Pcispam Reaction: Supernatural 5.08
Caution: This one's not exactly dial-up friendly...
Spoiler and Theorizing Timeline
-Oct 25 A spoiler warning included a title. *facepalm* Title of upcoming episode is "Changing Channels." ...Dear god. Not a "Stay Tuned" riff!? Stay Tuned being a ridiculously cracky movie from 1992 wherein the devil gets people to sell their souls for a satelite dish and remote control that sucks them into the world of TV, flipping them around through fictional yet twisted TV 'verses and game shows until they die? Holy crap. That's... that... That'd be so awesome! \o/ They could do a Smallville crossover! They film in each other's laps half the time anyway! OH! Or do a reality/character crossover! Heeee! The crack that's probably going to come out of this could be epic. XD
Reaction, spec, meta-bits and a picspam for Supernatural 5.08 - "Changing Channels"
OMG!!! O.O
Okay, for those in a rush, here's the short version of my reaction:
OMG!!! *CAPSLOCK* HEE! \o/ *PONDER* NEED MORE BRAIN!! *FALLS OVER DEAD FROM AWESOME*
And now for the detailed version (with biggish text because it was hard to read the other way), in which there is a dearth of brain but many crappily screencapped pictures.
-Silly me figured that the episode was crack and we'd be getting a generalized neutral recap, it would be safe to watch. But no. [OMG BIG TIME NO!] HAI TRICKSTER! Also, wow, hi every angel ever! No way is a crack episode going to involve all the angels, though. [HAHAHAHAHA!! HA!]
-"Supernatural is filmed in front of a live studio audience" And that's where I lost it. Totally. Head on note table, laughing. That and the CGI palm trees! \o/
-Fake fridge food in that almond-colored 70's fridge! OMG, SMEAT! It's like stunt-casting for props! *loses it some more*
-Pastel colours! Flowery wallpaper! Under-cabinet lighting! Super-saturated world! Sure sign of imminent doom! *continues losing it*
-GIANT SANDWICH!! *still losing it* I love how smiley Dean is, even though it's all a Trickster thing.
-OMG the beds! THIS ROOM IS KILLING ME!
-SANDWICH! There's about nine kinds of meat on that thing but no SMEAT! Such an oversight! XD
-FACE! OMG JENSEN'S FACE! *points and flails*
-Canned audience! Cheesy lines! OMG! I need a commercial so I can breathe!
-Wow, Dean slept with Winnie Cooper from the Wonder Years? Maybe he was doing research, she's a mathematician now. (Actually, that's not her. The similarity struck me in the middle of the gasping for air from laughing too hard.)
-CREDIT SEQUENCE!!! *oxygen deprivation setting in now*
-OMG THEME SONG! With lyrics! Must try to transcribe later! [Later:
Town to town, two lane roads,
the family biz, two hunting bros,
living a lie, just to get by.
As long as we're moving forward
There's nothing we can't do
Together, we'll face the day
You and I won't run away
When the demons come out to play
Together we'll face the day.]
-TWO-PERSON BICYCLE!! MINI-BIKES! SAM'S KNEES!
-Football in the park! Falling over! Which I particularly like because Jensen (or stunt guy, he's a long ways off, but I suspect Jensen) falls straight down, and Padalecki does the safer fall, with the foot under him and taking the primary impact on his butt, and then the camera has to go like fifty feet back because he's so damn tall he's half out of frame. XD
Totally Three's Company-style credits! Making a directly sideways link to "Stay Tuned". Of course no one under a certain age will know what Three's Company is, and I'm probably one of like five people who actually have watched and remember "Stay Tuned", but oh well.
-Beer and burgers from the Beef Barn!
-Well, now we know where all the smiles for this season went! The first ten minutes of this episode. XD
-Two days before in Wellington, Ohio. Oh good. Oh yay, breathing now. Gah.
-Hee! Dean's watching a Grey's Anatomy clone! Dr. Sexy MD. Heeeeee! They used that name before! Fangirl/Editor used it! Oh god the music.
-Yeah, Dean's totally a fan. This is not the face of a casual viewer. XD
-"It's called channel surfing." Aw, Sam, you're harshing his squee! Not cool! You know... Dean could have claimed it was porn (easily given the gasping and moaning going on) and Sam would have dropped the subject, but he didn't. Because he's too much of a fanboy and doesn't want to cast aspersions on his show. Awwwwwww!
-Hee! Same room, less saturation.
-The Day-Z motel. That explains the flowers. *nods* Hey, isn't Z-Day a nickname for the first day of the zombie apocalypse? Random free-association there, sorry.
-Suits! \o/
Stripey-tie stripes are going in opposite directions, so either down and away from each other or up and towards each other... or going by the 'reading left-to-right' concept, Dean is going up and towards Sam, but Sam is going down and away from Dean. There's meta in there. Or it could be the painkillers talking. *ponders*
-"Depends how pissed off it is, I guess." The man does have a point.
-Wow, Sam's sideburns are getting extreme.
Much longer and they'll count as mutton-chops.
-Has the woman playing Mrs. Randolph been on something else? Maybe something a long while ago? She looks really familiar.
-Written by Jeremy Carver (what, not Edlund with this much crack?) and directed by Charles Beeson. Hm.
-Incredible Hulk! \o/ And subsequent discussion of which Hulk. Dean is such a fanboy. Also a very diversified fanboy.
-I have no idea what to say about Sam's face here, but it is a notable face. A little like he's just unexpectedly sat on something invasively spiky perhaps?
-"Is there any reason Lou Ferrigno, the Incredible Hulk, would have a grudge against your husband?" YAY SMART!DEAN FOR ELIMINATING THE (extremely remote) REAL WORLD POSSIBILITY OF AN ACTOR FROM A LATE 70's TV SERIES RAMPAGING AROUND OHIO!!! \o/ \o/ \o/
-Mr. Randolph. Spousal battery and court-mandated anger management. Well, glad he's dead then. *has issues*
-Those flowers on the wallpaper are... wow. Special. Oh, hey. In reality, not only is the room de-saturated, the room is beat up and broken down; check out the cupboard behind Sam here.
I LOVE SET DESIGN! \o/
-"I've wanted to gank that mother since Mystery Spot". Not 'the' Mystery Spot. "Mystery Spot", like a title. Hm. A little extra fourth wall breakage as a reference to the episode, or is Dean referring to one of the books Chuck wrote? Since, you know, Sam probably didn't go into detail about what happened. So when they found the books and Dean saw that was one of them, he went and read it for himself. Ooo. Yeah. That's exactly what happened. *nods*
-RECRUITING! YES! Yay strategic thinking Sam! \o/ While Dean has several valid points, I do agree with Sam. Trickster has been, if not exactly neutral, then a little more tractable than their other quarry. (Although they could start recruiting an army of random monsters, but it'd be tricky to ride herd on all of them and not many would be effective versus angels and demons. Not practically feasible.) And the basis of argument being 'hey, these jerks are gonna tear up your playground' might be one that'd get to him. It makes sense! So I agree with Sam over Dean. This is an unusual position for me. o.O
-Police Band Scanner! Haven't seen that since, what, Dead Man's Blood? Yay for hunting method continuity! \o/
-Code 187 [*Googles* Homicide. *nods*] "OMG, it's weird! Send everybody!" Hee! Well, boys, it's either your kind of gig or a blatant trap. Either way, the Trickster will be there. Win-win! Bonus! \o/
-Ah, they must have made a side trip to the morgue for victim's blood to put on the stakes. *nods*
-HAI TRAP! \o/ Hee!
It's the Grey's Anatomy-like show! Oooo! Will Dean's fanboy knowledge come in handy? I wonder. I really truly do... *ponders in a very pondering-like manner*
-*giggles at Sam's 'WTF?' face*
-(Meanwhile over in wherever our fuzzy little bathrobe-wearing prophet Chuck is hiding out, he's finding himself suddenly delving into crossover fanfic. And no doubt similarly going 'WTF?')
-OMG the random shouting/slapping/emoting woman!
I've seen that exact scene every single time I encounter one of those medical soap shows! That's awesome! Poor befuddled Sam! (Also extra kudos to set design. AFAIK, all exit signs in BC are red, the one behind Sam is green. Good detail!)
-Dean's got a good WTF? face too.
-Hee! I don't watch Grey's Anatomy, but Seattle 'Mercy' Hospital seems a lot similar to their hosptial's name. Haida art on the wall! Yay BC content!
-Walking along and discussing the case! Also hee! Silly Dean. Looks like his turn to sit on the unexpectedly invasive spiky thing.
-Yes, Dean's encyclopedic pop culture knowledge will be handy! He's been doing research for this for a very long time!
-Johnny Drake! HAHAHAHAHAHA! "But he's not even alive, he's a ghost." HAHAHAHAHAH! OMG!!! JDM SHOUTOUT!! ABSOLUTE WIN!!!! \o/
Looks nothing like him, but still. I'm running out of surfaces to beat on in spasms of glee. Also running out of air again.
-"It's him!" Oh Dean, Dean, Dean. You are such a fanboy!
-*snerk* Experimental face transplant. Hee! Also:
Sam is getting enough teasing fodder for years from this.
-SHOES!!! Do not screw up the trivia when you're trying to fool a fan! \o/
Man those are some really white shoes.
-Hi there Trickster!!! Hee!
-"You two mutton-heads broke the world, and you want me to sweep up your mess." Not exactly the best start to alliance negotiations, but could be worse.
-Her again. And more music. Oh dear god I hope they switch TV programs soon.
-Ooo! I've seen this plotline on a few shows too, the 'patient's family is pissed, shoots doctor' storyline.
-Yay Bellowing!Sam! \o/
-Also Dean is showing about as much effect of being shot in the spine as someone on a TV doctor romance show does, so that fits.
-This music is going to drive me frigging insane, I swear.
-Now showing in operating room whatever-the-hell, Sam's 'EEP!' face! With extra added Hobbit ears.
-"Uh, I'll need a penknife, some dental floss, a sewing needle and a fifth of whiskey. ...Stat!" WINCHESTER FIRST AID FTW!!! \o/
-Heee! And now a Japanese game show! "Nutscracker!" Oooooo dear. XD Gotta say, the set is awesome.
-"What was the name of the demon you chose over your own brother?" Oooo. Trickster's getting personal.
-"Is he screwing with me?" HEE!
-Dean, stunned.
Speaking of fan trivia knowledge, where's Dean's skull bracelet?? Has he stopped wearing it and I missed it, or is it just temporarily missing due to Trickster screwery??
-And of course, Sam gets whacked in the junk. I really love that Dean doesn't even slightly giggle and is genuinely worried. Poor Sam.
-HI CASTIEL!! \o/ Missing for days? Really? That brings the timeline back up to the 'Now' almost.
-Ooo! Bye Cas!
Wow. Trickster's got some serious juice! [DOES HE EVER!!!] That's intruiging. o.O [YES IT IS!!! O.O]
-"Mr. Trickster does not like pretty-boy angels." Heeee! Well, Castiel does have excellent taste in vessels.
-"Would your Mother and Father still be alive if your brother was never born?" Ooooo. Seriously personal.
-"Play the role to survive." Ohhh dear. I see where that's going and what broader implications that has outside the TV Land construct.... Hm. What exactly is the Trickster up to here? [NEEDS MORE BRAIN!!! O.O]
-Never in the history of game shows has an answer buzzer been hit with more intensity.
-Dean speaking Japanese is so cool. Jensen speaking Japanese is so cool. Except he said 'So dusu' first, not 'So desu' which I'll have to see if it means something interesting by accident later. [Later: Nothing of note. Possibly "Primitive {something} to do"] But oh, oh, oh, it is such a good thing neither of them know what Dean's saying. Oh boys.
-Also of note, Dean did something that fit the TV world to play the role assigned. Sam did something that didn't fit the TV world to play the role assigned. Dean plays the role, Dean adapts. Sam plays the role, Sam makes the world adapt to him. Just saying.
-Now, back to the question and the answer to it... Hm. Could easily be true. Or could just be what the Trickster thinks is true. [More than likely!] It's a good thing neither Sam or Dean could read the subtitles. (Which reminds me, *wads up and tosses a very old plot-bunny that's getting Kripke'd to hell here*) Either way, needs more brain.
-Oh. My. God. The herpes ad. It almost faked me out, but there was something that clued me in.
HEE!!! Dean is watching you!
Dean has no problem about smirking at Sam when he's embarrassed, but not when he gets nailed in the nuts. Good to know.
Micro-snarl! Sam is not happy. \o/
This is... I don't know what this is, but hee!
That was almost the best thing ever, that ad.
-And we're back at the Now! And I know this person is just a construct of the Trickster, but Sam escorting a girl out the door in her underwear is vaguely disturbing. Unless that's a bathing suit? I have no idea. She is wearing shoes, and she doesn't seem too disturbed, and she's a construct, so *shrug*
-"We might die in here." Aw come on, Sam. The Trickster won't let you die as long as you're entertaining. [O.O]
-Hi Castiel! Holy Crap, Castiel's getting beat up!? What the hell?
-Random: I so very much love the slight alteration that's been made to the sound quality to make it sound like a studio rather than a set. Listen to the kind of... gah, I don't have the correct words. The brightness and semi-echo of Castiel's voice. So much glee for the details like that :-)
-Too powerful to be just a Trickster? Ooooo. And now he's throwing Castiel into a wall! And the whole wall shakes because it really is a set and they don't need to hide it! Hee! XD
-Hi again Trickster or whatever you are!
Ooo. Duct-taping Castiel's mouth shut. Ooo. What the hell? Ooo.
Damn sneaky of show to sneak in things requiring brain under the cover of crack. *grinds mental gears trying to shift*
-"Play your roles." Ooo. Well, a Trickster can be seen as a force of chaos, and Apocalypse is kind of ultimate chaos, so.... but he's more than a Trickster though, so what the hell? Okay, before, he was trying to get Sam to stop sacrificing himself for Dean... and if Sam had succeeded and kept Dean out of hell, he never would have broken the first seal and... but... he also kind of galvanized Sam by showing him life without Dean and that set him up for... Oh crap. Either it's not the Trickster but Zachariah in disguise because he's sounding an awful lot like Zachariah there, or... gaaaah! NEEDS MORE BRAIN!!! WHY DOES THE CRACK NEED MORE BRAAAAAIN!!!!? *headdesk*
-"Don't you ever, ever presume to know what I am." Ooo. Angry Trickster is... Interesting. Haven't really seen that before have we? Annoyed, yes. Frustrated, yes. Not angry. Ooo.
-Strong too. Dean's looking like he's in actual pain here. Maybe the Trickster's got a fist full of chest hair? Except last we saw, Dean was pretty hairless. Hm. Crushing his ribcage? I'd mention nipples but Dean's not getting grabbed in the right location for those? *shrug*
-CSI!!! \o/ They're ripping on all the traditional Thursday competition, aren't they!
-"I am wearing sunglasses at night. You know who does that?" Corey Hart? "No talent douchebags." Okay, fair enough, I guess, but Corey Hart had some good songs. For the '80's. Of course if you're talking about Horatio Caine from CSI: Miami, ultimate poser of the universe, I totally agree.
-*giggles at Sam's gargoyle face*
-Dean hates procedural cop shows! Of course he does! It's all the research parts of the case and not the more active parts! And all the victims are already dead and can't be saved! It's like an hour of boringness and failure to him!
-HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH OMG THE MUSIC!!! THE DEULING CARUSO SUNGLASSES!!! WITH THE MUSIC! AND THE LINE DELIVERY!! AND THE INAPPROPRIATE PUNNING! AND THE FACES! OMG!! Perfect rip on CSI:MIAMI! This gives me extra glee because that's my least favorite CSI iteration and I wish it would go away. Although CSI:NY would have been an interesting one to cross over, since one of the guys who played a Ghostfacer is a regular over there now. XD
-You know, boys, technically the dead guy's not a victim of the Trickster, he's a construct of the Trickster, and therefore his blood (or whatever fluids you're gouging out there, Dean :-P) is totally useless for killing the Trickster, right? No? Ah well. At least Dean got to poke a dead guy with a stick. Yay! \o/
-Heee! Graphic bullet-cam for the staking of the random candy-eating construct who is totally not the Trickster!
-Hey, Sam's log stake doesn't even have any construct blood on it before he stabs the Trickster/whatever with it.
So he has to know there's no way in hell it'll work, even if whatever the Trickster really is can be killed the same way, right? Plus the Trickster is still wearing the construct cop uniform, so obviously it didn't work. Sam, Dean, you see that, right? Right?? *sigh*
-Hee! They're in the same warehouse! It's like a Trickster holodeck! \o/ Hey, is that the photoshoot warehouse from the season two promo shots, the ones with the bird-brain shirt? Looks like, sort of, maybe.... no.
-In all this crack there is so. Much. Freaking. Meta. Need Braaaaain!!! Turning into Meta zombie. Bweee...
-Yup, see? You're still in it. Castiel's not there and now Sam's missing.
-KNIGHT RIDER??? ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME???
OMG! This-! That-! Sam is the car! MUSIC! *FLAIL!* The light in the grill! OMG IF THEY POWER JUMP THE IMPALA I MIGHT DIE!!!
Hee! KITT was my 12-year-old crush. Hated the guy, loved the car. I'm so awesomed out by this I am going to need to wait and catch what's being said in the rewatch because between laughing and squeeing and smiling so wide my face hurts I've lost my ability to comprehend my native language. EEEEEEEEEEEEE! The opening credits, shot for shot, pretty much, including the broody shot of Dean driving!
-Totally worth whatever they needed to pay to whoever has the rights to do this. OMFG.
-"Maybe it didn't work because it's not a Trickster?" Yah think, Sam?? Also, not having even fake victim's blood on the stake might have thrown a wrench in the works too.
_"I think I know what we're dealing with." Yay, smart!Dean! It is Zachariah? It's a little over-wrought for Zach though, and he''s too smug to keep up the fakery this long. Hm.... I have no brain. The awesome has vaporized my brain.
-DRIVEOVER!!! \o/
-Trunk! XD "That feels really uncomfortable."/*eyeroll* Hee!
-They're giving up? Naw... they aren't beaten enough to be giving up. This is not Dean beaten. This is Dean pissed. They're setting a trap. *nods*
-There has got to be an AU where Sam stays merged with the Impala. Not that I don't want Sam to have opposable thumbs, just... *glee*
-Also, I don't know whether I find it funny or disturbing that when Sam comes back to himself, he seems to take a half-second to deal with a wedgie. o.O (HEE! The KITT light is still behind the grill too. Not on, but it's still there.)
-Angel-trapping oil!!! Ooo.
-OH CRAP HE'S NOT ZACHARIAH BUT HE'S A FREAKING ANGEL ANYWAY??? *boggles* Well! I didn't see that coming! And of course the staking didn't work because you can't stake an Angel. Heh.
-"Nobody gets that angry unless they're talking about their own family." Heee. True.
-GABRIEL??? Really? Wow. O.O I may be boggled for quite some time. O.O I'd suspected Gabriel was around, but not already in play so to speak. Kripke would make an awesome Gamemaster. Also WELCOME TO THE MYTHARC, TRICKSTER!!! I knew there was something not quite random-Monster-of-the-Week about you but, dude, wow. O.O
-Self-Imposed Witness Protection Program. He had a face transplant! Yay in-episode-cross-reference!
-Ooo. Ooo. He ran away because his family... ooooooooo.... I'm kind of astounded how unbelievably thrilled I am about this development.
-[*random picture of Dean because it just paused there*]
-He doesn't want the world to end, he just wants his family to stop fighting. Ooo. "Two brothers that loved each other and betrayed each other". Parallels. Yep, we all nailed all that in meta, I think, yes? Yes. (Including a few people who I am sure are punching the air with glee that John's being paralleled with God in absentia, so to speak) Now they need to circumvent it, stand everyone down, and stop it. Totally doable. *nods* Not sure how, although my spec brain may be waking up.... aaaand nope. Flailing too much to brain, sorry.
-"It was all gonna end with you." Oh boys. Now you've got the whole problem in front of you though, or at least the majority of it. Now you can find the solution. It's there. Because neither of you can kill the other. The world is not gonna end and destiny is going to be circumvented because Dean gave Sam the Lucky Charms, and Sam gave Dean the toy. I HAVE SO MUCH ZEN I COULD FLOAT!!! \o/
-AND DEAN SAYS NO!!! \o/
AND I GO 'YEAH!!!!' \o/ AND THE NEIGHBOR THUMPS ON THE WALL! \o/
-"I wish this were a TV show." Heeee. *pats silly Gabriel* :-D
-"That's just how it's gotta be." Of course that's the only answer Gabriel sees! He's an angel! That ending is all he knows! All of them, Zachariah, Lucifer, now Gabriel, that's all the angels know. Because in theory they are not permitted free will. Even the ones that do exercise free will (as Gabriel obviously has been, and Uriel, and Anna) are still stuck in that mindset. Castiel's trying to find one option out by trying to locate God to get everyone put into time-out because he's not only exercised free will, he's also gained some perspective. He's starting to see past the "inevitable". Free will and perspective. There will be another way out of this. There absolutely will be. OMG, so much Zen. *floats*
-"Bring back Castiel or we'll deep-fry you." *GLEEEEEE!!!* Dean's sassing an archangel on Castiel's behalf! AGAIN! *flails* Dean's totally adopted Castiel!!! \o/ Dean's living (or whatever in Castiel's case) family is now Sam, Bobby, and Castiel. Trufax. Now adopt Chuck too and I'll be ecstatic. Everyone will still fit in the Impala. Chuck's skinny, he can take the center belt. *nods* \o/
-"How's the search for Daddy going? Lemmee guess, Awful." Intra-family embittered angel snarkery! \o/ *giggles at face*
-Oooo. Castiel's pissed. He's got 'at least I'm doing something' written all over him.
-"You gonna leave me here forever?" Well, the oil would eventually burn itself out, one would think. Also there is the niggling question of how Gabriel let the boys get the drop on him with the angel oil in the first place, except they do have those nifty no-see-um rib tattoos, and maybe, just maybe, Gabriel wanted to come in out of the cold, or have a more direct hand in things. One way or another. Ooo. A subconscious desire to be discovered, uncovered and thwarted, so he can.... maybe do something about the situation instead of just wanting it over as an inevitability? Hm. I didn't bring my pondering brain to this episode, but it does bear pondering. *ponders*
-"THIS IS ABOUT YOU BEING TOO AFRAID TO STAND UP TO YOUR FAMILY!" THIS IS COMING FROM DEAN!!!! THIS DEAN HERE!!!
THE ONE THAT KIND OF FREAKED A LITTLE A FEW YEARS BACK WHEN HE CONTRADICTED JOHN IN DEAD MAN'S BLOOD AND SALVATION!! THE ONE SHOUTING AT A FREAKING ARCHANGEL!!! OMG!!! *flails like a mad thing* I DO NOT HAVE THE BRAIN TO PROCESS THE FULL IMPLICATIONS AND RAMIFICATIONS OF THIS AT THIS POINT IN TIME!!!! O.O
-So Gabriel needs to go home and straighten his family out... and.... Oh holy crap. Maybe we are getting a redemption arc for Lucifer after all. Ho-lee crap. O.O Although... really, with the front Big L's putting up so far, it's not likely.
-FIRE SPRINKLERS! \o/ Hee! And nary a flower petal in sight!
Though I still think an oil fire should float and spread, but whatever. It's magic oil. *handwaves*
-"So what do we do?"/"I dunno." Give it a few episodes, boys. You'll get it figured out before the end. Although knowing Kripke, it'll be about twenty minutes before the end.
-SO. Castiel's kind of standing back from the Impala. Does he poof away? Does he go chat with Gabriel to try and get his bigger brother the mighty weapon of heaven to lend a hand? Does he get in the back seat of the Impala while the camera's not watching? Or does Dean do the stop-start driving thing annoying older brothers do to make their little brothers chase after the car trying to get in? *ponders*
-OMG. So much plot and development and things. Needs SO much more brain! I can sense the thundering herd of meta this will generate all over the fandom. WOO HOO!! \o/
*hides from promo*
(PLEASE, NO SPOILERS OR REFERENCES TO SPOILERY MATERIAL IN COMMENTS! The definition of spoiler for this journal is located in left hand sidebar and includes references to promo material as spoilers. Theory and speculation based on aired episodes only.)
Spoiler and Theorizing Timeline
-Oct 25 A spoiler warning included a title. *facepalm* Title of upcoming episode is "Changing Channels." ...Dear god. Not a "Stay Tuned" riff!? Stay Tuned being a ridiculously cracky movie from 1992 wherein the devil gets people to sell their souls for a satelite dish and remote control that sucks them into the world of TV, flipping them around through fictional yet twisted TV 'verses and game shows until they die? Holy crap. That's... that... That'd be so awesome! \o/ They could do a Smallville crossover! They film in each other's laps half the time anyway! OH! Or do a reality/character crossover! Heeee! The crack that's probably going to come out of this could be epic. XD
Reaction, spec, meta-bits and a picspam for Supernatural 5.08 - "Changing Channels"
OMG!!! O.O
Okay, for those in a rush, here's the short version of my reaction:
OMG!!! *CAPSLOCK* HEE! \o/ *PONDER* NEED MORE BRAIN!! *FALLS OVER DEAD FROM AWESOME*
And now for the detailed version (with biggish text because it was hard to read the other way), in which there is a dearth of brain but many crappily screencapped pictures.
-Silly me figured that the episode was crack and we'd be getting a generalized neutral recap, it would be safe to watch. But no. [OMG BIG TIME NO!] HAI TRICKSTER! Also, wow, hi every angel ever! No way is a crack episode going to involve all the angels, though. [HAHAHAHAHA!! HA!]
-"Supernatural is filmed in front of a live studio audience" And that's where I lost it. Totally. Head on note table, laughing. That and the CGI palm trees! \o/
-Fake fridge food in that almond-colored 70's fridge! OMG, SMEAT! It's like stunt-casting for props! *loses it some more*
-Pastel colours! Flowery wallpaper! Under-cabinet lighting! Super-saturated world! Sure sign of imminent doom! *continues losing it*
-GIANT SANDWICH!! *still losing it* I love how smiley Dean is, even though it's all a Trickster thing.
-OMG the beds! THIS ROOM IS KILLING ME!
-SANDWICH! There's about nine kinds of meat on that thing but no SMEAT! Such an oversight! XD
-FACE! OMG JENSEN'S FACE! *points and flails*
-Canned audience! Cheesy lines! OMG! I need a commercial so I can breathe!
-Wow, Dean slept with Winnie Cooper from the Wonder Years? Maybe he was doing research, she's a mathematician now. (Actually, that's not her. The similarity struck me in the middle of the gasping for air from laughing too hard.)
-CREDIT SEQUENCE!!! *oxygen deprivation setting in now*
-OMG THEME SONG! With lyrics! Must try to transcribe later! [Later:
Town to town, two lane roads,
the family biz, two hunting bros,
living a lie, just to get by.
As long as we're moving forward
There's nothing we can't do
Together, we'll face the day
You and I won't run away
When the demons come out to play
Together we'll face the day.]
-TWO-PERSON BICYCLE!! MINI-BIKES! SAM'S KNEES!
-Football in the park! Falling over! Which I particularly like because Jensen (or stunt guy, he's a long ways off, but I suspect Jensen) falls straight down, and Padalecki does the safer fall, with the foot under him and taking the primary impact on his butt, and then the camera has to go like fifty feet back because he's so damn tall he's half out of frame. XD
Totally Three's Company-style credits! Making a directly sideways link to "Stay Tuned". Of course no one under a certain age will know what Three's Company is, and I'm probably one of like five people who actually have watched and remember "Stay Tuned", but oh well.
-Beer and burgers from the Beef Barn!
-Well, now we know where all the smiles for this season went! The first ten minutes of this episode. XD
-Two days before in Wellington, Ohio. Oh good. Oh yay, breathing now. Gah.
-Hee! Dean's watching a Grey's Anatomy clone! Dr. Sexy MD. Heeeeee! They used that name before! Fangirl/Editor used it! Oh god the music.
-Yeah, Dean's totally a fan. This is not the face of a casual viewer. XD
-"It's called channel surfing." Aw, Sam, you're harshing his squee! Not cool! You know... Dean could have claimed it was porn (easily given the gasping and moaning going on) and Sam would have dropped the subject, but he didn't. Because he's too much of a fanboy and doesn't want to cast aspersions on his show. Awwwwwww!
-Hee! Same room, less saturation.
-The Day-Z motel. That explains the flowers. *nods* Hey, isn't Z-Day a nickname for the first day of the zombie apocalypse? Random free-association there, sorry.
-Suits! \o/
Stripey-tie stripes are going in opposite directions, so either down and away from each other or up and towards each other... or going by the 'reading left-to-right' concept, Dean is going up and towards Sam, but Sam is going down and away from Dean. There's meta in there. Or it could be the painkillers talking. *ponders*
-"Depends how pissed off it is, I guess." The man does have a point.
-Wow, Sam's sideburns are getting extreme.
Much longer and they'll count as mutton-chops.
-Has the woman playing Mrs. Randolph been on something else? Maybe something a long while ago? She looks really familiar.
-Written by Jeremy Carver (what, not Edlund with this much crack?) and directed by Charles Beeson. Hm.
-Incredible Hulk! \o/ And subsequent discussion of which Hulk. Dean is such a fanboy. Also a very diversified fanboy.
-I have no idea what to say about Sam's face here, but it is a notable face. A little like he's just unexpectedly sat on something invasively spiky perhaps?
-"Is there any reason Lou Ferrigno, the Incredible Hulk, would have a grudge against your husband?" YAY SMART!DEAN FOR ELIMINATING THE (extremely remote) REAL WORLD POSSIBILITY OF AN ACTOR FROM A LATE 70's TV SERIES RAMPAGING AROUND OHIO!!! \o/ \o/ \o/
-Mr. Randolph. Spousal battery and court-mandated anger management. Well, glad he's dead then. *has issues*
-Those flowers on the wallpaper are... wow. Special. Oh, hey. In reality, not only is the room de-saturated, the room is beat up and broken down; check out the cupboard behind Sam here.
I LOVE SET DESIGN! \o/
-"I've wanted to gank that mother since Mystery Spot". Not 'the' Mystery Spot. "Mystery Spot", like a title. Hm. A little extra fourth wall breakage as a reference to the episode, or is Dean referring to one of the books Chuck wrote? Since, you know, Sam probably didn't go into detail about what happened. So when they found the books and Dean saw that was one of them, he went and read it for himself. Ooo. Yeah. That's exactly what happened. *nods*
-RECRUITING! YES! Yay strategic thinking Sam! \o/ While Dean has several valid points, I do agree with Sam. Trickster has been, if not exactly neutral, then a little more tractable than their other quarry. (Although they could start recruiting an army of random monsters, but it'd be tricky to ride herd on all of them and not many would be effective versus angels and demons. Not practically feasible.) And the basis of argument being 'hey, these jerks are gonna tear up your playground' might be one that'd get to him. It makes sense! So I agree with Sam over Dean. This is an unusual position for me. o.O
-Police Band Scanner! Haven't seen that since, what, Dead Man's Blood? Yay for hunting method continuity! \o/
-Code 187 [*Googles* Homicide. *nods*] "OMG, it's weird! Send everybody!" Hee! Well, boys, it's either your kind of gig or a blatant trap. Either way, the Trickster will be there. Win-win! Bonus! \o/
-Ah, they must have made a side trip to the morgue for victim's blood to put on the stakes. *nods*
-HAI TRAP! \o/ Hee!
It's the Grey's Anatomy-like show! Oooo! Will Dean's fanboy knowledge come in handy? I wonder. I really truly do... *ponders in a very pondering-like manner*
-*giggles at Sam's 'WTF?' face*
-(Meanwhile over in wherever our fuzzy little bathrobe-wearing prophet Chuck is hiding out, he's finding himself suddenly delving into crossover fanfic. And no doubt similarly going 'WTF?')
-OMG the random shouting/slapping/emoting woman!
I've seen that exact scene every single time I encounter one of those medical soap shows! That's awesome! Poor befuddled Sam! (Also extra kudos to set design. AFAIK, all exit signs in BC are red, the one behind Sam is green. Good detail!)
-Dean's got a good WTF? face too.
-Hee! I don't watch Grey's Anatomy, but Seattle 'Mercy' Hospital seems a lot similar to their hosptial's name. Haida art on the wall! Yay BC content!
-Walking along and discussing the case! Also hee! Silly Dean. Looks like his turn to sit on the unexpectedly invasive spiky thing.
-Yes, Dean's encyclopedic pop culture knowledge will be handy! He's been doing research for this for a very long time!
-Johnny Drake! HAHAHAHAHAHA! "But he's not even alive, he's a ghost." HAHAHAHAHAH! OMG!!! JDM SHOUTOUT!! ABSOLUTE WIN!!!! \o/
Looks nothing like him, but still. I'm running out of surfaces to beat on in spasms of glee. Also running out of air again.
-"It's him!" Oh Dean, Dean, Dean. You are such a fanboy!
-*snerk* Experimental face transplant. Hee! Also:
Sam is getting enough teasing fodder for years from this.
-SHOES!!! Do not screw up the trivia when you're trying to fool a fan! \o/
Man those are some really white shoes.
-Hi there Trickster!!! Hee!
-"You two mutton-heads broke the world, and you want me to sweep up your mess." Not exactly the best start to alliance negotiations, but could be worse.
-Her again. And more music. Oh dear god I hope they switch TV programs soon.
-Ooo! I've seen this plotline on a few shows too, the 'patient's family is pissed, shoots doctor' storyline.
-Yay Bellowing!Sam! \o/
-Also Dean is showing about as much effect of being shot in the spine as someone on a TV doctor romance show does, so that fits.
-This music is going to drive me frigging insane, I swear.
-Now showing in operating room whatever-the-hell, Sam's 'EEP!' face! With extra added Hobbit ears.
-"Uh, I'll need a penknife, some dental floss, a sewing needle and a fifth of whiskey. ...Stat!" WINCHESTER FIRST AID FTW!!! \o/
-Heee! And now a Japanese game show! "Nutscracker!" Oooooo dear. XD Gotta say, the set is awesome.
-"What was the name of the demon you chose over your own brother?" Oooo. Trickster's getting personal.
-"Is he screwing with me?" HEE!
-Dean, stunned.
Speaking of fan trivia knowledge, where's Dean's skull bracelet?? Has he stopped wearing it and I missed it, or is it just temporarily missing due to Trickster screwery??
-And of course, Sam gets whacked in the junk. I really love that Dean doesn't even slightly giggle and is genuinely worried. Poor Sam.
-HI CASTIEL!! \o/ Missing for days? Really? That brings the timeline back up to the 'Now' almost.
-Ooo! Bye Cas!
Wow. Trickster's got some serious juice! [DOES HE EVER!!!] That's intruiging. o.O [YES IT IS!!! O.O]
-"Mr. Trickster does not like pretty-boy angels." Heeee! Well, Castiel does have excellent taste in vessels.
-"Would your Mother and Father still be alive if your brother was never born?" Ooooo. Seriously personal.
-"Play the role to survive." Ohhh dear. I see where that's going and what broader implications that has outside the TV Land construct.... Hm. What exactly is the Trickster up to here? [NEEDS MORE BRAIN!!! O.O]
-Never in the history of game shows has an answer buzzer been hit with more intensity.
-Dean speaking Japanese is so cool. Jensen speaking Japanese is so cool. Except he said 'So dusu' first, not 'So desu' which I'll have to see if it means something interesting by accident later. [Later: Nothing of note. Possibly "Primitive {something} to do"] But oh, oh, oh, it is such a good thing neither of them know what Dean's saying. Oh boys.
-Also of note, Dean did something that fit the TV world to play the role assigned. Sam did something that didn't fit the TV world to play the role assigned. Dean plays the role, Dean adapts. Sam plays the role, Sam makes the world adapt to him. Just saying.
-Now, back to the question and the answer to it... Hm. Could easily be true. Or could just be what the Trickster thinks is true. [More than likely!] It's a good thing neither Sam or Dean could read the subtitles. (Which reminds me, *wads up and tosses a very old plot-bunny that's getting Kripke'd to hell here*) Either way, needs more brain.
-Oh. My. God. The herpes ad. It almost faked me out, but there was something that clued me in.
HEE!!! Dean is watching you!
Dean has no problem about smirking at Sam when he's embarrassed, but not when he gets nailed in the nuts. Good to know.
Micro-snarl! Sam is not happy. \o/
This is... I don't know what this is, but hee!
That was almost the best thing ever, that ad.
-And we're back at the Now! And I know this person is just a construct of the Trickster, but Sam escorting a girl out the door in her underwear is vaguely disturbing. Unless that's a bathing suit? I have no idea. She is wearing shoes, and she doesn't seem too disturbed, and she's a construct, so *shrug*
-"We might die in here." Aw come on, Sam. The Trickster won't let you die as long as you're entertaining. [O.O]
-Hi Castiel! Holy Crap, Castiel's getting beat up!? What the hell?
-Random: I so very much love the slight alteration that's been made to the sound quality to make it sound like a studio rather than a set. Listen to the kind of... gah, I don't have the correct words. The brightness and semi-echo of Castiel's voice. So much glee for the details like that :-)
-Too powerful to be just a Trickster? Ooooo. And now he's throwing Castiel into a wall! And the whole wall shakes because it really is a set and they don't need to hide it! Hee! XD
-Hi again Trickster or whatever you are!
Ooo. Duct-taping Castiel's mouth shut. Ooo. What the hell? Ooo.
Damn sneaky of show to sneak in things requiring brain under the cover of crack. *grinds mental gears trying to shift*
-"Play your roles." Ooo. Well, a Trickster can be seen as a force of chaos, and Apocalypse is kind of ultimate chaos, so.... but he's more than a Trickster though, so what the hell? Okay, before, he was trying to get Sam to stop sacrificing himself for Dean... and if Sam had succeeded and kept Dean out of hell, he never would have broken the first seal and... but... he also kind of galvanized Sam by showing him life without Dean and that set him up for... Oh crap. Either it's not the Trickster but Zachariah in disguise because he's sounding an awful lot like Zachariah there, or... gaaaah! NEEDS MORE BRAIN!!! WHY DOES THE CRACK NEED MORE BRAAAAAIN!!!!? *headdesk*
-"Don't you ever, ever presume to know what I am." Ooo. Angry Trickster is... Interesting. Haven't really seen that before have we? Annoyed, yes. Frustrated, yes. Not angry. Ooo.
-Strong too. Dean's looking like he's in actual pain here. Maybe the Trickster's got a fist full of chest hair? Except last we saw, Dean was pretty hairless. Hm. Crushing his ribcage? I'd mention nipples but Dean's not getting grabbed in the right location for those? *shrug*
-CSI!!! \o/ They're ripping on all the traditional Thursday competition, aren't they!
-"I am wearing sunglasses at night. You know who does that?" Corey Hart? "No talent douchebags." Okay, fair enough, I guess, but Corey Hart had some good songs. For the '80's. Of course if you're talking about Horatio Caine from CSI: Miami, ultimate poser of the universe, I totally agree.
-*giggles at Sam's gargoyle face*
-Dean hates procedural cop shows! Of course he does! It's all the research parts of the case and not the more active parts! And all the victims are already dead and can't be saved! It's like an hour of boringness and failure to him!
-HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH OMG THE MUSIC!!! THE DEULING CARUSO SUNGLASSES!!! WITH THE MUSIC! AND THE LINE DELIVERY!! AND THE INAPPROPRIATE PUNNING! AND THE FACES! OMG!! Perfect rip on CSI:MIAMI! This gives me extra glee because that's my least favorite CSI iteration and I wish it would go away. Although CSI:NY would have been an interesting one to cross over, since one of the guys who played a Ghostfacer is a regular over there now. XD
-You know, boys, technically the dead guy's not a victim of the Trickster, he's a construct of the Trickster, and therefore his blood (or whatever fluids you're gouging out there, Dean :-P) is totally useless for killing the Trickster, right? No? Ah well. At least Dean got to poke a dead guy with a stick. Yay! \o/
-Heee! Graphic bullet-cam for the staking of the random candy-eating construct who is totally not the Trickster!
-Hey, Sam's log stake doesn't even have any construct blood on it before he stabs the Trickster/whatever with it.
So he has to know there's no way in hell it'll work, even if whatever the Trickster really is can be killed the same way, right? Plus the Trickster is still wearing the construct cop uniform, so obviously it didn't work. Sam, Dean, you see that, right? Right?? *sigh*
-Hee! They're in the same warehouse! It's like a Trickster holodeck! \o/ Hey, is that the photoshoot warehouse from the season two promo shots, the ones with the bird-brain shirt? Looks like, sort of, maybe.... no.
-In all this crack there is so. Much. Freaking. Meta. Need Braaaaain!!! Turning into Meta zombie. Bweee...
-Yup, see? You're still in it. Castiel's not there and now Sam's missing.
-KNIGHT RIDER??? ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME???
OMG! This-! That-! Sam is the car! MUSIC! *FLAIL!* The light in the grill! OMG IF THEY POWER JUMP THE IMPALA I MIGHT DIE!!!
Hee! KITT was my 12-year-old crush. Hated the guy, loved the car. I'm so awesomed out by this I am going to need to wait and catch what's being said in the rewatch because between laughing and squeeing and smiling so wide my face hurts I've lost my ability to comprehend my native language. EEEEEEEEEEEEE! The opening credits, shot for shot, pretty much, including the broody shot of Dean driving!
-Totally worth whatever they needed to pay to whoever has the rights to do this. OMFG.
-"Maybe it didn't work because it's not a Trickster?" Yah think, Sam?? Also, not having even fake victim's blood on the stake might have thrown a wrench in the works too.
_"I think I know what we're dealing with." Yay, smart!Dean! It is Zachariah? It's a little over-wrought for Zach though, and he''s too smug to keep up the fakery this long. Hm.... I have no brain. The awesome has vaporized my brain.
-DRIVEOVER!!! \o/
-Trunk! XD "That feels really uncomfortable."/*eyeroll* Hee!
-They're giving up? Naw... they aren't beaten enough to be giving up. This is not Dean beaten. This is Dean pissed. They're setting a trap. *nods*
-There has got to be an AU where Sam stays merged with the Impala. Not that I don't want Sam to have opposable thumbs, just... *glee*
-Also, I don't know whether I find it funny or disturbing that when Sam comes back to himself, he seems to take a half-second to deal with a wedgie. o.O (HEE! The KITT light is still behind the grill too. Not on, but it's still there.)
-Angel-trapping oil!!! Ooo.
-OH CRAP HE'S NOT ZACHARIAH BUT HE'S A FREAKING ANGEL ANYWAY??? *boggles* Well! I didn't see that coming! And of course the staking didn't work because you can't stake an Angel. Heh.
-"Nobody gets that angry unless they're talking about their own family." Heee. True.
-GABRIEL??? Really? Wow. O.O I may be boggled for quite some time. O.O I'd suspected Gabriel was around, but not already in play so to speak. Kripke would make an awesome Gamemaster. Also WELCOME TO THE MYTHARC, TRICKSTER!!! I knew there was something not quite random-Monster-of-the-Week about you but, dude, wow. O.O
-Self-Imposed Witness Protection Program. He had a face transplant! Yay in-episode-cross-reference!
-Ooo. Ooo. He ran away because his family... ooooooooo.... I'm kind of astounded how unbelievably thrilled I am about this development.
-[*random picture of Dean because it just paused there*]
-He doesn't want the world to end, he just wants his family to stop fighting. Ooo. "Two brothers that loved each other and betrayed each other". Parallels. Yep, we all nailed all that in meta, I think, yes? Yes. (Including a few people who I am sure are punching the air with glee that John's being paralleled with God in absentia, so to speak) Now they need to circumvent it, stand everyone down, and stop it. Totally doable. *nods* Not sure how, although my spec brain may be waking up.... aaaand nope. Flailing too much to brain, sorry.
-"It was all gonna end with you." Oh boys. Now you've got the whole problem in front of you though, or at least the majority of it. Now you can find the solution. It's there. Because neither of you can kill the other. The world is not gonna end and destiny is going to be circumvented because Dean gave Sam the Lucky Charms, and Sam gave Dean the toy. I HAVE SO MUCH ZEN I COULD FLOAT!!! \o/
-AND DEAN SAYS NO!!! \o/
AND I GO 'YEAH!!!!' \o/ AND THE NEIGHBOR THUMPS ON THE WALL! \o/
-"I wish this were a TV show." Heeee. *pats silly Gabriel* :-D
-"That's just how it's gotta be." Of course that's the only answer Gabriel sees! He's an angel! That ending is all he knows! All of them, Zachariah, Lucifer, now Gabriel, that's all the angels know. Because in theory they are not permitted free will. Even the ones that do exercise free will (as Gabriel obviously has been, and Uriel, and Anna) are still stuck in that mindset. Castiel's trying to find one option out by trying to locate God to get everyone put into time-out because he's not only exercised free will, he's also gained some perspective. He's starting to see past the "inevitable". Free will and perspective. There will be another way out of this. There absolutely will be. OMG, so much Zen. *floats*
-"Bring back Castiel or we'll deep-fry you." *GLEEEEEE!!!* Dean's sassing an archangel on Castiel's behalf! AGAIN! *flails* Dean's totally adopted Castiel!!! \o/ Dean's living (or whatever in Castiel's case) family is now Sam, Bobby, and Castiel. Trufax. Now adopt Chuck too and I'll be ecstatic. Everyone will still fit in the Impala. Chuck's skinny, he can take the center belt. *nods* \o/
-"How's the search for Daddy going? Lemmee guess, Awful." Intra-family embittered angel snarkery! \o/ *giggles at face*
-Oooo. Castiel's pissed. He's got 'at least I'm doing something' written all over him.
-"You gonna leave me here forever?" Well, the oil would eventually burn itself out, one would think. Also there is the niggling question of how Gabriel let the boys get the drop on him with the angel oil in the first place, except they do have those nifty no-see-um rib tattoos, and maybe, just maybe, Gabriel wanted to come in out of the cold, or have a more direct hand in things. One way or another. Ooo. A subconscious desire to be discovered, uncovered and thwarted, so he can.... maybe do something about the situation instead of just wanting it over as an inevitability? Hm. I didn't bring my pondering brain to this episode, but it does bear pondering. *ponders*
-"THIS IS ABOUT YOU BEING TOO AFRAID TO STAND UP TO YOUR FAMILY!" THIS IS COMING FROM DEAN!!!! THIS DEAN HERE!!!
THE ONE THAT KIND OF FREAKED A LITTLE A FEW YEARS BACK WHEN HE CONTRADICTED JOHN IN DEAD MAN'S BLOOD AND SALVATION!! THE ONE SHOUTING AT A FREAKING ARCHANGEL!!! OMG!!! *flails like a mad thing* I DO NOT HAVE THE BRAIN TO PROCESS THE FULL IMPLICATIONS AND RAMIFICATIONS OF THIS AT THIS POINT IN TIME!!!! O.O
-So Gabriel needs to go home and straighten his family out... and.... Oh holy crap. Maybe we are getting a redemption arc for Lucifer after all. Ho-lee crap. O.O Although... really, with the front Big L's putting up so far, it's not likely.
-FIRE SPRINKLERS! \o/ Hee! And nary a flower petal in sight!
Though I still think an oil fire should float and spread, but whatever. It's magic oil. *handwaves*
-"So what do we do?"/"I dunno." Give it a few episodes, boys. You'll get it figured out before the end. Although knowing Kripke, it'll be about twenty minutes before the end.
-SO. Castiel's kind of standing back from the Impala. Does he poof away? Does he go chat with Gabriel to try and get his bigger brother the mighty weapon of heaven to lend a hand? Does he get in the back seat of the Impala while the camera's not watching? Or does Dean do the stop-start driving thing annoying older brothers do to make their little brothers chase after the car trying to get in? *ponders*
-OMG. So much plot and development and things. Needs SO much more brain! I can sense the thundering herd of meta this will generate all over the fandom. WOO HOO!! \o/
*hides from promo*
(PLEASE, NO SPOILERS OR REFERENCES TO SPOILERY MATERIAL IN COMMENTS! The definition of spoiler for this journal is located in left hand sidebar and includes references to promo material as spoilers. Theory and speculation based on aired episodes only.)