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feliciakwI've put off doing this write-up for several reasons. First, I'm not getting as much . . . enjoyment . . . out of them as I did last season, or as I did last summer. Show is starting to make my brain hurt, and while I can still watch it (and I'm all for people pointing me to the squee, because squee is more fun than no squee), it's taking me longer to suss out what I think of things.
Which is what's going on here. I'm still trying to figure out just what I think of this ep. So bear with me. Or move along (nothing to see here). Whichever. :-)
Overall, this ep was kind of pointless. It's not a stand alone, but as part of the mytharc, the only purpose it served was to introduce Michael. It didn't really add any new information. At least, not any information I found particularly useful or impressive. But I'll get to that later.
That dream sequence of yours, Dean? Yeah. Awkward. And I'm trying to figure out exactly why. It's not surprising that Dean would have dreams like this, considering his porn consumption. It seems they might have used a slightly wide angle lens on Jensen (but I wouldn't swear to it). The girls' costumes are cheesy (duh). And Dean's one-liners are just awkward. The whole thing is uncomfortable.
Then Anna shows up. I love how his lips don't even move when he addresses her, he's so shocked.
"This is what you dream about?" Not all the time, Anna. Sometimes he dreams about wife and kids and picnics and baseball.
So Anna's been in prison. Which . . . I guess I wasn't consciously expecting that. As a fallen angel, she said she had a price on her head, and that punishment was execution. At least, that's what I seem to remember. So . . . I'm not really surprised to see her again, but since I'm not a fan, her not showing up wouldn't be a problem for me.
Have I mentioned recently that I love Cas? Because I do. I love that doesn't trust Anna and is protecting the Boys. I love that he calls her on the knife and one-ups her.
"Sam Winchester has to die." Oh. Like we haven't heard that before.
"Sam Winchester is my friend." *hugs Cas* My personal theory is that, as much as any other reason, Cas considers Sam a friend because Sam is important to Dean, and Dean is important to Cas. But that's just my own theory, and regardless, it's delightful to hear Cas refer to Sam as his friend.
"You come near Sam Winchester, and I'll kill you." Cas, you're awesome.
Grease! She landed in 1978. That was my favorite movie that summer. "Summer lovin', had me a blaa-ast." "Summer lovin', happened so faa-aast." "Met a girl crazy for me." "Met a boy, cute as can be." "Summer days, driftin' away, bu-ut, oh, those summer nights." Well-a well-a well-a, uh. Tell me more tell me more!" . . . .
Ahem. Sorry. So. Right. Grease poster. 1978.
Sam asks Cas if Anna is right. He's willing to consider the option. But Cas, after looking at Dean, says Anna is wrong. And you know what? I don't believe him. I think he knows perfectly well that it would work, but for Dean's sake as well as Sam's he denies it. *nods*
Hey, does anyone know what language Cas uses in his little ritual? 'Cause it doesn't sound like Latin, and I'd expect him to be using an older language anyway. (Just my take on things.)
I am highly amused by the guys finding 1978 so amusing.
"He's tough for a little nerdy dude with wings." Ha!
Poor Sam. He has no working memories of his mom, so other than the ghost in "Home," and probably the family photo, this is the first time he's ever seen his mom, let alone had the opportunity to carry on a conversation. And seeing Dad before he became a hunter, before the friction. Oh, Sam.
Anna sets a trap for John. And as I think about it, Anna would only have to gank one of the parents to prevent Sam from being born. Which means if she ganks John at this point, Dean would still be born. Which I'm sure Anna would be very happy for. Very convenient for her, yeah? Anyway . . .
And every time Dean makes that blanket statement about angels, I cringe. I just do.
I very much like how Mary handles the sword and the face-off with Anna.
Okay, so Anna wants to kill Mary, too. So much for baby Dean.
"Not another word or so help me I will turn this car around!" LOL! Seriously. It's the family road trip Sam and Dean never had.
I also find it interesting that the boys are sitting behind the parent they seem to most take after. Or something.
I love the exchanges between the boys and their parents. Between Dean and John, John even now being the practical, determined John we know.
And the conversation between Sam and John. Showing us how seriously John views the responsibility of fatherhood. And Sam getting the only opportunity he has to apologize to his dad. To tell him that he loves him, and that he forgives him. Oh, Sam.
Anna, Anna, Anna. Lying to Uriel now, are you? Yes, I liked you much better when you were an eccentric girl who had the Joan of Arc thing going.
I do love Dean and Mary's conversation to pieces. Even though in the back of my mind, I hear The Doctor admonishing, "Spoilers!" And Doc Brown's warnings that one should not know too much about one's own future.
Dean doesn't want to have to tell Mary what he tells her. But it's the only way she'll believe him. And the tidbits of background information we get. The detail. Dean's memories. Dean has working memories of his mother, and how precious they must be to him.
And Jensen totally, totally sells the scene. I love that guy.
"I'm pregnant." Temporal paradox! Dean and baby!Dean in the same room! BUT . . . they can't see each other, so it's okay. (Yeah, I kinda think someone in the writer's room subscribes to a lot of the Dr. Who parameters of time travel.)
Anna kills Sam. You know, sweetie? You might as well kill Dean while you're at it. 'Cause it's pretty much the same thing.
"Anna." "Michael." And I did just wee bit of flailing. I totally wasn't expecting Michael to show up in this ep. Or to possess John to do it.
Anna? As I've said, I'm not a fan. So I'm not particularly torn up to see you go. But . . . ouch! That's really harsh.
And here's where I start rolling my eyes. It's a bloodline? Going back to Cain and Abel? Seriously? Man, I liked it so much better when it was a metaphor.
And . . . I'm still trying to get a handle on how I feel about Michael. I don't dislike him. He seems to be a straight shooter with his side of things. But the whole predestination thing grates for a number of reasons, some having to do with what I believe, and some having to do with "then what the frell was all that about selecting psychic children and the showdown at Cold Oak?" It's true that I don't, as a general rule, believe in "random chance." Things happen for a reason, and we often find ourselves someplace at a certain time because we're supposed to be there. But how we respond to the situation is our choice. There are more reasons why predestination doesn't really fly with me, but I won't get into them.
But seriously, every time we get this "It was always you, Sam," or "It's your destiny," I always want to ask the speaker, "So what would have happened if Ava had won the showdown, hm? Did she have a lost sibling somewhere?" Or "What about Andy and Anson? Could they have been the conflicted brothers?" "What if Dean hadn't sold his soul to get Sam back?" It just makes me quirk a skeptical brow.
Otoh, destiny vs. free choice is not a new theme in my genre shows. It's something Hercules dealt with on a fairly frequent basis, with Herc's destiny being controlled by the gods vs. his choice to butt heads with them and change their plans. So in that regard, this whole predestination turn of events is annoying, but whatever.
"I won't leave you a drooling mess when I'm done wearing you." Since this is Michael, and I want to believe he is one of the good guys, I want to believe him. Which begs the question, would Zachariah's plan have worked? If Dean said yes to Michael before Sam said yes to Lucifer, could Michael vanquish Lucifer without having to kill Sam? Winners all around? Or does Sam have to say yes to Lucifer for the showdown to take place? Do I really want to be putting this much mental effort into it?
So Mary and John are going to have their minds scrubbed. Which means that all this time traveling served what purpose, exactly? I mean, don't get me wrong. I'm delighted that they set everything "right." They've reversed any "temporal inconsistencies" that would now exist with the previous seasons otherwise. But it just seems . . . like finding Bobby Ewing in the shower. You know what I mean?
This is why I'm not keen on time travel in shows where time travel is not part of the premise or theme of the show. It causes too much confusion with the ret-conning and weird logic. Not that SPN is particularly put out by logical inconsistencies, but still. Just, no.
So Michael is saying that Mary has to die. Because if Mary doesn't die, John doesn't become a hunter, and Dean and Sam don't become hunters, and when YED snatches Sam and drops him in Cold Oak, Dean has no idea what to do, and there's no Bobby there to help and . . . and . . . and . . . my brain hurts.
"Team Free Will. One ex-blood junkie, one drop-out with six bucks to his name, and Mr. Comatose over there." Oh, how I wish there were one more good angel on the roster.
And now Mary's "Angels are watching over you" has taken a decidedly darker turn. Meh.
So this ep as a whole really didn't do a lot for me, but Jensen rocked. Which means yeah, I'll be re-watching it from time to time.
Which is what's going on here. I'm still trying to figure out just what I think of this ep. So bear with me. Or move along (nothing to see here). Whichever. :-)
Overall, this ep was kind of pointless. It's not a stand alone, but as part of the mytharc, the only purpose it served was to introduce Michael. It didn't really add any new information. At least, not any information I found particularly useful or impressive. But I'll get to that later.
That dream sequence of yours, Dean? Yeah. Awkward. And I'm trying to figure out exactly why. It's not surprising that Dean would have dreams like this, considering his porn consumption. It seems they might have used a slightly wide angle lens on Jensen (but I wouldn't swear to it). The girls' costumes are cheesy (duh). And Dean's one-liners are just awkward. The whole thing is uncomfortable.
Then Anna shows up. I love how his lips don't even move when he addresses her, he's so shocked.
"This is what you dream about?" Not all the time, Anna. Sometimes he dreams about wife and kids and picnics and baseball.
So Anna's been in prison. Which . . . I guess I wasn't consciously expecting that. As a fallen angel, she said she had a price on her head, and that punishment was execution. At least, that's what I seem to remember. So . . . I'm not really surprised to see her again, but since I'm not a fan, her not showing up wouldn't be a problem for me.
Have I mentioned recently that I love Cas? Because I do. I love that doesn't trust Anna and is protecting the Boys. I love that he calls her on the knife and one-ups her.
"Sam Winchester has to die." Oh. Like we haven't heard that before.
"Sam Winchester is my friend." *hugs Cas* My personal theory is that, as much as any other reason, Cas considers Sam a friend because Sam is important to Dean, and Dean is important to Cas. But that's just my own theory, and regardless, it's delightful to hear Cas refer to Sam as his friend.
"You come near Sam Winchester, and I'll kill you." Cas, you're awesome.
Grease! She landed in 1978. That was my favorite movie that summer. "Summer lovin', had me a blaa-ast." "Summer lovin', happened so faa-aast." "Met a girl crazy for me." "Met a boy, cute as can be." "Summer days, driftin' away, bu-ut, oh, those summer nights." Well-a well-a well-a, uh. Tell me more tell me more!" . . . .
Ahem. Sorry. So. Right. Grease poster. 1978.
Sam asks Cas if Anna is right. He's willing to consider the option. But Cas, after looking at Dean, says Anna is wrong. And you know what? I don't believe him. I think he knows perfectly well that it would work, but for Dean's sake as well as Sam's he denies it. *nods*
Hey, does anyone know what language Cas uses in his little ritual? 'Cause it doesn't sound like Latin, and I'd expect him to be using an older language anyway. (Just my take on things.)
I am highly amused by the guys finding 1978 so amusing.
"He's tough for a little nerdy dude with wings." Ha!
Poor Sam. He has no working memories of his mom, so other than the ghost in "Home," and probably the family photo, this is the first time he's ever seen his mom, let alone had the opportunity to carry on a conversation. And seeing Dad before he became a hunter, before the friction. Oh, Sam.
Anna sets a trap for John. And as I think about it, Anna would only have to gank one of the parents to prevent Sam from being born. Which means if she ganks John at this point, Dean would still be born. Which I'm sure Anna would be very happy for. Very convenient for her, yeah? Anyway . . .
And every time Dean makes that blanket statement about angels, I cringe. I just do.
I very much like how Mary handles the sword and the face-off with Anna.
Okay, so Anna wants to kill Mary, too. So much for baby Dean.
"Not another word or so help me I will turn this car around!" LOL! Seriously. It's the family road trip Sam and Dean never had.
I also find it interesting that the boys are sitting behind the parent they seem to most take after. Or something.
I love the exchanges between the boys and their parents. Between Dean and John, John even now being the practical, determined John we know.
And the conversation between Sam and John. Showing us how seriously John views the responsibility of fatherhood. And Sam getting the only opportunity he has to apologize to his dad. To tell him that he loves him, and that he forgives him. Oh, Sam.
Anna, Anna, Anna. Lying to Uriel now, are you? Yes, I liked you much better when you were an eccentric girl who had the Joan of Arc thing going.
I do love Dean and Mary's conversation to pieces. Even though in the back of my mind, I hear The Doctor admonishing, "Spoilers!" And Doc Brown's warnings that one should not know too much about one's own future.
Dean doesn't want to have to tell Mary what he tells her. But it's the only way she'll believe him. And the tidbits of background information we get. The detail. Dean's memories. Dean has working memories of his mother, and how precious they must be to him.
And Jensen totally, totally sells the scene. I love that guy.
"I'm pregnant." Temporal paradox! Dean and baby!Dean in the same room! BUT . . . they can't see each other, so it's okay. (Yeah, I kinda think someone in the writer's room subscribes to a lot of the Dr. Who parameters of time travel.)
Anna kills Sam. You know, sweetie? You might as well kill Dean while you're at it. 'Cause it's pretty much the same thing.
"Anna." "Michael." And I did just wee bit of flailing. I totally wasn't expecting Michael to show up in this ep. Or to possess John to do it.
Anna? As I've said, I'm not a fan. So I'm not particularly torn up to see you go. But . . . ouch! That's really harsh.
And here's where I start rolling my eyes. It's a bloodline? Going back to Cain and Abel? Seriously? Man, I liked it so much better when it was a metaphor.
And . . . I'm still trying to get a handle on how I feel about Michael. I don't dislike him. He seems to be a straight shooter with his side of things. But the whole predestination thing grates for a number of reasons, some having to do with what I believe, and some having to do with "then what the frell was all that about selecting psychic children and the showdown at Cold Oak?" It's true that I don't, as a general rule, believe in "random chance." Things happen for a reason, and we often find ourselves someplace at a certain time because we're supposed to be there. But how we respond to the situation is our choice. There are more reasons why predestination doesn't really fly with me, but I won't get into them.
But seriously, every time we get this "It was always you, Sam," or "It's your destiny," I always want to ask the speaker, "So what would have happened if Ava had won the showdown, hm? Did she have a lost sibling somewhere?" Or "What about Andy and Anson? Could they have been the conflicted brothers?" "What if Dean hadn't sold his soul to get Sam back?" It just makes me quirk a skeptical brow.
Otoh, destiny vs. free choice is not a new theme in my genre shows. It's something Hercules dealt with on a fairly frequent basis, with Herc's destiny being controlled by the gods vs. his choice to butt heads with them and change their plans. So in that regard, this whole predestination turn of events is annoying, but whatever.
"I won't leave you a drooling mess when I'm done wearing you." Since this is Michael, and I want to believe he is one of the good guys, I want to believe him. Which begs the question, would Zachariah's plan have worked? If Dean said yes to Michael before Sam said yes to Lucifer, could Michael vanquish Lucifer without having to kill Sam? Winners all around? Or does Sam have to say yes to Lucifer for the showdown to take place? Do I really want to be putting this much mental effort into it?
So Mary and John are going to have their minds scrubbed. Which means that all this time traveling served what purpose, exactly? I mean, don't get me wrong. I'm delighted that they set everything "right." They've reversed any "temporal inconsistencies" that would now exist with the previous seasons otherwise. But it just seems . . . like finding Bobby Ewing in the shower. You know what I mean?
This is why I'm not keen on time travel in shows where time travel is not part of the premise or theme of the show. It causes too much confusion with the ret-conning and weird logic. Not that SPN is particularly put out by logical inconsistencies, but still. Just, no.
So Michael is saying that Mary has to die. Because if Mary doesn't die, John doesn't become a hunter, and Dean and Sam don't become hunters, and when YED snatches Sam and drops him in Cold Oak, Dean has no idea what to do, and there's no Bobby there to help and . . . and . . . and . . . my brain hurts.
"Team Free Will. One ex-blood junkie, one drop-out with six bucks to his name, and Mr. Comatose over there." Oh, how I wish there were one more good angel on the roster.
And now Mary's "Angels are watching over you" has taken a decidedly darker turn. Meh.
So this ep as a whole really didn't do a lot for me, but Jensen rocked. Which means yeah, I'll be re-watching it from time to time.
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Date: 2010-02-08 08:24 pm (UTC)Then maybe you should concentrate on parts that made you squee? Like The Ackting? Don't get me wrong, i like to read your reviews but the first things they have to be pleasant for you to do.
It seems they might have used a slightly wide angle lens on Jensen (but I wouldn't swear to it). The girls' costumes are cheesy (duh). And Dean's one-liners are just awkward. The whole thing is uncomfortable.
But... but... Jensen looked SO HAWT there! I think it was the sense of the whole scene *iz blushing*
You come near Sam Winchester, and I'll kill you." Cas, you're awesome.
This line bugged me. It doesn't matter why cas consider Sam his friend. On the first look Anna's plan has a lot if sense and Cas willing to risk everything just because Sam is his friend now? I don't know, it irked me :/ I think if the show actually would show us more about Team Free Will looking for another way to save humanity i'd be more in peace with that line but considering we didn't see ANY attempt in searching it sounded bad, imo.
And Doc Brown's warnings that one should not know too much about one's own future.
Hmm... iirc one particular Doc did read a note and changed his own future... ;)
Anna kills Sam. You know, sweetie? You might as well kill Dean while you're at it. 'Cause it's pretty much the same thing.
Why? If there's no Sam Dean wouldn't make a deal and wouldn't sell his soul and wouldn't break the first seal.
As for bloodline part as x5vale mentioned it was an attempt to add John into mytharc. Other than that i don't see a point either.
and some having to do with "then what the frell was all that about selecting psychic children and the showdown at Cold Oak?"
Oh, yes, Kripke and his plot holes. You have ignore previous seasons completely to have an opportunity to enjoy his show now *sigh* The problem is fans do remember previous seasons.
I won't leave you a drooling mess when I'm done wearing you
It was nice of Michael to mention but really how long do i have to wait to see what's Dean's important role in all this? Just being a meatsuit? So much for a leader and preparing through S4. :(
Which means that all this time traveling served what purpose, exactly?
To introduce Sam to Mary? Why? I don't know (i know but won't tell actually). I agree, the whole point is pointless :)
So this ep as a whole really didn't do a lot for me, but Jensen rocked. Which means yeah, I'll be re-watching it from time to time.
This! Great sum up.
no subject
Date: 2010-02-08 08:37 pm (UTC)That's only if Anna can prevent Sam from being born. As it stands when she runs Sam through with the piece of wood, that's not how it is. Dean is there, and Sam is his brother. Killing him now, even though in 1978, is still 26 years into Sam's timeline, and 31 years into Dean's. So killing Sam now, the way she did, will kill Dean, metaphorically if not literally.
Really, though, the whole mytharc is getting really convoluted, which is why some of Kripke's comments about a potential S6 are very ironic. He says he doesn't want the mytharc to become too heavy and collapse under its own weight. But if you ask me, we're treading dangerously close to that situation already.
In conclusion, Jensen is awesome.
no subject
Date: 2010-02-08 10:35 pm (UTC)I see your point but killing sam was her plan A and her plan И was to kill John. If Michael wouldn't show up she could continue with killing off John and all would be well, no Sam and Deabn's still there as potential vessel for Michael if things will go wrong.
And ITA to mytharc and i suggest you not to read new short Edlund's interview (mildly spoilery) but for that i didn't get anything awesome about S6 perspective *sigh*
In conclusion, Jensen is awesome.
WORD!
No, really i'd like to hear deeper look into acting from you. There's almost no point in discussing mytharc these days but we always Have acting to discuss :)