7.06: Thoughts on “Slash Fiction”
High hopes were had for this episode and I have to say that it did not disappoint. Slash Fiction was fast paced, funny, action-fill and informative all at the same time. This was a solid episode and it felt like the plot was substantially advanced by the end. The players are on the board, we at least know who the major ones are now and the outline of the rest of season seven begins to take shape. Pumpkin and Hunny Bunny
Slash Fiction dove right into the fray from the opening scene bank robbery and kept the quick pace throughout the episode. No dragging bits, no wasted moments, all around well timed and greatly executed.
I have to say I loved the Sam and Dean copies. These doppelgangers were played as close in character to Sam and Dean as they could be but were distinct characters all on their own. Jared and Jensen impressed with this acting job, and I’d bet they had fun doing it to. (On a side note – it was episode six of season one where we first encountered a shapeshifter in Dean’s form AND where the first of many not-so-real Winchester deaths was faked).
The exchange in the diner between Levi!Sam and Levi!Dean was classic Supernatural humour at its best. A little bit of self-mockery goes a long way and it was great fun to watch. Particularly the description of Sam’s salad – “dead plants with creamy goo…self-righteousness on a plate” – and that Dean thought the burgers were better than sex.
We learned a bit about the brothers from watching their doubles. First of all, Sam’s head is still a cup full of crazy, brimming and ready to overflow. So, despite his reassurances that he’s fine and the fact that we haven’t actually witnessed anymore hallucinations, we know he’s just really good at tamping them down but they’re still present. This is vital information that will become prevalent at a later date, no doubt.
With regard to Dean, Levi!Dean didn’t reveal much to us, but wow, what a bomb he dropped on Sam. I suspected this would be coming out in Slash Fiction given the previous knowledge that Leviathans take on the memories, thoughts, feelings, etc. of the people they double.
“We can’t be killed, you stupid little chew toys.”
Chet, the Leviathan that Don kindly gift wrapped for the Winchester’s last week spent most of his time chained to a chair and losing his head this episode. But in between experiments on how to destroy and/or inhibit the Leviathans, he was a wealth of information. Jet’s chattiness may be surprising to some, but as we know the bad guys that are the most powerful, are also overly cocky and like to expound ad nauseum the details of their plans and/or methodologies. Apparently, even the wisdom of X number of hundreds of thousands of years experience doesn’t give rise shutting up and not tipping off the other team as to what you’re all about. Oh well, bad for them, good for our boys.
Sam, Dean and Bobby now know about the intricate system for flagging the boys’ alias’ and tracking them as well as to ensure they pour some Draino into the motel showers from this point on to prevent further cloning. I’m glad it was addressed exactly how Team Levi came to know ALL the alias’ the Winchesters used, because this had been a point of contention for me in an earlier episode.
It was disturbing that none of the known weapons and potions had any effect of the Leviathan’s, but not that surprising. Taunting Bobby until he sliced Chet’s head off, probably not the brightest move for Jet but I cheered when his head rolled on the floor, ala Paris Hilton in “Fallen Idol.” Unfortunately this is only a temporary fix and a problematic one, because it requires closeness between hunter and leviathan.
Levi!Bobby was another great element in Slash Fiction. Bobby was seemingly unphased by what his clone was saying but we were also able to get a glimpse inside Bobby’s head. It’s good to know that despite everything, he still has hope. With luck, this won’t be dashed out anytime soon and will keep him moving forward in this long battle.
Somehow it’s perfect that cleaning fluid is the kryptonite to these black-goo oozing monsters. Wonder what effect scrubbing bubbles would have?
Clones
Anyone else reminded a little bit of Ronald when we were introduced to Frank? On paper, the episode has a number of similarities to “Nightshifter” (which is a favourite of mine) and for me, it was of similar calibre as well. Kevin McNally was excellent in his scenes with the brothers. He played paranoid techie hunter with just the right mix of intelligent wit and borderline crazy. The character of Frank was delightful and I hope we get to see him again.
Frank dropped a few truths on the boys in roundabout ways, such as the rock star aliases are too distinct and easy to track and that cell phones need to be rotated frequently. Given the expansive network the Leviathans have developed in their short time out of Purgatory, it would be prudent of the boys to follow all of these tips with great vigilance.
“Nobody puts Baby in a corner.”
It is one thing to mess with Dean and Sam by cloning them and making them wanted serial killers. It’s something else entirely when you mess with the Impala. Dean’s face when he was told he’d have to hide the car, and Sam’s face anticipating Dean’s reaction to this was priceless.
Better yet though was the entire ride in the newly acquire vehicle. First, Dean attacking the squeaky unicorn hanging from the rear view mirror and then the music! Oh yes, this was a throwback to Dean singing REO Speedwagon back in Season 2 but even better. Whoever was responsible for this genius moment of comic relief, congratulations, the desired outcome was definitely achieved. I was in stitches watching Dean mouth along with the radio and Sam’s disturbed looks to his brother before ultimately turning the radio off. Classic Winchester Road Trip Moment!
Jody Mills
Admittedly, I suspected Jody to be a clone for a good portion of this episode, and wouldn’t have been at all surprised to see her sprout a wide mouth full of human-eating teeth. But she didn’t. Instead, she inadvertently discovered that Borax is the Leviathan’s own brand of Pepper Spray. It won’t take them down but it sure does slow them down. Wonder what happens if they drink/are injected with it?
The Jody/Bobby relationship played just right for me. It wasn’t overly gooey or romantic, but rather maintained the gruff Bobby style and Jody used an equally touch approach to get in the house and in her address to Bobby about letting someone be nice to him. It would be nice to see Bobby have a relationship like this in his life (and Levi!Bobby revealed that Bobby had similar thoughts in the back of his mind about Jody), but I have to wonder how long it would be before Jody was 6 ft. under or worse. Either way, it’s a surprisingly sweet burgeoning friendship-and-maybe-more between Jody and Bobby and I look forward to her next appearance.
FBI
Oh, FBI, how I’ve missed you chasing our brothers down. Not. The two FBI agents were unconcerned with the murders, more focused on the paperwork serial killers meant and a little slow (yes, two wanted killers would easily be able to wrangle flights with their faces all over TV and likely on every watch list out there). This made me suspicious of them instantly. As it turned out, only one of them was a Levi spy.
It was a relief that the FBI manhunt for Dean and Sam began and ended in one episode. It would have been too much like seasons two and three to have it continue for the long term. And honestly, one group of people hunting the brothers down is enough to worry about, without the threat of federal lockup. It was handled in an efficient manner, having the sheriff witness Levi!Winchesters morph into the boys he already had in a cell and then eat people. Equally helpful was his daughter the coroner, who aided in the cover-up and the so-called death of the Wanted Winchesters (what is this, three times they’ve been “dead” to the FBI?). It was unfortunate that the good Sheriff and his daughter were eaten though. Helpful law enforcement members don’t last long on this show (I’m looking at you, Jody!).
Dick
The boss man has been revealed. Dick. He’s smart enough to call off the cloning Dean and Sam plan, take two because he knows that would be pushing the envelope. It will be interesting to see what he has in store for them next.
We also learned a vital piece of information in his limo: Leviathans and demons are unmixy things. Despite Crowley’s attempt to woo himself a powerful business partner, Dick refused to work with demons, citing that he would kill them if he didn’t have an already full agenda. What’s great about this? Well, the opportunistic Crowley won’t risk having his reign as the King of Hell ended by these Leviathans so, as we’ve seen him do before, he’ll likely join Team Free Will in dealing with the Leviathan problem. If you can’t have angels on your side, well, the King of Hell and his demonic underlings are probably the next best thing (in this case, anyways).
Truth Time
After weeks of waiting, here it is – the big Amy reveal – FINALLY. Understandably, Sam is upset with this information (though I notice he didn’t doubt Levi!Dean’s information even for a second nor did he ask Dean for verification – did he suspect?). The boys are splitting up again? Okay, I don’t like this but it feels organic given the situation. Sam is pissed and Dean is guilty enough not fight him on the issue. That said, despite the situation with Amy and the lying, Sam will probably realize they can’t afford to be divide at a tense time like this and from next week’s promo it doesn’t look to be a long lasting scenario. I still maintain that Dean did what was necessary when it came to Amy, except for the lying to Sam bit. Despite the fallout from this incident, it is good to finally have that out in the open rather than festering in the dark.
Final Thoughts
I loved this episode. So far, my favourite of the season, right up there beside the premiere. It was a tight episode plot wise, and, of course, that looming cloud of Amy’s death is no longer a hovering threat. Some episodes this season have been admittedly weak or (in one case) outright bad (in my opinion, of course) but building on the momentum of last week, this was rock solid.
It may be too soon to say, but I do feel like season seven is finally getting its footing. Fingers crossed episode eight keeps the trend happening!
Everyone who puts baby in a corner does so at extreme peril!
Awwwh… if only the problem remained at such a cute level… but no, the writers are giving Dean and Sam some more brotherly drama 🙁 . Of course, this break up will not be permanent, we know that, but it hurt me to see that. But at least, Sam said what was really on his mind, even if it was anger and feeling betrayed – in the past he might have swallowed it much longer and feel poisoned by this terrible fruit.
I loved the episode, and after a tough day (I was one of three helpers at a car accident today on my way home from a workshop and had a lot of real blood to deal with until the ambulances came, so I was happy to see some black liquid… a nice change) this was just what I needed. And I loved the absurdity that leviathans are vulnerable to cleaning agents… that could pretty much be Monty Python-esque!
I can’t really ponder any serious thoughts right now about this episode – so just a few random glimpses from me, forgive me… Bobby finally gets a (little) kiss – there should be a tender love story for the guy, come on!… Kevin R McNally is fabulous! I could hardly believe how splendidly American he sounded. Well, an actor trained at the prestigious RADA surely has no problems with that! For me he will always remain the best Claudius (Hamlet’s uncle) I ever had the chance to see on stage. And he really took time to chat with me afterwards at the stage door. A lovely man! A lovely, lovely man!…And, my favourite demon-baddie is back! Hail thee, Crowley! I hope to see more of him – I’d like to be the recipient of some muffins next time, those looked yummy… and… well… the great job of our beloved leading actors as their doppelgangers – they are both marvelous in those scenes, and Jensen in particular brought some nice nastiness to the part (like winking at the camera)… Great episode! Loved it!
Dean loves schmaltzy songs! 😆
Cheers, Elle! Jas
Hope you weren´t stoke in this big accident on A5.
It´s great that Bobby has a little love in his life and I always suspected him in still having hope.
Hey Jas,
Kevin McNally is awesome! I saw him, briefly through the insane crowd at the Pirates 4 premiere last spring. It was very exciting! For me he will forever be Mr. Gibbs. He certainly sold the accent well, I agree – I was doubting whether he was or wasn’t American in real life, actually, while watching him as Frank.
Crowley is a favourite of mine as well and I look forward to his role in this storyline as the season progresses.
Hope you’re feeling better, sounds like a really rough day you had!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Jas.
-Elle
Thanks, Elle. It’s a blessing that days like that float away into foggy memory quickly… 😉 Take care, Jas
For a moment I thought your screenshot of the Dean/Sam/Amy confrontation was the season 2 scene what Dean tells Sam what John said about killing him. The scenes had a lot of similarities.
This was a great episode. It’s hard to find things to nitpick.
I’m noticing similarities to season 2, in a good way, through out season 7 so far, as well.
Credit for the screenshots to our intrepid leader, Alice – she always picks such great shots to put in the reviews!
Right, this episode rocked… maybe better if we had a “Night at the Roxbery” moment and Sam joined in, but hey, a man can dream can’t he?
The episode itself- the boys had fun, and it was a trip down memory lane. I am glad they got rid of the douchy rock god names- hello captain obvious. Borax burns… well it is a natural household cleaner in a world of chemical stuff, figures it would work on something locked away from back when… and it’s simple. I am surprised they didn’t try lye.
Dean playing Dean was classic, but not as classic as Dean himself, er… if that made any sense. I loved the car scene- “nobody puts baby in a corner” and him giving a movie with Swazy a pass. hehe, good times:) More to say, still digesting the episode- but to quote another movie “and I’m back in the game!” whoot!
Definately feels like we’re back in the game. I will remain tenatively hopeful and see where we end up by the Christmas hiatus.
Somebody explain something to me- why wasn’t Dean honest with Sam to begin with? Why keep Amy’s death a secret?
Just guessing, but it would be in character for Dean to kill Amy without telling Sam to spare Sam the pain of it.
My take is that by killing Amy, he’s basically saying that he doesn’t trust Sam’s judgment–right after Sam directly asked him for that trust. Dean knows Sam’s in an unstable place, so didn’t want to rock the boat by outright denying that trust, but felt that Amy needed to die despite Sam’s assurances that she was safe. But Sam made it very clear how much that trust meant to him and was clearly doing better with his hallucinations, so Dean couldn’t bring himself to tell Sam the truth.
Of course that only made the reveal all the worse, but still.
Well, he did tell Sam that he would leave Amy be, but of course he didn’t. Guessing he didn’t want to deal with the fall out of his actions given the issues with the Leviathan and Sam’s questionable mental stability. Just a guess. Hard to know – but I do believe Dean’s guilt over the Amy situation comes from keeping it a secret rather than feeling remorse for her death.
Definetly agree that it felt like season 7 found it’s feet in this episode. The balance of wit and gore with the nod to the fangirls…just yes. Also, Elle’s quote: “So, despite his reassurances that he’s fine and the fact that we haven’t actually witnessed anymore hallucinations, we know he’s just really good at tamping them down but they’re still present…” I can only guess that they’re reaching critical mass and will end up playing a big part in the series final arc. which I love, although I will admit that Sam’s hellucinations terrify me.
The hallucinations are unsettling, but if they serve as a vehicle to bring back previous characters, I’m game to watch.
Thanks for reading!
Great episode, all around; pacing, writing, humor, plot elements…all there! Yah! Was anyone else instantly reminded of the Lyle character of Gene Hackman in Enemy of the State when Frank showed up? Very similar characters and portrayals. I loved Frank!
I know lots of people have said it was contrived for Jodie to show up at the cabin, but she knew Rufus and, let’s face it, she’s been crushing on Bobby for a while now, so why not ‘stop by’ to help him out? Adorable portrayal of a clueless Bobby and some very seet scenes there. I’d like to see that develop.
I share others’ opinion that I’d like to see the guys resolve the issue over Amy, not just gloss over it and work together because they have to do so to survive.
This could be one of my fav eps EVER.
Hi fanoftheboyz,
I have a feeling it will be dealt with, though over a wider period of time than one episode.
I didn’t think it was contrived for Jodie to show up at the cabin, but honestly, I didn’t give it much thought that she was able to track him down. It was just nice to see her and she gave the boys the first weapon against the Leviathan – can’t complain about that.
Agreed – this is one of my favourite episodes!
I have to agree that this episode was wonderful. 😀
Dean ‘classic rock rules’ Winchester is a closet Air Supply fan. 😆
I think that Sam is more upset about Dean not telling him that he killed Amy, then he is about the actual killing. If Dean had just told him, then Sam may have understood and let it go, but because Dean kept it from him and Sam had to learn it indirectly, that is what pissed him off and made him walk away from Dean. But if you saw the clips from next week, they are back together again. I hope that means that they are cool. I think that we had enough of them being apart.
I think that it was cool that the clones went all the way back to season one for their killing spree.
Poor Impala, put into hiding again. I hope that it is not for too long and that we get another great reveal a la ‘2 1/2 men’.
I didn’t suspect Sheriff Jodie of being evil, but I was definitely suspicious of the FBI guys. That poor Sheriff and his daughter, Sam and Dean cannot get any help from authority figures (RIP Victor Henriksen).
It is nice to know that the Leviathan do have a weakness and that it is easy to get (unlike the ash of a Phoenix, needed to kill Eve). Although if the Leviathan are also from Purgatory, shouldn’t the ash work on them too?
Loving Season Seven.
Three more episodes until Thanksgiving break.
I agree, NancyL, that it’s more the secret than the killing itself that is the problem between the boys.
An Impala-rides-again scene? YES PLEASE!
With regard to the phoenix ash – I’m still waiting for that to come into play. I agree it should work to some extent on the Leviathan. We shall see!
Forgot something:
Double the Sam, Dean and Bobby, what is there not to love? 😆 😆
Also, I agree Elle, Crowley won’t like being insulted by Dick. I can see him going to his ‘good buddy’ Bobby to offer his assistance. 😆
Crowley helps Crowley, no matter who he has to deal with – and I love to watch him do his thing!
Except for the Bobby/Jodie sitcom plot progression thing and the ending break-up scene over Amy, I thought the episode was wonderful. Tight, witty script, great dialogue from everyone, gritty feel to the episode; all of that I liked.
The thing about the Amy deal for me is that the whole thing is contrived for the purpose of brother angst, and Sam turning it into a “If you kill Amy, this is how you feel about me” thing just doesn’t work for me.
My one major complaint about Sam’s storyline, however, is that the show keeps TELLING us how bad off Sam is, but it’s not what we are seeing on-screen. The same applies to Dean’s drinking and depression. Yeah, that one episode showed it, but nothing much sense. And if Sam can feel so betrayed that he walks away from Dean once again, I’m not buying that he is all that concerned about Dean’s depression.
Of course, this all has to do with the overall season, and not this episode. There was so much to like in this episode. Thanks, first-time writer, for making me believe you actually know something about the show. And John Showalter did a great job, too. Always like his work.
I hope Robbie Thompson writes many more episodes for Supernatural.
I have to disagree that the plotline was contrived for sole purpose of angst. I think the whole point of the Amy plotline was bring the old trust issues between the brothers back to the surface. There’s never been a complete resolution to those issues since the early days of the show–they need to trust each other implicitly, then one screws up and puts distance between them until they come back together out of necessity and trudge forward. That’s more of a bandaid, though.
The Amy situation is much more about trust than her actual death, IMO. After Dean told Sam to make their relationship, their brotherly bond, stone number one and build his sanity on that, Sam outright asked Dean to trust him about this. Dean agreed and then went behind Sam’s back anyway then lied about it. For Dean to continue to serve as Sam’s foundation in reality, Sam needs to know Dean trusts him. We know from levia!Sam that Satan-vision is still present, and with the foundation he based his entire progression forward on cracking with this revelation, I think we’ll see Sam cracking again and it won’t be pretty. Dean needs to actually trust Sam so Sam has a stable base to build himself back up on.
By bringing up this long-standing issue of trust between them at a time when their enemies will find any chink in their armor to slip into, it seems to me the setup to finally move forward in a way they never have been able to before. I’m optimistic. But, of course, there’s hurt and guilt and anger that comes first. Emotional growth is messy!
However the Amy thing is stirred, it’s still leftovers served cold and (not seasoned very well at that), which SS was supposed to have resolved. I just see it as an un-compelling redo of ‘don’t think of me as a freak (S2); learn to love me unconditionally, demon blood and all (S5); let me grow up (S4); if you kill this monster, this is how you think of me (S4, Metamorphosis in particular).
I’m not arguing with those that enjoy this. I just think it is a very weak storyline for personal drama. I’d rather the show pick a path one way or the other and not keep revisiting the same issues.
Either Sam can never grow up as long as Dean is around, or Dean is incapable of letting Sam be his own person. Simple solution to that is to give Sam his own car and they can hook up on jobs and go their own ways and the emotional growth wouldn’t be near as messy with fingers pointed at who is the most hypocritical. It’d be sink or swim for the both of them and the writers could concentrate on telling a season long story about hunting and evil. Soap undertones gone, which I would like very much and Amy out of the picture, which I would also very much enjoy.
I’m loving season 7. Though of course some episodes are better than others, I didn’t think any of them were “weak” or “bad.” But this and the two first ones were the best, I think.
If Dean thinks burgers are better then sex….dude isn’t doing it right.
perhaps dean needs some pointers from Sam?
I believe the Leviathan said that Dean thought that burgers were [i]almost[/i] better than sex.[i]Almost[/i] being the operative word. I get that you don’t like Dean, so it’s not surprising that you [i]misinterpreted[/i] that particular statement.
[quote]I still maintain that Dean did what was necessary when it came to Amy, except for the lying to Sam bit. Despite the fallout from this incident, it is good to finally have that out in the open rather than festering in the dark.[unquote]
I agree with you Elle! I wonder why Dean hide this from Sam? To avoid confrontation? you know cause he thinks Sam is not in the right mind right know. Or to avoid telling Sam the real reason why he killed Amy, which will result in another confrontation with his brother.
I remember Dean’s words to Sam in When The Leeve Breaks. Sam said He knows what he was doing that time and Dean replied then that’s worse. Dean thought Sam was not in his right mind to trust a demon and I know Sam’s condition here is different but if Dean said out loud that Sam is not in the right mind right now with his halucifer to spare Amy I can imagine the confrontation that will ensue between the brothers.
It will bring the bothers back to S4 and S5 issues. Sam will feel betrayed and sidelined and not be trusted enough by his big brother. But in the end keeping it a secret for long also hurting Sam.
Oh Dean … it seems anyway you do ends up bad. If only you open up and be at peace with yourself.
Amy is a situation that depends on how you see it. The problem is Amy represented more for Sam than a ‘monster’ he knew and Dean killing her wether you see it has right or wrong runs deeper for Sam. Apart from the fact he let Amy live. Amy trusted Sam that herself and her son would be ok and Dean went behind Sams back and killed her.Sam sees himself like Amy a freak what message has this sent to Sam?.
Thanks to all for your comments – lots of thought provoking ideas! I will go through and respond to you individually at a later date (little strapped for time at the moment) but thank you for reading!
This was a great episode from a first time writer, the guy is obviously a fan. When I saw the preview on Friday with the quote from “Dirty Dancing” I started geeking out immediately. I’ve been waiting for that Baby line for the longest time. It’s one of my favourite movies. And I agree with Dean, Swayze should get a pass everytime.
Then, Dean mouthing the words to Air Supply? Oh. My. God. I nearly peed my pants! I hated that song in the 80s, still hate it, and I haven’t been able to get it out of my head since Friday!
Here’s hoping Robbie Thompson writes more episodes in the near future.
Ah … But then the original theme from Kripke will be ruined. You know 2 cowboys in black horses hit towns, get the girls, ride to sunset. I know the’ve come along way from that. But what will the show be if they separate? 🙂 and I think Mr. Kripke has cursed the storyline that if Sam and Dean get separated bad things always happend. If they persist bad things will happen to the writer. 😀
I didn’t read the comments so i don’t know if this has been said, but the leviathan crowley talks to isn’t the boss imo. The writers are definitely trying to imply he is, but it is just to try and suprise the fans when it turns out Castiel is being inhabited by the real boss