Alice’s Recap – “Slash Fiction”
The Acadian motors on (how???) and Sam is manning speakerphone. Chopping off the head is a development. It won’t kill them, but it’ll slow them down. BTW, in the first shot of this scene, there’s a profile of Sam’s face and man, the sideburns are very noticeable here. He’s close to full blown mutton chops! They have a perfect point too. That’s some careful sculpting. I’m surprised that Dean hasn’t made a cruel joke about them right now. Â
Bobby is talking in the cabin while Jody is making a sandwich. Dean thanks Bobby just in time to hear Sheriff Jody ask if he takes mayo. Oh, Dean is running with this. “Are you even working Richard Gere?” Ah, now we’re up to 80″Ëœs male sex symbols. Look, smiles on Sam and Dean’s faces. They can do that! Bobby changes the subject by asking where are they off to next. St. Louis. Nope, they’ve already hit that. “Pumpkin and Hunny Bunny hit a diner there.” Ooh, I LOVE cutesy nicknames. I’m still waiting for someone to call Dean “Pookie.” Speaking of Dean, he’s upset they hit Conner’s diner. No awesome burger for him. Time to go to lame Ankeny, Iowa instead. Home of “Hookman”? Ugh, I hope Sam doesn’t run into Lori again. She had the personality of wood. Â
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I’m going to gloss over this next scene, because it’s the FBI tools investigating the bloody diner in St. Louis and watching the gut-wrenching video of Sam and Dean slaughtering everyone, and then announcing with evil smirks they’re going to Iowa next.  It’s definitely got a Natural Born Killers vibe. I hate that movie. Â
Bobby is gonna try the car battery on Chet next. Oh Bobby, that’s just desperate. Stupid too, for his arm touches Chet. Way to go, now Chet gets to be evil Bobby. “Balls” is right! However, this is a great opportunity to learn a bit more about Bobby’s backstory. Chet is fascinated how dark Bobby’s life is. “High school dropout, a drunk like your daddy before ya, oh, you and Dad, that’s a can of scorpions, your favorite singer is Joni friggin Mitchell, oh Bobby, you’re ten pounds of sad in a five pound bag.” So we’ve moved onto 70’s female folk singers. As long as it wasn’t Helen Reddy. Carole King would have been cooler though. Â
Sam and Dean, because they are the stupidest fugitives in America, decide to walk down the main street of Ankeny, Iowa in broad daylight. Oh yeah, especially when every cop in Iowa was looking for them. I’m shocked they didn’t run into the entire Hawkeye militia waiting to gun them down in an ambush (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid reference there). They see Leviathan!Sam and Dean pull in an Impala that’s looking sharper than theirs. I noticed the cool rims right away. “Oh no, this is all sorts of wrong,” Sam says. Dean has a better perspective. “Oh, those are nice wheels. I’ll tell you what when this is over, I’m stealing those rims.” Take the car too! It never hurts to have a spare. Â
Since Leviathan!Sam and Dean aren’t stupid enough to be standing in open view on the main street sidewalk in a state where cops are waiting for them, guess who gets popped first? They get off a call to Bobby first. “It’s like looking at a funhouse mirror.” Bobby says he knows the feeling, and I love the shot of Chet!Bobby behind him. Everyone is getting squeezed. Then, as we all suspected, the sheriff and his team pull up, all guns pointed on Sam and Dean. They try to get the sheriff to look at their evil twins behind him, but this guy ain’t stupid. He’s not falling for that. So as Sam and Dean get cuffed and frisked, their evil twins smirk. Leviathan!Dean even winks at them. Yes, I’m sure that thud you heard was every single Dean girl falling to the floor. Dean is so ready to kill some doppleganger scum. Â
Back to Chet!Bobby taunting Bobby as he’s pouring through the books for another solution. It’s fun hearing Chet’s smart mouth coming from Bobby. “Seen more death than an electric chair, ready to die with your boots on, but you know deep down inside you’re no cynic. You still hope. You even got a thing for that lady upstairs. Tiny part of you thinks maybe when after this is done you and the sheriff can make your own little cabin in the woods.”
Chet!Bobby gives his diabolical evil laugh and wonders why Bobby bothers. Bobby grabs the sword and asks his evil twin if he’s a Browning fan. Robert Browning, the poet. Chet!Bobby can’t recall that. Bobby reminds him. “A man’s reach should exceed his grasp.” Chet!Bobby likes that. “After I eat you I’m definitely going to hit the library.” Bobby is about to chop the head off, when a drip comes from the ceiling. It hits Chet!Bobby and his skin begins to burn away. He starts screaming like a fool, “Get it off!” over and over again. A breakthrough!!
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Bobby races upstairs to find Sheriff Jody washing the floor with a soapy bucket. She apparently had a mishap and was cleaning it up. Bobby races over to her and plants her a big wet one on the lips! Oh yeah, he’s happy about this. Hell, I’m happy about this too! Jody’s a bit stunned. “Okay, I wasn’t expecting that reaction.” Bobby asks what was in the bucket. Now Jody is really confused.Â
Might I interject also, yay, a win! It’s about friggin time. A fun win too. Ooh, I can’t wait to see how this plays out. Â
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Meanwhile, back in Iowa, Sam is trying to tell the sheriff that he’s making a mistake. The real killers are back at the diner. Dean just wants his phone call. Oh, there will be a call, to the FBI. Dean is going to cell #1, Sam the interview room. Here’s another shoutout of sorts. Remember “Hookman?” Sam was arrested in that episode too. So this is his second visit to the Ankeny jail. I guess he’s not fondly reminiscing. Â
The two cops that helped are told they can go home, so they leave. Uh oh, who’s waiting outside but Leviathan!Dean and Sam. These cops aren’t going home for dinner, they are dinner. They come back into the squad room, and it’s pretty easy to say they aren’t them. The wide mouth, many teeth, and two squiggly tongues tip us off to that! Â
The sheriff visits Dean in the cell. Dean is demanding his right to his phone call. The sheriff isn’t concerned about his rights given how many people he’s killed in the last few days, so Dean turns on his own version of the puppy dog and pleads. It works! Dean calls Bobby, who is looking over the carnage of a burnt and headless Chet!Bobby. Dean tells him they’ve been popped, and there’s no time for Bobby to get there. “We saw them, they saw us, so we are coming to get us.” Brain teasers are always interesting on this show, aren’t they? He asks if Bobby has anything. Yep, sodium borate. “Okay, let me get Mr. Wizard on speed dial,” Dean jokes. He’s always got one no matter how desperate the situation! God love him.Â
Bobby explains its found industrial cleaners, soaps, and laundry powder. Anything with borax. “You want me to Desperate Housewife these mothers?” Stop! This scene is moving too fast for me to laugh. Bobby tells him to trust him, it burns them bad enough to slow them down. It’s the new holy water! Once they douse them in borax, chop the heads off and keep them separate. The sheriff hangs up the phone before Dean can rave on how much of a genius Bobby is. He’s a bit disgusted by all this talk. “What kind of sickos are you and your friends?” Dean tells him if he doesn’t round up what they need they’re all gonna die. Nope, doesn’t believe him. Until…
I’m so glad they didn’t waste much time with the sheriff finding out. He walks around the corner and sees his supposed gone for the day deputy snacking on another officer. Not normal. The other deputy comes in berating him for having lunch now. There’s no time. They morph back into Sam and Dean and are ready for some eating of their twins. The sheriff is clever to hide while seeing all this. Oh yeah, Dean’s making sense now. He goes back to Dean quite stunned. “I uh, it’s just, I don’t know what I saw.” He unlocks the cage and lets Dean out. Dean tells him to find anything that says borax on it. The sheriff does so without argument. Â
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Time to switch to poor sitting duck Sammy, who’s handcuffed to the table in the interrogation room. He sees Dean walk in and wonders why Dean isn’t helping him out of the cuffs. Because it’s Leviathan!Dean. “I’m not your brother, but I am Dean adjacent.” Not good.Â
Back to Dean (yep, a lot of back and forth) in the main room. He grabs a gun and sees Sam. “Sammy.” Then it hits him when he gets the evil stink eye. “Not Sammy.” Dean shoots him which doesn’t do a thing but piss him off. Leviathan!Sam slams him into the trophy case hard, glass shattering all over him. Ouch! That’s gotta hurt. What is it with Dean and a glass shower anyway? That’s a small shoutout to “Lazarus Rising.” Very small. It could also be a small shoutout to “Swan Song” when Lucifer!Sam threw him into the Impala windshield. Again, very small. Â
Leviathan!Dean is taunting Sam a bit first, you know, because they’re all about the giggles. “I just want you to let you know how much I’ve really grown to hate you and your brother since we’ve been wearing you. I just don’t get it. You could be anything. You’re strong, you’re uninhibited, you’re smart enough believe it or not, but you’re so caught up in being good and taking care of each other.” “What do you care?” Asks Sam. “Because it pisses me off! You’re wasting a perfectly good opportunity to subjugate the weak.” You gotta admit, watching evil Dean is pretty fun. Plus, there is some truth there, Sam would be pretty dangerous if he ever went rogue. Â
Back to Dean and Leviathan!Sam. Dean gets up, smashes a glass case and pulls out an axe. Shoutout to “Sex and Violence.” Leviathan!Sam, who sadly has no time for monologuing, isn’t bothered. “Cute. Do you really think you can get close enough to use it?” “Not until you’re burning,” Dean answers. Then the sheriff splashes a bucket of cleaner on him. Leviathan!Sam starts smoking and WHACK! Dean slices off the head in one swoop. You can see the hair flopping as the decapitated head falls. Wicked! Next is the shot of headless Leviathan!Sam on the floor oozing black. Again, this must have been Jared and Jensen’s dream scene. Â
Thanks!
enjoyed it alice! it was like i relived the ep which i adored!! agree especially with the ending, it was mature of them, sam to walk away & dean to let him. i also think that dean will be hiding behind trees!
Nice recap, Alice.
‘Honeybunny’ is from Pulp Fiction in the diner scene – I seriously LOL’d
Nice job, Alice. I loved this episode and I have to admit that I used to love Air Supply when I was a teenager in the late 70’s, early 80’s. They had great slow dancing songs! So, I found myself lipsyching right along with Dean.
BTW – I liked how Dean and Sam have handled this new rip in their relationship. This is a more mature response than has been present in the past. This time, Sam left to cool off and Dean let him go. No fuss and no fists thrown. And I agree, Dean is probably watching him from the trees and bushes. I, too, saw the clips from this weeks coming episode and all I can say is about time! I hope they don’t leave it so limited. This has been a long time coming and it is something that needs to be addressed finally once and for all. Then, the show needs to move on and drop this issue and not drag it through the mud. 😀
Alice – Re whether Robbie Thompson is part of the writing team, Jim Michaels tweeted the other day “Robbie Thompson has written episode #712 being directed by Phil Sgriccia! We are currently prepping this script!”
So looks like the answer is that he is part of the team. I am pleased about that as I thought the writing on this ep was great (last scene excepted).
Thanks so much for the recap, I miss them, though I know how much work you put into them. Great episode, great writer, great director, great actors. Most definitely an A.
I loved this episode. I was on such a Supernatural high after the first two episodes of the season…and then 3-6 happened. I have since come to appreciate The Girl Next Door a liitle bit more, but do not like eps 4 and 5 at all. So I was jumping for joy after the end of this one that I flat out loved it. Can we keep Sheriff Mills as a regular? She would make a great addition to the team, and Bobby, Sam, and Dean could really benefit from her presence.
Lovely recap, Alice! The only place I have a different feel for is the end reveal. I think your take on the scene shows that the lie had a big pay off and that the three episode build up was worth it.
I think Dean not trusting Sam to be able to handle a difficult kill fits with what was happening at the time. He had just finished grounding Sam from SatanVision an ep earlier. I understood the lie, even though it was going to be hurtful for Sam in the long run.
I think the time we spent with Dean obviously suffering from lying to Sam and Sam trying to dig the secret out made Sam’s hurt really believable when he finally did get the truth. And I knew why Dean looked actually relieved it had finally come out. It wouldn’t have had near the impact if everything had come out immediately.
I’m really enjoying Sam and Dean renegotiating their relationship and I think they are showing growth. Dean will have to let go a bit with the “big brother saving Sam” and Sam will have to learn not to walk away when he’s upset. I’m loving this plot line.
No Alice. I had the best Pontiac Acadian hatchback (silver too). Lasted me for over 20 years and cost me hardly anything to run except for gas. Was still going strong when I traded it in 2 years ago for a new car. In fact, I bought it in 1988 second hand and it took me 5 years to pay it off.
Best car I ever had so far. (My third car)
Must have been my lucky day on the used car lot. 😛
My first car was a chevette (baby blue). I was the car’s third driver (it went through the family as a handed down car). That was twenty years ago and the car only recently had to be finally retired after a crash. My guess is that the cars were just so simple without any bells and whistles that there just wasn’t a whole lot to break.
Hi Alice thanks for your recap, I love them!!
The scariest scene I’ve seen in Supernatural is the leviathans killing the people like that.
I can’t believe that Sam and Dean were walking around in the city seeing the brutality the leviathans used to kill the civilians, and Sam and Dean didn’t even change their clothes or used mustache or something!! 🙂
Oh! and I loved the my little pony in the car, I was: hey is Cass !! (even it had the wings and all) 😆
I don’t know how the police didn’t know Sam and Dean were still alive cause they supposedly died in season 3, but they have been arrested again in season 4,5 and 6 and as far as I know when the police take you to jail one of the 1st things the police do is take your fingerprints…..
And about the episode ending,
I honestly don’t know if I’m on Dean’s side or Sam’s side. Sam is angry because Dean lied to him and because Dean killed his friend, Do you imagine if your brother kill your friend after you told him not to???. And on the other part Amy killed people because his son was sick what if later her son would get sick again?? she would kill again?, she said no but what if she would do it again??
And well Sam always deal with those situations like he always does, he just walks away, even soulless Sam walked away from Dean at the end of 6×10. I hope we can see how they reunite again next episode.
Hi Alice,
Thanks for the fun recap of this very entertaing episode. (Except for the massacre in the bank vault and the diner. They bother me, because they’re so real and plausible. So, yes I was chanting “puppies and rainbows” too. In fact, I think was playing with our new kitten, and saying “It’s only TV.. It’s only TV)
I loved the witty, sharp writing that propelled the episode forward. And Dean + My Little Pony + Air Supply + Sam Bitchfaces!!! Brilliant!!
I appreciated the way the show actually had a bit of brightness to it, despite the grisly, brutal killings. (Puppies and unicorns.. Puppies and unicorns). Bob still had hope in a future where love and companionship are possible. If Sam & Dean knew that he believed in that possibility, maybe they could have a little faith too.
Also, any time Robert Browning’s line [i]”Ah, but that a man’s reach should exceed his grasp, or what’s a heaven for?”[/i] gets mentioned, it’s a win for me.
And while we’re on the subject of literature, you can find some examples of literary parallels between Supernatural and SE Hinton’s work, in my article “The Winchesters: The Outsiders Who Are Just Ordinary People”.
I have a slightly different interpretation of Levi!Dean’s speech to Sam. I think he was referring to both brothers when he says “you’re strong, uninhibited, and smart enough, believe it or not”, because he goes on to say they’re too busy taking care of each other.
I liked Crazy Government Conspiracist Frank. I think maybe he’s Ronald Resnick’s uncle? I know Sam & Dean are totally capable of making their own ID’s and using disposable cellphones (they did that in Fresh Blood, to evade Gordon), but I think he was introduced as a possible recurring character, and also as a tech genius, something the brothers are not. They’re capable, but not computer wizards. I could be wrong but I got the sense he could manipulate current technology, maybe even make certain facts about the Winchesters disappear from the internet. Just a thought.
As well, I was surprised by Dick Roman (I laughed out loud at the name)and his haughty, hateful attitude with Crowley. I’m wondering if Leviathans and demons have some bad history between them. It also makes me think of God!Cas and his comment to Crowley in the delightfully decrepit trailer in MTNB, when he talks about not wanting to let Michael out of the cage. Conspiracy theorist that I am, I got to pondering whether Michael did more than slay demons and help Daddy banish little brother Lucifer to the Pit. Maybe he was the Archangel who exiled the Leviathan to the Purgatory in the first place. Maybe he even created it? That theory provides resolution to many of the still-dangling Dean/Michael threads. (Oh, how they beg to be explained.)
Of course, resolution, leads me to the end scene… I do think the brothers were fighting in a more equal, mature way. Although it might have been a fresh take if Sam had slugged Dean, and really aired the problem, right then and there.
I agree that Sam is upset that Amy is dead, but more wounded by the fact that Dean said he trusted him and then went and killed her anyway, and then lied to him. The lie and the lack of trust are crushing for Sam right now, as he tries to rebuild his sanity. He needs to believe that Dean believes in him. Now, he’s going to question that. That can’t be good. He needs that Stone #1, so Dean has some work to do in the “foundation repair business.”
Although in fairness to Dean, I don’t think he was in a completely sane state of mind when he killed Amy. He was grieving Cas, and still dealing with the fact Sam couldn’t tell the difference between RealDean and LuciDean and was fired at by his own brother. I’m not sure Dean even totally understands why he killed Amy and that’s going to make it harder to explain or rationalize it to Sam. The show is full of minor monsters who get ganked, and bigtime baddies who walk. Amy is yet another shade of grey in this monochrome.
But, I’m sure that part of the reason Dean lied to Sam was because he was worried about what would happen when Sam found out. I agree that it’s manufactured drama, but I hope the outcome is that they actually get past it, and realize you can be right and wrong at the same time. And if it turns out that Kitsune can kill Leviathan, that will be really weak storytelling!
Tied to that, I think LeviDean only told part of the truth when he said RealDean thinks Sam is off his game. Dean is concerned about how/if Sam can really cope with his Hellucinations. He’s worried about that in terms of how it affects the safety of both brothers. I don’t think it’s as negative a sentiment as LeviDean painted it. He manipulated the truth, much like a demon. I do think JA did a great job with him. I think we need a few more EvilDean characters. They’re spicy and sassy and fun!
My one complaint, and big concern is the description of Sam and Satanvision all the time. My fear is that they’re making him so damaged it strains credulity on how he’s functioning. And if he is still functioning relatively normally, given that much psychic destruction, he’s probably superhuman. And that takes away the need for a brother and friends he can lean on, and get the much-needed support from. It takes away that Ordinary People aspect which I find so appealing.
Thanks Alice,
The very long-winded Pragmatic Dreamer
I enjoyed this very detailed preview – and Pragmatic Dreamer’s (slightly less lengthy :P) post 🙂
Oops. As Dean would say, “Awkward!”. I think I got on a roll, and forgot to stop. Either that, or I just didn’t want to make dinner!
Smiling, with some chagrin,
Pragmatic Dreamer
Thanks for the write up!
No doubt, this was a good one. So many references to the past – you caught so many more than I did – and genuine comedy. I laughed like crazy at Dean and Sam in that horrid little car, with that terrible song, and the innocent and intimidating my little pony. Poor Baby, she’s been mistreated enough already without being replaced by an Acadian.
I loved seeing Sheriff Jodie back, and while her civilian manner was different, much more relaxed and friendly, it rounds out her character, and does not to detract from her ability to kick ass in later episodes. She’s the best female character to debut on the show since Ellen. I have liked her interactions with Bobby in the past, and this was no disappointment. They just go well together.
I wonder when Sam and Dean last used a household cleaner? If ever. Go Jodie.
Jim Beaver impressed me this episode. He had a much more layered plot this time, having to deal with a bit of romance and a gruesome science project who literally got in his head. And when that happened, Bobby visibly calmed and locked down, then started talking about Browning. His excited kissing of Jodie was perfect, and the quiet, reserved but still warm parting was too.
This episode had the most Leviathans so far, and it was good to see that each had different characteristics. Leviathan!Sam and Leviathan!Dean’s restaurant conversation was a highlight. The nods to Pulp Fiction’s Pumpkin and Honey Bunny were fun and chilling.
Crowley’s appearance in the limo was well played. Crowley conducted himself with so much more diffidence than he does with Sam and Dean and Bobby. He dropped the snark, brought a gift, and tried to be serious and cordial. I was reminded that he’s “in sales”. He’s also a shameless opportunist, and he doesn’t close doors if he can avoid it. I can easily see another partnership; their last one was only six episodes ago.
I loved that Leviathan!Dean revealed the grand Amy secret, much as I disliked the way the secret has been obsessed over. I expected it, but it sold very well.
I have to admit to an eye roll when Sam walked off at the end. He’s been walking off since Scarecrow. No, since Stanford, if I’m thinking about it. But I agree, given his fragile mental state, this could lead to more pronounced recurrence of hallucinations, and I would not turn down the opportunity to see Lucifer again.
At the same time, I don’t want him to have to crawl back. Neither brother is 100% in the right on this, and I’d like them to both see that, and on some level they do. I was waiting for Sam to ask if Dean killed her son. Letting the kid go may be a level of mitigation for Sam.
Hoping for more like this!
Thanks Alice!
Love your recaps. 😀
And this was a great ep, up along with ep 1 &2. Didn’t like tGND and DYL. Liked SUdP a little more.
And I have been re-watching 6.22-7.02 about once a week. Those three ep’s are “one” if you know what I mean?
Love this show! 😛
Masja,
Sweden
Thanks, Alice!! Great recap. I could see the Pontiac emblem but couldn’t remember the Pontiac equivalent of the chevette.
This episode will definitely go in my favorites list. I loved all that we learned about the guys, including Bobby, through the perceptions of the Leviathans impersonating them. Knowing that Bobby still has hope gave me hope for the guys’ future.
I thought that Jody figured out where Bobby was, because she knew about the connections Bobby and Rufus had. Cas never met Rufus so the leviatans don´t know about them.
Great recap. Almost as good as watching.