Red Sky at Morning & Fresh Blood

[feliciakw]

I know RSaM gets a bad rap, but I've got to admit: with the exception of the pediconference exposition at the marina, I rather like this ep. There's a lot to like.

The ghost ship is very cool.

The case is a good, solid ghost story.

Ms. Gert Case cracks. me. up.

As do Sam's dimples of dismay.

As does hyperventilating!Dean.

And we get Dean in a tux. And the delightful array of facial expressions when Bela suggests they have angry sex.

We also have Dean as smooth criminal, breaking into the display case.

Smooth!criminal!Winchesters is one of my favorite flavors.

Now, about that whole exposition thing. Look back at "Route 666." Who's the one who talks about ghost ships and The Flying Dutchman and explains the lore to the college boy? Oh! That's right! It's Dean. So now they're saying Dean doesn't know this stuff? Are they for real? There are plenty of ways they could have written that conversation (and I'm having deja vu here, like I've written this before) that would have had both boys reviewing the info, rather than a Q&A format, particularly since the one doing the Q already knows the stuff. Oy.

But other than that, I actually like the ep.



What can I say about "Fresh Blood." Again, good, good stuff. And the guys are lookin' mighty fine.

This is another example of how well Sera can write the emotional stuff. Not only do we have the great conversations between Sam and Dean, conversations that break my heart for how scared they both are, and how inevitable the outcome is, but we also get Gordon, psycho wackjob obsessed hunter though he may be, genuinely sorrowful (in his psycho wackjob way) that he killed his friend.

But the conversations between Sam and Dean. Oy! These conversations hit me on multiple levels, due in no small part to being an older sib myself. Was I a good big sister? Did I take care of my little bro properly? And how I feel when I think of the inevitability of losing my own family at some point. And Sam and Dean knowing that Sam will be on his own within months, and just . . . guh!

As I approach the mid-point of S3, and try to connect S3 to S5, I'm struck by the fact that S3 does little more than mark time until Dean's deal comes due. We have individual case stories, and we have feathered into that Sam's attempts to break Dean's deal. But we really aren't given a sense of how any of it fits into the overall mytharc. Things do pick up here shortly, and there was the unfortunate WGA strike. I like S3, don't get me wrong. But looking at it from the far side of S4 & S5, there was a lot of lost opportunity here from the bigger mytharc standpoint.

We also get a cameo by the beer cooler, which tickles me every time it makes an appearance.
This, for me, is just a fun little ep.

One thing though: I find I'm apathetic about Bela. I don't particularly like her. I don't particularly hate her. She's just kind of . . . there.

Comments

[girlyghoul70.livejournal.com]

Fresh Blood? Goodbye Gordon *sniff*! Goodbye Kubrick too. But such GOOD Brother moments, sad as this was. The car scene is adorable, though, part of me thinks its shameful for Sam to be that ignorant about car repair and tools. You'd think John would have drilled it into him as a matter of survival. But it makes for such an AWWW moment! Dean's wrecklessness- Notice it takes him til about the beginning of mid-season to pull himself together when he's having issues? Thank goodness he at least gets it and straightens up and flies right the rest of the way (Season 4 Sam, I'm giving you stink eye!)

I really do hate Red Sky. The reason? Bela runs the show. I don't like her setting up the gig and the boys following her lead. Plus that, "oh no, the lady has fainted!" I hate that as any kind of ruse. It's embarrassing both to female characters and the law enforcement folks who fall for it. And Bela betrays them after all they did for her. This is why there is always Bela hate. She never redeemed herself from shooting Sam. Instead, every episode she crossed them deeper and deeper. Helping them find Gordon doesn't count- she was only saving her own skin. She sold them out for a mojo bag! But here I am crossing episodes to rag on Bela.

The only redeeming quality of Red Sky? Tuxxies! TUXXIES!! PURTY BOYS! And yes, dressies too, even Gertie and (BLEH) Bela cleaned up nicely at the Ball. But TUXXIES! TUXXIES! WHEEEEEE!

[feliciakw.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I wasn't too keen on Bela selling them out to Gordon, either. She plays it likes it's all a big joke, like it's a surprise to her that Gordon wants to kill them? And why wouldn't he have a partner? She's either thick or selfishly evil. I'm gonna go with the latter.

In conclusion, I would love to see the Dean wardrobe collection: tux, lederhosen, gym shorts. Bwah!

[girlyghoul70.livejournal.com]

"In conclusion, I would love to see the Dean wardrobe collection: tux, lederhosen, gym shorts. Bwah!"

<---- The (4 year old's) Jammies, nothing, FBI Riot Gear with Ski Mask.... nothing, Hospital Scrubs.... nothing... Umm... I'm sure there's more, but my brain won't let me go past the very few times it was nuttin' but amulet for Deano ;-)!