Bardic’s Descant: 6:16 …And Then There Were None – She Has A Message For You
Commentary and Meta Analysis
This episode provided riches in character relationships, fleshing out the backgrounds of both Rufus and Bobby in very satisfying fashion that also spoke to the Winchester brothers’ situation, and further cemented the partnership of Sam and Dean. On a lesser level, it also provided a little more information on the Mother of All Monsters and left more threads dangling on the story of the hunting Campbell family. In this discussion, I’m going to talk about all the many and varied forms of family, because that’s what all these pieces were about.
A Mother Wouldn’t Abandon Her Children
Eve’s encounter with the Christian trucker in the teaser set up a confrontation not just between Eve and humans, but between Eve and the forces of Heaven, because Eve maintained God created humans and then simply abandoned them, while she would never abandon her own children. While we already knew the forces of Hell as embodied by Crowley had an interest in Eve and Purgatory, this is the first real suggestion we’ve gotten that the new role of monsters on Earth may feature as well in the Heavenly civil war; Eve here set herself up against God, so she’s also effectively challenging the loyal angels as embodied by Castiel. And since we know God isn’t quite as absent as he’s seemed, given that he brought Castiel back more than once (see Sympathy For The Devil and Swan Song, for example) and granted the Winchesters salvation in Heaven (remember Dark Side Of The Moon?), I think Eve’s presumption may be more cheeky even than she credits. I also believe she deliberately chose her name as a slap in the face of Heaven, mocking the Judeo-Christian scriptural mother of humanity.
In effect, Eve presents yet another take on family in the show. She claims to be a caring Mother, as opposed to an absent and manifestly uncaring Father God. I would challenge, however, that she lies, and her lies are made evident precisely by what she did through the creation of the Khan-worm in this episode.
We heard the Khan-worm speak through Bobby, saying the Mother had meant for them to find him, laying a monster trail to Sandusky precisely to draw hunter attention to the worm’s actions in killing the trucker’s family and the cannery workers. According to the worm, all of that was intended to do just one thing: convey to hunters Eve’s message that humans were doomed and their days were numbered in pain from here on in. Eve manifestly didn’t care what would become of her newest creation so long as it served that purpose and conveyed her taunting message. That’s not the action of a loving mother: it’s the action of a game-playing, narcissistic megalomaniac setting the stage for a challenge to her opponents to make the game more enjoyable and more interesting to her. There was no rational logic in setting a trap for hunters simply to kill a few and serve the rest notice of Eve’s plans, unless the entire goal was simply to spice up the game for Eve.
Eve’s many different monster children would do well to reconsider blindly following where she leads, because all of them are as much her pawns as the worm was and doubtless mean every bit as little to her. I dare to hope that “monsters” who’ve chosen of themselves to go off the monster script, like poor Lucky in All Dogs Go To Heaven or Lenore and her vampire family all the way back in Bloodlust might see through Eve’s deceits and form the core of a resistance to challenge her dominance. After all, if she were to succeed in penning humans as monster food, from where would her next entertainment come pitting her children against each other to see which would win? That seems about her speed, because she’s not given evidence of thinking of anything of more consequence.
At The End Of The Day, You Two Were Family
What I enjoyed and mourned the most in this episode was the presence and the loss of Rufus Turner. I loved him from the moment we met him as the dark mirror of Dean’s potential future in Time Is On My Side, and in the seasons since, he truly did become family. I will miss him tremendously.
When we first met Rufus, Bobby described him as a retired hunter living in Canaan, Vermont who was now mostly a hermit and occasionally sold things. Bobby had included him in the list of folks he’d called to put out the alert on Bela in the hope of tracing the stolen Colt, so the two men clearly were still in occasional professional touch and were known to be so by others, since Bela revealed in her phone call after Dean first left her room that her contact with Rufus had been intended to attract the Winchesters. However, Bobby dismissed Dean’s immediate conclusion that Rufus was a friend by saying he hadn’t seen Rufus for 15 years. Now we have an inkling why, and maybe a timeframe for the disaster of Omaha, sometime around 1993, when he and Rufus split after years of having worked as a team.
I speculated in my review of Time Is On My Side about Rufus’s past. His bitter, bleak, and anti-social attitude was in sharp contrast to indications in his home of a once-normal and happily social life, including award plaques on the wall and bowling trophies – one of them dated 1983 – on the bookcase. The plaques over his desk looked like they held starred badges, the kind featured on service awards from federal, state, or local law enforcement units. Once upon a time, his life had obviously been very different, and I suspect he lived it in that very same house, simply leaving the normal memories where they were as the hunting took over, the same way Bobby did later. We never learned what made Rufus a hunter or when he became one, or whether he, like Bobby, managed any kind of normal life at least for a while after becoming a hunter, although I suspect he did, or he wouldn’t have been able to keep the house, and I think that’s a balance he probably taught Bobby, enabling him to keep the salvage yard running, but we know now that he was in the game well before Bobby. I suspect he was a cop before he became a hunter, both because of those awards on his wall and because he knew how to handle things to save Bobby from facing murder charges over the very obvious stabbing death of his wife. We learned in Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid that she’d been cremated and buried in the local cemetery, so it wasn’t a case of a hunter simply making a body disappear; Rufus was evidently able to redirect a police investigation. All hunters have to be able to learn to manipulate cops, but that kind of thing goes beyond anything the Winchesters ever learned to do.
[b]Very well written!!! 🙂 [/b]
Good one.
I’m sorry to lose Roops and Grandpa too. The formers back-story with Bobby was starting to look really fascinating and Ol’Eyebrows and his mysterious-but-definitely-dodgy hidden agenda was the most entertaining thing about this season so far.
I can’t work up much interest in Eve … Standard SPN issue decorative monologing murder minx. I hope she dredges up some hidden depths soon or the rest of the run’s going to be a bit short of properly hissable baddies!
Bravo! This was well written and very enjoyable to read. I agree with your assessments. I hope that the Campbell history is not lost. Samuel’s journal and his grandfathers must hold a wealth of knowledge that Bobby, Dean and Sam could use. Someday, I hope that we get to know more about John and his family.
Another excellent article. You are so positive, even in your criticisms. I hope you are right about some explanation about the Sampa; why was he brought back, why and maybe even how he hooked up with Sam…some kind of explanation as to why the Campbells were even in the season. As it was left, it appears as of now that this was a lost opportunity to flesh out an interesting story.
I’m still disappointed that Rufus was killed, especially since death of any kind is no longer a surprise or suspenseful event in SPN. The show has taken death as something surprising or shocking off the table by bringing everybody and their grandfather back.
I did like the episode…especially dark Dean, who is oh so much scarier than that silly Eve…and sweet Sam…and the brothers working together. Two episodes of that now, but that is probably not going to last much longer.
Excellent review. I always love them.
“One of my absolute favorite memories from this episode will always be the four men meeting outside the cannery at night to hunt together; it’s been a long time since we saw such smiles and perfectly shared happiness”
I’m so glad you mentioned it! It was my favorite scene of the episode. It seemed so natural, like they were actually having a good time, even if it was just for a second.
Wonderful review, as always! See ya in two weeks! 😉
Loves your assesement. But I wonder about the Khan worm’s confession. I wonder if it told the boys what it did while there is something far more insideous. The trap set for the hunters inside that cannery…what if Eve set it up so she could see how Hunters; specifically the Winchesters acted when no one could rely on each other,knowing that any moment one of them could be possessesed; manipulating the others. And what if Eve was psychically linked to the khan worm? She could see how easily humans mistrust each other in the face of the unknown. Of course she might be discounting these 4 hunters experience and personal history.
Also…when Sam got seperated and he and Dean shouted out each others names several times it was like their own version of MArco Polo and their own way of letting the other know they were there and not alone.
Amy
Hi Bardic!
Your analysis of Rufus & assessment of his backstory made me love his character & mourn his loss as part of the extended Winchester family even more. I will truly miss him!
I mourn too for the relationship the guys could have had with their grandfather & the Campbell clan. Samuel certainly did destroy that with his obsessive desire to get Mary back. He was a pawn of demons, yet he used his grandsons & all of his extended blood family as pawns also. How did seemingly all the current members of the Campbell clan readily accept the reappearance & leadership of a man they had believed dead for decades? I agree that we need to see more of the Campbell clan; the history of a centuries-old family of hunters is too tantalizing a carrot to dangle before fans, then simply drop it without further mention.
I think your explanation of Dean’s definition of family is spot-on. His speech at the cemetery made me think about how trivial are some of the squabbles I’ve had with my loved ones, & how my own family doesn’t end with blood either.
Dawn
Wow Mary, well worth the wait! I think this is your best, most insightful review yet. And that’s saying a lot because I’ve enjoyed every single one of your reviews. Your analysis of Dean’s speech at the cemetery has me thinking of my own families and how I want to interact with them. Thanks for that, m’dear!
Cheers, Rose