The French Mistake

Let me just say I'm glad I got a funny episode. It's been awhile since I had so many laugh-out-loud moments during a Supernatural episode.

I'm not sure about the name of the episode. Is it a reference to the movie The French Connection? I've never seen that, so I have no idea. Or I could have just missed something.

We open with the Then recap, which shows Ruby, Meg, some other stuff I can't remember, and Castiel talking to the boys about the civil war in Heaven. Then in the Now we see Sam and Dean at Bobby's, who has run out for some alcohol (aka Hunter's Helper). Then, poof, Balthazar strolls in and starts looking for supplies for a spell, talking about The Godfather (which I also have not seen, don't like gangster movies) and how Don Corleone is now being played by Raphael. Ol' Raphie evidently has put out a hit list for anyone who ever helped Castiel, including Balthazar and, you guessed, Sam and Dean. Next thing you know, Balthazar gives them a key which leads to the weapons of Heaven and sends them crashing through the window. When they come out on the other side, they're in an alternate universe where they are actors in a show called Supernatural. Their names? Jensen Ackles and Jarad Padalecki. :)

Dean: "Why would anyone want to watch our lives?"
Sam: "According to the interview, not that many people do."

When they are able to leave the set, they're confused about what the heck is going on.

Sam: "I'm something called a Jared Padalecki."
Dean: "So what, you're Polish now?"

That's when Dean sees what he thinks is the Impala and thinks his baby made it through. But as he walks forward, he notices several Impalas, in various states of repair or disrepair.

Dean: "I feel sick. I'm gonna be sick. I wanna go home. I feel like this whole place is bad touching me."

Then they see Castiel and head for him. You know what's coming, right? For a moment, Misha plays it well, like he's really Castiel, but then the boys realize he's just another actor. The look and tone in Dean's voice when he finds out the actor's name was hilarious.

"Misha?" Hee hee.

Misha: "I'm totally going to Tweet this one." And more funny, in the alternate universe, Misha's followers aren't minions, they're the MishAmigos! LOL!

Next, Sam and Dean find Jensen's trailer and go inside where they find a remote-controlled helicopter and a nice built-in fish tank. Dean finds a copy of Supernatural magazine and has to make fun of Sam's/Jared's expression on the cover.

Dean: "That's Blue Steel, Sam."

Even better, Sam gets on a laptop and finds a clip of when Jensen was on Days of Our Lives.

Sam: "You were on a soap opera."

Another classic look of disbelief and disgust on Dean's face. :)

As Cliff drives them to Jared's place, Dean sees the sign for Vancouver and says to Sam: "Dude, we're not even in America." When they arrive at Jared's place, it's rather swank and they see a tanning bed.

Sam: "What am I, Dracula?"
Dean: "George Hamilton Dracula."

That might have been the part that made me laugh the most.

Then Ruby/Genevieve comes in, and Dean calls her Ruby. She looks exasperated as she tells him, yeah, that never gets old. Then Dean sees Jared and Genevieve's wedding photo. I love when this show makes fun of itself and is self-aware. She, like the people on the show's set, are surprised that Jared and Jensen are talking because, evidently, they don't like each other much in this alternate world.

More hilarity ensues when Sam and Dean go back to the set, thinking they can use Balthazar's spell to get themselves back to their universe, only to be forced to try to act out a scene for the show. OMG, the horribleness of it. Dean's too-intense look, and Sam looking "anywhere but the camera." Dude, I'm laughing now just typing this.

Virgil, Raphael's angel hitman, makes it to the Jared/Jensen universe and tries to take out the boys. But his angel powers don't work here, in what Dean calls the "mojo free zone." They try to take out the angel, but the rest of the show's crew thinks they're high and beating an extra to death. In the melee, Virgil takes the key and flees. He carjacks Misha and kills him in an alley. After hearing the news from Genevieve, the guys head to the scene and talk to the homeless man who witnessed the murder.

Homeless man: "The scary man stabbed the attractive crying man." LOL! Misha was a bit of a wienie in this universe. :)

Virgil, now armed with many guns, shoots "Eric Kripke" and a lot of members of the crew on his way back to the set where Raphael is supposed to pull him and the key back through the portal to the other universe. But Sam and Dean take him out and they are pulled through instead. Raphael, now a woman, is closing in on Sam and Dean when Balthazar shows up and says Sam and Dean were just decoys and the key a fake to give Raphael time to get rid of the weapons of Heaven. Then Castiel shows up, now in possession of said weapons. And I had a squee moment when they did the lightning and the shadows of outspread wings thing that they did the first time we ever met Cas. I love that effect, makes him look particularly badass. Raphael skedaddles, and Dean is predictably not happy about the whole decoys-without-his-knowledge thing Balthazar and Castiel had going. To which Castiel reminds boy the Winchester boys that he'd do it again because he'll do whatever is necessary to make sure Raphael does not win the war.

When they're left alone again...

Dean: "We're broke again."
Sam: "At least we're talking."

What did you think of the episode? While there's still a bigger story going on, I've enjoyed the past couple of episodes that felt a bit more like throwbacks to earlier seasons, the ones that made me fall in love with the show in the first place.

Classic Episode Review: "The Kids Are Alright"

When fans heard the premise of this episode, there was--of course--an uproar. Sure, everyone agreed, Dean's a dog and it's highly likely he left something behind somewhere--but don't bring it permanently into our show. No car seats in the Impala!

This was probably the first instance of me hearing a spoiler, watching the fandom freak out, and just trusting Kripke and Co. to do it right. And they did!

Understandably, Dean wants to get his fill of all the good things in life. Bacon cheeseburgers and sex, primarily. And there's this chick in this town where there also happens to be a job.


First we have to focus on the Dean-as-father part. There are a few elements to this. First is Dean fearing he is one, as Ben displays many common traits. Music, girls, cars, and food, to be specific. Lisa insists he's not Dean's, but Dean doesn't seem convinced. Later, Ben displays courage and leadership that also emulates Dean. Lisa's explanation of "having a type" works, but the whole possibility has Dean thinking. He begins to long for a normal life, a life where he could do all the fatherly things his own didn't do with him. But there's a wagonload of poignancy when he says he could never have it.

The "skeery" plot, the job they're there to do, is one of the most creepy ones, and I found it excellently handled. Anything to do with kids is tricky (unless you're a horror flick where that's the whole point, I guess). The girl who played Katie totally creeped me out. Kathleen Munroe, who played the freaked-out mother, was amazing and sympathetic even as she tried to drown her kid. The effects of the changelings was horrific yet subtle, for the most impact.

Oh, yeah. That was the monster-of-the-week. Changelings. Someone was taking the kids and replacing them with these things that sucked on the mother's synovial fluid. The really cool thing is that when Sam and Dean tracked them down, they didn't have to flame the kids. There was a kick-ass mother--no, a literal mother--who beat them up pretty good before they torched her, which made the changelings go fwoosh without anyone having to flame them on the front lawn. Very cool.

The final element of the episode was Ruby, who showed up all cocky and stuff, flashing her black eyes at Sam and giving hints about a deeper mystery, some of which, despite Ruby's revelation and termination in the season 4 finale, remains unresolved. She also claimed she could help save Dean. Thus began the Great Ruby Debate.

Some favorite lines:

"Gumby Girl...does that make me Pokey?"

Ben: "Only bitches send a grownup."
Dean: "You're not wrong."
Ben: "And I am not a bitch."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What are your favorite parts/lines of this episode? Did you like it? If not, why not? What did I miss? Weigh in, in the comments!

The Road So Far (in 1,000 words or less)

I'm posting this for Tanya, whose computer just didn't want to play nice with her.


Okay, so this post owes its inspiration to stuff like this (warning, MAJOR spoilers for the movie Serenity, and major funny if you've already seen it). But still, here we are floating in the still dead waters of summer hiatus, so I thought we could all use the recap (and, possibly, the laugh).

Sam and Dean Winchester (this far) in 1,000 words or less:

Interior, somewhat creepy nursery, enter Mommy Winchester.

Mom: WTF?

Baby Sam: Waaahhhh!

Late arrival Daddy Winchester: DEAN! Take care of your brother.

Flash to present day.

Sam: I hear a noise.

Dean: I came for a beer, LOVE the Smurfs, BTW. Come help me solve our father's disappearance.

Sam: Dude.

Conversation, Exposition, Woman in White with Creepy Kids, cut back to Jessica on the ceiling, and Grown Up Sam having a full-circle WTF moment?

Sam: Consider me back in the game til we find Dad and this yellow-eyed bastard.

Many episodes later, find Daddy Winchester. And fabled Colt. YAY!
All three Winchester men run off road. BOO!
Cut to hospital with Dean and Reaper and Daddy Winchester making deal with Yellow-Eyed Demon.

Daddy W's final words (more or less): DEAN! Take care of your brother.
Even if that means "take care of" in the mafia sense.

Dean (internal monologue): WTF?

Moving right along in season 2.

Dean: Do not mock me, airplanes crash.

Sam: And apparently clowns KILL. Hey, should we check out that roadhouse?

Dean: Uh, Sam? Could use a little help here with the pint-sized blonde.

Pint-sized blonde (aka Jo Harvelle): Take me with you! I want to hunt!

Dean: Even as I wander, I'm keeping you in sight. You're a candle in the-

Sam: WTF?

Dean: Never mind. Have you met my new buddy Gordon?

Sam: Nice to m-

Gordon (with much menace and foreshadowing): Evil things must DIE!

Dean (considerably later): Sam, are you drunk? (followed by, even later than that) He full on Obi-waned me!

Sam: Something is wrong with that boy. He is like-like me. Curse you, yellow-eyed demon and your nefarious yet still vague evil plans!

Yellow Eyed Demon: Call me Azazel. And as for my 'plan,' it's simple. You and my other "special" children are in a contest. Good luck with that.

Jake: Aw HELL no. I like ya Sam, but not enough to die for you. Take this!

Sam: Gurghk.

Dean: Yo, crossroads demon! Get me out of this. I'll trade anything to get my bro back.

Crossroads demon: Anything? You're on, foolish Winchester.

Sam: So let me get this straight, you traded your life-your SOUL-to save me?

Dean: Yep. No need to thank me.

Sam: Thank you? Are you deluded you arrogant SOB? We have to end this deal.

Dean: No can do. I try anything funny, you die.

Mysterious blonde chick with mysterious knife: Hey! I can help! Name's Ruby by the way.

Other mysterious chick with quasi-British accent: And I'm Bela. I shall be here to demonstrate what happens to naughty boys and girls when they ransom their souls to Lilith. I am also here to entertain Tanya.

Dean and Sam: Who the hell is Tanya? Strike that. The better question is Who the hell is Lilith?

Dean (in quiet aside to Ruby): Dude, can you really get me out of this?

Ruby: Um, no. Not really. Plus, you'll become a demon after.

Dean: Well, THAT sucks. I need pie.

Sam: You're in denial, bro.

Dean: I deny that accusation.

Sam: So what you-- hold up. What's that you say? We just got a phone call about Bobby being in a coma?

Bobby: Thanks boys for saving me from the mystical coma. Except, you let Bela steal the Colt, ya ijits!!!

Dean: Bela must die!

Sam: 'K

Dean: So if we're so hot on the heels of Bela (mmmm, Bela...) what are we doing in this random mystery sp-- Gurghk.

Sam: DEAN!

Dean: Don't you just love Asia? Let's go get break-- Gurghk.

Sam: DEAN!

Dean: What do you mean I died yesterday? That's cr-- Gurghk.

Sam: DEAN!

Also Sam: Whoa, I'm onto you Trickster.

Trickster (smugly): And it only took 80% of the episode for you to figure it out...

Audience: So what happens for rest of episode?

Dean: Gurghk.

Sam: My name is Sam Winchester! You killed my brother! Prepare to die!

Trickster: Dude. This co-dependence? Not healthy.

Bela: Dean, Sam? Aaaaa! Hell-hounds.

Ruby (wearily): I told you this was going to get bad.

Dean: Gurghk.

Collective audience: WTF?

Dean: Dude! I'm back-from hell! How the hell did that happen? (if you'll pardon the pun)

Winged man: Allow me to introduce myself. I am Castiel. An angel. Your butt belongs to us, now.

Uriel: That is so, monkey.

Dean and Sam: We don't like you.

Uriel: We don't care.

Random Chick: Lilith is up to her old dirty tricks! Only now, she isn't just gunning for Sam and terrorizing grandfathers. She's breaking all sixty-six seals in an attempt to free Lucifer. Also, I am not random! I am an angel!

Dean: So, come here often?

Ruby: Sam, quick, while everyone else is distracted by subplot, drink some more demon blood.

Dean: Dude! WTF?

Sam: You are not the boss of me.

Entire viewing audience: Argh! We hate when our boys are on the outs.

Dean: Then don't look, it's about to get worse. Sam, if you walk out of here right now-

Sam: Who do you think you are, DAD?

Dean: Castiel? A little help here?

Cass: I really shouldn't, but okay. Who can resist Jensen Ackles?

Mmm, Jensen Ackles. Sorry.

Sam: I've stopped Lilith!

Ruby: And freed our dark lord-bwahahahahahahaha.

Sam: ...Oops.

Dean: FWIW, I still love you. Now haul ass away from the impending evil and maybe we'll figure out how to save our asses by next September's premiere.

Brother vs. Brother

It started in the pilot.

Sam wakes up in the middle of the night, hearing an intruder in the house. He engages him, they fight, and I'm hooked. Passion ignited.

That "fight" scene did more than grab me (and many other fans). It grounded the boys' relationship, in a way. They were pretty evenly matched in that fight. Sure, Dean was holding back because he knew it was Sam, but Sam wasn't swinging to kill, either, just subdue. One got the upper hand, then the other, and such has been their relationship ever since.

For three seasons, Dean's role as protector and leader was undisrupted. He saved Sam from possession, from death, from the Yellow-Eyed Demon, even sacrificed himself to keep Sam safe. But all along, Sam has matured (in most ways) and learned how to lead, himself. He exerted some control when he saved Dean from Gordon and later killed Gordon with his bare hands. At the end of season 3, when they were going after Lilith and trying to save Dean from Hell, Sam pushed harder and harder to influence their course of action. He learned things about himself, and was forced to go out on his own when the Trickster killed Dean "for good."

And then he was alone. Dean's influence could never disappear, but when he was in Hell, Sam made all the decisions. He made his own choices, and explored every facet of his identity, including the part manifested by the demon blood forced on him when he was six months old.

You can't go back after that, and I knew the brotherly dynamics would change. Dean had missed four months, and his time in Hell would have permanent effects. Sam wouldn't be subverted to his brother's will anymore.

In some ways, I was right. I mean, Dean does still get to choose the music in the Impala. But Sam doesn't listen to him anymore, especially when his reasons are "Because I said so!" But I hoped their partnership would grow stronger, that they could see each other more as equals. That their fight against a common enemy would be enough to help them overcome the adjustment to the changes.

But Kripke doesn't play that way.

It starts out simple, and gets more and more complex the more detail you add:

Sam works with a demon. He has demon powers, and that's bad.

Dean works with an angel. Angels work for God, so that's good.

But the demon has a good goal, ridding the earth of one of the worst demons in existence. Her motives are suspicious and likely selfish. She manipulates to get her way.

The angels have a good goal, stopping that same really bad demon from freeing Lucifer and bringing hell to earth, but they don't seem to care how many people die to stop that from happening. They, too, manipulate to get their way.

Sam's powers enable him to save people while killing demons. Dean equates "demon" with "evil" and can't seem to unbend even a little. So Sam has stopped trying to make him understand. That opens a rift between them, one that gets wider and wider the more he lies. It was worsened by Dean lying, too, about Hell, but Dean's lies were internal and didn't affect others (so far!). And he came clean. He opened up to Sam, who didn't offer any support or commiseration for the pain Dean's been suffering. Is Sam too wrapped up in his own issues, or did Dean's confession change how Sam feels about him? Or does he just feel inadequate and therefore does nothing?

The angels, and Dean, and now Pam have all told Sam that he does not have the right idea, using his powers, that he's going down an unknown path they all fear. But Sam's intentions have always been noble. Even though he has a need for personal revenge, and his own pain to exorcise (hee--get it?), his goal, getting rid of Lilith, is consistent with the rest of their lives. Saving people, hunting things. Evil things.

Until "Sex and Violence," I could envision a path where the brothers were at personal odds but still had the same goals, the same core values, the same basic way of looking at things. They could continue down the road side by side, or fighting back to back, with nothing in the world more important or more valued than each other.

But then, under the siren's spell, Sam said some horrible things, things he really seems to believe, despite his repeated assertion that he didn't mean them. He has decided his powers, his history, elevates him above others. In "Death Takes a Holiday" he said the rules don't apply to "us," not just himself, but the fact that he's including Dean in the "specialness" doesn't help. It's not that he's wrong, on the face of it. They are different. They've escaped death, and Hell, and all manner of bad things. At this point, they've probably defeated more and worse things than any hunter on earth, which would put them at the top of the game.

But Sam now seems to be equating "different" with "better." He acts superior toward
demons, angels, and Dean alike. His disillusionment with the angels and his fear of the future have brought him to a dangerous place. A Spider-Man place*, a test that I think he's going to fail, devastatingly.

Since early in season 4, many people have predicted a "brother against brother" showdown. I've fought the idea not just because I hate it, but because I didn't think the events, early on, necessarily supported it. The complexity of the influences (good demon, bad angel) didn't pit the brothers against each other, and they had, and still have, the same goal.

My position is getting harder to hold onto, now that Sam is lying to little boy ghosts as well as his brother, and he seems to care less and less about the people than about winning the battle. Now that Dean seems to be letting Sam's attitude and his words sever the ties he has knotted so tightly in the past.

In season one's episode "Scarecrow," Dean leaves Sam on the side of the road. Their needs were at odds then, but it never felt like they were truly ready to cut each other off. If something similar happened now, I don't think it would be so easy to overcome. They've damaged each other, and been damaged by outside sources, and the bond that would hold them through anything is far more tenuous.

What's coming, though? Speculation is really difficult when we don't know if this war will continue into season 5, if we avoid any spoilers or pretend we didn't hear anything about the season finale. And the external framework still makes it really hard to envision Sam and Dean truly fighting each other, as themselves and not some monster's plaything.




Still, every episode, every moment of character development, seems to be leading us to that end. I'm kind of resigned to facing it, but I cling to the belief that Kripke and Co. know--they have to know, how can they not know?--that breaking the brothers the wrong way will break his show completely, so whatever they do to them in the end, they'll fix. I am, of course, fully invested in the ride.

Your turn! What do you think of the inevitability of a brother-vs.-brother showdown, and how do you think it will manifest? (Speculation only, let's avoid spoilers!)

~~~~~~~~
*With great power comes great responsibility.

Ruby: Love Her or Hate Her?

During Season 3 of Supernatural, two new characters strolled onto the Winchester scene, and they were – gasp! – girls. Many fans soon made it known that they didn’t like having these female interlopers into Winchester World. Perhaps they wanted the show to stay focused solely on the brothers, which is understandable and about which Kripke was quick to reassure them. Some just didn’t like the characters. While I could have taken or left Bela, I actually liked Ruby right from the start. She was the next in a line of kick-ass female characters I’ve enjoyed watching (Buffy, Faith, Sarah Connor, etc.). When she killed that demon with the knife in “The Magnificent Seven” (3-1), I was like, “Whoa! Who is this chick?” When she revealed herself to be a demon in the next episode, “The Kids are Alright,” but one who seemed to be on Sam’s side, I uttered another “Whoa.” Interesting twist that showed again that perhaps things aren’t all black and white in this war on evil. I don’t think anything illustrates this better than when she helps Bobby restore the Colt in “Sin City.” You can just tell that a demon offering to help and meaning it is just totally rocking his understanding of the world.

I loved Katie Cassidy’s sassy, tough, bad-girl portrayal of Ruby. And when budgetary constraints led to the demise of both her and Bela, I was bummed. I hated that Ruby had bit it. And I doubt she was welcomed back to Hell with open arms. Traitors usually aren’t.

Though Ruby works mostly with Sam, her snark is oh-so-Dean-like. A sampling:

Ruby: “It’s called witchcraft, shortbus.”

Dean: “But you’re a demon.”
Ruby: “Don’t be such a racist.”

Bobby (after he shoots Ruby): “What do you want?”
Ruby: “Peace on earth, a new shirt...”

Ruby: “Anyone got a breath mint? Some guts splashed in my mouth while I was killing my way in here.”

But Ruby is one tough, determined gal. She somehow convinces Lilith to give her another chance, and she’s let free from Hell with the task of killing Sam. Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t think some of the things she’s done to Sam lately have been killing him. But you’ve got to admire a girl who can totally trick Lilith.

Sure, she’s come back in a different body, and the feel of the character isn’t quite the same, but at least she’s back. I find her character really interesting, even though in my mind Katie Cassidy will always be Ruby. That’s not knocking Genevieve Cortese’s acting; it’s just that I’m never a fan of changing the actor when a role was established by another. I think it would be hard for any replacement actor to live up to the original. I do think that Genevieve has been creating more of an edge to Ruby lately. And even back when she was talking Sam into having sex, she’s going after what she wants like Katie often did in her portrayal – though Katie’s “Ruby” never got it on with Sam. (Her loss, btw. ) Here, see for yourself.



Sera Gamble has said that we’ll see and understand more about the changes in Ruby at some point. That should be interesting. I wonder if her punishment by Lilith has changed her somehow, or if the differences in hosts somehow effect the demons who possess them. We already know that there’s something different about Ruby because she’s helping the boys and she actually remembers being human when other demons don’t. She’s retained some of her humanity despite everything she’s been through. And I’m really curious why.

We’ve seen that Ruby can manipulate situations to her benefit. After all, she’s not pure as the driven snow, and she wouldn’t be half as interesting if she was. Even she says, in “No Rest for the Wicked” (3-16), “Uh, demon? Manipulative is kind of in the job description.” I suspect there’s debate about Ruby’s motives for getting Sam to use his powers to exorcise demons, but for now I’m going to believe that she truly is on Sam’s side and wants to defeat the baddies. But we all know that the writers have quite the ability to surprise us.

So, what’s your opinion of Ruby? Love her or hate her? And what do you think of Katie’s and Genevieve’s portrayals of the character?