SPN - "All Dogs Go To Heaven"

[feliciakw]

Then . . . Oh, hi, Madison. Sam has no soul. They're looking for alphas. Crowley claims he can give Dean his soul back.

Now . . .

They've used that bar sign before. "Honey wagon" is an industry in-joke if you're curious. Geo got a kick out of it. But this must be a chain of bars, because I think that's the name of the bar in "Sex and Violence."

Businessman (who spends his evenings at the Honey Wagon) talks to the dogsitter on his way to his car. Thunder claps, and there's something odd. Businessman gets mauled to death, and what I really want to know is: Why is the reflection of "Jewelry for Ca$h" so prominent in the shot? Backwards, in red, reflecting on the door of his car. Is this a foreshadowing of jewelry that will make an appearance later? Does it reference the amulet? Perhaps it's an oblique reference to buying back Sam's soul? SO MANY QUESTIONS!

Sam and Dean stop for roadside BBQ, Crowley shows up with a job for them. "You've been working for me for some time. Sam, longer." Sam protests that they didn't know. Crowley points out that it doesn't matter to Sam. "You'd sell your brother for a dollar if you really needed a soda." And suddenly I have visions of Sam selling Dean while Dean sleeps. What an unpleasant thought. There'll be fic, I'm sure.

Dean refuses, Crowley plays hardball. This isn't a "deal," this is a hostage situation. Dean doesn't have a choice but to "pay the ransom." What everyone continues to fail to notice is that Jensen has amazing eyelashes. Dean is so not cool with the situation.

Dean continues to be not cool with it as they drive to investigate. He's working for a demon and working with a stranger. :(

But Sam assures Dean that Sam is still Sam. Same memories, noggin, same taste in music, still thinks about the same high school crush. The thing is? He prefaces that speech with "Look." Now, here he says it much more casually than he was prefacing two weeks ago, but still . . . I'm starting to become suspicious whenever I hear him start a sentence like that.

Sam is uber!snarky at the crime scene, Dean can't quite believe he heard what he just heard.

Dean slept in his clothes, on top of his bedding, on the bed farthest from the door. Hm . . . Sam doesn't sleep at all. He must get tons of research done with all that not sleeping. And it kind of makes me wonder if it matters to him at all whether or not Dean gets a good night's sleep. Does Dean have nightmares, and does Sam care? It also makes me wonder if not dreaming is affecting Sam at all.

Also? Sam needs a haircut. I'm tempted to pull his hair back into a ponytail. That means it's getting too long. Just an inch or two off would be good. *nods*

And Sam is robo-cop. Driving this investigation forward, with little thought to thoroughness in information gathering.

So, can anyone tell me whom their names reference this time around? Holt and Wilson? Since Sam tossed Dean his badge, I'm assuming that Sam took it upon himself to create these IDs. Any thoughts?

Cal Garrigan and girlfriend Mandy. And a German shepherd that doesn't like Cal too much, apparently. Dogs are sensitive to the supernatural you know. I'm suspicious.

"If all you had was beer, how come you're sweating vodka?" Oh, Sam. Heh.

Just to reiterate: Jensen looks really good in this ep.

Sam: So, Cal's a prince.
Dean: Yeah, he doesn't even know where he was last night.
Sam: We bag him now?
Dean: No, we make sure.
Sam: Really?
Dean: Before we hand him over to a lifetime of demon rape? Yeah, really.

A very brief, but very telling exchange. Sam is ready to shoot the first suspect that crosses their path. Sam is more inclined to make sure.

So they follow Cal's nightly routine. Three scuzzy bars, one scuzzy strip club, a chilli dog joint, seven or eight nightcaps, and now Scotches in the library. "I'm getting cirrhosis just watching this." Um, Dean? You've haven't exactly gone light on the sauce for the past . . . oh . . . two and a half years? This is actually an interesting comment coming from Dean, because the next time we see him drink something? It's coffee. I might have to start watching his beverage consumption. Hm . . .

Sun comes up, Cal hasn't wolfed. I'm still suspicious, but not of him. I'm now suspicious of the girlfriend.

But wait, no. It's the German shepherd! Who is a shapeshifter of some sort! Oooh . . .

And now it's not just a little bit creepy that he sleeps with the girlfriend on the bed, and even watches her shower. *shudder*

And can I just say that the dog playing Lucky is a really good dog? He seems to take direction very well, with minimal watching of the trainer off-screen. (Or the camera position is such that it makes sense for the dog to look where it's looking, even if it is at the trainer.)

"Dogs and cats living together. Mass hysteria." Ghostbusters shout-out. \o/

And Sam questions Dean's resolve. Can Dean go through with shoving Mandy in the trunk and serving her up to Crowley. Dean is visibly bothered by this image, but yeah, he can do the job.

Lucky brings the sick child a toy, and it's much appreciated by the family. But then he gets a little rough with the tug-of-war and rips the toy. Yikes! But it makes the child laugh. Be careful, folks. This dog is not what it seems.

Also, Lucky watches the news with intent intelligence. Eep.

While talking to Amanda, Dean picks up on the important stuff--she was up all night with her sick child. Dean wants to talk to the kid; Sam is ready to drag her off to Crowley. But Dean stands his ground. And good thing, too. 'Cause in his enthusiasm for getting the job done, he's losing his ability to actually work a case. This is why he needs Dean, even if he doesn't care about Dean beyond Dean helping him get the job done.

Sam still thinks it's the girl, and he still thinks she's a werewolf. "The last werewolf was in bed with me, and she wolfed out." Well, he kinda has a point, but he's also letting past experience cloud his judgement. Dean's looking at the facts, and something's not right. Dean's really got his hands full keeping Sam on the straight and narrow.

Sam stakes out the house, and sees, and figures out that Lucky is a skinwalker. He observes a clandestine meeting, then chases Lucky through the neighborhood. (Btw, Sam jumping the fence? That's was rather cool and impressive. Some might even say hot.) Lucky ducks behind a tree as a man, and emerges as a dog. And promptly runs out in front of an on-coming van.

The dog yelp makes me cringe. *cringe*

And as Sam calls, "Hey mister! That's my dog!" I actually hear Jared's voice in there. "That's my dog." Probably because I know Jared is a dog person.

Back in the hotel room, Dean sits staring at his cell phone, contemplating dialing Lisa. Or maybe just contemplating Lisa. I also notice that he still has Marc's name listed on his phone. So even though he didn't get along with the cousins, he still had all three of them in his phonebook in case of emergency. Aw. Anyway . . .

Dean contemplates Lisa. He thinks about her a lot. But instead of reaching for the whiskey this time around, he goes to pour himself a cup of coffee. Interesting . . .

Sam calls with info. It's not a werewolf; it's a skinwalker. Thank you, Sam! I couldn't think of the word earlier. Neither Winchester has heard of one in years, and they're both rusty on the profile/lore. (John's journal!) Reference Bobby, of course. :-) Skinwalkers are werewolf cousins. New monster!

Sam and Dean pick up Lucky at the vet's. Dean gives him fair warning about the bullets in his Colt, and offers Lucky two ways out--the easy way or the hard way. Soul or not, Sam finds that funny.

Back at the motel, Dean and Sam are an excellent good cop/bad cop tag team. The scary thing is that Sam has no conscience and no compunction. Hard and insulting, as befits the role, but he'd just as soon start carving if Dean weren't there.

Dean, otoh, gets it. Because he recognizes it. Damaged as the guy is, he cares about the family, because they took him in. Under false pretenses, yes. Whereas Dean gave full disclosure--um, pardon me while I hum a few bars from the play we saw this week. Because Act I closes with a number called "Full Disclosure" . . . but I digress . . . --when he went to Lisa. But still, Dean recognizes and understands. And Dean plays good cop, meeting him on common ground, and gets the information they need. Sleeper cell! Eeek!

And Sam is all about getting to the alpha. But it doesn't look like that's going happen just yet. Sorry, Sam.

But Dean lays it out on the table for Lucky. Describes in vivid detail how things will go down in Lucky's scenario. He appeals to Lucky's emotions, which is something Sam can't do, because Sam doesn't understand.

Sam and Dean's conversation under the bridge. Dean's going to do what's better for the innocent people who are at risk, regardless of what Crowley wants. Sam, otoh, questions this course of action, when there's a possibility of an alpha further up the ladder and getting his soul back. Dean has learned something from the previous five (six) years--he's learned to put the good of humanity ahead of his brother. He opts to save over 100 innocent people rather than trust that maybe there's a chance of reaching the alpha and trusting a demon to keep his word. Of course, the person in front of him isn't his brother, so it's more difficult than it perhaps would be otherwise. But this is not a decision he would have made easily in the past. Now Dean is working with a stranger.

Also? Sniper!Dean and partner heading off to work? Very hot.

Sniper!Dean sets up on the rooftop. He's confident that Lucky will got through with it, not double-cross them. Sam, otoh, thinks he'll double-cross them, because that's what he'd do if he were in Lucky's position. Dean understands the lengths a man will go to for the family he loves. Sam doesn't get it anymore. If it doesn't serve his own interest, he's not concerned. And he doesn't see anything wrong with that.

Pack leader shows up, and the dude that gets out of the van on the front passenger side? Plays a bodyguard or thug or security guard a lot in my Vancouver-located shows. He was in The Sentinel at least twice. [/random trivia]

Pack leader shows up, and he's got hostages. Won't take the shot unless it's clean, despite Sam's urging to the contrary. Dean is appalled when Sam tells him to take the shot even with Mandy and her son in the way. Dean doesn't get a clean shot at all, and so they miss their opportunity.

Sam has a plan B. (Dean? This is the second week in a row that Sam has come up with the Plan B. He might not be Sam, and he might be scary in his single-mindedness, but you gotta admit, he's handy when Plan A doesn't pan out.)

Skinwalker pow-wow, and threats are made. Sam walks in and starts picking them off, while Dean does the same from a hidden location. Sam apparently likes the hands-on approach, while Dean prefers to go subtle in this instance.

Either way, it's impressive and exciting. Some might say hot.

Dean has Lucky in his scope, but he doesn't take the shot, because Lucky is trying to save Mandy and Son.

Dean's got a wolf stalking him that he's not ready for. His first reaction is to turn the gun that he's already holding on the wolf, but it's stuck in sniper position. So he pulls his Colt in the nick of time.

Sam, who's also had trouble dropping the last 'walker finally does.

Lucky lays his cards on the table, and tries to goad Leather Jacket into a dog fight. No such luck.

I cringe with Leather shoots the German shepherd. *cringe* :(

And Dean? Saves Lucky's life.

Sam, otoh, is prepared to finish Lucky, but when he gets there, Lucky is gone.

And I gotta admit: I kinda feel sorry for Lucky. Seeing the lonely German shepherd walk off to nowhere, alone, is so sad. I kinda hope we've not seen the last of him, ya know?

Meanwhile, in the park, Dean will never look at dogs the same way again.

Sam decides to lay his own cards on the table. He's not Dean's brother anymore. What he said about being the old Sam was a lie. He's been acting like he cares, but he doesn't. Not about Lisa or Ben, not even about Dean. And that hurts. But he needs Dean's help, and to keep Dean from taking off, he's laying it out. This is a stranger Dean is working with. Someone who does what he does to get the job done, who does what he does only if it's in his own best interest. It vaguely reminds me of what I seem to recall about the Nietzscheans during the brief time I watched Andromeda. I seem to recall that they always did what was in their own best interest, so it was wise to make sure that what was good for you was also good for them.

Sam prefaces the last portion of his speech with "Look," and per my proposed theory, that means that what follows is not the truth. However, I'd like some forward movement on getting Sam's soul back, so I'm inclined to believe Sam at this point. He doesn't seem to be trying so very hard to make Dean believe him. He's just saying how it is. Whether or not this is yet another way to play Dean, we shall see. But I want the guys to be on the same page again so badly. This Sam doesn't know if he's better or worse now, just different. But he remembers being the old Sam, and even though it was harder there are things he remembers . . . things like singing at the top of his lungs with Dean as they speed down the open road. Things like Jessica's chocolate chip cookies. Things like taking his brother to a faith healer when said brother had been electrocuted and had a massive heart attack. Things like prank wars. Things like Dean always protecting him to the best of his ability, and being willing to die with him. Things like Dean sticky by him before jumping into the Cage. Sam has no feelings connected to those things. They're academic, intellectual memories. But, "Let's just say I think I should probably go back to being him."

Again, let me interject: Jensen has amazing eyelashes.

Dean's response to Sam's confession: It's a step. "We do what we gotta do to help me get my brother back."

Oh, boys.

I've read, here and there, some interesting observations. For an interesting read, go here and here.

Also, Blacklid made a very interesting observation in my previous entry. Sam seems to do the self-disclosure thing quite readily at a sun-drenched picnic table. Not so much in the Impala. Hm . . .

Comments

[just-ruth.livejournal.com]

Mind you, I am dating the hell out of myself when I say this -

In the early '60's there was an iconic Canadian television show called "the Littlest Hobo"; the series followed London, the wonder dog - a mostly black with a tan faced Shepard as he wandered throughout the Ontario penisula performing some Lassie-like good deed before wandering off like Lucky did at the "first ending."

I was very young, but I loved it so much I can still remember the end credits song:

Travelling around from town to town
Sometimes I think I'll settle down
But I know I would hunger to be free
Roving is the only life for me
A-driftin'
The world is my friend
I'm travelling along the road without end.

[kimmer1227.livejournal.com]

I loved The Littlest Hobo! I don't remember the song, but definitely remember the ending shots of him going down the road alone. I loved Lassie, but there was something extra special about little Hobo.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Littlest_Hobo

I didn't know there was a remake.

[kimmer1227.livejournal.com]

I hope Sam is telling the truth this time. Does he even understand the concept of honesty and full disclosure? Right now my heart is hurting so much for Dean. I just grasp onto the fact that I know things will eventually work out. They'll never be the same, but they'll be brothers again. That's all I want.

[feliciakw.livejournal.com]

It's so hard to tell with Sam anymore. I've pegged his little tell of prefacing lies with "Look . . . " but I don't know if the writers recognize it, so I don't know how accurate my theory is.

I guess we take whatever Sam says with a grain of salt until further notice. Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.

Yes, I'm eager for them to be brothers again. However that might come about.

[luvwinchesters.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure Sam is being honest either, but I hope he is. I still think there are some twists and turns in store for us...you know how they build the first half of the season. And yeah, when Dean said that line about getting his brother back? That just hurt. But at least they're working together, and that's a good thing (at least I hope it is). :)

[feliciakw.livejournal.com]

Sam is a hard one to read right now. But I'm thinking positive and hoping they're at least on the same page, for real. We'll just have to wait and see . . .

[girlyghoul70.livejournal.com]

It vaguely reminds me of what I seem to recall about the Nietzscheans during the brief time I watched Andromeda. I seem to recall that they always did what was in their own best interest, so it was wise to make sure that what was good for you was also good for them.

Yeah, I didn't watch Andromeda much, but I do remember that character and Kevin Sorbo's character having a discussion with him about how he would always do what was in his own best interest. This is a lot like that- except what's sad is on Andromeda, we were being introduced to a character who was just that way. Period. That's how he always was and as far as I know always would be (I didn't watch enough of that show to find out if he ever changed)

In this case, WE have memories of Sammy being good with Dean, caring about his brother, caring about random innocents, heck, even caring about vampires, werewolves and rugarus if he thought they had a chance to do the right thing.

It's facinating in a way to see this brand new version of Sam, but at the same time, I cannot tell a lie- I want MAH SAMMY back. I want mah Brothers Winchester back. Now... I'ma bout to beat up Crowley myself if I have to! *stomps foot with determination*

[feliciakw.livejournal.com]

If . . . IF . . . they were to explore Nietzschean!Sam in an interesting way, like figuring out that putting Dean in danger is not in his own best interest, or whatever, I could go with it for a couple more eps.

But I think we're all in agreement that we want Sammeh back. We want the brothers back. We want lollipops and candy canes and sugar plums and marshmallows and puppies and kittens and rainbows.

But we'll settle for Sam and Dean bantering and getting along. Heck, if nothing else, it's less fattening that way.