Entry tags:
8.13 reaction / review
My first reaction was...KEEEEY SMAAASHHHH!!! NO WORDS!!!. *thud*
Then I thought - that's stupid because of course I'll have lots of words!! ;D
But before all the words I have to say SO SO SO MUCH LOVE! So much love that it feels like I can't put it into words. Because that, my dear friends, is essentially EVERYTHING I love about my show.
Dear Show,
I know I was harsh on you for the first 10 episodes and I'm sorry I said you didn't care but you have to admit you made it VERY difficult. So it's not entirely my fault.
That said, I would now like to say thank you THANK YOU for giving back the love.
Yours gratefully,
ME!
It's been a long journey hasn't it? Nearly 8 years to get the brothers to this place. A place of peace and contentedness. A place with a new direction and purpose. And a home that actually feels like them.
It's weird because I feel like if that had been the end of the series I would have said...yes, THAT'S how it should end. That was curtain!ep if there ever was one.
But it's not the end (thank god!). In fact it feels like a new beginning. If they've done a "reset" then I couldn't be happier with the way they have done it. The Men of Letters is inspired and, just like Dean, I've put on my comfy slippers and settled in.
SO much to love in this episode, I have to count the ways....
The shallow:
1. Dean's wet hair!!! (and robe and SLIPPERS!!) <3333
2. Sam in a sweater vest and blazer! <33333
3. Dean with the sword! HA! Oh Dean... cutting himself...
4. HURT SAM!!!!! \o/ Can we just take a moment....
.
.
.
thank you *happy place*
5. Dean said "Little brother". I love it when either of them say big or little brother. I just....*hearty melty*
6. Dean eating! I'm not sure why it stood out this time but Dean was enjoying tucking into some food and it really played along with everything we know about Dean. He's happy. And when he's happy he enjoys his food. AND SHOWERS!!! (love the call back to an earlier ep on how he loves the water pressure).
7. Sam's hair!.. Um...you know I have a thing for Sam's hair right? Ok. Nice and floppy in this one. :))
8. Dean's face! (need I say more?! I am seriously struck at times just how attractive that man is. It's just not right. Really...)
9. Everybody loves bacon! (I'm sure they lurk our journals...)
10. "Quiet time" HA! (and they've been lurking my classroom. Loved that line!)
11. CODES!! "Something stuck to my shoe." \o/ They worked SO WELL together.
The not so shallow:
Damn but there were some lovely things going on in this episode.
As always the MotW story mirrors what's going on with the boys. Here we have a young man not taking the time to listen to his grandfather or take on his duty in his family. He "smoked" the very thing that would have given him knowledge. It was a book that was important and should have been preserved. Sam and Dean weren't aware of their "legacy", but now that they have been they are ready to take on this new responsibility. Books and secrets are now theirs to preserve and so will take up that mantle.
I take my hat of to Ben Edlund for this one. It was nicely paced, not (too) wordy, and made some lovely parallels between Aaron's story and Sam 'n Deans. Phil's direction was tight and featured some beautiful cinematography.
The Men of Letters bunker set was STUNNING! The art deco is gorgeous and one of my all time favourite styles, so to see the brothers in this glorious setting makes my wee heart jump for joy. I love how this is all so unexpected and yet it fits them so well. In many ways the Winchesters conjure nostalgia (for me anyway), so this nostalgic, classic, romantic setting is so perfect.
I love that the actor who played the golem wasn't just hired for his height. He could act and he added the feeling of Frankenstein's monster to his role. There were many similarities and I'm sure it was no accident. He was a "monster" who understood the world around him. What an inspired invention by Edlund. I loved him.
Sam immersing himself in the books and in the role of a Man of Letters is, quite possibly, may most favourite thing so far this season. Now that's reallove. I think of Sam having dinner with Amelia and her father and then compare it to him sitting amongst these books with Dean by his side and there's just no comparison. I wonder if that's been the whole point all along? I'd love to think so, but I think it's too subtle. But I'm taking it like that. I've never seen Sam happier or more at home. And I can't express my utter love for that.
And Dean too. He has a good shower, food, quality alcohol and a happy little brother. He HAS found his bat cave. It's the break they not only deserve but it's been a damn long time coming.
I did like that Kevin, Garth and Castiel were mentioned. As much as I'm more than happy for every episode to be like this and contain just them and a MoTW story line, I know that there is a bigger picture. There are people that are still connected to them so it seems right that they are concerned about them.
The ending was simply beautiful. Quiet and meaningful. Dean gets his regular beers out for himself and Sam but notices the top shelf stuff. When Sam gets his he sniffs it and takes a moment to enjoy it and savour this new found safety and purpose. Dean is content. It feels like the show has been reborn.
I can't remember the last time I've felt this level of satisfaction after an episode. I know the show is all about the angst but damn it's nice when it's not. I watch for the bro love, the peril, the mystery, the intrigue and it had all that in this one.
I leave you with these two images. They kind of sum it all up for me....


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So agree with everything you said. My own list was similar to yours. I think I posted 3-4 times last night - I loved it so much. :)
Didn't go to bed until almost midnight because I was so jazzed about it.
:)
Welcome back indeed, Show.
<3
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So much to love in this one - and with an ending like that I am certainly in my happy place. :))))
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It's weird. I feel like I have emotional whiplash. Boredom, boredom, mild irritation, growing disgust with the chara - sudden adoration!
I didn't hate all of the first ten; I thought three, five and six were actually pretty good. And nine would have been fine if it hadn't had to carry the weight of the mid-season finale. And I still think there are structural issues. There kind of have to be, since they sat on most of the interesting stuff for half a season. But I really just want to make encouraging noises at everyone involved, because if they keep heading in this direction I will happily forgive and forget.
He "smoked" the very thing that would have given him knowledge. It was a book that was important and should have been preserved.
That kind of made me laugh. Come on - no one wants the instruction manual until the machine stops working. At which point it has almost always been lost and you end up having to Google for instructions anyway. So really, Grandpa should have known how it would go. :)
But I love the whole complex weight of the way the world worked. There used to be a system. The 'nerve centre'. The different groups with different responsibilities - hunters, scholars, rabbi saboteurs. Maybe more, once Sam's had more time to dig. It's fascinating, because the supernatural world has always been depicted as so dark and grim. Hunters just learning as they go, and everybody being poor and disconnected. It's been that way for all of Sam and Dean's lives and most of John's and a pretty big chunk of Samuel's, and three generations is about as far back as memory goes. But now there's the possibility of a renaissance.
He was a "monster" who understood the world around him. What an inspired invention by Edlund. I loved him.
It's funny - I mean, making a monster is really the worst thing a hunter can do, and it really only happens by accident. But this monster was made deliberately by a group of specialists. I think it really highlights the difference between the old way and the new - and connects to Henry's disdain for shoot-first-and-ask-questions-later hunters. Killing the golem, back in the day, would have been wrong.
And I really liked how this particular monster illustrated the way Sam and Dean are balanced between 'hunters' and 'Men of Letters'. They just instinctively feel better if they know how to kill something. And yet they are able to perceive the golem as a rational being with feelings of his own with whom they can interact as a person, and they're quite happy to let Aaron manage him.
And - yeah, it made an interesting sort of anti-Frankenstein story. Frankenstein's monster wishes he belonged to Aaron. :)
Sam immersing himself in the books and in the role of a Man of Letters is, quite possibly, may most favourite thing so far this season.
That was adorable. I got the impression he didn't go out for two weeks because someone gave him his very own library and an internet connection. And I can sympathise. I wouldn't have gone out either. :)
The ending was simply beautiful. Quiet and meaningful. Dean gets his regular beers out for himself and Sam but notices the top shelf stuff. When Sam gets his he sniffs it and takes a moment to enjoy it and savour this new found safety and purpose. Dean is content. It feels like the show has been reborn.
It is nice the way they've been easing the tone of the endings up over the last several episodes. 8.10 - uneasy reunion. 8.11 - truce, and the foreshadowing of a sense of community. 8.12 - solidarity, but still in isolation. 8.13 - homecoming.
I'm glad they've gone this tack. Obviously bad things are going to happen. That's necessary to create drama. But there needs to be a lighter side to raise the stakes. If they characters are miserable all the time, why should the audience be invested? Sam and Dean might be better off dead. There has to be something we want them to have. Giant, magically powered library/Bat Cave? ... Yes. Yes, I want them to have one of those. :)
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I know! I don't get it. I mean, I'm thrilled we are getting this now. I was SO SO worry that the patterns that they had set up in the first half is what we were always going to get. It had such a different feel. So, whiplash = yes.
But I love the whole complex weight of the way the world worked.
Yes. I love how this opens us such a wealth of new possibilities. I love that now they can feel like they can really make a difference and be on the front foot. I remember Carver saying that the boys would be fighting on their terms. I have no idea what that meant, but maybe this is it. If they have the knowledge they become more powerful than just being hunters being pulled around by the supernatural. I LOVE IT!
And yet they are able to perceive the golem as a rational being with feelings of his own with whom they can interact as a person, and they're quite happy to let Aaron manage him.
I feel that this was quite a new approach for them. I mean, they are both on the same page again about not killing the monster just because it's a monster. Like the girl they let go in Bitten. (it also cements that Sam's wish for Benny to be dead is not about him being a monster - it's much more about him being with Dean and possibly deceiving him).
Obviously bad things are going to happen. That's necessary to create drama.
No doubt. But hopefully the bad things won't be between them. Hopefully they've moved on from all that. They will always have disagreements but lets hope we don't see that level of nastiness between them (ever again!!).
YAY SHOW!!! Welcome back! <333
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But it isn't, and we get a whole lot more of Sammy as a Man of Letters, getting his geek on, and Dean playing records and drinking whisky instead of beer and just.. HAVING A HOME!!
I think I actually squeed when the credits rolled..
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Sammy as a Man of Letters makes my heart sing. To see him so happy and geeking out...*happy, happy sigh*. And Dean is still fierce and passionate about his job. They seem to be even better matched now. Man...who would have thought.
I hope this is the feel we'll have from now on. :))
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I've never seen Sam happier or more at home. And I can't express my utter love for that.
And Dean too. He has a good shower, food, quality alcohol and a happy little brother. He HAS found his bat cave. It's the break they not only deserve but it's been a damn long time coming.
This! All the crap they've been through in the past few seasons? All the pain they've been through in S8 alone? Hells yeah, they deserve something nice. Finally, the guys get the emotional peace, contentment, brotherly camaraderie, and. . . oh baby, it's about TIME. Good food, good drink, good books, a safe place to lay their heads and a decadent shower, too? Just icing on the cake.
It's like they've been wandering the wilderness for eight years, and have finally found home and hearth.
I think that's why the last scene reduced me to a wibbly little puddle. I really have no words for how much I utterly loved this episode.
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YES! That exactly. I would never have dreamt for a minute that they'd get them to this place now - especially with the way they started this season. Maybe at the end of the series, but not mid way through S8.
SO GOOD!!! \o/
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I love how much it feels like the show I fell in love with. All of those things you said!
xox
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As you, I loved when Dean said little brother. I love when they do that.
Also on a shallow note, I'm so with every single one of your points. :)
I do wish that they'll continue this storyline. It's fresh and new and exciting, and I wanna see where they'll take this. I'm sure this is somehow tying in with the demon/angel tablet thing-y, because otherwise why would they have set that up? But really, I would be totally fine with the boys chasing their pasts and find out more about those secret organizations for the next episodes. Don't need angels or demons, just SamnDean is fine with me. :D
Now I'll sit back and wait for next week in hoping that it'll leave me just in love with my show. :)
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xxx
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Yes. Yes. YES. And YESSS!! :D
So much love for this new beginning! ♥♥♥
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That final image puts me in mind of the final shot from 'A Very Supernatural Christmas'--like a turning point, you know?
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Yes. It puts them in a much more powerful position. They won't be reliant on anyone else (though I suspect Garth will still be given a call ...). Carver did say once that the boys would be fighting more on their terms. I wonder if this is what he meant.
The ending was very much A Very SPN Xmas! I was hoping we'd get something similar to that again. I must admit I didn't expect it so soon. :))
xx
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Sam immersing himself in the books and in the role of a Man of Letters is, quite possibly, may most favourite thing so far this season.
This! So much! This is who Sam is - a Man of Letters. I love how that ties back to Sam’s love of knowledge throughout the show. And if we look at it from the 'destiny' angle: We can see Sam’s wish to go to Stanford, to become a scholar and not a hunter like John forced him to be, as an unconscious drive to become what he was always meant to be. Maybe now Sam can truly make his peace with being in the life. It also explains why Dean has felt 'right' as a hunter, well, before a life of sacrifice and loss undermined his enthusiasm, but still, he never really felt out of place as a hunter. I love it!
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WOOT!!
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And I really did like Aaron and Golem - they made a great team. It sounds like we might (?) see them again. I hope so.
xx
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Umm...it could be. I mean, they are both sympathetic monsters so there's definitely a connection. :)
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Won't be able to watch til tomorrow, but seen your 'satisfied mood' and am all relaxed and looking forward to it. You are like my personal
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Hee...personal ep forecaster.... I hope my response didn't give you false hope or anything...;)
xx
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Oh my, that was a beautiful ride! So many things to enjoy in this ep!
I was NOT expecting the books would come with a build in, ready-to-use, living space, I thought it would just lead to more peril and monsters. In retrospect it was so lovely how they took the time to show the box, the opening of the box, the key etc in detail.
So much bromance and geeky love - Sam knows the code of libraries by heart and Dean doesn't bat an eye-lid. Sam being the stay-at-home research guy and Dean keeping the contact with the world at large.
Aaron and his Golem, and the struggle with inheritance and family obligations. Such a great template for Sam's and Dean's struggles.
Dean having a little gay moment and being thrown off by it. Which totally ties in with your #8 - I get those moments, too, when his perfect features hit me as if I'd never seen them before. He also seems less tired looking lately, I think that's why I notice his face more.
fanfic ending of the series: Amelia, Lisa & Ben, Garth, Kevin and Benny move all into the Wincave and are living togehter happily and contently.
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I love seeing Dean not so tired and worn out. They both look so relaxed and happy. It's actually hard to believe.
Hee...and your fanfic ending. :) And ou missed Cas.... I think my fanfic ending would be just the two of them. I know they need friends (they can visit) but this is their shelter from the world and other people mostly cause problems for them it seems.
xx
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Think of all the possibilities!
(I still can't fathom the reason for Amelia and Benny though. I mean, what the heck?)
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And if that's it for the Amelia story line then...yeah. I'm sad for her actually. Probably the most underwritten character even on spn. (and least thought through story line...UNLESS, there are things we haven't been told yet. Which I doubt).
YAY! This is looking like a major turning point. Not only for the season but possibly for the next (and the next!).
Let's hope anyway! :)))))
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I am totally on board with this whole turn the story has taken.
(Sam's hair and Dean's face - nods in complete agreement.)
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Oh wouldn't it be awesome to see Sam taking all Bobby's books and cataloguing them. He's made his first entry and I am sure there will be more to come. So thrilled about that!
And who would have thought they'd fit in such a classic setting. I think it's inspired. I am proud of my show for realising the type of characters Sam and Dean are (and when did that actually happen? From seemingly writing them out of character with the story lines of the first half to this?? I wonder if the first half was all planned out and committed to before they caught wind of the backlash from fans. It almost feels ike this massive about face).
Anyway. Not complaining at all!! I love this new direction also and I can't wait to see them actually making themselves at home in this wonderful library.
\o/
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OH SO MUCH YES.
And I agree with the rest of it, too. *gestures at post* What you said. The episode gave out really nice vibes and that final shot was something that could have been the final shot of Show. IT WAS SO SATISFYING.
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They keep talking about the boys going out as per Butch and Sundance or Thelma and Louise, but this is how I'd like to see it end. With them together, with a hope surrounded by very cool things. If they've keen them this place only to have it destroyed I think I'll weep. Which..yeah, show likes to do that. Though I think now it gives them something very real to protect.
And it's a place full of possibilities.
\o/
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YES to this! Sam seemed so comfortable in his own skin for the first time in, like, forever. Dean seemed more relaxed than I have seen him in, like, forever. I can't decide if I really, really like the new mythology for its own sake and the possibilities it brings to this universe or if I just really like seeing Sam and Dean, these Boys in their Bunker, at ease in a way that we haven't really seen before.
(Except, occasionally, when they are driving down the road in the Impala).
Of course, I realize that I liked the first part of the season more than you did but I do think it is a valid consideration that this really was the point. Sam *thinks* he found "something that he never really had before" in Amelia but his palpable defeat and lost brokenness tell a different story. Dean *thinks* that Purgatory was this "pure", almost rejuvenating, experience but his barely concealed anger and constant tension once back just does not fit someone who has been "purified."
Perhaps it was too subtle or even completely accidental, I don't know. Still, I picked up on it and I am probably only mildly meta brained when I am actually watching the show so, maybe, it can't be that subtle. It is what this show has consistently done well, though; a fair mixing of both subtle and obvious. And maybe I am giving the Show more credit than is really due but, to me, there have always been these layers. It's why I can't stop talking about this show. It's why I am completely addicted and actually having a bit of trouble watching all the other stuff that I used to like but which is now piling up on my DVR. It's why I get something different out of most of the episode, no matter how many times I have watched.
It can't all be accidental, can it?
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Yes yes. I can absolutely buy this. I am pretty sure the first half was about bringing them to this point. Personally, I don't think they executed it as well as they could, but I think there was an overall idea about having them so at odds with each other that this new place could offer them both something they didn't get when they were "apart".
It is what this show has consistently done well, though; a fair mixing of both subtle and obvious
Totally agree. There are moments of giant anvils and then moments when we almost have to look so deep we're not sure it's even there.
It's why I get something different out of most of the episode, no matter how many times I have watched.
I think there are definitely layers. I also think as fans we come at each episode from slightly different view points so sometimes we're not seeing what someone else sees (which is why I love discussing it so much!). I am easily swayed when I hear someone else's opinion on something in the show. I look back on some of the early eps and the set up seems clear.
I also wonder if this ep (and the previous one) seem so good simply because there was such turmoil before. I suspect Carver upped the angst to make this moment even more powerful. If they found the bunker with their relationship in a peaceful place it might not hold the same feeling it does now. The bunker is now synonymous with them at peace. I think their choice of decoration and warm glowing colours was absolutely no accident. As far as I can tell fans love it and I'm sure that was exactly what they were going for. So er....well played SPN!
Thanks for your thoughtful comment. :))
Thank You! <3333
Edit-off to watch your vids again
Re: Thank You! <3333
i may come back for good to the show i love
Yay! Hopefully this is a new turn and we get to see them working together again and not revisiting all those well worn issues. :)
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