11.14 reaction/review

[ash48]

Hot damn, that was some fine TV!

Different format because I'm feeling energetic. And erratic. So bullet points! :)

• Robert Berens = best writer on the show. Hands down.
  
  
• John Badham = awesome director. I have many fave directors on the show, so I can't claim he's the "best" because I think there are many "bests". He's definitely one of them!!
  
  
• I felt like I was watching a movie, not a TV show.
  
  
• I can't recall another episode where I was SO on the edge of my seat. I mean, we know the boys will always survive, but the tension was such that I actually worried for them. I loved that.
  
  
• Damn, that was some fine editing.
  
  
• Dean fixated on coffee in the morning. I UNDERSTAND THAT!
  
  
• Submarines. I feel claustrophobic just saying the word. Setting an episode (or part of it) in one is kinda genius. The total lack of escape is terrifying. This episode utilised that extremely well.
  
  
• Beren's creates well rounded, in-depth OCs. Even the guy holding the gun on Dean had character depth.
  
  
• Crowley as a dog was truly unsettling.
  
  
• I like the Men of Letters stuff. Always have. I like that the boys are not only hunters, but legacies.
  
  
• It made me wonder if there was also a separate "Women of Letters" - but after a twitter convo it seems women are Women of Letters within the Men of Letters. So. People of Letters really.
  
  
• I love that Berens doesn't treat us like idiots. Thank you for that. <3
  
  
• Role reversal - Dean begging Sam to let him do the dangerous thing (not often we hear Dean ask permission from Sam). Matches the previous ep of Sam telling Dean "he's got this". This also feels more organic than last season.
  
  
• Dean's (aka Jensen's) perfect lips are ridiculous. I was rather distracted by them in this episode.
  
  
• Misha's Lucifer is improving. I'm not fond of the screwed up face, but he was suitably menacing and creepy in this one. I am also enjoying watching Misha be something else. I like his non-Cas voice.
  
  
• I am so glad Cas as Lucifer has been revealed.
  
  
• Cas emerging to save Sam made me *heart eyes*. I love seeing Cas care for Sam. Like WHOA!
  
  
• Oh Dean. I like that his pain feels more organic this season. I dunno - it's had to explain. But the last two seasons were hard going and this just feels so much better for Dean's characterisation. I get that they needed/wanted to do "dark" Dean, but I much prefer this one. He's back to genuinely caring about people - wanting and needing to save them. I also feel Jensen is more in-tune with this Dean (purely personal opinion of course. I feel the same for Jared).
  
  
• Dean stating that he was only a "witness" was pure perfection. I spent the episode thinking "Dean's not doing anything" and that was EXACTLY the point (SO AWESOME!). Remember how ineffectual Sam felt in S3 when he knew he couldn't save Dean? I think this is somewhat the same. Dean knows he's can't kill Amara and feels useless. Love that we were shown this, not told it. I just hope - really HOPE that they don't make him wallow in stuff. Give me vulnerable, but don't give me self-pitying.
  
  
• Nice, quiet moment between the brothers at the end of the episode. <33 Maybe TPTB actually got the memo that we like the brothers being supportive of each other, rather than constantly at odds.
  
  
• Sam's concern for Dean putting himself in danger. I live for those moments. :)
  
  
• Sam offering his soul to be touched in order to save Dean. *drowns in a pile of drool*
  
  
• Sam's soul actually being touched by Lucifer. Non-con soul touching. Man, this show is fucked up.
  
  
• Great location for the final scene. Beautiful, thoughtful and appropriate.
  
  
• Edith Piaf is still in my head. I've been singing that song non stop! Love it.
  
  
  So yeah. I thought that ep was pretty awesome. Berens always makes me care more about the myth arc than any other writer. Dean and Sam continue to be the characters I fell in love with. It so REFRESHING that they aren't against each other. It terrifies me too (because surely this can't last), but I will enjoy while I can. :))

Comments

[percysowner.livejournal.com]

I actually don't have a lot of problem with Sam not figuring out about Lucifer. Sam spent all of season 5 resisting saying yes to Lucifer and he only said yes to cage Lucifer. For the entire season Cas kept telling him that Lucifer had to be stopped. Then, Sam held strong and refused to say yes to Lucifer so that Lucifer wouldn't break out. He had no reason to think Cas would do anything as lame brained as consenting to be Lucifer's vessel. It would be like working for a Bernie Sanders campaign and then finding out that the head of the campaign went and voted for Donald Trump! Cas has gone wacky before. He worked with Crowley to get to Purgatory. He's been controlled by Naomi. So Cas being off isn't OOC.

[sam-dean-lover.livejournal.com]

yes and it also seems that they are undoing season 5. everything that Sam did is now being whitewashed/undone to give to Cas because Cas needs something to do :( when he finally did see, i saw no reaction. :( so sam was unaware for 30 minutes that something was wrong there were clues that he could of picked up on Cas' wet coat, the a-game idea comment. working with the enemy unknowingly until it was too late :(

[ash48.livejournal.com]

I know this comment isn't to me but I did want to pop in an say something about it whitewashing what Sam did in the past.

I've seen this criticism quite a bit around the place and even though I can totally understand that reaction, I think that what Sam did in the past still stands and is still a remarkable sacrifice and his redemption is still significant. That concluded a major story arc for Sam (a five year one!). I think Lucifer being brought back into the picture can continue to work for Sam's storyline. He's shown strength in the face of adversity through it. Even when his "faith" was shot down, he discovered faith elsewhere (in his family). Sure, it totally sucks that he had to spend all that time in hell and now Lu is out again, but I can accept that as a continuation of that story arc (that said, I don't trust the writers will be thinking of all that as we go into the season finale. But they might).

I felt like we did see Sam react to finding out Cas had said yes to Lucifer. I saw utter devastation in Sam - and total disbelief. Sure, I think it could have been played up some more - as in allowing Sam to show his despair along with Dean in the final scene. But Sam was being strong for Dean and as always, he puts his own hurt to the side when he knows others are hurting.

[ash48.livejournal.com]

*nods* at the example. :D