Review - Supernatural 8.20 "Pac-Man Fever"

So it’s official. Dean’s a hug-monster. The man truly does “wuz hugs” and I’m cool with it! Oh boy am I cool with it!

I was excited for this episode from the beginning. I like Charlie; I like Robbie Thompson’s writing. I was thinking, this is going to be a fun filler! That’s what it looked like in the previews. Dean gussied up in uniform, Charlie by his side. What I wasn’t expecting was an episode that packed an emotional wallop, that worked in aspects of the season mythology to keep us connected to the larger story and that left me in a pool of tears and squees! Simultaneously! Which makes them tees or squears or something! Putting it in language Dean would understand, “Pac-Man Fever” was…awesome.

One of the things that surprised me the most about this episode was that Sam was not “benched” as the synopsis indicated. Far from it actually and I was pleasatly surprised and mighty thankful for that. The brothers have been rocking it of late; bromantically speaking and I didn’t want that put on the back burner no matter how much I like the recurring character. But that’s not what happened, Sam and Dean and their relationship was front and centre and having Charlie in the mix, allowed us and them to see their relationship through her eyes…which essentially have become our eyes. Charlie has become a Winchester fangirl!

This is one of the big reasons I think Charlie has hit a chord with the fandom. She’s like us. She’s geeky and loves genre, she’s a gamer who digs novelty t-shirts. She’s a fan. It was so brilliant of Robbie Thompson to bring this character into our world. Charlie’s a fan but a fan we can openly relate to without any feelings of weirdness or awkwardness.

Fandom has been depicted in “Supernatural” before, mostly with a cheeky smirk from the writers. We “get” the convention folk in “The Real Ghostbusters”. We understand the passion of the cosplaying Hookman and his questioning of plot inconsistencies, character motivation and bungees on weapons. Most of us have read fanfiction, some of us write it, so we understand the enthusiasm of Becky Rosen. We understand her shear delight when she meets her heroes in person. Who doesn’t want to never stop touching the Js when put into close proximity with them! But though these fans were mostly written tongue in cheek and with a good dollop of wink filled humour, they accentuated the aspects of fandom that wig non-fan-type-people out and maybe the things we prefer to keep under wraps. While I think they were written from a place of (mostly) love, they kinda still managed to make fun of us, because they highlighted the aspects of fandom that outsiders make fun of and in doing so, they made us a little squirmy.

But Charlie is written in a way that makes us proud to be a fan. She’s smart and funny. She isn’t secretly enjoying her fanness in the dark, bathed only in the glow of her laptop (not that there’s anything wrong with that)! She’s not closeted about her fanness. It permeates ever aspect of her life and she lives it loud and proud. She’s not all giggly and wide-eyed; she’s all “Whatsup, bitches”. Charlie is cool. Just like we are! Right?! She represents how diverse and interesting we are, not how peculiar. Not only that, now she’s read Chuck Shurley’s books she knows the brother’s story, just like we do and she’s become their cheerleader, just like we are and she thinks they’re awesome heroes and loves them…just…like…us.

Her voice reflects ours. When she says, “There is pretty much nothing the Winchesters can't do if they work together,” we all yell out YES! When she tells Sam just what he needs to hear and what Dean needs to over hear, “...If anyone can get through the trials, Sam, it's you” we all nod and go, yesssss. She wants to see the “broment”. Don’t we all! She thinks they fight like an old married couple. Yep, they sure do! It’s like she’s in our minds! She’s reflecting back at us all the things we love about being a fan, what we love about the show and what we love about the brothers. Plus she promised Dean pie…and never brought it! Ba-dum-tss! And the joke lives on! Ha ha! What a great character.

But Charlie is also a character of her own with a journey of her own that deeply resonates with the journey of the Winchesters. She understands loss, she understands isolation and she understands being an outsider. Fleshing out Charlie by revealing the story of her mother and the sadness that lies beneath Charlie’s bubbly shell, allowed us to connect with her on a new level. We already liked her but now we understand her that much better, as do the brothers. The Winchesters and Charlie both lost their mothers at a young age and it’s driven their lives ever since, influencing who they are, what they do and what they like, down to fantasy fiction and pie. I’m sure Dean’s epic love of pie comes from the fact that his mum used to give him pie… *wibble*

Where Charlie and Sam seem to connect through their obvious similarities in techno-intellectual-geekiness, Charlie and Dean connect on a whole other level, the one with pop culture references and movie quotes. Every moment Charlie has with Dean is a pure joy. She brings out in him a lightness that’s always a delight to see and of course, that adorable big brother thing he’s got going on. He calls her kiddo. Naww. The shopping montage was beyond awesome. Dean sat there making her a fake id as casual as anything, while Charlie paraded outfit after outfit waiting for the yay or nay. For heaven’s sake! Who would ever have thought we’d seen that scene! I also like the way Dean talks to Charlie. He’s pretty matter of fact in his answers. She’s just that little bit removed from the emotion of it all, that she can be a good sounding board without it coming back on him in any way and she’s just that little bit removed from the emotion of it all, that she can say things to him that will make him think without getting defensive.

I wasn’t expecting to cry in this episode, but I cried a lot. I was deeply moved by Charlie’s story. The scene within the dream/game when Charlie spoke of telling her mother one more time that’s she’s loved, started me off. It’s damn good writing and damn good characterisation when a show can dig that deep into your own emotions. We feel for the character but we also relate to their sorrow and relate it back to our personal experiences. We all understand and are familiar with loss; it’s the unfortunate outcome of the cyclic nature of life. Consequently, we can easily relate intellectually with what the character is going through. But it’s when you relate emotionally and in a big way, that you know you’re being presented with something special. I was pretty messy at the end of this episode. It got a bit hurty and it hit me pretty hard. Charlie reading The Hobbit to her mum, one last time…yeah…puddles of tears. Puddles I tells ya!

It was because of Dean, because of Dean’s words and understanding that Charlie was able to let go of her mum. She let go of her fear of letting go. Then she asked Dean...

“What about you, you're gonna let it go?”

“Never.”
“That's my boys.”

Yep…That’s my boys.

I keep harping on, I feel like I’m harping on anyway, but I’m crazy in love with where we find ourselves with the brother’s relationship. Once again, they were concerned for each other, bickering (of course), looking out for each other, teasing each other and actually showing each other that they care.

They were working together like a well-oiled machine. Sorting through research, coming up with solutions, speaking at the same time. The way Sam rushed to Dean when Dean was coming out of his dream-root sleep. Gah! I’ve always love it when they’re all grabby and patty, giving each other a once over check to make sure the other is ok! My Winchester cup runneth over. I feel like I’ve been transported to an alternative Winchester Universe where the brothers actually act like those brothers we once knew! It’s wonderful.

Not only that, they have a home! Did you notice Dean called the bunker, home? My heart skipped a beat when he told Sam to go “home”. Home. The Men of Letters bunker is a haven where they can take stock, do some research, eat some decent food and sleep for days if needs be, which Sam needs be right now.

Sam, oh Sam…how he’s suffering. (Still looks hot though. Sick, bed-headed Sam is hot. Sorry…but it’s a fact.) I admired Sam’s tenacity and strength in this episode. There was part of me that was like Dean - stay home young man and rest! Then there was part of me that thought he was being silly and stubborn going out into the field in that condition, that he could cause harm to himself and possibly others by not being fully up to speed, which nearly happened with the mama Djinn. But, Sam has a trial to do and he’s going to have to do it while he’s not firing on all cylinders. It’s not like the sickness is going to go away (for now) and it’s not like he can just put everything off until he feels better, he’s going to have to get out there sooner or later and launch head on into whatever God’s final Word has in store for him. So wanting to be useful, wanting to feel useful, wanting people to have confidence in him and trying to have confidence in himself is understandable. He had something to prove and not just to Dean.

Obviously, Dean’s worried sick. Worrying about Sam is one of the things Dean does best. There’s no hiding that Sam’s not doing so good. It’s not like he can pretend. He looks awful and it’s right under Dean’s nose. Cass’ words about Sam being damaged in ways that even Cass can’t fix must have been playing on his mind, because Dean repeated those words to Charlie. Dean’s at his worst when he can’t help and no matter how hard he tries, he can’t help Sam. He just has to try and be understanding and supportive and that’s not necessarily easy for Dean, especially under these circumstances. He’s scared for his brother and he’s scared of losing his brother and that fear is impeding his ability to be what Sam needs right now. Dean’s hanging on so tight, he can’t do anything else.

Then this happened…

The hug. It was Dean letting go and not letting go all at the same time.

“What about you, you're gonna let it go?”
“Never.”

Let’s face it, no matter what, Dean will never let go of Sam, it’s not in his biological makeup, Sam is part of Dean and Dean will always hold on to him, but the hug…that out of the blue, surprised the hell out of Sam and the rest of us hug…that was Dean letting go of his fear. Because Charlie was right, there’s pretty much nothing the brothers can’t do, as long as they face it together. They’re better together. They need to get this trial done. Sam needs to do it. Sam needs to know that Dean thinks he can do it. Dean needs to let go of the fear of losing Sam and stand alongside his brother and show him that he has the faith in him. That’s the only hope they have of getting through the final trial. Together. This shows such growth on Dean’s behalf. I’m as proud as punch of him. For me that hug said - I will never let you go Sammy and I’m thankful that I have you, man…but I believe in you, I believe you can do this. So you and me, let’s go do what we gotta do. I got your back -“What d'you say we find our prophet”. Dean put his fears aside with a hug of love, appreciation, acknowledgement and faith. Dean spoke volumes with that hug and Sam, albeit a little bewildered, heard every word. I think Surprise-Hug may be the best hug ever.

These really are my boys… I may be tearing up a little… Again…

Oh yeah, and there was a couple of Djinn, and exploding human guts and dad’s journal beats out app and the MoL bunker has a firing range, Hicks and Ripley, I love you - I know... and you know…other awesome stuff…but… Surprise-Hug!

A good filler episode is one that doesn’t forget that it’s actually part of a bigger story. It’s not this isolated 42 minutes, it’s 42 minutes of 23 episodes worth of 42 minutes. It’s ridiculous to be brought into the brother’s world and not have them at least discuss what’s happening in their world, what they’re going through, what’s currently on their minds or where we all left off. They don’t live in some bubble; we don’t live in some bubble! These things don’t go away when they’re on a non-related case. Just as their history doesn’t go away, or their wealth of knowledge and experience doesn’t just suddenly evaporate. A good filler episode will recognise all of this.

“Pac-Man Fever” was a good filler episode – in fact it was a great filler episode, or maybe it was the filler you have when you’re not having a filler! Because not only did it reminded us of the big picture, it cleverly used the history of the show, recognising that we don’t forget, just as the brothers wouldn’t forget, what has gone before. Plus, it gave us a neat story, which enhanced a cool character and allowed the brothers to grow and move forward and it wrapped it all up in a great big emotional bow.

“Supernatural” has always been about the people, the story has always been about the relationships and the best episodes reflect this. This isn’t a show about monsters. This is a show about heart. It’s a show about family and what we’ll do for those we love. A wise old dude in a trucker cap once said, “Family don’t end with blood”... “Pac-Man Fever” was a great example of this. Thank you Robbie for sharply written script and a beautiful episode and welcome to the family, Charlie.

And…did you think I would leave you without this? Lord have mercy, Dean Winchester….(and your green eyes and freckles). 

As always, thanks for reading.


-sweetondean

sweetondean is Chief Editor and writer for The Winchester Family Business.

For all the latest Supernatural info and article links, follow The Winchester Family Business on Twitter at @WinFamBusiness

Review - Supernatural 8.11 "LARP and the Real Girl"

Well that was fun. It’s been a while since we had a fun episode of “Supernatural”. One that took us out of the mythology for a bit. “Plucky Pennywhistle’s Magical Menagerie” was the last one I could think of and let me tell you, that was 20 episodes ago! I know this because I counted them!

And season 8, well I think we can all agree, it’s been heavy going. Even for those of us that are really digging the season, it’s still been emotionally fraught and somewhat exhausting. So a little respite from the big picture story and the angst…well, that’s not a bad thing. In fact I think “LARP and the Real Girl” was perfectly timed. After “Torn and Frayed” left us, torn and frayed…I think a lot of us were in need of a bit of a break…a bit of fun, just like the Winchesters.

So yeah, I loved “LARP and the Real Girl”. Loved it. Come on, are you surprised?

I love it when the brothers find themselves solving crazy cases, in crazy situations. I love how they simply roll with the punches. I guess in their line of work, they’ve seen most things…so though they always have those little raised eyebrow looks between them; they simply shrug it off and go for it. I’ve always loved that about the Winchester boys, their adaptability.

The first killing…wowsers…nasty! That would be a horrific way to go. Quartering is a rather unpleasant part of medieval justice – hung, drawn and quartered - we’ve all seen Braveheart right? That’s what they did to William Wallace (I watched that scene once, never again). By the way, I don’t think Ed was “drawn and quartered” as Charlie said, because the drawn bit is the disembowelling bit…you know, because the hanging don’t kill you so let’s take your intestines out! Ed was just “quartered”….by invisible horses. I so loved the wall-blood-splatter! It’s almost a running joke now right? No matter what happens – splat on the wall! I giggle every time. I hope I’m supposed to!

The supporting cast in this episode was great. Lance the crying guy was a classic with his, “Those texts weren’t from me. They were from me, but they weren’t from me me” line and the way he looked at Sam when he told him he was a powerful mage, how he waited for Sam to react. I loved Boltar the Furious, though he was a bit of a tool. Talk about taking a game too far. I thought it was hilarious when he called the boys out on their fake ids “Hold” – about time they got busted! And I absolutely loved the Sheriff. How fab was he? Cracker lines. “Twig and berries” “High as balls” and the line of the episode, “Kids today with their texting and murder.” So often the law officials on “Supernatural” are either shown as dolts or they’re wallpaper, so it was cool to have this Sheriff have bit of personality. It was pointed out that the actor who played the Sheriff was also Mike – John’s mechanic partner whom the boys questioned in “Home” – love a good recycled actor. Season 8 seems to be the season for it!

Then of course, there was Charlie. I enjoyed Charlie’s turn in “The Girl with the Dungeons and Dragons Tattoo”, but in this episode…she was awesome. Just awesome. What I like about her – apart from here sassy “Smell you later bitches” line, is how she reacts the way you should react when faced with a creature who’s trying to kill you…scared! She doesn’t want to be involved in the fight, but sees where she’s needed so stays to help, but she’d obviously rather be somewhere else! She never feels like a victim, even when in a spot of bother. She misquotes Notting Hill and Star Wars and then makes out with the monster of the week! She’s smart and thinks on her feet and always has an epic comeback…much like our favourite ghost hunting bros. As woman, she’s a character that I feel very comfortable and happy to have on my TV screen. She’s not ball-busting tough, she’s not kick-ass action or any of those standard, stereotypical female TV characters. She’s an individual who is smart and confident and living her life the way she chooses, with a splash of bravado when facing possibly death and a bit of a smart mouth. I like her.

The other thing I like about Charlie, is her relationship with the brothers. With Sam, they’re both computer geeks, they have a mutual appreciation of Harry Potter and Sam protected her and carried her to safety when her arm was broken. With Dean they share a common love of pop culture and all things nerdy. We all know Dean is a massive nerd, a huge movie fan and a pop culture nut. He’s constantly quoting movies and TV, Star Wars, Star Trek. We’ve seen him nerd out before…but never quite like this! So Charlie, for me, is someone who is kind of a balance between both of the brothers. She’s got the brainiac, attention to detail, computer geek thing that Sam’s got going on and the pop culture, nerd thing that Dean’s got going on. She’s a little of both! She’s kind of their perfect girl! Kind of… She's welcome back anytime as far as I'm concerned. Felicia Day rocks.

Which brings me to our bros. Here’s something I love. Throughout this series, the brothers seem to bounce back and forth between roles. Neither is great at talking, but sometimes you have Sam reaching out trying to push Dean to talk, sometimes it’s the other way around. “LARP and the Real Girl” started with the classic Impala scene – boys driving at night (BTW loving that every episode this season seems to have a classic rock song). Sam has his head buried in something looking for clues, when Dean asks him if he’s ok. Sam then talks about how frustrated he is that they have this powerful weapon but they don’t know how to use. Pretty sure that’s not what Dean was asking. Sam was reacting how Dean so often does, not wanting to talk, shutting down, just wanting to do the job. Dean reaching out to Sam and acknowledging that he knew what Sam gave up wasn’t easy, was a real step forward for Dean. The end of last week’s episode and in this week’s episode, I was impressed with his interactions with Sam, his attempts to talk to his brother – or allow his brother to talk. Sam can be just as guarded and closed off as Dean but Dean was trying to understand.

I felt like this episode saw a definite shift in their relationship. As the boys worked the case, they seemed to actually enjoy themselves and enjoy being together. Dean all goofy in his LARPing getup and Sam trying not to smile and looking at his brother with that look only Sam can do, when he can’t believe what Dean just said or did. That…oh Dean look. There were lots of raised eyebrows, little nods and nonverbal exchanges between them. They worked great as a team, Sam taking on the research role while Dean played dress-up to canvas with Charlie – I mean, it couldn’t be any other way. It definitely seemed like a little weight was lifted off their broad shoulders…or maybe, a little weight was lifted off ours, or both. After last week’s “Torn and Frayed” just to see them do the ‘nearly smile’, was enough. But of course we got more.

I totally appreciated Dean’s acknowledgment to Charlie that the text thing was not his finest hour. Though last week he told Sam he knew he was wrong, it was part of a fairly heated exchange. So though I believe he meant it, to some, the anger in the conversation could make the words appear to lack a bit of resonance. But here, I believed that Dean knew he was wrong and that it was not the way he should have gone and he seemed accepting of that. I figure how he gave Charlie the wiki, he must have put the blame for Sam deciding to give up Amelia at his own feet – being as that’s how Charlie seemed to interpret it. I could see Dean wording it as such. Of course, the Amelia thing was not Dean’s fault as I’m sure he knows, that was Sam’s decision and Dean, in a moment which made me proud of him, allowed his brother to make that choice himself.

But you could see, as the boys worked the job, there was definitely a lighter air. Maybe somehow they both felt a little better, knowing that they no longer needed to worry about those other responsibilities. I still can't tell if Sam's aware or not of Dean's decision regarding Benny. If he isn't, then his actions at the end of the episode are even more awesome.

So then it was Sam’s turn to reach out to his brother. I think seeing Dean actually have a pretty good time, helped Sam come to the absolutely fantastic place we all found ourselves at the end. When Dean continued to try and build bridges, repeating that he got it, that Sam had given up something very important and that he needed time, I was super proud of him again. I felt like my baby is finally growing up and allowing his baby-bro to do the same. But I never saw Sam’s reaction coming...and oh my gosh…if I could have leapt through the TV screen and hugged Sam Winchester tight at that moment, I would have (I’d give Dean a squeeze for good measure while I was there). Sam recognising that Dean was making an effort and trying to get them to have some fun together, recognising that Dean was being understanding and supportive by allowing Sam time to grieve…and then returning the favour and doing something for Dean…for both of them…something for their relationship…suggesting they both have fun…well, it made me go eeeeee! The whole conversation made me clap my hands with happiness!

I might be wanting to read more into this than maybe I should, but that little exchange, that little grown-up bro exchange, felt a bit like a game changer to me…it’s like I felt something give. I just cross my fingers that this, right here is the turning point for the Winchester brother’s relationship. They’ll always butt heads, they’ll always fight, they always have…but to rekindle some of that warmth and fun in their relationship, which has been transient at best for a while now…well that’s all we want right? I’ve never doubted for one second their love for each other and when push comes to shove, their devotion to each other, I've never doubted their bond, but they’ve lacked that warmth, that joy they used to have in each other’s company. They’ve lacked it consistently since the end of season 3 to be honest. Too much crap they’ve had to wade through. I don’t ever expect it to be the same, they’re different men now and I’m cool with that, more that cool. I’ll be happy with a new kind of relationship, a more mature kind of relationship, if it’s one where they seem to enjoy being brothers again.

Now. Dean. DEAN. Yes…this is where I gush. I try not to do that here. I mean, we all know I’m a Dean girl – name is a bit of a give away – but I do try and stay pretty balanced, as we’re all fans of the show first and foremost, so I try not to let my character partiality bleed through too much. But this week….I can’t contain myself! He was just too beautiful.

Just when I think I can’t love Dean more…I love Dean more. He's such a kid a heart. He missed out on a lot growing up, having to take on so much responsibility for his family at such an early age. Seeing him let loose like this...he looked full of glee. The way he tried so very hard to hide his eagerness for the LARPing. Even when looking at the website at the Sheriff’s office, his little boy enthusiasm was showing through. Then when they got to Moondoor, he couldn’t resist picking up the sword “nice balance”, and Sam cracked me up…arms out stretched, “Dude!” Ha!

Then fixing Charlie’s army on the model battlefield, the way he didn’t blink or miss a beat when Charlie popped that crown on his head, happily donning the LARPing outfit. The way he looked in the mirror, you could see he was feeling pretty happy with himself right about there! Just, his ridiculous, adorkable, boyish excitement for the whole damn thing! It was so lovely to see him having a good time and letting his inner child shine on through. He's so precious.

Then the pièce de résistance, his Braveheart speech – “It’s the only one he knows!” Bless. I wonder how many times Sam's heard Dean say that speech! Ahhhh the whole thing was pure joy. My face was aching at the end of that scene! And of course, he looked smokin’ hot in his chainmail and LARPing gear…smokin’ hot! For heaven’s sake…dress that boy in anything and he’ll smoulder up the screen. Also, epic bowlegs…epic.

And I have to say, Sam with that chick in the IT tent. Seriously, that boy can be clueless! Hello! You’re gorgeous! Of course that chick would fancy you! I really loved that scene – thinking on his feet with the mash-up line. It was lovely to see him doing what he does best, getting people to help him and open up to him. Pulling all those, I can't believe I'm seeing this, did I hear that right faces. I absolutely loved his reaction to Dean and Charlie both thinking belladonna was the porn star! The silent stare. Cracked me up! Jensen’s known for his comic turns, but Jared as the straight man…his timing is perfection. And that ponytail…he should wear his hair like that all the damn time…justsayin’ (maybe without the cape though).

Robbie Thompson is fast becoming my favourite writer on “Supernatural”. Ok, Edlund will always be my favourite, but Robbie is a close second! I’ve dug all the episodes he’s done since joining the show (yes, even "Bitten"). But “LARP and the Real Girl” really showcased his talent. Not just with the comedy and pop culture references, but by giving us a couple of really good, poignant and important brother scenes. I seriously can’t wait for his next scripts (8.17 and 8.20).

So this was the episode I needed and I think a lot of us needed. It was so nice to see mostly positive feedback, something we haven’t seen for a good while. It felt like a large part of the fandom sighed a little sigh of relief as the stress of the last week drained away! Fingers crossed the brothers are headed in the right direction. There’ll be more bumps…there always are…but I feel a little less scared of them now. All because of a couple of ridiculously gorgeous, big hearted boys, dressing up like idjits and charging, shoulder to shoulder into fake battle.

Gotta love this show.

Thanks for reading! See you next time.
-sweetondean

P.S. - can't wait to hear what the Js have to say at Vegascon about doing this ep!


sweetondean is Chief Editor and a writer for The Winchester Family Business

For all the latest Supernatural info and article links, follow The Winchester Family Business on Twitter at @WinFamBusiness

Have we Talked about Felicia Day?

Before the Google alerts filled up with "It's a Boy!" links, they were full of "Geek Cred" stories about Felicia Day's upcoming appearance on the show.

Many of of, of course, love Felicia for many reasons. Buffy. Dr. Horrible. Dollhouse. Eureka. The Guild. Dragon Age. Some of us also love her because she's a reader of popular fiction and loves to tweet about books. :)

Felicia is reported to be playing a hacker named Charlie in the awesomely named episode "The Girl with the Dungeons and Dragons Tattoo."

Thoughts?