SPN - "After School Special"
Feb. 2nd, 2009 04:38 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
feliciakwWoo and hoo! A review in a semi-timely fashion. Thanks so much ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
kimmer1227. The DVD arrived today, and I am now convinced that there's something just a bit wiggy about the download on this ep. I noticed that the audio was--in some places and not others (weird!)--just the slightest bit out of synch with the video. Very annoying. Anyway . . .
Then: Oh! S1 recaps! All S1 recaps . . . except for the Christmas ep. Look at how young they are! So naive and carefree. *huggles them both*
Now:
Oh, they're in Indiana this week. Cool.
Okay, the scene in the girl's bathroom? Very, very unpleasant. The violence in that scene bothered me . . . you know? I can't think of another scene in the series that bothers me like this one does. Oh, there are cringe-inducing scenes, to be sure. But this one? I couldn't watch it but out of the corner of my eye. For one thing, I hate forcible drownings. I always have. Add to that the bashing of the head against the sink, and I just really did not like this scene.
Oh! Hey! Oil alien! Hey there. *is sad about Kim Manners*
Opening title. Yep, still like it.
Okay, the girl Sam is questioning, April? I like her confidence, but there's just something the tiniest bit too stagey about her delivery. Now don't get me wrong. I've seen worse. Much worse. But I found the staginess to be just a little bit distracting.
Now, I understand that there is a subgroup of the fandom that has a thing for Sam in scrubs. Orderly!Sam or Nurse!Sam or whatever. *looks inkalquessa's direction.* So, there ya go.
I also find it very interesting that Dean lets Sam choose the cover for this hunt. He's been letting Sam take the lead a lot this season. Now, in this particular instance, I think it's probably because this is essentially Sam's call to check out the school. It's Sam's hunt. (And Sam? I won't even bring up your attitude toward Dean's finding a hunt in "Children Shouldn't Play . . . " Because you were worried about him. And that would just be petty of me.)
The segues between the present and flashback scenes are smooth this week. I rather like them.
And it's when Dean calls his teacher "sweetheart" and "sugar" that things aren't clicking for me with this actor. Not that I don't think Dean would do that, but the delivery here . . . it lacks the charm I'm used to from Dean. From Jensen's Dean it would be . . . charming, maybe a little playful. Here it's just insubordinate and a little bit creepy. And if feels a little bit forced.
The Outsiders! Total shout-out to fangirl S.E. Hinton. I read that she was on set at some point this season, I think it was when they were shooting "Yellow Fever." But that's just very, very cool.
Sam Winchester, champion of the downtrodden. *hugs little Sam*
"Midget"? Um . . . kid, you have no idea . . .
And now we get to what is quite possibly the crowning jewel of this ep. Is there anything that has not been said about Substitute Coach Roth? From the knee socks to the shorts to the headband to the pep talk to the drill sergeant attitude . . . Dean is having a grand old time.
"The whistle makes me their god." Oh, Dean. Always finding ways to enjoy your work.
The shorts. Dean? For a guy who doesn't do shorts, you've worn some nice ones this season. *snerk*
Oh, and hey! The Bombers were state champions in football the year I graduated. Which means I wouldn't have been there to see it, but still.
Oh. Oh, oh, oh. Open food processor in Home Ec class. So not good. Very, very bad, in fact. I can see it coming, and I'm cringing already. I've had way too many kitchen cuts and known way too many people who've had very bad (like almost losing body parts) kitchen cuts. This scene is worse than the first. Ack!!! *cringe-flails behind hands*
Also, Janitor Sammy would be such a benefit to a school. I loved our physical plant gals at the PAC. They (and the cops) were the ones you always wanted to let know you appreciated them, because they always did the unpleasant work. He would be a very good guy to have around.
Non-violence seminar . . . so, is Dean teaching it, attending it, or just observing? Not teaching, I don't think. But the fact that he was there is amusing.
Also? I love Jensen's delivery of the line. And the hand gestures.
Also? Sam in his green work shirt and Dean in his red running suit make it look like Christmas.
Ectoplasm!!!!! We haven't seen that since S2, "No Exit." Seriously vengeful spirit. Excellent!
"Three of the cheerleaders are legal." Dean? I love you. You know I love you, right? So I'm saying this because I love you. You're starting to worry me. Heading for the porn rack right after digging yourself out of your own grave? That I could understand. You are Dean Winchester, after all. The fact that you would include a skin mag in your survival supplies doesn't surprise me. But then there was that smirk behind Sam's back in response to the "jailbait" comment in ItGPSW. That . . . was a little disconcerting. Because I know how you feel about such things (reference "Houses of the Holy"). Butkalquessa says you were just doing it to get a rise out of Sam, and it was kinda funny, so I'll let it go.
But then Sam has to remind you not to confuse reality with porn. Twice. Again, amusing in delivery, but wise words to be heeded. When you immerse yourself in something, it starts to color how you see and relate to the world around you. *points to fandom as example*
And now you're actively looking up student records to see which cheerleaders are legal? This concerns me. I am concerned. They're 18. You're 30. Okay, true, my aunt and uncle were 12 years apart, so that in and of itself is not the issue. It's that they're eighteen. And they're students. You're a teacher. Well, a substitute teacher who will be leaving in a few days, but still, it's kinda creepy.
And I know how you are with women you really care about. Heck I wrote about it. I also know how you treat a woman whose virtue you respect. I wrote about that, too. Sort of. So I know this is at least partly an act. Again, Cheese Elf says you're just doing it to get a rise out of Sam. And he's not going along with it. At all. So I'll appreciate the funny. I just thought you should know my concerns.
On the upside, I love Jensen's delivery of the line. I think it's a combo of the facial expression and the hand gesture (those who have known me for any length of time know that I have a thing about hands), so in spite of my misgivings, I love the exchange. I'm fairly hopeless that way.
Wait. Barry's going to Michigan State? Oh, nonono. OSU, buddy! They've got a fantastic vet medicine program.
Amanda Heckerling. At this point, Geo made me stop the recording and go back he was so tickled with the shout-out. Amy Heckerling directed Fast Times at Ridgemont High. I have not seen this movie, but Geo insists that I should because it's really good. So I should probably Netflix it soon.
Wow. Little Sammy when he's angry is kinda scary.
Poor Sam. And Dean trying to talk Sam out of his guilt. *hugs boys*
I kinda love that Dean wants to pound the bully to a pulp, and in the next breath absolutely knows that Sam could have pounded the bully to a pulp himself. I kinda reminds me of their sparring session in the pilot when Dean breaks into the apartment.
Still, though, this portrayal of Dean seems a little forced. I mentioned earlier that I thought it was lacking the subtlety that I'm used to seeing in Dean, but I can't really fault the actor for not being Jensen. There's only one Jensen Ackles.
Loved the conversation between Sam and his teacher.
Creepy possessed girl knows Sam by name! It's Lilith!!!!!!
"You got tall, Winchester." Okay, so, not Lilith.
And I kind of love that a mouth full of salt casts out the ghost.
I admit I'm a little concerned that Dean pulls out two large bottles of whisky as if it's nothing. Dean? Are you still, um, you know . . . with the nightmares and the drinking and all?
Also, I still want to know where they keep that beer cooler.
Oh! And hey! An Impala on the roadside scene and no tearful confession! I know a lot of the fandom should be happy about that, yes?
"Did you know everybody at this school?" No, Dean. Just the two people who are connected to this case. :-) Although it's not unheard of for someone to know almost everyone in a school. Usually, though, they're not the person trying to lay low like Sam is (and you should be, but we'll get to that later).
Sammy with his fight and self-defense training. Excellent.
I have mixed feelings about the reveal regarding Dirk and how he was at home. The point is well taken that we can't know what's going on in a person's private or home life, that things might not always be as they appear. But that doesn't change the fact that Dirk was a bully and that Sam was not the instigator. I am also a little concerned that it doesn't sound like Dirk's dad was ever called in about his son's aggressive behavior. So even though Sam didn't have the whole story, neither did the dad.
That's not going to ease either of their grief, though. Dad grieves for his son, and Sam feels guilt over his part in Dirk's troubles.
*sigh*
And in the midst of all the angst, Dean not only gets things back on track, but is oh-so not subtle in his questioning. "All of him?" Which leads me to the question . . . what if there was a ghost that was sticking around due to an attachment to a transplanted organ or something? Huh?
"I'm like 21 Jump Street." Sure you are, Dean.
Okay, Dirk? You're calling the Winchester boys jocks? Have ya taken a good look at them? Sam would have been a brain or a geek, and Dean was clearly a hood. Now, if you're referring to Dean (which I notice you directed that sneer in his direction) because he's under cover as the gym teacher, well . . . I suppose I can see your mistake.
Yes, there is life after high school. More on that in a moment.
Dean, caught in the closet with one girl, by another girl. Oops. Yeah, well . . .
But the standing in the hall declaring himself a hero? That . . . just doesn't ring true. What happened to "We do what we do and we shut up about it," Dean? That's a lesson I'm sure you learned a long time ago.
And I'm not sure how to express my melancholy at Sam receiving kudos as he journeys down the hall--surely had they stayed put he would have indeed become a popular kid--while Dean walks isolated even in the crowd. Dean the unsung hero because his heroics can't be discussed in public, while Sam tackles the problem that all the other kids know about.
*sigh* Oh, boys.
"Are you happy, Sam?" Ooohh . . . don't even send him off to Ruby to do something that "feels good." Because see that slippery slope right there? With no guard rail? And the banana peel lying right there? Yeah . . . just, no.
One of the things I love about this ep is how it highlights both the fact that high school never really leaves us, and yet it's just a small portion of our lives that we live through and move beyond. In that regard, it reminds me of a musical I was in called Is There Life After High School. I did have a long thinky thought regarding the "is there life after high school" aspect of the show, but it wasn't gelling, so . . . (Incidentally, that was the musical wherein I had my first solo number, and the show during which I gave one of my best performances. Everyone was so impressed that I was able to cry on stage. Crying on cue is one of the reasons I couldn't be a TV or film actress. I can't do it. I have to be truly in the moment and feeling it, and to do that time and time and time again, I just can't do it. That's one of the reasons I'm so in awe of Jensen's acting ability. But I digress . . . )
Next week: strippers. Dean is a (temporarily) happy camper.
kimmer1227. The DVD arrived today, and I am now convinced that there's something just a bit wiggy about the download on this ep. I noticed that the audio was--in some places and not others (weird!)--just the slightest bit out of synch with the video. Very annoying. Anyway . . . Then: Oh! S1 recaps! All S1 recaps . . . except for the Christmas ep. Look at how young they are! So naive and carefree. *huggles them both*
Now:
Oh, they're in Indiana this week. Cool.
Okay, the scene in the girl's bathroom? Very, very unpleasant. The violence in that scene bothered me . . . you know? I can't think of another scene in the series that bothers me like this one does. Oh, there are cringe-inducing scenes, to be sure. But this one? I couldn't watch it but out of the corner of my eye. For one thing, I hate forcible drownings. I always have. Add to that the bashing of the head against the sink, and I just really did not like this scene.
Oh! Hey! Oil alien! Hey there. *is sad about Kim Manners*
Opening title. Yep, still like it.
Okay, the girl Sam is questioning, April? I like her confidence, but there's just something the tiniest bit too stagey about her delivery. Now don't get me wrong. I've seen worse. Much worse. But I found the staginess to be just a little bit distracting.
Now, I understand that there is a subgroup of the fandom that has a thing for Sam in scrubs. Orderly!Sam or Nurse!Sam or whatever. *looks in
kalquessa's direction.* So, there ya go.I also find it very interesting that Dean lets Sam choose the cover for this hunt. He's been letting Sam take the lead a lot this season. Now, in this particular instance, I think it's probably because this is essentially Sam's call to check out the school. It's Sam's hunt. (And Sam? I won't even bring up your attitude toward Dean's finding a hunt in "Children Shouldn't Play . . . " Because you were worried about him. And that would just be petty of me.)
The segues between the present and flashback scenes are smooth this week. I rather like them.
And it's when Dean calls his teacher "sweetheart" and "sugar" that things aren't clicking for me with this actor. Not that I don't think Dean would do that, but the delivery here . . . it lacks the charm I'm used to from Dean. From Jensen's Dean it would be . . . charming, maybe a little playful. Here it's just insubordinate and a little bit creepy. And if feels a little bit forced.
The Outsiders! Total shout-out to fangirl S.E. Hinton. I read that she was on set at some point this season, I think it was when they were shooting "Yellow Fever." But that's just very, very cool.
Sam Winchester, champion of the downtrodden. *hugs little Sam*
"Midget"? Um . . . kid, you have no idea . . .
And now we get to what is quite possibly the crowning jewel of this ep. Is there anything that has not been said about Substitute Coach Roth? From the knee socks to the shorts to the headband to the pep talk to the drill sergeant attitude . . . Dean is having a grand old time.
"The whistle makes me their god." Oh, Dean. Always finding ways to enjoy your work.
The shorts. Dean? For a guy who doesn't do shorts, you've worn some nice ones this season. *snerk*
Oh, and hey! The Bombers were state champions in football the year I graduated. Which means I wouldn't have been there to see it, but still.
Oh. Oh, oh, oh. Open food processor in Home Ec class. So not good. Very, very bad, in fact. I can see it coming, and I'm cringing already. I've had way too many kitchen cuts and known way too many people who've had very bad (like almost losing body parts) kitchen cuts. This scene is worse than the first. Ack!!! *cringe-flails behind hands*
Also, Janitor Sammy would be such a benefit to a school. I loved our physical plant gals at the PAC. They (and the cops) were the ones you always wanted to let know you appreciated them, because they always did the unpleasant work. He would be a very good guy to have around.
Non-violence seminar . . . so, is Dean teaching it, attending it, or just observing? Not teaching, I don't think. But the fact that he was there is amusing.
Also? I love Jensen's delivery of the line. And the hand gestures.
Also? Sam in his green work shirt and Dean in his red running suit make it look like Christmas.
Ectoplasm!!!!! We haven't seen that since S2, "No Exit." Seriously vengeful spirit. Excellent!
"Three of the cheerleaders are legal." Dean? I love you. You know I love you, right? So I'm saying this because I love you. You're starting to worry me. Heading for the porn rack right after digging yourself out of your own grave? That I could understand. You are Dean Winchester, after all. The fact that you would include a skin mag in your survival supplies doesn't surprise me. But then there was that smirk behind Sam's back in response to the "jailbait" comment in ItGPSW. That . . . was a little disconcerting. Because I know how you feel about such things (reference "Houses of the Holy"). But
kalquessa says you were just doing it to get a rise out of Sam, and it was kinda funny, so I'll let it go.But then Sam has to remind you not to confuse reality with porn. Twice. Again, amusing in delivery, but wise words to be heeded. When you immerse yourself in something, it starts to color how you see and relate to the world around you. *points to fandom as example*
And now you're actively looking up student records to see which cheerleaders are legal? This concerns me. I am concerned. They're 18. You're 30. Okay, true, my aunt and uncle were 12 years apart, so that in and of itself is not the issue. It's that they're eighteen. And they're students. You're a teacher. Well, a substitute teacher who will be leaving in a few days, but still, it's kinda creepy.
And I know how you are with women you really care about. Heck I wrote about it. I also know how you treat a woman whose virtue you respect. I wrote about that, too. Sort of. So I know this is at least partly an act. Again, Cheese Elf says you're just doing it to get a rise out of Sam. And he's not going along with it. At all. So I'll appreciate the funny. I just thought you should know my concerns.
On the upside, I love Jensen's delivery of the line. I think it's a combo of the facial expression and the hand gesture (those who have known me for any length of time know that I have a thing about hands), so in spite of my misgivings, I love the exchange. I'm fairly hopeless that way.
Wait. Barry's going to Michigan State? Oh, nonono. OSU, buddy! They've got a fantastic vet medicine program.
Amanda Heckerling. At this point, Geo made me stop the recording and go back he was so tickled with the shout-out. Amy Heckerling directed Fast Times at Ridgemont High. I have not seen this movie, but Geo insists that I should because it's really good. So I should probably Netflix it soon.
Wow. Little Sammy when he's angry is kinda scary.
Poor Sam. And Dean trying to talk Sam out of his guilt. *hugs boys*
I kinda love that Dean wants to pound the bully to a pulp, and in the next breath absolutely knows that Sam could have pounded the bully to a pulp himself. I kinda reminds me of their sparring session in the pilot when Dean breaks into the apartment.
Still, though, this portrayal of Dean seems a little forced. I mentioned earlier that I thought it was lacking the subtlety that I'm used to seeing in Dean, but I can't really fault the actor for not being Jensen. There's only one Jensen Ackles.
Loved the conversation between Sam and his teacher.
Creepy possessed girl knows Sam by name! It's Lilith!!!!!!
"You got tall, Winchester." Okay, so, not Lilith.
And I kind of love that a mouth full of salt casts out the ghost.
I admit I'm a little concerned that Dean pulls out two large bottles of whisky as if it's nothing. Dean? Are you still, um, you know . . . with the nightmares and the drinking and all?
Also, I still want to know where they keep that beer cooler.
Oh! And hey! An Impala on the roadside scene and no tearful confession! I know a lot of the fandom should be happy about that, yes?
"Did you know everybody at this school?" No, Dean. Just the two people who are connected to this case. :-) Although it's not unheard of for someone to know almost everyone in a school. Usually, though, they're not the person trying to lay low like Sam is (and you should be, but we'll get to that later).
Sammy with his fight and self-defense training. Excellent.
I have mixed feelings about the reveal regarding Dirk and how he was at home. The point is well taken that we can't know what's going on in a person's private or home life, that things might not always be as they appear. But that doesn't change the fact that Dirk was a bully and that Sam was not the instigator. I am also a little concerned that it doesn't sound like Dirk's dad was ever called in about his son's aggressive behavior. So even though Sam didn't have the whole story, neither did the dad.
That's not going to ease either of their grief, though. Dad grieves for his son, and Sam feels guilt over his part in Dirk's troubles.
*sigh*
And in the midst of all the angst, Dean not only gets things back on track, but is oh-so not subtle in his questioning. "All of him?" Which leads me to the question . . . what if there was a ghost that was sticking around due to an attachment to a transplanted organ or something? Huh?
"I'm like 21 Jump Street." Sure you are, Dean.
Okay, Dirk? You're calling the Winchester boys jocks? Have ya taken a good look at them? Sam would have been a brain or a geek, and Dean was clearly a hood. Now, if you're referring to Dean (which I notice you directed that sneer in his direction) because he's under cover as the gym teacher, well . . . I suppose I can see your mistake.
Yes, there is life after high school. More on that in a moment.
Dean, caught in the closet with one girl, by another girl. Oops. Yeah, well . . .
But the standing in the hall declaring himself a hero? That . . . just doesn't ring true. What happened to "We do what we do and we shut up about it," Dean? That's a lesson I'm sure you learned a long time ago.
And I'm not sure how to express my melancholy at Sam receiving kudos as he journeys down the hall--surely had they stayed put he would have indeed become a popular kid--while Dean walks isolated even in the crowd. Dean the unsung hero because his heroics can't be discussed in public, while Sam tackles the problem that all the other kids know about.
*sigh* Oh, boys.
"Are you happy, Sam?" Ooohh . . . don't even send him off to Ruby to do something that "feels good." Because see that slippery slope right there? With no guard rail? And the banana peel lying right there? Yeah . . . just, no.
One of the things I love about this ep is how it highlights both the fact that high school never really leaves us, and yet it's just a small portion of our lives that we live through and move beyond. In that regard, it reminds me of a musical I was in called Is There Life After High School. I did have a long thinky thought regarding the "is there life after high school" aspect of the show, but it wasn't gelling, so . . . (Incidentally, that was the musical wherein I had my first solo number, and the show during which I gave one of my best performances. Everyone was so impressed that I was able to cry on stage. Crying on cue is one of the reasons I couldn't be a TV or film actress. I can't do it. I have to be truly in the moment and feeling it, and to do that time and time and time again, I just can't do it. That's one of the reasons I'm so in awe of Jensen's acting ability. But I digress . . . )
Next week: strippers. Dean is a (temporarily) happy camper.
