8.12 reaction
Jan. 31st, 2013 10:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ash48Um.
FUUUUCCKKK! YEEAAAHH! \o/ Now THAT'S what I'm talkin' about! WOOOOOOOT!
That, ladies and gentlemen, is why I love my show!! LOOK AT THAT!! (oh thank you thank you. I feel I can officially welcome you back show. *wipes a tear of relieved happiness*)
And SERGE directed it \o/ - his first one. As soon as I saw that beautiful opening shot in the street I wondered who directed. When his name came up I almost clapped! (I knew he was directing an episode but I had forgotten which one). He did a great job! What a fabulous episode to be given to direct.
God I loved that!
Here's why...
* HISTORY! That opening montage filled me with fangirl glee. (and here I was thinking Carver had forgotten what's gone before - though it does cement that he remembers those first few seasons but not what came after maybe?). Hearing "saving people, hunting things, the family business" made me weak at the knees.
* Dean's speech about saving Sam.... I CAN'T EVEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't...*hyperventilates*
* DEAN!! Oh Dean. This is everything I love about Dean - the passion, the protectiveness, the lack of trust of strangers, the woobyness when he talks and think about John, his strength, his snarkiness, his glare of death.... There was a lot of character consistency here. He reacted the same way when he first met Adam. And even though Dean has said things negative about John in the past in his heart he DOES know he did his best. Jensen really sells how much Dean loved John. He really was his hero.
* New epic myth arc. \o/ There's something really interesting here and I am SO excited. Looks like there's lots of potential to build on the Men of Letters and The Box. Looks like Sam and Dean had a destiny that wasn't just Michael and Lucifer condoms. They are Legacy. (I'm thinking the Aquarian Star might be the new tattoo - I think I want one!!)
* Sam and Dean. Dean and Sam. Just...yes. Thank you.
* Sleeping Winchesters. I love sleeping boys (er...men) and Henry watching over then is so sweet. And it was brought to my attention that Dean ends up sleeping curled around what started out as Sam's pillow. I LOVE THIS!! THEIR EPIC LOVE IS FOR REALLY REALZ!
* FAMILY! There's was wonderful sense of family again. Bringing John back into the story like that added a wonderful depth. It's so messed up but there's so much heart there. I think just the mention of John brings back all those things I loved about Season one.
* THE WINCHESTER MUSIC THEME! I think that's what it was - hearing the tune that IS the family theme. It's like putting on comfy slippers whenever I hear it. (I'd have to check, but I think it's been AGES since we've heard it). Wonderful to hear it a couple of times in the ep. <333
* The dialogue was snappy and clever. Lots of great references. HA! They Mayans got it wrong.
* THE SIZE OF THE GRAVE THEY DUG! HA! It was huge. Digging a grave would be hard work. I love that they have to make it big enough to fit them both in it. And it's always so neat! ;))
* I REALLY liked Henry. Strong performance.
* I REALLY liked Abaddon. She was sexy cool. (I was hoping she wasn't going to die. I thought she might have been the new big bad. Though... she's not reeeallly dead is she?, so.. you never know) Someone was apparently controlling her so we have a lot more to find out yet!
* DEVIL's TRAP in a bullet. Oh man. What I love about this is the IDEA of it. Just when you think they've done everything that is possible with a Devil's Trap they carve it into a bullet. :D *handwaves* how damn hard that would be because they'd have to include the sigils and everything but....IDEA! \o/
* Sam and Dean. Seriously. They were just so comfortable together. There was so much warmth and love and familiarity.
* I like the way they skirted around the dreaded time travel paradox. Henry died so it works.
* JOHN WOULD BE PROUD! Oh fuck...I can't...*reaches for the paper bag*...*breaths* That might have been my favourite moment. John would be incredibly proud. They are such fine men.
* Sam had a salad! It cracks me up...a man that big would need more than a salad to get through a day. I love the continuity of that though.
* I love that Garth keeps getting mentioned. They are treating him like junior Bobby.
* The motel room was awesome. I can't wait to take a closer look at that one.
* FINAL SCENE!! Oh yes. YES YES! They talked liked they used to. *HEARTS*
* "It's the price we pay". That came up a couple of times and...well...yes. The hurt, the pain, the sacrifices - that's the price. And it's interesting (and I think very in character) that Sam seems to accept that whereas Dean accepts it but he's always somewhat bitter about it.
* and EVERYTHING else!
This, for me, is an episode that reflects the very heart of this show. The boys watching out for each other (omg! Kidnapped Sam - I think I nearly had a coronary when Sam's life was up for trade - Dean's faaaceee....), family history, Sam and Dean reflecting on their lives....*happy sigh*
Other stuff....
So. What the hell was with the first half of this season? Was it a reset? Was it about putting Sam in a different head space? Maybe it was to remind Dean just how much family still means to him? (not that he needs reminding). Was it to tie up the end of S7? Was it purely to have them at odds with each other - just to create dramatic tension? Or to make them even stronger together maybe? That episode was so far removed from ANYTHING that went on in the first half. There was no mention of anything that had gone before. Not that there needed to be, but it was such a different feel to what's come before.
Perhaps it was a set up to get Amelia pregnant - I'm not putting this past them. It would mean another Winchester. ;) It would be one hell of a season finale if say Sam had to watch him (maybe her) get killed. Imagine how powerful that would be considering he has a son of his own. Pure speculation of course but there HAD to be a reason for them sleeping together when they met up (other than them not being able to keep their hands off of each other? *head scratch*. And I say killed (or die) because there's no way they'll be travelling around with a baby on board. It would make for another tragedy in their lives.
And as much as I want them to be past the Sam and Amelia story line I would love to see it come back just to MAKE SENSE OF IT ALL! I'd love to see it fit into this whole new arc.
Um..also. It's 2013. The year Dean had before Sam appeared and the year just gone by, um...didn't happen? It would be more like 2015 yeah? I have no issue with that but if they keep giving us "One year later" they need to factor that in don't they?
Ok. I feel like I've been reset. THANK YOU!!
ALL THE WARM FUZZIES!!
And now I leave you with this because.... HOLY FUCK!! ARMS!! HAIR! SLEEPINESS! DEAN HUGGING SAM'S PILLOW! TEE-SHIRTS!!! SAAAyumMMMMM!!!!! *iz dead*
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no subject
Date: 2013-01-31 02:46 pm (UTC)I'm not sure how much I liked the sudden complete all but retconning of the secret society that looks down on the hunters.... though Sam's brain and brawn for his family heritage was pretty funny! I do love that John is the bookworm who wasn't, the hunter to came to it "the hard way"...
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Date: 2013-01-31 02:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-01-31 02:52 pm (UTC)If they manage to take the story in a new (good) direction then I'll over look the fact that they have retconned like...er...whoa. ;)
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Date: 2013-01-31 03:41 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-01-31 03:47 pm (UTC)All the talk about "legacies" and the reminder about John and Mary's arranged marriage made me feel like it would almost be a shame to let those great bloodlines go to waste!
Glad you're enjoying again!
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Date: 2013-01-31 05:15 pm (UTC)Oh, no, not a baby...then we'll have the whole "is it Sam's or Don's?" Like the sands through the the hour glass...
Of course, the parentage of many great heroes is somewhat in doubt. There does have to be a reason for that whole debacle but personally I really hope that's not it. That could explain the strange Madonna halo over Amelia at the bar at the end of 8.10 though. Rolls eyes and groans.
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Date: 2013-01-31 05:58 pm (UTC)Ha. Yes. :)
You know, it's funny. I think there are some legitimate issues with the structure of the episode. They were trying to pull an In the Beginning style twist, but it's much easier to do that with Mary because she was much more of a blank slate than John - even Dean just barely remembers her, and the only solid characterisation we had of her before the time travel incident was vague suggestions that she knew more than she should have.
They've already pulled a 'surprise!' moment with John by depicting him as naive and sweet natured enough to sail through Vietnam without a single emotional scar. Given how complicated John is, and how complicated Sam and Dean's relationship with him is, to pull off a substantial retcon like that properly they should probably have introduced it over multiple episodes - instead of just dropping Henry on our heads with little more foreshadowing offered than a general tendency to reference John a bit more than they have in a while.
But, having said that ... I don't care. I mean, I really don't care. I actually enjoyed watching that. I like the characters again. I have some curiosity about this aspect of the mytharc, although I admit I'm still baffled as to what the demons are trying to achieve beyond EVIL EVILNESS. At this point, I wouldn't care if they tried to tell me John was secretly Big Bird as long as they remember to tell me an engaging story.
There's something really interesting here and I am SO excited. Looks like there's lots of potential to build on the Men of Letters and The Box. Looks like Sam and Dean had a destiny that wasn't just Michael and Lucifer condoms. They are Legacy.
I am amused that the 'ape' hunter clan was so widespread and careful that even after a campaign of extermination by the demons you could still find Campbells about - and they kept their library intact. The highly intellectual Men of Letters could be wiped out by a single pissed-off demon. I'm not complaining, because if I learnt anything from Buffy it's that the people who run secret societies are stupid, but, um, Henry sweetheart? I wouldn't be looking down on hunters. :)
I REALLY liked Abaddon. She was sexy cool.
I'd like to know what was up with her. From 1958 she was pre-Crowley and pre-Azazel (his plan, anyway). She could still have been trying to free Lucifer on her own terms, but she doesn't seem to mesh with anything that's gone before. What was her goal?
Sam and Dean. Seriously. They were just so comfortable together. There was so much warmth and love and familiarity.
You know what was adorable? They spent almost the whole episode together. And when they were apart, it was to set up an immediate quest to reunite. Haven't seen that in a while. :)
The whole thing was very season two. Since I love season two, I am inclined to forgive pretty much everything and just wallow around in the enjoyment. :)
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Date: 2013-01-31 06:43 pm (UTC)I really liked Henry and his performance - good job.
And the boys sleeping, and in tees - Yay!!!!!
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Date: 2013-01-31 07:02 pm (UTC)I was so happy when they showed the intro I was almost crying. :D It was so good to be reminded of what Show really is about. Family.
I really liked that John had a place in mythology. And I love the continuity with what Cupid said.
I'm just really, really, really happy now. We're back on track. :D
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Date: 2013-01-31 07:24 pm (UTC)ETA....I really hope the first half was Carver finishing up the mess he'd been left. I liked Sera, but let's face it. Season 7 became somewhat...disjointed...to put it very, very nicely.
I miss the hell-wall, but you know what. I can deal with this. How very, very interesting!
I just feel so happy! :)
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Date: 2013-01-31 09:04 pm (UTC)And in light of the whole Legacy thing I wonder if Sam and/or Dean didn't donate sperm in the past when they needed money. The idea alone of the Show going the soap way (Amelia pregnant, Sam possible father?) makes me shudder. That way we would have the bloodline secured and none of the problems of having to deal with pregnancies and babies during hunts
And backstory about John \o/
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Date: 2013-01-31 10:32 pm (UTC)All of THIS.
So happy.
(And yeah for the Winchester music of epic sadness. I was all \O/ when I heard it.)
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Date: 2013-01-31 10:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-01-31 11:39 pm (UTC)Love the Dean sleeping, but if you look closely, Sam also STILL has one of those pillows on his bed. But love the one layer - they need to do that more often.
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Date: 2013-02-01 01:23 am (UTC)an episode that reflects the very heart of this show. The boys watching out for each other
and
Ok. I feel like I've been reset.
YES!! This entire episode, but especially the last moments in the graveyard, felt like things coming full circle. Back to the beginning, back to S2/S3, the "you and me against the world" days when the guys depended on each other. Looked out for each other.
I've pretty much liked S8 from the beginning, but still, with the guys always at odds with each other? The fights and the dirty tricks and the brotherly substitutes and the "I didn't look for you" and the "He's a better brother than you ever were" . . . that hurt.. And I'm so glad we've come to the end of that.
But as of the end of 8.12, we're back to "you and me against the world," and dear God, does that make me happy!
LOL, Dean wakes up CRANKY, doesn't he? XD
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Date: 2013-02-01 01:45 am (UTC)*too excited to express myself properly*
Dean looked so light, young, less weight of the world on his shoulders. Not even season 5 Dean, earlier Dean.
And the conversation in the end! Yes! During the beginning of the season I kept yelling in my head at the writers to take the show's own advice from French Mistake and never cut the scene in which the guys talk about their feelings. So much better now. Everything is so much better now...
After the first episodes of the season I thought it was just gone, it was painful for me to watch cause it felt like I was watching the very last days of this show I'd just now fallen head over heels for (this is the first season I get to watch as it airs)... but last week, and now this :-) :-)
Oh, oh :-)
:-)
And oh! The pillow! I did not notice that! :D
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Date: 2013-02-01 01:48 am (UTC)"And it was brought to my attention that Dean ends up sleeping curled around what started out as Sam's pillow."
It was? Can you explain? I sadly missed that. Tho my friend and I were talking and got onto mentioning how every time they sleep, they are positioned like two puzzle pieces. Dean sleeps on his back like he's holding/hugging someone protectively. Sam sleeps on his belly like a child who fell asleep on their parent's chest. It just makes me think of how they must have slept when they shared a bed as kids.
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Date: 2013-02-01 02:08 am (UTC)And the moment of - Sam saying it's hard to imagine John afraid of anything - cause he was the kid, John was far above and hard on him. And Dean gave him that tiny look - I think Dean could definitely imagine John scared.
And Henry's comment about hunters - I have so much to say about that. But I'll stick with - even though Dean was the one suspicious and held back towards Henry, he's that one who looked really hurt by that. Sam closed down a little, used to that, and there was just a smaller flicker of hurt in his eyes. They are such great actors. I love them. I should stop now and go happyloveyay over this :-)
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Date: 2013-02-01 02:10 am (UTC)I would love to get an explanation for the first half of this season. There were parts that worked for me on some level, but I don't get what the point of dragging out the Amelia storyline was unless they have some payoff in mind.
And YAY for someone else who's bothered by Show's timekeeping!
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Date: 2013-02-01 02:10 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-02-01 02:30 am (UTC)IKR? At first I was like UMM, NO. But then I was like FUCK IT, THAT'S COOL.
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Date: 2013-02-01 06:35 am (UTC)Remember when the guys used to care about what happened to the host victims? Sam's powers don't look so bad now after all.
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Date: 2013-02-01 08:17 am (UTC)He did kind of gloat about it, but then -- she threatened Sam and wounded his grandfather. And killed several others already.
I was squeeing like crazy throughout this episode. My face was in one persistent grin.
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Date: 2013-02-01 08:31 am (UTC)*twirls you happily* ♥♥♥
Watching this ep was like: Show where have you been?! Welcome back! :D
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Date: 2013-02-01 09:00 am (UTC)