6.09 Episode reaction and thoughts
Nov. 21st, 2010 08:25 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ash48Yay Show!! I gotta say I really enjoyed watching that. I'm sometimes wary of the "comedic" episodes. They seem to skip substance and characterisation for the sake of the comedy (like Yellow Fever) but I went along for the ride and enjoyed some laugh out loud moments.
I mean, the boys did slip into their "comedic" personas (deadpan Sam and crazy Dean) but damnit, they work so well together and have that routine down pat that I can forgive them for putting their normal personas on hold for a moment. Well, aspects of them anyway.
Counting..
1. YAY!! Drinking! Or rather Not!drinking. I meta'd a little while back about the significance of the boys sharing a drink. I got excited to see them end the ep with their familiar roadside drink. Only IT DIDN'T REALLY HAPPEN which thrilled me no end. I remember saying:
My hope is that we will be able to see them share a drink together again. A real drink. A celebratory drink. A drink to that will signal that they are on some sort of road back to brotherhood.
I thought if Sam takes the drink there goes that idea. BUT HE DIDN'T. YAY!!. That is so significant. Dean wants to (as he's voiced before) be able to share a drink with Sam. It would signal some sort of normalcy for him. But Sam's not normal at the moment. I love that the show used their "sharing a drink" moment to signify the state of their relationship at the moment. Thank you Show!
(We can still hold out for the REAL drink together!! \O/).
2. TV Mash up opening. :) Show is one big fan!girl and makes a fanvid of itself. I know they have messed around with the opening titles a bit (and I LOVE it when they do that), but mashing up X-files was a hoot and a wonderful homage to a brilliant show. I think this opening set me is a great mood to watch. I was on a high after that.
3. David Bowie!! Space Oddity \o/ I think my heart might have burst just that bit more for the Show. PERFECT!
4. Some fabulous lines. I think the Close Encounter comments were my absolute favourite... 4th encounter? HAHA
5. A nice call back to Hell House with the opening interviews. Reminded me of that ep. (My fav of all the comedic ones...)
7. THE HOTEL ROOM!! \o/ That forest mural. HA!
8. Dean telling Sam he should be suffering because he's been abducted. That in itself isn't something I loved seeing (as in Sam not caring) , but YES! They suffer when the other is hurt or absent (the h/c fan in me..*g*) because that's part of their relationship.
Thinky thoughts...
I don't mind being taken out of the deep story arc for episodes like this, as long as there are some more clues given to us.
This is the kind of thing I imagined they'd play with, with Sam being soulless etc. A kind of bewildered Sam, saying the wrong thing, not sure what's correct etc. with Dean being his guide. The big brother he probably was when Sam was growing up. I don't mind that dynamic because it's a lighter way to look at a very dark aspect of the story. We are seeing further dynamics in their relationship and that's ok for me. At the moment.
But surely they can't play this for very long?
See, it's hard for me to lose my previous thinking that more is going on with Sam. I keep looking for it, even when I'm trying not to. There wasn't much in there tonight to suggest we have more than just soulless Sam. It's not that I need there to be more it's just that Show has being playing Sam as dark and mysterious and possibly "something else" for so many episodes and then (almost suddenly) he's just Robo!Sam. I dunno. I either love Show for being so clever in the way they are playing it OR I am incredibly annoyed for the inconsistencies.
Time will tell. Since episode one it's all been about the pay off. I admit to still wanting some mighty big pay off for a lot of this to make sense.
Of course there were still some clues... the whole deal scenario was no coincidence. I got very nervous during that scene because I thought for a sec that Sam might have said yes and I would have been truly pissed.
Sam is so hard to trust at the moment I found it difficult to believe what he was saying at the end about deals. I'm not yet convinced he hasn't made some sort of deal. Or maybe Show put it out there as definitely NOT being the case. Sam did say deals are a bad idea. (Really Sam???!!)
Queries..
I wonder if "want" is tied to emotion. For Sam to want his soul back would mean he would have to care. I'm not sure Sam is a good judge of what he wants at the moment. (Also ties with him wanting to be with Dean. But that's another kettle of fish).
Not having a soul means you can have more sex. (?) It's interesting that they've chosen this aspect of Sam personality to show us how much he has changed. Sam's soul prevented him from picking up women for one night stands. He obviously likes the sex, but for him it's always been about the connection with the person he's having sex with. Oh man, remember that first kiss with Sarah? And then Maddison? Even the woman (ack, can't remember her name) in Sex & Violence - he'd taken time to build a connection.
Each person's soul is obviously different. Dean's didn't prevent him from picking up one night stands. (ooh, don't pounce on me for saying that. It's not a judgement, just an observation *g*).
I wonder where they took Dean for his....um... probing? Is there like a fairy kingdom somewhere? (edit: Answered. I don't know much about the fae it would seem. Plus I spent to much time drooling over slim Sam this ep to listen to some details...*g*)
Why do people walk into cornfields when something spooky is in there? Hee! It made me laugh actually. I LOVE that they chose a cornfield. Perfect horror back drop.
Sam poured Dean a drink. A bit the way Cas did. I wonder if there's significance in that? Feeding Dean's habit? Giving it to him because they know it helps him? A sign of caring? (not in Sam's case though..) A sign of really NOT caring..? Hmm... something...
Where do they keep that esky? Not in the boot. Maybe in the footwell in the back. (yes, I worry about my brain sometimes too *g*)
Right. I better stop. I start writing and I get carried away. Congrats if you made it this far. :)
EDIT: I forgot my much needed I MISS SAM!! In fact: I MISS THE BOYS!! But... I'm in the passenger seat, enjoying the ride. :D
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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Date: 2010-11-21 12:51 am (UTC)Sitting right there with you because no matter what... this sure isn't boring!
*hugs*
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Date: 2010-11-21 01:16 am (UTC):D
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Date: 2010-11-21 12:51 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-11-21 01:18 am (UTC)<33
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Date: 2010-11-21 01:00 am (UTC)Avalon, the magical island where Morgan Le Fay lives....
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Date: 2010-11-21 01:20 am (UTC)I think I was drooling over slimmed down Sam a bit to much in that episode. :)
(I wonder if he's chosen to lose a lot of weight because Robo!Sam would be burning for energy, not having to sleep...? Man, my head goes in weird places!)
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Date: 2010-11-21 01:24 am (UTC)I thought I was imagining him being a lot thinner. Even in his face... I like him much better, I must admit.
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Date: 2010-11-21 01:32 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-11-21 11:01 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-11-21 01:01 am (UTC)Because they've never seen The X-Files/The Stand/Children of the Corn! *g*
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Date: 2010-11-21 01:23 am (UTC):D
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Date: 2010-11-21 01:09 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-11-21 01:24 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-11-21 01:12 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-11-21 01:25 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-11-21 01:46 am (UTC)I think that the thing with sex with Sam is right, he has always been shown as attaching different meaning to relationships and sex and the two are very much confounded and I think oftee his emotional baggage, which his now freed of, got in the way (remember his talk with Sarah?)
I think now is an interesting contrast to the sex he had with Ruby, which was Not A Good thing, and tied up with his addiction and self-loathing. I suppose of course there was a strong connection there - just not a good one.
Of course the way Sam's enjoying sex now (as obviously are his lucky partners!) would add weight to the side of the argument that says in his head - why go back to living a way when i didn't have this?
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Date: 2010-11-21 03:19 am (UTC)I know! I want to see them take it out from their
tardiscar one day.The whole thing with Sam and sex is interesting now. In the past it's been SO connected with his emotion - and Ruby is a perfect example of that - and now, without it he can just enjoy the sensation of it without the baggage. Hmmm... lucky him. :)
Indeed it makes us wonder what he has to look forward to when he gets his soul back.... (though life would be pretty bland... surely.. *head scratch*)
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Date: 2010-11-21 10:57 am (UTC)The boozing, the picking up or ogling gorgeous ladies, the denial of suffering...just that Dean now has a steady but estranged girlfriend, doesn't pick up women, and is trying to sell Sam the benefits of a soul with suffering.
No, don't ask me where I'm going with this, I don't know either. I just had these weired flash-backs when Dean was trying to talk to Sam and he kept being distracted by the waitress. It used to be just the other way round, with Sam trying to talk about a case and Dean doing a bit of flirting on the side and Sam giving him a stern look. They even seem to have copied each others mannerisms...
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Date: 2010-11-21 11:45 am (UTC)Remember when Dean used to be un-caring when he'd interview witnesses? Kinda similar to Sam now.
This is where I hope show is being clever. Take Sam's soul away and what similarities does he have that are like old Dean. And on the flip side, what similarities to old Sam is Dean showing now?
It's almost like a body swap without actually...um... body swapping.
::koff:: I don't know where I'm going with that either. :))
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Date: 2010-11-21 04:22 am (UTC)aka the "Happy Ending"
LOL
Had to getcha on that one. You're too easy. Walked right into that one.
*laffs*
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Date: 2010-11-21 09:00 am (UTC)I still don't feel like we've been presented with the "big reveal" yet. (Though some might argue Sam without his should WAS the big reveal..)
:D :D
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Date: 2010-11-21 10:20 am (UTC)*snark*
I know they have enough talent and smarts to figure out what I want and yet what they need to be successful.
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Date: 2010-11-21 11:49 am (UTC)I would LOVE to see a SPN movie. Doubt it will happen though...
Alternatively, I would love to see them make a movie together. I do enjoy seeing them on the big screen. (saw both their recent horror flicks on the big screen).
Here's the having successful careers have the show. :)
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Date: 2010-11-21 12:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-11-21 04:45 am (UTC)True, although we did see them sharing a cup of coffee together while they were bonding -- or at least as much bonding as Sam can do at the moment. But he really was trying to understand where Dean was coming from and trying to figure out how to not upset him next time. I thought that was kind of an interesting counterpoint in a way -- sharing a beer was a teenage thing, sharing a cup of coffee the adult one.
Sam poured Dean a drink. A bit the way Cas did. I wonder if there's significance in that?
I'd like to think that was a mirrored scene for a reason -- in that Sam and Castiel both care about Dean in their way, but they're all using him for their own ends -- whatever those might be.
For Sam to want his soul back would mean he would have to care.
I found it very interesting in his scene with the leprechaun that he's so particular about deal details. Yet Dean, who is supposed to be teaching him about morality, is the one ready to renege on the bone burning deal with Crowley. I've always thought Dean's own sense of morality was a very personal one, not a broad, general one, whereas I felt Sam's was more universal, about fairness, not just justice.
Where do they keep that esky?
Is that a term for "cooler"? Yes, I wonder where they keep a number of things they pop up with. Granted, they do recycle their wardrobe a lot but there's a lot more of it than fits in 2 duffelbags, especially when we're talking about bulky jackets.
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Date: 2010-11-21 09:09 am (UTC)I've always thought Dean's own sense of morality was a very personal one, not a broad, general one, whereas I felt Sam's was more universal, about fairness, not just justice.
Good point. I think Dean reneging re Crowley was very personal. He sure had a good reason to want to burn the bones. I still consider it weird that Sam stopped him from doing so. But as I've been doing all season, I've been probably reading too much into certain things.
And yes. A cooler. :) I think my brain would hurt too much if I considered everything they have in that vehicle of theirs. I just love that the cooler turns up (seemingly out of nowhere) for their roadside drinks.
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Date: 2010-11-21 10:15 am (UTC)Told ya: don't be scared (to watch this ep). :D *wink*
1. YAY!! Drinking! Or rather Not!drinking.
I remembered your meta when I watched that scene. I loved the moment,too when Sam didn't take the drink. :)
And that forest (muriel) in the motel room? lol. I was like: What the..? :D
Some fabulous lines.
I agree! I also loved the moment with Sam asking that fairy lady:"Do you have bigger cups?" With this tiny cup nearly disapearing in his big hands. (...his hands...*mind wanders off*)
Where do they keep that esky? Not in the boot. Maybe in the footwell in the back. (yes, I worry about my brain sometimes too *g*)
The Impala is a supernatural car so there is room inside that can't be seen from the outside...*g*
xx
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Date: 2010-11-21 11:55 am (UTC)Oh Sam's hand around the cup!! *kill me now* :DDDD
So many wonderful, memorable (and highly vidable!) moments.
I love the idea that the Impala is some sort of tardis. Bigger on the inside. I think it needs to be... :DD
xx
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Date: 2010-11-21 12:53 pm (UTC)I wonder where they took Dean for his....um... probing?
I wondered this myself, and was mightily surprised when the lady-with-the-statues answered that first-born sons were being taken to 'service' Oberon. My immediate reaction was 'oh, don't you mean Titania?', but apparently not...
It's at times like this that I wonder just which fan-girl the Shows writers are channeling. But still, XD
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Date: 2010-11-21 01:57 pm (UTC)And yes, as much as I enjoyed this episode it's not quite the same as when we have the real Sam.
Apparently Dean went to Avalon. (
Hee! And I'm sure fan-girls are often channeled! :D :D
xx
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Date: 2010-11-23 12:54 am (UTC)Despite that little bit of dissonance, I really enjoyed the episode, too. Robert Picardo as a leprechaun! Dean microwaving a fairy (after getting beaten up)! Sam doing the "What's up?" chin thing! Finally the show made me laugh again.
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Date: 2010-11-23 05:34 am (UTC)It was certainly nice to be able to laugh again. I didn't think it was possible with everything that's going on at the moment (and it's been so dark..), so yeah. It was a believable laugh, so I'm pleased for that.
:)
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Date: 2010-11-23 03:30 pm (UTC)Why, Dr. Fake!Siren, that was her name! Heh (Well, that's what I always call her anyway) But you bring up many good points.
RE: Teh Sex thing and Sam, part of it, I've been thinking without a Soul he's all BODY (and whada body mmmmm) He's driven and guided by pure instinct. So Hunting, hunting is what he knows, hunting is good, something to focus on and never mind innocent people or even his own brother getting hurt along the way. And sex, sex is good, sex he knows. He likes it, it's available to him he hits it! Nevermind any emotional entanglements or broken hearts. And yes, before, Sam's Soul, his emotional essense got in the way of these things. But now, all he has is his physical urges guiding him.
It does paraell early Dean in many ways. Dean of course had a Soul, but he was very driven by physical, instinctual urges. A coping mechanism for Dean? And now, in a way for Sam as well. Maybe Sam's even mimicking Dean to be close to him in the only way he knows how...
I may have to ponder this further in my own lj.... much to think on.
But this is where I'm getting frustrated too and thinking there HAS to be more going on with Sam than just Soullessness. True, he had no emotions or feelings to guide him. But he DOES have his brain. And sometimes his actions don't seem to match with what a Thinking Sammy would do. The jump from searching for abducted brother to banging smelly hippie chick seems almost like a Puppy with A.D.D. Not a Super!Smart!Hunter who still has all his braincells if not his Soul.
Again... much to ponder.
And I'm so SO with you in missing the Bros being Bros! *SIGHS* This New!Sam has been interesting (and the added emphasis on his BODY delightful...) But please, please give us Old!Sammeh back! SOON!!
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Date: 2010-11-24 09:37 am (UTC)I wonder what he'll make of that when his soul returns?
And sometimes his actions don't seem to match with what a Thinking Sammy would do.
This very much so. His body might have urges, but surely he'd remember how he used to be? But maybe he feels liberate now? In fact, I think he's said as much.
Oh, I just don't know. He is such a mystery. I sincerely hope they have thought all this through and I REALLY hope Sam gets his day in court as it were. We need to have his side of the story damn soon!
I'm desperate to know where his soul really is. If it is in the cage I desperately want to know how the hell he's going to cope when he gets his soul back.
*pets him* He'll be a mess no doubt.
But... I WANTS HIM BACK!! :)
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Date: 2010-12-03 03:47 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-12-03 10:10 am (UTC)