Reactions to 3.10 - Dream a Little Dream of Me
One of the episodes I've been most spoiled for to date, I think. Timeline of spoiled-age for this episode:
January 9th - See people reacting to pictures, discern from the collective freak out that someone's going evil or getting posessed.
January 10th - See some people who have reason to know that there is no reason to panic, which leads me to 'it's a delusion or hallucination'. Which leads me to DREAM MONSTER EPISODE! Which was referred to in some interview way back in season one hiatus, I think.
January 20th - See "demon!Dean" as a tag to an Icon post, figure it's a manip and write it off as such, but then see people saying it's a spoiler. But I already figured it's part of a dream. Sigh.
January 23rdish - While trying very hard not to ponder which of the boys is being hunted by the dream monster, see mention of Jim Beaver giving an interview with spoilers for 3.10 So, figure Bobby will be there, either as a helper or inside the dream.
February 4th - Then, on a site where I was not expecting to see a TV listing, see the title, and the descriptor "Bobby falls into a coma"
And that, my friends, was the OMGWTFBBQ moment a couple days back because immediately the following process shot through my head:
BOBBY IN PERIL! WITH DREAM MONSTERS! YAY! OMG, NO! NOOOOOOOO!!! OMG! THEY'RE GONNA KILL BOBBY!!! NOOOOOO!!!
This has been my panicked little thought cycle for the past three days. I've spent the last few hellish days of work randomly bursting into capslock and developing an ulcer and a nervous tic.
If Bobby dies, I want in on the lynch mob that's gonna string Kripke up by his ears.
*twitch*
Ahem. So anyway, on to what actually happened in the episode. In one hour.
[A few hours later.]
That... that...
Wow.
I may never stop watching this episode.
Seriously. I just watched it twice and if being coherent for work in the morning wasn't an issue, I'd watch this episode all night long.
So, anyway, no lynch mob for Kripke tonight!
I'm just gonna capslock and flail randomly for the next several pages, alright? Cool.
-For starters: EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
-In the previouslies, I noticed in the repeat of Ruby's 'no way to save Dean' thing, there was a definite little hesitation. She's lyyyyying! Yay! Don't think that the way to save Dean is going to be very nice, and it's gonna seriously mess Sam up somehow in some way that serves Ruby and I think she's told Dean this 'Demons were humans once' thing to screw with his mind and up the stakes for him enough that he will want to try to break the deal so she can push Sam over the edge in the process of saving Dean, and it all serves her purpose and arg! I'm not even to the 'Now' and I have half a meta going on here :-P
-Also holy crap, Lisa and Ben??? How random and awesome is that!
-Also Yay Bobby! Don't ever ever ever die!
-Oh, Bobby. I knew it was Bobby's place pre-hunting as soon as I saw it. I want to go back through screen caps and see if that wallpaper matches up to the patches of paper on Bobby's walls now.
-I also love that in his dream, Bobby's wearing his vest and a trucker hat. Ooo! Is it the pig hat? I didn't see, and my new neighbor might be pissed if I fire up the video again.
-I didn't think I could love Bobby more, but this episode... damn! Getting ahead of myself. *smishes Bobby*
-I figured an attack was imminent, and I totally didn't jump. Much.
-Action Bobby! Yay!
-What a very odd housekeeping employee that was. I was kind of expecting she'd just walk back out and be happy she hadn't woken a guest, but that would have been a bad thing, so yay for snoopy housekeeping staff!
-Bar scene! I like the very obviously fake redhead with the (I think) large companion and the t-shirt that says 'Cougar'. If you're gonna go that route, what the hell, right? Go hard or go home, as the saying goes.
-Keno board in the bar!!! I don't know if that's a thing down in the states or not, but it's so associated with the BC Lottery Corporation for me it was like a sign saying "You're in BC! Gamble while you drink!"
-Need to go back and double check, but I think Dean either told Sam about the whole 'turning into a demon' line of crap story Ruby was peddling. However, whether he told Sam, or Sam figured it out from the staged Ruby backstory revelations last week, Dean has not told Sam Ruby told him she had no way to save him. When Sam mentions he doesn't think he can trust Ruby, or however it's put, Dean has a momentary glance-thing. Like he's deliberately not told Sam so as not to crush his little brother's last hope. N'aww. Or he knows she's lying, but still. N'aww.
-Sniderson is his name as Bobby's emergency contact. (Which, Awwww!!! He's Bobby's emergency contact!) But what band is Sniderson from? Unless it's like 'Son of Dee Snider, lead singer of Twisted Sister' which... eek? Also, quite an image of John with the
Dee Snider getup. -What a very emo doctor that was. He's headed for a nervous breakdown and early retirement if he doesn't start getting a bit of distance. Or maybe he's just having a bad night. *pats him*
-Is this that scene? The one that was mentioned by Jared at one of the conventions, and by other people who would definitely know? I was watching for that thing. Maybe it's a later scene. I'm being enigmatic because given the likelihood this season will be tragically short, the incident may make the blooper reel and I don't want to spoil it for anyone who, like me, tries to live under a rock to avoid spoilers for everything, including DVD extras.
-Peacock room! I love that room screen! It's like an
Escher thing, isn't it? I can't find the one I'm looking for, darn it!
-Bobby hangs his t-shirts. On hangers. In a closet. Wow. I'm boggled. It's one of those, "Did he do it just to screen the 'wall o'hunter crazy crap' or does he actually hang his t-shirts on hangers as a general practice?" things. We're learning so much about Bobby this episode! Yay!
-Interviewing the Research Assistant. I kind of love that Dean doesn't hit on her. Kind of a lot. And he thinks on his feet and stuff, and is generally competent about things. So much yay! Also, permanent record? BWAH!
-College Dorm. Holy crap does that guy have freaky eyes. Also, not dreaming for a long time is a very bad thing, and can drive a person nuts as the brain either learns to adapt, or starts organically bad sectoring itself to oblivion. So when he turned out to be the dream walker? Not surprised at all.
-I loved the conversation in the college dorm. Even though it adds to the "Dean knows about drug culture" thing that I really hate, but that's just a personal thing so I'll shut up about it.
-I facepalmed when Dean took the beer. But then I cheered when he used his ring to open it, so it evens out.
-Alright, who's got an internal monolog for Dean by Bobby's bedside. Because that intense expression? Needs a monolog. Or something. Wow. Oh Dean.
-Eeek! Bobby with the running and hiding and being all scratched up! Eeeek!!! Bobby kicks ass, even when he's trying not to hurt the person attacking him. I totally called her identity by the way. Ask the cat.
-Also? Love the much more effective and subdued gore levels in this episode. Very good.
-Bobby going "Help meeeeee!" and the whole extendo-hallway thing did, um, really seriously "Must go kick someone's ass and save Bobby now" things to my adrenal glands. It was very weird. I bounced out of the chair and emptied the dishwasher during that commercial break the first time around because I simply could not physically stay still and wait through 50 billion minutes of ads waiting around and doing nothing. Very bizarre, and much, much kudos to Jim Beaver for managing to activate that response in me.
-I love Dean's jean jacket. I want Dean's jean jacket. Just saying.
-One of these times I'll scan my 'squee pad'. The notebook of varying format that I keep by me when watching episodes to make notes or write reactions that would otherwise be too loud for an apartment building. Scrawlings of a crazy woman, and this time around, totally illegible and quite profane in spots. Like where the 'F' word is scrawled across and entire page and contains a million 'U's Heh. Anyways
-"Crap." "What?" "Bela." "Bela? Crap." *glomphs the scriptwriter that came up with that gorgeously awesome tiny bit of awesomeness that might be missed in the shadow of the other massive amounts of awesomeness in this episode*
-Sam's subconscious is a Sam/Bela shipper! Snerk. Also, he dreams in very cheesy porn, complete with porny soundtrack. That was... random. But kind of cute? I think? *is conflicted* I think he needs to stop watching those channels.
-Seemed to be an awfully fast turn around time from 'she won't help' to 'she's here' but whatever.
-< office supply geek-mode >PEN! That pen Dean has! I love that kind of pen! The caps are useless, but they write really nice! People have stolen all mine from my desk but I love those pens! And now Dean's using one. Yay!< /office supply geek-mode >
-From the Squee Pad "Oh shit, Bela saw the Colt, it's getting stolen."
-He saved your life in Flagstaff and you didn't pay him out immediately since you don't like being indebted to people? Shyeah. Right. Pull the other one, dearie, it's got bells on.
-I also love that the boys don't question her story because it's Bobby and if anyone can make Bela act selflessly, he can. Because Bobby Singer is just. That. Awesome. *glee*
-I actually like Bela even more as an adversarial character because of this episode. Although I kind of dread that she's about to come down with a bad case of "< fitb > with a heart of gold" syndrome come next episode. Not a spoiler, just a dread. A very large, ponderous, fugly dread, with halitosis and explosive earwax.
-So... is the 'hair in the icky concoction' thing a total shoutout to Harry Potter or what? I seem to recall it being said in the early days that Kripke didn't like Harry Potter, but maybe one of the writers snuck it past him while he was thinking about chainsaws? But, you know, it's kind of a common magic thingy to do weird things with people's hair and toenails, so it's probably a coincidence. *koff*
-BOBBY BACKSTORY!!! OMG YOU GUYS ACTUAL BOBBY BACKSTORY!!!! *keymash*
-That Bobby lives in the same house he had with his wife, but it's all built up with research and all rundown and stuff, and there's a junkyard where the bright colourful yard and laundry line used to be? OW. Owowow. Bobby angst! Who knew?
-I love that the interior shots with the boys n Bobby's dream house are all wiggly and woozy. very very cool, all the visual stuff going on there.
-Bobby's house number is 2194 (though it might be the same house as in Magnificent 7, and Bloodlust), and BOBBY'S FREAKING CAR IS PARKED OUT FRONT!
HI CHEVELLEN!! I'm glad you're here in the dream to help out Bobby too! *glares at CW again some more*
-I love that Bobby's wife is a sturdy woman that can kick his ass. Look at those shoulders!
-Bobby's wife was possessed by a demon and... Oh, oh, oh Bobby... *flails*
-Dean, all shouty and "You're like a father to me!" in Bobby's face trying to get him not to give up and let the dream version of his dead wife kill him? Oh Dean! Wow. Wowow. Also, kind of 'Ow, John', but distantly.
-The 'beer for organic material' thing... okay, so freaky-eye boy has been going dream skulking... by drinking people's backwash? Ew. I wonder if he knows Ash... Poor Ash.
-SLEEP DEPRIVATION! HYPER-CAFFEINATEDNESS! WOO!!! Not nearly enough of it, but WOO! anyways.
-Dean. Stop driving. Let your brother drive. You are in no condition to drive, and while the stimulus of driving is probably feeling like it's helping you stay awake, it's totally not. See, lots of caffeine and no sleep for 2 days often equals mild hallucinations. Like something running across the road in front of you. Also, at sufficiently high caffeine levels, your eyes will start twitching, which makes visual tracking of road obstacles tricky. So unless you want to wreck the Impala, let your brother drive. Doorknob.
-I love that he randomly pulls off the road into the woods. How did he even see that road, and know it's not someone's yard? Anyway, it gives them a place to sleep outside the hotel room so Bela can do the thing she's gonna do.
-Aw. No, of course he's never dreamed about having a normal life with Lisa and Ben before. Of course not. *wibble*
-Sam, you idiot, do not run randomly after the dream walker guy through the forest in your brother's head! Stay with your brother... Nitwit.
-LOVE the transition from the real woods to Dean in the dream hallway with the forest on the walls. Set design went totally nuts on this ep, it's so awesome!
-The whole scene between Dean and Dean? I have no words. Ow. Wow. Holy crap. And wow some more. Beyond awesome. Need to watch that againandagainandagain.
-Okay. So the dream walker guy has Sam knocked to the ground and is standing over him with a bat, and what's the big freaky scrawled line in my squee pad? "Don't you dare hurt the Impala!!!" Heh. Sorry Sam, but, uh, I figured you could defend yourself and stuff, I guess? Yeah. That's what it was. Sure. *facepalm*
-Yay! Bela stole the Colt. I totally called it. But then, if your main characters have a major magic item, and your NPC adversary character steals magic items, the likelihood of those plotlines not converging at some point in time is laughably miniscule. I'm surprised she hasn't gone for Dean's amulet yet.
-*random* While they're loading up the trunk, there's a tall hotel in the background, I'm pretty sure I went to a convention at once and may have... *koff* Hm. It was a memorable convention. In Richmond, I think.
-Conversation in car is another 'wow, have no words' scene, but also makes me nervous for the future in ways I can't quite explain coherently. Not when its nearly 2 AM and I need to get sleep to go to work and annoying things like that.
This episode rocked hardcore, and I'll be rewatching it as many times as humanly possible between now and next Thursday.
What did you think of it?
(Just a reminder, 'no spoilers for future eps' includes any mention of anything in any promos for next week airing on the CW. The City TV feed I watch doesn't have promos.)