7.20 Review/reaction

[ash48]

Another ep I REALLY enjoyed. The geek in me was rather satisfied. I feel like like I want to BURST with all the stuff so this is very likely to be ALL OVER THE PLACE! Oh well...

I have to start with the writing, the direction and the over all feel of that episode. Robbie Thompson wrote this and he is fast becoming one of my favourite writers. He also wrote Slash Fiction and Time After Time. I thought it was a tight, well rounded, quirky script - with some great dialogue. The direction, by Johnny MacCarthy, was also tight and I loved many of the visual devices.

I don't know if anyone else felt it but it almost seemed like a slightly "different" show to me. I mean.. it was all there but because the format was quite different to their norm there was something rather refreshing and...um... other about it. If that makes any sense. /o\

I think the flashbacks might have had a lot to do with it. I normally dislike "5 hours earlier" kind of stuff but after my initial groan I was right into it. It reminded me a little of the Leverage format. In fact - with all the techno stuff, boys sitting in a surveillance van, flashbacks etc. it was quite Leverage like.

Counting the ways: (I have to start with some visuals)

1. My inner geek was most happy with this SPLIT SCREEN!! \o/



LOOK AT THAT!! SO MUCH LOVE! I actually squealed out loud when the first split appeared. And then they gave us this one with Dean sandwiched in the middle! \o/ Love the way Dean is "looking" at the guard. Awesome! I love the way split screens add an element of quirkiness to a story. Also the split POV is super cool. /geek

2. ADORED this visual also:



A really nice way of getting across a lot of information quickly. Looked damn pretty too. (That's screaming vid material to me!)

3. Dean flirting with the guard (via Charlie) might have been one of my favourite moments. That whole scene filled me with JOY. Not least because we had a "Stop laughing SAMMY" thrown in. Awwwwwwwwwwwwww Damn that was nice! Dean's "Sammys" are so full of fondness lately. I just love it. Love that Sam had his geeky Harry Potter moment and Dean his expert flirting skillz moment. Lovely mirror of the abilities they bring to their special partnership.

4. It was tense! I was biting my nails a wee bit I have to confess. I was pretty scared for Charlie when she was breaking in to Dick's office (but then, I am ALWAYS nervous about that sort of stuff...). And with a show like this I never feel confident that a character WON'T die. Especially if she's cool.

5. Charlie.

Right. Let's take a moment. At first I kept thinking they are giving as another version of a fangirl (a damn sight BETTER version than the last one...) and that kinda annoyed me for a minute. But then I realised that she is just another character, one that happens to be a geeky type of fangirl and I went with it. I really enjoyed her and whether she was there to represent one of "us" or not I don't think it was relevant. She was a lovely, energetic, empowered, SPARKY, smart, awesome character. The thing about having a character that identified with other strong female characters in pop culture was pretty cool I thought.

6. POP CULTURE REFERENCES!! \o/ Jeezeeeeee I'm looking forward to seeing the SuperWiki entry to count how many references there were. But WOW!! HEAPS!! My ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE would have to be the SOYLENT GREEN one. \o/ I think because as soon as they mentioned people being food it HAD to be referenced. And it was. And then there was War Games. Films I loved and remember fondly. It was also great to see so many Star Wars references because Kripke has referred to SPN as "Stars Wars in truck stop America". So it it makes sense. :) They could have felt out of places or meta like but because the Show is always referencing pop culture it fit really nicely (though I did wonder if Jensen's reference to doing Comic Con... 4th wall removal? Not sure...).

7. Speaking of Soylent Green...("It's people"). So much information was revealed about what the Leviathans were up to in such a short time. I was pretty pleased with that actually. I think we were pretty close to guessing that from previous episodes so I'm glad they didn't tease that out any longer. People as a food source and talking us off the top of the food chain is pretty cool. With the way corporations work I can see this as a believable (and scary) way of taking over the world.

Though...um...I felt the whole "Bobby's numbers" thing went by really fast. Frank's guess at the last number was wrong. Bobby isn't to know that (I don't think??) so there still might be more to go there. I hope they don't forget that the numbers were wrong. But *shrugs* maybe that's it...

8. Anyone reading past reviews know I love the Leviathans as the Big Bad. Dick Roman is the SLIMIEST big bad that ever did slim. I truly felt scared each time he appeared. Corporate slimballs are just too real and he makes me shiver whenever I see him. I'm rather loving how BIG this problem his. I imagine that killing Dick won't get rid of the Leviathans, so it's going to take something rather massive to send them all back to purgatory. Or kill them all. (Enter Cas maybe? Ack... I hope they do that well if they are going to go down that route....*iz nervous*).

9. THE BOYS!!

Ok. I know that, once again, we didn't have a Winchester heavy episode. I am hoping they are saving it all up for the last 3 episodes. It makes sense to me for them to be having a bit of down time in terms of the angst. They NEED a break. I know we love to see them angsting all over the place (*nods*) but if they are going to be throwing some major shit at them towards the end of the season they need a chance to regroup and learn to work together again (sans hallucinations and alcohol).

The moments that we did get to see the boys were wonderful though. They were SMART! There was banter and brotherly ribbing. And I do rather love this:



Boys in close quarters!! They were practically on top of each other. :D It was interesting to watch the boys hunt in a different way. Using more technology and brains and less salt and brawn. I think that also contributed to that "other" feeling I had about the episode.

10. Dean mentioned his car. FINALLY (if only briefly...)

11. "Kick it in the Ass". That line will always make me sniffle a little. Reminds me of Ellen's death and of course Kim Manners. :( Nice it was used again.

12. Yay - they used a song I used in a vid once. I like it when that happens... (Walking on Sunshine *g*) - Yay dancing in the elevator. I do that in my car - well, with my arms not so much the legs... ;)

13. Bobby. Oh Bobby. Nothing good can come of this I fear. The boys are handling Bobby just the way I imagined they would. They want him to be around but know that it's not a good thing. It's interesting that Sam is now being the voice of reason here whereas the last episode he seemed more chilled about him being around. Dean is more reluctant to be rid of him whereas last week he's the one that voiced the concerns.

It's a (great) dilemma. He can be helpful but also has potential to turn "bad". They love him but know he needs to be at rest - and being a ghost is not a good thing. If the boys have any future conflict between them it will be what to do with Bobby. Curious to see how they handle that. (The camera staying on Sam that minute longer at the end suggests to me that they might be thinking different things about what to do already...).

Overall a fun episode. Sure, it would have been nice to see more of our beautiful men but I can settle for an episode like this when it's fast paced, has great other characters and gives us some answers. (ETA to say.... I'm now hanging out for a Winchester-centric episode..*g*)

I leave you with this picture. It warms my heart that they have a little cottage to call their own. It's almost like home.



(OMG! This needs someone to manip a white picket fence on it. Maybe some flowers, curtains in the window....)

Comments

[bythedamned.livejournal.com]

I feel that it's worth pointing out (you may already know this) that Charlie was played by Felicia Day, who was basically playing herself :) She's a self proclaimed geek girl who had a pretty Joss Whedon-heavy resume until she made her own online video series where she hung out with all her World of Warcraft friends. This character was so spot-on with her persona that I feel like it must have been written just for her. And that maybe Charlie would have come off as over-the-top fangirly and creepy if anyone else had played her. I feel like it was a really smart move to pull in a (somewhat underground) icon of the demographic they're trying to appeal to, letting her be herself, and then breaking the mold by not killing her. In fact, I was so in a 'of course she's awesome, she's felicia day' headspace, that I didn't even consider the idea that they'd kill her until the very end, and then I freaked! But luckily they didn't, and then she was self-assured enough to blow off the winchesters :)

anyway, you said it so well, there's so much STUFF here, and it's all freaking fantastic. i feel like the writers finally figured out the right kind of meta, that doesn't isolate half their fandom, and I love that they worked in logic to keep bobby from being the all-powerful invisible sidekick. the vengeful issue is a good point, and truly scary, and suggests to me that they won't let bobby stick around too long. and I agree - I'd like to see something come from bobby's numbers being wrong

i usually never really notice the visuals or the set up of the shots, but this ep definitely made an impression on that too :) i think my fav was when the boys leapt in through the double panes of glass at the end. very reminiscent of the window scene in the French Mistake :)

cheers to an awesome ep, and hoping you're right about the last few eps being brother-centric :D

edited to say: omg! and I just had the coolest thought! so the boys end up with this Mystery Red Clay, and no idea what to do with it, and Charlie's last comment on Dick is 'the really evil ones always need a special sword' and... dun dun duuuuun. wouldn't it be cool if Dick uncovered his own demise :) and Charlie gave them the final clue to beating him? that would make her super awesome

[tiniowien.livejournal.com]

I want to copy and paste the entirety of your first paragraph. XD I adore Felicia Day and was introduced to her via The Guild, so to have her here mixing with SPN was the ultimate geek moment. She was delightful.

[bythedamned.livejournal.com]

Yes! heh, so glad other people love her too :) she was spot-on awesome. I originally knew her from Dr. Horrible, and then had the requisite 'omg- Buffy- what?' moment. so to see her in this awesomely fandom-meta was just perfect :)

[ash48.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the info on Felicia Day. I had no idea about her background and I think it's very cool that they used a well known persona for a character like this. She had a believability that shone through. I loved her and I think it shows that (hopefully!) know what kind of female characters appeal to us.

But luckily they didn't, and then she was self-assured enough to blow off the winchesters :)

Yes! Thank God they didn't kill her off. But I loved that because we KNOW Show kills of characters it added an element of tension during that break-in section. They played on that rather nicely.

i feel like the writers finally figured out the right kind of meta, that doesn't isolate half their fandom,

Thank HEAVENS! I mean.. when I see this I just think WHAT THE HELL were they thinking with Becky. I mean, I get that she could be a stalky, creepy character but for them to directly associate her with fans wasn't a great move.

very reminiscent of the window scene in the French Mistake :)


Oooh yes. You know, it looked familiar - maybe that was why. I loved that moment.

wouldn't it be cool if Dick uncovered his own demise :)

Oh yay! I love that idea! I am so curious as to what on earth (maybe in earth *g*) that the MRC (because it needs to be an acronym) could be. A "special sword" would be perfect. YAY! A new mystery to uncover.

xox