SPN - "The Mentalists" (complete)

[feliciakw]

I love this episode so very much. Like pumpkin pie. A good old-fashioned ghost hunt. Likable guest characters. A cameo "appearance" by an old friend. And perhaps most importantly the brothers hashing it out and character growth.

Also, while I get that the show is "dark"--meaning shot dark, dark lighting--I really do like when we've got some light and color going, because dang but Jensen looks good in sunlight. Just saying'.



Then . . . The previouslies this week focus solely on AmyGate and the fallout between the brothers. But what caught my eye was how they put together the "you are what you are" bit. Yes, that's what Dean told Amy, and yes, that's what Dean believes about himself. This time, however, they linked/layered it with his nightmares. There's something eating Dean about "who he is," and I think we're not done exploring that. (Hey, remember how Dean used to talk about having a hole inside, and how Alistair said that Dean left part of himself back in the Pit? Wonder if that's gonna come into play at any point. Hm . . . )

Parting blow from last week: Sam tells Dean to go on without him, Dean quietly agrees, Sam turns his back and walks away.

Anyway . . .

Now . . .

Walter! Hey! It's Walter! From SG-1. (Geo spotted him first, but yes! There he is.)

Séance attempting to contact a dead uncle and ask where the papers/money are. Things go sideways, and this scene actually does have something that creeps me out. When the planchette starts moving independently and decisively. When the woman asks if the spirit is Uncle Danny, and the planchette zooms over to "No," I get chills.

Planchette aims at the medium, flies through the air, stabs her in the throat.

Title splat.

Dean's been to the Rib Shack. He checks his phone for messages, but there are none. Sam is still out of contact, no calls, no texts.

Walking past a Dodge Charger (circa late '60s/early '70s), Dean pauses. Oh, Dean. You just can't be without a classic muscle car, can you. I wonder if he's going to have a new car every week until we get the Impala back.

Dean does not like things hanging from the rearview mirror. He's also disgusted by the discarded food wrappers all over the car. Heh. The morning zoo radio program reports on weird killings of psychics in Lily Dale, the most psychic town in the U.S. (I did a Google search, and yes, indeed, Lily Dale, NY, is primarily a spiritualist community, and has been for a very long time.)

Dean takes off. Going by the license plate and the sign in the background, he's in North Carolina. The boys parted ways in Iowa. Sam is incommunicado, so who knows where he is, right?

Lily Dale, New York. Dean flashes his badge at the scene, and his investigation reveals quite easily that the medium was a fake, using parlor tricks to fool her customers.

As Dean's walking down the street, I'm reminded of Yellow Springs, Ohio, the town that never left the 1960s. What with all the New Age vibe. And the cafe! Oh, yes. The organic, vegetarian cafe. (Though if Dean can order bacon or sausage, this is obviously not a vegetarian cafe.)

As Dean turns to leave, he hears a familiar voice ordering coffee. It's Sam! Dean sits himself down, and proceeds to carry on all the conversation/exposition, because Sam isn't saying anything. Is he ticked that Dean's here? He's certainly not engaging in the conversation. And this, I realize, is something that felt "off" to me on first viewing. Sam just sits, kind of stone faced, staring at Dean, but not reacting. Withdrawal and non-engagement. Is Sam just begin a brat? Or is there something else going on here?

Shout out to Pamela! \o/

Shout out to Missouri! \o/

And yes, Sam does react a little to those. (Could it be a hallucination using the names of old friends against him?)

When the waiter comes over to take Dean's order, that gets Sam reacting.

Dean orders pancakes, side of pig, coffee, black. Which earns him a free affirmation.

"You are a virile manifestation of the divine." Possibly my favorite line of the ep, because IT'S TRUE! Jensen Ackles is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy. (With apologies to Benjamin Franklin.)

It is entirely possible that I now need an icon from this ep.

Sam finally addresses Dean, and things are tense. Sam doesn't think he can work the case with Dean. Dean's not asking Sam to open a can of worms. "I'm not even gonna ask you where the hell you've been for the past week and a half."

"Good," Sam replies without a pause. And the look of hurt that flashes across Dean's face is unmistakable. I know a lot of people have said that it wasn't Sam's intention to split permanently, but this right here? Tells me differently. If not permanently, then definitely indefinitely. A week and a half ago, Sam told Dean to get lost go on without him, turned, and walked away. Ten days later, and Dean has not heard anything from Sam, and only runs into him by chance when they both catch the same case. There is definitely room for making amends in this ep, a need to air grievances and put cards on the table.

Sam agrees to work the case.

Now here's something that's nice to see--acknowledgement that their mugs were all over the news as a random stranger mistakes them for the evil Winchesters that were running amok a couple weeks ago. "We get that a lot," Sam says, and you know? That's actually a plausible response (if somewhat coincidental and convenient). We've all mistaken someone for someone else, and many of us have probably been mistaken for someone else.

Russian spoon bender (um. . . spoon bender who is Russian, not bender of Russian spoons) intervenes, introduces himself, offers his intuitive services, and "bends" Sam's spoon, though nothing happens. Winchesters break down the case, the most probable cause of the deaths being a cursed object, a necklace, which has been passed to the next of kin of the most recent victim.

And Sam is very frustrated when his spoon bends. (Not surprised. Frustrated. Does this speak to their lives or what?) Dean, otoh, is a little taken aback.

And have I mentioned how good Jensen looks in this ep's lighting?

Boys go visit the next of kin, a granddaughter named Melanie. She works the circuit, but when Dean observes that she doesn't "seem" psychic--none of the usual trappings--she admits that she's not. She reads body language, and reads Sam and Dean very accurately--longtime partners, but a lot of tension. Sam is pissed. Dean is stressed. She doesn't actually believe in "psychic" abilities. Dean, though, has an open mind, and there's a little bit of connection between Dean and Melanie.

I've read here and there that for a lot of people, Melanie brings to mind Sarah Blake. Or Jamie from "Monster Movie." I can't really say that she "reminds" me of either of them. Her role is similar (cool, levelheaded damsel in distress), but . . . I didn't feel a spark for her like I did for Sarah and Jamie. However, I will say this: I do think she's pretty cool, and I could see her and Dean developing a relationship slowly. She seems a cautious type when it comes to relationships, and Dean . . . well, after Lisa and Ben . . . taking it slow for a deeper relationship (as opposed to Mia at the bar) seems to be the order of the day.

Melanie points them in the direction of "the emporium" for the necklace. This "emporium" kind of reminds me of the TV show Eerie, Indiana.

Winchesters go to the emporium to inquire about the necklace, the "orb of Thessaly," they are informed. I've read that this is a shout-out to B:TVS. But not having been a viewer of that show, I wouldn't know. The boys confiscate the necklace, but that's not the most interesting thing about the scene. The clerk/owner grabs Sam by the wrist and basically does a quick reading. "A loss weighs on you," he tells Sam. "You're angry. It's complicated." Sam doesn't particularly like being read.

I found this interesting because the "loss" would seem to be the loss of his friend Amy. But it's not. It's the loss of his trust in Dean. Of his relationship with his brother. He's angry, and he clings to that anger. Why is it complicated? Perhaps because Sam himself is conflicted? About Dean? About his own choice to let Amy go? "A loss weighs on you" goes so deep for Sam (and Dean), that one energetic reading isn't going to answer anything.

"Jimmy Tomorrow. No Future Too Grim." Ha!

Outside, Dean tries to open the door to a conversation, but Sam's not taking the bait.

The "orb" was made in Taiwan, which means nothing has been solved.

Meanwhile, Spoon Bender practices bending eating utensils the old fashioned way, and is much startled when the fork unbends. Suddenly, all the utensils are standing straight up. Yipes! Bender gets levitated and impaled.

While investigating Spoon Bender's place, Sam and Dean learn that he'd had a vision of his own death. Hm . . . And Dean gets a call from Melanie, asking if he was serious when he said he had an open mind.

At Melanie's, she tells the guys about a phone message from her grandma, that her grandma had a vision of her death. At the mention of the air turning cold, Sam and Dean perk up. A real ghost! Melanie is taken aback, and after learning that Dean and Sam are not FBI and that ghosts are real, "I need a drink." To which Dean's prompt response is, "I support that." Of course he does. Oh, Dean.

Outside, Sam and Dean discuss this latest development. If it is a spirit, Dean says, it's not tied to one house. "This thing is boogying' all over town." Which is sooo something my dad with say. Heh.

After discussing their options, Dean asks how Sam wants to proceed, thinking they'll work together. Sam says they should split up and canvas, then turns and walks away without another word. Right.

The friend who was over at Melanie's in now doing her Miss Cleo shtick and holding a sitting. As she puts the money away, she has a vision of her death. Yipes. So she calls Melanie, who brings Dean. As he's looking around, he spies a hidden camera in a (no doubt fake) ceremonial mask hanging on the wall. Upon viewing the recording, they find the ghost! Yipes! Shades of "Hollywood Babylon." Melanie says she's seen the ghost in a painting, maybe. Another haunted painting? Hm . . . No, a photograph at the museum. So, next stop: the museum.

The docent is giving a tour, and is it just me, or is that the wallpaper from Bobby's house? I do believe this is Bobby's house redressed. The docent informs his tour group that his own family has a modest gift.

Sam and Dean head upstair to check out the gallery of sibling acts. And I kind of love that in the background, you can hear the docent: "And we're walking, we're walking . . . " like the tour guide at the Edison museum in "Long-Distance Call." Heh!

Among the sibling gallery are the Campbell Brothers. And the boys are as intrigued as I. Is there a history of psychic abilities in the Campbell Clan? (Oh! Was a Campbell a psych-kid from a previous generation? Or do we just pretend that that storyline wasn't mentioned?)

The docent arrives (having turned his tour group loose, apparently), and tells the Brothers Winchester that sibling acts rarely end well--with the exception of the Campbells, who weren't really brothers. He fills them in on the Fox sisters, who according to my Google-foo actually were real people.

Now, it would appear that they're trying to draw a clunky parallel between the Fox sisters and the Winchester brothers. Kate, the younger, troubled, but with a true psychic give. Margaret, the elder, not a true psychic ("full of crap," as Dean puts it), but she looked after Kate. "Sometimes one's true gift is taking care of others." Keep in mind, though, how this all plays out. Yes, Kate had a gift, but Margaret had a stronger psychic gift. Do not make the mistake of taking this clunky parallel they seem to be trying to play at face value. Yes, taking care of others is a gift. But don't make the mistake of dismissing the other gift(s) that the person has as well. Just saying'.

Sam thanks him for the information, summons Dean, and leaves. Dean takes one last look at the wall of crazy, and as he turns to leave, the docent grabs Dean by the arm.

Now, I gotta say that I really rather like the docent, in much the same way I liked the desk clerk in "The Real Ghostbusters." I like how he presents himself, and his dynamic with Dean. He actually does, apparently, have a modest gift, and though he doesn't want to intrude--"I don't normally do this during business hours"--the information he has is too important to let go.

"Do you know an Elenor? Or an Ellen?" ELLEN!!!! \o/ No wonder there's an imperative with this message.

"She seems quite concerned about you." Of course she does. "She wants to tell you . . . pardon me . . . " Hee! "If you don't tell someone how bad it really is," O.O "she'll kick your ass from beyond." Ha!!! Oh, that is so Ellen. "You have to trust someone again eventually." Yep, that's Ellen.

And don't forget to visit the gift shop. Because those are always fun!

This is apparently the kick in the pants (proverbially speaking) that Dean needs. He catches up to Sam, who is still intent on working the case and nothing more, and calls him out on his bad behavior. Dean fully acknowledges that Sam has a right to be angry, but he also expects Sam to see his point of view as well. Sam, otoh, is determined to hold onto his anger, hold his grudge, and walk away. Dean doesn't let it go so easily. Dean understands Sam's point of view (goodness knows Dean's been grappling with the issue for the past several seasons), but then he lays it down exactly how things look from his point of view--Sam's "if something feels wrong" versus Dean's "it was the right thing to do." Dean was going to tell Sam as soon as he knew Sam wasn't gonna snap again ("This conversation does not require a weapons discharge!"). He did what needed to be done, because Sam couldn't. Be mad, fine, but quit being rude and vindictive about it.

This scene has caused a lot of grief around the internet, but I for one am delighted to see the guys hashing it out--and without coming to blows! Progress! And it had the right amount of emotional charge, and Dean got to say his piece. \o/

However, this is not as bad as it gets. This is not "how bad it really is" with Dean, not by a long shot. I'm looking forward to finding out what else is lying beneath.

Oh, a traditional salt-and-burn. Sam and Dean are puzzled as to why Kate is warning her victims. Kate's ghost shows up, and Dean's lighter is empty! Zoinks! Kate demands that people listen to her--wait!--but Sam is quick with the matches.

I'll stop there for now. Get this posted and hopefully finish up tonight.

Okay, I'm back.

So, Sam and Dean have done the salt and burn, but the ghost still comes for Melanie's friend. One thing I find kind of interesting: when she calls Dean, and he and Sam are in the car, Sam snatches the phone from Dean with a terse "Dean, just give me the phone and drive." Under the circumstances, it's understandable, but this seems to be the theme for this hunt, that Sam is calling the shots and making the decisions.

Things go sideways for the girls, and the ghost gets Camille.

And while Sam seems to be the one taking the lead in the investigation, Dean is the one connecting with the victim. Interesting.

Sam and Dean head back to the cemetery the next day to to a grave digging in broad daylight. Yipes.

Even more yipes--Margaret's bones are gone. (I knew it!) While deciding their next move, Dean realizes that all the festival headliners are dead. He goes to talk to Melanie, who reveals that she'd be the one to take her grandmother's place in the showcase, while Sam goes to get information from the emporium guy. Sam inquires about an ash wood alter, and Emporium Guy gives him an address.

An address which leads him to a lamaze (aka "pregnant yoga") class. Heh!

Meanwhile, Dean is staying with Melanie. That salt circle he poured? That's the salt Jensen has been auctioning off for his charities. (Team Levi for his nephew being the most recent of the two.)

Creepy ghost in the window is creepy.

Sam tracks down and confronts Emporium Guy while Dean and Melanie confront Maggie's ghost. Emporium Guy has the ghost bound and killing for him, because he's sick/jealous of fakes being successful while he, an actual psychic, can't pay the rent. He and Maggie have a sort of simpatico.

Now, I must make note of Dean using the shotgun and then clearing the chamber/discharging the cartridges. Because . . . yeah. I have a thing about how Dean handles firearms. *fans self*

Sam susses out where the bones are (in Emporium Guy's bedroom), but has to go through Emporium Guy to get to them. So, Sam shoots Emporium Guy. Two taps, center mass. Sam just killed a human. This kinda startles me.

Sam finds the bones in Emporium Guys bed (um, ick!) and salts and burns them just in the nick of time.

The next morning, at the café, Sam and Dean seem to be getting along a little better. Sam is cringing at Dean's bad jokes and trying not to laugh when Dean threatens the waiter if the waiter affirms him.

Melanie walks in, and Sam makes himself scarce. He's not real big on subtlety. (Reminds me of when he gave Dean and Jo space, saying, "I've got to do something. Over there.")

Melanie and Dean have a nice little tête à tête. She also says something that he needs to hear more often. She thanks him, he says no need to thank him. "You saved my life," she says.

"But not your friend's," Dean counters.

"Well, you didn't send the ghost, so thank you for coming to kill it." Yes, Dean, you weren't able to save Camille. That does not negate the value of saving Melanie. You realize this, yes?

Melanie seems disappointed that Dean might not return to town. "But, hey, you never know. It's not like you can tell the future, right?" Dean says. At which point Melanie takes Dean's hand, palm up, for a reading. Now, based on what very little I know about palm reading (and here's the sum total of it), it looks to me like Dean has a pretty decent life line and love line. Heh.

Dean looks so surprised and perhaps hopeful. But Melanie's answer is "Answer's hazy. Try again later." Just like an eight-ball. Heh. And *sigh*

Outside, Sam is loading his stuff into the stolen Charger. Dean was not expecting this. Oh, good. The guys are gonna hash it out. Or at least start. Sam tells Dean he was right about Amy. Yay! \o/ He gets that Dean was just trying to make sure that no one else got hurt. He also tells Dean that Dean can't look him in the face and say that he's fine. Dean doesn't sleep and he drinks for the record. How was killing Amy the actions of a person who knows they did the right thing? Honest answer? Dean went with his gut, and it felt right. The flip side to Sam's argument that if something feels wrong, it probably is.

Dean didn't trust Amy, but ever since Cas, he's having a hard time trusting anyone. Oh, Cas. Going behind Dean's back, taking down Sam's wall as a power play . . . everything that happened at the end of last season. It's going to take Dean a while to work through all of that.

What doesn't feel right is lying to Sam. Dean confesses he's been climbing walls. To which Sam can relate.

And then a change of topic. Which means we haven't even touched on Dean's "how bad it really is." We've started hashing things out. We're heading in the right direction. But there's a lot more going on here. (Is Dean having his own Hell flashbacks? Is part of him still in the Pit? Is Cas lurking somewhere? Inquiring minds want to know!)

As they climb into the car, Sam still wants to know how the guy bent his spoon. Heh.

Next episode: Dean is either dreaming or hallucinating. Gotta be. I think it's funny, though, that they're running a "wedding" episode on my anniversary.

Comments

[daeos.livejournal.com]

Hi,
I just found your SPN reviews, and think they are very in depth and amazing read!
*they give me thinky-thoughts and make me ponder*
(just thought i'd say hello)

[feliciakw.livejournal.com]

Hi there! And welcome! Thanks for introducing yourself. I hope you continue to enjoy my ramblings. If they inspire thinky-thoughts, so much the better. :-)

Hello!