9.16 Initial reaction

[caranfindel]

Things are definitely looking up. Lots to like in this episode.



Things I loved

Crowley labels Dean as “Not Moose” on his phone. \o/ Best visual of the episode.

“When you were saying any of that, did it sound at all creepy?” Best line of the episode.

Those sheath things the guys were wearing at the end, like, thigh holsters for knives? Were awesome.

Sam looked great in the second half, especially when they were outdoors (and we also got some hair in his face and post-exertion huffing). Yum. Maybe Sam’s hair was the best visual of the night. I’ll have to consider this on rewatch.

Things I hated

Snooki. So much hate. I guess she would have been okay as a guest on a crack episode, but in a dramatic one, no. Her presence yanks you right out of the story. Also? It doesn’t even follow the show’s internal logic. Crossroads demons grant wishes for others. They are not those who have had their own wishes granted. (Ha ha. Show’s internal logic. As if there was such a thing. I crack myself up.)

Things I didn’t exactly hate but they made me roll my eyes

Again with sticking a needle anywhere into an arm to draw blood.

More Microsoft product placement.

Why wouldn’t Sam and Dean recognize Enochian? And while we’re at it, why wouldn’t Sam and Dean ward the entire Impala instead of just the trunk? (And speaking of warding, DID SAM GET HIS TATTOO REDONE YET??????)

The elephant(s) in the room and other discussion…

First, Crowley’s interest in Sam is kind of adorable. And I like that they show us, rather than just telling us. Mark Sheppard does such a great job just gazing at Sam with subtle concern and affection. And I love that Dean is simply “not Moose.” I want to find out that everyone on Crowley’s phone is either Moose or Not Moose, because if you’re not Sam, he doesn’t care who you are, he’s not going to talk to you.

And because of this, it breaks my heart that the brothers were SO harsh to him in this episode. Sure, he’s a demon. He’s the enemy. But he saved Sam. Doesn’t he get any credit for that? Can’t they at least behave neutrally toward him, like they did with Meg at the end? He just wants to be loved, people!

And I’m not sure what I believe about Crowley’s role in the whole Mark of Cain situation. Did he plan, from the beginning, for Dean to get the mark and the blade? Or did he just take advantage of the opportunity once it presented itself? He knows something about the blade and/or the mark. He obviously knows something. Too many significant looks.

Is Crowley injecting demon blood? There was a third body in his hotel room - where did his additional snack come from? And wasn’t he gazing longingly at Lola’s body? And this brings up, again, the question of why he rejected Sam’s blood earlier in the season and insisted on Kevin’s instead. Was there something about Sam’s blood he didn’t want? Or did he just feel like a change of pace?

It’s interesting that Cuthbert/Magnus figures out pretty quickly that the way to manipulate Dean is to use Sam. But it was foolish to reveal that he doesn’t plan to kill Sam.

And speaking of foolish reveals… “Oh, hey, Dean, remember we were gonna kill Crowley?” HE’S RIGHT THERE, SAM. YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE THE SMART ONE. (Facepalm) (Also? Why would you kill the one thing that’s distracting Abaddon from you?)

So, elephant #1 in the room (the boys’ relationship) is completely ignored in this episode, but that’s okay, because we finally address elephant #2, the Mark of Cain. And boy do we address it. Sam’s researching Cain and Abel, but it’s not going to do much good, is it, because we now know the story of Cain is different from what’s been written. (Hey, you know who might know something about the significance of the Mark? An angel. If only we knew an angel.)

Now, what exactly is the Mark doing to Dean? How much of his reaction, after picking up the blade, was because of the Mark, and how much was because of Cuthbert’s spell? I know after watching Dean methodically kill the bad guy in the previous episode, many think the Mark is turning him into a cold-blooded killer. But if that were the case, would Sam have to remind Dean that he was planning to kill Crowley? Wouldn’t he have done that all on his own?

Anyway. The Mark is finally becoming an issue, and I like it.


I’m mostly unspoiled for future episodes (though I do know of one guest star, dammit) so please help me stay that way!

Comments

[thursdaysisters.livejournal.com]

I'm sticking with the Samaddon theory, that, what with Sam's tattoo out of commission, Abaddon will possess Sam and Dean will hulk out and recreate Cain killing his wife when SHE was possessed.

[quickreaver.livejournal.com]

YES PLEASE. Abaddon in Sam's body? Helllllo, sailor! (As much as I hate Sam not being Sam, this is stupid hot.)

[cassiopeia7.livejournal.com]

This. It was telegraphed -- TWICE -- that Abaddon would end up possessing someone, from her threat to peel off Dean's tat, to Cain's flashback of his wife's death. This is what things are coming to, I know it.

[thursdaysisters.livejournal.com]

Now I have fic ideas of Samaddon desecrating Mary Winchester's grave in order to lure Blade!Dean, and then sells Dean the idea of both brothers ruling Hell, since Dean never really belonged with mere mortals after his first resurrection and "Sam doesn't want to be alone in here".

[caranfindel.livejournal.com]

If Sam's tattoo being removed ever shows up in the Then sequence, we'll know it's coming.

[cassiopeia7.livejournal.com]

Good point. Please, writers, do not drop that ball!

[caranfindel.livejournal.com]

Eep! Yes, this would be stupid hot, but yikes...

[quickreaver.livejournal.com]

From a writer's POV, I think they ignored Elephant #1 on purpose. BOY, did I need a break from the brother angst! As a watcher (and a fan), I've become so frustrated and weary of the fighting that I, personally, needed a break from it. A moment to breathe and remember why I love this show. So I think putting their issues on the backburner for one episode was a very good thing. :)

Sam had every right to be harsh to Crowley; I don't think the guy has come even slightly close to earning Sam's trust and kindness. Crowley is always out for Crowley. PERIOD. Sam knows this, hence the harshness. Makes sense to me. And I suspect Sam whispering that bit about killing Crowley at the end was just a clumsy device the Show used to remind us, the viewer, that they need to kill Crowley. The King of Hell would've pulled the same stunt whether or not Sam had said that aloud. It wasn't Sam being stupid (IMHO), but the writing being kinda heavy-handed. AND GOODNESS KNOWS SUPERNATURAL IS NEVER HEAVY HANDED. *cough*

I enjoyed this ep more than I have a good long while! The boys not recognizing Enochian and Jensen's odd lip acting were the only things I sorta balked at, but only a teensy bit. Good stuff, overall! Pleasantly surprised. :D

[caranfindel.livejournal.com]

Sam had every right to be harsh to Crowley; I don't think the guy has come even slightly close to earning Sam's trust and kindness.

Yes but one minute they're working together and the next, he's enemy number 2, for no real reason. And it's inconsistent (ha ha) with their treatment of Meg, who was as bad as Crowley.

[quickreaver.livejournal.com]

Except that (I think!) Meg proved herself when she battled the hellhounds. She'll willfully make sacrifices and it isn't all about self-preservation. That pings with the Winchesters more than Crowley's special brand of "Come on, boys! You can trust me ... *wink*" Crowley is deceptive in nearly every transaction he makes. Meg had a sense of mission and scruples. For a demon? That's saying a LOT. I just don't think that comparison is parallel.

Crowley and the Winchesters worked together in that they needed each other. I don't think there was ever a doubt for either of them that as soon as their usefulness to each other was done, all bets were off. And frankly, if Sam had been softer to him, it would've made Sam look like a dupe when Crowley made off with the First Sword at the end. So I'm glad he didn't get all touchy-feelie with the guy. Makes if funnier too! ;) (All that being said, I adore Crowley. He's the scoundrel you just love to hate!)

[caranfindel.livejournal.com]

Oh, I know you're right, I'm just a Crowley girl, and him looking to Sam for appreciation and validation makes me feel all fluttery. I didn't want the boys to be buddies with him, just to not go out of their way to tell him what a jerk he is.

[frozen_delight]

I'm very glad you enjoyed this episode - I did too. It was funny, though - while I was watching I was all like "Wow, this is great!" and when I thought about about it afterwards, it occured to me that a lot of it doesn't make sense in the context of this season, but hey, who cares? I still enjoyed it.

More Microsoft product placement.
As a somewhat frustrated Windows 8 user - who on earth would ever use that in a professional context???

(And speaking of warding, DID SAM GET HIS TATTOO REDONE YET??????)
You know, this is what I've been wondering the whole time, too. If Sam suddenly gets possessed by Abaddon or Crowley in the big season finale because he doesn't have a new tattoo, I SWEAR TO GOD...

And speaking of foolish reveals… “Oh, hey, Dean, remember we were gonna kill Crowley?” HE’S RIGHT THERE, SAM. YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE THE SMART ONE. (Facepalm) (Also? Why would you kill the one thing that’s distracting Abaddon from you?)
Haha, oh yes. The whole time they let Crowley walk around without handcuffs or anything and I just kept saying to myself "Boys, don't underrate him just because he's an addict." Sam and Dean have both had their own share of addiction so they really ought to know that it doesn't make people completely harmless. And then apparently they think he's so utterly that they can just discuss offing him while he's standing right behind them.
Apart from Abaddon, what's the point of killing Crowley? They had him imprisoned in the bunker for ages. Because they thought that they could get information out of him on how to close the gates of hell and get rid of all demons a different way. But that was so many plots ago, the writers and the Winchesters seem to have forgotten all about it.

I know after watching Dean methodically kill the bad guy in the previous episode, many think the Mark is turning him into a cold-blooded killer. But if that were the case, would Sam have to remind Dean that he was planning to kill Crowley? Wouldn’t he have done that all on his own?
Good point. Dean seems really reluctant to kill Crowley.

/Sorry for rambling away here. But this episode was so intriguing and you made so many interesting points that I simply couldn't resist.

[caranfindel.livejournal.com]

Don't be sorry! I love thinky comments! :)

I actually think they do have plenty of reasons to kill Crowley. But they're so inconsistent. One minute he's an ally, the next minute they're ready to stab him in the face. I liked the Meg arc better, where she went from sworn foe to grudging ally without swinging back and forth.

[cassiopeia7.livejournal.com]

I love everything about this review, especially the "internal logic" of Show comment. That there is gold. :D

“Oh, hey, Dean, remember we were gonna kill Crowley?” HE’S RIGHT THERE, SAM. YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE THE SMART ONE.

Oh, dear lord, this. Sam ain't no dummy! But I'm not going to blame that slip on Sam so much as the script. I think the writers HAD to have Sam say that precisely so Crowley would overhear and then have a "legit" reason to make his move and steal the Blade.

[caranfindel.livejournal.com]

I think the writers HAD to have Sam say that precisely so Crowley would overhear and then have a "legit" reason to make his move and steal the Blade.

Yes, but still, so clunky. It should have been one of their classic silent conversations (quick glance at Crowley, finger drawn across the throat).

[quickreaver.livejournal.com]

Yes, but still, so clunky. It should have been one of their classic silent conversations (quick glance at Crowley, finger drawn across the throat).

Oh, man, that's woulda been PERFECT!

[cassiopeia7.livejournal.com]

(quick glance at Crowley, finger drawn across the throat).

OMG, yes! That would have been AWESOME. (Oh, how you make me pine for the Winchester days of yore.) ;)

[tifaching.livejournal.com]

One thing that caught me among the awesome was Crowley telling the boys when they were researching any potential remaining MOLS was that he thought the rogue member might be his way into the bunker. Or was I imagining that. If he did say it, he's in now and Sam and Dean were his way in. How does the bunker play into his plans, I wonder, since Abbadon already proven she can get in.

I really loved this ep.

And thanks for the no spoilers! I love reaction posts but stay away from most of them because of spoilers in the comments.

[caranfindel.livejournal.com]

Wait, Abaddon has been in the bunker? I don't remember that!

And you're welcome. I hate accidentally getting spoiled by the comments of a spoiler free post, and I'm glad everyone has been thoughtful enough to heed my plea here. :-)

[tifaching.livejournal.com]

I've got to say, I haven't rewatched many episodes lately but isn't that where she killed the Men of Letters? Did they have another headquarters? Or am I remembering it all wrong? I'm probably remembering it all wrong. Now that I think about it, it really makes no sense. Because she'd have been back by now. Never mind. :)

[caranfindel.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I don't think that happened at the bunker.

[cuddyclothes.livejournal.com]

It happened at the bunker. Magnus's house was invisible. For instance, there was the killing of the first MOL in some episode somewhere. And if Josie walked in the front door, Abbadon could have as well. I think. What internal logic? AAAAAH!

I felt like Crowley had a point. He's saved Sam, he smoked out to get the courier's intel, he called them for help when he was a blood junkie, and he was crushing on Sam like nobody's business. Crowley is always out for Crowley. The longer he went without blood, the more Crowley he became. I was very surprised that Sam thought they should take out their one ally against Abbadon. Stupid, Sam. But Sam has a reason to hate Crowley. 1) Sam's been involved with demons before, and look where that got him. Starting with Azazel. 2) Sam has his barriers up bigtime after what he's been through with Crowley. I wonder if Sam's more ambivalent about Crowley than he lets on.

But Crowley killed a bunch of the people they saved last season, and kept Mrs. Tran in a storage locker where apparently she was tortured.

I hate myself for loving Crowley so much, but "Weekend at Bobby's" was so damn delightful. And Crowley is so...Crowley.

[caranfindel.livejournal.com]

It happened at the bunker. Magnus's house was invisible. For instance, there was the killing of the first MOL in some episode somewhere. And if Josie walked in the front door, Abbadon could have as well.

You're talking about the first Abaddon ep, where we meet Henry, right? For some reason I didn't think that meeting was being held in the bunker.