8.11 reaction/review

[ash48]

SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!! About BLOODY TIME!

That was damn entertaining!! Above everything else I want from my show its to be entertained. If I'm not entertained or enjoying it rather defeats the purpose of television (and escapism). I can't remember the last time I laughed so much or went...awwwwwwww so much.

For an episode to be more than just entertainment it also needs to include some references to past episodes (TICK!!) awesome characters (TICK!) Sam and Dean being brotherly (TICK TICK!!) slick dialogue (TICK!) tight directing (TICK!) and girl kissing (TICK!).

In addition to that we had cool costumes, SWORDS, and Dean being a Dean I love.

If I was anyone else I'd stop there and let that be enough but I have to say more. You know me. ;)

Counting the ways (oooh, I haven't done this in a LONG TIME!)

1. This cements Robbie Thompson as my absolute favourite writer on the show atm. I love how he structures his episodes. He has great dialogue and ties in information from past episodes. There was a lovely mix of tongue-in-cheek and serious business. A wonderful balance.

2. It also cements that we are really meant to believe that Sam left behind a life he desperately wanted. Dean mentioned it a number of times and the episode was ALL ABOUT THAT! The theme of living in a "fantasy" (aka unreal) world pointed straight to Sam. Anvilious with all the pointed shots to Sam, but this really was about him realising that running away from who he really is (a hunter dammit) doesn't work. Charlie realised it about her own life. And Sam realised it about his (I think). Has he fully accepted it? Maybe. Looks like he's resigned himself to knowing he'll never be able to have a long term relationship (that moment in the tent with the girl was all about that yeah?). There's a whole lot more on this but I'd said enough about all that previously. Time for me to move on....

3. Dean could talk to Charlie. It's consistent with Dean's character that he can tell others his problems but not to Sam. I loved that we picked up the conversation just after he'd told her all about what has been going down recently. It obviously weighs heavily on him. And YES DEAN. YOU DID JUST BREAK UP WITH SOMEONE! Sheesh....*hugs* him. It'll catch up with him - in the meantime he wants to have some fun. It makes sense. I also liked how focussed he was on how Sam was doing after his decision. I wonder if Sam knows Dean ditch Benny?

4. Fuck me but Jensen is handsome. I know...DUH..but just saying. That costume!!!!....as Charlie would say..."swoon* (need icon STAT!).

5. Jensen actually looked like he was having heaps of fun making that (ALL THE SNEAKY SMILEY LOOKS!). So did Felicia. It oozed off the screen. Tougher for Jared because he had to be in the mindset of just leaving the love of his life (:koff:) forever (even though he'd already done that before...), so good for him for having to be the solemn, serious one.

6. ENDING!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you show for letting Sam offer the olive branch to Dean. LET'S PLAY! \o/ I'm glad we didn't have to have cranky, resigned Sam for the whole episode. And YAY for giving Jensen that speech at the end! Eat your heart out Mel. And that frisbee was a classic!

7. Charlie. A ray of sunshine in our dark, angsty show. Like her shifts from being flippant to scared to introspective to confident and strong. *swoon*

8. I know nothing about LARPing other than what I've seen on this show. No idea if that's a good representation, but it looks like fun. AND a lot of hard work. I certainly understand escaping the real world to immerse yourself in something other. I do it all the time...;D

9. Sword fights, SAM GETTING CHOKED!!!!, Dean in a wig (I can just picture all the gifs from this ep!), Sam with his hair tied up (braided maybe?) \o/ So much awesome rolled into one ep!

10. I love you. I know.


So nice to be able to squee and be happy after an episode again. It doesn't wipe the slate clean for their mishandling of the story lines this season but it does restore my hope for the future.

xx

Comments

[growyourwings.livejournal.com]

Can I just say YES! to this???

"SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!! About BLOODY TIME!

That was damn entertaining!! Above everything else I want from my show its to be entertained."

It's very late here and I cannot sleep and might be a bit drunk and have not yet read your entire post. But I just had to SQUEE as I may finally fall asleep in a few moments and am likely unable to be coherent much.

SQQQUUUUEEEE!

[growyourwings.livejournal.com]

And THIS --> "4. Fuck me but Jensen is handsome. I know...DUH..but just saying. That costume!!!!....as Charlie would say..."swoon*"

[growyourwings.livejournal.com]

Re this --> "8. I know nothing about LARPing other than what I've seen on this show. No idea if that's a good representation, but it looks like fun. AND a lot of hard work. I certainly understand escaping the real world to immerse yourself in something other. I do it all the time...;D"

I have a coworker who has participated in reenactments of the American Civil War and while her descriptions don't quite add up to this episode - I must admit it does sound like a LOT of work to set up. The project manager in me could not HELP but think of all the work that would go into setting up this LARP event. I kept having to pull my brain back from going there in order to enjoy the episode (although going that way was a bit of enjoyment in itself.)

;P

[kazluvsbooks.livejournal.com]

Yes!!! Squeeeeeeing with you!!
Best episode of the Season.
PONYTAIL!!!!!

[starling-night.livejournal.com]

Yessss, wasn't it lovely? \o/ Just so HAPPY. This felt like the most entertaining episode this season, and felt like a great continuation from last week's final scene with all that miserable music. This actually addressed that and developed the characters as well as being really, really fun! <3

[maenad.livejournal.com]

... I knew I wasn't all that hard to please. I mean, if they deliver material of that calibre every week I will be thrilled. :)

The theme of living in a "fantasy" (aka unreal) world pointed straight to Sam. Anvilious with all the pointed shots to Sam, but this really was about him realising that running away from who he really is (a hunter dammit) doesn't work. Charlie realised it about her own life. And Sam realised it about his (I think). Has he fully accepted it? Maybe.

It was at least a much more cheerful examination of the idea than we've had recently. Reminding Charlie (and allowing her to demonstrate) that she's actually a real-life hero and not just a pretend one. That you may not get the girl forever, but that doesn't change the fact that you saved her. That doing the right thing can mean people come down on your side in the end.

While none of that is an absolute fix, I think it's a great place for Sam to start working on his life and finding a way to be happy in it.

Thank you show for letting Sam offer the olive branch to Dean. LET'S PLAY! \o/ I'm glad we didn't have to have cranky, resigned Sam for the whole episode. And YAY for giving Jensen that speech at the end! Eat your heart out Mel. And that frisbee was a classic!

The ending was lovely. I love that 'because it's lots of fun' is presented as a perfectly good reason for doing something. I loved that it was them embracing the glorious weirdness of the experience as a good thing. I loved that part of the appeal was ensuring that Charlie got to keep her kingdom, so they made her life better this time instead of destroying it. It puts Sam and Dean firmly back in the category of people I can like and respect.

Charlie. A ray of sunshine in our dark, angsty show. Like her shifts from being flippant to scared to introspective to confident and strong.

Charlie is fantastic. I really enjoy her characterisation as someone who is smart enough to know danger is bad, but nevertheless can't abandon her responsibilities. I think that's why she meshes so well with Sam and Dean. The major difference between them is that most (Dick Roman aside) of her experience in that line comes from fiction, so she's less bitter about peril while still being aware of it. It's also an interesting contrast of recurring characters. Amelia and Benny are all about angst and struggle and being unhappy with your lot - and yet being unable to break free and find happiness. Garth and Charlie are both about embracing who you are and finding joy in it.

[spnmonster.livejournal.com]

I used to go to a Renaissance Faire every summer, and it really did have that feel. Although, you do see a lot of people there who are just visitors for the day, and they have on regular clothes.

I really enjoyed this ep too. It was a lot of fun. I'm glad to see that Sam is back essentially where he was in S6-7 about their ability to have a normal life outside hunting. I'm not really sure what the purpose of Sam's sl with Amelia was, but I'm glad it appears to be over. I hope so at least.

I loved how Dean sort of asked Sam out on a date at the beginning. Sam got interrupted by Garth's call, so who knows what he would have said. That whole scene was very S1, what with Dean asking Sam about having fun. I remembered Dean pointing at the waitress back in the day and saying, "That is fun." LOL Yeah, Sam agreeing to play was great because it wasn't resigned. It was kind of happy. Happier than we ever actually saw him with Amelia.

And Dean wanting to LARP so badly! I just did a little Tumblr post about that. Here's a guy who had very little chance to be a kid, so his attraction to dressing up and playing pretend makes so much sense. Couple that with the fact that probably some of his best memories from when he was a kid with Sam was when John wasn't around and they were able to pretend to be cowboys or pirates or knights. And as an adult, to get to escape the fear and grief and bloody horror of their lives for a couple of hours, to be somewhere else, someone else, that must be really appealing.

Jensen didn't just look hot, he looked younger. Weird. Maybe he's getting more rest or he's just happy about becoming a dad. Whatever it is, it agrees with him.

If I have one complaint, it's that a lot of Charlie's dialogue sounded like voice over -- as though it was recorded in a different studio from Sam and Dean's, especially at the beginning.

Great ep overall though.

[galathea-snb.livejournal.com]

It's so lovely to come online in the morning and actually see some squee! I am really looking forward to this episode. Robbie Thompson was, hand down, my favourite writer for the show in S7, so it doesn't surprise me that his episode brings some of the joy back. :)

[azziria.livejournal.com]

I'm most emphatically *not* a Dean girl, but damn! Jensen looked fine in those breeches and boots...

This was just the fun epi I needed after the last couple of days in RL :)

[ash48.livejournal.com]

Hee! yay drunk 'n tired and SQUEEFUL!! \o/

[ash48.livejournal.com]

Yeah - the set up and commitment by the LARPers crossed my mind whilst watching that. It would be pretty full on.

Great fun ep! :))

[ash48.livejournal.com]

I have to agree to it being the best ep yet. I certainly enjoyed it the most. :))

YAY! PONYTAIL!SAM \o/

[ash48.livejournal.com]

So lovely!! And I felt wasn't fluff for the sake of it. Sure it was much lighter than any eps we've had yet but it did continue the story and addressed some issues - which I was thrilled to see.

[ash48.livejournal.com]

Yes yes!! I'm not hard to please at all!! I will accept practically anything - as long as it's entertaining, well written, addresses some of the past issues and keeps me glued to the screen (and just being SPN it means I'm mostly glued to the screen).

I thought incorporating Charlie's story and using it to help Sam move on was nice. Good to see them showing rather than telling us this stuff. And THANK YOU SHOW for giving Sam's story some sort of acknowledgement and conclusion. It was a mess but at least they gave it some value by giving us some more of it in this ep. I didn't expect that.

It puts Sam and Dean firmly back in the category of people I can like and respect.

They were so much more likable in this episode. I wonder if it's because they are back together and generally happier. I could say that for Dean for sure. He was almost busting with the happy that he had Sam back to himself.

I'm loving both Charlie and Garth for their lack of angst. They have both been touched by the supernatural but have't let it weigh them down. I like the mix - some characters full of the angst. Some not.

xoxo

[greyowl88.livejournal.com]

Just watched the ep and am wearing the broadest grin! :D

*reads your post*

Yep, yep, yep!! *agrees and twirls you happily*

I loved it when their fake FBI identies were called out so easily by the LARPer while everyone in the real spn-world falls for it. lol

Great episode! So much fun! (And everything what you said.)

\o/ :D

[ash48.livejournal.com]

I'm not really sure what the purpose of Sam's sl with Amelia was, but I'm glad it appears to be over.

I keep wondering too. I think it was a mix of a reason to put a wedge between the brothers and to actually give Sam the normal life he has (apparently) been wanting. Not a lot of sense in all that, but there you have it.

I loved how Dean sort of asked Sam out on a date at the beginning.

Ha! I thought the same thing! I love Dean's idea that having a day off is taking Sam to a movie. I LOVE THESE GUYS!! (prime for some fic writing me thinks...;D)

I love your reasoning for why Dean loves dressing up. Makes perfect sense. I also love that this is part of Dean we've seen before - this wasn't a new incarnation of Dean. Just a happier one.

Jensen looked so fine. The anti-angst works well on him. ;)

[ash48.livejournal.com]

It's so lovely to come online in the morning and actually see some squee!

Isn't it though?! I wonder if it's because we've been lacking something to cheer about for so long. It was a breath of fresh air.

Robbie is great. I know many hated Bitten and even though it wasn't one of my favorites of his (I think Slash Fiction and now this one takes that prize) I appreciated what he was doing there. He's a solid writer. (yay!)

xx

[sam-dean-lover.livejournal.com]

hello, i watched this ep after reading how good it was and i got to say that was wow and i loved it! that is the Sam and Dean i remember from the 1st 5 seasons and the end just topped it all off for me! <33333!
Edit- I love Charlie!

[ash48.livejournal.com]

I'm more of a Sam!gal than Dean gal but I can certainly appreciate how damn fine that man looks. :))

And we need eps like this to do our own escaping from RL! :))

xx

[ash48.livejournal.com]

I had the broadest grin throughout the whole ep I have to say. I think so much of it was relief that I could finally relax and enjoy.

And their fake IDs call out was awesome!! I also loved the line about..."kids today...texting and murdering" Something like that. Made me laugh...:D

YAY FOR FUN EPS!:))

[elsewhere91.livejournal.com]

I loved this episode! My favourite episode of season 8! I'm so happy!!!!

I loved this episode because it was a mixture of things i loved about the show and it felt like an earlier season episode.

I loved how sam and dean were still getting over there issues and i loved that whilst the issues weren't swept under the rug they didn't overtake the episode and i loved the end scene - i haven't laughed that hard at supernatural in a long time.

I adore charlie - she's one of my favourite characters on the show ever!

Hopefully this episode is a sign of how good the second part of season 8 can be *crosses fingers*

[auntmo9.livejournal.com]

This was a great episode in so many ways! And you have pointed out several!

The theme of living in a "fantasy" (aka unreal) world pointed straight to Sam. Anvilious with all the pointed shots to Sam, but this really was about him realising that running away from who he really is (a hunter dammit) doesn't work. Charlie realised it about her own life. And Sam realised it about his (I think). Has he fully accepted it? Maybe.

I hope so. This isn't the first time they have brought it up this year. In Hunteri Heroici, the whole living in a dream world vs. reality was brought up, as well. I hope Sam is ready to forward now. Or is this going to be an ongoing theme this year?

[harrigan.livejournal.com]

twirls you!

This was an episode that I can't wait to watch again, just to wallow in the grins some more. (And maybe catch little moments that slipped by me the first time. Like the fact that Dean's suggestion that they take a day off and have fun, and/or Sam's suggestion that they stick around and have some fun, are taking place on Dean's birthday!

[suebsg9.livejournal.com]

I enjoyed the eps and since its nice to see they are visiting my home state alot. I can actually say yes there is a Farmington Hills and also a Heritage Park wonder now that eps airs if they will host a reinssance festival. whoever on SN is from michigan must know farmington to pick our heritage park except it differs very much from what is on the show. Deer come out of that park and neighborhoods are right across the street. But I did enjoy the Oakland County stuff as well as State Police stuff on the wall. Ok thats me talking about where I live but I love Dean throughout this eps nice to see him smile again. Because its been to damn long. And nice to see he is still trying to protect people must be just in his blood that is who he is and it will never leave him. Love the gun part and the fact Charlie and him new porn stars and sam's reaction to it and Dean looking and helping Charlie with how to set up her archers and such that was great. To me we have our early season Dean back yes a lot more edgier (sp) I guess purgatory will do that to you but he can be fun again. And sam hopefully he will start to loosen up and enjoy hunting again. I mean he had to know that amelia and him could never be; like Dean said last week whichever road he took normal or hunting he needs both feet in he can't have a foot out or get him killed. And I get the feeling that eventually Sam would have to tell amelia everything and end up doing what Dean did when he lived with Lisa. I don't think I could see Dean doing drive by to pick him up for a hunt. I think Dean would leave him at peace knowing he is safe and sound living normal and happy. And I think Dean could live with that. Ok rambled on sorry and also loved Deans outfit and Jensen looks hotter then ever.

[quickreaver.livejournal.com]

1.) Robbie Thompson is awesome. It’s official.
2.) I saw this point as reciprocal. Sam is trying to be what Dean wants – 100% hunter, both feet in – and Dean is trying to recognize that Sam needs a little bit of ‘normal’ in his life. Hunting is deadly serious business, but it ain’t everything.
3.) Hmm! I wonder if Dean told Sam about dumping Benny, too! I do love that Dean opened up to Charlie; she’s unfiltered enough to tell him he acted like a dick. I still think we’re missing a decent explanation of why Sam didn’t look for Dean (it still feels very much shrouded and vague) but I may never get that. Ah well.
4.) Yes, yes he is. His widdle bow-legs in leather pants? Girl, puhleeze.
5.) This is a little bit of a bone of contention for me, because Dean always gets the snappy lines and the heaps of fun. He always gets to bond with the co-stars, and Sam has to play the Straight Man (no pun intended!) It’s starting to feel a tad like lazy writing to me. Or maybe it’s just my Sam!girl tendencies rearing their ugly heads. Probably the latter!
6.) OMG, yes. Just yes.
7.) More yes.
8.) Okay, true confessions: I fantasy LARPed twenty years ago. SPN did their homework. They prettied it up a little but hit the nail right on the head. Huge props to them for getting it right!
9.) Oh, Sam with the choking. Is it because you have such a long, pretty neck, sir? Quite possibly.
10.) Is there enough love to go around?

Boy, did we need this episode. And the teaser to next weeks episode looks fantastic too. WELCOME BACK, SHOW.