Insta-thoughts on SPN 8.08
Just finished this one and--yay, Show!
SPOILERS under the cut. Warning: serious, serious metaphor-abuse. It's a veritable minefield. (Haha, C WHUT I DID THAR.)
8.08: Hunteri Heroici
1. *puts up hand* I did not watch the whole episode. I skipped the boring exposition bits and any time it looked like Dean and Cas were going to have a heart-to-heart. I'll watch them someday, but I'm kind of full of yeast right now and I don't want to be annoyed.
2. This episode had a theme to it, and Sam/Amelia actually fit into it! They're such an adorably awkward couple; I love it.
2.5. The segues into Sam's flashbacks are still funny as hell, but also unspeakably, horribly sad. This guy stands around, randomly retreating into his head, reliving a year's worth of memories with a girl he thinks he's left for good. They've been very particular in showing how somebody has to snap him out of it, and, hi, Show, are you going somewhere with this? Because it would be awfully gratifying. And it's okay even if you don't, because it's there, funny-sad-wistful, and it is beautiful in all of its awkward ugliness. Sort of like Sam himself.
2.75. The sequence of the flashbacks is interesting in itself. We start off linearly enough, with Sam's first meeting with Amelia, then a sudden flash-forward to them celebrating Sam's birthday, then back to Sam and Amelia in her motel--flash, they've had sex and Amelia's telling Sam her life-story--flash, she throws him out--flash, she's just beginning to bond with him--flash, they've bought a house and moved in and calling each other "baby".
Sam's head--it must be such a fucking fascinating place, right? I mean, how many lives has he lived--how many people has he been? He's got several lifetimes' worth of memories stuffed into the crevices of his gigantic brain. The threads are so many and so tangled up--ah, you know what, screw that. I've used that metaphor way too many times already. He's got so many things rattling around in there, and you never know which one's gonna spill out when. What are you today, Sam? Dean's little brother? Demon hunter? Robo!Sam? Lucifer's bitch? Amelia's anchor?
(It's also entirely possible I'm reading too much into choppy, sloppy story-telling. Dean's flashbacks have been--mostly--beautifully integrated into the ongoing narrative, as in the delightfully frightening sequence where Dean interrogated the thief in 8.02. His Purgatory story has also reached its narrative end--we know what happened, what he did, how he got out. His story has a point A, B and C, and they've all been reached. Sam's is more of an emotional journey--it keeps wanting to take detours to E, G and R. His story is like treacle alongside Dean's jet, and it feels awfully incongruous. It doesn't look like they're going to intersect--and, strangely enough, I want it to be that way. I don't want Dean to meet Amelia.)
2.8. Don't know what to make of Amelia's dad. I can understand his wariness of Sam (he calls Sam a "fixer-upper". Simple, succinct, yet perfect.) and I kind of love how they slowly bond later. Oh Sam, is this how it feels to interact with the outside world now? That you're constantly battering invisible walls with your fists to try and bring them down, because you've been in your own twisted universe for far too long? And Sam, being Sam, doesn't stop until he's brought the walls down, stone by stone, with his bare hands.
(LOVED Sam's expression when Stan goes, "And who is this handsome guy?" and goes right past him to the DOG. Hahahahaha)
2.85. "You're holding onto each other." Got the sudden impression of Sam and Amelia as two balloons floating into the ether, their strings intertwined, giving a false impression of stability when once they'd been tethered to rocks. IDEK okay.
3. Feeling extremely uncomfortable about Show's insistence on the soft-focus and the bright colours when it comes to Sam's flashbacks (Sambacks?). I mean, I can see how you can argue the 'it's a hallucination/dreamscape/CROWLEY'S NEFARIOUS SCHEME/~*it has been orchestrated by Naomi and her cronies*~' theory. Little things like the fact that they made such a big deal out of Sam finding Amelia and Don's wedding album, but never opening it. What do you think he would've found? Empty squares? Faceless people? Or do you think Don would've been wearing Dean's face?
3.5. But see, the thing is, I desperately want this to have been real. The very thought that it might be otherwise makes me nauseated. I mean, this is just overkill--how many false lives can you keep throwing the guy in before he loses every trace of identity and ends up totally, completely insane?--and I kind of really love Amelia.
4. The best part of the Sambacks, however, is this:
[ETA: so i was supposed to put a picture here but i'm done wrestling with lj, i really am. i've been trying for 45 minutes now. aaaaargh.]
Wow. He is so incredibly, incredibly tall. And seriously--it's been a while since Sam's looked this devastatingly beautiful. It's the sweater, I think. I APPROVE. Also, he's worn something like that sweater before:
Yep, 2.17: Heart. *stares with chin on hands and big goofy grin*
5. The funny! Was very funny, so no problems with that. I can't pick out a favourite, they were all so good. Didn't bother with the plot because was not interested, but it doesn't really matter at the end, right?
5.25. Okay, no I do have a favourite--that magnificent cat! "I'm not done with you" and "Don't ask" and ROFL.
5.5. PSYCHOKINETIC HUNTER! How cool is that? Now if only they'd gone down that road with Sam...
6. I loved Sam's impassioned speech in the cartoon-scape, and Castiel's meaningful glances at him. Castiel's cocooning himself in the Winchesters' world because he doesn't want to go back to Heaven and face what he did. Or so it seems. Honestly, I'm not quite sure what Castiel's supposed to do, or even wants to do.
7. I kind of love that Show's not lost its flair for taking an absolutely ridiculous premise and squeezing some good drama out of it. Yay!
8. Finally--I love LOVE that little walk where San, Dean and Castiel are so effortlessly in sync. Such a nice visual. <3
SPOILERS under the cut. Warning: serious, serious metaphor-abuse. It's a veritable minefield. (Haha, C WHUT I DID THAR.)
8.08: Hunteri Heroici
1. *puts up hand* I did not watch the whole episode. I skipped the boring exposition bits and any time it looked like Dean and Cas were going to have a heart-to-heart. I'll watch them someday, but I'm kind of full of yeast right now and I don't want to be annoyed.
2. This episode had a theme to it, and Sam/Amelia actually fit into it! They're such an adorably awkward couple; I love it.
2.5. The segues into Sam's flashbacks are still funny as hell, but also unspeakably, horribly sad. This guy stands around, randomly retreating into his head, reliving a year's worth of memories with a girl he thinks he's left for good. They've been very particular in showing how somebody has to snap him out of it, and, hi, Show, are you going somewhere with this? Because it would be awfully gratifying. And it's okay even if you don't, because it's there, funny-sad-wistful, and it is beautiful in all of its awkward ugliness. Sort of like Sam himself.
2.75. The sequence of the flashbacks is interesting in itself. We start off linearly enough, with Sam's first meeting with Amelia, then a sudden flash-forward to them celebrating Sam's birthday, then back to Sam and Amelia in her motel--flash, they've had sex and Amelia's telling Sam her life-story--flash, she throws him out--flash, she's just beginning to bond with him--flash, they've bought a house and moved in and calling each other "baby".
Sam's head--it must be such a fucking fascinating place, right? I mean, how many lives has he lived--how many people has he been? He's got several lifetimes' worth of memories stuffed into the crevices of his gigantic brain. The threads are so many and so tangled up--ah, you know what, screw that. I've used that metaphor way too many times already. He's got so many things rattling around in there, and you never know which one's gonna spill out when. What are you today, Sam? Dean's little brother? Demon hunter? Robo!Sam? Lucifer's bitch? Amelia's anchor?
(It's also entirely possible I'm reading too much into choppy, sloppy story-telling. Dean's flashbacks have been--mostly--beautifully integrated into the ongoing narrative, as in the delightfully frightening sequence where Dean interrogated the thief in 8.02. His Purgatory story has also reached its narrative end--we know what happened, what he did, how he got out. His story has a point A, B and C, and they've all been reached. Sam's is more of an emotional journey--it keeps wanting to take detours to E, G and R. His story is like treacle alongside Dean's jet, and it feels awfully incongruous. It doesn't look like they're going to intersect--and, strangely enough, I want it to be that way. I don't want Dean to meet Amelia.)
2.8. Don't know what to make of Amelia's dad. I can understand his wariness of Sam (he calls Sam a "fixer-upper". Simple, succinct, yet perfect.) and I kind of love how they slowly bond later. Oh Sam, is this how it feels to interact with the outside world now? That you're constantly battering invisible walls with your fists to try and bring them down, because you've been in your own twisted universe for far too long? And Sam, being Sam, doesn't stop until he's brought the walls down, stone by stone, with his bare hands.
(LOVED Sam's expression when Stan goes, "And who is this handsome guy?" and goes right past him to the DOG. Hahahahaha)
2.85. "You're holding onto each other." Got the sudden impression of Sam and Amelia as two balloons floating into the ether, their strings intertwined, giving a false impression of stability when once they'd been tethered to rocks. IDEK okay.
3. Feeling extremely uncomfortable about Show's insistence on the soft-focus and the bright colours when it comes to Sam's flashbacks (Sambacks?). I mean, I can see how you can argue the 'it's a hallucination/dreamscape/CROWLEY'S NEFARIOUS SCHEME/~*it has been orchestrated by Naomi and her cronies*~' theory. Little things like the fact that they made such a big deal out of Sam finding Amelia and Don's wedding album, but never opening it. What do you think he would've found? Empty squares? Faceless people? Or do you think Don would've been wearing Dean's face?
3.5. But see, the thing is, I desperately want this to have been real. The very thought that it might be otherwise makes me nauseated. I mean, this is just overkill--how many false lives can you keep throwing the guy in before he loses every trace of identity and ends up totally, completely insane?--and I kind of really love Amelia.
4. The best part of the Sambacks, however, is this:
[ETA: so i was supposed to put a picture here but i'm done wrestling with lj, i really am. i've been trying for 45 minutes now. aaaaargh.]
Wow. He is so incredibly, incredibly tall. And seriously--it's been a while since Sam's looked this devastatingly beautiful. It's the sweater, I think. I APPROVE. Also, he's worn something like that sweater before:
Yep, 2.17: Heart. *stares with chin on hands and big goofy grin*
5. The funny! Was very funny, so no problems with that. I can't pick out a favourite, they were all so good. Didn't bother with the plot because was not interested, but it doesn't really matter at the end, right?
5.25. Okay, no I do have a favourite--that magnificent cat! "I'm not done with you" and "Don't ask" and ROFL.
5.5. PSYCHOKINETIC HUNTER! How cool is that? Now if only they'd gone down that road with Sam...
6. I loved Sam's impassioned speech in the cartoon-scape, and Castiel's meaningful glances at him. Castiel's cocooning himself in the Winchesters' world because he doesn't want to go back to Heaven and face what he did. Or so it seems. Honestly, I'm not quite sure what Castiel's supposed to do, or even wants to do.
7. I kind of love that Show's not lost its flair for taking an absolutely ridiculous premise and squeezing some good drama out of it. Yay!
8. Finally--I love LOVE that little walk where San, Dean and Castiel are so effortlessly in sync. Such a nice visual. <3