Rewatch S6: Mannequin 3 - The Reckoning (6.14)
Ok, so, by rewatch and clothing catalogue necessity, I must watch this episode again - as I recall, this one was the weakest of the season. However, I do believe there are SOME good moments...(though a bit of a warning, I am in a little bit of a bad mood today...)
"Sam..."
-The Sam we hear when the screen is still black is so broken. Man, it just goes right to your heart and gut.
Watching Dean frantically worry over Sam is like the longest 30 seconds ever. Also, I love all the touching - and that's coming from someone who does not like wincest (but DOES seem to have a weird obsession with cuddling.)
"Come on, we gotta get you the hell out of here"
-I like how Dean blames it on the place. Like the problem is location, and not inside Sam's own mind. It makes it something that Dean can fix. He can't fix his brother's brain, but he CAN drive like hell out of town.
As I recall, it was the monster plot that was deeply flawed in this one. Most notably the solution of it...but hey, it had it's moments, and the moving mannequins were very creepy.
"How do you feel?"
"Like i got hit by a planet."
"Well, lucky for you, I'm a doctor. I got joe, grub, and..." *shakes bottle*
"What are they?"
"Effective."
"I'm okay, thanks."
"Suit yourself."
-Trailblazers often have it the hardest - that's what I wrote down to remind myself what to talk about here. For 2 seasons, Dean was the only (living) Winchester to have been to Hell. And in true Dean fashion, he dealt with it by himself. We all do this. He had to figure out a way to cope, and in the madness that was the apocalypse, the most efficient way to cope wasn't the healthy way...it was to resort to booze and pills to just numb all the pain and suffering. It's the only solution Dean knows, and he's trying to help Sam here by sharing it with him - just like back when Sam first discovered monsters were real, Dean tried to help Sam by trying to get Sam to join Dean in Dean's hero-worship of their father. It's what got DEAN through it, but the same thing didn't work for Sam...and it's the same here, which, well, is probably for the better in this case (or, in fact, in both cases).
"So, how long was I out again?"
"I'm telling you, like two or three minutes. Why what'd it feel like to you?"
"About a week, give or take."
-This might be support for the idea that time in the cage passes like time in Hell - or Sam just got a week's worth of hell memories. The problem is, the cage and hell are two different places. We know that a month in hell is 10 years, but we don't actually know if that's the same in the cage. Were Michael and Lucifer tormenting Sam for 180 years, or for 18 months? I lean more towards 180 years, myself, just from the fear that Sam wouldn' t be able to function if he remembered.
"You shove it down and come out in spurts of violence and alcoholism."
"That sounds healthy"
"Works for me....this is not a joke. Your life is on the line here, Sam. This is not a debate. I mean, first you were a soulless dickbag, and now you're not. So we good?"
"Yeah, sure."
-Again, just to reiterate my note above. This is the ONLY way Dean knows how to deal with things. I think he's well aware that it's not healthy, but it's the only thing he knows.
"Be my valentine?"
"Dude we're working, put it back."
"Have a heart!"
"Dean-"
"Buzzkill."
- I love this exchange as they zoom in on the creepy anatomy dummy.
"Hey, so what'd you find out from the mop-jockey's girlfriend?"
"Nothing, just how great he was - went to church, donated to charity, rubbed her feet during Glee."
"I just puked in my mouth."
-Technically, I don't think Sam should know what Glee is at this point. Didn't it start while he was in hell? I used to watch it, but then I didn't. True story. :P
Asian! It's Filipino dude! Anyway...yeah, I like it when the casting is not just white people, as many of you know. I see a white person everyday in the mirror, it gets boring.
Sam and Dean wear their suits a lot in this episode - that makes my clothing job easy.
"Wait, that anatomy dummy you were molesting at the lab-"
"'scuse me?"
"What if that's what this is about?"
"What exactly are you accusing me of?"
-Hahaha.
"I get you want to bury it, but I had to deal with my past year, now you gotta deal with yours."
"Yeah, and that worked so great for you."
-Does Sam know what happened now? I guess we have to assume that he does.
The guy they got to play the scuzzy dude with the sex-doll is really good. I love the interview between him and Sam, he's so OBVIOUS but in a way that's natural and believable...and he does all the wrong things in the interview.
"Ben sent out a 911"
"Why would he do that?"
"You're going out on a date, huh?"
-I do like that Ben sent out a 911 to get Dean to come back. It's obvious and cliche, but it's also what a panicking kid who loves his pretend-Dad would do.
"So, who's the guy?"
"His name is Matt. He's a doctor."
"Oh, Doctor Matt. How respectable."
"Really? This is what this is going to be?"
-Again, it's pretty easy for Dean to find reasons to feel bad about himself. He leaves, Lisa gets a much better mate (in Dean's opinion.) It's another excuse to have a Dean pity-party, and I love that Lisa calls him on it. Dean has horrible self-esteem.
"What do you want from me?"
"I'm not asking for anything."
"Well then ask for something!"
-I think this is a great reflection of the kind of guy Dean is - he'll do anything for you, but you have to tell him what. He's someone who grew up only being allowed to follow orders after all.
"Um"
"Go to your room!"
-I like Dean's reassuring look to Ben before he leaves. More evidence that Dean is/was actually a pretty good father.
"The phone rings, I think there's a tiny chance it's you - big chance it's Sam calling to tell me you're dead."
-This line annoys me, because back in episode 2, it was LISA that suggested Dean go hunting and just come back every once in a while - and now suddenly she's reversing her position. I mean, technically, you could compare it to someone who married a retired soldier, only to have him enlist again...and maybe she thought she could do it, but then discovered that she couldn't...but there wasn't enough of a set up for that sort of reversal. It was "we can make this work!" and then "you shoved my kid and I'm breaking up with you!" and then this.
"Don't. Don't apologize for anything. It's just, I get to this place where I'm okay, and then you show up at our door. You keep doing that, everytime I think I'm never going to see you again. I'm trying to get over you, what are you trying to do? What do you want from us, Dean?"
-Ugh, FINISH SCENES! That's what's wrong with this episode, the writers don't FINISH WHAT THEY START. Seriously! Something HAS to be said after this line - it's not like Dean just slowly backs out of the room and runs away. He has to say SOMETHING, and we NEVER HEAR WHAT IT IS! And it drives me CRAZY, because whatever he says to this line is SIGNIFICANT. UGH! I AM FILLED WITH RAGE!
"What's going on?"
"That was a ghost trying to kill you for being a dick!"
-Hahaha, I love Sammy.
"You know what? You're lucky you were the most suspicious interview of all time."
-I love the way Jared says lines - where he puts the emphasis and how he spaces the words. I can't capture it in print, but it's brilliant and makes things funny that could easily not be funny.
Death by coffee table! Seriously, the years I watched CSI have given me a slight fear of coffee tables.
Yeah, cover up an accident - that makes you seem innocent. Dumbasses.
"That's ridiculous, plants could never kill a zombie."
-Yeah, Dean would be a fun dad to have.
"Why don't you come home? Can't you just say 'I'm sorry' and then come back?"
-I love that Ben considers their house Dean's home. It's kind of sad, because I don't think Dean considers it home - and I'm not sure if he ever really did, but he could have at one point.
"Whatever I did, I'm sorry."
"Listen to me, you didn't do anything, you understand that?"
-Well, technically you didn't listen when Dean told you to stay away, and then you're mom flipped her lid for no reason because she obviously coddles you too much...but ah, don't listen to me, there's a reason I don't have children.
"Just because you love someone, doesn't mean you should stick around and screw up their life. So I can't be here."
"You think something will follow you home?"
"No, no, I don't, but I think my job turns me into somebody who can't sit at your dinner table, and if I stayed, you'd end up just like me."
"Why do you say it like you're so....bad."
"Trust me, I'm not someone you aim to be."
"Don't I get a vote."
"No you don't. I'm sorry, Ben, but this way you got a shot at living whatever life you want. I mean, pick one, pick five, because with me, there's just the one road."
- This is the fundamental problem with Dean. He sees himself as a bad luck charm. The way he sees it, he's basically sinking into the Swamp of Sadness and pulling Atreyu and everyone else down with him. (Yes, I did just compare Dean to Artax, the horse in The Neverending Story - but who DOESN'T cry at that scene?!? Saddest fucking thing ever.)
"You're a liar, Dean."
"'scuse me?"
"You say family is so important, but what do you call people who care for you? Who love you even though you're a dick? You know you're walking out on your family, right?"
-UGH FINISH SCENES!! GODDAMN YOU! Now in my head, Dean points to something over Ben's shoulder and says "Regard la!" and then runs away - just because that's what me and my best friend do to each other when we don't know what to say. :P
-On a more serious note, and ignoring how frustrating this writing is, we return to our theme of Family As Choice. Here, we see that Dean DID choose Ben and Lisa as his family, and Ben still chooses Dean...the problem is that Lisa and Dean are getting to the point where they both feel that they have to unmake that choice. They have to choose NOT to be family. It's the classic divorce scenario really. Only, unlike traditional divorces, Dean can't be a part of Ben's life if he's not a part of Lisa's....and Dean is not choosing Ben anymore either - in some weird attempt to rescue Ben from Dean. Like he said, "Just because you love someone, doesn't mean you should to stick around and screw up their life." However, I'm not defending Dean here either, because I think those people that love you should get a choice in the matter - and the fact is, Dean denies Ben that choice (and then he REALLY denies it a few episodes later).
Montage.
-Each time she opens the door, she's more depressed...but uh, happiness? JUST....uh...what? I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be thinking after this montage is over.
Weird sex-doll for no reason but to murder him.
"This is Dean's other other cell, so you must know what to do *beep*"
-I should change my message to this, and confuse people. Sadly, I use my phone for business too.
The haunted kidney thing is a tricky moral issue - and they conveniently don't have to deal with it.
"I think we have to go hoodoo"
"hoodoo? That's not really a cure, that's more of a bandaid."
"It buys us a minute."
"Ok, hoodoo it is."
-At least we got some dialogue of them trying to figure out how to deal with it.
"No, no, no, she possesses sex-dolls, this is not a sex-doll! Hey, you leave my baby alone, she's got nothing to do with this!"
-And I do like the show comparing the Impala to a sex-doll.
Anyway, convenient solution is convenient.
Sigh.
Also, how do they get out of this one. They've got a car half in an abandoned shop and a dead girl. How do you explain that one away? Do you call the cops first or the tow-truck? Do you just salt and burn her out back, or do you hide the body until the tow-truck is called and then make an anonymous call to the police?
BOBBY'S! WOO!
"What exactly did we do back there Sam?"
-Stood by while the writers took the easy way out every chance they got?
"Yeah, I'm not putting it the win column either."
-Thanks for agreeing with me Sam.
"I got a heart broken kid, and a woman who's so pissed at me- I see what you mean about facing your past, it's awesome, thanks. You know, all we do is make a mess."
"That's not true. We do save lives now and again."
"Yeah, I guess, I'm just tired of all the bad luck, you know."
"Well, number one, bad luck is kinda in the job description, two, it's not all bad. Really, I mean, look at me, at least Satan has left the building."
"Yeah, it's the little things."
-I think this is part of the problem with Dean's self-esteem and overall gloomy attitude too - he sees the messes they get into, but the victories don't mean anything to him, because to him they shouldn't have been in the mess in the first place. If that makes any sense. It's like if I were to find a good job and was able to pay off the debt I've acquired from being unemployed for so long, I'd be happy...but Dean would be like "I shouldn't have been unemployed for so long in the first place, and I could have gone on vacation instead of paying off that debt if I hadn't been unemployed." It's like math. Sam sees them at 0, and every win is a +, whereas Dean sees them in the negatives and every win is a + that gets them just a little bit closer to 0 but never quiet reaching it before the next negative happens. Alright, I'm talking this thing into the ground now.
"And I have a soul - because of you. I never thanked you that for that, did I?"
"It's all good, man"
"Well, thanks."
"You would have done the same for me."
"I mean it."
-It also doesn't help that Dean never gets thanked, so I like the fact that Sam thanks him here.
"For what it's worth. I got your back."
"Yeah, I know."
-And it does help a little - that no matter what, Dean knows he has his brother. It's why their relationship is so fucked up, but it's also the only reason they can both keep going.
Ok! Well, I survived! Yay! Next episode is The French Mistake and it has commentary! Yay! I love commentary! :)