Everybody Loves a Clown

[feliciakw]

Well, not actually. In fact, I'm kinda with Sam on this one. I've never been overly fond of them.

Let's try to recapture some of my squee, shall we?


I wasn't that impressed with this ep when I first saw it, but upon re-watch, particularly today? It's very good!

The MotW is nicely creepy, and the case entertaining, but what makes this ep is the brother stuff. The grief, the conflict, the banter. The fact that each brother recognizes in the other that they're not dealing with John's death, but they won't admit as much of themselves. And we get the start of the reversal regarding John. Dean now carries a huge weight thanks to a secret John told him to keep, and Sam now starts seeing what he missed by always arguing with his dad.

Also? I think this is the first appearance of the Single Tear.

Also also? This is the ep that introduces what could have been a rich cornucopia of opportunity, namely, the Roadhouse. And three of the best guest characters around: Ellen, Jo (yes, Jo), and Ash. Love Ash. Now, when I first saw this ep, Jo annoyed me terribly. I did not think she was a suitable love interest for Dean (which totally felt like the direction they were going to take it), and it bothers me when female characters are introduced for the sole purpose of being a love interest. (Even damsels in distress such as Cassie and Lisa and Jamie serve an additional purpose. In Cassie and Lisa's cases, Dean has a history with them. And Jamie was just awesome and could defend herself.) But when I realized later on that Jo was going to have more of an annoying little sister vibe, I was cool with it. I liked it. And now, knowing how awesome Jo becomes in S5, I can watch this and see her potential awesomeness and not just the annoyance.

Also x3? The humor. The minivan with the loose belt or whatever. "I feel like a freakin' soccer mom."

"Planes crash!"
"And apparently clowns kill!"

"You want to give me some help here?" "Not really."

Also x4? Even if the guys are not in tune with themselves emotionally, they are in tune with each other when it comes to the case.

Dean: Did you bring the--
Sam: (tossing Dean the lock pick kit) Of course. (He tosses it to Dean, who catches it smoothly one-handed.)

I love that! I miss that!

And finally, Sam admits that he's not handling John's death well, and Dean admits the same . . . after Sam is gone, and in his own way, by taking a crowbar to his beloved Impala. Oh, Dean.

ETA: Oh, I failed to mention that I LOVE ELLEN! From the beginning I loved Ellen. Strong presence, grounding influence. A mature woman with purpose and determination. One of the best guest characters they've had. *nods*

Comments

[leelust.livejournal.com]

You'll be surprised but that early S2 sam? I liked him. And i liked the way they took him into growing. Sadly it all changed after revealing psych kids theme but before that sam's arc looked very interesting to me.
And i didn't mind Jo from the beginning being that naive i always saw her as *little sister* character not LI.

[girlyghoul70.livejournal.com]

I do miss Ash! And Ellen. Jo, she was annoying overall in those early days. I liked her at the end, but we never got to see the growth into the woman she became (though I have read fics that get her there)

I liked the emotional arc in this one- but the case, not so much. Loved the idea of a killer clown, but there was so much more potential as to what they could have done with him. Those twists I was mentioning I loved so much. This one had Sam off to confront the supposed baddie while Dean asks the friendly blind knife thrower for the blade... and dun dun dun he's the baddie. But this twist I didn't like because I don't think they executed the reveal well. I can't put my finger on why, but the sequence of SURPRISE! never worked for me here. And the chase scene was over too quick and too easy.

Still for the intro of Ash and the Harvelle Women and I guess the Single!Perfect!Tear (though did it appear in Home?... maybe it just brimmed then...) the epi is a winner!

Squee? Do we have Squee yet??

[saberivojo.livejournal.com]

I always enjoyed this ep. Loved Jo. From the beginning. I realize that not everyone did, but I did. I loved her fiestiness and spunk. I also loved Ellen. I think it is wonderful that the boys turn to her for answers. They are so lost without John. Just a little somebody to anchor them a bit. That being said, they come together and figure it out.

Something this ep shows me (that quite a few others have as well) is Sam's glee at Dean's uncomfortablenss. He cracks me up with the absolute happiness he shows when Dean gets called on by the blind guy and the little person. Sam laughs with the timeless laugh of all brothers when their sibling is in trouble.

That reminds me of real brothers.

*grins*

[feliciakw.livejournal.com]

Oh, I failed to mention that I LOVE ELLEN! From the beginning I loved Ellen. Strong presence, grounding influence. A mature woman with purpose and determination. One of the best guest characters they've had. *nods*