Review Supernatural 7.22 “There Will Be Blood”

Warning -  Contains spoilers

So what, we keep going while he’s out there like this? 

Do we have any other option? 

After the sometimes baffling and very complex episode last week, this week we were served a pretty straightforward, let’s just get in there and set up the season finale kind of episode. “There Will Be Blood” laid a lot of ground-work for the big shebang and while on the surface it didn’t appear to be particularly action packed, for me it was a satisfying hour of television that seemed to be over only minutes after it begun. We were reintroduced to a couple of well loved villains, got more time with Dick and his creepy henchman Edgar, witnessed further disturbing developments with Bobby’s anger management issues and were party to some thoroughly enjoyable brotherly interactions that were topped off by Dean’s no junk food freak-out. I’m with you Dean, you don’t win friends with salad.

Though as a whole, I found this a mostly enjoyable outing, there were couple of moments that made me scratch my head and I might just get them out of the way up front before I move on. This episode was written by Andrew Dabb and Daniel Loflin who, throughout season 7, have not been able to recapture the lofty heights of previous work like, “Weekend At Bobby’s” and “Frontierland”. I feel like they’ve become all sizzle and not enough sausage, putting too much emphasis on the snappy one liners and witty pop culture references and not paying enough attention to the detail, and though I think this was possibly their best effort for the season, there were a couple of stinkers in there that made me want to grab them by the scruff of their necks and rub their faces in it. First up, how come Bobby could zap his way into the vampire house to scout it? The boys have been popping that flask in the car so they can slip away…a few feet if you go by the service station scene…to have a natter about Bobby going bad and yet he can zap practically across the street with no effort at all, flask still tucked into Dean’s spunky new leather jacket (I’ll get to that later). Bookdal and I had a little chat about this on twitter, surmising that maybe he’s learning, maybe he’s getting stronger, but it’s when your viewer is sitting there trying to connect the dots with maybes, you know you’ve had a fail. Now, if Sam and Dean had looked at each other with WTF faces and we’d found out that indeed Bobby can now zap without the flask, that would have been an awesome and powerful moment, because that would mean there’s no more stashing him…but alas…nup. The other thing that kind of bugged me was the little boy and the Alpha. Um, ok we know he’s a creepy monster and all but now I’m not entirely sure what else he is and I like him and I don’t much care for him having little boys around for nefarious reasons. That simply squicked me out. I know there was little girl twins in Dean’s confusing and never explained vamp dream and I know vamps are all about creating new families so they don’t live out eternity alone and then something about young pure blood, but wasn’t the Stockholm Syndrome chick enough? I think adding in a wee boy went too far up the ick meter and then caused the awkward, wait we’re not going without the kid scene followed by the even more awkward motel hallway scene where Dean explained what just happened to Sam even though Sam would’ve been standing right beside him at the time. Exposition much? It reminded me of Kripke lambasting himself for the exposition in the Pilot at last year’s Paley event. Lastly, let me just get this out of my system, I hated, hated to the power of a bazillion, the “See you next season” line. I hated it when Crowley said “…haven’t seen you all season” to Cass and I still hate it. Who says that? It’s not a natural way to speak and it was forced and awkward. We’re smarter than that. That was a great big clunky meta shout-out in the middle of a serious and dark moment and it made me want to bang Dabb and Loflin’s heads together. If the Alpha had simply said, “See you next time” that would’ve been cooler and creepier and we’d have still got it, the Alpha will be back. There are times for meta and that wasn’t one of them. It totally took me out of the moment and jarred me back to reality. Ok…I feel better. Moving right along.

Though the Leviathan are the big monster arc for the season, the emotional arc has been all about loss, culminated in the most devastating loss of all…pie. Okay, maybe that’s not the most devastating, but surely it was the last straw. For me, it’s always the brother’s emotional trials and tribulations that I find compelling and though those pesky Leviathan definitely have the Winchester’s attention, it’s what to do about Bobby that’ll be keeping them up at night. This is the big story, what to do about Bobby. Oh Bobby. I can’t see any way he can be saved, short of reincarnation and I’m still not sure how I feel about that. We get too many easy outs on this show. I think we may have used all our get out of dead free cards. Bobby can’t carry into next season being all narky and evil, because we did that good-friend-gone-bad thing with Cass, so what’s the option? I have a couple of theories. I do so hate to share my theories because 9 times out of 10 they’re wrong, but as I’m amongst friends…. It goes two ways, either Bobby is somehow destroyed in helping to finish off the Leviathan, preferably in defence of the boys or we have the big cliff-hanger, what ever that may be, and then as a post script, we see Bobby, having done in Dick, understanding his time is up and asking the boys to burn the flask. He smiles at them as he flames out. Cue wracking sobs. That possibly sounds a little too nice for Supernatural though huh? Whatever it is, it has to continue Bobby’s heroic arc. He still has to get the heroes send off. He can’t be remembered any other way. Yes, at this stage, I can’t see him being anything other than a goner, as much as that hurts. He’s getting worse and worse, he’s now run off wearing a maid to get Dick (sounds like some porno), leaving the boys to grieve for him again and again and again. Poor Dean, just standing there staring into the safe as Sam moved around checking for EMF. Sam’s thrown the whole we can make this work thing out the window. I remember thinking at the time, that’s overly optimistic, that’s going to change. As usual, Sam has ended up going down the logical road, looking at stats and lore and coming to a bad conclusion. Where as Dean is typically trying not to think about it, defending Bobby even though he knows Sam is spot on. Lord have mercy on all our souls, when will the pain stop. Please make it stop. Oh right, it won’t, this is Supernatural. I really hate what’s happening to Bobby…not hating it in an, I hate the show went there way but in an, I hate Bobby and the boys have to go through this way. It’s too sad. Poor Bobby. Poor Sam and Dean. One thing though, he really has to stop appearing to Dean in the bathroom, it’s getting kinda pervy…..though if I were a ghost…..never mind.

I’m so in love with the Leviathan plan. I love that they’ve now attacked junk food and that in poisoning the entire population of the world and making everyone drug-addled morons, they’re also going about poisoning every other supernatural creature that has a taste for the long pig. Clever. Dick and his gooey gang are highly enjoyable. I was totally bummed out when Edgar met his end. He was cool. He was a great bad guy. His stand off with the Alpha Vamp was fun to watch. Two ancient monsters going head to head…then…Edgar’s head was on the floor. Had to happen I guess, glad Sammy got the kill. But still. I liked Edgar.

Obviously Dick is on to the boys. He’s nabbed Crowley. Ah Crowley, always good to see you. Crowley and Dick will be the battle of the smarm. Once again, Crowley has a lot of power. His blood is the key to everything, the boys want it and obviously, Dick doesn’t want them to have it. What would stop Dick from just obliterating Crowley and being done with it? Or does Crowley’s blood also have some value to Dick? Is it not just about stopping the boys getting their hands on it but needing it himself? The high-tech Devil’s Trap was awesome. If I had higher ceilings, I’d be tempted to get one just like it! Do we believe Crowley doesn’t know that Cass is still alive? He was obviously fishing. God love the brothers for not even flinching and protecting Cass. I’m not so sure Dean would have done that a while a go….there’s those baby steps again. I thought his reaction spoke volumes.

About Dean, apart from his sadness over Bobby at the end there and his utter frustration over having to eat his greens, he seemed almost buoyant. Sure he’s still drinking, but he always has. I think that’s in the blood and will never change. Maybe that big crash and burn isn’t going to happen, maybe he’s actually dragging himself out of that hole, or more likely, being more successful at burying it all, because of late, he’s seemed a little better. I’d say having Sam back and sane, is a very big part of that. I think he can handle just about anything as long as Sam is by his side. I love watching them work together again, poke fun at each other and look to each other, with and for support. And was the implication they had both ‘enjoyed’ John’s old Playboy magazine? Ah brothers… Can I also say, I adore it when John gets a mention.

I keep seeing commentary that the Winchesters aren’t showing signs of recovery in their relationship and I simply don’t get it. Sometimes I feel like I’m watching a different show to everyone else! This place they’re at now is the best they’ve been since Dean went to Hell, in my opinion anyway. They seem like a team again. Like they have a purpose. They’re bitching at each other like siblings. I also like that they seem more equal now. Feels right, seeing as we’re 7 years along and they’re 7 years older. I totally dug the scene where Dean got the idea to steal that poor schleps blood….as not right as that was. The horror on Sam’s face. The smug grin on Dean’s face, followed by yet another dick joke. It was really fun…if a little creepy. The guy just sat there looking back and forth, back and forth, slurping on his mega slurpy as the boys talked about Bobby. “This is for hurricane Katrina you said?” “Yes, yes I did.” Then as the cop car cruises past honking his horn to the music, I swear Dean starts to seat boogie. Another thing that might be helping Dean’s mood is that in some way, he has all his people back. Yes, Bobby is a ghost about to go darkside and Cass is, well, strange and neither relationship is what it was, but somehow maybe just having them around, seeing them, being able to speak with them again, is making Dean feel a little more complete. In fact he’s feeling so good, he went and splurged on a new leather jacket and doesn’t it fit him nice. This might be sacrilegious, but I like it better than the original one. Yes, yes, the original one was John’s and it had lots of sentimental value blah, blah, blah, but Dean is a man now (oh boy howdy is he), so I think it’s appropriate that he goes and gets his own jacket (and not just because the other one got pinched). He was even sensible and got one with lots of big pockets, perfect for stashing wooden stakes and the like. I wish we got to see him go shopping for it. I’m not sure why, but I have feeling that would be adorable.

One thing I’m still not digging about the brothers is that they’re still getting written as a bit dumb. Now that Bobby is back in the fold, he’s feeding them all the answers again and I don’t like it. Sure, he’s got nothing better to do than think (and scheme) but, really? Sam and Dean, expert, experienced hunters couldn’t put the pieces together like Bobby did? Sammy did what he does best and sorted through the web to find out about Sucrocorp, but they couldn’t figure out the rest? This is why I’ve been enjoying them having some alone time, because it makes them rely on their resourcefulness and not outside help and I’m disappointed that once again, the outside help is making them look less than smart. The other thing was, they really fell for Emily’s story hook, line and sinker. Surely they’d know by now that a very pretty, slightly creepy girl, locked away in a room for twelve years, who looks surprisingly balanced, is a bit suss. Guys! That’s horror movie 101! And another thing, why won’t they talk to Bobby? Why won’t they sit him down and have an honest conversation with him? Ok maybe he can’t sit but you know, tell him they’re worried, try and make him see what’s happening, try and make him see sense. Locking him in the safe is just going to piss him off…which it did. They’re not helping Bobby’s bad mood by treating him like a ditchable prom date. For a couple of guys who like to angstily hash out everything, I can’t understand why they aren’t trying harder to talk him down. Though I guess Dean did in the bathroom. Seriously Bobby, stay out of the bathroom. But Sam and Dean needed to be talking to Bobby. Too late now….

As I said up the top, Dabb and Loflin write some great one-liners and witty pop culture references and “There Will Be Blood” was no exception. They do funny good. I loved Dean saying Edgar and the Alpha were Pacman and True Blood. I thought vamptonite was brilliant. There were a couple of great Dick jokes, “What makes Dick so hard to beat”. The whole Dean not dealing with having to eat healthy food, going into toxic shock because he needs his road food, “I can’t live on rabbit food, I’m a warrior” was great fun. Jensen hit every note perfectly and Jared’s reactions with Sam were spot on. I love a good Sam eye-roll.

I’d also like to mention the design this week. The vamp mansion was glorious. The set dressing was lush and rich and it was so beautifully lit. I particularly liked the Alpha’s red tie and spiky pocket hanky. That just topped everything off for me. Gee it was great to see him, I dig that character and the way Rick Worthy plays him. Creepy but soooooo smooth. The pink room was gorgeous and the art on the walls! Huge odd animal paintings. I totally loved them, if you didn’t catch them go back and look and I really liked the buffalo motel room, it had an epic bedspread!

“Let There Be Blood” left us locked and loaded for the season finale. We have the blood of the father of fallen beasts, we have the blood of the fallen Angel, we’ve been promised the blood of the ruler of fallen humanity….though why do I think that Crowley has something up his perfectly tailored sleeve with his, no mine last, routine….now all we need is the bone of the righteous mortal. Still can’t wait to see who that is and where they get it from….sure hope Sam and Dean have some part in putting that puzzle piece together. So are we ready? Are we ready for Carry On Wayward Son? I’m not, but then again I am. I want to see how this story finishes, if it indeed does. I want to know what’s going to happen with Bobby, what’s going to happen with Cass, that Kevin will get out alive, if the Leviathan all drop dead if Dick does, what on earth the promised (or rather threatened) cliff-hanger is and that Sam and Dean come out the other side knowing they have each other. That’s the most important part for me. I can’t believe the season is just about to finish. Boo.

Well…what did you think of the episode? Do you have any Bobby theories? 

Thanks for reading. I’ll see you next week for the season 7 finale! *Meep*

Until then, please enjoy this cap of Dean winking…. 

And here's the promos for next week's season finale!

There Will Be Blood

Argh! Something is wonky with my TiVo, and it was recording a rerun of Deadliest Catch instead of the first run episode of Supernatural. I also realize that I've missed a couple of other episodes. I was confused about how and when Bobby made a reappearance. And after reading Tanya's recap of the episode with Felicia Day, I may have said many ugly words to my TiVo. I love Felicia Day! Wah! Note to self -- do a Google search to figure out why TiVo is acting wonky.

Anyway, I realized what was going on when I started watching at about the 25-minute mark. As you can imagine, I was confused for a while. I came in at the point where Sam and Dean are talking to a vampire on a bench drinking what looks like a Big Gulp. Evidently, something wonky is going on because the vamp doesn't act like a vamp. I find out later that Dick Roman and his Leviathan buddies are putting something in the vamps' food supply (??) that's making them dumb. Later Edgar the Leviathan reveals that they plan to take out the vamps, werewolves, shifters, basically anything that feeds on humans so all the humans are left for the Leviathans. Wow, I'll be so glad when the Leviathans are gone.

Anyway, after a little online research, I figure out that there are three things that Sam and Dean need to make a weapon to kill the Leviathans. Something from Castiel, something from Crowley, and blood from the Alpha vampire. There's also a girl named Emily who Sam and Dean are helping, evidently because she'd been kidnapped as a child by the Alpha. Only she's playing Sam and Dean, and she's really on the Alpha's side. Dean, being Dean, makes a smart-ass comment about Stockholm syndrome.

When the Alpha's henchmen grab Sam and Dean, the boys try to tell the Alpha what Dick and his crew are up to, but the Alpha insists he's on good terms with Dick. But you see a hint of question in his expression, so it's not a surprise when Edgar shows up and the Alpha brings up what the boys said. Fighting ensues, and the boys, who have managed to free themselves, cut off Edgar's head. The Alpha gives Sam and Dan a glass of his blood for their weapon and sends them on their way, but not before agreeing to let a little boy he has taken go with them.

Meanwhile, back at the motel, Bobby jumps into a cleaning lady's body, figures out the code to the safe that holds his flask (to which his spirit is evidently attached), and heads off to presumably kick Dick Roman's ass. You know, for killing him. When Sam and Dean return to find Bobby and the flask gone, they worry about where Bobby is and what he's going to do, but they have no idea where to look for him. They talk about being partway to being able to take down Roman, and how the plan rests with Crowley now. "What could go wrong?" Dean asks.

Cut to a scene where Dick is calling up Crowley into a devil's trap and telling him they need to talk.

Word is that someone on the good side is going to bite it in the season finale, and I'm afraid it's going to be Castiel. I really don't want to see him gone for good, but then I want him and Bobby back to the way they were. My favorite episodes are the ones where Sam, Dean, Castiel and Bobby were working and wisecracking together. I miss that.

HOLLYWEIRD release

Yay! Today's the official release date of my Supernatural inspired YA novel, HOLLYWEIRD. This paranormal romcom is about two teens who win a trip to meet their favorite TV star only to realize he's the son of Satan and the lone person who can save them is a fallen angel working undercover as his personal assistant.

I got this idea by fantasizing about a visit to the SPN set. At one time the Supernatural Sisters were trying to arrange a tour. Alas, that didn't work out, but it certainly got my imagination running wild. Fortunately for me I found lots of information about Supernatural's set online and in the Supernatural magazines. I used those details to help create my fictional show's set.

Jensen was the model for the fallen angel, Jameson, and Jared inspired the sexy, but evil Dakota. There's a lot of little nods to SPN that fans will catch and the Supenatural Sisters each make a cameo during the set visit scene.

As you can imagine, I had a blast writing HOLLYWEIRD. I hope you'll consider checking it out and spreading the word to other Supernatural fans who might be interested.

Wishing you more halos than horns, Terri
www.terriclarkbooks.com

Season 8 and Revolution News

Of course, by now everyone knows Supernatural was renewed for an 8th season. I know a lot of people won't be happy about that. They don't want the show they used to love dragged out forever, to die a whimpering death.

No one will be surprised that I'm thrilled! I'm in the ever-shrinking minority who wants Sam and Dean as long as they'll give them to me.

Both camps will be excited, I hope, to hear that the new Eric Kripke show produced by JJ Abrams, Revolution, has gotten a series order by NBC. (As reported by Entertainment Weekly's Inside TV.)

So what do you think? Intrigued by this show about survivors of a no-power apocalypse? Or meh on the concept? Tell us where you stand!

Supernatural - Review: 7.21 “Reading Is Fundamental”

Warning: Contains episode spoilers

The Angels, they don’t care. I think maybe they just don’t have the equipment to care. Seems like when they try, it just breaks them apart.

Supernatural is a complex show. It sounds pretty simple on paper, 2 brothers travelling the back roads of America, hunting monsters and saving the world, but any one who watches it knows that there is soooooooo much more to it than that. It’s a deeply layered story, rife with multi-faceted relationships, profoundly damaged characters and rich mythology. “Reading Is Fundamental” is a perfect example of the kind of show Supernatural can be. Layered, multifaceted and rich. One that sometimes leaves you not knowing how to feel, or feeling all the feelings, or flip-flopping between the two. This was an episode screaming to be dissected, if that’s your bag, and for the first time in a long time, I actually made notes….on my 3rd rewatch….because there was so much happening, I found it hard to keep track of it all. I will, of course, miss stuff. I always do. I never read anything before I write an episode up, but after that I go and read everything and half the time I wind up going, “Awww. Nuts!” because I’ve totally misread a situation or didn’t pick up on a nuance in a certain scene. I have a feeling “Reading Is Fundamental” is going to be one that makes me go, “Awww. Nuts!” a lot and probably loudly.

Ben Edlund wrote and directed “Reading Is Fundamental” and if you know anything about me, you know that I’m a massive fan of this man, his crazy brain and his brilliant writing. Edlund knows how to tell a story. This was the 21st episode of Supernatural he’s written and the 2nd one he’s directed. Looking back at Ben’s work, one thing jumps out, there’s always more to his episodes than initially meets the eye. Even with the funny ones there are layers upon layers and he manages to bring all those elements together without it feeling disjointed. Other writers on the Supernatural team don’t quite have the same level of skill. When they attempt this layering they somehow just miss the mark in making the whole thing feel cohesive and their episodes wind up feeling tonally disjointed. It’s one of the things I love most about Edlund’s work, that he can deliver complex narrative and still maintain cohesiveness in concept and tone. On some level “Reading Is Fundamental” was baffling, because it confronted us with changes in characters and relationships that we may not have been prepared for, but tonally it never waivered. The comedy, though still there, took a back seat to the guts of the story, which built momentum as the hour progressed. It’s an episode that’s in desperate need of a rewatch. If you got everything going down on the first pass through, you’re way brighter than I am!

So Castiel is awake and he’s somewhat, errrrr, changed. Cass made me feel uncomfortable in this episode. I teetered between feeling sorry for him and wanting to hug him, to feeling frustrated by his strange behaviour, to feeling bemused by his new persona, to feeling distrustful of who he’s become. What an ever-morphing character Castiel is. There was a lot of chat about how this Cass persona was very much like Future!Cass and at first I was all, oh yeah! But on 2nd watch, I realised they’re diversely different. The only similarity to me seemed to be their ability to smile. Future!Cass was cynical, jaded, broken in spirit, human. Crazy!Cass is almost optimistic, or is it naïve, or is it self-accepting, or is it enlightened, or is it simply insane….see….I’m not at all sure what to make of this new Cass. Part of me thinks that in making that sacrifice and taking on Sam’s Hell torture, he’s managed to come through the other side with a new perspective on things, like he said to Sam, now he sees everything. He see's how everything's connected. It's like he's transcended to a new plain. When Dean asked him what he was going to do, his answer seemed to indicate a lightness, like the weight of all he’d done and all he was had been lifted, “I don’t know. Isn’t that amazing.” Here is a Being that has followed orders his whole existence, has always been duty bound. Now he finds himself free of those binds, which in itself is highly disturbing because there was nothing in him that seemed like he wanted to stay and help, not just the Winchesters, but also, mankind. He’d rather watch the bees. Apart from handing over a small vial of blood, he was flying out of the whole shebang. Unprotected I might add. Do we all remember what Cass said about giving someone enough rope? Even his line about the blood, I couldn’t quite read if he was just being new weird Cass or plain sarcastic, “You know me, always happy to bleed for the Winchesters.” What? I don’t know, I really don’t.

Then there was the game of Sorry. I don’t know, what was being said here, but I know one thing for sure, this weren’t no game of Sorry. Is it that this was the only way, in his current state, Cass could actually try to communicate amends to Dean? Get his message across? Was he trying to get Dean to apologise, or break bread first? Did he mean something more when he said, “I’m sorry, I think you have to go back to the start”? Or was he literally only talking about the game piece. “Why should I prosper from your misfortune. But these are the rules, I don’t make them.” Ok, what? I feel like there was a whole other conversation going on here that I wasn’t privy to and it’s going to keep me up at night! The other line that baffled me was before the game started when Cass said “It took everything to get me here.” I’m with Dean, “What are you talking about?” What did that mean? Is he being purposely obtuse or is he in fact, simply addled. I can’t tell. This was one loaded conversation and if I were Dean, I’d be running it over and over in my mind. All this makes me believe there’s something going on with Cass and we don’t know about it yet. I think everything Castiel said here was of some import, it just needs deciphering. I don’t know, I might be reading too deep, this episode kind of threw me into that end of the pool, but if Supernatural has taught me one thing, it’s to never expect anything to be what it seems.

The only point where I felt Cass was not speaking in circles was in his conversation with Sam. I absolutely loved this scene. Cass was lucid and sounded sane to me. He was accepting of what he’d done and I would say, accepting of this outcome being his penance for past transgressions. Taking on Sam’s pain almost gave him a new sense of purpose, a sense of doing right, like his burden had been lifted. He couldn’t see how he could improve. When Sam said they’d find a way to make him better, he was confused, because to Cass, he is better. This conversation, which was so heartfelt, made me feel like the other Cass was not being honest. Like he was hiding behind his craziness. Like he was wearing a mask. Because if in this quiet moment with Sam he can make this much sense, what was with the pull my finger routine, or the horribly awkward meeting with the other Angels. It’s almost like it was a show. Like I said, I don’t know, I really don’t. Castiel completely did my head in. I’m literally champing at the bit to see where they go with him next, because I really can’t imagine. 

Where as Sam seems to have forgiven Cass by way of understanding a shared experience, Dean of course, is still struggling with it. As well he should be. It would be out of character for Dean to forgive so easily. He will forgive, he always does, but when people this close to him disappoint him; it takes time for him to trust and move forward with the relationship. Look at how he struggled with forgiveness of Sam in season 5 and that’s Sam. Castiel is in a worse position. He did the one thing that Dean says do not ever do. He hurt Sam. You don’t hurt Sam. Sam’s Dean’s life. In fact, Cass came very close to killing Sam. I think Dean could easily overcome the issues around the betrayal with Crowley, but not what Cass did to Sam. That was the ultimate betrayal. Even though, in the end, Cass took on Sam’s pain, let’s not forget, he’s the one that inflicted that pain in the first place. But, we can see forgiveness starting, with baby steps. It’s not like Dean’s not speaking to the guy, he is and you can see how desperately sad the whole situation makes him. But anyone hoping for that relationship to find its heart again may have a long and possibly disappointing wait ahead. If in fact it ever gets back to where it once was. They’ve both changed since Cass went darkside. I hope at some point they talk it out though. Dean always gets to a point where he needs to talk, usually over the Impala. Once he’s talked, well then, he seems a lot better. I expect that will come...eventually…because Dean’s great capacity for forgiving those he loves is part of his beauty. 

“Reading Is Fundamental” also reintroduced the Angels to the show. I like the biblical mythology in Supernatural and as we’re dealing with Leviathan, it seems appropriate we deal with Angels again too. The thing is, they’re out there, we know that now, so not to integrate them in the Winchester’s Universe from time to time seems a little ridiculous. I was ready to say goodbye to the big Angel storyline, mainly because I was tired of the focus being taken away from the brother’s journey and I wanted the Winchesters to learn to lean on each other again and work through a case with out Heavenly intervention, which they’re now doing very nicely thank you, but I’m ok with the Angels popping up here and there, especially when there’s something at stake as important as the Word Of God and the Leviathan eating the earth. However, I don't want to go back to the big Angel arc. One of the things I've really enjoyed in season 7 is that we've been spending more time with Sam and Dean, the heart of the show and though I enjoy the supporting characters, to me they are just that, supporting and I don't think their stories should ever drive the main arc, as per season 6.

Both the Angels featured in this episode were great. I’d be pretty happy if Inias was an Angel that the guys crossed paths with again. I liked him. He seemed more Angelic than most of the Angels we’ve met. Hester, on the other hand fell into to the typical Angel barrel of dicks! That whole “The very touch of you corrupts. When Castiel first laid a hand on you in Hell, he was lost.” Wow. Cranky much? Like Dean doesn’t shoulder enough guilt. We know he already blames himself for, well, everything. Guilt is an essential part of his makeup and you can be sure what Hester said to him is something that's already crossed his mind and probably nestled itself into his gut. But hey, it wasn’t his idea to send an Angel down to Hell to haul him out. It wasn’t his fault that Castiel realised that humanity was something worth fighting for, when all the other Angels were conspiring against us. Great line though Mr Edlund, a real pearler! I was glad Meg stabbed Hester. Even though that confused me because I thought only an Angel can kill another Angel. Though I guess as long as you have the blade. Dean killed Zach. I always assumed that was because he was rockin’ the Michael thing but I guess as long as you have the Angel killing blade, you're golden.

And what about Meg? What’s she up to? More than she’s letting on that’s for sure. Her relationship with Cass is rather amusing. At first it squicked me out, but now I’m starting to think she has a bit of a soft spot for the Angel, which could be interesting, if it played out that way. Not romantically, obviously, but if she was forced into a situation with Cass which goes against her demon nature? Maybe there’s more to Meg than her snarky, self-serving demony ways? Probably not. I really want to dislike her, but I just can’t. I never have. I think she’s an awesome villain and I’m happy she’s managed to survive this long and I hope she continues to be a thorn in the brother’s sides for seasons to come. Plus, I really love that she reads gossip magazines! How funny was it when the other demons rocked up in that truck? They’re not sharpest tools in the shed those demons. It must have been the largest, loudest form of transport they could find! As their boss would say… Morons! I’m assuming Meg led them there to see if they’d told anyone else about seeing her. Make sure they’re stupid and alone and then do them in. Or is she really planning on handing Castiel over to Crowley in order to get back in with the King. She's such a crafty one. I liked her position, “Find a cause and serve it. Give yourself over and it orders your life. Obviously these things shift over time. We learn, we grow.” But what is really Meg’s cause? Do I believe the line she slinging the Winchesters? Nup. But I can’t wait to find out what she’s planning and where she’s gone. Where did she go?!

In a season full of great new characters, we got another one in this episode. Kevin Tran, The Keeper of The Word. The Word of God! Crikey. Just when you think Supernatural can’t reach more lofty heights, they bring in the Word of God. Poor old Kevin, being dragged into this whole Leviathan mess. At least as a prophet he doesn’t share the same crippling headaches that Chuck had. But Kevin does have a very big Leviathan problem, with Edgar now having hold of him and the God rock. But where was Kevin’s Archangel? A prophet has an Archangel tethered to him right? There should be a few more kicking around unless they all died in the war in Heaven without us knowing. I must admit to loving the way Edgar took out the Angels, driving his fist into them with black goo oozing out everywhere. I guess the Leviathan can kill Angels too? Maybe as they were God’s first creation. That’s what I’m assuming. But fuzzy Angel mythology is fuzzy…

Apart from the awesome Metatron/Megatron conversation, in an episode full of sharp and textured dialogue, my favourite line came from Dean. “The Angles, they don’t care. I think maybe they just don’t have the equipment to care. Seems like when they try, it just breaks them apart.” Oh man. That’s such a sad line. That really hurts. You can see on Dean’s face how much that really hurt, both to say and to realise. I also thought it might have been prophetic and maybe a nugget pointing towards his future relationship with Castiel. Because caring so much did indeed break Cass apart. He wasn’t built to care like he wound up caring and everything he did and become was because of that. He was corrupted, not by the evil of humanity, but by our heart and soul and the goodness that lives within us, as amplified in the Winchesters. In order to prevent this happening to Castiel again, should Dean keep him at arms length? Is that what he’s thinking? Because you know he feels guilt over Castiel's fall. You know he partly blames himself. Oh, and did you notice that Meg called Sam Bullwinkle! I also thought her “wingnuts” description of the Angels was a great term for them. The Sam/Kevin chase was damn funny too. The big guy doesn’t corner so well.

So we’re left with how to kill the Leviathan…. with the bone of a righteous mortal, washed in the three bloods of the fallen. According to the screen grab I got, the fallen are: the fallen Angel, the ruler of fallen humanity and the father of fallen beasts. Awesome, seriously awesome! Great set up for the next 2 episodes! Of course my mind immediately went to Dean when I heard the words righteous mortal, him being the righteous man from Hell and all. I don’t want him to have to hand over any part of his body, but if he did, if he had to give up a rib or some other bone he could do with out, would that assuage some of his guilt? Of course it could be another righteous mortal entirely. After all, it says mortal, not man, so it could be a woman. Yeah, I doubt it too. I have a feeling the deals the brothers are about to make to get the blood from the other two fallen, may have repercussions that ring through into season 8 (which I can say now and know it’s really happening!). I’m wondering if we finally find out that the ruler of fallen humanity…as seen in the promo…is not what we think…which has been teased and implied and analysed here and there for a ages. Probably not, but it’s still fun to consider! Sorry…being purposefully obtuse, just like Cass, in case my readers haven’t seen the promo for next week’s episode.

“Reading Is Fundamental” packed a complex and emotional wallop, while delivering an intricate story woven around deep character analysis and setting up an exciting premise for the season finale. As with last season’s “The Man Who Would Be King”, it filled in the mythology gaps and laid groundwork for the coming weeks. I hope the momentum created in this episode continues in “There Will Be Blood”. That all the pieces lain out here by Edlund are built upon. Only 2 episodes to go and I have lots of bad feelings about where we’re going! We know it’s going to be a cliffhanger…  but what kind of cliff are we going to be hanging off? Ugh. Supernatural finales always kill me. I don’t want the season to end. I really hate the hellatus.

What did you think of the episode? What was your take on Castiel?

Thanks for reading. See you next week!

All Supernatural caps produced by me, no copyright infringement intended.

"Reading is Fundamental" Supernatural Recap and Review

I was out late tonight, so I started watching late. I generally watch through once, then again with pausing to do my recap/review. But I don't have time for that this week, so I'm pausing at the commercials to write my impressions of each act.

So we open this episode with parallel storylines. Kevin Tran, a stereotypically driven Asian-American teenager, is following his rigid schedule and fretting about getting a perfect math SAT score and having nothing to say for his college application essay. In the meantime, Sam and Dean are holing up in another abandoned property, this time with their stolen goodies: Whatever Dick was so desperate to find with all his archeological digging.

I love that the boys wear safety glasses. I mean, they live the most reckless, death-defying lives... They don't wear seatbelts! But protect those eyes, kids.

Dean, ever subtle, strikes the hardened clay with a hammer. Which immediately kicks up a thunderstorm. After it happens again, he says, "Does that sound like 'wait, no, stop' to you?" Then he shrugs and does it anyway. As he pulls out an ancient tablet, Kevin Tran is possessed by something we've never seen before, and Cas awakens.

In the morning, Sam has found nothing about the item or the writing, which he doesn't recognize. But it caused very odd lightning storms and every woman within a month of her due date to go into labor. Bobby's around, but his juice was apparently sapped by the haunted house adventure, a good enough reason to explain why Jim Beaver didn't guest star in this episode.

Since Dick will be coming after the tablet, they agree to go to ground in Rufus's cabin. Before they can, though, Meg calls, says Cas is awake and different, and tells them to start driving.

In the meantime, Dick's right-hand man gets a call from his boss, for whom he seems to have little respect. "Strange, isn't it? That someone would choose to be named Dick?" He's been going over plans for a building, and says something about the line panicking when they turn the corner and see the blade assembly up ahead. I'm thinking they're building their human-processing plant.

Also in the meantime, Kevin Tran awakens in control of his body, but only enough to really panic that he's missing his test. Then his possessor takes over, and next thing we know, the day is over, he's in a suit and driving his mother's car to who-knows-where. He's with it enough to answer the phone and relay his orders (take the car, don't stop), but not enough to apparently comprehend what's going on. He's in a total trance.

Okay, on to Act II! :)

And OMG I want to just transcribe this whole scene. I died laughing! Cas is back in his trench coat. Despite Sam and Dean's concerns, he's pretty calm and happy, even though he claims he remembers everything. He plays "pull my finger" and blows out all the lights. And snickers!

He apparently turned into the kid from Touch. "It's all right there, the whole plan, there's nothing to add." He does manage to convey some relevant information. He heard a ping pierce him and wake him up. Sam shows him the tablet, and Cas is all, "Oh, of course. You were the ones. If someone was going to free The Word from the vault of the earth, it would be you two. I love you guys!" Group hug!

But wait, wait. This is the best part.

"Did you know a cat's penis is sharply barbed along its shaft? I know for a fact the females were not consulted about that."

And then this exchange:

Cas: "This is the handwriting of Metatron."

Sam: "Metatron! You're saying a Transformer wrote that?"

Dean: "No. That's Megatron."

Sam: "What?!"

Dean: "The Transformer. It's Megatron."

Sam: "What?!"

Cas. "Me-Ta-Tron. He's an angel. He's the scribe of God. He took down dictation when Creation was being formed."

I loved Sam's reaction. That's what I think whenever I hear his name! LOL Given Sam's research geekhood and all the religious texts they've had to consult, some might scoff that Sam had never heard of Metatron. But no one can know everything. And his repeated "What?!" is said in the manner of someone not used to knowing something, so I thought it was all in character.

Cas can't read it, though. It wasn't meant for angels. When Meg reaches for the tablet and the boys tell her to back off, Cas says "Don't like conflict" and disappears, dropping the tablet, which breaks.

Meg, annoyed by Sam's silence, takes off. He chases her, leaving the bag in the room. Of course, it's gone when he hears something and goes back. He chases Kevin Tran, and he and Meg stop him. But Kevin, who is again himself, has his arms locked around the bag. He literally can't let go.

I love the music in this episode. Very reminiscent of season one.

Dean goes to find Cas, and wants his help with the Leviathans. He asks Cas if he remembered what he did. Cas picks up the game of Sorry and shakes the box, laying out the board and pieces in half a second. "You go first," he tells Dean, a little pointedly. They play, Cas being all philosophical and stuff. Dean gets pissed and sweeps the board. He wants Cas to take ownership for what he did. Cas seems to keep deflecting. I'm not sure if he's actively implying that Dean's as culpable as he is. If so, he's not wrong. Dean did contribute to Cas's path. He ignored him, demanded help but offered none in return. But the thing is, Dean never stopped trying to fix whatever mistakes could be laid at his feet, so he's justified in his anger at Cas.

Kevin tells Sam and Meg the tablet is for him, he's supposed to keep it. When Sam has him open the bag, he heals the pieces. He can also "read" the text, in a manner of speaking. More like understand it. It talks about Leviathans. Sam wants to know how to kill them. But two angels appear. They call Kevin a prophet and are about to kill Sam and Meg (his demon lover—once you have a reputation...). But Cas sensed them and comes in, smiling. Hester and Anais seem shocked, maybe a little happy, a little angry. Cas can't give them what they're looking for, though. He gets flustered and awkward. Hester says, "You're insane." But Dean uses the old blood symbol and blows all the angels back to their corners, buying them a few hours. Kevin goes a little crazy himself, pushed to the limit by these nonstop revelations.

They go to the cabin, Meg bringing Cas back to them. He helpfully explains the angels from his garrison want to take the prophet to the desert to learn the word of God. Instead Dean takes Kevin to the basement ("Is this a sex torture room?") to translate the Word. Kevin freaks again (yay, someone who has realistic reaction to the supernatural! LOL). He's been reported missing and it's gone federal, and Meg has a couple of demons on her tail. She dispatches them (wow, equipped with an angel blade and a demon knife, this chick's got some serious survival focus!) and goes back to insist to the others that she's on their side. She says she figured out this world, that one has to have a cause, a reason to get up in the morning. She's simpler than they think. Her cause used to be YED and raising Lucifer, but things change. Now it's taking down the King. She insists Crowley is always the problem.

But killing the demons alerted the angels, who blast their way in. Cas and Dean try to convince them they'll take care of the prophet. Dean says they're trying to clean up an angel's mess, but doesn't out Cas. Cas backs him up. "Even after they begged and begged him not to." Hester wants none of it. She's furious about everything, and she's about to kill Cas when Meg kills her. Cas looks more than a little in love at this point.

Anais says these are strange times. Cas says they always were, and declines to go with him, saying he's not part of the garrison anymore.

Kevin has finished translating the "in case of emergency note" and the angels take him home to watch over him. Nice! Someone who has crossed the Winchester path and came out okay on the other side.

Meg's gone. Cas says she enjoys laying low.

Sam finds the recipe for slaying the Levs. "A bone of a righteous mortal washed in the three bloods of the fallen." They have to start with the blood of a fallen angel. Cas looks like he knew this all along, a little smug as he says, "You know me, always happy to bleed for the Winchesters." He hands over a bottle. Dean asks what he's going to do. "I don't know. Isn't that amazing?" Very.

I'm suspicious of this FBI guy. Yep, He's a goo-man. He kills both angels and turns into the right-hand man. I wish I could remember his name. Victor? Oh, man. I spoke way too soon about Kevin!

Whew, what a preview! The blood they need appears to be Crowley's and the alpha vamp's, but the vamp decides his interests lie on the other side. Yikes!

Only two episodes left! What did you guys think of this one?

Supernatural - Review 7.20 "The Girl With The Dungeons And Dragons Tattoo"

Warning: Contain episode spoilers

“She’s kinda like the little sister I never wanted” 

Well that was fun! Kinda Supernatural meets Ocean’s 11 or Leverage even. A caper comedy! Complete with gadgetry and split screens! I don’t think we’ve seen them do a caper style episode before. After so much angst it’s always good to get a bit of lighter fare. Though we can’t be completely angst free now can we? We still have the “Bobby issue” to contend with, just so we don’t get too happy. This is Supernatural after all. 

I thoroughly enjoyed “The Girl With The Dungeons And Dragons Tattoo”. It was a geek-gasam the like of which I haven’t had since I went to see Joss Whedon talk at the Opera House. It was geeky reference after geeky reference. Star Wars, The Lord Of The Rings, Harry Potter, Wargames, Star Trek, Dungeons And Dragons, Comic Con, Batman and Wonder Woman mugs and the pièce de résistance…Veronica Mars. Veronica Mars! I screamed.

Let’s start at the beginning. Exposition anyone? That was like, the biggest explainer ever….and…. a little on the late side, because the regular viewer was already a few episodes ahead on the ‘what’s the Leviathan up to’ question. Yep, eating the world. Yummy. But still, it was good to get the whole evil master plan lain out on the table like that, moving things forward, at a great rate of knots. Man, this was a fast paced episode. Bobby’s the one who finally filled in the gaps for the boys. Seems he remembers what was on the blueprints he saw in Dick’s office before he got ‘Lincolned’ and that the plant being built, in the field where the numbers led, is for the purpose of farming humans. Oh those crazy Leviathan and their people eating ways. They’ve also bought out a whole bunch of fast food outlets (might explain why I always feel sleepy after MacDonalds) and now they’re going to feed the world….but not in that great 80’s song way. I’m not seeing Bono and Sting singing about this plan. As all this is unfolding up pops an email from the missing Frank Devereaux and it ain’t good news. 1. He’s most likely dead and 2. His stolen hard-drive is about to get hacked and on that hard drive is the most precious of information….where Baby is stashed! Someone go rescue her quick! Then for God’s sake drive her already. Geesh. Sorry…digressed…. Of course the hard-drive in question is being held captive at Richard Roman Enterprises…or as Dean so perfectly puts it, at the heart of the Death Star. My geek-girl cup runneth over…I had visions of Sam and Dean whizzing through those canals on the Death Star, shooting rounds into a 2 by 2 metre hole…just like when they used to shoot womp rats in their T-16 back..……. Wait. Anyhoo, so our heroes zoom away to rescue the hard-drive with a rather unhappy ghost in tow. I will get to that unhappy ghost later.

Cue Charlie Bradbury dancing to Walking On The Sunshine.

Ok I think I might have a girl-crush on Charlie. Which she’d probably be cool with, seeing as she’s a lesbian. I thought Charlie was pretty awesome. She was smart and funny, super geeky and tough enough to realise she could do her bit to help stop world annihilation. Also, her desk kind of looked like mine, except mines covered in movie character Mr Potato Heads. She thought Hermione should have ended up with Harry….I love Ron and all but.… (or was she going to say the wrong Weasley?)....and drank coffee from a Wonder Woman mug, mine says Bitch/Jerk. One thing that always astonishes me is how blazé everyone seems when the boys start talking monsters! No one blinks an eye. I mean, if the Winchesters came to me and said “Hey guess what, there’s monsters and we need your help” I’d….well actually this whole scenario is flawed because I’m not sure I’d hear anything they said, as there would be a wall of the words OMG THEY’RE SO HOT screaming in my head…then I’d probably just mindlessly follow them because I’m shallow that way. Of course Charlie wouldn’t be affected by their manly wiles, which I thought was kinda of cool. Writing her as gay removed that whole ‘there’s a chick working with the Winchesters where’s this going’ thing. Even Sheriff Mills fell foul to fan-talk about her having on-screen chemistry with Sam. But that’s not going to happen with Charlie. Yay.

I totally dug the boy’s engagement with Charlie’s character. I loved how when she said she’d never broken in to anywhere, Dean asked if she had Bluetooth and then they launched into their speciality, how to break into anywhere. Sam talking her through her sudden fear with Hermione inspiration was, well, inspired, as was Dean’s “Dumbledork”. Then Dean having his Cyrano moment and talking Charlie through flirting with the security guard was sheer brilliance. I always knew Dean could flirt his way out of or into any situation. Sam giggling next to him just made the whole thing even more perfect. That had to be one of my favourite moments in a while. Very nice interaction between the boys. Their dialogue was spot on. Seriously though….can I come back to Dean and the flirting? His voice was like velvety sex! Distracting! I adored Charlie’s Vulcan sign, “Peace out bitches” too! I really hope they renege on their hand-shake deal and contact her again!

The other highlight of this episode was that we got lots of Dick. We finally got a good helping of Dick Roman and I really liked it. Dick’s kinda awesome in that, he’s completely evil and he’s going to kill everyone, way. His snarky dialogue and smarmy presence is exactly how this style of über villain should be. He’s a villain of this century, even though he’s the most ancient one we’ve faced. His “Good talk”, W1nn1ng computer password and shifty asides about making a meal of things were all a treat as was his frustration with not only humanity and the fact that he can’t really clone us all as he thought he could, but with the stupidity and failings of his underlings. Why waste a good meal indeed! I love that they went this direction with the big bad this season, what with all the paranoia about monopolies and global industrial dominance. He’s a true corporate monster. He’s someone we’ve all either seen in operation or have read about. I know this is wrong, but I enjoyed him so much in “The Girl With The Dungeons And Dragons Tattoo” that I don’t really want them to off him just yet! I was the same with Lucifer. I loved him too. I know Dick’s got to go…but damn, he’s so much fun!

Which I guess brings me to Bobby who’s having no fun at all. Look, I think the boys were a little harsh on Bobby in this episode. But I totally understand it. They thought he was gone for good, now he suddenly there. They know what happens to spirits who hang around. They’ve seen it and Dean’s been told about it by Tessa the Reaper. They’re scared for him and I’d say a little scared of him. He’s a ghost, something they’ve been raised to not trust and to kill. What a place to be in. They’re trying to get their heads around Bobby still being with them, trying to get their heads around what he’s done and terrified as to what that means for him and most likely, full of dread as to what they’re going to end up having to do about it. So I forgive them for not noticing that without Bobby, they may not have been able to get in to the building to rescue Charlie, at least not so epically….commando dive roll through the glass FTW….and they may not have been able to escape quite so unscathed had Bobby not kept Dick at bay. But I understand that from where they stood, Bobby must have looked downright frightening and you’ve got to wonder, if it were someone other than Dick he was up against, would Bobby have acted quite so violently, probably not. I’m worried for Bobby. But here’s the thing, telling him that he can’t help and making him feel alone and isolated in his ghostly state is not going to help that vengeful spirit vibe one iota. Like I said, I totally get it, the whole thing must be wigging them out and it’s going to take time for them to not be constantly giving each other sideways glances every time Bobby says something they don’t like, but I don’t think any of this is helping the situation. I was really pleased to see Dean jump to his defence in relation to Charlie’s broken arm being an accident and it seems that he’s not in a hurry to figure out what to do, going with the let’s just do our job first and work out the Bobby thing later, strategy but boy-howdy, do I feel for the boys being faced with this and do I feel for Bobby who thought he was doing the right thing and now feels like it’s not been appreciated. Boooo all around. I have absolutely zero clue how this is going to turn out but 2 things I don’t want…the brothers to have to take action against Bobby in anyway and Bobby to go vengeful or actually, 3 things…I don’t want Bobby to be a ghost at all…wait make that 4 things….I don’t want the boys to have to say goodbye to him again. Oh yeah, me no likey. Everything about this situation stinks up the joint.

The main reason “The Girl With The Dungeons And Dragons Tattoo” was so sharp and wonderful was the script. Robbie Thompson, you sure as hell better be signed on for season 8! His 3 episodes this season have been absolute standouts. He writes insightful witty dialogue and he nails the brothers. He really seems to get them as individuals and as a partnership. I love that he makes them smart. Think Sam’s note in “Time After Time” or the brilliant suitcase switcheroo in this episode…complete with awesome Sam and Dean disguises. I really loved the disguises! And the Borax bomb! He also balanced the comedy and the pathos, created a lovely new character and propelled the mythology. Robbie is a keeper…I sure hope they kept him. I’ll also mention director Johnny MacCarthy and his neat use of split screens to set the tone for this episode. They worked well for me and he managed to get the pacing pitch perfect.

“The Girl With The Dungeons And Dragons Tattoo” was definitely one of the more fun outings for a while, but still managed to bring into play the serious issues that the Winchesters have been dealing with in season 7, the Leviathan and loss and grieving. Their renewed ability to rely on each other and operate as a unit is something that was once again on show and is something I’m enjoying immensely. I have no clue what that chunk of clay is or what it’s going to do. Is something in it, on it? What on earth? No pun intended. The rip-roaring pace of “The Girl With The Dungeons And Dragons Tattoo” is exactly where we should be at this point in the season, so I really hope they keep that energy up. Next week is a Ben Edlund special, so I have high hopes for more awesomeness….plus the promo looked amazing! 3 episodes left…. Boooo. That makes me sad!

What did you think of the episode? 

Thanks for reading! See you next week for Edlund-palooza! Here's the promo!

-Amy

All Supernatural caps produced by me, no copyright infringement intended.