Initial reaction 15.11: “The Gamblers”
Jan. 31st, 2020 04:13 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
caranfindelBefore we get started, I have to stress that when I posted my 15.10 coda last week, where Dean plays pool and quotes "The Gambler," I had no idea what was coming this week. I never watch the previews at the end of an episode. I avoid upcoming episode titles. I was shocked, friends. Shocked and bummed that I didn't write an episode coda with shirtless Sam and Dean fighting monsters in the cage, because it's entirely possible that I made this entire episode happen through the sheer force of my own will.
Anyway.
THEN: Oh, let's not live through all of that again. Although I'm surprised and relieved to see that they include Dean's speech about how "not everything we did was because of Chuck; it was us." (Also, Sammy lost hope!!!)
NOW: Alaska, apparently. As we listen to "North to Alaska" and the story of Big Sam (!!!), a nervous guy in a suit loses a game of pool to a guy in a cowboy hat. And is pretty distressed about it. Two ancient-looking coins in a weird holder hanging above the pool table glow, Suit Guy freaks out and tries to smack Hat Guy with his cue, and he's tossed out of Lurlene's pool hall with his apparently useless ancient coin. "Sorry, pal," the bouncer tells him. "You're outta luck." And he is, because he tosses his coin in the air and, before he can catch it, gets smashed by a truck.
Title card!
Bunker. Cas enters and finds it empty. But there's a note from Sam on the table. "Cass, we've gone to Alaska." Which is kind of vague, Sammy.
Impala. Sam's noisily communicating with someone on his laptop, and Dean points out that silent mode is an option (as I have so often done, she said, glaring at The Husband, who actually has his FREAKING PHONE KEYBOARD SOUNDS TURNED ON, WHO DOES THAT?) and then asks how Eileen is doing. So. Eileen's still a thing. She's not a fan of their plan, and Sam thinks she might be right, because apparently they've been on the road for quite a while, and this place doesn't even exist in the lore, and Sam's starting to doubt their ability to find it, and even if they do find it, will luck fix their problem? So I guess they made it to Alaska. (And no, I can't tell you how long it would have taken, because Mapquest still can't figure it out. But I can tell you that if they drove from the bunker to Fairbanks, that would take 54 hours. And then you're on your own.) Dean thinks the place exists, and they have to find it, because Chuck is coming for them.
Bunker. Cas hears a phone ringing in someone's bedroom. It's a sheriff's deputy from Cushing, Oklahoma, looking for Agent Watts. {Sidebar: would Agent Watts be partnered with Agent Wyman or Agent Wood? Discuss.} Deputy Jeb is calling because Agent Watts requested to be notified of any information regarding someone named Jack Kline. And apparently someone named Jack Kline is the suspect in a murder. Cas (or Agent Lizzo, come on, guys) is distressed to hear this.
{Sidebar: I also didn't know, when I mentioned Oklahoma in my 15.10 fic, that this episode would have an Oklahoma connection. IT'S LIKE I'M MAKING IT HAPPEN.}
Alaska. Dean pulls to a stop. Sam's asleep with his head pillowed on the awful orange jacket. It's precious. Dean has stopped because this cafe is their last opportunity for food for the next few hundred miles. Sam tells him to eat something out of the cooler, and Dean says he already ate all the sandwiches. Which was bad, because they're broke. {Sidebar: Would Dean really be so heedless of their current financial situation? Discuss.}
In the cafe, Dean counts out a handful of change and asks what they can get for $4.60. Which turns out to be a slice of pie and a cup of coffee. And based on what I've heard about the price of things in Alaska, that's wildly optimistic, but okay. Dean orders the pie with two forks (oh how romantic) and yeah, I guess he's the kind of person who'd spend his last $4.60 on a piece of pie. Or maybe that's just what he had in his pocket, and Sam told him that's all he was allowed to spend?
Sam pulls out a map and shows the road they need to take "if Garth is right," but of course, there is no road from Kotzebue to Barrow, because Kotzebue is on a peninsula, so Garth can't possibly be right. But at least Sam's map seems to be an actual map of the area, and the actual road to Kotzebue, so I'm slightly mollified.
The waitress brings them two cups of coffee, not just one, so this snack is an even bigger bargain, and Dean asks if she knows what's on the road to Kotzebue. She actually knows something, but doesn't want to tell them, because it's "nuts." "Nuts is good," Dean says. "We're a couple of Mr. freaking Peanuts here." NO DEAN, DON'T SAY THAT, MR. PEANUT IS DEAD. She tells them about the urban legend regarding a magic pool hall up the road. If you win there, you come back lucky. Except no one actually comes back. Like Leonard, for example. I guess Leonard was Suit Guy.
Sam thinks it sounds like a demon or a witch, but Dean thinks it sounds awesome, because pool is his thing. Their thing. He reminds Sam of all the great memories of them hustling pool together, and Sam reminds him that they had to do that to eat, and THIS IS WHAT I SAID. THEY WEREN'T EVER LUCKY. THEY WEREN'T EVER BLESSED WITH CHUCK'S FAVOR. EVER. Anyway. Dean thinks that if pool is the key, they might actually not be screwed after all. Then the waitress reminds them that they are screwed, by noticing the Impala has a flat.
I'm convinced the waitress is actually bringing these two cute, tired, broke guys about fifteen bucks worth of food for their $4.60. I mean, tell me you wouldn't.
Bunker. Deputy Jed has sent Cas a security video that shows Jack murdering a doctor and sitting down in his office to calmly eat his heart.
Alaska. The Impala pulls up in front of Lurlene's, set to jazzy music. "Relax," Dean says, as he almost steps on Suit Guy's unlucky coin. "We might actually have some fun." Sam's pretty sure they won't. He points out that they don't even have money for beer, let alone buying into a magical pool tournament, so I guess that truly was their last $4.60. But Dean's not worried. He straddles up to the bar, orders two glasses of water, and asks bartender Evie how to get into the game. Evie wearily notifies a guy named Pax or Bax that there are "two more for you." Sam quickly asks if Evie remembers someone named Leonard, and she lies that she doesn't.
Pax calls them back to his business area and explains that they don't play with money, they play with the magical antique looking coins. He tells Dean to touch a coin, and it briefly glows green. "Not great," Pax says. "But not the worst either." The glow signifies the amount of luck you walk in with, and Dean's is average. Set the coin on the pool table, win a game, and your luck improves. Lose, and you can keep playing until your coin goes blank, which means you're out of luck and you have to leave. And we saw what happened to Leonard, so.
Sam asks who runs this place, and what it is, but Pax says he just works here. Dean asks if he can split his luck with his brother when he wins, because he's full of the power of positive thinking. But Sam isn't, and he pulls Dean aside and tries to put the kibosh on this whole thing.
He even gives him the Single Raised Finger of Reason. I respect that finger.
Dean thinks this is a sure thing.
Man, I've been slinging pool cues since before you were born.
What, when you were four, really? What, between nap time and snack?
Oh, goodness, that's funny. And then Dean says "Look, you're better than me at pretty much everything, okay? That's okay. I'm not mad. I'm proud. But I can wipe the floor with you when it comes to pool." And I love this interaction because 1) Dean's admitting how awesome Sam is, even if he really doesn't believe it and just wants to make him feel better, and b) Sam gives him one of those eyerolls that's so dramatic, his entire head goes with it.
It needs to be seen in action. Stolen from sasquatchandleatherjacket on Tumblr.
Cushing, Oklahoma. Cas shows up in the dead doctor's office, which is still heavily bloodstained. Come on, folks, that's nasty. Get that cleaned up. Poking about the place, he breaks into a locked cabinet and finds a large case with a short sword inside. We get a flashback of a grigori angel threatening Sam, and apparently they carry their swords in cases, not hidden up their sleeves like Castiel-level angels (seraphim? Cas is a seraph, right?) So, that seems stupid, but whatever. Elsewhere, someone else is carrying a matching grigori swordcase. Jack's following him. {Sidebar: When Naomi said there were like eleven angels left, was she counting grigori? Discuss.}
Lurlene's. Sam has taken off the orange jacket, leaving him in just a black shirt, and y'all, I have FEELINGS about this black shirt of his. Dean awkwardly tries to attract an opponent by loudly announcing that he's "a little rusty," and a woman at the bar finishes her drink and challenges him to a game. Sam says "no, Dean, this woman's a djinn; don't you remember her?" (Not really.) Sam retreats to the bar and asks Evie about the woman, learning that her sister is in a coma. Oh, is Sam going to tell Dean they can't take the luck from these innocent civilians?
Sam then begins a very suspicious interview with Evie, asking if she's noticed the smell of rotten eggs, or if she's seen little bundles around. She understands that he's just a confused new guy, trying to figure the place out. "Most people think it's a godsend," she says. Well, we know who doesn't think that, don't we. Evie tells him exactly why some of these people are down on their luck, and what they're looking for. A couple of the regulars actually had winning streaks and could have left with their winnings, but they didn't. She gives Sam an intense look (and who can blame her, I've been looking intensely at that guy for a while) and repeats that they should have walked away. Hint, hint. Sam accepts this warning with an anxious (and attractive) swallow. Meanwhile, Dean wins his game against the Not!Djinn. His coin glows as it sucks up her luck.
Alert: Sam doesn't seem to be wearing a t-shirt under his wondrous black shirt.
Elsewhere. (Still Cushing? Maybe.) Jack follows his grigori into the typical abandoned factory but oh, wait, things are actually running, so maybe not? He pulls out an angel blade, but the grigori sneaks up behind him with his own sword and asks why Jack is following him.
Lurlene's. Dean's pretty excited about winning his one game, but Sam is taking Evie's warning to heart and thinks they should go. Dean decides they need to do something they did in Tallahassee called a "Fast Eddie," and Sam agrees to one more game. His next mark is Cowboy Hat, whose name is actually Joey Six. Joey refers to his time "back in PBR," which Dean immediately recognizes as Professional Bull Riding circuit. However, I'm convinced Dean's going to lose this game and learn that it actually stands for Professional Billiard Something. And we're going to get a Curious Case of Dean Winchester situation, where Dean loses a bet and then Sam unexpectedly comes in a wins it back for him because he's just that good but no one recognizes it. (Spoiler alert: I'm wrong.)
And yeah Dean's cute and he's having a good time but seriously why is Sam standing around watching anxiously SO FREAKING HOT?
Dean sets up for a trick shot, and Joey Six quickly offers double or nothing that he'll miss it. Dean takes the bet, to Sam's alarm, and ends up winning. The coins glow as Joey's luck is transferred to Dean, and apparently Joey is out of luck now, though I didn't see any indication of that at all. Joey takes his dead coin and heads outside. Sam and Dean follow, and Joey is clearly in some physical distress, but he doesn't hold it against Dean. He proceeds to cough up a lung, and tells the Winchesters he came to Lurlene's to beat lung cancer. He won an extra year, but now he's going to smoke his last cigarette and noisily kick the bucket.
Back inside, Dean says they should take their winnings and leave. But Sam's thinking about the other people, because apparently this is a job now, for him. Dean points out that they're in a fight with God, and maybe shouldn't be worrying about these other people. But Sam doesn't think they've got enough new luck anyway, so Dean decides to test it by taking the car for a drive.
I know MY luck is improving because look at all of this exposed throat.
Cushing. Deputy Jeb finds Cas poking around and tells him Jack's been spotted again. Cas asks if there any abandoned buildings in town, because he's been on this show long enough to know how it works. Deputy Jeb mentions an abandoned church, and that sounds promising to Cas. I'm really getting to like Deputy Jeb. He's just a sweet folksy guy.
Looks like someone gripped this concrete column tight and raised it from perdition.
Lurlene's. Sam's talking to people about why they're willing to bet their life, but no one wants to stop. Evie tells him "none of us are going anywhere." So I guess Evie is a player too, and not just the bartender? Sam asks if they're trapped, and if she's trapped, and she refuses to answer. Dean returns and announces the car is dead, so they need to win some more luck. Even though they should have had plenty.
Sam picks up the coin and takes a closer look, and suddenly realizes that Dean didn't end up with much luck because the house is skimming off the top. And the house is the goddess pictured on the coin - Fortuna, the Roman goddess of luck. Note that we've seen several closeups of this coin, and it's been entirely featureless, but suddenly it has very clear letters and a profile. {shrug}
The guys question Evie, who says she tried to warn them off but can't help further. She also ran out of luck here at Lurlene's, and is only alive because Fortuna lets her stay and work. She doesn't even know if Fortuna is present - all communication goes through Pax. Or Bax. Who is her son. Plot twist!
Cushing. Grigori number 2 has Jack in the church, hands tied behind his back. He monologues a bit and asks Jack why he's killing his kind.
Lurlene's. Sam must be going somewhere, because he's wearing the unfortunate orange jacket again. He distracts Pax/Bax while Dean puts a blade to his throat. Sam yells for Fortuna and down comes... Not!Djinn! Even more plot twist! She's also the worst mom ever, because when the Winchesters threaten her son's life if she doesn't return the stolen luck, she says "I can always make more sons." Cold. She was a much better mom as a djinn. Dean and Sam are like, now what? Dean challenges her to play him for it, but she already played him.
When I play someone, I get a read on them. And you, you're just a beach read. Sexy, but skimmable.
Beach read? Lady, I'm Tolstoy.
Ha! It's true! (Also, I always appreciate evidence of Smart Dean Who Reads.)
Fortuna's actually more interested in Sam, and says he could be interesting. Dean, of course, is all nope, not gonna happen, but Sam listens to Dean just as well as Dean listened to Sam when they first got there. Which is to say, not at all. He accepts Fortuna's challenge and Dean does the oh no Sammyyyyy!!! face, and then Sam says he's not playing for their luck, he's playing for the lives of the other players. Nope, Fortuna says, you're playing for luck, and if you lose, I get your lives. Sam sniffs and does the thing where he narrows his eyes (which increases their angle for some reason) because he knows it FUCKS ME UP and he's in.
It absolutely does.
Cushing. Grigori number 2 is cutting Jack up, but he can't kill him. Jack points out that these grigori were actually doing bad things. Oh, and this one likes children, and we're in a Catholic church, so, that's interesting. How does Jack know that? Because Death told him. Hmmm! The grigori picks up his sword to kill Jack, but Jack's not killable, so, what does he think is going to happen? It doesn't matter, because Cas shows up and kills the grigori. Reunion time! Yay!
Lurlene's. Friends, I just want to spend the rest of my life watching Sam Winchester play pool in a black button-down shirt while he spars with a sexy Roman goddess. We're in my happy place. Especially since he took the jacket off. (I'll need the occasional cutaway to Dean drinking whiskey, which is the only thing lacking in this scene.)
And that would have made it perfect.
"Why do you need this luck so bad," she asks Sam. "Girlfriend problems?" She turns to Dean. "Liver failure?" Hee! I love her. Sam tells her they were "accursed by God," and then, right on cue (heh heh get it) misses his shot. "The God," Dean clarifies. She's skeptical.
You've met.
Yeah. Little guy? Squirrely as hell?
Yeah, that's him.
Fortuna isn't a fan of Chuck either. She explains that God created the world, but humans created the other gods, because they prayed to what they saw. And God was furious that he didn't have their undivided love and devotion. But then he created the other gods to take the blame for bad things that happened. It's all kind of "American Gods."
It's a lovely, lovely scene.
Fortuna eventually misses a shot, allowing Sam another chance. She keeps telling her story, talking about how she holds a grudge against Chuck for what he's done to the other gods. Dean tells her they're going to fight Chuck, which she finds amusing. Then she suddenly realizes that while she was talking, Sam cleared the table and is ready to win the game. And it actually does look like Jared makes this last shot. That, or some clever editing.
You little minx. You got me talking. You're good.
I learned from my brother.
I mean, I'd say Dean is the one who got her talking, not Sam. But I will not dispute that he's a little minx.
Not for one second.
Dean demands that she pay up, but Fortuna offers to make it interesting. "You're going to fight God. That's the stuff of heroes, right? So you're going to need the luck of heroes." She's helped many other heroes, and she's willing to help the Winchesters. Double or nothing? Dean remembers that double or nothing is what killed Joey, and Evie gives her strongest take your winnings and go face, but Sam takes the deal. Except, again, he insists on playing for the other players. If (when!) he wins, he wants her to give all of their luck back and shut Lurlene's down. Fortuna doesn't understand why she cares about "these losers," because she doesn't know Sam Winchester at all. But Sam and his gorgeous exposed throat say "they matter to me." Dean adds "they matter to us," so it's good to see he's on Sam's side now.
And this is all well and good, except that Fortuna breaks, and goes on to clear the table before Sam can make a single shot. And once again, the goal is in their grasp and it slips away because Sam tries to do the right thing. Oh, Sammy.
Oh noes!
"You challenged the Goddess of Luck in her own joint. What did you think was going to happen?" Well, she's got a point. The guys hang their heads and leave. "I thought she was going to kill us," Dean says, as they step outside. And that's true, she did say they were playing for their lives. "She doesn't have to," Sam says. "Our luck will do that on its own." And that's true too. Sam says they can't just leave the players there in her clutches, and Dean agrees, so they're planning to find out what will kill the Goddess of Luck and then come back. Because when you have no luck at all, obviously you want to go up against the Goddess of Luck. In her own joint. But then the door opens and Evie and the other players come out, staggering into the sunlight that they haven't seen in who knows how long.
She shut it down.
Why?
Because of you. She said she thought your kind had gone extinct.
Our kind?
Heroes. Like the old days. And she gave me a message. She said "Don't play his game; make him play yours."
Evie holds out her hand, offering a coin to Sam. He takes it and watches it glow brightly. Dean snatches it out of his hand and watches it glow in his own hand, so I guess they managed to split the luck. And the Impala starts perfectly, so. Mission accomplished! I guess running into a god who holds a grudge against Chuck was a very lucky thing in the end. Lucky for the Winchesters, anyway. I wonder if the other players actually got their luck back, or if she just shut Lurlene's down and threw them out to die.
Aftermath! Dean is scratching off a lottery ticket as the Winchesters enter the bunker. Apparently his luck doesn't extend to scratchers, though. But Sam points out that the car didn't break down, the credit cards work, and bacon cheeseburgers had no ill effects, so apparently they're at least back to where they started. "I'm just saying, would it have killed her to give us a little extra," Dean says. But oh, Dean. Just you wait, because here comes your something extra. Cas steps out of the shadows, and then - it's Jack!
Jack carefully raises one hand. "Hello," he says, in his adorable slightly awkward way. "It's really him," says Cas. Sam rushes over with an amazed expression and wraps his arms around him. Dean is more hesitant, staring into Jack's eyes like he's evaluating him. And I like that they did it this way, because I think it's how it would happen. Sam would be my boy is back, and Dean would be yay Jack is back but he's still the kid who killed my mom and I don't know if I trust him.
Later, they're sitting around the map table drinking beer`and listening to Jack's adventures. "You could have called," says Sam, as if Jack had a phone in The Empty. And just because you'd have wifi there doesn't mean everyone would, Sam. Jack says he had to stay hidden (thanks to Billie) until Chuck left this world because Chuck would kill him if he knew he were still around. So I guess a goddess and Death are good to have on your side if you're going up against the Big Guy. The grigori hearts are part of Billie's plan for Jack to get strong enough... to kill God. Duh duh duuuuuh!!!
Well, it's all falling into place, isn't it? We've eliminated the nonsense from last week, we're moving on the inevitable Jack plan, and {sob} sliding into the homestretch. So, was this a good episode? Or did it just seem good because 1) it didn't suck like last week's did, and b) SAM. IN. THAT. BLACK. SHIRT.
Does it matter? Nope.
And are we really facing yet another month-long hiatus? Ugh. Well, we will get through it like we always do - together. So now tell me what you thought - without spoilers, please!
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no subject
Date: 2020-01-31 11:21 pm (UTC)#2--I also was a bit distracted by Sam in single-layer black shirt.
#3--This episode didn't suck. In fact it was pretty good if you don't think too hard about the premise of the boys being down on their luck going to try to win at pool, or why luck factored in picking locks last week but not playing pool this week...but we won't think about it...
#4--My takeaway from the episode was Fortuna's comment that she didn't think there were still heroes like them around. See, they ARE heroes, it has nothing to do with Chuck's manipulations.
#5--Production team confirmed Jensen and Jared actually did all the pool shooting, including that crazy shot where Dean jumped the ball over the one in the way!
no subject
Date: 2020-02-01 05:47 pm (UTC)I admit when Fortuna called the boys heroes, I got a little teared up. Finally, someone said it!!
I also thought it was really beautifully filmed.
It almost makes me forget last week's episode. Almost.
no subject
Date: 2020-02-01 07:01 pm (UTC)I'm sitting with y'all on the no-undershirt-black-buttondown-of-hotness. Exactly the right amount of unbuttoned. Mmmm.
I was happy to see Jack. I think Jack is a great character. But I would like to register a complaint. Jack Kline is not the hero of this story. He doesn't get to slide in halfway through the ninth inning and kill God and save the world. I really really don't know how I feel about the direction this is going.
But if we get to see more of Billie I'll be so so happy. Mmmm.
Also, I'd like to 100% agree on the awesome wonderful hugging. It definitely went down exactly like it should have - Sam throwing himself into an embrace with this kid he loves so much, Dean taking a few seconds to look him in the eyes before welcoming him home. I love hugging on this show. Even Castiel has learned how to properly hug. It's nice.
no subject
Date: 2020-02-01 07:11 pm (UTC)As usual, your recap was BRILLIANT. (I'm beyond glad this episode rectified a bunch of last week's buffoonery. I can't even bring myself to revisit last week's episode, in any way shape or form.
no subject
Date: 2020-02-02 05:09 am (UTC)And Sam playing pool in a single layer solid black shirt...yes, m'am!!! Thank you for all of the screencaps! I'm with the others who could watch an entire episode of the boys playing pool and drinking whiskey. Unlike last week, the music wasn't in your face.
I was so relieved that that it was bad luck and a curse by Chuck. I hated the idea of being "normal" because it contradicted everything about the brothers from Day 1. I love that it became about a curse.
And Jack! My little piece of nougat! I am so happy to see him back. I doubt he'll kill God, because that would make Jack the new God and that's just wrong. The reunion was utterly perfect. Of course Sam hugged his baby, and Dean was suspicious. I have a problem with how limited an actor Misha is. He has only two or three expressions, most involving flared nostrils and turning his head slightly. Jensen and Jared knocked it out of the park. As did the rest of the cast.
Where did they go to the bathroom? Did they do laundry? And quite a few coins had the Fortuna face on them, but I watched it a second time, and thanks to you, I was on the lookout.
no subject
Date: 2020-02-04 05:14 pm (UTC)