Sofia’s Review – ‘The Slice Girls”
When I saw the preview for “The Slice Girls” I was more than a little skeptical about the premise of the episode. The whole thing was a little too “Breaking Dawn” for me. Any other Twilight readers out there? No? Just me? That’s ok. I’m only a little embarrassed. But I actually ended up enjoying this episode more than I expected. In all fairness, part of that could have been the fact that I’ve been in something of a Winchester withdrawal these past two weeks. I think I would have been happy to watch them do a crossword puzzle. But I do think there were some really good moments in this episode. It won’t go down in history as one of the great filler episodes but I certainly wasn’t disappointed.
The first thing I noticed about this episode was that the tone felt a bit off. Sam and Dean were there but they weren’t talking or acting entirely like Sam and Dean. I couldn’t put my finger on it until I talked with my Buffy-obsessed friend who pointed out that it felt very much like an episode of Buffy. That’s not to say it was bad, just different. Supernatural and Buffy may share a genre but to me they are very different shows with very different styles and tones. And The Slice girls definitely had a few Buffy qualities to it. Again, that’s not a bad thing. I just want to be clear that I in no way mean to insult Buffy. It’s never been my cup of tea but I know why it’s good and why so many people love it. I think that show and I just run on different wavelengths, which is probably why I was so quick to notice the Buffy-esque tone of The Slice Girls. So did anyone else notice it too? Maybe you can better help me articulate what about this episode felt off.
One thing I really liked about the direction of the episode was the use of extreme close-ups. That’s something that can easily be overdone but I think they did a nice job of toeing the line in this episode. The extreme close-up was especially effective in the first murder scene. My heart was racing as the camera inched in closer around the victim’s eyes. There was something so effective about not seeing what he saw but watching the fear come into his eyes. The extreme close-ups were used again in the bar scene between Lydia and Dean. This time they were used to portray desire but also to foreshadow the danger that came along as a result of Dean finally breaking his dry spell. Poor guy.
Dean has had a lot of interaction with kids this season. I don’t know whether I’m noticing it more because it always reminds me of Ben or if there really has been a spike. But it always makes me wonder what kind of father Dean could have been if he’d had the chance. Sure his interaction with Amy’s son wasn’t father of the year material but let’s not get into that. The fact is that since season three it’s been no secret that Dean has longed to be a father. He may not have always admitted it but it’s been a desire of his. So this is leading to the obvious question. Was Dean really going to let Emma go? We all saw the pain in his eyes when Sam shot her and Dean had to know that if he didn’t kill her, she would kill him. But if she had agreed to leave, I wonder if Dean would have tried to hunt her down? Sam didn’t seem convinced. He was understandably mad that Dean choked after all the crap they went through about Amy. But rather than dwelling on Dean’s hypocritical behavior, Sam expressed his concern for Dean.
Sam: “Dean, the thing is tonight it almost got you killed. Now I don’t care how you deal. I really, really don’t. But just don’t…don’t get killed.”
Dean: “I’ll do what I can.”
Sam: “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Dean: “It means I’ll do what I can and you can shut up about it.”
Dean’s head is clearly not in the game, that is no secret but I was hoping that Bobby’s death would at least serve as motivation for Dean to get back on track. Sam’s comments seemed to insinuate that Dean is no better off now than he was before Bobby died. To me it seemed like Sam was insinuating that Dean saw Emma as an opportunity to get killed. That maybe he saw her as an out. He can’t take his own life and leave his brother alone, but if he died on the job, maybe that would be acceptable. I may be making a leap here but I can see that as a possibility. What do you guys think? Is Dean that damaged?
Regardless of what Dean is thinking, I don’t think Bobby the friendly ghost is going to let Dean drink his way into oblivion. Bobby was there and helping the boys solve the case. This means that Bobby chose not to go with the reaper and I think Dean was right on that Bobby has managed to attach his spirit to that old flask. It was so great to see Dean so hopeful in that moment and so odd to see Sam as the level-headed, believe-in-what-you-can-see type. It was such a role reversal for these two; Especially the conversation that came to follow.
Sam: “Concentrate on something else.”
Dean: “Why?”
Sam: “Because it’s not Bobby.”
Dean: “It could be.”
Sam: “No, it couldn’t be.”
Dean: “Why not?”
Sam: “Because we want it to be.”
If I had read this dialogue without watching the episode I would have thought they had gotten the names mixed up. Since when is Sam so doom and gloom? Dean is supposed to be the crotchety one, the one who thinks that something can’t be true if it’s something he actually wants. I think this conversation is really telling of the emotional state Sam is in. He may not be drinking and hooking up with random girls, but he’s still feeling the pain. Sam spent the earlier part of this season struggling to find the line between real and imaginary. Dean had to help draw that line for him the only way he knew how. For Dean, reality is messy and sad and it seems that Sam may have begun to adopt that same way of thinking. If it’s good or if it would make him happy, then it probably isn’t real. It’s a sad way to think but it may be the only thing holding him together. Did anyone else feel surprised by that exchange? Am I off about why Sam reacted the way he did?
So what did you guys think of this episode? Did you like the monster of the week? I thought it served as an interesting catalyst. What do you think they’re going to do about Bobby? Anyone itching to see more Dick Roman? We haven’t heard much from the leviathan recently.
There were a few moments worth mentioning.
I really loved the way they cut between Dean’s and Lydia’s love scene and Jerry’s murder all set to “You Shook Me All Night Long”. I just really thought it worked.
Dean referring to Lydia as his “workout partner from last night” made me laugh.
Dean: “I think you’re enjoying this a little more than you need to.”
Sam: “Where are you? It’s a flask, not the holy grail.”
Dean: “This morning Emma was a baby. By sunset she’s Hannah Montana, the early years.”
Dean: “You’re just as screwed up as I am. You’re just bigger.”
Interesting re-cap. Never read one like this. I love how you question yourself becuase we really dont know what Supernatural is bringing us. The Leviathan is still in the dark and lots of “what ifs” with Bobby is throwing us all off. Dean I think is at his breaking point. He had lived the normal life for a year and maybe he was just about ready to leave the Hunting Business alone and then BOOM – Sam comes back and all even though he should’ve been happy, he is still dealing with just getting back into his comfort zone but with Bobby’s death, its just pulled right out from under him again.
I cant wait to see what is up with Dean, and the finale is just going to be a big, huge, major surprise.
Yes i see the major flip sides of Dean and Sam’s emotion.
Slice Girls was a great episode, and the writers and directors played it so well in tying Amy and Emma’s death together, that it made it okay and acceptable that Sam and Dean killed someone that maybe they shouldn’t have …. In the end … They are Hunters and its their business to kill the supernaturals.
I am constantly questioning myself because I’m wrong a lot! 🙂
I’m intrigued by the leviathan but I’m really not sure where they’re going with that whole storyline. It doesn’t look like we’ll get much information about that next week either judging by the preview…
Wonderful review. You asked some great questions.
Yes, I can understand the role reversal especially when both Dean and Sam have so many issues that they’re trying to deal with.
At certain points during the episode, I thought I caught glimpses of Soulless Sam coming through Sam. The late night interaction between Sam and the professor where he mentioned taking off the wire tap. That sounded so much like Soulless Sam talking and not our Sam. So sad!
That is such a great point about the conversation between Sam and the professor. I agree that there was a touch of soulless Sam coming through there. Poor guy!
Great re-cap..I honestly didn’t see any Buffyisms, but we all get something different don’t we. You’re one of the many people who’ve pointed out that Dean seems to be running on empty, so to speak, and that both the boys have completely lost all the joy they used to get from hunting and from life. There’s the obvious clue of Dean’s drinking increasing but there are subtler ones too – in the sex scene, at the very end, there was close up of Dean’s face that read to me as “weary, last resort”. It seems to come directly from the season 5 thread of ‘Sex and Violence’ where the gluttonly spell doesn’t work on him because he’s ’empty inside’. (I’m paraphrasing, but Cas says something like that.) My theory is that he still has issues from being in hell, and has *always* had self-esteem issues…and now the gist of the show is reflecting his worst thoughts – no, life is pointless, and yes, you’ll lose everyone you love. I really hope we get to see both guys either getting some joy back, or being ‘big damn heroes’, even if that means the series has to wrap up..
I like your tie in to ‘Sex and Violence’ a lot. I had forgotten all about that conversation. Dean has been empty inside for a while, hasn’t he? I remember back to ‘Dream A Little Dream of Me’ when he had a similar conversation with himself about feeling worthless. I really hope these boys are able to find some peace!
Sam is acting the way he is because he has to.More insight into Sam and where he is at would help but we can only go with what we have. He is living with Lucifer there all day/ everyday. I cant even begin to imagine what that must be like .Sam cant allow himself to do anything except try to stay on the road and not go off the cliff. So he has to adopt a different way of seeing things just to get through a single day otherwise he wont survive.
I don’t think Dean is into suicide by the job. As long as Sam is around, Dean will be there. I think he is at the bottom of his bucket, so whether his life is at risk or not is not important to him. If Emma would have made a move against him or Sam, I firmly believe Dean would have made the kill. If that would have happened, Dean would have taken it very hard. I’m glad Sam made the kill and I believe Dean is relieved, too.
As for the role reversal, I have never liked it since the beginning of S6. It’s there, though, and I have to live with it. Nor do I like all the baby/ kid focus in this season. I’m not a fan of kid actors.
Dean has always thought that life was painful and chaotic. He said so in Houses of the Holy. I’m not convinced that Sam actually thinks that deep down. I think he is so focused on holding himself together, that he won’t allow himself to believe that maybe, just maybe, Bobby is still helping them.
In fact, I find it most sad that Dean wants to believe Bobby is somehow still playing a role in their lives by being attached to the flask. Dean knows that there is never any good that comes from the supernatural. How many times has he told Sam that? I think Dean is grasping for any ray of hope in life and Sam is trying to get Dean to be realistic, which is what Sam needs most right now — Dean to be strong for him.
I really like how Bobby is being kept in the minds of the audience. It’s sweet for the show to honor a loved character that way. But I also think it is a smoke and mirror thing going on. I think all the Bobby innuendoes are foreshadowing Cas’s return.
I also think that the Bobby thing is supposed to make us question whether Dean has completely lost it or not. If so, that doesn’t work to well, because in this episode, once Dean became engaged in the hunt, he was smart, using his gut instincts, and actually figured out the case before Sam did. So, if the show wants me to question Dean’s sanity, they can’t do it by implying that he is totally smashed day and night and still smart and on his game.
I do see signs of Soulless Sam in almost every episode, but I’m not sure that is intentional on the writing part. I also see signs of old Sam in some episodes. Actually, I never know which Sam I will be seeing in an episode until it’s aired. I hope in S8 that the show settles on who these two characters are going to be. Either turn Dean back into The Dean, or make him Sam. Just, please, do not make him a permanent EmoDean. Either turn Sam into DeanSam, Soulless Sam, Sweet Sam., or Sam I Am that eats green eggs and ham. I just want to know who I’m watching from week to week and season to season.
I actually liked the MotW, even though the Amazon mythology was completely corrupted. It is sad, though, that the show no longer pays attention to actual lore these days and doesn’t seem to have anyone working in the continuity department. If I recall correctly, and I’m going to go back and watch it to confirm, didn’t Sam read about something Greek and then recite it to get Dean back from 1944, which was filmed a week before this one, but he can’t read Greek this week? I really have to check that out. A blogger mentioned it and I seem to recall that is what happened.
These comments sound more negative than they are meant to be. I actually liked the episode, but if I analyze it too much, there would be major, major flaws with the script that would probably change my mind, so I’m not going to do that.
I think you may be right about Sam reading Greek last week. That’s a great catch. But I do believe the professor said the Greek writing was an unusual dialect so that may be the explanation.
I agree that I don’t really know how much of a role Bobby can actually play going forward but I do like that they haven’t just written him off and moved on like they did when Cas died.
I get what you’re saying about the writers figuring out who Sam and Dean are going to be. But if it’s done right, I think that kind of character development and role reversal can be great. It’s what keeps a show fresh and allows it to go on for as many seasons as Supernatural has. Now I don’t think the continuity is always great but for the most part I’ve been very impressed with the risks the writers have taken to throw Sam and Dean out of sync. Of course that’s just my opinion!
Thanks for reading!
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As for the role reversal, I have never liked it since the beginning of S6. It’s there, though, and I have to live with it. Nor do I like all the baby/ kid focus in this season. I’m not a fan of kid actors.
I really like how Bobby is being kept in the minds of the audience. It’s sweet for the show to honor a loved character that way. But I also think it is a smoke and mirror thing going on. I think all the Bobby innuendos are foreshadowing Cas’s return. [/quote]
The role reversal actually goes back further than that. For most of Season 4 Dean is an erratic, emotional mess and Sam ends up taking the lead with fairly disastrous results.
As for all the “Bobby clues” really hinting toward the return of Castiel…I’ve actually been thinking that all week. We’ve seen Castiel drink on at least one occasion. If anybody else in the world would go “Ok Dean, that’s enough alcohol for right now” it would be Castiel. As an angel it’s plausible that Castiel would be able to read greek (and every other language ever to exist). We have established remains for Castiel’s vessel (a trenchcoat he wore constantly for 3 years has got to have DNA on it not to mention which they were unable to burn his corpse seeing as how it was surrounded by a lake). Further, we have no idea at all what happens to angels when they die.
Also, it wouldn’t be the first time Castiel lingered around unnoticed. He has a habit of making himself disappear! I think this is a very valid point and one I’ve considered myself. Although I do love to believe that Bobby may still be around watching over his ‘kids’.
haha I will take your word for it that Cas hovers. I haven’t seen that episode yet. 13 to go until I am completely caught up but 10 of those are in season 6 (stupid TNT). From a meta standpoint Cas makes more sense as we have been seeing this for three episodes and we are abotu four episodes out from Castiel’s reappearance. As of yet we haven’t heard anything abotu whether or not Jim Beaver will be back this season, so that seems like a long time to tease Bobby’s return.
But here’s hoping that Jensen gets his way next season.
About Sam and his behaviour: I don’t think it’s much of a role reversal as much an attempt from Sam to desperately hold onto something VERY real and material, althought sad and gloomy.
I mean, at present Sam is mentally in a very precarious situation. He barely can still tell reality from hallucinations, we saw how he pressend the finger in his palm when Bobby was at the hospital. He so desperately “wants Bobby to be there” himself, but just because he wants it, he knows that could result in delusions and illusions, and that… that’s exactly what he just can’t allow himself to indulge in, at the moment.
When you can’t tell reality from illusion, you have to strictly hold onto what is material, what you can share with others than yourself, what remains. Not hope, not “could be’s”, not gut istincts, not heart or feelings or sensations. How can you trust your istincts or feelings, how can you indulge in hope, when your head is a total mess?
And Dean, who is Sam’s only (now that Bobby’s gone) contact point with reality, the only one who can ground him, help him to tell reality from illusion, Dean is spiraling in (almost) self-destruction or, on the contrary, self-delusions (what Sam thinks are Dean’s ideas about Bobby being there in some form). Hence the harsh tones of his denial and of the final exchange in the car.
Great review Sofia. As it happens I just started watching Buffy. I had only caught the last couple of seasons and had never seen it from the beginning. I think I get where you’re coming from. It feels a little bit like a pending sense of doom in the atmosphere. Not that Buffy was all doom and gloom by no means, there is actually a lot of humour, but some of the episodes are bummers. Maybe that’s what you felt?
Maybe it’s mostly coming from the fact that Dean is seeing everything black and Sam is all work, work, work. It feels strange to have the role reversal too. Sam believed in angels back in “Houses of the Holy”, now he only believes in what he sees. And yes, I know it’s probably having to do with Lucifer and the hallucinations, but still, it is very sad. And don’t get me started on Dean. I agree with Ginger that he won’t check out as long as his brother is around, but he seems to have lost the spirit of “saving people, hunting things, the family business”. Hopefully Eliot Ness’ speech will make it through to him before the end of the season.
Now, on a lighter note (cause I’m bumming myself out here) think Dean will have a one-night-stand any time soon? Although it was nice to see him “in the saddle again” so to speak. And a classic rock song to boot!
Dean may be a bit hesitant to take on another “work out partner” for a bit after this episode. Look what it got him this time! But who knows. He’s hell bent on destruction these days and reckless Dean does like to hook up.
Sofia, thanks, you reminded me of something, ‘You Shook me All Night Long’ was also played in the beginning of ‘Lazurus Rising’. I wonder if we are supposed to see a connection between Dean’s return from Hell and his return to ‘working out’?
I believe that the closeups of Lydia and Dean were to show how Lydia was using her mojo on Dean. Really, if a woman PICKED you up and THREW you across the room, INTO a wall, would a guy just lay there????? Obviously, Dean had to be under some sort of spell to not realize that was not right. Also, he wasn’t sure if he had used a condom or not????? After this, I think Dean is going to be a monk. 😆
I think that Sam not wanting to believe in ‘Bobby, the friendly ghost’ 😆 ties into his seeing Lucifer. If Sam acknowledges that Bobby as a ghost is real, then he would have to also acknowledge the ‘realness’ of Lucifer, and that freaks him out.
I have to agree with your first impression of the preview of this episode. I was like 😮 . But the episode wasn’t as bad as I thought. It wasn’t great but it didn’t completely suck.
Sofia, as a long time Buffy fan, I think you were on the money. When I saw ‘Harry Groener ‘ in the credits, I thought another Buffy alumni on SPN. Only thing is, I didn’t see him as the professor, I saw him as the giant snake/mayor of Sunnydale. Then they had the scene of the professor with Sam and Dean, in the lecture hall with the overhead projector, and I thought ‘Hush’. So, this episode put me in a Buffy frame of mind. I didn’t get that with ‘Bloodlust’, ‘Mommy Dearest’, or even ‘Shut up, Dr. Phil’ (I hate ‘Fred’, so I hated ‘Dead in the Water’, call me crazy). 😆
Sofia, I too want to get on with this season’s baddies, bring on Dick and the Leviathan. Looks like next week’s episode is another filler with UNICORNS and killer clowns (poor Sammy).
So I’m not crazy! There is a definite Buffy vibe about this episode.
You have a point that Dean did seem a little fuzzy on the details. I do have to admit that I assumed it was because it had been a while since he found himself with a work out partner.
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I believe that the closeups of Lydia and Dean were to show how Lydia was using her mojo on Dean. Really, if a woman PICKED you up and THREW you across the room, INTO a wall, would a guy just lay there????? Obviously, Dean had to be under some sort of spell to not realize that was not right. Also, he wasn’t sure if he had used a condom or not????? After this, I think Dean is going to be a monk. 😆
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I think someone asked Jim Michaels was Lydia working a spell on Dean and he said no, which suggests that at the very least it wasn’t scripted . I don’t know if anyone has asked Jensen how he intended to play the scene.
I also don’t think Dean was having trouble remembering whether or not he used a condom. I read it as he knew he didn’t use a condom and was having trouble remembering whether or not he um…removed himself before he finished.
I didn’t think Lydia threw Dean across the room – just shoved him with a decent bit of force, but not excessively. Was that just me?
I couldn’t figure out if Dean was meant to have forgotten a condom or if it broke – “accidents happen” has a few meanings in this context.
Ya. I think it was the guy who was killed who was pushed across the room to crash into a painting and Dean was pushed by lydia to the door
I believe that the closeups of Lydia and Dean were to show how Lydia was using her mojo on Dean. Really, if a woman PICKED you up and THREW you across the room, INTO a wall, would a guy just lay there????? Obviously, Dean had to be under some sort of spell to not realize that was not right. Also, he wasn’t sure if he had used a condom or not????? After this, I think Dean is going to be a monk. : 😆 :
I drooled when Lydia took control even after Dean tried to get it back when he rolled her so he was on top and she just rolled him back over so he was on top and in control! Oh my just getting hot writing that lol. To me even Dean can fantasize or wish his work-out partners took control sometime heheh
I don’t believe it was Dean who was picked up and thrown into a wall. I think that was random ‘dad’ number two. They just interlinked (or whatever the technical word is) his death scene with the sex scene. I dare say that Dean, even drunk, would have the wherewithal to know that something was off if a lady could pick him and fire him into a wall, and he’d pick up his trousers and get the hell out of there!
Hey did anybody else freak out about how many similarities there were between Monday night’s “Castle” episode and SPN’s “Time After Time”?
#1) The episode opens with Rick Castle wearing a brown leather jacket that looked amazingly like Dean’s.
#2) Both stories cut back and forth between the mid 1940’s and present day.
#3) Both stories showed cast members in 1940’s attire.
#4) Rick Castle and Dean both wore fedoras (no contest there as Dean’s whole outfit was way hotter).
#5) Rick Castle’s 1940 character was a private investigator and and Eliot Ness was a cop.
#6) Both featured colorful slang from the 40’s.
#7) OK I was really enjoying this whole thing when Mark Pellegrino (Lucifer) comes on as a supporting actor and if that wasn’t enough, Chad Everett (aged Dean) appears with Gert from “Red Sky at Morning”. (And yes, I realize they didn’t appear in “Time After Time) I’m just sayin’ – WOW! I saw SPN references all throughout this episode.
I found it interesting that both shows would air 1940’s style episodes in such a short time span. But maybe I just see SPN references in everything?
I don’t even watch Castle (but love Nathan Fillion) and that sounds like a whole lot of odd coincidences to me! But I see Supernatural references everywhere so there’s no surprise there… 🙂
There were a lot of parallels in these episodes – and they were awesome. I was so excited to see Chad Everett’s name in the credits of this one, and then Lucifer himself.
I think Dean Winchester and Rick Castle would get along grand. With Sam and Beckett rolling their eyes in the background.
Nathan Fillion, another Buffy Alumni, ‘Caleb’.
Sofia, LOL, how do you get rusty at sex????
Caleb! A bad guy I love to hate….save for those eye-poking tendencies. And hey….maybe it’s my questionable memory here, but didn’t Caleb at one point have black goo issues?
hahaha! That’s a great question, Nancy!
Great look at the episode Sofia. I agree, there was something different about the episode…and yes, as a long time Buffy fanatic, it definately had that Buffy-esque tonal quality. I was vibing the Buffster hard in this one, especially in the slide-projector scene, which was so much like the episode Hush I was half-expecting the boys to write questions on whiteboards.
(sidenote to the other Buffy fans: how great would a Hush-style episode of SPN be?)
Sofia the conversation you highlight between Sam and Dean about Bobby reminded me of the conversation they had in Houses of the Holy when Sam is trying to convince Dean about the possibility of angels – only the roles are reversed here.
As to the leviathan – yes, I’m ready to get that plot off the ground any day now.
I definitely agree that Sam and Dean’s conversation was very similar to Houses of the Holy. But at the end of that episode, Dean actually starts to come around. I wonder if Sam will ever be able to believe in what he can’t see again?
I really enjoyed this episode and thought the plot was intriguing. I had hope Emma would turn out not becoming an Amazon woman and go to Dean for protection. Would give Dean a reason to live for other than just Sam. But Sam killing Emma to save Dean gave him the chance to understand why Dean had to kill Amy
I don’t think you can call the scene with Lydia and Den “love scene” but “sex scene” fits 🙂 Don’t get me wrong my heart was singing seeing Dean without a shirt such a gorgeous chest. Coninuity with tatoo was good but where was the hand print? Didn’t buy Jensen’s answer at Nashville, when Misha healed in in Swan Song for thaqt matter Jensen didn’t sound confident with that answer. Jared said to Jensen “Really” and Jensen said I don’t know ask the writers. lol
can’t answer about tone I didn’t feel what you said.
Dean would be a wonderful father pray he get’s he chance (listening writers ie: Sera???
Like this post. Good work keep it up.
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