Rewatch S6: All Dogs Go To Heaven (6.08)
So, I remember this episode as being one of the weaker episodes of the season - let's see how it does on rewatch...
Teaser - Whenever men talk about their dogs that way, I always thing they seem...well...rather gay (which I know is wrong of me, but still)...so it's weird for this guy to be coming out of the "Honey Wagon" for me. DOG ATTACK THROUGH WINDSHIELD!
CROWLEY!
"Is that Bobby Singer? Give him a kiss from me."
-See, this is an acceptable joke, because Bobby consented to kissing Crowley once. Uh, right...that's a S7 issue with fandom that I have. I will try not to bring it up again.
I love this road-side diner they built.
Crowley to Dean: "Quit clutching your pearls, you've been working me for a while now. Sam even longer."
Sam: "We didn't know."
Crowley to Sam: "Like that matters to you. You'd sell your brother for a dollar right now if you really needed a soda."
-And he would.
"Ten quid says you will" *makes Sam's hand burn* "You like pain Sam? You like Hell? You need to stop thinking about this as some sort of deal. This is a hostage situation, you arrogant thug, I OWN your brother, do you understand me?"
-And this is why, I think as soon as Crowley realized that Castiel hadn't told Sam that he was the one who resurrected him, he made him promise not to - because it is TERRIFIC leverage.
Oh, according to the news article, it was a cat that the business guy was talking about...yeah...um...that's even weirder.
"Werewolves turning on the full moon, so...'09"
-And so started the references that I eventually led me to realize that the writers had completely ignored the timeline...oh the pain, it still hurts my poor timelining-heart.
"So this is it. This is what you're going to do?"
"What am I doing?"
"Crowley! He's so far up our asses, we're coughing sulpher, but you, you're just going to work the case?"
-GET INDIGNANT, SAM! Oh man, this must be what it feels like to be friends with me....all logic and no emotions. Ok, that's not true. I'd be pretty pissed off too if I were working for a demon.
"It's just, man - I'm working for a demon now. I don't even know who YOU are. I just need a second to adjust."
"Look, this is a crap situation, but I'm still me. Same melon, same memories. I still like the same music..."
-I like this little inside joke - no one knows what music Sam actually likes. He's never said.
ASIAN!
"Plenty, but I don't think it was a wolf or possibly cougar that had a beef with the guy. You do realize these were animal attacks?"
"An animal out here? You think it came for the sailing?"
-This is even more hilarious when you consider that here in Vancouver, we actually do have coyote warning signs in parts of the city (including quite close to some marinas...and close to where Jensen and Jared live, I think)...and wild coyotes are actually much more dangerous than wild wolves, for the record.
"You didn't sleep...because you don't sleep."
"Right"
"Yeah, not creepy at all."
- I like how Dean obviously passed out with his clothes on on top of the bed. You know, for all Sam doesn't sleep - you think he could at least tuck in his brother. Though, I guess that would be too "gay".
I remember when this first aired, I made a comment about Dean looking at Sam over his shoulder all coyly...and then someone pointed out that maybe he wasn't turning over because he had morning wood. The slash-fic writes itself, doesn't it? It's a shame I can't get passed the brothers things.
Dean switched ties - thrilling, I know. I don't even do ties for the clothing catalogue, but I've been debating about whether I should start. It'd be more work though, and I'm a busy girl!
Sam's gun in the back of his pants... I was watching It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia the other day, and they kept sticking a gun in the FRONT of their pants. I was cringing...it's one thing to accidentally shoot yourself in the ass, it's quite another to accidentally blow your junk off.
"If all you had was beer, how come you're sweating vodka?"
-How come you can tell that from across the room, Sam? Or is there something about sweating alcohols that I don't know. Man, I could use some vodka.
"You love your brother of course, but Ron had a lot of problems - he was volatile."
-For all Cal is obviously a lowlife, at least he didn't stand for his brother pushing his girlfriend around.
"Bag him now?"
"No, we make sure."
"Really?"
"Before we hand him over to a life-time of demon-rape? yeah, really."
-See, this is why I think Dean was raped in hell. I don't think he'd just bandy that idea around willy-nilly. We'll, I should say that THIS, that crap in S4 with Alistair, and many of Dean's other comments, is why I think he was raped in hell.
"I'm getting cirrhosis just watching this."
-You know you have a drinking problem when DEAN thinks you have a drinking problem.
Dog watching her shower...yeah, that's not creepy...
It is a really pretty German Shepard they used though.
"I'm going to go out on a limb and say it's not Cal."
"Masterful deduction, Sherlock."
-Crossover! Y/N?!? Haha...ignore me.
"She still had time to wolf-out. Last werewolf was in bed - with me - and she wolfed out."
"Don't make this personal."
- I think this is the first time Sam has mentioned Madison since that all happened - it's a pity that he's soulless when he does it.
"I'm just going to watch her, that's all, trust me."
-Yeah, sure, Sam.
A naked man? BINOCULARS! YES IT IS A NAKED MAN! - Those are actually my notes....I just like how Sam sees a naked guy and reaches for the binoculars to confirm that yes, that is a naked guy.
I like the chase scene - save for two things: 1) I remember there being a much cooler shot of Sam jumping that fence in the promo, and I don't know why they didn't use that one. 2)Why does Sam stop to look at the clothes? It's pretty obvious what happened.
Christian, Dave, Don, Gwen, Lisa, Marc... are the names listed in Dean's cellphone now. Where they the same ones as before? I think so. Dave, Don, and Marc, are still mysteries.
"I haven't hunted a Skinwalker in years, I'm actually a little rusty on the profile."
-Uh, sorry, knowledge timeline - they HAVE hunted Skinwalkers before, so that can go in my pre-series monster list. (Werewolves are also there).
"We can either do this the easy way or the hard way"
*Sam laughs*
*Dean looks at Sam*
"What? Soul or not - that's funny."
-THIS IS A SIGN THAT SOMETHING IS ROTTEN IN THE STATE OF SAMMY. He is actually laughing at Dean's jokes!
"Well, I gotta tell you, Lucky, you got us stumped. I mean, why shack up with the family? Is it a kinky thing?"
-Oh, the jokes that I could make...but won't.
"Go to hell"
"Already been, didn't agree with me."
-I like this line.
"Hang on a sec. Listen, you don't have to tell me why you were with the family, I get it."
"You do, do you?"
"You killed every threat that came neat them. You care about them. In your own wakadoodle kind of way. It's obvious...."
-Here's, of course, where we start getting the comparison between Dean and Lucky...at the time, I thought it was quite heavy-handed, but *shrug* I don't mind it so much now. I think they actually did a good job of it.
"Look, I can't say anything."
"But if you don't, you're going to put the girl and the little boy in danger - and sooner or later all this crap is going to come for them."
-Again, this is basically Dean talking about himself. One thing I love about Supernatural...and judging by what Ben Edlund says in some of the Bluray special features (which I will get to eventually) I'm actually on the same page as the writers about this...is that in order to fight Supernatural creatures, Sam and Dean almost BECOME Supernatural creatures. They're freaks just like the freaks they hunt...and that means that no matter where they are, they are inviting danger into the lives of those around them.
"We're out there finding families, and once we're in we lay low..."
-I hope the Skinwalkers end up in no-kill shelters while they find families...because otherwise....
"You're a sleeper cell."
-I actually think this idea is brilliant and menacing. They should have played it up a little bit more, I think.
"Sam, not helping."
-Sam's sense of humour is a bit weird when he's soulless...maybe in that he has one, and it's kind of dickish.
"The pack leader, we're taking him down?"
"Yeah, better idea?"
"No, I...Crowley's not going to be too happy about that."
"Who gives a rat's ass. We let that thing live one second and it sends out it's psychic dog whistle and *ppf*"
"On the other hand, it could lead us to an alpha and then Crowley would give me my soul back."
"Are you kidding? 150 people turn into monsters, that's what you want?"
"No, of course not. I'm just asking."
"You know what, that's it. You say you're just folks - that you like baseball and apple pie and whatever. Truth is, I don't know what you are, 'cause you're not Sam. I mean, it's your gigantor body and maybe your brain, but it's not you. So just, stop pretending and do us both a favour."
- I kind of feel sorry for Sam here, because he really DOESN'T have a moral compass, nor can he assess when it's appropriate to be selfish and when it's not. So, yeah, I kind of feel like he gets yelled at for trying to do what Dean said he wanted - to get Sam's soul back. That being said, Dean tells him to stop pretending, and Sam does.
"I'd double cross us. I mean, he's got to realize that that's his best bet if he wants to keep breathing."
"No, he'll go through with it."
"Because he loves that family? I'd double cross us."
"Thanks Dexter, that's reassuring."
"I'm just making conversation."
-See, not pretending.
"Take the shot"
"She's in the way"
"Take it anyway!"
-As we see later on, this is exactly in keeping with Sam's logic later on.
"So, plan B?"
"We've got one?"
- I also love this exchange - which was also in the last episode. Where Sam is better at thinking ahead than Dean is - it supports Bobby's statement in 6.05 that Sam was a better Hunter than Dean "these days, anyway."
I like the quote in the S6 Companion from Jared about shooting the dogs in this episode. I don't have the book here, because I borrowed it from a friend. Basically, they ask him if he had any problems with killing dogs in the episode, given how much of a dog lover he is. And he points out that if he didn't have a problem with pretending to kill his wife then he shouldn't have a problem with pretending to kill dogs.
There's nothing as sexy as a man holding a sniper rifle and shooting a handgun...
Man, I love snipers...I really shouldn't, but I do. A sniper almost killed my grandfather in WWII and I almost didn't exist...but damn, I still love them.
Sam is going to kill Lucky... It would be in keeping with Hunter logic, but not Souled!Sammy logic.
"You and Aidan, you're the only family I ever had, and I know that sounds...I know what I am, it's just that no one has ever been so nice to me before, so thank you."
"Get away from this house, you psycho, and if you ever come near me or my son again, so help me."
-Here we also get a mirror to Dean, because whenever Dean tries to say goodbye to Lisa, he always tries to say thank you and apologize.
The Littlest Hobo.... Maybe tomorrow, I'll want to settle down, until tomorrow, the whole world is my home...sorry, it's mandatory for Canadians of a certain age to make a Littlest Hobo joke during this episode at some point.
"So, I was thinking, you're right. I'm not your brother. I'm not Sam."
"Ok"
"All that blah blah blah about being the old me: Crap. Like Lisa and Ben, I've been acting like I care about them. I couldn't care less."
"This is supposed to make me feel better?"
"You wanted the real me, this is it. I don't care about them, I don't really even care about you, except, I need your help. And you're clearly not going to stick around for much longer unless I give it to you straight. I've done a lot worse then you know. I've killed innocent people in the line of duty, but I'm pretty sure it's something the old me wouldn't have done. Maybe I should feel guilty, but I don't."
"Sam, get to the punchline."
"Look, I don't know if how I am is better or worse, it's different. You get the job done and nothing really hurts. It's not the worst thing. But I've been thinking, I was that other Sam for a long time. And it was...kinda harder, but there were also things about it that I remember that...let's just say, I should probably go back to being him."
"It's very interesting. it's a step."
"So?"
"We do what we gotta do, and we get my brother back."-Ok, I wrote down this whole exchange, because I thought it was brilliant. Mostly, I like the way Jared and Jensen act it. Sam is cold and heartless and very matter of fact. He ISN'T pretending anymore, and that's even more poignant when you watch Dean's expressions - which basically is the acceptance and grief at the fact that his beloved brother is still very much dead - that no part of the Sam that Dean loved is currently with him on earth. Dean loved Sam's soul that's really what it comes down to. His body and his mind don't mean anything to Dean - only his soul matters, only that thing that made Sam fundamentally who he was.
So yeah, I don't really think this episode is all that bad for a MOTW, and certainly, the scene at the end is very compelling.
Until next time...