7.01 Reaction/Review

[ash48]

Before I start I just need to..

SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! \o/

That was friggin' AWESOME! What a way to kick off the new season. The pace, the action, the angst, the humour, the horror, the acting, the the... EVERYTHING!

Dear Show,

I love you. Let me count the ways:


1. Dean's hair!! \o/ Thank YOU! Thank you!! That slightly longer, swept over look makes him look even more beautiful (if that's possible). But more than that it softens him. He's still all badass, but it makes look less stressed or something. Anyway. I couldn't stop staring. He is indeed a "male model" type. :D

2. OPENING TITLES!! LOVE LOVED THEM! So creepy and weirdly beautiful. I thought the inky black substance was in reference to demons (and it might be), but it looks like it might also be in reference to the Big Bad. And WOW.... what an exciting new Big Bad! \o/

3. Slow Ride recap opening music! \o/ (reminded me of my Guitar Hero attempts). I loved the editing of the opening sequence.

4. Hurt!Sam in the opening few minutes! His hand falling on the sharp piece of glass. OW! I love that he had is hand bandaged the entire episode. I thought it might have become relevant later in the episode because it seemed like quite a strange bit of detail I'm wondering if it will come to bear in the next episode.

4. Dean working on the Impala! That WILL NEVER GET OLD! And I loved that he asked Sam to help him. JOY! (awesome opening shot with him upside down).

5. Godstiel, Castiel, Cas and Leviastiel. Oh my! Misha had a FIELD DAY will all those different personalities. What JOY! I was musing recently how on earth his vessel would be holding all those souls in there so I was thrilled to see that addressed. OH CAS! "I think I overreached" was probably my most favourite line.

I think Show did a great job of addressing the issue of God!Cas. We saw a bit, but it's not who Castiel is going to be for the season (which I thought it might be). He learned that lesson (and damn quickly!). Hee... now he's EVEN WORSE!! Acck!! So unexpected and exciting. (Hmmm... I wonder if Castiel really is dead?! Death did say he felt a reaping tingle. Would that have been Cas??) I really enjoyed Misha's performances - I think my favourite might well have been the very end.

5. Oh Dean.., What an interesting direction they're giving Dean. It reminded me of when Sam died. That loss of hope. Wanting to bow out. Drink himself into oblivion. (hee.. watch animated porn..). It was as though he had given up - particularly on Cas. I think this is a great way to acknowledge everything that Dean has been through. I'm glad it hasn't been swept under the carpet. Dean is strong. He's a fighter. But he's also a person. And all those losses last season (and all the ones before that) are really taking their toll. I think Castiel's betrayal weighed heavily and thus he didn't even want to try and reach him. I got the feeling that Dean is just sick of being hurt. So it's easier just not to care (or pretend not to care). He's trying to protect himself.

His reaction to Sam was also very interesting. He definitely cares (that will never go away) but I think he just truly wanted to believe he was ok. And if he wasn't? Then I'm thinking he just didn't know how to face that.

The drinking really an issue for him and I'd love to see them explore this more this season.

6. Sam. Oh dear god Sam. So much to admire of him in this ep. His strength to continue on, but also his acknowledgement that telling Dean he wasn't ok would only add another burden to Dean's already heavy load. And it's true what Sam said. There's nothing Dean could actually do about it, so why worry him. I was so happy that they talked about it and cleared the air. Dean still thinking that Sam was keeping secrets... Sam 'fessing up that he didn't want to trouble Dean. *hugs* our beautiful boys. Communicating at least.

STRANGLED!SAM OMG! Kill me now! The chain around his neck...That was freakin' heart stopping. But how's his calling for Cas? What was that about? You'd think Dean would be his first shout out. I think this was telling in that he still believed Cas could help him. That Cas WOULD help him.

I loved that Sam hadn't given up on Cas (he's learned this from Dean...*nods*) and reached out to him. (I'm thinking there's some meta here on the difference between Dean and Castiels's relationship and Sam and Cas. I think looking back on Sam's belief in angels long before Dean's would be interesting to write about and how maybe that's why Sam didn't give up on Cas here?).

7. Meat hooks! ARGHHHHH!!!! (and \o/)

8. DEATH!!! Was A-MAZING. The casting of Julian Richlings is pure genius. He is SO perfect and I loved every second of watching him. His line delivery is fabulous. I also love they way he is written. (I even warmed to Crowley a bit in this ep).

9. Outsider POV. I loved the added touch of that couple watching what was going on when they summoned Death. It opened that whole scene up and really bought home how different a hunter's life is to everyone else's. It also gave us their perspective on the whole. I also loved that we didn't have to SEE Dean take those two out. He's just so badass that we know he easily would have. :DDD

10. But the thing that made me SQUEE the most?!!?! Them playing out a challenge prompt I left at sharp_teeth a while back. I nearly died...

He's safe, he's with his brother, he has his soul back, there are no big bad's to fight etc. He's happy. He's free. It seems too good be to be true.And it is. In hell Sam keeps dreaming he's out only to be repeatedly torn from his dreams to face the reality that he's still in the cage.

august_monsoon filled the prompt with this wonderful picture HAVE A LOOK AT WHAT IS AROUND HIS NECK!

Ok. So it's not exactly the same but the idea that Sam could be thinking that he's actually still in the cage FILLS ME WITH GLEE! I can't wait to see what they do with it and how Sam works it out. (something to do with his bandaged hand maybe..). And seeing Lucifer again was WONDERFUL! (I missed his name in the credits AND I wasn't spoiled for his appearance so it was a fabulous surprise).

And did he say Lu say something about "spooning"??? I couldn't make out that line and I listened to it a couple of times...

10. EVERYTHING ELSE!! Just seeing the boys again was so nice, but to have a fast moving, jammed packed episode full of promise for future episodes was so FULFILLING!

Thank you Show. WELCOME BACK!! \o/


Death Tally:

Here's my (sexass) table to assist in this tally.

Wow... there were A LOT of deaths in the episode. However, as per the previous tallies we didn't count mass deaths so I won't include those. (Over 200 were mentioned and this will definitely skew the results)

I'm thinking of counting the death of the preacher and the woman in church (1F, 1M). Cas was said to be dead but...??? Don't think I can count that yet. Also.. Misha is still playing a role. (See why this was so hard...)

Comments

[el1ie.livejournal.com]

I really need to watch this again before I say too much. As you can imagine I had real problems with the camera work on this and I'm not sure if it was my download or my computer, but the focus kept wavering in and out too and I just ended up with a stinking head.

Overall I loved it and I'll try and keep up with your points.

1 - WORD!

2. Kind of, loved the slinging muck and oozing text, contrast didn't work for me at all, but knowing my eyesight that's a nitpick too far!

3. Yep - nice.

4. Ok, now I get lost, you do know you have two 4s and two 5s? Heeeeeee - for ever...

Loved seeing Dean working on the car, always will and asking Sam to help was just everything I could wish for. Was it canon or fanon that we already knew about Dean working on the car because it's something he CAN fix and DOES have control over before this?

Misha was brilliant, always loved the episodes where he showed a different side to Jimmy, but this time he hit the mark perfectly, pretty much always expected nothing else from him, the talent he brings to Castiel was always apparent, but giving him this to work with must have made his day!
Death - one of the best SPN characters ever - such a wonderful take and execution, always a pleasure.

Sam was - yeah, loved some of this - shallow me didn't like the hair at first - oooops sorry, shallow me shall not speak of it again as it got better as the episode went along... heh. His dreams were excellent, chilling and believable, his hesitation over not telling Dean when he so obviously wanted to, needed to felt right (and how long have we been pleading with them to talk - so yes, that was odd) And yet, when they did, it was natural and adult and accepted with no faults or blame - so yep agree.

Dean - ah Dean, yes I do agree with you in one way that he's down and not fighting, but in some ways this is a different despair than we've seen before, at least to me it is as there was this strange sort of contentment about Dean this week. So the world was being shaken to it's very core by Cas's version of god, but for once Dean wasn't feeling guilty about it, Winchesters did their bloody best and for once it wasn't them that did anything, no, an angel of the lord messed up good, and for me it was as though right then Dean DID kick back and say screw it, Dean has what Dean needs and that's Sam, alive, up on his feet, functioning and putting on his socks all on his tod and THAT? That alone was enough for him a drink, a little porn and let someone else deal, and I kind of loved that - not so much that Dean had given up but that for once he had a moment to take a breath, a faultless breath - the angel messed up not a Winchester - and it did work for me.

Sam and Cas - yep, if anyone knows that it's never too late once you've screwed up it's Sam, so I was delighted that he was the one Castiel answered to, but also it shows to me another layer of Dean's thinking, on the difference between Sam and Cas, Cas may be considered and deserving of being family to Dean, but Sam? Sam is a whole 'nother layer of family to Dean. And Sam? Honestly I don't think Sam did that to save Cas or to save the world, but FOR Dean - something he could do to make Dean feel better and I know no one else probably sees it that way, but I did. I think Sam is getting resigned to the fact that he always WILL be the little brother Dean watches over, he can't change Dean's thinking on this, it's nature, it's family, it's the law according to Dean, so when he puts further worries onto Dean that he didn't intend to? Then maybe talking to Cas for Dean is something he can do. TBC....

[el1ie.livejournal.com]

*ack l/j and your comment limit*

I will have to watch again if I wanted to write a total review, but there were some things I didn't like - as usual. Clonking dialogue - shit, some of it was pretty awful, maybe I'm just spoiled by some of the authors around here, but Dean and Bobby's conversations about Sam were pretty dire. Yep, I've seen the meta by Dodger and I'm honestly hoping she's right because without it? That "Cas you child" line should have been consigned to the bin! The delivery was bad too, I don't see Dean as arrogant and yet that line was delivered in that way - not good, bloody awful if there isn't another reason for it. To be perfectly honest, I didn't think Jensen sold a lot of his scenes as well as I have known him to, Jared and Misha were spot on, but there were a few places I thought JA wasn't really feeling it - *shrug* - it could just be a shift that's coming for Dean or it could be anything, not worried about it, but interested in watching where it goes.

Some of the things Cas was up to when on his power trip were a bit - meh! Needn't go into details, just a bit too "oh aren't we hip riters" kind of thing.

On a last shallow note - the blue 'old geezer' coveralls! Yikes, I'm putting up a reward for their proof of capture. 'One salt and burn on the back lot will be rewarded with a vid of choice'.... any takers? UGH! Nothing wrong with coveralls as such, but NOT THOSE ONES WORN LIKE THAT! OMG Dean you have seriously ruined your street cred for ever - my eyes they might just burn if I have to look at them again! Sorry, just had to say that - although I've always suspected Ackles kept his inner grandpa in his closet - this was bad, bad costume dept. *slaps wrists* You KNOW what that dark stripe in the wrong proportion does....

Anyway, I loved it really....

[ash48.livejournal.com]

Oh honey!! SO many awesome comments about this ep. Thank you!!

I'm starting from the bottom.. but yes!! I did notice the coveralls and my thought was... YIKES! That's not right! Not Dean. (He was borrowing Bobby's yeah?!)

Ah ok. So *knuckles down and gets serious*. I (more often than not) have trouble with some of Jensen's scenes. Not always. But I think he's an actor who needs good direction to not allow himself to go...um.. either overboard or underboard (not a word, but you know what I mean).

I think this was a very tricky episode for Jensen (and Dean) because, in many ways, he was playing against his norm and having to be the "lesser" fighter. Or ... it was bad writing. I forget to check for bad writing I admit. I loved the dialogue in Death's scene, but I agree that Dean and Bobby's dialogue did fall short. Forced maybe. I usually blame direction for bad scenes, but maybe it is the dialogue. Or a mix of both.

CRAP!! I messed up my numbers! /o\ I kept shifting things around and messed up.. obviously. Oh man.

So many juicy thoughts here. Thank you so much for your insights and thoughts.

Hee... and Dean as God. It still blows my mind,

I'll probably pop back at some point to mull over some of this. <333