing by Crowley, Sam and Dean have a little tete a tete by the Impala. Sam has some self-deprecating remarks to make, stuff like “I know exactly how screwed up I am,” and “I’m the least of any of you,” etc. These kinds of remarks always surprise me, that the boy thinks this way about himself. While everyone in the gang has had a disparaging remark to make (or two or three) along the way, it’s not like they march around giving Sam black looks or putting him in the doghouse. (Although there seems to be an ever-present urge to lock Sam in the Panic Room.) So why the long face? Why the feeling that he isn’t good enough?
I think it’s two fold. First, it’s to present the idea that Sam has learned humility, which is a big contrast to the story Show’s been telling for a while now. For example, back in Season Three (Magnificent Seven), one of the Seven Deadly Sins, Pride shows up and recognizes himself in Sam. Subsequently, the idea came up a lot that Sam was full of himself, and too prideful to listen to reason or to realize that he wasn’t strong enough to resist the power that demon blood would get him. It went on and on, let me tell you.
Now this time around, Sam can pronounce “I am not good enough,” and keep a steady gaze in his eyes, enough to let us know he means it. Secondly, he states that his is the only way, and this is the sacrifice he means to make. Obviously Lucky wants Sam as his meatsuit, and so Sam’s Big Dumb Plan is the perfect way to trick him into going back down into hell. So Sam is right in wanting to be at the front of the line, but this time around, his pride has very little to do with it.
Crowley comes along and gives the boys information on how Pestilence is going to spread the plague. This is followed by the scene where Death pulls up in his deathmobile, which was a scream. The car looks like it’s an old Chevy Bel Air, circa 1953, with custom fins and other detail work. (Anyone, please feel free to correct me if I’m wrong.) The deathmobile is grey, though, while of course, while you’d think that Death would drive a black car, that particular color (all black and gleaming and sassy) is reserved for Dean’s Best Girl, that is to say, the Impala.
The scene is done in slo-mo to a rocking creepy tune by Jen Titus called “Oh, Death.” And while I usually like slo-mo to be about, for, and of, the boys, I thought it was effective here. The downtown Chicago scene isn’t, of course, in Chicago, even if it is damp and windy, but having been there, I thought the set dressers caught the look and feel pretty well. (Especially when it starts raining.) As Death walks, someone bumps into him, after which the man crumples to the sidewalk. I thought that overall, this was the coolest and most effective entrance of all the Four Horsemen.
Back at the ranch, the group dithers as they prepare to split up. The Soap Angel is whining about feeling strange and being useless, and MB tells him to cry him a river, because loosing your ability to walk is a hundred times worse than loosing your ability to fly with wings, even though, all handicaps would seem to be relative to the person who has them.
Dean wishes Sam (and gang) “Good luck stopping the whole zombie apocalypse.” Sam replies, “Well, good luck killing Death.” Naturally what they mean is “Take care of yourself,” and “I love you.” Then Sam remarks, “Remember when we used to just hunt wendigos, how simple things were?” Dean says, “Not really.” Which rather implies that Dean can’t look back to the good old days, because that’ll take his eye off the ball.
But here were my thoughts about what Sam said. In the ep about the wendigo hunt that the boys went on (appropriately called Wendigo), Sam and Dean go into the mines to save the day. Dean serves as bait, to call off and distract the monster of the week, while Sam is in charge of getting the innocents out of harm’s way. At one point, while Dean is combating evil single handedly, Sam shoves everyone in a corner of the mine and places his body in front of them, spreading himself as wide and large as he can go, so that the monster will have to go through him to get to them.
At the time, I remarked in my review that heroes are not made, they are cornered. Which, in spite of Sam’s initial misgivings about going back into the hunting business, is exactly what has happened to Sam. He has become a hero in spite of himself. Dean, who walks willingly up to his hips in blood every day, doesn’t even think of himself as a hero, he’s just doing his job. But Sam? It’s a struggle every day to figure right from wrong, to wade through the grey shades of ambiguity, to try and do the right thing. Sometimes he fails, brilliantly and obviously, and sometimes he succeeds like a star blazing in the firmament. What makes Sam different from Dean in that regard is that he looks upon everything, every task, every choice, as a test.
In the ep Croatoan, there is an interesting discussion about this very thing. Dean says, “Hey look man, I’m not happy about this, alright? But it’s a tough job, you know that.” And Sam, not surprisingly replies, quite fiercely, “It’s supposed to be tough, Dean! We’re supposed to struggle with this, that’s the whole point!” When I reviewed Croatoan, I felt that in Sam’s mind, the whole thing was planned by some outside observer who was taking take notes and who would then hand out prizes for the best struggler, and I still think so, for the most part. Only by this time, his experiences and struggles have toughened Sam up. He still thinks about the ethical and moral issues, but it’s less about who might be watching and what prizes he might get for being a good boy, and more about using the tools he has to evaluate the situation and get the job done with as little harm to the locals as possible.
Anyway, they are about to go off on their respective missions. But there’s an interesting switch here. Since Dean is the one to go after Death, Sam tries to hand Dean the demon-killing knife. But then, Crowley hands Dean a scythe, of all things. The scythe, as you know, is what Death carries around to harvest his victims, and, naturally, Death can only be killed by the same. (Internal logic, I love you!)
What makes it even more interesting, is that in the Pilot, Sam’s packing to go away with Dean, and pulls a little curved blade out of his duffle bag. This blade is shaped like a scythe, and I’ve associated it (and the general use of blades) with Sam ever since. However, later in this ep, Sam uses Dean’s pearl-handled, 1911 Taurus, so it seems that at this point, each boy is using the other one’s weapon of choice. Other than wanting to know when the hand-off of the 1911 Taurus occurred, are the boys taking each other’s place? Or are we being shown, rather subtly, that their characters and functions are overlapping each other and perhaps even blending into one? I don’t know exactly what Show is up to, but it sure is interesting.
To finish up this remarkably good and complex scene, Crowley announces that MB has got his legs back. This of course was part of the deal MB made, even though he didn’t know it. I’m MB’s pleasure and joy are tinged with regret, because even though a demon might make you the promise that he’ll give you your soul back after he is done with it, then again, he might not. Which is what made the deal so cool, because you can’t save the day without consequences, and MB just might have made the wrong deal. But, only time will tell.
I particularly liked the scene where MB, the Soap Angel, and Sam drive in the Scooby Van to check out the factory where Pestilence has stored all of his vials of nasty bio weapons. They discuss Sam’s Big Dumb Plan. And then the Soap Angel, wonder of wonders, says Sam and Dean have a habit of exceeding his expectations. And that since Dean was able to resist Mike, perhaps Sam could resist Lucky. Then the Soap Angel tells them that Adam is currently Mike’s meat suit, but I’m still thinking about the Soap Angel’s compliment to Sam. I’d say it’s about time.
But what’s even better is Sam himself, as he sits there. I mean, the boy is going to be walking into a firestorm, if it comes to the point where he’s going to say yes to being Lucky’s meatsuit. The Soap Angel is quick to discuss what would happen if Sam fails, and other horrible details about drinking demon blood, though by the expression on his face, Sam doesn’t need reminding. There’s rain on the windows, Sam is in chiaroscuro lighting, and there’s this beautiful and sad expression on Sam’s face as he realizes his destiny is approaching, and most certainly more doom and gloom than any one man can bear. While everyone is talking, Sam keeps his eyes forward, even though he looks like he would like to jump out of the van right about now. He doesn’t say much, but Padalecki takes this little tidbit (his face half-shadowed by Samhair) and plays it like the master of subtlety that he is, keeping his body very still, the only motion being the glitter in his eyes.
Dean and Crowley go to Chicago to find Death. There are some very lovely shots of Dean squinting through a rain-dappled window, which is almost as good as if it were Dean himself who was rain-dappled. Also, while the joke of Crowley popping in and out of Dean’s personal space was funny, there was a bit too much of it. Still, I liked Dean (in the rain), going into the pizza place to meet up with Death. Mostly because of the way Ackles plays it. Sure, Dean is brave and bold and has seen a lot, everything from rawheads to skinwalkers to the devil himself. But Ackles makes sure that we don’t forget that even for Dean, meeting up with one of the Four Horsemen is a big deal. Thusly, and appropriately, Dean is almost tiptoeing across the floor as he walks up to Death. And, when Death asks Dean to sit down and join him in a pizza, Dean is as cautious as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs.
The surprise is that Death is willing to give Dean the assistance (and the ring) he needs, on account of how Death doesn’t like Lucky very much and thinks he’s out of line. A lot of the evil higher ups, such as Crowley and Death (and others), have expressed similar feelings. Apparently, even if you’re evil and it is in your nature to kill and destroy and cause chaos, there’s a natural order to things, and people (and evil supernatural folks) enjoy knowing what their role is and how they fit into the grand scheme.
It’s like they’re saying, “Sure, I like to kill, but I like to do it the way my nature directs me to do it and not at the behest of some stupid fallen angel.” Certainly this is not the first time Show has had an evil and/or supernatural character make this type of confession. Everyone wants to be their own boss, and Death is no different. Anyway, agreeing to do whatever it takes to stop Lucky (letting Sam jump into the pit), Dean takes the ring and, as the camera pans out, Death tells him how to work them.
While the Soap Angel clogs up the gate to prevent trucks from leaving, Sam and Bobby go into a warehouse to rescue the innocent victims who have been enslaved by Pestilence’s demons. With Samhair flying (and MB’s cap firmly in place) the two of them go in shooting and firing and reloading, etc, taking out a ton of demons as calmly as if they were in a shooting gallery. As they’re about to go, Sam says that there are more people inside, and won’t let MB stop him from going back.
Sam moves in to rescue mode, going in amidst the boxes to haul people out and shove them to safety, and then turning to go back in for more. MB suddenly stares at Sam, and I had thought for a moment that Sam had been possessed because that’s the way Show sometimes does things. Anyway, the scene continues, many people are saved, and the final steps in the apocalypse (shipping out vials of the plague) are averted for the time being.
Later, back at the ranch (again), Dean plays with the rings and mopes a bit and thinks about the nature of string theory or whatever else might be inside that sassy head of his. MB comes up with a beer, and the two of them have a have a heart to heart. (Who knows where Sam is, however. Probably off having a nice hot shower and washing that beautiful hair of his.) MB tells Dean about the scene at the warehouse, and how he was amazed at what Sam was doing, that he saved at least 10 people if not more. And not only that, but he did it smoothly, without pausing or stopping or anything.
I’m surprised that MB is surprised because the pattern has been ever thus, because, DUH, Sam was just doing his thing, doing what he always does, saving people, hunting things, with the emphasis on the former. It certainly points to how much MB does NOT know Sam, if this type of behavior surprises him. But at least he now sees the truth, like all the Samgirls (and a lot of the Deangirls, I’m thinking) have known for quite some time At the same time, Dean seems to have a hard time accepting what MB is saying because he doesn’t have the objective distance to see beyond the whiny, bratty little brother that is his picture of who Sam is.
MB goes as far as to say that Sam has been rushing into burning buildings to save other people since he was 12. And certainly we saw it way back in Season 1, but I’ve noticed it particularly this season. Dean goes off to save one person (typically Bobby), while Sam rushes off to save the family or the town, basically everyone else. Sam worries about the big picture, and I think he always has.
Suffice it to say that this ep proves once and for all that Sam has a halo all his own. And while it might be invisible from time to time (or slightly askew or even dented), it is still firmly and forever there, floating above that adorable head of hair. Does that mean that Dean’s no longer wearing his halo and that I think his altruism has been a sham all this long while? No and no and no. Dean is still a righteous man, still altruistic, still has the purest soul, and frankly, that halo of his is shining from here to the Pegasus galaxy, even as we speak. But, then, no one ever said there couldn’t be more than one good apple in the Winchester clan.
And another thing. Remember when The Dad told Dean, “You have to save Sammy, and if you can’t save him, you have to kill him?” For the longest while, I thought that that meant that Dean was supposed to save Sam from going darkside in the first place. Certainly Sam and Dean seemed to think it as well. But I’ve also thought in order for Sam to come into his own that he needed to embrace the darkness within, that it would make him more powerful and able to fight eveil. So what if what The Dad really meant was this: That Sammy would need to go darkside in order to become powerful enough to save the world, and that after that happened, after Sam saved everyone, Dean would need to step up to save Sam, or kill him. That way, The Dad’s little prophesy comes true, and the world is saved, and, more importantly, Sam and Dean do it together.
Show has one ep left for the season, and is (at this point in time) signed up for a sixth, and who would have thunk it. So what about next week? Will MB continue to enjoy the use of his limbs? Will Crowley prove to more devious than he’s been portrayed? Will Sam ever get kisses this season? Will Dean ever get to eat a piece of pie that doesn’t result in death and mayhem? Will Dean agree to Sam being Lucky’s meatsuit? And what about Adam?
These questions, and many more, are the topic of conversations that I’m hearing these days, though I believe Show has bitten off a great deal with not enough time to wrap it up. With the promise of another season, I have a feeling that Show has a little torture planned, and we will be having what in the business is known as a cliffhanger, and that Season 6 will start off where Season 5 ended. I’m in for the long haul, of course. All I ask, in addition to all the other things I always ask for, is that when the next season picks up, that Show seriously, seriously considers more Towel scenes for both boys. Thank you.
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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I'm too much of a mess about this episode and particularly about the implications for the finale to elaborate any coherent thoughts. Maybe later. For now, I'll permit myself to be VERY shallow to avoid dark ideas. So shallow I'll be. Isn't Sam looking devilishly (yes, a little pun intended) handsome standing long-leggedly at the warehouse while shooting the zombies?
Into the shallow waters, fellow Samgirl!! Oh, yeah, he looked beautiful in that scene, long legged and handsome! And frankly, for the entire ep, too!
Ha ha ha – no a little can't won't ever be able to shake his peen without supervision. Ever! Loved that line, because you can never outgrow the being younger status. So true!
I liked this episode a whole lot more than the latest too, and let me say that Jensen had a big share of my increased liking. This is the real Dean, the believable character and not the over the top mouthing off or angsting caricature I've seen so much of this season. This is my Dean, can we keep him?
I loved the big bro moment in the beginning, that is how Dean protects his Sammy, that's how he shows his love for his pesky little bro. He can tell Sam to bottle it all up because that I what Dea does with his own feelings. But when Sammy is in question, be it emotional of physical pain – it all comes out of Dean, like a tidal wave. No holding back. I always thought Jensen is at his best when when he reacts to Jared's Sammyness. This scene, with Sam's 'oh cap, here we go again' face was a wonderful reminder of what the two of them can do together. Dean trying to help his little bro and Sam knowing full well Dean can't carry this specific burden, but wise and older now, he backs down in the face of Dean's emotional outburst to allow his big bro to process.
Pure love for that scene.
And yes to the stumbling in the hallways scene! Sam trying to steady is bro and when he can't he goes after the baddie all on his own. Only to fall flat on his face. A re-interaction of season 3 in that little scene.
Why they had to bring SA in to save the day is beyond me though. But I do think SA is lying about having lost his powers. Don't ask me why, it just seemed that way to me. I think SA is in cahoots with God (who may or may not be Crowley) to test the spirit of the boys and decide if mankind is worth saving or not.
I am not surprised that Sam thinks so little of himself, I've kind of seen Jared paly that out all season long. Sam was never vey proud of himself, or thought anybody was. It was clear as early as in Phantom Traveler, where he was very surprised his father had even mentioned him to Jerry. Sam can become blinded with his goals, yes, but pride? I've never actually seen that I Sam. Stubbornness and mule-headedness, oh yes, in spades! But pride? I never saw it but in Bugs where he tlls dean thaat most fathers are proud that their sons catch a full ride. I saw said pride as very mmuch a crutch to hang onto in face of his role in the family from the get go. Sam had to have something he was good at, something to be roud of and it was that he managed to break free from the family to begin with. He was never as good as John or Dean in the family business, I feel he's always thought so and still does. Even in Free to Be, he tells Lindsay he was 'good' not the 'best'. I bought every word and had to hold on to the couch not to try to creep into the TV and hug the life out of my Sammy. Because yes, he's gotten no hugs or kisses in a very long time. That is always wrong!
tbc
PEEN! (Always fun to say, esp in all caps!)
Such GOOD points about Dean, because yes, he was in character, and true to himself, and loving Sammy, while having big brother reservations. He was excellent, all the way around and such a pleasure to see him being himself. (And yeah, Padalecki and Ackles make such a good combo, when they are on screen together, it's a wonder Show doesn't do that more often. I mean, I can only beg so much!)
Interesting point about the SA, as to whether he is a way to test whether the boys are up to it, and whether mankind needs saving…but seriously, doesn't God know by now? : D
I remember Phantom Traveller. Remember, after Sam expressed his surprise at The Dad talking that way about him to Jerry…Dean raised his eyebrows as if to say, "TOLD YA!" Still, those feelings of inadequacy were probably engrained early on and are never easy to get rid of.
As to the "pride" issue, here's how I see it. There's a difference in knowing a parent is proud of you, and being full of pride for yourself, a puffed up overwhelming feeling that you are the best that's ever been and there's nothing you can't do. So yeah, Sam never felt The Dad was proud of him, but he (Sam) in response to that, built up his own pride and sense of self-worth, and maybe it wasn't balanced and got out of control.
And yes, Sam deserves all the hugs we can give him!
cont
That scene with MB getting the use of his legs back? That's the one that had me wondering if Crowley really is God after all. And by the way, people seem to function rather well even soulless. So what's the point of having a soul? It seems soulless MB sees things clearer because in the warehouse, he actually sees beyond the bad and the character flaws of Sam and finally sees the good in him as is pointed out in the last scene. Hello MB! What did you think Sam has been doing all these yeas? Polished the Impala while Dean was out saving people? The end scene has me scratching my head, not the execution but the validity of it. Why show, why point out things we already knew? To show us Bobby didn't? Makes MB seem downright stupid. Or was it just another scene or the can't or won't Dean dilemma? Dean will die a thousand deaths if he has to finish off Sam, we all know that already. To Dean, saving his brother is pretty much larger that saving everybody and that's why I love him and his breathtaking prettiness to death. MB should know this by now.
And yes, to me Sam has always been about the big picture while Dean has been about the immediate PiP. It's what makes the two of them perfect together!
My hands down, favorite scene was in the warehouse and the emotions on Sam's face when he raised the gun. Here again is the big versus the small picture. You can see regret over what he has to do, kill people, sweep over Sam's face in a blink and you'll miss it moment to then be suppressed for the good of the big picture of saving a lot more by killing a few zombies. It still pains Sam, a lot. Kudos to Jared for that scene, it was perfect. And his hair looked amazing!
I loved both boys this time around. Dean with Death was perfect too. Dean was sscared but though. Ight up till when Death told him he'd have to let his little brother say yes to the big bad. Dean's face and hesitation right there, it said it all. And yes, he probably lied because right there, I don't think he was convinced he'd be able to let Sam say yes. I wish they gave Jensen more of this Dean, I always want this Dean! He's just perfect.
Yes, this episode was such an upgrade from the vast majority of this season. And the boys were b.e.a.u.t.i.f.u.l!
MB is not seeing "the light" about Sam because he's got no soul. He still has his soul while he's alive. If he dies, and Crowley hasn't given it back to him, then he won't go to heaven…but he's still got it – so. It's just his inability to see Sam objectively. MB should know how cool Sam by now, he really should. That he didn't, shows me just how much he wasn't paying attention. (Polishing the Impala indeed! As if Dean would ever let him!)
The scene with Sam in the warehouse was terrific. I wanted to go on and on and make comparisons to how Sam was before. Remember when Sam had to kill Madison (the werewolf), and how messed up he was about killing someone who had once been human? He angtsed about that forever and ever. And now? Now he's got to kill zombies, who were also once human, he's much more cold about it. But like you pointed out, that angst is STILL there, it's skill painful for him, morally, ethically, personally. But he's doing what needs to be done. Which is exactly what he says at the end to Dean, "I'm ready to do what needs to be done." Oh, Sam.
I like this Dean too, and the way Ackles played him this time around. It seemed much more in keeping with who Dean was. And yeah, when Death tells him to let Sam say yes? Why, the whold world has been telling Dean this – for Dean, to let Sam do this, to support him, is probably going to be one of the biggest sacrifices he's EVER made.
All around a terrific and interesting ep. More like this, please.
Samhair…when they are walking towards the room pestilence is in…it's wavy, it's bouncy, it looks soft and ……I seriously want to know how he styles it!!
Dean and the death scene – made of awesome. The actor who played death scared the **** out of me!
Then Sam remarks, “Remember when we used to just hunt wendigos, how simple things were?” Dean says, “Not really.”
>> I took Dean's reply of not really meaning it wasn't so simple even back then.
This thursday – getting ready for a sleepless night. I am sure they are going to torture us as much as they can.
I don't know how he styles it, or how the Makeup Team styles it, I just want to thank them for giving us this!
It could mean that Dean felt it wasn't so simple back the, but I'm taking it as he's been through so much he can't even begin to think about it. Or maybe the comparisons to how simple it were hurt to much to even try thinking about it? There's a thousand ways that it could go, I'm thinking.
Usually I agree for the most part with your reviews. However, I think you overdid the whole "Dean is big brother and controlling and can't see his brother as anything but whiny and little". Dean reacted the same way Sam had when Dean was ready to say yes to Lucifer. Neither one wants the other one to die and both know that is the most likely scenario.
In the final scene with Bobby.. his reaction was not that he couldn't see Sam as being the hero saving people, in fact he acknowledged quite readily that Sam's been doing that for years. It's not news to him. You seem to imply he doesn't see him as a qualified hunter. In past episodes he has openly acknowledged Sam's ability. I believe he said he was the second best hunter around.
Dean is just trying to deal with the fact that Sam's going to have to say yes.. he knows it in his mind.. but it's his heart that's holding him back. This is just brother not wanting brother to die.
When Dean was talking to Cas on the phone.. you said again he was taking control. Well gee, he was the one on the phone.. what did you want him to do.. take a vote? Yes, he did assume Bobby would pay for it.. that was controlling.. I'll give you that. But they really don't have time to discuss and take a consensus.
Sorry, I just thought you were off base with Dean with time. I like Cas and have managed to get past your irritation with his character as well as Bobby's in past reviews.. but this time I needed to disagree in writing.
No worries, Mtee, I appreciate you coming by and reading and posting, even if we might not agree on this one.
And yes, I might have overdone the big brother, little brother comparison and ignored the issue that Dean plain doesn't want Sam to die. At the same time, in order to express Dean's not liking Sam's Big Dumb Plan very much, in the beginning of the ep he points at Sam and says, "This isn't over."
So to me, regardless of what he's feeling, he tends to express it in the way that he always has, which is to say, he puts on his big brother shoes and kind of (through habit) expects Sam to fall in in line. I've got older siblings and they've told me from time to time that when I say "no" to them, or don't do what they think I should do, it surprises them. And they're rather oblivious to the fact that the real issue is that they shouldn't have been trying to tell me what to do in the first place. So I think the older sibling/younger sibling dynamic never goes away, even if you're Sam and Dean. Especially if you're Sam and Dean, since old habits are sometimes the most comfortable (the only comfortable), safe, and familiar thing around.
The phone call seemed like more of the same to me. (I have sisters, and if it's an important call, only THEY are able to take care of it! So when I saw Dean on the phone – and yes, Sam could have answered it, just as well – I thought, oh, I know what that's like!)
This episode was full of the awesome. The boys are lovely and they work together. How wonderful is that? My only question is, Sam gets to end it all (finally SAMMY gets to do something and not just be the little brother lingering in the background), but what is Dean's job in it all. "The righteous man who being it will be the one to end it." Does that no longer hold true? Please don't tell me that he's just going to be all brave and strong and shut the door to Lucifer's cage on Sammy. While that would be hard and would suck to watch, not really the role I saw for the chosen one (gag).
And Adam off screen becoming Michael? I thought we explained that away in PONR? He's not the true vessel. What do Lucifer and Michael think is going to happen, a light weight version of the smack down? They could have just done that 3 episodes in and saved us from the boringness that is this Apocalypse. Of course, in my heart I'm still hoping to see Jensen rock the screen as Michael in the same way we know that Jared rules the awesome as Lucifer.
PS Sammy with Dean's gun saving people, very hot. Bobby, instead of taken 5 minutes to reload while Sam is being choked to death, just turn the gun around and use it like a bat. Works in a pinch even if it gave the writers a reason to have Castiel shoot a gun.
Waiting impatiently until next week and hoping that the boys continue to work together, trust each other, and make us all happy by being pretty.
I heard many posters concerned about Dean’s role in ending the Apocalypse being less active than Sam’s and wrongly so, since the righteous man who started it is supposed to end it. I have no doubt that they’ll do it together. Dean will end it through Sam’s sacrifice. I have no idea how this will happen but I’m sure their parts will be equally huge.
I know it’s not your point – at least I didn’t understand it that way – but curiously the same people that bashed Sam for his past actions are now complaining about his being a hero, as if he’s stealing the glory from Dean. So no matter what he does, he’s bashed all the same.
No you are correct, that's not my point at all. I agree with what you said and I totally think that the only way for them to end it is to do it together. I didn't want Sam to be a blanket on the side and neither do I want Dean to be. (I can't bash Sammy since he is so fantastic as a character)
I want them to live in the relationship that they've been developing over the past couple of episodes, equals. We've always known that they are better together than they are apart. I think my issue is that a lot of things that were said in the beginning of the season have seemed to have been forgotten. Unless it's just the characters that have forgotten and the writers shock us with the awesome at the end and tie it all up into a nice sense-making bow.
I just wish that the Winchesters would stop having to sacrifice themselves for each other and everyone else. That said, it's huge that Sam is so completely willing to do this, end up and get stuck in Hell with Lucifer. I just hate that Dean reverts to being the big brother and not letting Sam do what needs to be done. Of course, seeing the quick previews show that Dean is finally in and so forth.
Also, isn't Sammy righteous, now that I think about it. He might have done some not so nice things, but wasn't he always doing it for what he thought was the greater good? Anyway, I'm done now since I'm overthinking things.
I think I can speak for Dean here. I’m a big sister, and a very a proud and adoring one, so I pretty much understand Dean’s feelings. A little brother, even when he grows taller than us, is always a little brother. Dean is trying but it’s not always easy to him. That’s why I’m so proud of him. Doing what he’s doing – if you saw the preview clips for Swan Song you know what I’m talking about – must be tearing him apart but he knows that Sammy has to grow up. Now my heart is aching for both boys.
That's where I can relate to Sam. I'm the youngest of 3 and have always been pushed back into the youngest role no matter what as soon as I'm around my other brother and sister. Heck, even my parents do it and I'm a 30 something woman with 3 kids of my own. I get it, but that doesn't mean that it's always a good thing.
I've been avoiding most of the clips for the finale since then I'd keep looking and spoil everything for myself and be completely unhappy (not really) when I watch the episode.
That's where I can relate to Sam. I'm the youngest of 3 and have always been pushed back into the youngest role no matter what as soon as I'm around my other brother and sister. Heck my parents still do it whenever I head home and I'm a 30 something mom with 3 kids of my own. Drives me nuts, but I can understand it. It's hard to grow out of the role that you were, basically born into.
Both boys have grown so much in 5 years. The end is near and it's causing some serious issues with my patience until Thursday.
Sylvia, I have to say, I don't know how much I'll miss Show over the summer, but I'll definitely miss your reviews.
This one was a bag of mixed emotions for me. On the one hand, I loved that it put an end to Guest Towel Sam for an entire episode. Loved Pestilence, and the confrontation with him. Surprisingly loved Castiel as a battered not quite angel. Death was suitably creepy, and I really wasn't expecting him to hand over his ring, though I balk at the whole "Death can reap God" thing. Seems weird to me, but I'll go with it.
I still don't trust Crowley any further than I can throw him, and I think working with him is a very, very bad idea. On the flip side of that, I've seen some speculation that Crowley might be God, and I kind of like that idea. I don't think that's where they're going, but I like it. I like that he gave Bobby's legs back, though I too wonder what the price will be for that kindness. I still love Crowley though. Mark Sheppard plays him with such relish.
The "Did you kiss him?" scene cracked me up. That was one of the preview clips they put out for the episode and I loved it from the first time I saw it. The look on Sam's face, and the way he asked, and the way he narrowed his eyes when Bobby tried to deny it; awesome. That scene was perfectly played on all fronts.
I love, love, LOVE that Sam isn't going off half cocked about this crazy, harebrained scheme. He's made it clear that he's waiting for a vote from Team Free Will before he goes with it, and he's not going to go into it full of pride. Though on that front, wtf writers? Last week it was "I can do it Bobby. I'm strong enough" and now it's "I'm the least of any of you?" I think Show's continuity department has been on hiatus all season long. That's the only excuse I can come up with for the ridiculous flip flopping in the characterization of both brothers this season.
Aaaaand now to what I didn't like. The ending. First of all, as you pointed out, yet again Sam disappeared from the episode long before it was actually over. I'm willing to let that slide somewhat because of both what he was allowed to do up to that point, and how he was discussed after that point.
That discussion, though, was one of the very sour points for me. As you pointed out, Bobby shouldn't have been all shocked and shaken by Sam wanting to save people. The hell? Since when is that news to anyone? And Dean should NOT have needed all of those good things about Sam pointed out to him. He should have already known them. That conversation between Dean and Bobby would have worked if Sam had ever gone full on darkside, and lost all interest and concern for humanity. Since that never happened, the "Sam is worthy of redemption" speech didn't make any sense. Neither of them should have been surprised by what Bobby saw, and neither of them should have needed it pointed out. Though I do agree with Bobby, that they've been too hard on Sam in the past. Not so much they, as Dean.
I really thought Pestilence deserved an episode of his own. The other horsemen they faced before now got their own episodes, so why cram Pestilence and Death into one? It's like they got down to the last couple of scripts for the season and said "Crap! There's FOUR horsemen? Since when? Dammit, now we have to squeeze them in!" They've wasted a lot of time this season, on stuff that didn't matter, and then so far the climax seems very rushed, like they're hurrying to cram it all in before they run out of episodes. Either that or we're not going to get the end of the apocalypse storyline that we've been promised, and it'll drag over into next year. That wouldn't surprise me at all. TPTB aren't known for keeping their promises on, well, anything.
Right back at you. I'll miss your insight and your passion, though it'll be nice to take a break from Show.
The Death Can Reap God thing, yeah, I thougth God was omnipotent, ominpresent, and omni-everything, forever and without end. Show is taking liberties, so I put it up to that. And an ep about Sam? (Or at least more about Sam…) yeah! I'll take it! The character of Crowley is pure gold, and the actor too, and I'm pretty sure that Bobby's sacrifice will be rewarded not with a kiss but with a kick. I'll wager he's the beloved character who dies in the final ep of the season. As for Crowley being God? There's been so many red herrings along that line, where Show makes us think that a character is not exactly who he or she seems to be. And after Loki/Gabe, well, I am usually ready to fall. But I don't think Crowley is God, but I love watching him do his stuff.
As for Sam not going off half-cocked, oh my GOD! The maturity there, Sam's restraint, him wanting to do the right thing, but for the right reasons. He does (or has) gone harring off on his own more than a few times, but he's learned from that, and now, he wants concensus, because he knows he's going to have to depend on Dean, and needs him to be on board. That's what makes this character so fun, the growth (even if it's given to us peicemeal) is intreguing and makes him all the more loveable, in spite of his mistakes.
Yeah, why is Bobby so hard on Sam? It supports my idea that he and Sam have never been that close, otherwise, he would have seen what the rest of us have seen long ago. Sam isn't perfect, and he's got character defects abounding, but his intentions are good, and they always have been. He's always been willing to risk and do and sacrifice for the greater good, in his own way, though, not in Dean's way. Bobby couldn't see that, all this time? It's the end of Season 5 and he FINALLY gets it? Guess he had to have it shoved in his face or something.
As for Dean, some people have pointed out that it's not that Dean doesn't know that Sam is so very freaking cool, because he does see it. Then the idea that Dean is seeing Sam (still) through a big brother filter gets brought up (usually by me), which makes it hard for him to let Sam go and do this very dangerous thing he's doing. I think there's conflict for Dean that makes it hard for him to stand up and shout to Bobby (and the world) how capable Sam is.
As for Pestilence, good point. I thought with all the build up about Pestilence (over two eps) we'd see more of him, that he'd have more of an impact. But for a Four Horseman, he moved very slowly, and only killed all those people in one nursing home? None of the vials got out, so yeah, he was cut off. (And yes, Show did waste a lot of time this season! Dangit.)
I loved your idea that Sam's halo is dented and tarnished, but still right there. It is why I love Sam so freaking much. He has been targeted and tainted by evil since before he was born. He fights against it, but of course at times he fails. He can be dark, violent, and angry (and I LOVE it when he is). But it is never with a desire to hurt people. That is a story that I find interesting and compelling. Interestingly, I was a Dean!girl until the end of season 2. Then Sam stole my affections and that was that.
You and me both, loving Sam, loving him dark and messed up, and failing even as he tries so hard!
I had such a good time contemplating his halo, what it would look like, what angle it would float at above his head. I went to bed with one title for the review in my head, and woke up with another! It's based on the line: "Where's your Messiah now?", which was a line originally spoken by Edward G. Robinson's character Dathan in the 1956 film The Ten Commandments. (He says it so…strangely, Billy Crystal even did a skit about it!)
Go SAM! You can Lucky, you can do it!!!
I have no idea what Kripke has planned for the finale, Syl, but I am SCARED! I love Sam and Dean as if they are real people, and more than anything, I don't want either of them to die. I know, they can both be brought back to life as they have been so many times before, but damn it, some deaths are BIGGER than others, more substantial, and dying inside the meat suit of Michael and/or Lucifer is a TRUE death to me!
I want both brothers to come out of this ALIVE.
Being selfish, I also want to see Castiel and Bobby make it out alive, too.
Love, Robin
Don't be scared! Sam and Dean will save us ALL. And then they will save each other and drive off into the sunset in the Impala. I promise.
So, after two weeks of somewhat disappointing episodes, I was also quite pleased with this episode, in many of the ways you mentioned above. Some additional bits, I really liked that Death said that he and God were nearly the same age, I like it when the Show admits that God may or may not really be as large and in charge as others were to believe, and like it when Death called Lucifer a selfish brat throwing a tantrum.
I am also greatly enjoying the brother's interactions as they both really are showing this growing and changing while still filling their roles, I mean Dean is never going to really stop being "big brother" (I'm a big sister, I know), but he can see that he has to trust Sam and that Sam can honestly be trusted to do difficult things.
As for the scythe, didn't Alastair use a scythe just like that one to kill the reaper in Death Takes a Holiday? Anyone else spot that?
Would've liked the last episode to the be the Pestilence one considering I believe it went NOWHERE! Okay, I'm over it. They were wonderful and beautiful this week, and I can handle a few off episodes (remember Bugs …)
Loved the Wendigo reference! I love it when shows loop back to their origins.
Okay. So excited for the finale, and gonna have to break out the DVDs during the summer I'm sure!
Yeah, that was definitely the same scythe Alastair was using in Death Takes a Holiday. He had said something about an "old friend" lending it to him or somesuch.
I don't think Dean needed Bobby pointing out how good Sam was rescuing people in the warehouse. That was all Bobby's revelation. Dean has fought next to his brother for the last four years and knows how capable he is. That is why we've had dithering in the past, because Dean does consider Sam a partner. I bet he never dithered with the Dad, there was a definite chain of command in that relationship.
I also don't see Dean as being hard on Sam except for certain instances in Season 4 when Sam was also just as hard on him. They both were coming from dark places and it impacted everything in their relationship. This season, Dean has deferred to Sam a number of times and the only time he was hard on him was in PONR when he was hard on everybody because they wouldn't let him say yes to Michael. He still had that very disturbing vision of Sam as Lucifer saying it would also be that way and he would always win – he had Sam saying I may not be strong enough so yes he said he wasn't sure Sam could resist saying yes to Lucifer.
And guess what, two episodes later Sam comes up with a plan to say yes to Lucifer. Who knows why he said yes in The End, maybe he had the same idea then. It worries me that we don't know what Sam found out while on his own in that alternate timeline – maybe he learned then about trapping Lucifer and acted accordingly by saying yes.
So I can understand Dean's doubts in PONR and his very deep fear for his brother in this episode. I'm sure he will end up going along with it because if Sam feels strongly enough about it and Bobby's on board he will agree. However, Cas did point out the possibility that Sam failing could lead to horrendous collateral deaths when the fight between Lucifer in Sam and Michael in Adam happens.
I've only twice seen Dean go against something Sam felt strongly about – Scarecrow in the first season when there was a finite time to act (a one week period) and in When the Levee Breaks when he refused to go with Sam if Ruby was involved. In Season 4, even with them on the outs he still followed Sam's lead on the Rougarou by talking to Jack and explaining the situation. In Season 5, he agreed in Changing Channels to try and work with the Trickster because Sam wanted to do it that way. And in Abandon All Hope when he didn't want Sam to come since he was Lucifer's vessel and they would be facing him, he still deferred to Sam's wishes.
I just don't see Dean being hard on Sam. In fact in Season 4 as soon as he found out about the demon blood drinking, he blamed all of Sam's behavior on that and not on Sam himself. Sam was the one who said it wasn't the blood it was him.
As for Bobby, as a demon he was hard on Sam, but in the same episode he told Sam it wasn't him and he wouldn't turn against him ever. So in addition to this being IMO a scene where the brothers regrouped or all of TFW sat down to plan, we had a totally unnecessary scene between Bobby and Dean just so we could emphasize once again how much Dean doesn't want to lose his brother and it is supposedly clouding his thinking.
He may not want to lose him and is upset about it. However, he and Sam need to talk it out. No matter what, Dean will end up doing what's necessary to save the world but he sure doesn't have to be happy about it or comfortable with the idea.
Well, in Lazarus Rising Dean was a bit of an ass to Sam. He clearly stated that now when the better brother was back, he was in charge. Something along the line of "Now that the intelligent brother is back". Dean has always held a double standard when it comes to Sam. I think it meant to protect him but it must come off to Sam as Dean thinking Sam's a failure. During the entire season 4, even when Sam drank blood to save Dean's ass, like in On the Head of a Pin, Dean was pissed at Sam, not at Cas who stood there and watched it all happen, incapable to stopping it. It took vamped up Sam to kill Alistair and Dean was still PO'd.
Sam's never been allowed to talk about his issues while Sam's always ready to listen to Dean when he feels the need to have a chick-flick moment. Sam has had to repress far more than Dean ever has; the deal, the fear of what or who he is, his guilt and even Sam's grief over John was treated with a punch to Sam's nose or a handvawe, like they were of non importance. Sam's issues have always been shot down by Dean, probably because Dean knows he can't handle them. So yes, Dean is hard on Sam.
I remember as early as Season 1 when Dean offered to talk about Sam's issues – each and every time Sam shot him down. I think he got the message that Sam would talk when Sam was ready and not before. Just as Sam eventually learned not to push Dean but wait until he was ready. The trouble seems to me that in order to preserve *surprises* the writers never let Sam be ready to talk. The one exception being when they are escaping the asylum in Sam Interrupted (not the best time for a heart to heart).
I think the problem is with the definition of *being hard*. A statement like the smarter brother is back just after the other brother says he wants to take on 3 demons isn't being hard on someone. I'm sorry but that is a sibling relationship. I have six kids and they all talk smack to each other at times. Being hard on each other is something else instead.
If Dean acting like an older brother is *being hard* on Sam when Sam strangling his brother gets a pass because he was upset leads me to believe that Sam to his fans is someone who is unable to handle anything negative and must be treated at all times with kid gloves.
So far this season Dean has apologized and apologized to Sam about not treating him as a partner or treated him as not grown but even as he apologizes he continues as always deferring to Sam. As early as the six episode of season one when Sam had been out of the game for 4 years we find Dean deferring to Sam.
Sorry Dean is not hard on Sam, he is the older sibling and a parentified child and it sometimes comes through in his comments but not all that much in his actions.
I think being had was Bobby recognizing just that, that am is the youngest and he's judged by two elders. They have more experience with hunting, but Sam has different expeiences that may matter but don't. most of the time. Add to that the fact that Sam was targeted at an early age and really never stood a chance. Neither Dean nor Bobby has had to face that.
I do agree that they both act to protect Sam but they are slowly starting to realize that it is impossible. And that is where the hardness comes in. Sam is different, not by his own choice but a choice made by his Mom before he was born. That stigmatization is something that Dean and Bobby will always have a hard time understanding. I don't know why you lash out at Sam's fans since it was only me pointing out that Dean isn't totally flawless. I personally think his double standards come from a place of love, but they are bound to misfire. Bobby stated that Sam is full of character flaws and has that darness inside him. That darkness seems to be something all fear will take over and that's why they sometimes keep Sam on a short leash. I would too if I were them.
In season 1 Dean said repeatedly that 'we're gonna have to talk about this' and pceeded to try to hook am u. Heh. In 2.02 when Sam wanted to open up, he was shot down with 'too little too late'. Sam took it on himself later to confront dean with the speech by the car. And that speech was just as much about dean as it was about him own grief. That resulted in Dean smashing the Impala! I know it's all because Dean really fears for Sam, I don't think he'd be able to handle Sam's pain and that is because Dean really loves him. Still, it doesn't help Sam that much. But Sam has learned to cope with repressing everything by now. But to me it is being hard on Sam to ask him to cope with something you yourself are not able to handle – emotional pain and living with a darkness inside you without ever faltering.
I wasn't lashing out at you, I was saying that if acting like an older brother is considered being hard on someone I felt that meant the person was considered fragile. There are some Samfans and I don't mean anyone on this site who seem to think any negative is too much.
Dean is flawed, Sam is flawed, John was flawed, Bobby is flawed, even Castiel is flawed – I wouldn't want it any other way. I just didn't see Dean as hard on Sam – to me being hard on someone is much more than treating them as if they are younger and may need protecting. Although I don't think we see Dean treating Sam as incompetent or incapable of taking care of himself. We see Dean acting out his role in life just as we have seen Sam complain about being the younger brother but fall into that role as his default mode time and again.
It is hard for siblings to release the pattern of their childhood and I think the 4 year gap did them no favor in this regard. As Sam did a lot of his maturing in his time away from Dean.
I have six children, two of my boys worked together. The younger was the supervisor but he had a hard time not deferring to his older brother for answers since that was the dynamic they both had known for so many years. My youngest is practically an only child, 16 years younger than the oldest and 9 years younger than the 5th child. They all still treat her as a child even as they complain she doesn't act like an adult. They don't really give her the opportunity to do so as they shower her with their ideas of what she should be doing. She just wants a relationship with her sisters like they have with each other but it is hard going. Does that mean they are *being hard* on her? No, it just means the old default dynamic is hard to change.
I felt Dean recognized early on that he will get on board with Sam's idea, but he has to process it because it is dangerous and Sam is in danger of losing himself forever. Sam felt the same way when it was Dean determined to say yes to Michael. I didn't think Sam was being hard on Dean when he tried to stop him.
My whole objection to the scene was the phrase *being hard on*. Dean knows what Sam can do even if Bobby acted surprised. I think a better way of phrasing the situation might have had Bobby saying *I know we've always been protective of Sam…
That would have been acceptable to me because yes, Dean has been protective – being hard on or being mean – not in my opinion. Both brothers have had some incidents where they could have behaved better but being hard on is also an ongoing thing. Now if Bobby had been talking to John, that would have been different as I think the Dad (who I love) was hard on his boys. And I have seen some signs of Bobby acting that way at times.
Oh I agree that the scene was clunky and totally unnecessary. But I don't think Sam would ever had asked Dean that precise question. Sam does try to shield Dean in his own stupid ways at times. Rubbing a possible loss in is so not Sam. Now why show felt the need to emphasize that question is beyond me because we know what Dean feels about the issue. I don't think he will stop Sam but he will be devastated by the entire ordeal. I do think it was a clunky way to hammer the 'can't or won't' nail into the coffin once more. That is what Dean will have to face in the finale and I get it show, I really do.
It was just executed so very poorly since in FTBYAM Bobby told Sam he was a good hunter when the latter phoned and asked Bobby to send the best he knew of. The continuity guys were on a leave again.
So yes, a Sam and Dean scene would have been far more welcome and sometimes I don't understand why show is dead set on repeating certain issues to death and totally neglecting others. How will they cover the finale in 45 minutes? i have a lot of questions if this entire arc is to be done before season 6. I guess I won't ever get the answers to if Sam's powers are blood derivative or not (a question from last season's finale!) after all since the time will be spent on discussing the plan. And that darkness they keep talking about, what exactly is it? It will never be explained apparently. So thank you very much show for beating the dead horse of can't or won't yet another time. *sarcasm*
Whew lordy. I don't know where to start.
First of all, family is always hardest on us. That goes both ways in this case. Sam has been hard on Dean, and Dean has been hard on Sam. That much is expected, since they're all the family the other has.
I'm so sick and tired of the strangling thing being trotted out to defend anything Dean says or does. Put Dean under the influence of a mind altering substance and see how gentle he is with people he's currently in a fist fight with. When he's in his right mind he punches Sam when they disagree; I shudder to think what he would do if he was hopped up on something. And before I get disemboweled, that's not excusing what Sam did. It's that whole reasons thing showing up again. If Dean gets reasons for what he does, Sam gets them too. The strangling thing was wrong. No two ways about it. That doesn't mean you can discount the reasons for it.
Dean has apologized and apologized? I must have missed huge chunks of the show. He apologized in, what was it, Fallen Idols? And he "apologized" at the end of the 100th. What am I missing? Not to mention the fact that he can apologize for it all he wants, but until he stops doing it, or at least scales it back, the apologies lose some of their luster. And like it or not, in this episode, he was doing exactly what he's apologized for; taking charge and ordering Sam around. Now, I wouldn't necessarily call him for it here, because I think it was a knee-jerk reaction to his fear of Sam's plan going haywire (which I have no doubt it will). But it was still "Older brother knows best" behavior.
And sorry, but Dean's being the older sibling and a parentified child doesn't excuse him from everything. It's a part of who he is, and a reason for what he does sometimes, but that doesn't excuse the times he oversteps. And as far as what you infer Sam is to his fans, which is utterly ridiculous, perhaps you should see if you're not trying to make the same thing true of Dean. Saying he's hard on his brother is hardly a deadly sin. Is it really so awful if it's true?
I did not mention the strangling thing as a defense for any actions of Dean's. I have no problem with that scene – Sam was in a dark place and acted accordingly. Dean has acted similarly when he was in a dark time after his Dad's death – he plain just hauled off and slugged his brother because he didn't like his comment about Gordon.
As I've said in a previous answer – my problem is the whole phrase *being hard on* is inaccurate and inappropriate to me. I also said if being treated as a younger brother was all it took to fit the criteria of being hard on then I personally felt it painted Sam as being emotionally fragile. We won't even go into the fact I think one of the writers prefers to write him that way just like some fanfic writers want an emo whiny Sam.
Sam is a strong young man and I felt that phrase was as much an insult to him as it was to Dean. For goodness sake, being treated as if he's younger than his older brother is *being hard on* him. No way. I also felt Bobby's wonder at Sam's capability was a real insult to Sam's character. Sam has been doing this since he was 12, he and Dean practically non-stop for the last 4 years. If he wasn't good at what he does, he'd most likely be dead or damaged by now. So I really hated Bobby acting like Sam being a competent hunter was the biggest surprise ever. And then feeling he needed to point this out to Dean who has worked with Sam for the last four years and for eight years before Sam left to school. It was insulting to Dean also as if he is so blind he can't see what's happening around him without Bobby calling it to his attention.
I would have rather seen a follow-up talk between Sam and Dean where they discussed Sam's plan. Why save it to next week so we could see Bobby giving his okay. I wanted to see Sam and Dean talking, dithering, planning their next move – maybe Dean setting some conditions like Sam not saying yes unless the situation was good enough that it increased the chances of the plan working and Sam answering their wasn't anything else they could do. That's what I wanted – not some scene that insulted Sam's emotional strength and Dean's observational skills.
Of course, the last dramatic line would have played differently and I think would have had even more impact. Imagine it was Sam asking that question of Dean instead of Bobby. It would have been wonderful and Jared would have rocked it. We haven't had enough brotherly scenes this season and this scene just screamed for brotherly interaction instead of Bobby supposedly giving Dean a wake-up call about the brother he loves and I feel knows very well indeed.
"If Dean acting like an older brother is *being hard* on Sam when Sam strangling his brother gets a pass because he was upset "
I've reread that, and if you weren't using the strangling thing to excuse Dean, I'm not sure what you were trying to accomplish. I also don't know anyone who gave that strangling thing a pass because Sam was upset. He's STILL getting bashed for it, and most people won't even entertain the notion of the demon blood being a part of it. But if you say you weren't using it that way, I'll let it go.
"I also said if being treated as a younger brother was all it took to fit the criteria of being hard on then I personally felt it painted Sam as being emotionally fragile."
The thing is, I don't think it's just being treated as a younger brother that qualifies as being hard on Sam. Dean is quick to judge his brother, quick to lash out at him when he's angry, and both of those things, and others, tie into the brotherly relationship. But there are other ways of being hard on someone. I'd say that it's safe to say that Dean's actions in 100th episode were hard on Sam, unnecessarily so. Bobby wasn't exactly making life easy for Sam then either. Dean making the deal he did and going to hell was hard on Sam. Dean running off and leaving Sam behind at the end of 99 problems was, again, hard on Sam. That's a couple of things that come to mind, instances where Dean has done something that I would classify as hard on Sam, without it being directly tied to being a younger brother. Pretty much Dean's whole reaction to Sam's problems in Season 4 was, IMO, too harsh. Sam needed to be stopped and he was definitely screwing up left and right, but the way Dean went about it left a lot to be desired, especially in the addiction area. Is that what Bobby meant? Most likely not. But at this point, I'll take Dean or Bobby saying pretty much ANYTHING about Sam that isn't about how wrong he is, or how they can't trust him.
I'm totally with you on preferring a brotherly interaction over the Dean and Bobby conversation. You're right, there hasn't been enough of that lately. And I also agree that Bobby's revelation was insulting to Sam, like Sam hasn't been saving people for a very long time now. Maybe it was because Bobby isn't used to working with just Sam? He wasn't used to Sam taking charge of a situation? That's flimsy at best, but that might be where it was coming from. I didn't think Dean needed to be told all of that either, though he didn't stop Bobby and point out that he already knew it, which made me wonder if he's been paying as much attention to his brother as I thought he was. And you're right that Jared could have rocked that whole scene at the end, if he'd been given it. Just another instance of them leaving him, and Sam, out in the cold in favor of other characters.
I am really sick of how Sam strangling Dean is constantly brought up to bash Sam. Sam was an addict and addicts do not act as themselves. Dean under rhe siren spell was definitely going to kill Sam with an axe until Bobby stopped him. How is that any different from an adicted Sam strangling Dean except for the fact that I believe Sam never intended to kill Dean but grabbed his throat because Dean called him a monster, the very thing he feared the most and the very thing he never wanted Dean to think of him. As for Dean being hard on Sam, it seems to me that it was a reference to Dean feeling Sam had chosen Ruby over him. Sam chose Ruby because of Dean. He thought he was getting rid of Lillith in revenge for sending Dean to hell. At the same time the world would be saved. Dean teamed up with Crowley and left Sam behind for the same reason. And here's a thought that struck me … maybe it was a callout from Show to the fans who have been too hard on Sam.
I think that is one of the things I've hated about the Bobby story arc this season. For some reason most of the writers seem to feel they have to have Bobby play off of Dean alone without Sam there. I hated the scene at the end of the Dean aging episode between Dean and Bobby. Again a lost opportunity for a good maybe a bit light-hearted scene between Sam and Dean about the poker game. I could care less about seeing Dean giving an inspirational talk to Bobby, where are the inspirational talks we used to get between the brothers.
The Bobby story arc has had Dean acting OOC a number of times this season. Most notably in the zombie wife episode – no way does Dean send Sam into town to handle 19 or 20 zombies on his own so he can help an armed fellow hunter who knows what he's going up against.
I'm one of those fans who think Bobby has outlived his usefulness. Especially now when his scenes are consuming the time that should be spent on brotherly interaction.
BTW – I re-read that statement about the strangling and obviously messed it up completely in my rewriting and rewriting of the comment. Like I said to me the strangling is on par with Dean's actions in Bloodlust – both boys were out of line and both boys were in a very dark head space when they did them.
I don't consider Dean's actions at the end of 99 Problems as hard on Sam so much as realizing his brother would do anything to stop him and he was determined to act. This may have been hard for his brother to understand but then I imagine Dean had a hard time understanding why Sam wouldn't wait until they saved the people in danger in Scarecrow before taking off after his Dad. Granted they knew where the Dad was right then and they might not later so Sam decided it was the time to act and he acted. I saw Dean's actions at the end of 99 Problems the same way – he'd just scene the Whore of Babylon causing people to lose their souls so he was determined to act and act now. He left before anyone could do anything to stop him.
Both brothers can be very determined to act when they decide it is needed. Sam needed freedom from his father and hunting so he acted and it hurt his brother. Does that mean he shouldn't have acted? No, he had to do what was right for him at the time. Dean was determined to say yes to Michael and he did what he had to do, that included leaving his brother behind and hurting him.
I still do not equate these kind of actions to *being hard on*. To me I am *hard on* someone I don't care for and/or totally disapprove of – it is constant and ongoing. The brothers sometimes do things that hurt the other but they are not doing it strictly to hurt the other party – that is sometimes the collateral damage of their actions.
I think both Sam and Dean would be severely hampered if they weighed every single action they took against how it might or might not affect their sibling. They've been raised rough and tumble and taught to make the hard decisions by life. And that's what I see them doing – sometimes hurting one another but never deliberately *hard on* the other.
I think that is one of the things I've hated about the Bobby story arc this season. For some reason most of the writers seem to feel they have to have Bobby play off of Dean alone without Sam there. I hated the scene at the end of the Dean aging episode between Dean and Bobby. Again a lost opportunity for a good maybe a bit light-hearted scene between Sam and Dean about the poker game. I could care less about seeing Dean giving an inspirational talk to Bobby, where are the inspirational talks we used to get between the brothers.
I feel Bobby's usefulness has come to an end especially when we have Dean so OOC as he was in the zombie wife episode. I mean letting Sam go into town alone to face 19 or 20 zombies so he can stay and protect an armed hunter who actually knows his wife is dangerous. Sorry it was stupid and totally not Dean.
I re-read my statement about the strangling and understand why you felt the way you did. I wrote and re-wrote and ending up losing a good portion of a paragraph. That's what I get for doing it at work and having to stop and then come back not knowing exactly what part of the comment was needing additional work. I hate working on Tuesdays.
I know a lot of fans can't see anything good about Sam and won't forgive him for anything. Yet those same fans will forgive almost any other character for everything.
Sam and Dean have both acted poorly towards there brother at some time or another. But that happens especially in the rough and tumble world they live in.
In 99 Problems, Dean had made a decision he knew Sam wouldn't like and he took off to act on it. Sam would have done the same thing. Is it wrong? There is no clear answer, in the end it could have always turned out that the best thing would have been for Dean to say yes to Michael. And there will be regrets but right now Sam was determined to save his brother from making what he considered a very bad mistake.
Dean seeing souls being lost to hell was IMO the deciding factor in his determination to act now and not wait and see whether somebody could come up with another method.
Right now the best method looks like Sam saying yes to Lucifer, maybe it is and maybe it isn't but time is growing shorter and they no longer have the option to wait. Michael has suited up and he will act. And the result of his acting is already known, horrendous loss of life.
Dean would probably give anything to spare Sam doing this especially with his memory of Lucifer in Sam's body. I don't think he will try to stop him, it's too late for anything else now. I do know he will do everything in his power to try and make sure his brother walks away safely in the end. Just as Sam would have done for him if he'd said yes to Michael in PONR.
This is what I love about the brothers and don't understand about some of the very prejudiced fans. Both brothers would do anything to protect and save the other, they both love the other with all their heart. There is not a contest between them about who loves the other the most – the love is just there for all to see.
"I re-read my statement about the strangling and understand why you felt the way you did. I wrote and re-wrote and ending up losing a good portion of a paragraph. That's what I get for doing it at work and having to stop and then come back not knowing exactly what part of the comment was needing additional work."
So it went both ways. I wasn't necessarily misunderstanding, but it wasn't an accurate represntation of how you feel. I get it now. I know how you feel about the interruption thing. That happens to me too. Sometimes I get so turned around in my own train of thought that I can't remember where I was originally going or how I got where I am. It happens. No harm, no foul.
I agree that Bobby has outlived his usefulness, and has definitely been overused this season. I also agree with what you said about them tending toward Dean and Bobby scenes instead of Sam and Dean scenes, and I have no idea why they always have Bobby interact with Dean instead of Sam. It frustrates me, because they're shorting Sam's character development by not allowing him to interact with people other than Dean, and shorting the backstory, by not showing us that Sam is close to Bobby, instead of trying to tell us all the time.
And I think the problem you and I are having on the Dean being hard on Sam issue might come down to our definition of the term. To me, saying someone is hard on you has a kind of bass ackward positive connotation to it. I know that sounds weird, so let me explain. In my mind, first of all, being hard on someone can be something you do consciously, because you think it's for their benefit, or unconsciously, because you're too close to them, and the situation, to let it go the way you probably should.
Like parents. I'm not a parent. But I was a child, as we all were at one time. My parents were hard on me. They expected good behavior, good grades, good manners, all the things a parent usually expects from their child. By saying they were hard on me in those things, I don't for a single second mean that they didn't love me, or that they were being cruel to me by what they did. They were hard line about those things because they wanted me to be the best person I could be, and that was one of the ways they encouraged me to grow. If I misbehaved, they were disappointed in me, because they expected better of me. Could they have sometimes backed off and let things go? Sure, they've admitted as much to me now that I'm an adult. But because they loved me, and wanted the best for me, they were hard on me. That's the conscious type I mentioned earlier.
The unconscious kind is a little harder to quantify. It ties back into the conscious kind, but to me, it's more like that knee jerk reaction that a parent, a sibling, or a really good friend might have if you told them you royally screwed up. "You did WHAT?! Are you crazy? Don't you know better?" That kind of thing. Them saying that, again, doesn't mean they don't love you, that they won't forgive you, or that they won't support you. It's just that you failed to live up to the high standard they held you to, and it shocks them. But it's still hard on you to hear those things from them. The other facet of this would be the thing you did that shocked and possibly hurt them. That's you being hard on them, making them face this issue, and deal with your actions, even though it hurts them or frustrates them. You probably didn't set out in your course of action with the thought of upsetting your loved ones in mind, but that was the end result anyway. So it wasn't conscious pain you inflicted, but that doesn't mean you didn't hurt them.
So what I'm trying to say is, when I say that Dean has been hard on Sam, I'm not for a minute trying to imply that Dean doesn't love Sam. I think Dean's hard on Sam BECAUSE he loves him. We expect more out of the people we love, but we also know that unless we cross that final line, which is often very hard to do, they'll still love us when the dust settles. I don't mean anything negative about Dean when I say he's been hard on Sam. I would expect nothing less from a big brother. But I don't think it will hurt Dean to think about that fact, and maybe try to adjust his stance a little, to support his brother in the coming showdown.
Okay, it is a disconnect on our interpretation of what the phrase means in this instance. I agree with the hard on someone for their own good. I guess the way I saw the scene going was Bobby acting as if they had been unnecessarily hard on Sam (not something for his own benefit but constantly misjudging him and his actions). This went along with the awe he seemed to be conveying about Sam being a competent and very skilled hunter. This led me to believe he felt he and Dean had treated Sam as an incompetent fool incapable of doing what they did.
I'm beginning to think my negativity towards Bobby is influencing the way I interpret the messages of those scenes where he is featured.
Dear Sylvia
There was so much to treasure in this episode. I was very thankful and grateful ‘SHOW’ provided us with such an enjoyable hour of TV.
Let me count the ways!
One-word bullet points
1).Honesty
2).Humor
3).Banter
4).Depth
5).Surprise
6).Disclosure
7). Integrity
8). Trust
9).Sexiness
10).Lying
11).Suspense
12). Kissing!
13). Blood
14).Wumpage!
More than one-word bullet points
1). Sam and Dean were together and in-sync
)
1A). The conversation.in the beginning…and the conversation by the car. Oh Sam and Dean…be still my heart!
2). Sam taking charge
2a). Showing Sam as a grown-up and inherently good!
3). Older Brother/Younger Brother dynamics
4). Vile green vomit
5). Two Horsemen!
6). Death was uber-creepy
7).The scene in the Pizza Palor
8). Our boys on the floor
9). Apprehensive Dean
10).Sam mentioned ‘Wendigo’ (Ah throwback to the simple pleasures of Season 1 – made me think of “Dad’s Journal” and how much I miss it….Good times!)
11).Cas taking on more human qualities. I find it fascinating and intriguing.
12).Cas apologizing
On another note; I just had to comment on the ‘lack of Sam kissing’.. Yes let’s bemoan the reality that he hasn’t seen any action since ‘Skank’ Ruby! He is much too sexy and
good-looking for this travesty and I know there are many volunteers who would be more than happy to help him out!
One other item I need to mention – Bobby's question to Dean…at the end just hit me squarely in the gut!
In closing – No ranting this week!
This episode made me blissfully happy and so very pleased. But you know; I am actually feeling a little melancholy today. I am looking forward to the season finale, but at the same time, I am distressed that the season will be over soon. I know Season 5 wasn’t as consistent or as cohesive as seasons past but it has provided some heartbreaking moments….some twisting turns….some laughter….some thrills….some tears….some great storytelling…some fascinating character growth….but most importantly we were able to share and revel in all of the goodness that is the Winchester Brothers! I absolutely adore Sam and Dean and I will be forever indebted to Mr. Kripke for bringing the Supernatural story to my TV screen and to Jared and Jensen for fleshing out the characters of Sam and Dean and making them undeniably real human beings.
Take care,
Joan
PS. You always find the best photos!
Joan, wow! You and me both. Supernatural is one of the best things I ever watched on TV. Never before, that I can remember, I felt so much affected by fictional characters. I feel indebted to everyone involved with this marvelous show, but especially to Kripek, its father and creator, and to those two wonderful actors whose talent is a joy to our minds and whose beauty is a joy to our eyes. And why are we here discussing who is best and who is the biggest hero? We sure have our personal preferences, but truth is that both Sam and Dean are awesome, each in his own way, and each with own their virtues and human weaknesses because, as far as I know, Jesus Christ is not in the credits.
Hi Andrea;
Thank you. Yes, this show is at the top of my list of all time favorite shows EVER! I was a huge fan of 'Alias' but no other show has affected me as deeply as Supernatural. This show OWNS me. :- )
And, I agree with you about 'personal preferences'. I really enjoy the banter and the heated discussions which permeate this fabulous web site. We are such passionate about this show and I love there are "Dean Girls' and 'Sam Girls'. I actually love and appreciate both of them because seriously, I can't imagine Supernatural without either one of them because they bring out the best in each other and they balance each other. : -)
Joan
One word bullet points, my my! Very succinct….I did not like #12, because the kissing did not involve Sam! I did like #8 and #14 because they were both very old school Winchestery stuff!
Hi Sylvia
#2 was funny but it would have been better if the kissing involved Sam.
I am glad you liked #8 and #14.
Joan
More than one word bullet points…
#2a – Showing Sam as inherently good – I so did love thinking about Sam and his halo and what kind it would be, and it looked so FETCHING on top of his sassy head, so YES, this!
#7 – The pizza parlour scene ROCKED. It was creepy and freaking me out, because I was pretty sure that Death would do something unexpected, which he did, only not in the way I thought it would happen. And Ackles played it so right, so very right, being all tense and wired and watching the whole time, his eyes big as saucers, just watching and waiting to see which way Death would jump.
#10 – YES, old time saving people, hunting things! The wendigo ep, doesn't that just take you back to think about it?
Sylvia
) I can only imagine what his HALO would look like….it would make his eyes even more sparkly.
#2a – I know! I am glad they mentioned Sam's good side because he HAS one! Oh and his 'halo'.
That was all kinds of awesome.
#7 – Hands down…the pizza palour scene was brilliant! Yes, it DID ROCK. I savored every single minute of it. The interplay between Death and Dean was cool and so unexpected.
#10 – Oh how I miss 'saving people and hunting things'. I was even thinking this morning how much I miss Sam looking over a map in the dark with his flashlight with Dean driving. Gosh I really miss Season 1.
Joan
I am glad you have no rants this week! Save your energy for next week, and then you'll have to store it up over the summer! How dare they make us wait that long for more boys!
PS Thank you. I do spend quite a bit of time going through them to make sure I have just the right one….
Yes, no rants this week. I do need to save my energy for next week. I am so bummed. You are right about having to save it up over the summer. I hate that I won't be able to hang out here until the fall. :O(
That is way too long. I will need to drag out my old DVD's cause I won't be able to last all summer without seeing Sam and Dean on my TV screen. I mean an entire summer without Sam Hair and Dean's smile will be a bleak and dreary time.
You are welcome. Your photos always rock. I get to gaze at their beauty and relive scenes again.
Until next week
Joan
I have tons to say but no energy to type it out, lol. I will say this – I wonder if they will allude to the fact that Sam is immune to the Croatoan virus? I wanted them to at least mention it when Crowley said that by next Thursday they would be living in a world of zombies. Sam doesn't have to worry about becoming one.
Yes, that didn't come up at all, did it. Maybe Show thinks we already know that, and that somehow by osmosis all the angels and demons and key grips and best boys and the catering team know it too? That's a lot of osmosis, if you ask me.
I'm finding the bias in your reviews harder and harder to stomach. You mentioned about Sam saving town loads of people rather than just the one or two Dean goes to save as if that's more heroic. The brothers have split up where neccessary to save everybody they can including those that mean the most to them, why is one suddenly more heroic than the other? In 'Hammer of the Gods' Dean made sure everyone got out of the hotel before he'd let Gabriel zap them to safety, in an earlier episode when Cas and Uriel wanted to smite a whole town Dean was adament about finding another solution. When considering saying yes to 'Michael' he was still thinking about saving the most people they could with time running out. I think your bias clouds just how much Dean has done. Dean does see the bigger picture just because they split to achieve the best outcome for everyone doesn't mean one task is less significant than the other.
I never said one was more heroic than the other. Sam saving "the world" and Dean saving Sam are equally heroic and important in my mind.
That being said, yes I have a bias. I'm a Samgirl, what of it? Is a reviewer not supposed to have a preference? Are they not allowed to have opinions? Isn't a review exactly that, a bundle of opinions? So my opinion is I like Sam a little better. It's not hurting anyone, and I can't be wrong for having an opinion, nor be called to task for talking about it.
I keep being amazed when someone tries to call me to task for it. As in, "How dare you talk about Sam more than Dean!" Say what? My response is, "How dare you take me to task for that?"
Being told I can't like Sam more than Dean, that I'm not supposed to write more about Sam (and his Samhair) than about Dean and his beautiful face is like being told that I HAVE to like (and write about) the funny eps with the same joy and love that I write about the serious or scary eps. But nobody ever seems to mind that I prefer the serious, emo eps over the funny ones, and I know I for one would be astonished if they did.
And frankly, when I WAS a Deangirl (which was up to the point where I reviewed Born Under a Bad Sign) no one had a problem then that my bias was Dean. Now that it's Sam? I often have people posting to complain, and that I will never understand.
I'm not sure why some people feel it's okay to tell others who they can and cannot like. I mean, what's it to them, what do they care? Like you and others have said, Dean/Ackles gets tons of support and rightfully so, all the time and everywhere. What does it hurt that Sam/Padalecki gets some love and support of his own?
I adore his hair and his sparkly green eyes and his long, long legs and his amazing talent and his bright smiles and his somber Sam-faces, and the way he throws himself into the funny, slapstick scenes with as much deftness and skill as he does the serious, emo scenes – so he's going to get that love and support right here and right now for as long as it pleases me to do so.
I mean, with hair like that, it's a pure joy to talk about Sam and his Samhair and Jared Padalecki and all his many, manly talents.
End rant and happy Thursday! (And thank you for providing me a little soapbox to stand on while I ranted.)
Sylvia, please, never ever, stop talking about Sam, his Samhair and his talents. It's a joy for me, as is for many others, to go here every Tuesday.
HEAR, HEAR!!! And this is why I love you so, Sylvia. You go, girl! And just so you know, as much as you are a Samgirl you are definitely loving to Dean, to both boys. I never saw any bias in your reviews. The truth is that the bias only exists in the eyes of those who think Dean is the bestest ever and how dare anyone prefer Sam instead.
Thank you Andrea and Tonia for your continued support! And I'll say it again: There is no such thing as too much Dean, but there is such a thing as not enough Sam. Although, this week we got tons of both!
On the heels of what Louise said (WORD LOUISE!!! WORD!!! AND MTEE TOO!!!)
Now, Sylvia, did you forget Dean saved the entire city of Chicago when he met with Death? Sam 'only' saved a handful of warehouse workers. They are BOTH big damn heroes.
But I guess I get it. It's Dean's fault. People just assume that he's awesome. So, when he SAVES A WHOLE FRIGGING CITY its just another day on the job. But when Sam actually does the right thing for once…
Look. If you're gonna do a non-bias review, DO a non-bias review. If you're a Sam-Girl? Own up to it. That way I know to skip your reviews in the future. Oh. Guess I do now. Nevermind.
Just before people chime in asking how Dean saved Chicago, and I know they will. There were 2 missions in that episode, one to stop the vaccine and the other to get Death's ring. Both important. Death was going after Chicago and Dean went to stop him and get the ring, It shouldn't matter that Death just handed the ring over and let Chicago go the fact is Dean faced him not know what the outcome would be, if he hadn't of faced him Chicago would have been wiped off the map.
Reviews are, by their very nature, the biased opinion of the reviewer. That's why what I write is called a "review" and which is why there's more than one of them out there on any give episode.
I have never hidden the fact that I am a Samgirl. You only have to read my reviews to know it. But if you've not been reading until now, maybe you didn't know that. So I will tell you: I AM A Samgirl. I've been a Samgirl since I reviewed Born Under a Bad sign, and before that point I was a Deangirl, neither of which titles I regret in the slightest. If it bothers you that I have this current bias, then you are, of course, free to not read my reviews.
I feel that Sam Winchester and Jared Padalecki deserve love, admiration, and support, and I plan to give it to the character and the actor, and I will continue to give them that support until it no longer pleases me to do so.
PS Of COURSE Dean saved Chicago. He's a hero, that's what he does! But I still think his REAL job is to save Sam after Sam goes darkside.
Dean’s real job is to save Sam!? Why on earth? Dean’s and Sam’s real job is to do whatever they decide is their job. If Dean decided it was his real job to join the circus and entertain people after scaring the living daylights out of them for 20 years I hope he would do exactly that.
Pa Winchester’s parting decree may weigh heavily on Dean but I think both brothers have already realised they are grown men and neither has any obligations towards the other. What I think they have a problem with is letting go of the family dynamic as it has no place where the whole of humanity is at stake. That’s what makes their story tragic. It is in our human nature to love and protect our family but Sam and Dean have to give up this luxury for everyone else. It is not their job; it’s the role chosen for them before they were even born.
It really is only my personal opinion about who's got what job, it's how I see them interacting. And also, that's the way I see the story going – that Sam is indeed going to say yes to Lucifer (following his Big Dumb Plan) and then, who will save Sam? Certainly Sam could pull his own fat out of the fire, but I think it would be more dramatically interesting if Dean then, in turn, had to save Sam. That would give them both important roles in ending the apocalypse. I could be horribly wrong of course, horribly, horribly wrong. : D
I guess I don't understand that you say "Dean’s and Sam’s real job is to do whatever they decide is their job" and that "neither has any obligations towards the other." And that the family dynamic has no placing in saving the whole of humanity. I totally disagree. All along Show has been putting this family dynamic in so many eps, and mentioned it, either bluntly, or subtly. Dean's even said it, "Because I'm your big brother, and I say so." And then Sam will come back "I'm not so little anymore" or something like that. I think that the family dynamic itself is part of the force of good that will help them save the world from the apocalypse.
Julie, before you go denouncing people, you might want to make sure you're correct in your statements. God forbid someone not prefer Dean. Sylvia's entitled to her preferences, just like we are. She doesn't bash Dean (and no, failing to continually heap praise on him doesn't count as bashing), she doesn't bash Jensen, and that's more than you can say for most of the Dean-centric reviews out there. If she ever started doing either of those things, then you would have a good reason to get bent out of shape.
Whiskey, thank you, I really appreciate your support and your insight and your passion.
Sometimes people just like to take umbrage over things, and that's fine. They are entitled to their opinion that Dean rocks and I'm wrong for preferring and focusing on Sam. Just as I'm entitled to carry on writing about what I see fit until Jesus comes again.
Also in Good God Y'all Dean stayed to help the towns people rather than go off to help Sam, yes he wrestled with the decision but he made the right choice. The trouble is Sam fans want Dean to be the big protective brother and moan when he puts others first. Right now some fans are complaining about how Dean is 'letting' Sam try to trap lucifer knowing it could kill him, other fans would blame him for not seeing the big picture if he did try to stop him. It's ok to have a favourite but as a reviewer at least think before letting your bias rule your judgement over whats actually happening in the story.
It isn't about who is the bigger hero, because they are both equal in my mind in that respect. Recently, Dean's been more focused on saving the "one" than the "many." I'm not complaining about Dean "letting" Sam trap Lucky, I'm complaining…well, I'm not complaining about Dean at all. I think he doesn't have the confidence in Sam that he should, but that kind of doubt is natural, because it means that Dean has to let Sam risk death. And since his prime directive is 180 degrees opposite from that, well, he's still giving it the thumbs down. I think Sam will soon make him see reason. (And that's NOT because I want to see Padalecki play Lucifer, nope, nope, nope!)
I didn’t see any comment denying Dean’s hero status, so I don’t understand what’s going on here. Yes, the owner is a Samgirl and she never denied it but she’s by no means anti-Dean. And I don’t get it, if you have so much trouble reading Sylvia’s reviews, why do you bother to? There is a gazzilion of pro-Dean sites out there where Sam is treated as the plague. Suit yourselves.
It's more Sylvia's comment about Dean not seeing the bigger picture when it comes to saving lives that got to me, when examples of how he's done exactly that flew into my mind. That's the trouble with being biased you forget what the other character has and hasn't done because they are not the focus of your attention and we are all guilty of that in this fandom.
It does seem to me that of late this season, Dean seems focused on saving one person, and Sam saves many. I think it was in the zombie ep, in specific, that Dean wants to go back and save Bobby. Sam makes a remark along the lines of "Well, I'll go off and save the rest of the town. Again." It was said in somewhat sarcastic/funny way by Sam but it got me thinking about how the brothers operate and how they think about what's important.
I've always thought that Sam was a big picture kind of guy, whereas Dean sees the smaller, more immediate details. So really, both of them are heros in their own way. What it really points to, for me, is that in the end Sam will save "the world" and Dean will save Sam, and can anyone say which of those is more imporant? I couldn't, but I think there is a balance there, and each boy contributes in the way that he is best suited. (And of course, Dean saved the whole town of Chicago, what, three million people, and Sam has gone off to save just one person -don't remember a specific incident, but I'm sure it's true – but my point was, in the whole stopping the apocolypse story line, Dean has his role, and Sam has his role, and I thought it was interesting how that was all coming together.
I've always seen Sam as the one focused on the long-term rather than the big picture. Sam will make a decision to do something – find dad, stop Lilith, save Dean – and that becomes his whole focus. Dean on the other hand sees things differently and why working on the long-term takes the time along the way to take immediate action against the bad things out there – this was especially shown by his comments in Wendigo and his actions in Scarecrow.
Because of their conflicting natures, each sometimes accuses the other of not getting it – Sam of being selfish, Dean of being scared to act are two such complaints. However, I think the reason they make such a good team is because of their differences in this regard. One's strength plays to the other's weakness and they are all the better for it.
I will say that I found Dean's actions in the zombie wife episode very OOC especially after we saw in the episode Good God Y'All that he'd finally learned not to always put Sam before everyone else. Not only was Bobby just one person as opposed to entire town in danger, we also had Bobby the experienced armed hunter who knew exactly what his wife was and that she was potentially dangerous. There is no way Dean would stay and send Sam off alone to go up against 19 or 20 zombies to protect an armed man who is aware of what's going on. He was written way OOC in that episode.
I've always seen Sam as the one focused on the long-term …
Well, I don't think that being focused on the long term and the big picture are mutually exclusive, in fact they seem to fit hand in hand with how Sam processes information. And Dean, same thing, small details, and the short-term.
"Because of their conflicting natures, each sometimes accuses the other of not getting it…"
Oh, god yes! "Why can't you see sense! Why can't you do it the way I would!" That's family for you. "Did you see the way daughter #4 wiped the table? Was she raised in a barn?" And so on. : D But yes, they definately fill each other's blank spots, and make up for the other one's weakness.
"I will say that I found Dean's actions in the zombie wife episode very OOC…"
Yes, he was. I don't have a problem with him being worried about Bobby, but surely in the big picture of things (as Sam was seeing) Bobby was just one man. What is worth more, the many or the few? I think that call has to be made over and over, though, not just one time.
I'm with you Andrea, on all of those points.
I am a Deangirl and I have never found Sylvia biased against Dean. Hopelessly in love with Sam's hair, yes (g).
I have gone to review sites where the reviewer's bias for whichever brother comes through as a dislike or hatred of the other brother. Sylvia has never done that in the many, many reviews here that I've read. In fact, her real appreciation of the character of Dean has been made evident in many different reviews.
I come here first thing every Tuesday and believe me I wouldn't if I didn't feel that she does love both brothers. I do feel one of her examples on this issue was of Dean being portrayed OOC but it was what the writers put on the screen so that makes it canon and available for comparison of the brothers' actions in saving people.
Thank you, Robijean, for your support. Where would Sam be without Dean, and Dean without Sam? I like Sam better, yes, but I like it BEST when they're together.
And yeah, when one or the other is OOC, or I think the dialog is off one week for whatever reason, I point it out, 'cause that's what I do. I also give praise where it's due, cause that's also what I do. And YES! I admire Sam's hair, because that is in my contract!! : D
Hey Silvia — I enjoyed this episode for the most part, although I was truly annoyed by Bobby's speech to Dean in the end.
"At the same time, Dean seems to have a hard time accepting what MB is saying because he doesn’t have the objective distance to see beyond the whiny, bratty little brother that is his picture of who Sam is."
I just could not disagree with this more. Dean has relied on Sam as his partner for 5 years now. Dean has seen Sam save people and do it all on his own. As Dean told him, Sam is the "2nd best hunter he knows." Whenever Dean and Sam come up with a plan to accomplish something — kill something evil, save people, etc.– it's based on a team approach. Dean has Sam's back and Dean knows Sam has his. Period. Dean trusts Sam to do his job. And that means that Dean does indeed see "beyond the whiny, bratty little brother." That's not the total of the man Dean sees, in my opinion. Now Bobby may have never realized this about Sam, sure, but it's entirely unfair to point the finger at Dean here, especially when he's been trying to "let Sam grow up" and be less "big-brotherly" protective of Sam this season.
I think what Dean was having trouble with was Sam's plan essentially being a suicide mission.Sam will always be Dean's "little brother" and he'll always feel protective of him. I'm the oldest in my family as well and that feeling never goes away. But that certainly doesn't mean that Dean can't see beyond the "little brother" aspect of Sam to see him as capable of saving people and being a good hunter. Five years worth of Dean trusting Sam to have his back tells me this.
"He still thinks about the ethical and moral issues, but it’s less about who might be watching and what prizes he might get for being a good boy, and more about using the tools he has to evaluate the situation and get the job done with as little harm to the locals as possible."
I think this describes Dean as well, don't you agree? See: ITGPSW as a prime example.
"My favorite moment, I’ll have to admit, was when the boys are doing a sort of stumbling dance as they try to soldier their way through feeling like crap, done to the tune of some marvelous dizzy-cam."
Now this I agree with! I have a lot of LOVE for this scene as well.
"Still, I liked Dean (in the rain), going into the pizza place to meet up with Death. Mostly because of the way Ackles plays it. Sure, Dean is brave and bold and has seen a lot, everything from rawheads to skinwalkers to the devil himself. But Ackles makes sure that we don’t forget that even for Dean, meeting up with one of the Four Horsemen is a big deal."
Yes, what a wonderful scene. I love the actor who played Death, he was perfect. And what can I say about Jensen? He never fails to amaze me with his wonderful performances and this scene was a perfect example of that. He's just terrific here.
And more supernatural baddies telling Dean how insignificant he is. First Pestilence, and then Death. Meh. I hope Dean (and Sam) can prove them all wrong once and for all. But I fear things will not go as the Winchesters planned them to with Lucifer. I'm rather disappointed with the lack of Michael and Dean-Michael interaction this season… where or where did Dean's mytharc storyline go? I fear that Dean's storyline has been reduced to John's horrible words and that if he can't save Sam he will have to kill him. And that it will turn out that Dean's only worth was as daddy's "blunt little instrument" after all. *sigh*
I totally agree with your comments. I'm also very afraid things are not going to go as planned. Someone pointed out that last year the penultimate episode was very Samcentric and then the finale had a Dean twist to it. I have a feeling that death's instructions we haven't heard will be the surprise twist in this year's finale. I can't help but wonder if Dean has to let Sam die so Lucifer frees his body and perhaps death's ring can then bring Sam back.
Of course that is just one of many scenarios running through my head. All I know is I want them both alive and well at the end of the episode and hopefully Castiel also. If anyone has to die, let it be Bobby.
"Someone pointed out that last year the penultimate episode was very Samcentric and then the finale had a Dean twist to it."
Last years penulitmate episode was also the one of only two Samcentric episodes in the entire season. And I confess, I don't get the automatic assumptions that it's all going to be about Sam, and Dean will be off twiddling his thumbs somewhere. When has that ever happened? Dean always saves the day when the stakes are high. I think your point about Death's instructions being imparted off screen is excellent, and could very well play out much like you described it. But would it seriously be the end of the world (no pun intended) if Sam actually got to do the saving this time? For the first time? If Dean had a part to play, but wasn't the one who ended it all, would it really be that horrible? That's what I don't understand.
I don't mind Sam being the hero – my complaint is the big plot hole they created with the whole *the righteous man who starts it has to be the one who stops it*. So I do hope Dean has a part other than sacrificing his brother which is passive not active. Second I don't want any Sam sacrificing going on – I want them both to come out of this intact.
Last season's finale was both boys but the twist came in the Dean portion when we found out the angel's were in favor of Lucifer rising. Of course, I think Kripke also thought the Sam portion of the episode had a twist when we found out Ruby was bad. And joy of joy both boys took part in offing Ruby which I loved immensely.
I would like to see both boys acting together this year rather than at odds so I'm hoping Dean becomes more accepting of Sam's plan because Sam's plan is going to happen.
I also thought the fans who walked away from the finale last year thinking Sam was solely to blame for Lucifer being freed were totally wrong – the wrong point of that episode was to show the outside forces had more to do with it than either brother. In fact, of the two boys Dean was more at fault because sacrificing himself for Sam had less manipulation to it. Sam's final decision IMO came because of the altered phone call and Lilith's taunting. Sam didn't know Dean was there to support him, he probably thought this was his last chance to act before his own brother killed him.
So I'm hoping for a finale where the boys are acting together with a single purpose – their humanity trumping all the angels, demons, and their supposed destiny. All the manipulative plans were for naught because of them exercising their free will and acting out of love each for the other. I want a really triumphant ending to Kripke's five year arc.
(Me) "At the same time, Dean seems to have a hard time accepting what MB is saying because he doesn’t have the objective distance to see beyond the whiny, bratty little brother that is his picture of who Sam is."
(You)"I just could not disagree with this more…"
It's an interesting point you make about what was going on in Dean's mind while Bobby was talking about Sam. And yes, I agree that most of Dean's doubts about Sam were about the suicide part of the mission, becuase yes, Dean counts on Sam more than he does anyone else.
I never think that if when the chips are down that Dean would choose anyone else over Sam. It's just that, with the whole problem with Sam's Big Dumb Plan, there was also that part of him that remembered Sam as a wee lad, and have a hard time reconciling wee Sam to this BIG Sam would will be throwing himself into the pit of hell.
I wasn't trying to point the finger at Dean for not letting Sam grow up, but yes, big brothers will ALWAYS be big brothers, just as mothers will be mothers (and motherly) to their fully grown, card-carrying adult daughters. So I don't think he has as much objective distance as he would like, though why would I want him to? There's not many who Dean loves as much as he loves Sam, and part of that is the big brother and little brother dynamics.
You could have said all of this in your review. If I read just the review and skipped your replies to comments (as I was about to do) I would have thought you not just biased (and you have every right to be) but also thoroughly dismissive of Dean as a one-note character.
I always think I've got it down the way I want it, only to find later, that, no, my point wasn't clear. Part of it is that I try to stick to a 5,000 word limit and run out of room before I run out of things to say. And then after it gets posted, I sleep on it, and have more ideas, is what happens.
And I would never, and have never, dismissed Dean as a one-note character. Some of my reviews, and most of the early ones, are Dean-centric. Like, for example, my review of "The End?" All about Dean. (And a lot about that thigh-holster he wears…)
Word limits are indeed a b**ch… So the comment section is your salvation.
The thigh-holster … *gets misty-eyed*
Oh, yeah, baby…..and I believe I went on a bit about his splayed thighs and that five o'clock shadow, as well. Not to mention the subtle differences that Ackles created between Future Dean and Present Day Dean. : D
And yes, the comment selection is my salvation because people always point out stuff I missed (which happens) and also give me new perspectives to think about, which I very much enjoy.
P.S. And yes, this particular review was very heavy Sam-centric, as opposed to being a little bit more about Sam than Dean, or equally about both boys, and that's on account of I was so thrilled to see him being so…Sammish, so my review, subsequently, was more about Sammy.
"It's just that, with the whole problem with Sam's Big Dumb Plan, there was also that part of him that remembered Sam as a wee lad, and have a hard time reconciling wee Sam to this BIG Sam would will be throwing himself into the pit of hell."
Hmm. I still don't agree. I don't think that's the problem here. Dean knows that Sam is fully capable of doing this. Dean has always thought Sam to be the stronger person. Yes, Dean's faith in Sam was shaken after Ruby, but I don't think it was ever about Sam's ability to get the job done. Dean's afraid for Sam and he doesn't want Sam to sacrifice his life, which is what he'll probably be doing.
"There's not many who Dean loves as much as he loves Sam, and part of that is the big brother and little brother dynamics."
I would say there's not anyone who Dean has ever loved more than Sam. *hugs them*
(Me) "He still thinks about the ethical and moral issues, but it’s less about who might be watching and what prizes he might get for being a good boy, and more about using the tools he has to evaluate the situation and get the job done with as little harm to the locals as possible."
(You)I think this describes Dean as well, don't you agree? See: ITGPSW as a prime example.
Not all of it. I think that Dean does think about the moral issues, but it's not the first thought in his head. He is less likely, in my opinion, to stand there and have a mental dither with himself about the rights and wrongs of doing something, like for example, shooting a werewolf that recently had sex with his brother. It was Sam who brought up the idea (in Hunted) that some things that were supernatural weren't necessarily evil, and he was able to convince Dean to let the vampires go.
As for wondering who's watching and whether there will be prizes for the best struggler? No, I don't think that's Dean's thing at all. He's not the kind of guy who goes in for awards or external motivation. Most of his motivation is internal, he's doing what he thinks is right (which most of the time is a pretty clear cut issue in his head), and that's that, he doesn't care who's watching. Sure he'd like an "atta boy" or a kiss from a pretty girl, or if The Dad were around, whatever praise The Dad could muster. But he's not like Sam, Dean's not doing it to get anyone to like him.
"It was Sam who brought up the idea (in Hunted) that some things that were supernatural weren't necessarily evil, and he was able to convince Dean to let the vampires go."
True, but the gray area of supernatural beings is not the end all and be all of the ethical and moral issues that the brothers are faced with. For Dean, it's always been about saving people *and* killing the evil thing "with as little harm to the locals as possible." Sam seemed okay, for example, with the "virgin" sacrifice in Jus in Bello. Dean felt that was wrong and wanted to find another way.
"No, I don't think that's Dean's thing at all. He's not the kind of guy who goes in for awards or external motivation. Most of his motivation is internal, he's doing what he thinks is right (which most of the time is a pretty clear cut issue in his head), and that's that, he doesn't care who's watching."
Agreed.
"Yes, what a wonderful scene. I love the actor who played Death, he was perfect. And what can I say about Jensen? He never fails to amaze me with his wonderful performances and this scene was a perfect example of that. He's just terrific here."
He is pretty terrific, and I like watching him…move, talk, eat, sit still. Yeah, it's like that.
"And more supernatural baddies telling Dean how insignificant he is."
I think they've pounded that one pretty much into the ground, and surely Dean knows better by now that it's NOT true??
Noooooooooo I don't want Sam to dieeeee
seriously, how many times have the boys died throughout the entire series??! I don't think I can take much more Winchester death! But I must say, I do like the idea of Sam having to end it all…I always felt like it had to be Sam. And I totally agree…we all know, as does Dean, how strong/brave Sam really is…even if it took Bobby this long to realise. Yeah he has his flaws, but all the best heros do! For some reason the quote from Shakespeares 'Twelfth Night' came into my head after this ep (I know, I'm a bit weird like that!), when I was thinking about Sam and Dean and what they've been through and all they still have to do – 'Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them'. I definitely think Sam and Dean both fall into the last category.
Sam might end it all but I feel fairly comfortable thinking they won't kill him off. They might bang him up a bit…
Sam and Dean do fall into that last category you mentioned. I'm sure they'd prefer (like Sam said) to be off chasing wendigos or something "easy" like that. Instead of all this life and death stuff.
They didn't ask for this life, but desipte struggling with resentment for it in the past (esp. Sam), I think now they have well and truly accepted who they are and what they have to do. They're obviously willing to do whatever it takes to stop Lucifer, even if it means sacrificing themselves, or their own brother, in Deans case. It will take as much bravery on Deans part to let Sam do what he has to do, as it will for Sam to actually do it. Despite all their differences Sam and Dean, at this point, are pretty much one and the same, if you get what I mean!. I very much enjoyed this ep, and am looking forward to the next. Great review Sylvia, thanks!
Thank you for the compliment and for coming by to join the fun. : D
I think there are sacrifices on both their parts, like you point out, they can't do it alone, and they won't have to, if they can realize what the other one's strengths are and that they work better TOGETHER!
Oh, I also just have to mention Sams hair briefly (I say briefly, but I could probably write an essay on it!). Anyway, I will just state the obvious and say that it was amazziiinnnggggg this ep. especially in the scenes where he was sick, and dying and getting strangled, for some reason. You know you're a Sam girl, when amidst all the death and dying and action, you can just stop and think 'ohhhh, nice hair'. It's well and truly distracting!
LOL, you're so right! Even Pestilence didn't resist the temptation to feel its silkness.
rofl..nice one
"The deathmobile is grey, though, while of course, while you’d think that Death would drive a black car, that particular color (all black and gleaming and sassy) is reserved for Dean’s Best Girl, that is to say, the Impala."
Actually no, the deathmobile was perfectly colored. Death, after all, rides a pale horse. Famine rides the black one, War the red & Pestilence the green. I have loved that they got the car colours right all season.
Oh, you're RIGHT. I forgot all about that description. Yes. Grey was the perfect color! Show got it right, 100%, and I didn't even give it any props! Thanks for the heads up. : D
I knoww…I never thought i'd actually be just a little jealous of Pestilence ; )
arghh stupid comment box…I don't know why it insists on posting things twice….sorry about that!
Sometimes it does that…
Jealous of Pestilence for pulling Sam's hair? Oh, my…I hadn't thought of that. (But I can think of better things to do than pull it!)
Thank you Sylvia for this great review! I am so happy that Sam finally gets to be the hero instead of the little brother who cannot get anything right and needs to be saved by big bro over and over again. The show started as Sam’s story and I feel it should end like that. Dean is an interesting character but Sam is the one whose internal conflict has been the core and the driving force of the story for 5 seasons. There’s been the curse of Mary’s choice hanging over him. He is a fiercely independent, intelligent man with a deep sense of morality, yet his entire life most choices have been made for him – in equal measure by well-meaning or not so well-meaning characters.
Now Sam finally gets to turn his curse around and actually actively save the world!
PS. My only caveat is *whispers* his hair… I personally liked best in the first half of the season. It is now too long and somehow too plain for JP’s extraordinary features.
Hey, you're more than welcome. Thanks for coming by and reading and posting.
I adore the way you talk about Sam, it's so fitting and apt. Because he is "fiercely independent" (I love that description!), and he keeps fighting his own destiny, Mary's curse, and the pressure from people in his life (Dean, MB, etc) who still think they get to have a voice in what he does. Of course, older brothers will always have a say, and it has ever been thus. I think Sam will save the world, yes indeed I do. It's the prodigal son on a massive scale. And then Dean will save Sam. Or at least, help Sam save himself through the power of brotherly love. Amen.
As to Sam's hair…..oh, you make me laugh! I personally like Season 1 hair best, it was so shaggy and sprightly. And yes, perhaps it is a little too long currently…and could offset Padalecki's "extraordinary features (YES!) better if they did some layering. Some bangs, perhaps?
Jeez, I messed up the typing! Sorry, I mean "second in my preference is Season 2".
I agree with Jess. It was just perfect in the beginning of Season 5, not too short, not too long, curling slightlely at his nape. I particularly liked it in Free To Be You and Me. Secon in mu preference in Season 2, with the bangs. Lovely! Thank you girls for sharing.
Oh, Samhair bangs are so adorable! And adorkable. : D
What I meant to say was that the family dynamic has a history of getting Sam and Dean into trouble. Dean’s disastrous deal was a result at least partially of his love of Sam (and John). Sam’s falling apart in season 4 was to a great degree the result of his devastation and guilt over his brother’s death. There are other less dramatic examples. I’m not saying it is a bad thing. Far from it. The story however demands from them that they put each other second and the needs of others first. They have always been punished for deviating from that rule.
If their devotion to each other were absent the story would be far less dramatic and the show would have probably ended with Sam’s death in the pilot.
As far as their “jobs” are concerned – I simply meant that their place in the story is the result of their choices primarily and outside influence comes second. It is their extraordinary resilience that allows them to stand tall in the face of such formidable adversaries.
Yes, I agree, their family dynamic gets in the way ,but that for me is half the fun. Like you say, the story demands it, but I don't know if, in the end, them putting each other first is necessarily a bad thing. (And yes, putting someone else or the world first results in far less drama!)
I really want Sam to be a hero and have an unqualified hero moment in the finale. I hated, hated, hated, how Sam was treated last season. And it made me hate Dean as the root of it – seriously, who won't this show rape and destroy just to make Dean look like a poor widdle victim all the time? Not only do I find this crappy tv, I also find it fairly immoral in general. I am worried about the season finale because I actually have some hope that they won't spit on Sam in it. But then I also understand that this is what they do to Sam anyway. So, watching the show with any hope at all at this point just means they can be dashed when I watch it for real. It's great to have a sense of hope now, but in some ways it is safer not to get your hopes up too much. This is a sad and confusing way to watch the show I am most obsessed with.
What I mean, is, I have a real sense of excitement right now, but that excitement could lead to disappointment by the last 5-10 minutes of the episode. You know, when they usually cut Sam out of the episodes so Dean can make a speech, cry, or otherwise emote about something. I'm excited that Sam might be allowed a hero role, without negative framing and nasty set ups being involved, that he might get an honest shot at Redemption (although nothing will redeem this writing staff in my eyes) rather that some cheap fake out designed to highlight Dean instead. But after last season, and the lite writing of much of this season, I kind of expect Sam to get shafted in a major way instead. Thus, I'm too bummed to be happy and too happy to be bummed. I actually don't know how I feel about episodes after I watch them anymore this season.