10.12 Initial reaction: I liked it, Sam; I liked it a lot

[caranfindel]

Well. That was unexpectedly awesome.

The "Then" informs us that the MotW will be a witch, and I don't know why they feel the need to do this. Why they think we need to be reminded that witches exist. And the Mark, too, in case we've forgotten that.

After the open, we see Dean quietly and obsessively researching in his room, thinking about what he really is, and my goodness Dean you are pretty tonight. Your hair is longer and I like it. I like it a lot.

(Also? Has Sam had a tablet before? Or did he finally get one, after coveting Charlie's? You go, Sam.)

(Also also? You keep rolling up that sleeve, Sammy.)

Sam's entry here is so tentative and careful and he's obviously concerned about Dean and he convinces him to go on a hunt for his own good and expresses his unwavering faith and this is one reason why, no matter how pretty Dean is tonight, my heart will always belong to Sam. (His arms are another reason. I'm only human. Also, the way his voice goes up and almost cracks when he says "yeah, I do know that.")

So they go to the scene of the disappearance where Sam actually asks the drunk witness what kind of flowers. Flowery flowers, Sam. After interviewing the witness, Sam suggests they split up and then immediately backtracks, noticing Dean's hesitation, without blaming Dean or mocking his concern or doing anything at all to make Dean feel bad about it and dammit, that's another reason I love you, Sam Winchester. Even if your hair doesn't look all that good tonight.

But Dean decides he can handle a dive bar on his own, and ends up saying "I'm going to believe in myself" and ordering a whiskey. Does that mean "I'm going to go back to being the person I was, since last week's attempt at being someone else obviously didn't work?" Or does it mean "I'm going to believe I can have one drink without losing the already shaky control I have over this situation?" But I don't think it was a good idea, because as soon as he downs his shot, the Mark starts to throb.

Luckily, nice Tina (we know she's nice, she's wearing blue) shows up to distract him and they trade bad childhood stories and it's all very sweet, and then Sam calls and we get one of the greatest conversations in the history of this show:

"His landlord said the guy blasted Neil Diamond 24/7 and that his bathroom was, quote, like staring into the devil's butt."
"That's vivid."
"And accurate. I saw it."
"You saw the john, or - "
"Don't."

Dead. I'm dead. And as funny as this is, it's also a reminder of what they've been through, and I love that they actually acknowledge it.

And then Dean goes after the bad guy and gets turned into Teen!Dean and I started to go to bed at this point because honestly, I'm not usually a fan of the de-aged trope. And I know this Dylan kid got a lot of praise for his portrayal of Dean last season, but it was an episode I didn't like, so all I could think about was the fact that his hair and eyes were the wrong color. But this time, as soon as I heard him say "son of a bitch," I was in love. Something about this little teenage body and face and voice being SO DEAN, still maintaining that veneer of snark and self-confidence and I just, I can't help it. I love it. I love the way little Dean goes after the cake. I love the way he promises Tina nothing bad ("well, nothing else") will happen to her. I love the way he examines his surroundings, looks for weak spots, and then starts tearing the place apart and getting the fuck out of there. LOVE.

Sam, meanwhile, looks for Dean and has this wonderful subtle little twitchy swallow of anxiety/despair when he sees Dean's shoe under a dumpster, because of course he thinks Dean's body will be on the other end of it, but it turns out to be empty.

And also, just because I like his face here.

Back at the hotel, Sam hears a suspicious knock, and once again, I just really like his face here.

Why did I cap this? No reason. Certainly not because of the flash of skin and the fact that he's wearing red underwear. ;-)

I do have one quibble here - it takes Sam a second to recognize Dean. Now, my sister is older than Dean, and thus farther away from her teenage self, but I'd recognize her in an instant if she showed up at my door. I'd be confused as heck, but my confusion would be "what happened to you" and not "who are you."

Anyway. If you're like me, and you were too focused on Teen!Dean at this point, go watch it again but concentrate on Sam and see how adorably befuddled he is. Watch him close the door.

Marvelous lines from this scene:

Don't know, don't care. Hey, we got any grenades?
I got no grass in the infield and a girl's gonna die.

Adding to my Teen!Dean love is the way he and Sam continue in their usual roles as if nothing had changed, with Dean assuming he's going to drive (slapping the roof of the Impala, oh my God, he is SO. DEAN.) until it becomes clear that's not a good idea, and Sam is squished in the car, and good lord, the cuteness.

And then we get this:

There was a Taylor Swift song on the bus that I hopped to the hotel and I liked it, Sam. I liked it a lot.
My voice is weird and I've got like nine zits and I've got like zero control over this, I mean, it's up, it's down, it's up for no reason...

But if you thought this was going to be all giggles and dick jokes, you were wrong, because here's the angst: Teen!Dean doesn't have the Mark. And by staying a teen, he could solve his Mark problem.

Back at the witch's house, Teen!Dean encourages Sam to break into the cellar:

I'm way too big to fit in that.
First time you ever had to say that, huh? (not according to what I've heard, Dean)
Big talk coming from the guy wearing underoos.

And then it turns out we're in the middle of the actual Hansel and Gretel story (and for some reason it bothers me that Sam pronounces Hansel the typical American way instead of "Hon-sell," even though Hansel just said his own name, but that's kinda petty) and Sam very angrily, with the gun, insists that Hansel tell them how to reverse the spell.

Upstairs, the witch is making J.P. soup, and lady, you don't just chop up an onion and throw it into boiling liquid. You saute it first. You call yourself a good cook? Meanwhile, Tina's tied up waiting to be roasted with a nice sweet chili glaze.

It turns out the witch has a pretty logical reason for turning adults into kids. People notice when a kid goes missing, so she takes adults no one will miss (poor Dean, what is it about you that made them think no one would miss you?)

With all your Amber alerts and your milk cartons, a person fillets one rugrat and people get so angry.
Yeah, I blame Obama.

While Dean distracts the witch with snarky backtalk, Sam, who really needs back pockets without buttons, spends way too much time groping for a weapon. Then there's a fight and Sam gets knocked loopy and Dean sees Hansel is going to turn Sam into a kid so he grabs the hex bag and breaks the spell (and look, it makes his clothes bigger too; I wonder why it didn't work that way when he was turned into a kid). And he stuffs the witch, with the hex bag, into the oven.

Tina finds out she's stuck at 14 and decides she's okay with it, and her life must really suck if she's ready to walk away from it. Where does she think a 14 year old on her own is going to "get a fresh start?" Why don't Sam and Dean take her to the bunker and help her get settled somewhere?

Oh well. Life goes on. Sam admits he's really glad Dean changed back, even though he still has the Mark, and says "We'll figure it out, we always do." Which is a nice echo of an exchange Dean and Tina had a couple of times:

You going to be okay?
I always am.

And also, Dean is just extraordinarily pretty.

And then we find Dean likes "Shake it Off" and no, that's not meta at all.

So, this episode was so adorable, I can hardly stand it. And it ended on a hopeful note. How long will that last? No, now that you ask, I haven't seen the previews. Please don't mention them in the comments. Thanks!