SPN - 8.07

[feliciakw]

Not quite sure what to do with this.

Don't quite know what to do with purely comedic characters being regular recurrings.

Really don't know what to make of Amanda Tapping's character and situation. "Help the Winchesters." Yeah, once upon a time, I would have taken that as a good thing. But this whole debriefing followed by a memory wipe? Um, no. Though she might find her plans a bit derailed, since Cas actually does know what it's like to be part of Team Free Will.

Also, when she asked Cas, "Do you know where you are?" I wanted to say, "On a pyramid spaceship, of course."

I must say, seeing Cas show up in the window was a bit disconcerting. I suspect it would be both heartening and creepy to see that out your window.

And Sam? I appreciate your Winchester-esque attempt to be supportive of Dean.

Ha! I knew it! I knew it was Cas's plan all along to push Dean through while staying behind. I just didn't figure his reasoning. Kind of refreshing that they used Purgatory in the manner it's described in lore--for penitence.

It was also nice to see shades of Original Cas, with the searching of Dean's emotions with genuine interest and compassion ("You think this is your fault?" Well, duh, Cas. Of course he does. How long have you known him?), and the bright glaring angel power. That was quite wonderful.

And Chuck got a mention. Interesting that they don't quite know what to do with him, since Kripke backpedaled on who exactly Chuck was. Still, we know he's not dead, so it sounds like they might be opening something up to bring him back.

And with next week's ep, Geo asked, "Trickster?" So maybe they're working a way to bring Richard Speight back, if not Gabe specifically.

But I digress.

Thank you, Cas, for setting (or trying to set) Dean straight. Not everything that goes wrong his Dean's fault, and he needs to know that. Even though he is holding on to the S2 mindset that he lets everyone he cares about down. Oh, Dean.

Perhaps more thoughts upon re-watch.

Comments

[gluisa88.livejournal.com]

I did appreciate the conversation between Dean and Cas- Dean needed to hear it.

I've had discussions with friends who've complained about Dean not trusting anyone's judgment but his own and I've always said that yes, he has trust issues but it's hard to trust when you're the one that has to take the fall/responsibility when things go wrong. It was nice to have the show agree with me :P

But on the whole, I found the episode boring. Crowley is fine in small doses but I find him to be uninteresting.

But Kevin and Mama Tran seriously ruin every episode they're in. They change the whole mood of the show, their acting is horrific (especially Mama Tran. I don't care how 'badass' she is, she's a horrible actress and the dialogue they give her is just as horrible). And the show has too much of them. I don't care about either of them so if the writer would cut down on their scenes, that would be awesome :P

I liked the brothers talking, I liked Sam being sympathetic and I liked the Purgatory flashbacks but honestly, this was not an episode that I would care to watch again.

[feliciakw.livejournal.com]

Yes, Crowley was . . . getting on my nerves, too. I like Mark Shepard, but tonight Crowley was just . . . I didn't find anything clever or appealing about him. I mean, I get that. He's the king of Hell. But he's more . . . fun . . . when he's being clever. Tonight I just didn't like him. I suspect, though, that this will be something of the new norm for him. He doesn't have to work under the radar now, like he did when he first came on the scene.

I like Kevin okay. He's a kid who's been put in a very weird situation. I have mixed feelings about Mama Tran. She amuses me greatly, but . . . it doesn't really fit with this particular storyline. The busybody, "I'm your mother, I know what's best for you" thing is amusing, but in being so, she becomes a danger to herself and her son, which doesn't fit. (Or maybe just bothers me.) Almost like well-intentioned meddling that doesn't really fit in an arch like this one.

I hope that made sense.

I'm kind of the same way about Garth. His character is amusing, but does he really fit the show on a recurring basis? I'm still trying to figure that out. I don't dislike Garth. I'm just still trying to fit him into how I view the show.

In contrast to, say, Ash, who really did crack me up, had his own type of humor, but he fit into the show. You know?

[gluisa88.livejournal.com]

Well, I think that's my problem with all three characters- Mama Tran, Baby Tran, and Tran Babysitter.

They feel like cartoon characters and I miss the days when this show and it's characters felt gritty and real. They weren't there for comedic affect. The characters did comedic things but the characters themselves were not comedic. At least not the recurring ones.

[eavis.livejournal.com]

I really really liked Cas all angel'd out. That was pretty awesome. And I have to say, my heart kinda skipped a beat when Kevin paused over the personal note from "an archangel", hoping, 'Gabriel'. But then it wasn't. Oh, I do so hope we get him back! And I agree, I was somewhat relieved (actually, a lot relieved) that the whole angel arc was over, so I'm not very happy about more of them showing up. Can't we have any good angels besides Cas and (sort of) Gabriel? Anyway. Certainly looking forward to next week's episode!

[feliciakw.livejournal.com]

This was the closest to the Cas I fell for in S4 that we've had in a long time. I miss that.

And I agree, I was somewhat relieved (actually, a lot relieved) that the whole angel arc was over, so I'm not very happy about more of them showing up. Can't we have any good angels besides Cas

I hear ya. I am so very with you on that. That's one of the things I liked about S6 was getting away from the corrupt angels. Ugh.

It's probably too much to hope that Carter Naomi sounds suspicious but is really a good guy? I mean, help Sam and Dean--who are trying to protect the prophet and recover the tablet--sounds like it could be a good thing. Right? I'm wary. I'm very wary.

The next ep has the potential to be incredibly fun or incredibly . . . not. Either way, it will be incredibly WT??? LOL.

[just-ruth.livejournal.com]

If we want to follow the whole idea of Castiel doing penance and seeking atonement, I think the answer is obvious; Naomi is Castiel's parole officer.

It was the most interesting part of the episode (which is not good since it was the last five minutes).

I'm writing a coda where Alfie gets rescued, He deserves it.

[izhilzha.livejournal.com]

I am finally catching up! I just watched this episode, and I quite liked it. I appear to be in a minority in that I actually like both Kevin and Mama Tran... they're very refreshing in the SPN world of darkness and tragedy (even if Kevin is rapidly becoming a tragic figure himself).

Ooh, here's Amanda Tapping! \o/ I'm suspicious of her, but I like just_ruth's idea that she's Cas's parole officer. :)