Playthings & Nightshifter

[feliciakw]

I made a couple comments about "Playthings" last year, and again, I don't really have a whole lot to add.



I like this one. Good, solid stand-alone case but with back story and character developments.

I'd waited since the beginning for them to do something with voodoo or hoodoo. This isn't exactly what I had in mind (I want an all-out trip to New Orleans), but it's a start.

I love the classic haunted hotel, and the twists in the case.

I figure they were watching The Shining when they wrote this one. That bar/dining room is clearly Shining inspired.

And of course we have the key exchange in the ep, wherein Sam, in a drunken stupor, makes Dean promise to kill him (Sam) if Sam ever becomes something not!Sam. They just keep piling on the angst, and poor Dean's got no choice but to carry on (wayward son).



Nightshifter

Now, I did do a fairly thorough write-up of this one last year.

Another favorite amongst the people I know, with a great case (both supernatural and non-), delightful guest character(s), and more angst and oh!noez!

Oh, Ronald. We hardly knew ye. You would have been great in R&D, and I was going to hook you up with Ash when this was over. Y'all would have geeked out together something fierce. (Ronald kind of reminds me of some of the guest characters in N3.)

Ah, Hendricksen. I learned to love you, but here, you scare me. Well, you scare me for Dean.

Oh, Dean. You just can't catch a break, can you. And the look on your face, your body language, when the SWAT guy finds you with the dead 'shifter. You know what's waiting for you, don't you. You're resigned to not having much of a future. Lucky for you, the SWAT guy is really your brother with an escape plan.

And Sam. Oh, Sam. Knowing your brother is a wanted felon. Knowing y'all are trapped like rats with no way out. You're becoming quite a force to be reckoned with, what with taking out not one, but two SWAT guys, then scaring your brother by showing up in disguise before the two of you make your escape.

*cue Styx*
*cue me flailing*

Comments

[girlyghoul70.livejournal.com]

Playthings is a fav! I'm trying to remember, but I'm pretty sure I knew that Maggie was either a ghost or an imaginary playmate from the get go. I think I was a little thrown when both girls ran past the boys. But it was not a huge gasp for me when it's "revealed" that Maggie is "imaginary". And dang, but she's a mean little girl! I liked the ending sort of, because it gave Rose some power when she mostly had none. She was able to save her daughter and granddaughter even though it cost her her life- so we get good oogie feelings for Rose. However, I think it would have been more satisfying for the boys to vanquish Maggie... because like I said- she was a MEAN! LITTLE! GIRL!

And people... they do NOT look like Antiquers! Sure it gave them a good cover when they wanted to look at the doll collection. But just walking in the door, no they DON'T look like antiquers! SHEEZ!

And I know Felicia's not happy with Sam's drunken diatribe. But I still love "You're Bossy!... and Short!" Though he definitely deserved the "Greasy pork chop served in a dirty ash tray" He got back.

NightShifter- Not one of my favs, though I'm not sure why. It's got everything I love in it... (surprise twists, lovable characters, Hendericksen as a baddie) but not one of my Go-To's. Hmm. Really not sure why.

I caught a little of this today and mainly saw Sam's "Jan Brady" scene where he's trapped in the vault while someone gushes about his perfect older brother. Hee! Two more seconds and he would have been stomping his foot going "All I ever hear about is Dean! Dean! Dean!" MA HA!

[leelust.livejournal.com]

Sam's drunken demand? Not good but it was in his mind so i'm ok with it. Sam's sober remonding of it? Ugly. But again somehow underdstandable if they'd keep it in mind and didn't retcon later *sigh*

Nightshifter is a win. No doubt there. Ron there is great and i was so upset they killed him (what a waste of a good character even if i get why they did it and how it was needed).
The song in the end and their escape? That's the old good showe i fell in love with.

[gatorpez.livejournal.com]

One thing I didn't like about Playthings is that part of it seems like a rip-off of Dead in the Water (saving the kid from water, with a very similar coming out of the water scene), and considering this was only season 2, I thought it was too early to be copying something from another episode.

Loved, loved Nightshifter - Ronald, Henrickson!

I have to tell you a story about Styx: I went to an NFL playoff game a couple of years ago (it was after Nightshifter had aired) and the band singing the National Anthem was Styx, and I'm like "seriously?" Styx does not seem like a band that you would get to do the National Anthem. Well, it turns out the real reason they were there was to play "Renegade." Apparently, during the season, the video/audio guy/people would play Renegade while showing big hits the defense would put on the opposing team on the JumboTron. So, after the National Anthem, they played Renegade, and holy crap, the entire stadium went nuts, everyone was up on their feet, singing and dancing...I'm probably the only one in the stadium who was smiling and singing along for an entirely different reason...and I was picturing Dean at the end of the episode, as he pulls his ski mask off. :-)