Quick Reaction: 15x04 Atomic Monsters

Nov 07, 2019 22:31

It's Supernatural Thursday again! Woo!

As usual, watched while drinking and taking bad notes.... before we get going though, my review is that I really liked this episode!

Now let's talk about it...

...firstly, it started off DARK! We get a longer form version of the weird vision that Sam had (and I think we can confirm it was Sam now) when Cas touched his wound. This time we see Dean killing people - demons it seems like - in the bunker, while everything is glowing red of high alert. Not only is Dean beardy, but also BENNY IS THERE!!!??! Not only is Benny there, but Benny is somehow human?! because vampires don't die like that, and Benny definitely dies. Then Dean finds Sam and Sam is definitely evil - we learn that Sam killed (and worse) Bobby and Jody in Sioux Falls, and that he's high on demon blood. Then he kills Dean.

And then Sam wakes up in the bunker.

He goes tot he kitchen where Dean's eating bacon and he's definitely off, but he just tells Dean that he had bad dreams. Dean tells him to eat, and we learn that Sam doesn't eat bacon anymore (has Sam finally gone vegetarian?). Dean tells him it's veggie bacon. Sam informs Dean that he finds this hard to believe, given that Dean calls himself "meat man" and that he really shouldn't call himself that because "it doesn't mean what you think it means." Haha...

Then we get to the important stuff - in that Dean confronts Sam about the fact that he is sad, and that he's barely been out of his room in the past few days. Dean shows him a case and it's their usual ploy to use work as a distraction.

Sam eats the bacon - it's not veggie bacon.

The case is in Beaverdale IO... where a cheerleader was killed and dismembered. Sam interviews the principle of the school, and is there when two parents show up and are super mad because the game has been rescheduled for memorial service - but they were having a scout come for their kid, and this is "the end of the world!" Sam isn't having it, and calls them on both their heartlessness and hyperbole.

He goes to join Dean at the car with the stuff he's learned, just as Dean seres the beaver mascot ride by on a scooter and is impressed.

Dean has already been to the coroner and he found a vampire fang on the body. So, they know their monster - they just don't know why the kill was so different.

Cut to night, when we see another cheerleader heading to her car after practice and complaining about how fake fellow classmate Veronica's grief is. Then she gets jumped!

The next day, Sam and Dean check out the crime scene and are surprised to find no blood... which means it was a body dump, rather than the murder scene. Sam brings up the shitty parents he met the day before and it's clear that he's very bitter about his lot in life - bitter about the fact that he and Dean's lot seems to be suffering and sacrificing so that the people in towns like this can live innocent lives where they think that a cancelled sportsball game is the end of the world. Dean is like "I don't even know what to do with this level of bitterness from my usually optimistic hopeful brother" only with his face not words. Dean points out that Sam used to want to live in a town like this and have that life - and Sam is like "no, I'm S1 Dean now and think the suburbs are stupid." Dean is once again at a loss.

Sam then gets the call about the missing other girl, and they take off.

Then we cut to BECKY!?! Well, I'm not too surprised, she WAS in the "THEN" - where they showed scenes from "Season 7 Time for a Wedding" and my friend said "Oh look, your favourite episode" in sarcasm.

BUT, the surprising thing here is that Becky is MARRIED with KIDS. Geeze, it's only been... eight years... okay, nevermind. Becky's husband is taking the kids out for the day. Becky is thrilled to have the house to herself because she's got shit to do... BUT WAIT, as soon as her husband drives away, there's CHUCK across the street.

Becky is NOT pleased to see him.

Sam and Dean are on the case.. and find out that both victims were cheerleaders.

Back with Becky, she tells us (and Chuck) what she's been up to these past few years, once Chuck seems pitiful enough that she invites him inside out of the kindness of her heart. She's been making Supernatural merch on etsy! She's still a big fan of the series - though more of a fan of being a fan. She likes her OWN writing of the series more than Chuck's now. She also informs us that she's been to counselling and therapy and regrets what happened with Sam, and that she's moved on from that dark time in her life and is happy with her husband and kids... and she's got 3 AU fic deadlines coming up... and she likes writing about the boys talking and doing laundry, because those are the good parts, rather than the monsters. Chuck argues that monsters are awesome. Becky does not agree.

Chuck explains why he's there - that he's had a falling out with the Winchesters, and that he needs a pick-me-up from Becky.... and I'm like.... okay, we know Chuck is weak because Amara told us so - is this an American Gods style situation where Chuck needs WORSHIP in order to gain strength? Only, that shouldn't be a problem in the universe he created - especially given the number of God-worshipping people in the world... so, maybe it IS just about his emotions rather than his physical well being or powers.

Becky is not amused, accusing him of coming to see her in order for her to "fluff" him. Chuck persists though, saying that he's upset that no one needs him, and that he hates himself right now.

Becky once against feels sorry for him and points out that he's a creator - a writer - so he needs to write to feel better.

Back with Sam and Dean,... specifically Dean to begin - we see him interviewing the mascot. He then fills in Sam on the cheerleader hierarchy - including who is next in line for being lead now that the other two cheerleaders are out of the picture.

We then cut to Veronica and Billy talking in the gym. Is Veronica the monster? Sam and Dean arrive and it's clear that they believe her speech and actions to be as shallow as they sound, and that she must be the monster - but then they realize that she has braces, which is apparently something that vampires never have because they get in the way of the fangs.

At a loss, Sam realizes that there's a security camera in the parking lot - and that might give them the lead they need.

Back with Billy - I suddenly realize that there's a REASON we met Billy's parents other to give Sam something to complain about. There's definitely something fishy going on with here.... as he argues with his parents about his future,and then his father washes blood from his hands in the kitchen sink.

We then see the cheerleader tied up in the garage - a needle in her elbow draining blood from her slowly... old-school Djinn style, only this is definitely not Djinn behaviour and Dean definitely found a vampire fang, so I'm confused for a moment - before I realize she's probably long-term food plans.

We return to Becky and Chuck - Chuck says that he can't see Sam and Dean anymore, that he lost his prophet powers. As he says this, he touches his shoulder where the wound is... so, INTERESTING... whatever that gun did to God, it's somehow made him NOT omniscient? Or at least, not able to see the future anymore?

Becky encourages him to write anyway, and it works - and he starts right then on Becky's computer, much to her dismay.

Back with Sam and Dean, we review the security footage from the parking lot and get a license plate number.

Then we re-visit Billy, who is once again having a hard time with his parents - I can't remember where his mom takes off to, but when Sam and Dean arrive at his house, it's just Billy and his dad, and his dad sends him upstairs. His dad tells Sam and Dean to arrest him, but Dean pulls out his machete and informs him that they aren't really FBI and that they know what he is.

In the garage, the cheerleader is conscious enough to make noise - causing Sam to break off from Dean to go investigate. He finds her, but then Billy's mom shows up with a gun.

And then I start wondering if the vampire fang was real and if they're actually serial killers - because this is all very odd behaviour for vampires.

Then we cut back to Becky and Chuck. Becky is unamused that she hasn't been able to write her own stuff all day, but she continues to be too nice to Chuck and reads over what he wrote. She loves it. He asks for real critique though - at least one note - Becky concedes again and gives him a more critical review... which, turns out to be a mistake... she tells him the stakes are too low, that it's not very original. Chuck is seems more angry than thankful when she's done.

Back with Sam and Dean, Billy charges down the stairs and interrupts the standoff. Dean insists that the dad is a vampire, but Sam clues into what's really happened - it's not the dad, but Billy who is the vampire. He accidentally killed his girlfriend when they were macking because she was too delicious for a newly turned vamp to resist. His parents covered it up for him.

Sam (or maybe it was Dean, but I remember it as a Sam line) critiques them with the words "awesome parenting" - and they argue with him...well, actually, I believe this was addressed solely to Dean... saying that he must not have children, because if he did, he'd understand what it was like to do anything to keep them safe and happy. Dean doesn't say anything back to this, but MAN, I wanted him to say "actually my kid is dead, thanks"... but, also, I can see why they didn't have him say anything, because his whole storyline probably less than two weeks ago was that his kid had become a monster and needed to be shot. True, Dean didn't go through with it, but DAMN, I think that's a pretty complicated situation in Dean's brain right now... which I'll also discuss a little later.

Billy agrees with Dean though - that he's a monster. Billy is willing to die. He makes his mom put down the gun, and he agrees to go with Sam and Dean so that they can do what needs to be done.

We get a very nice Jensen soundtrack to a sad scene of the girl being rescued, Billy's parents giving their cover story, and Sam and Dean decapitating Billy in the woods while he cries.

Back to Becky and Chuck - Chuck has once again rewritten his story - this time, Becky is highly disturbed by it. It's too dark. She tells him so, but Chuck insists on it - that it's going to be called The End and the cover of the book will have a gravestone with "Winchester" written on it. Becky's husband comes home then, and Becky begs Chuck to leave, but he doesn't - he says he likes it there - instead, he makes Becky's husband disappear in front of her. Becky understandably is panicked, and then she hears her kids come in the house and she begs Chuck not to hurt them, but he makes them vanish too... he tells her that they aren't dead, they're just "away". Then he sends a frightened Becky "away" too.

My friend wonders if maybe what Sam sees in the visions is the ending that Chuck writes... ?! I don't know. I'm sure plenty of people will have theories!

We then cut to Sam and Dean in the car. Sam agrees with Billy's parents - that if it were Jack, they would have tried to save him if they had the chance. Dean agrees... but I don't know if he ACTUALLY agrees. I really can't get a read on Dean when it comes to Jack in these past few episodes. It SEEMS like he doesn't care, but knowing Dean's character, I just can't believe that - so I think he must care so deeply that he can't show ANY of it, because he is trying to hold it together or something... or, it's a really weird combination of Dean's anger over Mary's death usurping his love and grief for Jack in such a way where he doesn't want to care about Jack., because it would be a betrayal of his mom or something? I have no clue. Jensen is doing a really good job of not letting me get a read on Dean at all.

Dean tells Sam that he understands wanting to "cash out" but that he also believes that what they do still matters - like Sam told him in the crypt - that they save people, so that those people can live happy. That they owe the people they lost - Jack, Mom, Rowena - to keep going... and Dean feels FREE now that Chuck is gone.

Sam isn't in the same place emotionally though - he can't move on from what they've lost. He still thinks about Jessica. He doesn't feel free. Right now, he's just feeling the loss and nothing else, to the point where sometimes he feels like he can't breathe under the weight of it.

Dean is highly disturbed by this news.

Sam says that maybe he'll feel better in the morning... when Dean asks him "what if you don't?" Sam doesn't have an answer.

Meanwhile, Chuck continues to write in Becky's otherwise empty house.

And there we have it!! It was a really good episode!

Let me know what you thought in comments!!!!!

This entry was originally posted at https://hells-half-acre.dreamwidth.org/582183.html.

season 15, quick reaction

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