Rewatch S7: Season 7, Time for a Wedding (7x08)

[hells_half_acre]

Okay, so this episode is a bit problematic for some, so we'll see how I manage the minefield...

Comments

[mekina]

This episode is mostly 'meh' for me. Two things I like about it:

It's creeptastic, but under the influence of the love potion thing, Sam is all doting and loomy and just generally cute.

Dean being awkwardly supportive with the waffle iron is utterly adorable.

But any good points are erased because that damn scene where Becky ties Sam to the bed...it makes my skin crawl. Most people don't seem to have a problem with it, but it's just so freaking creepy. Venturing too close to almost-rape for me. Ugh!

[hells_half_acre]

Yup, those are basically my feelings about it too...plus all the other ones. :P

Sam IS pretty damn adorable under the influence of a love potion though.

[etoile444]

This episode has so many problems. However, as you said, the number one issue is that Sam is dealing with major hell cage PTSD and he would have flipped out many times in the course of the shit Becky was doing.

I decided months ago I would NEVER, lower myself to watching this utter filth (flip it around and tie a woman to a bed without her consent and say it's okay) that is so hideously wrong and wrong to Sam's trauma storyline.

God love you for soldiering on with this!

[hells_half_acre]

Haha, yeah, gotta catalogue the clothes after all - otherwise I may have skipped it. :P

But yes, if you did a gender-flip on this, there would be absolutely no way that it would pass. Yet another example of how society doesn't take male rape seriously.

This episode would have actually been a lot better if they had gone the dark route, had an OC instead of Becky, no Garth (because no-comedy), and just actually had all the shit that should have happened happen.

[percysowner]

I pretty much agree. They could have had Garth as comedy if the writer had been stronger. Mystery Spot is hilarious and one of the darkest episodes out there, so with someone more talented, they could have done both. However, by this time it is obvious that no one knows how to handle Sam being mentally ill, so they just ignore it except for people saying he is mentally ill and then Sam acts normal. Biggest letdown and problem with season seven, especially because they manage to have Castiel be mentally unstable and still be part of the storyline.

[hells_half_acre]

True, but they play Castiel's madness for laughs more often than not. It's as though they don't know how to make someone be mentally ill seriously...which is a shame, because there are so few storylines on TV that tackle mental illness (which is seldom actually funny).

Sigh...anyway, I agree - biggest letdown of the season seven.

[phyllis2779]

The PTSD victim tied to a bed is one problem with the realism of this episode but there are many. For example, how did Becky ever get unconscious Sam (after she conked him with a pan or waffle iron) out of her apartment building, all 6' 5" of him, with no one seeing her, into a car (I presume), then out to an isolated cottage and then tied to a bed. She must have gotten some magical strength potion from the CW plus the invisibility cloak from Harry Potter. The episode was ridiculous (and I can see it being offensive to many), but it was funny in parts, e.g, Dean bringing his wedding present. Nevertheless, for this episode you have to go much further than the usual suspension of disbelief when watching SPN.

[hells_half_acre]

Very true. I focused on the problems we did see, not the ones we didn't - but there is no way that Becky could have dragged Sam that far without someone noticing. Unless she's got professional thugs on speed-dial. :P

[borgmama1of5]

"Now, wouldn't it have been cool if this episode used an OC instead of Becky, so they didn't know the history, but just liked the look of Sam and had no morals...and then when the potion wore off, she had to deal with post-wall Sam freakin' the fuck out? That would have been a much better episode, though, not played for laughs, obviously...so, yeah."

YES!!!

If it hadn't been shoehorned into dealing with Sam's PTSD and totally ignoring them, it MIGHT have worked as a humorous episode...Individual elements of it are entertaining.

PS Did you ever read my Garth backstory?
http://borgmama1of5.livejournal.com/70713.html?nc=26#comments

[hells_half_acre]

Ah very cool. I don't think I had read your Garth backstory before! But I like it! It's very Garth :)

[jennytork]

I'm in the minority, clearly == I LOVED this episode!

I loved how different Sam was under the potion. I love how Becky doesn't KNOW he is a rape survivor and thus does everything WRONG. I love how Becky ultimately works with them to beat the demon and can I just say that Crowley's line about integrity is one of the best in the entire series??

I loved this one!

To each their own.

[hells_half_acre]

and can I just say that Crowley's line about integrity is one of the best in the entire series??

On this we agree!!

I love how Becky doesn't KNOW he is a rape survivor and thus does everything WRONG.

This would have been more awesome if they had REMINDED us that Sam was a rape survivor and addressed it in some way.

I love how Becky ultimately works with them to beat the demon

I do like this. It's redemption for her character after the borderline-rapey bits.

To each their own.

Amen. :)