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feliciakwUpon further review, I find that this, too, will be an ep that will probably grow on me. As I said, I wasn't bowled over, and upon researching which eps these two writers have written, I find that this ep is pretty consistent with their previous offerings--okay as stand-alones, an interesting insight here or there, a great scene or two that I enjoy re-watching, some pretty dang creepy stuff, but not in my top list of favorites. In other words, the other eps these guys have written, none of them were OH EM GEE WHAT A GREAT EPISODE!!!!!111FLAIL!1, but were more along the lines of "Oh, huh. That was kinda fun and interesting." These writers also apparently like to give Jensen humor to play with, because I got a distinct sense of "Yellow Fever" in Jensen's portrayal, and lo, "Yellow Fever" was indeed one of the eps these guys have written.
But I babble. Shall we move on?
So, given the "Then"s, I thought we might pick up shortly after AAH. Not so much a ramifications ep, but a "gotta keep working to block out the pain" ep. A denial ep, you might say.
Where the heck have I seen the chief doctor before? He looks so dang familiar. *does imdb search* Ah! He was in Christmas Cottage. AH-HA! He played a Fed on TS!
Creepy things in the walls and duct work are creepy. (For things crawling through duct work, see also "Jump the Shark," which these guys also wrote.)
Thinking back to "Malleus Maleficarum," if the baddie wanted to really make this look like a suicide, she would have sliced vertical along Susan's arms. Still, very icky. (And I now want Gil Grissom on the scene to question why Susan would commit suicide in the middle of the floor in the middle of the room and not on her bed.)
Sam and Dean's interview with the doctor? Hilarious! So matter-of-fact and casual and just wonderfully played.
Cheery nurse is cheery. And says "Okey dokey." Bwah.
Sam and Dean's expository conversation about why they've taken the case: Interesting! A reversal from "Folsom Prison Blues," wherein Dean was the one who convinced Sam to go undercover--against Sam's better judgment--to help one of John's old comrades in arms (in this case, a fellow hunter). Excellent call-back. Also, is this Sam's sneaky way of trying to get Dean to talk to a professional about his (Dean's) grief over Jo and Ellen? Sam, you sly dog. However, you know Dean is going to find you out (see right there? He called you on it) and simply continue to repress. (Yep. There it is.)
Martin. Martin is a good guest character. I like him. Geo thinks that Martin went nuts from the pressures of working at The Centre.
I feel sorry for Ted. And with Sam's savvy for recognizing a potential actual witness, I like his knowing looks as he tries to suss out the situation.
Okay, in retrospect, is Dean pretending to be crazy with the chess game? Or does he really think someone is there?
Okay, I love Dean's Hannibal Lector/Anthony Hopkins impression. Ha! Oh, Dean. You amuse me so.
Also? I like his shrink. And I really like the back and forth Q&A they get going. I wish she had been real.
However, the "Let's talk about your father"? That's hitting below the belt, lady. John is the source of a lot of Dean's issues, it's true, but still, ouch . . .
I like how Sam can take one look at Dean and know that something is wrong. It's been awhile since he's been able to do that, yeah?
Wendy looks very familiar. And yes, Dean, a pretty girl can turn just about any unpleasant situation around for you, can't she? Heh.
"Back off, Dean!" Wow, Sam. Where'd that come from?
I had to chuckle at Sam going all CSI in the morgue. The only thing missing was Innards-Cam. And a face shield for the blood splatter. Speaking of which, why was there no blood splatter? Since when does Kripke skimp on blood? Of course, if there had been blood splatter, then they would have had to explain it to the nurse. Which the writers apparently didn't want to have to deal with.
"Somebody's coming!" Morgue drawers! They're going to have to hide in the morgue drawers! They're . . . caught. Well . . . that was awkward and embarrassing.
A wraith? "Wraith" is a really cool word. That drawing, though, is really rather icky.
Yes, I like Dean's doc. And the conversation. Though at her last question, "How do you get up in the morning," I expected Dean to reply with something like, "I just do." Or "How can I not?" Or something with a little more confidence than "That's a good question." Oh, Dean. *hugs him*
Also? All throughout that scene? Jensen looked really good. Yes, he did.
Sam was able to raid three nurse's stations and snag three letter openers. Obviously this place is not a high security facility that routinely treats dangerous patients.
Until Sam's little excursion. And wow. Angry, focussed Sam with a mission is not someone you want to cross, apparently. And yay Martin saves Sam from himself, and the doctor in the process.
This is Sam. This is Sam on a pharmaceutical feel-good cocktail. Oh, Sam. I really can't explain how this scene kinda hurts. 'Cause he's saying things that he's been thinking ("You've been half crazy for a while now. Since you got back from Hell . . .") and he's thinking Dean might be going crazy, and he's too high to be concerned. But he still loves his brother. Oh, Sam.
I want to know if the nose tweak was a Jared ad-lib. Because that would be fantastic!
Final scene with Dean's doc . . . Sympathy to cold-hearted condemnation in .005 seconds. It's a demon! Oh my gosh, it's a demon! IT'S MEG!!!!!!! OMG IT'S MEG!!! "I'm not real." IT'S MEG IN DEAN'S HEAD!!!! Wait. That . . . can't . . . oh. Not Meg. Rather, Dean's mental manifestation of his own sense of guilt. Oh, Dean.
Still, cool scene for the reveal. And I really rather like the actress.
Sam's conversation with the doc poses an interesting question. Sam renounces his belief in monsters, which essentially means, okay, I'm done "pretending." I'm sorry I almost hurt you, and . . . And what? He's ready to get out? He doesn't think there's a monster there anymore and he's ready to get Dean out of there? He wants to focus on getting Dean help? What's your plan now, Sammy? I guess we'll never know, because it's not about the monsters, it's about the anger.
So we had Dean's mental manifestation of his issues, which is his sense of guilt presenting itself as his sense of failure. Now we get Sam's mental manifestations of his issues, how he sees himself . . . as arrogant and lying and evil, and for all of that, a failure. None of this is news to us, and it's probably not actually news to Dean and Sam, either. But that those self-perceptions are what the wraith latched onto and exploited . . . those are the weak spots in their attitudes, the easiest for the baddies to grab onto and exploit. That should tell you something, guys.
But you know what else was really painful in this scene? When the camera reveals that Dean was sitting at a back table all along, just sitting, staring, eyes half-lidded . . . But Dean is still in there trying to figure it out. "What's happening? What's happening?" Oh, Dean.
The scene with Dean and Martin (did I really just write that? That's funny) is really good, too. I love the way Jensen plays it, and the interplay between the two actors. And the fact that Martin is the one who isn't all there, but right now, he's the one with the most steady sense of reality, and he keeps Dean focused and on task.
Also? Smart!Dean!!! \o/
"We're both gonna end up like a couple of drooly nutbags." So, Dean. What you're saying is that your retirement options are: old and hardened like Rufus; old and crazy like Martin; or old and Bobby-like (wheelchair or no). My advice? Choose door #3.
Martin might be a little unbalanced, but he'd still make a good member of the hunting support network.
I like the gal who's playing the nurse. And she reminds me of someone. Tracy Dinwiddie, maybe? In the coloring and bone structure, maybe? I don't know. But to me they look like they could be related. Anyway . . .
That last exchange between Sam and Dean . . . a little heavy-handed, but I liked seeing Sam actually acknowledge his anger and how long he's felt it. And obviously Dean's solution isn't the healthiest, but more and more, it's becoming their only option. Also? It reminded me of S1 Don Eppes on N3. Izhizha, you know which ep I'm talking about, where Charlie accuses Don of being too detached, and Don's response is "With everything I see in my job? You bet I'm detached! It's how I function!" Seriously, Don needs to take Dean out for drinks and hook him up with Doc Bradford or something.
Anyway . . .
In conclusion: An acceptable stand-alone. Some shortcomings in the layout of the plot, but Jensen and Jared were so wonderful in this ep, and it was so nice having new Show, I'm willing to accept it for what it is. Not going on my list of Top Ten Favorites, but it was good to see the guys again.
But I babble. Shall we move on?
So, given the "Then"s, I thought we might pick up shortly after AAH. Not so much a ramifications ep, but a "gotta keep working to block out the pain" ep. A denial ep, you might say.
Where the heck have I seen the chief doctor before? He looks so dang familiar. *does imdb search* Ah! He was in Christmas Cottage. AH-HA! He played a Fed on TS!
Creepy things in the walls and duct work are creepy. (For things crawling through duct work, see also "Jump the Shark," which these guys also wrote.)
Thinking back to "Malleus Maleficarum," if the baddie wanted to really make this look like a suicide, she would have sliced vertical along Susan's arms. Still, very icky. (And I now want Gil Grissom on the scene to question why Susan would commit suicide in the middle of the floor in the middle of the room and not on her bed.)
Sam and Dean's interview with the doctor? Hilarious! So matter-of-fact and casual and just wonderfully played.
Cheery nurse is cheery. And says "Okey dokey." Bwah.
Sam and Dean's expository conversation about why they've taken the case: Interesting! A reversal from "Folsom Prison Blues," wherein Dean was the one who convinced Sam to go undercover--against Sam's better judgment--to help one of John's old comrades in arms (in this case, a fellow hunter). Excellent call-back. Also, is this Sam's sneaky way of trying to get Dean to talk to a professional about his (Dean's) grief over Jo and Ellen? Sam, you sly dog. However, you know Dean is going to find you out (see right there? He called you on it) and simply continue to repress. (Yep. There it is.)
Martin. Martin is a good guest character. I like him. Geo thinks that Martin went nuts from the pressures of working at The Centre.
I feel sorry for Ted. And with Sam's savvy for recognizing a potential actual witness, I like his knowing looks as he tries to suss out the situation.
Okay, in retrospect, is Dean pretending to be crazy with the chess game? Or does he really think someone is there?
Okay, I love Dean's Hannibal Lector/Anthony Hopkins impression. Ha! Oh, Dean. You amuse me so.
Also? I like his shrink. And I really like the back and forth Q&A they get going. I wish she had been real.
However, the "Let's talk about your father"? That's hitting below the belt, lady. John is the source of a lot of Dean's issues, it's true, but still, ouch . . .
I like how Sam can take one look at Dean and know that something is wrong. It's been awhile since he's been able to do that, yeah?
Wendy looks very familiar. And yes, Dean, a pretty girl can turn just about any unpleasant situation around for you, can't she? Heh.
"Back off, Dean!" Wow, Sam. Where'd that come from?
I had to chuckle at Sam going all CSI in the morgue. The only thing missing was Innards-Cam. And a face shield for the blood splatter. Speaking of which, why was there no blood splatter? Since when does Kripke skimp on blood? Of course, if there had been blood splatter, then they would have had to explain it to the nurse. Which the writers apparently didn't want to have to deal with.
"Somebody's coming!" Morgue drawers! They're going to have to hide in the morgue drawers! They're . . . caught. Well . . . that was awkward and embarrassing.
A wraith? "Wraith" is a really cool word. That drawing, though, is really rather icky.
Yes, I like Dean's doc. And the conversation. Though at her last question, "How do you get up in the morning," I expected Dean to reply with something like, "I just do." Or "How can I not?" Or something with a little more confidence than "That's a good question." Oh, Dean. *hugs him*
Also? All throughout that scene? Jensen looked really good. Yes, he did.
Sam was able to raid three nurse's stations and snag three letter openers. Obviously this place is not a high security facility that routinely treats dangerous patients.
Until Sam's little excursion. And wow. Angry, focussed Sam with a mission is not someone you want to cross, apparently. And yay Martin saves Sam from himself, and the doctor in the process.
This is Sam. This is Sam on a pharmaceutical feel-good cocktail. Oh, Sam. I really can't explain how this scene kinda hurts. 'Cause he's saying things that he's been thinking ("You've been half crazy for a while now. Since you got back from Hell . . .") and he's thinking Dean might be going crazy, and he's too high to be concerned. But he still loves his brother. Oh, Sam.
I want to know if the nose tweak was a Jared ad-lib. Because that would be fantastic!
Final scene with Dean's doc . . . Sympathy to cold-hearted condemnation in .005 seconds. It's a demon! Oh my gosh, it's a demon! IT'S MEG!!!!!!! OMG IT'S MEG!!! "I'm not real." IT'S MEG IN DEAN'S HEAD!!!! Wait. That . . . can't . . . oh. Not Meg. Rather, Dean's mental manifestation of his own sense of guilt. Oh, Dean.
Still, cool scene for the reveal. And I really rather like the actress.
Sam's conversation with the doc poses an interesting question. Sam renounces his belief in monsters, which essentially means, okay, I'm done "pretending." I'm sorry I almost hurt you, and . . . And what? He's ready to get out? He doesn't think there's a monster there anymore and he's ready to get Dean out of there? He wants to focus on getting Dean help? What's your plan now, Sammy? I guess we'll never know, because it's not about the monsters, it's about the anger.
So we had Dean's mental manifestation of his issues, which is his sense of guilt presenting itself as his sense of failure. Now we get Sam's mental manifestations of his issues, how he sees himself . . . as arrogant and lying and evil, and for all of that, a failure. None of this is news to us, and it's probably not actually news to Dean and Sam, either. But that those self-perceptions are what the wraith latched onto and exploited . . . those are the weak spots in their attitudes, the easiest for the baddies to grab onto and exploit. That should tell you something, guys.
But you know what else was really painful in this scene? When the camera reveals that Dean was sitting at a back table all along, just sitting, staring, eyes half-lidded . . . But Dean is still in there trying to figure it out. "What's happening? What's happening?" Oh, Dean.
The scene with Dean and Martin (did I really just write that? That's funny) is really good, too. I love the way Jensen plays it, and the interplay between the two actors. And the fact that Martin is the one who isn't all there, but right now, he's the one with the most steady sense of reality, and he keeps Dean focused and on task.
Also? Smart!Dean!!! \o/
"We're both gonna end up like a couple of drooly nutbags." So, Dean. What you're saying is that your retirement options are: old and hardened like Rufus; old and crazy like Martin; or old and Bobby-like (wheelchair or no). My advice? Choose door #3.
Martin might be a little unbalanced, but he'd still make a good member of the hunting support network.
I like the gal who's playing the nurse. And she reminds me of someone. Tracy Dinwiddie, maybe? In the coloring and bone structure, maybe? I don't know. But to me they look like they could be related. Anyway . . .
That last exchange between Sam and Dean . . . a little heavy-handed, but I liked seeing Sam actually acknowledge his anger and how long he's felt it. And obviously Dean's solution isn't the healthiest, but more and more, it's becoming their only option. Also? It reminded me of S1 Don Eppes on N3. Izhizha, you know which ep I'm talking about, where Charlie accuses Don of being too detached, and Don's response is "With everything I see in my job? You bet I'm detached! It's how I function!" Seriously, Don needs to take Dean out for drinks and hook him up with Doc Bradford or something.
Anyway . . .
In conclusion: An acceptable stand-alone. Some shortcomings in the layout of the plot, but Jensen and Jared were so wonderful in this ep, and it was so nice having new Show, I'm willing to accept it for what it is. Not going on my list of Top Ten Favorites, but it was good to see the guys again.
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no subject
Date: 2010-01-22 07:57 pm (UTC)It was good... interesting to watch. I didn't see some things coming, so points there.
The boys were great and like you said.. it's good to have them back.
Did not see that the woman doctor was in his head.. that threw me.
I think that nose boop had to be an ad-lib. When it happened I watched Jenson very closely .. just to see if he slips up/shows a crack in character. Of course I should have known he wouldn't. But that was perfect and I really hope it was an ad-lib. Fit perfectly.
I'm satisfied.
no subject
Date: 2010-01-22 11:03 pm (UTC)All in all, yep. satisfied.
no subject
Date: 2010-01-22 08:43 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-01-22 11:04 pm (UTC)Do we get your review/thoughts? This doesn't seem to be an ep my f-list has much to say about.
(Nice icon, btw. I'm trying to figure out where it's from. Red Bull Derby?)
no subject
Date: 2010-01-22 11:11 pm (UTC)I'm not posting much on LJ for awhile. Kind of taking a break from it. I'll be posting again soon though, I'm sure.
no subject
Date: 2010-01-22 11:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-01-22 10:45 pm (UTC)Bottom five for me.
no subject
Date: 2010-01-22 11:13 pm (UTC)I'm one of the few people on my f-list who doesn't watch House, M.D., so the similarity there twigged me not at all. What struck me was that we've had a similar scene with Dean in DaLDoM. Different issues, but same sort of subconscious reveal. But it didn't bother me enough to take away from the scene.
Now, the Babar riff, which was lifted from the Chevy Chase movie Fletch (thank you, superwiki) seemed odd to me. I mean, it was an okay riff, as good a way to get started as any, I guess, but still.
no subject
Date: 2010-01-22 11:38 pm (UTC)Now, I've never seen Fletch so I just rolled my eyes and guessed Sam told Dean not to use another rock-n-roll name.
The trouble is - they've been so much better.
That "boop" was pure Jared, I'd bet money on it.
no subject
Date: 2010-01-23 07:09 am (UTC)No, it's a trope that comes up in a lot of shows.
no subject
Date: 2010-01-23 01:10 am (UTC)Hee, but they were crazy. No one expected from crazy people a rational thing.
Okay, in retrospect, is Dean pretending to be crazy with the chess game? Or does he really think someone is there?
I think he was pretending not understanding that he IS going crazy aready (hence the Doc).
However, the "Let's talk about your father"? That's hitting below the belt, lady. John is the source of a lot of Dean's issues, it's true, but still, ouch . . .
Hee, but it wasn't 'the lady' it was Dean. I like that mentioning because it indicates that not all Dean's issues with John were solved.
and he's too high to be concerned
I didn't read it like that. For me it was a moment of showing how Sam doesn't care about Dean's state of mind while he's still around.
But he still loves his brother.
I don't think it ever was a problem though. Sam loves Dean, yes, but he doesn't respect him and that was showsn with 'Still' adding (imo). he has a long way to understand it *i hope*
Now we get Sam's mental manifestations of his issues, how he sees himself . . . as arrogant and lying and evil, and for all of that, a failure. None of this is news to us, and it's probably not actually news to Dean and Sam, either
I think it's a big news for Sam though. He didn't see himself as arriogant and lying before and always looked for someone to blame for his mistakes so finally seeing it in himself was new and good step forward for him.
All in all it was a good ep with interesting insight. I don't even consider a plot as something important there (too many holes) but characterizations were good *finally* and it's enough for me. This and The Ackting of course :)
no subject
Date: 2010-01-23 02:45 am (UTC)Oh, I know that now, but when I first heard her ask that, I just kinda cringed and wanted to hug Dean.
I don't think it ever was a problem though. Sam loves Dean, yes, but he doesn't respect him and that was showsn with 'Still' adding (imo). he has a long way to understand it *i hope*
I guess I'm reading something completely different in this scene. Because Sam is on so many drugs, he really can't bring himself to care about anything. The drugs make him relaxed and "happy." But he's trying to make sense through the drugs and only kinda half getting there. He thinks maybe Dean is going crazy, because Dean was wrong about the doc being a wraith. But that's okay, because Sam still loves Dean, even though he (Dean) is going crazy. But because of the drugs, Sam just can't effectively respond to the idea that Dean is going crazy.
Does that make sense? Anyway, that's why that scene hurt so much for me.
I do hope that now that Sam consciously realized about himself, that he'll make an effort to curb his anger. Like I said, I was thrilled to see that moment of acknowledgement from Sam, even if it did come in an awkward point during their get-away.
So all in all, yes. This was an acceptable ep. :-)
no subject
Date: 2010-01-23 07:10 pm (UTC)I got it but i read it as the saying goes - what sober man thinks drunk man speaks. And sam there was phrasing it as if Dean's crazy and makes mistakes but he, Sam still loves him. Like he, Sam, doesn't make mistakes. I also had problem understanding Sam's point of why he thought Dean was crazy long before his return from hell?
no subject
Date: 2010-01-23 02:09 am (UTC)Tracy is the first person that came to my mind. Similar smile and upbeat energy, plus the hair and facial structure.
Boop!
no subject
Date: 2010-01-23 02:50 am (UTC)Boop!
no subject
Date: 2010-01-23 07:07 am (UTC)That's where I knew him from! HI BROOTS!
Mostly I'm right with you on this ep. *nods* Some good stuff, some creepy stuff, some heavy-handed stuff...I don't know. At the end there, I kind of wanted Dean to encourage Sam to use his anger against Lucifer, something like, "You don't have to know where it's from. If it helps you get the job done, just use it." Instead we got fatalistic Dean, which kind of makes me want to cry a bit (and hug Sam and take him out for coffee).
Don needs to take Dean out for drinks and hook him up with Doc Bradford or something.
Darn you, Fee. Now my brain is attempting to come up with a solid way Don and Dean could end up in such a situation, without violating either canon. Because, wow, yes...
no subject
Date: 2010-01-23 01:24 pm (UTC)But that's been Sam's problem all along, don't you think? He tells himself he's using his shortcomings for the greater good (the lying, the demon blood, etc.), but now he knows he was lying to himself about that. Does that make sense? That's not something Dean would tell him to do.
Remember last season when Dean was at the end of his rope with . . . Pamela's death, I think. Dean said he was tired (of burying friends, among other things), and Sam told him to get angry. Anger isn't Dean's first reaction to the world around him. It's not a primary facet of his personality. You know what I mean?
And this season, in "The End," when Sam was angry about being a puppet, and Dean said, "Oh, so we're back to revenge now. Because that worked so well last time." I don't see that much has changed for Dean in regards to not using anger as a weapon. He does not, however, have a problem trying to repress emotions that might make him less efficient. Go figure.
Also, re: fatalistic Dean . . . Is it possible to win a war if you go in believing you're going to lose? Think about it, Dean.
Dean wasn't awake to hear Lucifer encourage Sam to fan his anger, but if Lucifer wants Sam angry, then Sam needs to get it under control.