7:08 – Thoughts on “Season Seven, Time For a Wedding”
We’ve been long overdue for some laughs in the Supernatural world, and while this episode had some great humour, it also had a good deal of heart.
Las Vegas
The episode opened with Dean chatting to a waitress in Vegas (who is paying for her education with this job, apparently) who aptly pointed out that Dean looked like someone had kicked his puppy when he’d entered the room. Dean’s concern for Sam or “his friend’s brother” voiced something the fans have been saying for a while now: Sam’s sanity is just too easy. Dean was worried, waiting for the other shoe to drop but instead Sam just seems to be getting better. He doesn’t believe it, and neither do I. Furthermore, and the server keenly noted Dean’s concern was that his brother no longer needed him as Sam texted Dean and told him to “wear fed suit” and meet him four blocks over.
The Chapel
First – how excellent was the title card this week? Black and white cake exploding and the “Supernatural” appearing on screen as the bride and groom cake topper plummeted. I like when TPTB change up the title card for a “special” episode.
Jared sold this marriage/love thing so very well in the chapel when he was talking to Dean. And the expressions Jensen pulled from his bag of tricks had me in stitches. The reveal of Becky was not a great surprise to me and when I’d learned through spoilers that this was who Sam would be marrying I was skeptical. Having now seen the episode, I think it was well executed without crossing the line of simply eye-rollingly ridiculous. I know many people have an issue with the Becky character – she is annoying, no doubt. Here though, as I’ve seen some comments identify, she was more fleshed out into her own character (sorry past, traumatic high school experience, lonely, etc) as opposed to simply a voice of the fandom. This was refreshing in someways.
Dean immediately cottoned onto the fact that Becky turning up during their annual Vegas trip seemed suspicious and, putting all that aside, insisted on knowing whether Becky was actually Becky – she was. As Dean tried to wrap his head around what was happening, off went Becky and Sam to celebrate being newlyweds at Becky’s place.
The Reunion
Seeing “Yucky Becky” RSVP for the reunion was quite sad to me. As she later explains to Sam, she was a “loser in school, loser in life” and I found that the way this was done in the episode actually made Becky sympathetic to an extent, putting aside the date-rape potion she was using on Sam.
Mr. Wiccan a.k.a. Guy – it wasn’t that surprising to see the potion hand off and I admit that I legitimately believed Guy was a witch. What I could not figure out was who this hoodie dude was running around offing people and why. I wondered if we had two rival witches, perhaps? One good and one bad. It just didn’t make sense to me. Also – death by baseball – thank you Supernatural, for turning an already scaring thing (hard ball flying at head) into an actual instrument of death. Awesome.
It’s during their “romantic dinner” that we see the effects of the love potion on Sam beginning to fade and he can’t figure out where he is or what is going on. Becky hastily shoves spiked champagne down his throat and he tells her how much better he is now that Sam is with Becky. Aw, young, chemically induced love and devotion. The solid foundation of any good relationship.
When Sam later pointed out to Becky that there are never two separate bad guys operating in town at the same time, I thought he’d turn out to be wrong in this instance. Alas, when I look back retrospectively this was Sam pointing out the misdirection employed in the episode.
The Waffle Iron
Dean turns up at Becky’s place with a waffle iron to “be supportive” of Sam’s life decision and finds the lovebirds already in the process of hunting. (Side note: was that John’s journal Dean was reading before he finds the case? Yay!) It is during this exchange when Sam softly delivers a knife to Dean’s heart – “you took care of me and that’s great. But I don’t need you anymore.” Poor Dean, I think this is his worst fear coming true before his very eyes. This is a running theme in the episode – what does Dean do when Sammy doesn’t need his big brother anymore?
By the way – I love the set design for Becky’s place. It looked a lot like a recycled motel from Changing Channels (possibly other episodes too, but that flowered wallpaper and neon colours- for sure Changing Channels).
On that note, this episode also reminded me of Wishful Thinking, what with people’s dreams coming true in such bizarre ways. Is Becky’s relationship with Sam any different than Wes and Hope? Both kind of sudden, improbable and ludicrous. If that mystical coin hadn’t been melted down (and was it the only coin?) would Sam and Dean have considered this possibility?
So, off goes Dean and we see Becky writing her and Sam’s name repeatedly in her notebook with hearts and swirls in brightly coloured ink. Sam then presents her with “his and hers” fake IDs. Aw, how sweet. One of the greatest moments in this episode was hands down when Sam got all teary-eyed reading Becky’s notebook. Watching Jared clutch that little book to his chest and shift closer to Becky on the edge of the bed was just fantastic. Somebody write a comedy starring Jared Padalecki, please!
The CEO’s Wife
I would have truly loved to see Bobby’s reaction to Dean’s message about Sam’s wife. Instead of coming to help himself, Bobby turns Dean onto another hunter – possibly the worst hunter ever, which makes you wonder how he’s lived this long. DJ Qualls was not too bad in this episode. He isn’t my favourite actor in the world, which is no reflection on his talent per se (or the fact that he’s said some unkind things about my country) just not my cup of tea. That said, I did enjoy his character in this episode. He was so terrible at the hunter thing, it was shocking. I liked when Sam queries who the “scrawny guy” is and Dean responds with “temp” – just until you come down off the lover’s high, Sammy. Then the job is yours again!
As Dean and Garth interrogate the very lucky new CEO, Garth’s lack of finesse and discretion is appalling to Dean – “I meant more like black magic or hoodoo?” Though pro-interrogator Becky really went at the CEO it is Dean and Garth who discover that the CEO didn’t actually want to be CEO – that was his wife’s dream. Despite said wife believing Dean was threatening her -“I’m pointing out a pattern. Why does everyone think I’m threatening them?” – he still made an impressive showing and scooped her out of harm’s way from the chandelier after which she spilled all the nasty details about selling her soul in exchange for her husband’s promotion.
I wasn’t completely sold on the crossroad demon thing at this point, given that (as Garth pointed out) the timeline was completely wackadoo. Nevertheless, Dean quickly realizes they need to get back to Sam before he or Becky is the next victim of deals gone wrong.
The Social Lubricant
Lucky for Becky, Dean’s gift came in quite handy when the love tonic wore off a second time and she couldn’t get any more immediately. Both of the conversations between Sam and Becky as Sam was tied to the bed are more favourites from this episode.
Becky reveals how the potion was given to her and that Guy promised it wouldn’t work unless Sam loved her “deep, deep” down already. And then she shoved a gag in his mouth and ran out the door for more love potion. But this time, it wasn’t free.
The Crossroads Demon
It’s been a long time since we’ve seen a crossroad’s deal (I don’t count Crowley). Guy mock’s Becky for thinking they were friends – “you’re so pathetic it loops back around to cute” – and then reveals the telltale red eyes. Guy talks about how easy marks are at a reunion and offers Becky 25 years with Sam in exchange for her soul and her silence. I liked Guy as a crossroads demon, he had the charisma we’ve seen of the red-eyes in times gone by.
While Dean and Garth work out where Sam is, Becky returns, miserable, and talks to Sam who’s still strapped to the bed. I truly felt for Becky in this scene, because she seems just so lonely. She connected with Sam’s “character arc” about being a freak and wants someone to love her, for her.
The Devil’s Trap
Another classic we haven’t seen in quite some time – a devil’s trap. I have to wonder how the boys and Becky managed to draw it on the ground at the party without someone, if not Guy himself, spotting them. But this is a minor thing.
We get another allusion that we haven’t seen in a while – reference to Dean’s history as a torture. Guy asks for Dean’s autograph and Dean promises to carve it into Guy’s spleen as he pulls out Ruby’s knife. Guy’s not looking so happy now. When it became clear that Guy was exploiting a so-called loophole in the deals, I wondered if they’d call Crowley and notify him. Going back on deal’s didn’t seem like the king of Hell’s style.
Actually, the whistleblower bites the dust at Becky’s hand before Crowley turns up to make an example of Guy (“this isn’t wall street, this is Hell! We have integrity). Finally, we get a pay-off the Crowley and Dick’s limo meeting a few weeks ago. Crowley, it turns out, has been holding off the demons from harassing the Winchesters so that they can continue to go after the Leviathan. He promises to keep clear and even revokes all the contracts so that the Winchesters can eliminate the threat of Leviathan for him. Ah, I do love Mark Sheppard.
The Annulment
Becky, having lost Sam, is understandably crushed. But he kindly assures her that she has “a lot of energy” and the right guy will come along. Garth then begins preening until Dean shuts him down.
It seems that Dean has his own Becky in Garth, who hugs Dean fiercely before heading off. Then we’re left with the awkward Sam and Dean conversation. Dean is going to get a lot of mileage out this marriage to Becky. Sam confesses that he is still, more or less, crazy, but he’s just adapted his normal barometer to accommodate the crazy. It’s good to have the acknowledgement that Sam isn’t okay again, directly from the horse’s mouth – he hasn’t been forgot by the writers, it just isn’t the opportune (or in the case of the Winchesters, most inopportune) moment for that to hit the fan.
The episode ended on a melancholic note. Dean admitted he knows Sam doesn’t need him all the time. Though he said this, I think Dean was looking for reassurance from Sam along the lines of “I’ll always need my big brother” but this didn’t come. Instead, thinking he’s doing his brother a favour, Sam tells Dean he can take care of himself for a change. Dean nods along genially but his expression is far from relief. Dean has always defined himself in relation to those around him he can care for (even in the time Sam spent in the cage, Dean was caring for Ben and Lisa) primarily Sam. Who is he without this caregiver title? What does he have?
Final Thoughts
This was a warm episode that left me feeling pretty good about the progress of the season. I’m not one of those reviewers wearing rose-coloured glasses and thinks everything is wonderful all the time on Supernatural, but I’ve genuinely enjoyed the majority of season seven so far, including this episode. I feel like there is more heart this season over season six, more of what viewers connected with back in the early days of Supernatural. What is great about season seven is that we have really seen the roots of the show come through in various ways, from the old nemesis’ resurfacing to the use of classic weapons to the brother’s personal issues. The conversation between Sam and Dean at the end of this episode, though it touched on things we’ve dealt with many times in the Supernatural world, was handled by both with maturity and I really see character growth this season. The old issues may be present, but both boys are approaching them differently than they would have in the past (for the most part).
So – good episode? What did you think?
RE:the exploding cake into title card, it is wrong to waste good cake, even for Supernatural. 😀
Does this mean that Chuck is still writing the SPN books? How else would Becky know where Sam would be?
Elle, I loved when Dean pulled out John’s journal from his jacket. 🙂
When drugged!Sam told Dean that he didn’t need Dean anymore, that was heartbreaking. No matter how bad it has been between the two of them (‘When the Levee Breaks’, I’m looking at you) Sam has never told Dean that he was unloved.
I loved that the first thing that came to Sam’s mind as the drug was wearing off was ‘I need to call Dean’. Sam knows who has his back. 🙂
As we saw with Crowley, not all of the crossroad demons are pretty black haired petite girls wearing micro mini dresses. 😆
I saw Mark Sheppard’s name in the opening credits and waited for him to side with the good guys against the Leviathan. I was not disappointed. Crowley may be a lot of bad things, but we have seen that he is honorable and he was pretty pissed off with Guy.
In ‘Swan Song’, we were led to believe that Becky had left Chuck, but I think that Chuck had had enough of crazy Becky, who was still pining for Sam, and told her to go the fudge away. I am sorry, but Becky was always a little too stalkerish (is that a word) for me.
I like Garth. Please, Sera and Co., LET HIM LIVE TO SEE NEXT SEASON. 😆
Of course, we all know that Dean ‘wuv hugz’. 😆 😆 😆
Elle, I would give this episode a 7 out of 10. It wasn’t great, but it didn’t completely suck.
Becky does come off as stalkerish, definately. I try not take her character very seriously and I thought they attempted to give more depth to her this time through. That said I’ll be fine to never see her again – she’s a take it or leave it character for me.
I agree with your assessment here. I enjoyed the episode, and I would probably give it a 7 or 8 out of 10 myself.
“Dean is going to get a lot of mileage out of this marriage to Becky”. True dat! The one-liners at Dean’s disposal now- “when you were married to that crazy…” “when your wife drugged you…” The possibilities are endless.
The one thing I am disappointed about was the absence of Bobby. He could have had a field day flippin’ out about Sam being married. We think Dean reacted funny, imagine what Bobby could have said over the phone. Camera fades to Bobby’s face holding cell *what? married? balls!*
Yeah, I said what I needed to about the rest on Alice’s post, but this ep was full of $h!ts and giggles 😆
I missed Bobby too! Oh, just to have seen his face listening to Dean’s message…sigh.
I so totally agree with you in this review – I was so happy to watch a lighter,fun episode and to see the brother’s relationship getting better. DJ Qualls did a good job as a bungling hunter. At times you almost felt sympathetic to Becky even though she was drugging Sam. I so agree – Jared Padalecki is awesome and funny – for that matter so is Jensen Ackles – I guess that’s why I like these lighter episodes. I too have really enjoyed season 7 for the most part and look forward to more.
Becky was somewhat sympathetic or certainly heading in that direction a few times. I buy that she’s as crazy as she is because she’s lonely and desperate.
Lighter episodes are always a reminder not to take SPN too, too seriously, I think. And we all need that now and again, especially nearing the midseason finale.
Thanks for reading!
Elle, your positive attitude is highly appreciated. So do not take this as criticism, it’s just that I had a very different reaction, which made appreciating all the moments you pointed out in your review nearly impossible.
SPN missed my funny bone entirely this time. For me there is only one question: Why was this episode even made?
There was only negligible advancement of the plot (Cowley) that could have been packed in any other episode. The character development moments didn’t really communicate anything new about Sam or Dean.
The bulk of the episode was dedicated to two of the most pointless and annoying guest characters imaginable. Oh, and to having fun with the idea of date-rape. How was stripping and tying a drugged and injured man to a bed funny? If I am not mistaken, episode 2 implied heavily that Sam was a rape victim already (Lucy’s little b*tch in every sense of the word). Why was it presented as funny this time around? Because the episode was labelled “comedy� Because Becky is so pathetically lonely? Because loneliness entitles you to help yourself to any man / woman you like?
I did not feel even a smidgen of pity for Becky. I hope never to see her again.
As I’ve generally liked the season so far, I will just pretend this atrocity never happened, and hope that no other episode approaches its level of idiocy.
Hi Joe,
Thanks for posting your thoughts. I appreciate that the episode wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea.
I know people seem to be upset here because of the allusion to date rape/drugging of Sam. Personally, I don’t think Sam and Becky have slept together at all, but I suppose unless we’re told we’ll never know. Sam called Becky on basically roofying (sp?) him which I think was an aknowledgement that SPN was certainly walking the line here, but they didn’t intend it to be crossed. That’s just my take.
I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy the episode. Hopefully, next week will be a better watch for you.
Thanks Joe!
Hi, I usually just lurk, but I didn’t feel good about this episode for all your reasons as well as one other: it treated the subject of being a “loser” in such a cartoonish way, it felt something “cool” people might come up with to laugh at the rejects some more. As in, you know you’re pathetic when even “freaks” like Sam and Dean sneer at you once you’re out of earshot. 🙁 Becky and that nerdy hunter weren’t characters. They were paper thin carictatures to get some cheap laughs.
#joe, although i have the opposite viewpoint about this episode i had one major point that you were mistaken on. we clearly heard becky say to the demon when asking for more potion over her computer that she had NOT consummated her marriage.
As I understood it, the only reason they had not yet consummated their “marriage†was that the potion ran out.
Besides, put yourself in Sam’s shoes for a second. He had every reason to expect the very worst. MV of course. The fact that the last step was never reached does not make me feel any goodwill towards Becky or the episode.
I believe that Becky truly wanted to consummate their marriage and probably would have done it, had she not bowed out before the deal with the crossroads demon was sealed.
My guess is that Becky was too afraid to lose her soul like that, having read the books and knowing what happens to souls in hell.
But I also believe that she found her conscience again (which was put aside for a while because she was lonely and ready to do “anything” to not feel that pain) and eventually helped the hunters to get a hold of the demon. I’d like to see that as a redeeming quality, her way of making amends. I think Sam realized that. His reaction to her in the end, trying to give her some sort of encouraging word (instead of verbally ramming her headfirst into the ground) tells me that he felt sorry for her, too.
In real life – when people get roofied, the plans of the one drugging them usually are, well, executed.
Personally, I didn’t feel offended by this scene, but when I look at your comments (and those of a few other guys who commented) I can see that from your viewpoints it was hard to take. I understand that it can be regarded as offensive. Were I a man, I might react in a similar way. I hope you won’t be “hit” like that again in future episodes.
Did Wishful Thinking and Simon Said cause this much outrage? I am honestly asking because I wasn’t in fandom then.
I never saw the tied-to-the-bed scene as date rapey because she wasn’t trying to have her way with him. Wow, still wrapping me brain around it.
How many time has Sam been hit/punched in the head this season? At least two have been played for laughs.
Yeah, they did. I remember a lot of shock and outrage that we were supposed to sympathize with either of those characters. Some people pointed out that Andy possibly wasn’t having sex with the woman in the window, but others thought it was pretty heavily implied that he was.
I think the drugging straddled the date-rape-drug line, due to it’s nature. However, I didn’t see the tied to the bed scene that way at all – she was just keeping him there, it was a holding mechanism not meant for sex, IMO, which is why the thing about his pants being removed for “comfort” was added in there and they had Sam call her on using “roofies” on him.
I wasn’t in the fan for Simon Said, but I don’t remember this much outrage over Wishful Thinking – which is incredibly parallel to this situation. Maybe I’m remembering wrong though.
It is a sensitive issue, either way, so I appreciate why some people are upset. That isn’t the way I interpreted anything last night though, I try not to read too much sinster into the show where possible. SPN is dark, to be sure, but not [b]that[/b] dark and twisted by my measure.
The reaction to Wishful Thinking was fairly strong on LJ where I was hanging out, but I don’t think it was condemned across the board. Simon Said probably had the lest condemnation that I saw, but even there people were complaining about the rape connotations.
Both were kind of hit and miss with some sites being outraged and others just not being bothered.
Elle, I’m concerned about how I’m interpreting Dean’s needing to be there for Sam. The writers seem to be saying Dean is so desperate to be needed that he’s practically hoping ‘the other shoe drops’ with Sam. Would Dean really WANT Sam to fall apart just so he would be needed?
This is the feeling I’m getting from the writers and the way Dean keeps going on to every random woman each episode.
I’m absolutely dreading Sam loosing his grip on reality if this is the case.
What do you think? How do you interpret this?
Amy
Hi Amy,
Interesting question. I don’t think that Dean wants Sam to fall apart, nor was that my interpretation here of the discussion about Sam and Dean being his caretaker.
In my opinion, there are two separate yet concurrent things happening here:
(1)Sam is his own person and generally capable of taking care of himself, as a hunter, man, adult, whatever; which renders Dean’s sole purpose in life (in Dean’s opinion anyways) moot. Dean takes care of Sam. John drilled this into him, and he’s never been able to step away from this role. I believe when Sam told Dean he could take care of himself for a change, that Sam believed he was lifting a burden of responsibility off of Dean and giving Dean the space to focus on his own unresolved issues and not feel pressured to (i) put aside his own well being and/or not lean on Sam when it is needed and (ii) should something happen with Sam, Dean isn’t responsible this way.
(2) Sam and Dean are both aware that Sam’s mind is not a stable place right now. Dean’s kind of holding his breathe and bracing for what will come next and feeling like he should do something but his hands are tied, because how do you fix someone’s shattered mind?
I think that’s garbled, sorry if it is. For me, Dean feels he’s responsible for Sam’s wellbeing overall. Because of the situation with Sam’s mind in conjunction with this feeling of responsibility, Dean is bracing, unable to do anything but he thinks he should be able to do something and wondering, hey when that other shoe drops, what will I do to take care of Sammy?
Sam, on the other hand want’s Dean to be his own person and stop tieing his own happiness to Sam’s health and happiness AND doesn’t want Dean to worry about what is going on in Sam’s head, or to blame himself when it all hits the fan.
Sorry you asked for my thoughts now that you see this convoluted statement?
Hope that helps, Amy. Those are my thoughts on the matter, anyways.
Good question!
I agree with this! I think the difficulty is that Dean CAN live his own life, he CAN be happy, but there’s always some crisis that comes up every time he tries. Who would find it appropriate for Dean to NOT worry about Sam right now? Everyone told him Sam’s soul was flayed, that he was irreparable, that there would be all this horrible fallout. And while there’s been some, via the hallucinations, he’s bracing for something even worse to happen.
What I mean is, it’s all well and good to tell Dean not to worry about Sam. But what if he takes that to heart and walks away, starts his own independent life, and ten minutes later Sam has a major psychotic break with reality? Right now, it would be downright irresponsible and uncaring to walk away. It’s not a sign of his inability to have a life, or any pathology. It’s just… would ANYONE not be worried about Sam right now, were they his sibling?
I really hope a day comes when Dean CAN live his own life without a family crisis coming up. But that day, unfortunately, isn’t today. And I think he knows that, even if Sam doesn’t.
Hi Amy, I don’t believe it’s the writers saying that “Dean is so desperate to be needed that he’s practically hoping ‘the other shoe drops’ with Sam”.
In addition to Elle’s observations: The way I saw it – this situation is very hard to take for Dean, not only because he is worried and generally concerned for Sam’s wellbeing (and feeling responsible for him), but also because it’s hanging in the balance.
I believe, Dean would prefer to have more information about the whole issue with Sam (what will happen, what would be the results, if Sam flipped, etc.), even if that info was negative, because then he’d be able to work out a plan, specific and – hopefully – working, to save Sam.
With everything being so vague, he just doesn’t know what to do – be there for Sam and in what way?
Cheers, Jas
I agree with two points brought out in other posts. The episode was an atrocity and Dean is looking pretty pathetic in his need for Sam.
This episode confirmed to me that SG’s campy horror show idea is far different than what I have always thought SPN to be. Her idea seems to be a B-minus horror show, where I always thought of it as a brilliantly done and unique drama/horror show. I guess that’s why there is the brighter lighting and the upscale scene sets, too. I have been entertained with S7, but my red flags sure rose with this one. Is this the best they could do during sweeps month? Devote a whole episode and half the screen time to an annoying barely there character (and then have her save our two hero hunters — incredible) and introduce another inept unfunny hunter. I’m with Bobby, “Why are you still even alive, Garth.” The episode would have flowed just the same if his character had not even been in it. He added nothing.
I like to say something positive, though, so:
Dean in tweed and a sweater – need I say more.
The smashed wedding cake and falling bride and groom in the title card. That was cool.
The mythical brothers’ special bond is definitely put to bed. They have been working all season together more as long-time partners. Sam is doing just fine on his solo time off and only needs Dean to watch his back during hunts. Apparently, Dean’s season arc is to learn to turn loose of Sam.
Crowley and the brothers – always good together. Now I’m looking for Butch and Sundance.
I’m glad others like it. I thought it was all around awful and stupid.
[quote]Apparently, Dean’s season arc is to learn to turn loose of Sam. [/quote]
This was the theme of one episode. In the first episode, Dean lost his friendship with Cas. In the second he actually lost Cas for good. The third was about the loss of his ability to trust people. The fourth was about his guilt. The fifth was about a loss of self-respect (that one was a joke, they looked pretty pathetic battling the witches). The sixth was a loss of their identity and their car. The seventh was about the loss of his brother’s trust. The eighth the loss of his role he’s identified with since being a child, which is caretaker.
When Sam’s arc was a downward spiral, it resulted in him freeing Lucifer. Castiel’s downward spiral resulted in the opening of a door to Purgatory. I’m betting that Dean’s emotional arc will result in him doing something that has grave supernatural results.
I personally thought this episode was dumb and disgusting and I don’t ever want to see it ever again. Becky used to be cute and endearing and they ruined her character to turn her into an even more psycho caricature of creepy fans and a stalker monster? And the whole light-hearted romp vibe…are we suppose to find it funny that Sam who had been tortured and abused in Hell once again being tied down funny? Because I definitely don’t.
Crowley at the end and Garth being cute about the only redeeming part of the episode for me.
It’s nearly mid-season and still nothing on a main-arc front other than leviathans eating humans, yeah, great plot movement. It’s sad the direction the show has decided to take, it could have been so much more.
Hey Elle – thanks for your review of a light-hearted episode…. I and my viewing buddy really enjoyed it and have learnt to mostly stay off the boards to avoid the negatives. Life is much simpler and happier that way! Enjoying Season 7 heaps! Thanks again…
Hi Elle – I agree with Joyful. A positive review of a light-hearted episode. It was fun to watch (even if Becky grates on my last nerve) and I’ve learned to skip most negative posts and am a lot happier that way. 😛
I too liked Garth. He is a fun character and the look on Dean’s face when he got hugged was hilarious. Hope to see him again (alive, if you please).
I’m really liking season 7 so far. The best since season 3 IMO of course. 😉
I am not quite sure the reason for this episode and prehaps it went to close to the line maybe some things just arent funny and should be left well alone.
Personally I loved Garth, because he was funny and engaging and a bit of fresh air. I didn’t think he was incompetent — he took the reins a few times, and didn’t make any major blunders (asking the CEO about black magic lacked finesse but wasn’t the kind of mistake that could screw up an entire hunt).
The whole Becky thing could go either way… She didn’t have sex with him (that was clearly stated in the episode), but her intentions were less clear. When she said they wanted to wait, because “true love is forever”, was that an admission of guilt on her part, being unable to “do the deed” so to speak, or was it a tongue-in-cheek insertion on the part of the writers, meant to minimize the whole thing and play it off as a joke? The actress who played Becky played it off literally, with no trace of irony or sarcasm, so it’s hard to say.
The “tying to the bed” thing I thought was funny, but mostly because Sam didn’t seem to be truly upset by it. I got the sense he was irritated, confused, angry — but not violated, afraid, or even really uncomfortable. It could be a writing gaffe, or it could be that after Sam heard he hadn’t been violated in any way, he relaxed because he knew there was no danger and he’d been in worse fixes before (he is a hunter, after all, and she posed no immediate threat).
I went with the tone presented and saw it in a lighthearted way, but I can understand why someone would go against that and take it literally, as it did raise questions and toed the line between comedic tension and making fun of date rape. Obviously that’s completely open to interpretation, but I think a more nuanced view of the episode, particularly Becky’s intentions (stated or implied) is useful to the debate.
I enjoyed it Elle. And I am loving season 7. Thanks for the review.
I totally agree, Elle. I thought this ep was fun and funny. Well needed in fact.
Becky specifically says that they haven’t “consumated”, so I have no concerns on that front either.
That was a great review Elle. I think the episode needs to be watched in the spirit that it was intended, as a comedy. From the opening sequence with the exploding cake (so funny) to Garth’s hug at the end (so cute).
Dean talking to the waitress at the strip club, yeah I think he would have enjoyed school more if all girls dressed like that, what guy wouldn’t? And I think it plausible that she would hold down that job to go to grad school. Those jobs pay really well.
The sweater under the tweed jacket…so hot, and probably hot! Jared would have melted away to nothing.
Nice to see John’s journal again, hasn’t been seen in quite some time.
Crowley with a beard! Loved it. I also like the fact that he’s told all demons to leave the Winchesters alone. I’m sure that will become moot the instant they get rid of leviathan though.
And lastly, the scene at the end. I think Dean does have a hard time figuring how to take care of himself. His mandate in life was always to take care of Sam. And personally I think Sam needs Dean to watch out for him anyway. Does anybody really buy that he’s fine? Lucifer is still a first class passenger in his nogging.
Hey! First time posting here but I wanted to share my Monday-Morning quarterback thoughts on this here eppy and I like this site – you guys seem a lot more, shall we say, [i]reasonable[/i] than most other SPN sites! 🙂
I watched it off my DVR this morning and, afterwards, I couldn’t help thinking that it would have been a more interesting, poignant and fun ep if Becky really, truly BELIEVED that Sam had fallen in love with her and was as innocent as Sam in the whole thing. Bare with me: the CRD (posing as her friend)arranges for her and Sam to be in the same place at the same time. He puts the whammy on Sam, without her knowing, and when Becky’s convinced Sam is for real and buys into it, heart and soul, the CRD confronts her with the truth (and all the bad things Becky secretly thinks about herself) – totally devastating the poor girl – and gives her the choice of removing the spell (and therefore, Sam) or making the temp. spell permanent in exchange for her soul/keeping the Winchesters – or at least Sam – off his back. Then, Becky would have been as much a victim as Sam, tons more sympathetic and it would have been a nice chance to show her own strength when she (naturally) refuses the offer. I get a kick out of Becky and would have liked to see her have a little dignity and the Winchester’s respect at the end, because it really seemed out of character for Becky to hurt the guys in any way. Sure, she’s annoying and overly-enthusiastic but I never pegged her as malicious. Plus, she’s meant to be the go-to expert regarding the ‘Supernatural’ books – why would she ever mess around with witches in the 1st place? She knows that never ends well!
There could have been some really fun stuff too – Maybe a Sam POV of Becky in slo-mo with the whole cheesy ‘wind though her hair’ when he first sees her, stuff like that. And I feel Sam would have an excellent, poignant argument for Becky being his ‘perfect girl’ since she knows all about his past and still wants him (and he’s pretty vulnerable now, so done properly, it could have been fairly convincing. People have married for less in real life). He could accuse Dean of being jealous when he protests/accuses her of magic, and then maybe have Dean 2nd guess himself that he just might be – not of Becky per se – but that someone loves Sam enough to want to marry him; baggage and all, because it’s not like either Sam or Dean consider themselves husband material.
And I’d give quite a lot to see Sam in ‘courting-mode’ – I dunno, serenading her with some terrible song or reading her a bad love poem he’s written. (“Oh Rebecca/You really are quite good-looking” Thank you, South Park!) Almost a reversal of their roles – Sam as Becky’s fanboy. And it’d be cute for Dean to have to eat crow and apologize to ‘Superfan 99’/give her props when she tells them what’s going on.
Anyway, just my inklings after viewing. I do think, with 22 eps a year, the SPN writers do really well and they can’t cover everything or make everyone happy but, since we’re not likely to get another wedding-y ep, this one seemed a bit wasted and/or rushed and it kind of wrecked a fun character (IMO). Thanks for the opportunity to play the ‘What I Would Have Done If I Was In Charge Of Stuff I Like…’ game with this particular story 🙂
I would have loved seeing that episode! Not that I didn’t like the one we got, but your story is way funnier.
The theme for this season is to stripped Sam and Dean all of their resources. So the writers has killed Castiel, Destroy Bobby’s house, Credit card, Impala (not destroyed but locked up), stripped them all of their reliable friends, including Becky. I wonder what will they do with Chuck is he even around anymore after the end os S5? So in order to do that i think they make Becky as a bad girl here. So, that Sam and Dean don’t trust her anymore. She is their friend and like you said she’s meant to be the go-to expert regarding the ‘Supernatural’ books and now the writer stripped the guys of that source as well.
I think this will continue with the rest of the episodes. All of their friends, their reliable source of money, of information, Weapons, all being stripped one by one. Until they are being backed into a corner and have nothing to rely on but each other.
I am counting now, what we have left are Bobby (i really hope the writer don’t off Bobby), The Warlocks (not sure if they will help the guys but they are powerful), That’s all… anyone has any ideas?
Hi Elle, Nice review.
I’ve read the comments here are divided into 2 categories. One side is those of you who think this Epi is funny and the other is those of you who are deeply insulted by the humor. I, for one, am not insulted. A bit disturbed, yes, but not too much. The bondage scene leaves me with uneasy feelings but that’s it. Sam had been tied up a lot in the past by Meg, by the ghouls (that’s more disturbing I think with the bloodletting), by the kids in ‘Swap Meat’. Supernatural is a horror series. It’s dark and disturbing many times in the past like ‘Skin’. I’ve been a fan since the Pilot and I have to say many episodes in Season 1 are far more disturbing than this episode. Still, I don’t even find this episode overly funny. Oh, it’s funny, yes, in a silly kind of way but it is dry. The humor in this episode is as dry as dry leaves in autumn. Jared and Jensen are wonderfully funny of course but the overall tone is dry. My favorite is Guy, The Crossroad Demon. He definitely sells out the character well.
Second issue is about Dean. I agree with Elle and Jasminka. Dean is not pathetic. He has a heart in the right place. He is the most selfless character that I know and being selfless is a gift. Not all of us can be like Dean. He put others needs before him, especially others whom he loves. Oh yes, he is slutty sometimes but he never force anyone. Bad things happen, he blame himself because he define himself as caretaker of everyone he knows. In real life, I can see Dean as the person who dedicate themselves to charity and dive head first into disaster area to safe lives. They gain satisfaction in saving others. I can see that’s why Dean is Michael’s true vessel. But what is wrong with Dean is his co-dependency relationship with Sam and John. He could not live apart from them and we all know that’s unhealthy. Doctors said so. What the writer wants to show us here is not Dean being pathetic but Dean’s difficulty in breaking off his co-dependency habit. None of us has childhood like the Winchester right? So, I can understand that this is difficult to grasp. Sam is not the only one who is in a mess. Dean has been in a mess a long time ago. Since, he sold his soul to bring Sam back, since John put Sam in his arm in the middle of fire. I know Lisa is not a doctor but she describes Dean’s problem correctly. So, Dean has to heal. He has to break off his unhealthy co-dependency habit. He has to think of himself and be happy with himself not by the happiness of others. The road to recovery is hard. Just like Sam’s demon blood detoxification. This is Dean’s detoxification of unhealthy co-dependency. It will seem like pathetic but we all saw how Sam is in “When The Levee Break’. It’s the same for Dean but in a subtle way.
Thank you, Elle and Jasminka
I absolutely loved everything! The wedding cake, Sam tied up my fantasy coming true yum Dean with Garth,Dean with girl in strip bar, sweater vest tweed jacket Dean’s reactions & expressions Sam hilarious with rag towel in this mouth & trying to speak Scruffy Crowley yum. But I’m with you what is up with Dean? I think he has another deep dark secret way to go writers
The exploding cake was the only good part of this episode. Other than that the whole thing was an insult to the fans. Becky is supposed to be us. So lets maker a loser and pretend she’s ugly and lets top off the insult by making her a psycho stalker like that crazy woman who pretends she is married to Jensen and also pretends to be her own daughter married to Jared.
I got to wonder considering that the loyal fans are the reason that these writers are still employed today and not looking for work why are they so stupidly insulting us? They are lucky to have us