Review of Season 8, episode 2
Because I am so SO happy to have my Supernatural back and because I've always enjoyed reading other people's takeaways, I've decided to start doing my own. Hold on to your butts!
Typical MOtW kind of opening, which I can dig. Spn, where would we be without a clueless victim and blood splatter on the wall? But it's NOT typical, and quite possibly used as a bargaining chip later in the auction house. (More on that soon.)
Cut to Kevin telling the Winchesters he really wants to check up on his mom. I like Kevin (more and more with each episode) because he embodies the normal kid who hasn't grown up a hunter, cares deeply for those around him, and despite knowing the risks, is desperate to check up on his mom. And I'd do the same thing. Even Dean would've done the same once upon a time, although maybe not anymore. Not after Purgatory. I like already how they're treating Purgatory vs. Hell. I understand that the viewer's imagination was supposed to make Hell way more awful than the constrained budget of Supernatural, (a takeaway from Bill Watterson's "Noodle Incident" from Calvin and Hobbes if ever there was one!) but I always thought that, considering how long Dean spent down there, he came back relatively normal. A broken alcoholic--which he was on the path to, anyway-- but normal, all things considered.
But I digress. I think we're going to see that the things that Dean learned in purgatory are going to make him really valuable in terms of tactics and insider knowledge on what the monsters are doing/thinking about but that it also dehumanized him. He's always been a survivor, but my main takeaway is that he really had to put that to the test in the big P. And he survived, but survival ain't easy, and Dean, who killed the kitsune in the last season purely because she was a "monster" is now chumming with his buddy Benny, and apparently trusts him to run around doing whatever vampires do (Hang out in Shreveport, if True Blood is any indication.) with occasional phone check-ups. Purgatory seemed to have changed him much more vastly than Hell did--perhaps because in Hell, his main focus was resisting his daily torture, finally giving in, and then being the one that broke the first seal. But the point is, in hell, he seemed to be pretty stationary and the receiver of some terrible things, whereas in purgatory, every single day was survival, and that means making compromises when he normally wouldn't. He tortured, but they were Bad People who maybe deserved it. Those in purgatory are an abomination as Cas says, but Dean apparently chooses Benny over Cas, and doesn't hate him for it. (More on that soon, too.) In Dante's Inferno, purgatory was reserved for those who also never knew God. Is it possible all monsters are not evil? The series has said as much before--maybe Dean finally realized it as well.
HEY, LOOK AT THOSE HYDRANGEAS. That's a nice bush. We can expect they filmed this in June or July if Canada weather is anything like central VA weather.
This is the second time a mailman has been a demon. Rough times for mailmen.
Scene: Kevin's mom and "friend" I'm so psyched we have a minority on the show that is a. a good guy and b. Still alive.
HEY SAM HASN'T LOST HIS EXCISING (Exorcising? Hmmmm.) In fact he's figured out a way to reverse it. So was he maybe brushing up on some of his skills, despite his time off? Interesting.
But hey, mom sure took her friend's death in stride. What's that TV show where all those women are neighbors and hate each other? Looks like maybe that's what was going on.
I like how down to earth Kevin's mom is. I'm glad she didn't have a freakout or spent half the episode disbelieving. Could it be? Do we have a strong female minority character that is also a MOM? (Lisa was a mom, but she was also Dean's love interest and being a mom took a back seat. Okay, actually, there's lots of moms in the show, but many of them are victims. And while she was victimized at the end of the episode, I'd still argue she's not a victim. It's nice to see a strong woman that is a mom, but more importantly, she's an independent character with some know how and skills to bring to the table. Oh wait, there was Ellen, and she was one of my favorite characters of all time. But anyway.)
Oh, but Dean gave her a Look of Acceptance. But Kevin and his mom are going to have to get tattoos if they're going to be in the club. I really appreciate that Kevin's having a rough time of it and his mom is taking it like a champ AND holding her son's hand. I can dig it. I really like this woman.
Dean and Sam follow the locker thief to the holding cell are pulling their FBI or some Agent of the Government thing. But I think I'd call Sam out on his hair cut. Absolutely not regulation.
FLASHBACK TO PURGATORY
Looks like Dean's torturing skills he learned in Hell didn't go to waste and now we're going to get good cop/bad cop.
Interesting overlap of purgatory and earth interrogation. And Benny--was he a originally something of a surrogate Sam for Dean? Benny doesn't seem to really enjoy the interrogation, but doesn't interfere. Dean has always seemed to need other people to help define him and keep him in check. It's interesting he's willing to default to a vampire to do this for him, considering his past with them. I'm intrigued by his and Benny's relationship, and I'm excited for when their lives cross in real time.
Pawn shop: Kevin and his mom are an awesome combo. It's interesting also that she's able to bring to the table real-world solutions when threatening doesn't work. The pawn shop guy is much more willing to respond to a threat of 10k in taxes and an audit from the government than a threat from promise of a beating. For all the Winchester's awesomeness, they don't work in the system and don't understand how it can work to their advantage.
The motel: Is that the same motel they used in the Halloween episode in season 4? I THINK SO. And is that Willy Wonka? Oh, the right hand of Plutos? (Not even a planet! ZING.) But this is nice: we're seeing some of the other pantheons show up again in positions of power and not just MoTW. It'd be awesome to see a return of Kali one of these days.
Shot of the boys (and mom) over the Impala: typical Supernatural. It's good to have the car back. And Sam's ready to put the car up for collateral. Still bitter over his Charger maybe?
Dean sets off the alarm and unloads an arsenal. His clothes aren't THAT baggy!
IS THAT THOR'S HAMMER! AVENGERS/SUPERNATURAL CROSSOVER!!!
Oh Crowley, I love you so much. So insidious. AND PUNCHED BY KEVIN'S MOM.
Plutos hangs out in a track outfit with some gold blind. It's interesting to see how wealth is interpreted.
And another angel shows up, looking like Ash from Pokemon. Interesting that Castiel has angels that are looking out for him. "Too much heart"--slight against Dean maybe? For managing to come home when Castiel didn't? It seems that the angels can't see into purgatory the way the could see into hell, but that they know Dean probably did something that blocked Cas' return.
Flashback to purgatory, Castiel at the stream. Looking like he did in episode 4, season 5 but with his trench coat. Interesting that Castiel doesn't seem super excited to see Dean. And Benny calls him out immediately for not being there when Dean needed him. Dean wonders about his craziness levels, to which Castiel responds that he is no longer crazy, but all psychotic people say that, so what does he know? Castiel admits he ran away when they first landed. Benny looks pretty upset--WHAT IS GOING ON BETWEEN HIM AND DEAN?
Oh, it was self sacrifice? Castiel was trying to keep Leviathin away from Dean? Interesting, because that's not a typical angel move. The old Cas would've stayed and fought, but Cas has been through a lot. Is he being honest with Dean about this? Has so much of Dean's odd morals rubbed off on him that he thought it was the right thing to do, without so much as a by your leave?
Oh man, that look when Dean tells Castiel "I need you." It's the same look Castiel gave Dean at the last episode of season 5, episode 4 when Castiel saves Dean from the alternate universe. I'll also just say: Dean would make a great Marine. "I'm not leaving here without you." (I recant this statement upon seeing the last scene.)
Back to the auction house. Whose the woman with the sunglasses? She's awfully conspicuous, but she doesn't show up again, so maybe she's nobody.
Bidding starts and it seems that the three fraudulent credit cards and 100 bucks they have between them isn't going to cut it.
And the guy from the opening has the finger of a frost giant and 5/8s of a virgin--presumably the woman from the opening? The guy is obviously from Norse mythology, but who is he?
The tablet goes up for bids the angel and Crowley go head to head and we get a zinger about Palin and poor Buzz Aldrin!
Kevin's grabbed to make the tablet a twofer and his mom gives up her soul. No surprise there considering she now knows the worth but we do get Crowley to try and bid his own soul (which he apparently doesn't have. (duh)) and that of all his minions, to which he is told, they have no worth.
Sam's reaction of "this sucks" followed by Dean's "Are you kidding, we got off cheap." is further proof of just how far Dean's gone.
Kevin's mom choses the Winchesters over the angels. Point to the Winchesters.
And Dean catches Crowley's trick--he's burned off Kevin's mom's tattoo and gotten in her anyway. It seems everything Dean learned about excising is out the window (he was never very good at it) and he's fast to grab his knife. There was also a time when Dean would've NEVER killed one of the people who's put their trust in him, but that time is also gone. The action is not missed by Kevin.
Sam is faster than bullets or Willy Wonka is a bad shot.
Sam has the power to wield mjolnir! And now he's the power of lightning. That's definitely a weapon to have in your back pocket. Or, whatever. I guess if Dean can fit an arsenal in his jacket, Sam can carry mjlonir in his pocket.
Crowley is out of Kevin's mom, and tells Kevin that while they're not mates, he best run because the Winchesters have a habit of leaving a trail of corpses. Crowley's advice, while definitely selfish, is also true. 8 seasons in and we have a fairly limited cast of returning characters. Sam and Dean's strange brotherly relationship has been picked on by the angels and demons before, but the proof is in the pudding.
Dean on (almost) killing Kevin's mom:
"Yeah, it would've sucked and I would've hated myself, but what's one more nightmare?"--Oh, Dean. He even knows the fallout but he's become an "Ends justify the means" kind of guy. He would've hated himself, Kevin would've hated him, but Dean thinks the world would be better without Crowley, so in the long run, Kevin's mom is small potatoes. Maybe true, but it would be a short term fix. With Kevin, they can forever close the doors to hell. With Crowley gone, sooner or later, somebody else would step up to take his place. Maybe Dean's time in purgatory also damaged his ability to think long term (never a strength of his.) since he was living on a day-to-day basis.
And then, "He thinks people I don't need anymore end up dead." Sam tells him it's not true, but we get a flashback of Castiel calling for Dean and apparently falling away as Dean and Benny make it back to earth. OH, DEAN, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?
WRAPUP
Another stellar episode from Jeremy Carver and his team. We've got direction, a plot, intrigue, and the familiar feel of Supernatural is back. I expect that when it all comes out, Dean's done some pretty bad shit that will be hard to forgive him for. And he'll try and do some things, maybe, to redeem himself, but maybe not, considering how he's acting after his trip to purgatory. He's come back all edges and no fluff, and it's going to take time and Sam (and Benny?!) to help smooth things out again. If Dean screwed over Castiel as bad as it appears, when Castiel makes it back (if he makes it back) that's going to be a whole new can of worms. And the trail of broken bodies and souls that Dean's left behind in his pursuit of self-preservation have grown
Typical MOtW kind of opening, which I can dig. Spn, where would we be without a clueless victim and blood splatter on the wall? But it's NOT typical, and quite possibly used as a bargaining chip later in the auction house. (More on that soon.)
Cut to Kevin telling the Winchesters he really wants to check up on his mom. I like Kevin (more and more with each episode) because he embodies the normal kid who hasn't grown up a hunter, cares deeply for those around him, and despite knowing the risks, is desperate to check up on his mom. And I'd do the same thing. Even Dean would've done the same once upon a time, although maybe not anymore. Not after Purgatory. I like already how they're treating Purgatory vs. Hell. I understand that the viewer's imagination was supposed to make Hell way more awful than the constrained budget of Supernatural, (a takeaway from Bill Watterson's "Noodle Incident" from Calvin and Hobbes if ever there was one!) but I always thought that, considering how long Dean spent down there, he came back relatively normal. A broken alcoholic--which he was on the path to, anyway-- but normal, all things considered.
But I digress. I think we're going to see that the things that Dean learned in purgatory are going to make him really valuable in terms of tactics and insider knowledge on what the monsters are doing/thinking about but that it also dehumanized him. He's always been a survivor, but my main takeaway is that he really had to put that to the test in the big P. And he survived, but survival ain't easy, and Dean, who killed the kitsune in the last season purely because she was a "monster" is now chumming with his buddy Benny, and apparently trusts him to run around doing whatever vampires do (Hang out in Shreveport, if True Blood is any indication.) with occasional phone check-ups. Purgatory seemed to have changed him much more vastly than Hell did--perhaps because in Hell, his main focus was resisting his daily torture, finally giving in, and then being the one that broke the first seal. But the point is, in hell, he seemed to be pretty stationary and the receiver of some terrible things, whereas in purgatory, every single day was survival, and that means making compromises when he normally wouldn't. He tortured, but they were Bad People who maybe deserved it. Those in purgatory are an abomination as Cas says, but Dean apparently chooses Benny over Cas, and doesn't hate him for it. (More on that soon, too.) In Dante's Inferno, purgatory was reserved for those who also never knew God. Is it possible all monsters are not evil? The series has said as much before--maybe Dean finally realized it as well.
HEY, LOOK AT THOSE HYDRANGEAS. That's a nice bush. We can expect they filmed this in June or July if Canada weather is anything like central VA weather.
This is the second time a mailman has been a demon. Rough times for mailmen.
Scene: Kevin's mom and "friend" I'm so psyched we have a minority on the show that is a. a good guy and b. Still alive.
HEY SAM HASN'T LOST HIS EXCISING (Exorcising? Hmmmm.) In fact he's figured out a way to reverse it. So was he maybe brushing up on some of his skills, despite his time off? Interesting.
But hey, mom sure took her friend's death in stride. What's that TV show where all those women are neighbors and hate each other? Looks like maybe that's what was going on.
I like how down to earth Kevin's mom is. I'm glad she didn't have a freakout or spent half the episode disbelieving. Could it be? Do we have a strong female minority character that is also a MOM? (Lisa was a mom, but she was also Dean's love interest and being a mom took a back seat. Okay, actually, there's lots of moms in the show, but many of them are victims. And while she was victimized at the end of the episode, I'd still argue she's not a victim. It's nice to see a strong woman that is a mom, but more importantly, she's an independent character with some know how and skills to bring to the table. Oh wait, there was Ellen, and she was one of my favorite characters of all time. But anyway.)
Oh, but Dean gave her a Look of Acceptance. But Kevin and his mom are going to have to get tattoos if they're going to be in the club. I really appreciate that Kevin's having a rough time of it and his mom is taking it like a champ AND holding her son's hand. I can dig it. I really like this woman.
Dean and Sam follow the locker thief to the holding cell are pulling their FBI or some Agent of the Government thing. But I think I'd call Sam out on his hair cut. Absolutely not regulation.
FLASHBACK TO PURGATORY
Looks like Dean's torturing skills he learned in Hell didn't go to waste and now we're going to get good cop/bad cop.
Interesting overlap of purgatory and earth interrogation. And Benny--was he a originally something of a surrogate Sam for Dean? Benny doesn't seem to really enjoy the interrogation, but doesn't interfere. Dean has always seemed to need other people to help define him and keep him in check. It's interesting he's willing to default to a vampire to do this for him, considering his past with them. I'm intrigued by his and Benny's relationship, and I'm excited for when their lives cross in real time.
Pawn shop: Kevin and his mom are an awesome combo. It's interesting also that she's able to bring to the table real-world solutions when threatening doesn't work. The pawn shop guy is much more willing to respond to a threat of 10k in taxes and an audit from the government than a threat from promise of a beating. For all the Winchester's awesomeness, they don't work in the system and don't understand how it can work to their advantage.
The motel: Is that the same motel they used in the Halloween episode in season 4? I THINK SO. And is that Willy Wonka? Oh, the right hand of Plutos? (Not even a planet! ZING.) But this is nice: we're seeing some of the other pantheons show up again in positions of power and not just MoTW. It'd be awesome to see a return of Kali one of these days.
Shot of the boys (and mom) over the Impala: typical Supernatural. It's good to have the car back. And Sam's ready to put the car up for collateral. Still bitter over his Charger maybe?
Dean sets off the alarm and unloads an arsenal. His clothes aren't THAT baggy!
IS THAT THOR'S HAMMER! AVENGERS/SUPERNATURAL CROSSOVER!!!
Oh Crowley, I love you so much. So insidious. AND PUNCHED BY KEVIN'S MOM.
Plutos hangs out in a track outfit with some gold blind. It's interesting to see how wealth is interpreted.
And another angel shows up, looking like Ash from Pokemon. Interesting that Castiel has angels that are looking out for him. "Too much heart"--slight against Dean maybe? For managing to come home when Castiel didn't? It seems that the angels can't see into purgatory the way the could see into hell, but that they know Dean probably did something that blocked Cas' return.
Flashback to purgatory, Castiel at the stream. Looking like he did in episode 4, season 5 but with his trench coat. Interesting that Castiel doesn't seem super excited to see Dean. And Benny calls him out immediately for not being there when Dean needed him. Dean wonders about his craziness levels, to which Castiel responds that he is no longer crazy, but all psychotic people say that, so what does he know? Castiel admits he ran away when they first landed. Benny looks pretty upset--WHAT IS GOING ON BETWEEN HIM AND DEAN?
Oh, it was self sacrifice? Castiel was trying to keep Leviathin away from Dean? Interesting, because that's not a typical angel move. The old Cas would've stayed and fought, but Cas has been through a lot. Is he being honest with Dean about this? Has so much of Dean's odd morals rubbed off on him that he thought it was the right thing to do, without so much as a by your leave?
Oh man, that look when Dean tells Castiel "I need you." It's the same look Castiel gave Dean at the last episode of season 5, episode 4 when Castiel saves Dean from the alternate universe. I'll also just say: Dean would make a great Marine. "I'm not leaving here without you." (I recant this statement upon seeing the last scene.)
Back to the auction house. Whose the woman with the sunglasses? She's awfully conspicuous, but she doesn't show up again, so maybe she's nobody.
Bidding starts and it seems that the three fraudulent credit cards and 100 bucks they have between them isn't going to cut it.
And the guy from the opening has the finger of a frost giant and 5/8s of a virgin--presumably the woman from the opening? The guy is obviously from Norse mythology, but who is he?
The tablet goes up for bids the angel and Crowley go head to head and we get a zinger about Palin and poor Buzz Aldrin!
Kevin's grabbed to make the tablet a twofer and his mom gives up her soul. No surprise there considering she now knows the worth but we do get Crowley to try and bid his own soul (which he apparently doesn't have. (duh)) and that of all his minions, to which he is told, they have no worth.
Sam's reaction of "this sucks" followed by Dean's "Are you kidding, we got off cheap." is further proof of just how far Dean's gone.
Kevin's mom choses the Winchesters over the angels. Point to the Winchesters.
And Dean catches Crowley's trick--he's burned off Kevin's mom's tattoo and gotten in her anyway. It seems everything Dean learned about excising is out the window (he was never very good at it) and he's fast to grab his knife. There was also a time when Dean would've NEVER killed one of the people who's put their trust in him, but that time is also gone. The action is not missed by Kevin.
Sam is faster than bullets or Willy Wonka is a bad shot.
Sam has the power to wield mjolnir! And now he's the power of lightning. That's definitely a weapon to have in your back pocket. Or, whatever. I guess if Dean can fit an arsenal in his jacket, Sam can carry mjlonir in his pocket.
Crowley is out of Kevin's mom, and tells Kevin that while they're not mates, he best run because the Winchesters have a habit of leaving a trail of corpses. Crowley's advice, while definitely selfish, is also true. 8 seasons in and we have a fairly limited cast of returning characters. Sam and Dean's strange brotherly relationship has been picked on by the angels and demons before, but the proof is in the pudding.
Dean on (almost) killing Kevin's mom:
"Yeah, it would've sucked and I would've hated myself, but what's one more nightmare?"--Oh, Dean. He even knows the fallout but he's become an "Ends justify the means" kind of guy. He would've hated himself, Kevin would've hated him, but Dean thinks the world would be better without Crowley, so in the long run, Kevin's mom is small potatoes. Maybe true, but it would be a short term fix. With Kevin, they can forever close the doors to hell. With Crowley gone, sooner or later, somebody else would step up to take his place. Maybe Dean's time in purgatory also damaged his ability to think long term (never a strength of his.) since he was living on a day-to-day basis.
And then, "He thinks people I don't need anymore end up dead." Sam tells him it's not true, but we get a flashback of Castiel calling for Dean and apparently falling away as Dean and Benny make it back to earth. OH, DEAN, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?
WRAPUP
Another stellar episode from Jeremy Carver and his team. We've got direction, a plot, intrigue, and the familiar feel of Supernatural is back. I expect that when it all comes out, Dean's done some pretty bad shit that will be hard to forgive him for. And he'll try and do some things, maybe, to redeem himself, but maybe not, considering how he's acting after his trip to purgatory. He's come back all edges and no fluff, and it's going to take time and Sam (and Benny?!) to help smooth things out again. If Dean screwed over Castiel as bad as it appears, when Castiel makes it back (if he makes it back) that's going to be a whole new can of worms. And the trail of broken bodies and souls that Dean's left behind in his pursuit of self-preservation have grown