“Live Free or Twihard” – A Visual Review
10.
Just look at this! Oh, man, is that cool. And it’s also why the tea party is so creepy! She’s serving blood. Ew! And as “Playthings” taught us, dolls are horrifying, especially ones bleeding from the nose.
11.
Even the weather vane is creepy! Everything about this montage is creepy! Very dramatic sky there, too. This shot reminds me of the phrase “dark wings, dark omens” from “The Song of Ice and Fire” series where ravens acted as messenger birds.
12.
This is ominous. What is he pointing at, and why does he want the tween vampire twins to go there? Plus, he has really long fingernails. That’s pretty gross. Seriously, those things are longer than mine. But the angle here is just lovely.
13.
The creepy girls again. How horrifying would it be if they turned out to be the alphas, that all vampires were descendants of two terrible girls? It would be like Lilith part 2. Really, what do you think this montage meant? Was it just directions to the next place they were recruiting? Or was it orders to meet somewhere after you had made at least one vampire yourself, cloning yourself, as it were? Is that the message, that one vampire becomes two?
14.
I like this shot for a couple reasons. One, it was really great to see Dean kick some ass again. And not just kick ass. He destroyed a whole vampire nest by himself. He was a baby vampire, and he took out an entire nest, including a 600-year-old vampire. That is beyond badass. Second, I like the Dean shadow on the wall. It’s very intimidating.
15.
Oh, man, Dean killed the hell out of Boris. Look at the carnage! Isn’t this just the most macabre shot? And thinking of the mechanics of this visual for a minute, how did Dean get that blood trail? Did he kill Boris, realize he was underfed and tired, and decided to sit down but wanted to drag Boris’ head with him? Because that’s certainly what it looks like. Vampire Dean is terrifying! And hot. Not gonna lie.
16.
And if the episode wasn’t brutal enough, we get this final scene to add to the heartbreak of Sam letting Dean get turned. Sam is trying to look earnest and honest about having Dean’s back, but he’s just so disconnected that it’s not even convincing. It’s like he’s trying to figure out how Sam would normally act or how Dean wants him to act instead of having genuine reactions to the people and events around him. He’s pretending his way through this.
17.
But Dean knows, of course. And man, look at his face! Oh, he’s just devastated. I’m sure he thought all of that deception was behind them after the real progress these two made last year. He’s so hurt. I don’t think Dean even knows what to do at this point he’s so angry and disappointed.
Wow, that was a gorgeous episode, wasn’t it? So pretty. What did you guys think of the episode? Did you love the alpha montage as much as I did? This show really does an amazing job with their montages. They just put so much thought into them. Does anyone else think of the movie “Team America: World Police” every time they hear the word montage?
The cathedral ceiling reinforced the concept of “Our Father,” which is something that every single monster who has been related to an Alpha storyline has said. We didn’t hear much about the djinn Alpha, but so far both the shifter Alpha and the vamp Alpha have been pushing for heavy procreation.
As for the vampire montage – Samuel mentioned how the trail of drained bodies moved from town to town. I think the vampires head into a town, nest enough to set up the recruitment drive. Then when they get the order they move to the next town.
Especially with the imagery in the montage of cell division, it is definitely a create-divide-and-conquer type plan.
Sam’s been going through the motions since the premiere. It breaks my heart – even if he did something nearly unforgiveable in pursuit of a risky strategy.
Thank you – I enjoyed reading this. And I agree – the alpha montage was very beautifully done (and intriguing) 🙂
I especially liked #5 (journal), #7 (ceiling), #10 (creepy doll with blood), #11 (weather vane), #13 (more creepy twin girls) and #16 (Sam) and #17 (Dean).
I seem to recall a shot of Dean in the vampire’s den, with Boris’ head at his feet, and Sam/Samuel in the background. That shot (if it exists and I’m not imagining it) – also stands out, for me.
Hi Ardeospina
I just love your vision. Thank you so much for this.
You’ve opened a whole new door for me when watching shows and movies.
I’d love to know where they shot the interiors of the vampire nest. The stained glass ceiling was awesome, and the contrast between the beauty and the brutality gave me the shivers. I loved the vision montage–yay for creepy little girls. I think Supernatural’s idea of vampire teeth is way scarier than the standard fangs. But my favorite image was Dean with his foot on Boris’s head. That just hit all my buttons. Nice visuals. Thanks for this.
Was looking forward to your visual review a little more than usual this time. Even to a cinema Philistine such as myself, some of those shots simply demanded admiration. Loved the journal and Dean in Lisa’s room. He was scary! And sad. Those were my favorites, but all are captivating.
Oh, I also wondered about that blood trail from the body to where Dean was sitting. CREEPY! Intense enough fight he thought himself back in hell, uh, working? Be at ease Dean, decapitation means death topside.
Ardeospina, last week I commented on how awesome you are (and that still stands, obviously) but this week I’d like to give you my sincere thanks, and that relates to both your visual reviews and your motivational messages.
I don’t realise how much I don’t see when watching until I come on here and read your reports. They are so full of amazing observations, from the hilarious (Emily Fang) to the poignant (Dean in the final shot) and everything in between.
It really adds to my appreciation of the show to see these (for me) unnoticied gems.
Many thanks.
As always, dearest Flamey, you leave in awe with your visual review. I love them, and I’d like to thank you in particular for shining a light on the prop department.
Early on I was completely taken aback by their talents, e.g. when they displayed the picture of a real Jack the Ripper victim in No Exit, making the episode more real than it would have been without these real-life connections!
Three cheers to you! Jas
As to the question of where is the creepy house from the Master Vamp’s vision – there was a map in that montage – with a circle around Aurora, and nearby towns of Oak Park and Cicero, so I would venture to guess Chicago. Loved your review, the images you selected made me want to see the ep again, so I did!
I completely neglected to answer your comments, everyone, but thank so much for all your kind words! I’m touched that you are enjoying these. It’s pretty fun to go through the caps and see what I missed on first viewing, too!