99 Problems, revisited

[feliciakw]

I re-watched "99 Problems" this afternoon. I really do like that ep. I love having Michael Shanks as one of the guest stars, and I liked that Sam and Dean had the opportunity to work with a larger team, that they found a community where they didn't have to pretend.

I also really, really liked that Dean was able to gank the baddie because he was a servant of Heaven. If Michael had not ended up being written as arrogant as they wrote him, and if they hadn't pounded the whole "you don't have a choice" destiny thing, I would have really liked Dean and Michael to have worked together (and Jensen to have had the opportunity to play Michael). As it is, I love that Dean fulfilled his destiny in a totally unexpected way.

One of the things that really jumped out to me while watching the ep this time was the Psalm displayed at the front of the sanctuary. They had it listed as a passage for Epiphany, which makes me go "bzuh?", but otherwise, I was kinda struck by it.

Psalm 69, the beginning of which reads like this (from the NIV):

1 Save me, O God,
for the waters have come up to my neck.
2 I sink in the miry depths,
where there is no foothold.
I have come into the deep waters;
the floods engulf me.

3 I am worn out calling for help;
my throat is parched.
My eyes fail,
looking for my God.

Sound like someone we know? Like, how Dean's been feeling about things recently, especially in this ep?

I thought so.

Comments

[girlyghoul70.livejournal.com]

I haven't watched this one for a while, but now that you mention that line I remember my own eye roll. I wasn't fond of the episode in general. Mainly because it started out so action paced and then turned talky. The boys were so DOWN and bummed. Cas drunk is amusing, but again, he was in such a MOOD as was Dean.

Then Dean's line about the whore came and it all bottomed out from there. I didn't get personally offended by the line. But it was so obvious the writers were trying to be clever and witty and just just rang wrong. The whole tone of the episode was already pretty sour for me and that just made me extra gloomy. I wasn't sure if they were referencing something in Pop Culture (like, is this a line that gets spouted in Grand Theft Auto? Not sure) Or if they were just making something up they thought would sound like a badass battle cry. Erm... try harder, y'all! So yeah, not impressed. Not super offended- but pretty displeased is what I remember feeling.

Dean's taking off and running to Lisa's felt off to me too at the time- though they made it pay off by the end of the season.

[sarcasticval.livejournal.com]

Yeah, normally I'm not one to be all "Writers, wtf?" but that line...ugh.

(Sorry to hijack your thread, F!)

[feliciakw.livejournal.com]

And I loved him going to Lisa. We've known since S3 that he's in love with the "idea" of Lisa--the idea of having a woman who truly loves him, and a child. So his stopping at her house to tell her, "When I picture myself happy, it's with you and the kid" and to reassure her that he wouldn't let anything happen to them . . . totally not surprised. I mean, yeah, I was surprised they went there, but from a character standpoint, it made sense.

From the sounds of it, I'm the only one who liked this ep.

ETA: I went back and re-read the comments from my original post; I'm not the only one who liked the ep. Which is good to know. This season made it really hard to feel the love from other fans, 'cause it seemed I was more at odds with everyone else's opinions (and they with mine) than usual.