“Supernatural” 8.01 – “We Need To Talk About Kevin” Review by Far Away Eyes
Like riding a bike, Carver returns to “Supernatural” as if he had never left. He seamlessly slips these characters—and a few new ones—onto his canvas and tells the story of the Winchesters with witty dialogue, poignant emotion, and the gritty flavor we’ve come to expect from the series. With echoes of the “Pilot,” “Lazarus Rising,” and “Exile on Mainstreet,” Carver sets the stage for the fresh, new season brilliantly.
Another year has passed since the demise of Dick Roman, and much has indubitably changed in that time. Each brother is in a different mindset dealing with a different set of issues. Carver lays the groundwork for their journeys in the upcoming season. He hits home with a mantra of old, making it fresh again: hunting things, saving people, family business. It is welcome, and this episode explains well how it is we get from the end of season 7 to the beginning of season 8.
First, we start with the elder Winchester. Dean emerges in a forest outside a couple in a tent, mysteriously and with a bright light. He looks dangerous and on edge, brandishing a weapon at the startled pair. Grime and blood add to his menacing appearance, and his voice is raw and hard. His energy is high, his flight or fight response on overdrive, and his confusion apparent when he demands to know where he exactly is. In need of supplies, he snatches one of their bags and carts it off with him as he makes his way on foot down the highway.
The mystery of his return is heightened by the angry wound on his arm. He grabs it several times and stops in a graveyard, digging up a corpse as we’ve seen so many times before. He even grumbles that “this had better be you, you son of a bitch.” Once he’s dug up the bones, he cuts the angry, glowing red hot wound and bleeds into the grave while reciting a spell. Behind him, a man emerges. He’s a supernatural being, a vampire judging by the teeth. Dean seems to welcome his presence, embracing him.. They both seem relieved and stunned that they are indeed out of Purgatory. They exchange goodbyes with Dean warning “Keep your nose clean, Benny.”
Meanwhile, we watch as Sam quietly packs his bags, pets a dog, and steps out in the night leaving a woman behind in bed. He seems sadder, weighed down since Dean’s disappearance, almost as if hopelessness has shadowed him for this entire year. We’re left to wonder just what he did—or didn’t do during it. Carver shapes Sam’s exit from this woman’s life by using no words, no emotional outbursts, or confrontations. It is quiet, and in its brief sequence, final. The sight of Sam climbing into the Impala seems to accentuate this further—but the shadowy figure watching from afar puts the final punctuation mark on it. It is a sinister and foreboding presence and a subtle metaphor for the life that no hunter can truly ever escape.
The Impala pulls up to a familiar sight: Rufus’s cabin. There, Carver reunites the brothers in true Winchester fashion. Dean, still on high alert and pumped full of adrenaline, tackles Sam once he enters. He sprays his brother with holy water and borax, cuts him with a silver knife, and only pulls away once satisfied that his brother is truly his brother. Dean then demands that Sam do the same to him, to which Sam blatantly refuses. Dean simply does it for him, proving that he is indeed who he says he is—much to Sam’s bewilderment.
They eye each other, and Sam says “I don’t know whether to give you a hug or take a shower.” Dean gruffly says, “Come here,” and yanks Sam into a violent hug. The Brothers Winchester are once again united. It is a beautiful moment that encapsulates so many moments throughout the series. It is emotionally charged, electric, and played perfectly as expected.
But that doesn’t mean there isn’t trouble lurking around the corner. Dean demands to know exactly what Sam has been doing in his absence. Even before he admits it, it is obvious: he quit the family business, he quit hunting all together. The why is shrouded in as much mystery as Dean’s time in Purgatory, but his explanation is heartbreaking and full of sorrow. He quit because he didn’t have anything left to fight for—and tells Dean flatly, “Yes, Dean, and as far as I knew what we do is the thing that got every single member of my family killed. I had no one. No one.”
Instead of gaining Dean’s sympathy, we’re shown his temper when he exclaims, “That’s good, no we always told each other not to look for each other. That’s smart. Good for you. Of course we always ignored that because of our deep abiding love for each other, but not this time, right Sammy?”
Rather than burying this particular issue, Carver thrusts it front and center immediately. It is a smart move, allowing the brothers to confront it and acknowledge it from the start, rather than letting it build into a secret powder keg between Sam and Dean. To let it out in the open also allows them to cool off and set it aside, something they will need to do as the episode progresses.
Sam’s cellphones are on hand, and as they play the many messages Kevin Tran left for Sam, Dean’s temper flares even more. Despite his anger, it is good to see Dean filled with such purpose, with such drive. The fire in his belly has returned. Carver pulls the string expertly here by having Dean pointedly state, “He was our responsibility, and you couldn’t answer the damn phone.” It as if his time in Purgatory, as vicious and violent as it seems to have been, has reinvigorated the elder Winchester in a way we haven’t seen in quite awhile.
As they listen to Kevin’s messages more, Sam starts to filter them through his lap top. He tells Dean, “You were right. He was our responsibility, so let’s find him.” They learn that Kevin has escaped Crowley’s clutches, that he is on the run, and that he needs Sam’s help. The last message, Kevin simply states, “I won’t be calling this number anymore” and in the background Sam picks up that the prophet is at a bus station in Centerville, Michigan—the same place where Kevin’s high school sweet heart, Channing, resides. It’s a lead, and so they head out to investigate.
Just like riding a bike, the Brothers Winchester hop into the Impala, Sam gladly tossing his big brother the keys, and they drive off to investigate the case. They start by questioning Channing, and go from there. Unfortunately, they don’t do the tests that would prove the one thing they need to know about her: she’s possessed by a demon. If they should find Kevin, Sam and Dean will simply lead her—-and her boss Crowley—straight to him. An old device, hearkening back to season 1 and the original Meg, emerges as the possessed Channing bleeds her roommate to communicate that Dean Winchester is back.
Sam and Dean discuss what to do while canvassing the campus. In the process, they fall back into their easy routine. In a brotherly gesture, Sam gets Dean a burger and fries, to which Dean is delighted. He savors it, causing Sam to quip, “Dude, it’s a burger.” While Dean experiences the bliss that is his burger, Sam informs him that he hacked a wireless router that is linked to Kevin. Dean looks bored and apathetic, only to remark, “Any chance I can get that in English?” It is a classic exchange between Sam and Dean, and it brings them back together in their work effortlessly. Carver inserts this scene wonderfully, providing a bit of subtle humor, brotherly bonding, and case work all in one short scene.
They arrive at an abandoned church in Iowa, where Kevin has taken both sanctuary and set up his battlements. It is warded and riddled with traps. The doors are locked, and as the boys enter the church, Kevin squirts both full on force with a water gun full of holy water.
Kevin is not the same frightened rabbit of “Reading is Fundamental.” He is harder, tougher, and desperate. He has taken on the mantle of hunter and prophet not by choice but by necessity. He is the hunted, and yet he reveals that he has tools and weapons through what he’s read in the tablets Crowley forced him to interpret that could, ironically, be Crowley’s undoing.
The boys are stunned when they learn just how Kevin escaped. He was being forced to aid Crowley in opening yet another Hell’s Gate—this time in Wisconsin, (which is also the same state the Leviathans were building their slaughter house)—but instead recites a spell that instantly kills the demons protecting him. He flees with the tablets—including a special one that could potentially exorcise all demons forever.
It’s the biggest weapon they could have ever imagined, but it can’t possibly by that simple. To truly lock all demons from this world forever has to have a high price—and it might be one that is too high to pay.
True to form, Crowley does indeed follow the Winchesters straight to Kevin. The King of Hell has also brought Kevin’s possessed girlfriend along as leverage. Ever the Crossroads Demon, Crowley is here to make a deal. He wants Kevin back working for him, and in exchange he’ll allow Channing to go back to “What’s the point U.” The brothers scoff at the deal, knowing full well that it is no good. It is a trap, but once Crowley allows Kevin’s girlfriend to speak without the demon, Kevin crumbles. He agrees to the deal.
Crowley, however, does not get what he wants. Kevin says he will get his stuff and they can go. He disappears towards the back of the church. Crowley grows impatient and goes to investigate, springing Kevin’s trap. Once he steps through the door, Kevin unleashes a vat of holy water, giving him enough time to escape.
With everyone—save Kevin’s possessed girlfriend—in the Impala, they drive away only to see in horror Crowley snap poor Channing’s neck. It is his retribution for not getting what he wanted—and the message is clear. Crowley will continue to harm those Kevin loves if he continues to defy him or work with the Winchesters. Carver, from episode one, seems to have picked his big bad for the season. He is a good choice. Unlike so many of their other adversaries, Crowley knows not to make the mistake of underestimating them and will be nipping at their heels all season long.
Carver also makes sure to make the story center on Sam and Dean. They talk about their respective times apart, and Dean simply tells Sam that he wouldn’t believe him. He tells Sam that there was a purity there—and here Carver pulls on the older, Catholic notion of Purgatory—for it seems that a lot of Dean’s baggage of the past couple seasons has been purged through his ordeal there. From the brief flashbacks and glimpses of Dean’s memories, it seemed like a kill or be killed place, grimy and gritty. For Dean, killing monsters in Purgatory would come with no moral debate. He is human, they are not, end of story. It might have been just the experience Dean needed to return to his roots.
And yet, we can’t help but be reminded of Dean’s attitude and behaviors upon his return from Hell in season 4. He is not far off from the apprentice under Alistair in Hell. He is violent and vicious—and feral. We see it in the way that Dean holds his gun on the campers, or how he attacks Sam in the cabin. He is wound tight, and it is only a matter of time before his fuse burns down to an explosion. Dean is holding back on some of his experiences. We know it wasn’t all cleansing for Dean—for he admits sadly but with finality that Castiel did not make it out with him alive. The more Sam presses him for answers, the more his answers become curt and angry. Much like Hell haunted Dean, Purgatory will for some time, too.
Sam, on the other hand, tells Dean about his year off from the life. He got in the Impala and simply drove—that is until he hit a stray dog. He brings it in a rush to the vet, frantic that they care for it. It is a metaphor for his desperation—and Carver makes certain to nail us with it hard—he can’t save Dean, but he can possibly save this dog. It isn’t until we see the vet confront Sam on what happens afterward that we see Carver truly tie it all together: this dog is now Sam’s responsibility. He hit it with the car, and now it is up to him to take care of it—something he didn’t do for Kevin Tran. He might have walked away from the life, but he could not walk away from this dog.
It must also be noted that the vet is the same woman Sam quietly left behind. Her appearance is brief, but impactful. When she confronts Sam over the dog, she is strong and unwilling to back down. It’s obvious, from Sam’s comment, “there was a girl and then there wasn’t” that this relationship is now in the past—but what type of ripple effect will it have on Sam is yet to be seen.
Yet, Sam’s story isn’t so simple. Carver sets up a beautiful scene between Sam and Kevin in the church. They sit in separate pews, and Sam tries to remind the young prophet why he keeps fighting. Certainly he is trying to assure an emotionally drained Tran that this is worth it, but it’s easy to sense that he’s telling himself the same thing. While Dean finds his purpose through action and deed, Sam has always found his reason through talking and empathizing with others. He is reminded why what they do is important, why it helps those around them and the world, and why it is a worthy cause. Carver doesn’t have to hit too hard with this, making certain we see it in a soft moment and in subtle, witty exchange.
Carver also brings another issue back onto the table: that of free will. Sam and Dean exchange heated words about it. Dean muses that Kevin is now “in it whether he likes it or not,” and Sam scoffs, “So, free will, that’s just for you?” In the past, Dean has defied the path fate has chosen for him. He has dug in his heels, fought tooth and nail against it, and broken the rules to avoid it. Here, he is almost advocating going along with it. Throughout the series, we’ve seen the brothers defy and thwart destiny, asserting that free will is the answer—and it has often ended with dire consequences either for themselves or the world at large. They have also both tried—more than once—to get out of hunting, only to find themselves pulled back in. It will be interesting to see how this debate plays out between the brothers as the season continues.
Liane Balaban brings the mysterious Amelia, Sam’s new but defunct love interest to the screen. She is only in it briefly, but she seems to have the edge to capture Sam’s attention. Balaban makes sure that Amelia holds her ground. It’ll be interesting to see how her story unfolds throughout the season—or if we should end up encountering her now that the brothers have united and returned to the family business.
Ty Olsson brings Benny to life as Dean’s stowaway from Purgatory. Olsson makes sure he’s mysterious and intriguing through his subtle body language. With the brief scenes we’re shown, we can’t help but wonder what Benny’s true objectives are. When we see him resurrected, Olsson and Ackles have instant chemistry, and we can buy into the idea that Benny and Dean became comrades in arms while in Purgatory. Olsson is likeable as Benny. He has a charming quality to him, enhanced by his Louisianan accent. And yet, it his character that will raise a thorn in the Winchester’s relationship: that of secrets. We see Benny call, and Dean cover it up. The exchange, and the way we see Benny watching a funeral, adds a sinister edge to his character.
Osric Chau presents a hardened and battleworn Kevin Tran well. He has been isolated and alone, and we see it in Chau’s body language. He is wary, on edge, and tense. Chau communicates Kevin’s determination in his curt and crisp words. Chau’s new look also adds to the stark situation. Gone are the long locks, giving him a harder edge in appearance. Done at Crowley’s behest, the look seems to serve Chau’s current predicament well. Chau shows that Kevin hasn’t simply accepted his role as prophet or his current living situation completely, either. He shows Kevin’s devastation and guilt upon his girlfriend’s death—as if taking Crowley’s deal could have saved her.
Mark Sheppard returns as the devious and delectable Crowley, King of Hell. Smooth as ever, he tries to turn Kevin towards him. Sheppard delights when on screen, always delivering witty one liners with finesse. He has no issue playing dirty. Sheppard shows Crowley’s desperation well in having Kevin translate the tablets. It would seem he wants to know the information as to neutralize its effect on demons and those that could use it against him. He’d also like to unleash Hell on earth, claiming it for demon kind. Sheppard also shows Crowley’s irritation upon the dousing of holy water and Kevin’s escape. He most certainly will make for an interesting season long adversary.
Jensen Ackles showed a vicious and feral Dean in the season opener. Gone is the weary and worn down Dean. He is energized, ready to get to work, and on overdrive. Ackles knows how to bring Dean’s anger out in curt language. He carries himself wound tight, showing through straight body language, Dean’s inner turmoil. And yet, Ackles also brought back a playful Dean, shown through his enjoyment of the burger and fries that Sam bought for him. It is the strange duality of Dean’s character at work: the violent and driven hunter and the inner child delighting in simple pleasures. Ackles knows how to present both, some within the same scene. He also brought out emotions in the scenes with his reunion with Padalecki’s Sam and his admission about Castiel’s so far off screen demise.
Jared Padalecki showed a quiet and reserved Sam, brought back into hunting after a year out again. Unlike the angry and driven Sam after Jessica’s death in the “Pilot” here we see a resigned Sam. He is not angry. He does not complain. He does not rebel. He simply jumps back in and does what needs be. Padalecki shows us how Sam has been carrying the weight of grief in the year since “Survival of the Fittest” in body language and facial expression. He teases out subtle emotions in the scene where he leaves his civilian life behind, the only farewell the petting of the dog he injured.
With Carver’s return, this episode also had a lot of snappy dialogue.
A few of the best lines are:
Dean Winchester: “Time flies when you’re running for your life.”
Sam Winchester: “Nothing says family quite like the whole family being dead.”
Benny: “Maybe you like being man meat for every Tom, Dick, and Harry.”
Benny: “First rule of Purgatory, kid, you can’t trust nobody.”
Dean Winchester: “Yeah, Asian kid, yay high at a university. That should be easy.”
Kevin Tran: “There’s a demon in you and you’re going to your safety school.”
Sam Winchester: “Trust me on this, it gets better.” Kevin Tran: “You know I’m not gay, right?”
Next week, let the bidding begin! It looks like to get what he wants, Crowley will auction off the Word of God—and it only costs you your soul!
I’ve commented in the other reviews; everyone knows that I thought it was a great premiere, so will try to add something new here.
My favorite line:
Dean: [i] The Cliff Notes. I went to Purgatory. Sam hit a dog.[/i]
Loved the ominous music that played when Dean is checking out the vending machine, then it gets louder and a little different when he is shown running through Purgatory, and back to ominous in the ending scene with Benny on the phone. Love that music connected to Purgatory.
Loved the lighting all around. In fact, everyone on the production crew did a wonderful job on this one.
I have one major concern with the episode, and it’s one that I’ve voiced my concern about before this episode aired. It has to do with Kevin Tran saving the brothers’ asses throughout the season when he is an 18-year old teen who miraculously gained all the knowledge it took the brothers a lifetime to accumulate.
Right here, in this one episode, Kevin saved their asses two times:
(1) When the low level demons come into the church, Sam gets slung against a wall, Dean is left to fight two demons, and Kevin squirts them with Holy Water, allowing Sam to retrieve the knife and give it to Dean.
(2) Kevin tricks Crowley and all three manage to escape the church.
I am going to be keeping count of these saves. Kevin is only four years older than Krissy the Master Hunter, and he did not have the benefit that even she had of being able to observe a mentor. I hope Kevin isn’t turning into the new fix-all like Cas did and like Bobby did. I’d rather have either one of them back than have an Advanced Placement Hunter diminishing the lifetime work of the heroes (and the leads) in the show.
Also, the entire episode was devoted to Kevin. It was even named after Kevin, and so is next weeks (and one more that has been named, but I can’t remember it right now). Crowley found Kevin after a year, only because the Winchesters led him to him. Kevin was safe until the Winchesters showed up. Kevin saves the brothers. Kevin has the answer to closing the Hell Gates, but he’s not willing to share it at this time.
I don’t want Sam and Dean being the wallpaper for Kevin’s story to unfold throughout the whole season. I had enough of that last year, thank you very much. I want to see Sam and Dean’s personal investment in the mytharc.
I liked the episode a lot, but these are the two things I will be tracking as the season goes forward.
Totally agree on the wallpaper issue. I want this season to be about Sam and Dean and their connection to this quest. Kevin is a fine character. I know both guys are older and can’t carry the weight of every episode on their shoulders, but they need to be the center of the story. BOTH of them.
Thanks for the comment.
I, too, liked all the music and lighting aspects of Purgatory. I also really liked the scenes with Sam. He had soft blues and subtle lighting and piano for a lot of his moments.
I’m not sure what there plan is for Kevin just yet. I think that while he might know of a way to close the Hell Gates, he can’t do it himself. I think he has to pass that information to Sam and Dean and THEY have to do it. It seems right. Dean’s speech about their family, and having the ability to stop all demons from every doing that again to the world indicates to me that THEY will be the ones to take the actions necessary. I took it as a goal setter for either the season or remainder of the series (pending a season 9 and 10, which sounds likely.)
I think we’ll also be seeing more personal stories. I really liked that about this episode. We saw Sam and Dean exchange a lot of personal experiences—or saw flashbacks to those experiences.
I also look forward to seeing where the story as a whole goes this season. I think it’ll be a fun ride.
I noticed that — the Winchesters led Crowley to Kevin.
I’m OK with Kevin being something of a demon expert – he read the Word of God tablet on the subject. But, like you, I’m not AT ALL interested in him coming off as an uber-hunter at the expense of the Winchesters.
I like it when the Winchesters are the heroes in the scenario. Its kinda one of the main reasons I watch . . . .
I just finished listening to Winchester Radio with Jim Michaels. To clear a few things up that have been talked about in earlier threads. Sam did NOT know that Dean was at the cabin. He has been going to the cabin (either periodically or regularly, I missed that part) and seeing Dean was a complete surprise. He did not get a call from Dean. This led to the discussion, if Sam quit hunting and didn’t come for Dean why was the Impala stocked for hunting and arranged in Sam’s everything in its place and a place for everything way and not Dean’s throw it in the trunk in the right basic area way. When Dean stopped hunting he tarped the Impala and hid away the weapons. Why didn’t Sam do the same thing.
JC has also decreed that nothing has to eat (or presumably drink) in Purgatory, so the hamburger was the first food Dean had had in a year. No icky things were eaten in Purgatory.
pocochina on livejournal had an interesting take on the scene with Amelia and the dog. She thinks that Amelia pushing Sam to take the dog was a partly why Sam didn’t say what he did or didn’t do to find Dean. She believes (and I think it could be right) that with the dog Sam did the right thing, take the dog to the vet, only to be told that it wasn’t enough, that he had to do more and that he was a bad person for letting it happen. Sam also feels, that being a Winchester nothing he did to find Dean would have been enough, he should have done more and it was all his fault that Dean ended up in Purgatory at all. I hadn’t thought about it that way, but it does sort of track.
That makes his subdued reaction to seeing Dean weirder, if he’d really had no idea Dean was alive until Dean tackled him, but it does make his story more intriguing.
Ethyldred, I agree. If Sam had no idea anyone was in the cabin why did he not fight back? And upon seeing Dean, shouldnt he have been astonished.
I think that Jim’s explanation diminishes that reunion scene completely. It feels all wrong now. If this is indeed true, Sam’s reaction was outright weird, because he should have been shocked out of his brain. Are you kidding? That reaction was wrong town for someone who states they thought their brother was dead and then….oh hello, it’s Dean. Which leads me to wonder… what the hell? Because it’s oddness. Can someone get Carver on the phone and confirm that? 😕
It is weird, simply because why would Dean make a BIG deal about the phones and yet Sam seemed to know he called or a message said to come??? It’s implied in that phone comment, to me at least.
I got that implication from the phone conversation too. I assumed he left a message on one of the phones still active. At least that’s how I took it. It makes sense that he might just road trip it up to the cabin now and then, but no sense to not be shocked out of his gourd that Dean was there and no sense that he never unpacked the Impala trunk and was driving around with a boot full of weapons for a year. It’s all getting curiouser and curiouser!
With 22 more episodes, I’ll be curious to see just what we learn about Sam’s storyline. I think his has way more mystery than Dean’s—at least in terms of what he did during this year.
I don’t think he’s as “out” of the game as he claims, nor do I think he simply settled into the good life with Amelia, either. I don’t think he was hunting at their normal level, however, nor was he checking phones that Kevin called—obviously. BUT I do think, considering his comment about reading the papers, that he was taking odd jobs or possibly looking for any leads on Dean—which in Sam’s view would mean “not looking for Dean” in Winchester terms. I do see him staying on low level hunts. His comment about losing everyone he loved to what they do implies that he didn’t want to tangle with big fish.
I have a funny feeling the podcast comments are to keep us guessing more or less.
As for Dean’s story, I almost get the sense that Dean’s gonna have to “take care of Benny” down the road. We see him standing outside that funeral—could Benny have not kept his nose clean now that he’s out?
I agree with you. There’s a lot going on with Sam. I really like this set up that both the boys have some baggage they aren’t keen to share. Usually it’s one or the other, but this time it’s both of them playing it close to the chest. Which I get, seeing as they are both settling back into the life after a year.
And yeah, I wonder if Benny may meet the nasty end of Dean at some point which will be heartbreaking I’m sure.
So damn happy to have the show back. How I’ve missed these conversations! 😆
Ah, I think they’re certainly hiding things from each other, but what I liked here was it was brought out and in the open from the jump. Dean talked a little about Purgatory, Sam talked a little about his “time off.” No one said “I’m fine” “I don’t want to talk about it,” or “Never mind.” I like that. I think both brothers also know that there is MORE to it than that, but no one’s holding back something completely, and that they’ll have more of these conversations.
I just got the impression that while Dean let Benny ride out with him, it was because he holds his end of deals. I just don’t see Benny surviving the season. He and Dean might have been “brothers” in arms down in Purgatory, but up here Dean won’t think twice of sending Benny back to Purgatory if he’s killed humans.
Thank goodness. I was so pleased they got their stories started and didn’t go the usual Winchester route of hiding everything…sure it’s not all out, but hey, there’s a season ahead, we can’t pop our corks in the first ep! But I was so glad that it was out in the open from the jump, as you say.
Hi, I’ve said this before on other threads but I’ll repeat it here. Sam wouldn’t be surprised that Dean is out of Purgatory or that he was in Purgatory in the first place, if in fact he knew it all along, which, given Sam’s reaction or lack thereof in the reunion scene, is what I suspect is happening underneath everything. He wasn’t surprised to see Dean, and he knew Dean was Dean without going through the holy water, borax, silver knife routine that is practically required to prove you are still human after a time away. That’s why his reactions read so off and strange at the reunion. I hope I am right about this, otherwise Sam’s reaction is unsatisfactorily OOC. Only time will tell…
And also, not only did Sam not unpack the Impala, which would be a normal thing to do if he was really, truly out of hunting (I mean he has to have a place for the groceries), but he re-organized it in his ultra obsessive, compulsive Sam way with foam inserts for all the weapons. Why would he do that if nothing else was going on? So, to quote sweetondean, “curiouser and curiouser!”
[quote]but he re-organized it in his ultra obsessive, compulsive Sam way with foam inserts for all the weapons.[/quote]
That made me laugh! I didn’t notice that.
That’s an interesting and (to me) very hopeful sign in terms of the storytelling; I like the continuity with compulsive, OCD Sam, and it definitely suggests that Carver is very aware of how odd Sam’s responses look now compared to his past responses, and is planning to go somewhere with it.
Adding: in light of the news that Sam wasn’t expecting to see Dean at the cabin, and therefore that wasn’t his reason for leaving Amelia, I also think Sam’s line “the girl had nothing to do with it” is very interesting. Obviously Sam reevaluated a lot of things through his relationship with Amelia and came to a new sense of what his priorities were, but it looks like Amelia is by no means the only thing that’s affected Sam’s reactions.
I actually just rewatched the Sam and Dean scenes and after Dean tells Sam that he tried all his phones and half were disconnected, but Sam must have finally gotten his message Sam does reply that he didn’t get a message and goes on to explain about not being a hunter any more. It’s one quick line, but it was there, so it’s not just Jim Michaels, it’s canon.
Thanks for the comment.
That is a fascinating statement about Sam. It makes you wonder just how many times he trotted back and forth between Texas and Montana. I also noticed that the Impala was stocked. I think Sam’s holding some cards to the vest. I think there is oh so much more to their story here.
I like that Dean didn’t end up eating gross monster stuff down in Purgatory. That’s a nice twist.
I like this take on Sam’s reluctance to try and find Dean. It makes sense. It must have seemed utterly hopeless. Purgatory is a lot harder to crack open or get into than Hell, first of all. I think that dog scene played as pure metaphor—for a hunter’s responsibility, for Sam’s responsibility to Kevin, for his guilt, for doing the right thing to either move on or find Dean, and so much more. I could have spent my whole review on just that scene to be honest.
I truly am curious to see just where they end up going with this in the upcoming season. There is a lot of story left to tell, that’s for certain.
Thanks again!
I completely agree that the dog was a metaphor for responsibities that Sam had shirked, not only in not doing someting to look for Dean, but more so for Kevin. He was Sam’s responsibility, as Dean loudly stated.
I’ve never had a problem with Sam doing nothing, because I can absolutely see Sam completely lost, fixing the Impala, driving aimlessly until he hit the dog. Then he meets; and I’m sorry, but I call her bitchy vet, who reminds him of his responsibilities. He hooks up with her and takes the year to rejuvenate (hiding from himself, of course). Lord knows the guy needed to after all that he had been slammed with the last few years. Why can I see that without recrimination to Sam? Because Dean has always been the one to center Sam and counter-balance that innate darkness Sam carries around inside of himself. This avenue was so much better than what we have seen Sam do in the past when Dean’s centering is missing.
This also makes Sam question his, “I’m guilt free, because I’ve paid my dues,” stuff. Sam actually has to face himself, the decisions he’s made and the consequences of those decisions.
Sam’s character needed some self-evaluation, and Dean’s character needed clarity of purpose. Each have that story this season, and I’m excited to see them work their way through them.
I keep going back to his comments about his whole family being dead. He was alone, with little reason to keep doing it, and so he pulled back.
It’s what worked with me in this setting up the season in this episode. Sam has a story and Dean has a story, and I can see them as separate but I can’t help but wonder how they’ll intertwine.
I also think this is setting up Sam, not to regress, but as you put it, face himself and his decisions. When Dean wasn’t around to get in his face, he ran, as we’ve seen him do in the past, but now he has to dive back in and face it, rather he likes it or not. I almost thought Dean’s comments to Kevin about “being in it” were directed more at Sam than at Kevin, honestly. Sam decided to help Dean find Kevin, and Dean took that as Sam’s official out of retirement announcement.
[quote]
I also think this is setting up Sam, not to regress, but as you put it, face himself and his decisions. When Dean wasn’t around to get in his face, he ran, as we’ve seen him do in the past, but now he has to dive back in and face it, rather he likes it or not.[/quote]
[quote]Sam’s character needed some self-evaluation, and Dean’s character needed clarity of purpose. Each have that story this season, and I’m excited to see them work their way through them.[/quote]
Not too surprising, but I have a different take on this. 😉 I love the idea of getting inside Sam’s head and finding out what he wants. He used to have goals – normal, then revenge, then redemption. There was an old commercial in the U.S. in which Nancy Kerrigan, after she had just won skating gold medals was asked, “Nancy Kerrigan, you just won the Olympics. What are you going to do now?” And she responds, “I’m going to Disneyland!” I’ve thought of that with Sam. He’s stopped the Apocalypse and put behind him the issues that have dogged him his entire life. What does he want to do now? I’d love to see that explored more.
The problem with the way this season is being set up – that Sam needs to examine his tendencies to run and shirk responsibility – is that Sam hasn’t demonstrated that trait since he was a child. Part of Sam’s season 1 and 2 arc was coming to realize that he can’t, and doesn’t want to, run away from his life as a hunter and his family. We had a reference to this past trait in Free to Be You and Me by Lucifer, but Lucifer was using it to try to get Sam to accept his “destiny” as Lucifer’s vessel. That Sam was running from that fate wasn’t a bad thing, in my view. So Sam being set up as having regressed to a much earlier stage in his character development, and the idea that this is an issue that Sam needs to work on, after already having worked through all this years ago, feels as manufactured as the monster reference in The Girl Next Door, or Dean’s lack of trust in Sam. Like Sam, Dean had already worked through his Sam trust issues in season 5, so bringing it back in season 7 felt forced. As for Sam needing to face his season 4 mistakes (which were the opposite of shirking responsibility), that was much of his season 5 redemption arc. It’s time to move forward with Sam too.
It would be nice if we had a whole bunch of new issues, post-Hell, for Sam to work through, but Sam’s been written in a pretty two-dimensional way for the past couple of seasons. His one purpose seems to be being there for Dean, and while that’s approaching saintliness, it doesn’t make a very human, well-rounded character. So like Dean, what we need with Sam is a sense of purpose. We need to learn what motivates him, what his dreams are now, and how his Hell and RoboSam experiences have changed him.
Adding one more thought here. There was a comment in the episode by Sam – that he realized that he didn’t have to carry around the responsibility for everything anymore – that bugged me. It bugged me mostly because carrying around guilt and a feeling or responsibility for things that weren’t theirs to be responsible for was always more of an issue with Dean than with Sam. Sam, I thought, always had a more healthy approach to responsibility. He was always a good person with a conscience, and stood up to bullies and tried to help others, but he didn’t take on his father’s crusade as his own. He was OK with saying he wanted to go to college and building a life for himself. But at the same time, when his brother came to see him, asking for his help, Sam went with him to go find their father (but without sacrificing his life in the process). It was only after Dean sold his soul for Sam that Sam became crushed by unhealthy level of guilt, which led to bad consequences. I took his season 7 comments about feeling that Hell had purged his guilt as a sign that he’s back to being in a healthier place with this.
But getting back to season 8, I think taking a break from hunting is in character for Sam. I think shirking his responsibilities to look for Dean and Kevin is not. I’m hoping the writers have a twist planned here, and this is not a case where the writing staff has lost touch with who this character is.
I think what they may be going for with the dog — though I think the way they compressed the message was incredibly badly done and a disservice to establishing Amelia as a character — is that Sam is going to be allowed to stop seeing responsibility and wanting as two separate things. I think John set Sam up for problems there, by treating wanting a life different from hunting as breaking with his responsibility to his family, rather than as potentially combinable with it, and that Dean to a lesser extent reinforced that, since he, too, tended to see family in terms of the family business. But I think Sam taking responsibility for the dog, living out responsibility in a realm defined by his own wants, is going to offer him an alternative.
But I agree with you that the running away thing is a bit incongruous here. It’s true that this was still a flaw in Sam in season 7, as 7.3 showed, but there, as in other cases where he took off in canon time, he was running to deal with something (he felt that Amy was his case and his responsibility), not to stop dealing, and what made his behavior bad wasn’t a problem with his sense of responsibility, it was not hashing out openly with Dean what he felt he had to do and being willing to compromise. And his response to the loss of Dean has been destructive goal-fixation, not evasion of all goals in the past. I don’t think we really know yet what was going on with Sam immediately after 7.23, but I think if running away was it it was a very different kind of running, not an old pattern.
I like your thoughts on Amelia, the dog, and John’s message. We need to give this story more of a chance to play out. Agreed on this part.
With 7.3, like you I don’t see that as running away from anything at all. He took off for a few days to deal with some old personal business. He didn’t want Dean involved because he suspected (and rightly so) that Dean would try to force his will on the outcome, and this was too personal for Sam. I think Sam was wrong in not communicating better with Dean (specifically not answering his phone), but not in standing up for his beliefs. They were talking about the life of a friend, and if Sam didn’t believe she deserved to die, he shouldn’t have just gone along with Dean.
The other argument is probably that Sam ran after finding out that Dean killed Amy, but again, I see that as taking some time apart when you’re angry. That’s a perfectly normal and healthy reaction – not a personality flaw that he needs to examine and fix.
I think we could argue our varying view for a very long time. Both brothers take on more responsibility than they need to. That’s why they are the heroes. I’ll just speak to this episode.
Without Dean, his center, Sam was obviously floating in the wind, and he did shirk his responsibility; if not to Dean, certainly to Kevin. Bitchy vet and the dog called him on that (i.e., use of the “hero” word). We saw Dean reinforce that message when Dean reminded him that people die when evil is ignored and that Kevin was their responsibility. Finally, that message was driven home when Crowley snapped Kevin’s girlfriend’s neck…for no good reason. Kevin saw this, but so did Sam. They were both watching out of the Impala.
Sam’s life changed after Dean was zapped away, and he is the cerebral one. It is definitely within his character that he would ‘drop out’ or fall back while he did a self-evaluation of his current circumstance.
If what Michaels says is true, that Sam had no idea that Dean was at the cabin, then his reaction would indicate to me that Sam is suffering his own version of PTSD, just as much as Dean is. He wasn’t thrilled to see Dean there. He wasn’t shocked. For God’s sake, he wanted to say, “Hi.”
I have no answer for why the trunk was fully stocked, except that probably no one connected with the production thought about it, or that there wasn’t time in the episode to restock it, or Sam frugally didn’t want to throw them all out. It’s probably a mistake, just as Dean cutting the same arm in the same place that he did to release Benny w/o a scar or bandage there.
Ginger,
I think you hit this on the head. Both brothers through the series have shouldered enormous responsibilities on their shoulders—whether they should have or not.
From the age of four, Dean believes Sam is his responsibility, right or wrong, and will do whatever it takes to take care of or save Sam from others or himself. He takes John’s order to hunt seriously, and the family business becomes his focal point and life—because he believes right or wrong that hunting/family business IS his responsibility. He feels responsible for Castiel—and now I’m sure for Benny this season—and he feels responsible for the world at large, saving it from first the demons and then Lucifer/Apocalypse and last season from the Leviathan.
Sam feels responsibility to the family business, his older brother Dean, and the world at large, too. He interprets this differently than Dean, always has, but I think he comes at it from a place of empathy. He feels responsible to the victims of the supernatural, to the world (ie the season 5 arc especially) and to his family in Dean, Bobby, and others they’ve lost through the series. I think that you’re right, that Sam, as cerebral as he is, would step back. I argue that the trunk being stocked, however, wasn’t meant as black and white as Sam tried to sell it to Dean. I think he maybe picked up some odd jobs here and there, as long as it stayed far far away from anything big and ugly. His comments on reading the papers and seeing the “weird” seems to indicate to me that he couldn’t completely hang it up. I do think we will see Sam discover a purpose through out this season, both through the storyline between him and this Amelia and in real time as they start to hunt again full time.
[quote]Both brothers take on more responsibility than they need to. That’s why they are the heroes.[/quote]
While I agree with this, the difference that I was getting at is that with Sam, the things he feels responsible for can be traced directly back to his actions (what he did soulless, the results of Lucifer getting out of the cage, his not warning Jess after he had a premonition about her death). With Dean, there’s that, as well as a crushing guilt about things that were never within his control. Examples are his feeling that Sam dying in season 2 was his personal failure, or that he was responsible for Jo becoming a hunter and dying. Sam feels sad when these type of things happen, but he doesn’t take on his friends’ decisions as his own responsibility.
I don’t mean this in a judgmental way. I think this is part of his personality profile. Growing up as an older child in a dysfunctional family marked with tragedy, he grew up with a greater sense of guilt and responsibility. He became an enabler for his father and he not only became Sam’s caretaker, he started to see himself as responsible for Sam’s actions – even as Sam became an adult. That guilt and feeling of responsibility for everyone was so extreme that he felt he had the right and the obligation to make the decision to remove Lisa and Ben’s memories of him. Their pain was his responsibility.
[quote]Without Dean, his center, Sam was obviously floating in the wind, and he did shirk his responsibility; if not to Dean, certainly to Kevin.[/quote]
While I’ve been very critical of how Sam was portrayed in this episode, I don’t buy Sam “floating in the wind” because Dean wasn’t there to center him as the reason behind Sam’s actions. I’m waiting to see more of how this plays out, but if this is where they end with this, I’ll call foul, because this isn’t credible to me.
Great posts, cd28!
I also don’t buy that Sam was clueless and without direction because Dean wasn’t around. Sam can function w/o Dean. There, to me, hasn’t been a good explanation (yet) why Sam decided to not look for Dean or Kevin. We may get a believable explanation; we may not.
The idea that Dean was “dead” so why bother looking is not good enough for me.
You are pointing out, possibly, a reason why I think the script was intelligent and full of sub-text. The trunk thing could very well be a clue that Sam wasn’t totally out of hunting. At this point in time, with only one episode under the belt, I am leaning towards it doesn’t mean that. I sure won’t be opposed to find out that there is a twist and Sam was still tinkering with things. That would make the Kevin abandonment so much worse, I think.
Hi Ginger, good comment. Your take on things is usually in line with mine. The thing that bothers me the most about this episode is Sam’s reaction at the cabin!! I said in a previous comment that the absolute first thing he should have felt was jawdropping shock that Dean was alive. Not can I just say “hi”. I’m still trying to figure out if that was because they ALWAYS come back or some other reason. I do not think it had anything to do with Jared’s usual stellar acting skills. It was as if Sam was on Valium during most of this episode. He just seemed a little too laid back about it all to me. I don’t think the scar thing was a mistake. I think there must have been some powerful mojo going on in the first place to inject a vamp soul into his arm so the idea that it healed instantly doesn’t seem that far fetched IMO.
Also very glad about them not munching on monsters! That picture was hard to get out of my mind. Sitting around the campfire toasting whatever YUK.
Well, Sam’s reaction could be attributed simply to the shock of knowing he was going to have to admit to Dean that he didn’t look for hm at all and that Dean was going to be hurt when he had to admit it, and angry, because Dean always reacts with anger when he’s hurt.
This and the trunk are two things that will be interesting to track as the season progresses.
Hi Ginger, while I like your take on the Amelia situation and especially the use of the word “hero” which seemed deliberate, I have to disagree with you on the trunk issue. The state of the trunk had reverted back to season 3 obsessive Sam levels, which is a complete contrast to the way Dean kept it. This is a clear and distinct change from the last time we saw it (??? probably season 6 because there was so little of Baby in season 7) but its still a very distinctive and noticeable difference indicating that it was Sam who changed it in the year Dean was gone.
Hi E, Just want to interject a thought. Sam, IMO has always been tider than Dean. I think that orderly is his nature. Granted it gets ramped up to OCD levels in times of great stress but the trunk(and cabin) being neat and organized is not suprising to me. The fact that he had all that stuff still in his trunk does give pause, as he was supposedly not hunting anymore.
Hi Leah D. I think it’s more than that though. If Sam was no longer hunting he would have either left the trunk the way it was (the way Dean always kept it; a kind of organized chaos almost like a shrine maybe) or he would have unloaded all the weapons and stored them someplace (probably in his organized Sammy way). But he didn’t. Clearly, he unloaded the trunk, cleaned, organized and reset everything in the most obsessive way, carefully preserving the weapons to that they would be at their most well cared for and their most ready. There is no reason whatsoever for him to do so, unless he had need of them and was concerned that they be in perfect working order at all times. It was the trunk of a working hunter. I am probably reading too much into this, but it stuck out to me in the episode and an important tidbit.
Yep, E., Totally agree that Sam still having an arsenal in the trunk was odd behavior given his nonhunting stance.
So many mysteries, I love it.
[quote] Sam’s character needed some self-evaluation, and Dean’s character needed clarity of purpose. Each have that story this season, and I’m excited to see them work their way through them.[/quote]
Totally love this Ginger. Great assessment of where they are. I’m excited to see where it’s all heading.
I know I’ll probably get flamed for this, but I liked Amelia. How interesting and risky to introduce the much conflicted, contested and controversial ‘love interest’ in a less than flattering way? She aint no soft, fluffy, girly, mothering type who will baby Sam and excuse his every action. She demands that he stand up, and he did. I am certainly intrigued, and so is Sam.
Amelia kind’ve reminds me of Dean a little (ducks behind sofa) at least in the way that she demanded more from Sam than “I hit a dog, now you take care of it,” and Sam rose to the occasion as he usually does when Dean demands more of him.
Oh and I’m so grateful he didn’t eat icky stuff in Purgatory. I was trying to convince myself he wasn’t having shifter stew every night!
Ewwwwwwww. I see this appearing in some random fanfic coming to FF.net near you.
Yeah, I was thinking cannibilism, too! I’m glad we’re past that thought.
Yeah, I hope that they drive home this little factiod in a more concrete way…it makes perfect sense to me that Dean didn’t need to eat in Purgatory, he probably didn’t really sleep either, kind of like suspended animation…so it really was “31 flavors of bottom dwelling nasties” and 24/7 combat. Poor Dean.
Ah, perceysowner you always have the best comments. Great info here into Sam’s state of mind that I hadn’t considered. I really do think that this dog, a simple dog, will carry a lot of metaphor for Sam and his state of mind. Every little bit of information and speculation helps me to be more at ease with Sam and his situation. His is the story that is currently shrouded in mystery while Dean’s is more transparent. I think that this will shift as we work through the season though as Dean’s story transitions from black and white back to muddy shades of grey.
You mentioned something significant that I noticed while I watched the episode, but completely forgot about while commenting. The cabin and the trunk of the Impala were Mystery Spot compulsive-Sam organized. Further proof as far as I am concerned that JC has thought a lot about Sam as a character and has a plan for his storyline that is more layered than ‘I couldn’t be bothered to look for Dean or defend Kevin.’ It also underscores my belief that there is something more going on. Unless Sam was planning something, working on something or obsessing over Dean as he often does, there would be no need for this level of organization or preparedness in either the cabin (which was fully stocked with food and drink despite the fact that Sam was only going there periodically) or the Impala with its foam inserts for all the weapons.
Oops, this comment ended up no where near where it was supposed to upthread near percysowner’s comment about the Winchester Radio comment broadcast with Jim Michaels. Sorry! 🙂
I like this take. Dean’s storyline is very black and white at this stage, but with Benny out there it’ll easily go back to a shade of grey.
I have to agree with you that Sam’s storyline is so shrouded right now. The pieces of the puzzle are there, we just don’t have enough information to know exactly what they mean just yet. It’s interesting that the cabin seems battle ready–as does the Impala—and I think these two clues are big.
Oh, and if I didn’t say it earlier, really great review, very detailed, insightful and well organized. I like that there is some recap, but not an excessive amount, just enough to remind us of the scenes but not a total rehash of the entire episode; and lots of really great analysis into characters, motivations etc.. my favorite type of review. And to dip into the shallow end of the pool for just a moment, absolutely luscious screen caps. Serge really is brilliant isn’t he?
Thank you! That means a lot to me.
I know I’ve been absent here at the WFB for the duration of Summer Hellatus—a busy novel writing summer will do that to you. I was nervous about writing my first review of the season. I wasn’t sure I’d remember how to do it!
I go in cold (Hell, I wouldn’t even watch the official promo) and then I sit down direct after the episode and put thoughts down on the page. While watching the ep, I kept saying to myself “How am I going to do this! I dunno what to say!” Soon as I started to type, it just happened. I’m glad you liked the result.
You’ll have to thank the WFB team for the screencaps. I haven’t learned how to do that yet. But yes, they are lovely.
I can’t wait to tackle this week’s episode.
I know that you stay away from spoilers, so all I can say is I hope its shrouded.
Beacuse if its as stated in the spoilers, to me, its sounding pretty dull so far.
He didn’t know? Then it was just an amazing coincidence that he went there just when Dean got out? That seems even more off as does his reaction to seeing Dean.
(this was in reply to Percysowner’s post waaaay up-thread.)
Yeah, I agree Melanie, it doesn’t seem to make much sense does it… to quote the phrase “If coincidences are just coincidences, then why do they feel so contrived?” To me, Sam showing up at the cabin when he did, having packed up his stuff in Texas, with an Impala battle fitted and ready to go, only confirms that he knew Dean was there and went there to meet him. Jim Michaels and Jeremy Carver can say what they like, but I think its a deliberate misdirect to keep us on our toes. The PTB are notorious for doing things like this. Kripke even mentioned that he got a real kick out of the fervor that these released tidbits cause within the fandom.
I wonder about the whole misdirect thing. Maybe it would be more accurate to say I HOPE there’s a misdirect going on.
Thank you, Jim Michales! Finally this fanon idea spreading like wildfire that Sam got a call to go to the cabin is squashed. It was really starting to bug me.
Sam was SHOCKED to find his brother there and alive. If some don’t see that; well, mileage varies, as they say. I thought it was obvious.
[quote]
pocochina on livejournal had an interesting take on the scene with Amelia and the dog. She thinks that Amelia pushing Sam to take the dog was a partly why Sam didn’t say what he did or didn’t do to find Dean. She believes (and I think it could be right) that with the dog Sam did the right thing, take the dog to the vet, only to be told that it wasn’t enough, that he had to do more and that he was a bad person for letting it happen. Sam also feels, that being a Winchester nothing he did to find Dean would have been enough, he should have done more and it was all his fault that Dean ended up in Purgatory at all. I hadn’t thought about it that way, but it does sort of track.[/quote]
I could live with that 🙂
Benny’s ressurrection puzzles me. I get that Dean carried his soul out in his body – not as Benny possessing him – but like glow-y carry-on luggage. (How the heck did they manage that in Purgatory?)
I get that Dean found Benny’s grave, dug up the body and poured Benny’s soul over it, said a spell and hey presto chango– ressurrected a vampire. That’s one heck of a one line incantation.
Um . . . Benny was a vampire in Purgatory. So he died a vampire. A hunter must have killed him, vampires are immortal otherwise. So hunters buried him? I know that in Magnificent Seven, Bobby & the Winchesters dealt with the bodies of the victims that didn’t survive their possession by the seven deadly sins. But those were humans, presumably still with their souls.
I don’t remember seeing hunters worry about monster bodies. Do vampires bury their dead? Was Benny special to the Alpha Vamp for some reason?
How did Benny know where the human exit door was? How did he know that incantation? It would be cool if Sam researched it and enlisted the aid of the Alpha Vamp to get Dean and a favored vampire son out.
I am not entirely sure what to make of Benny just yet. I got the impression that Dean felt he owed the vampire for knowing the way out (which I’m hopeful we’ll get the answer on) and so he held his end of the deal by ferrying him out with him. I just don’t see Benny surviving the season, though.
It’s interesting that a hunter had to be Benny’s killer. What if it’s possible he was killed by another monster or vampire in some clash? I don’t think that’s what went down, but we’re not certain of Benny’s “life” before Purgatory.
I’m excited to see what they do with this and where it ends up.
[quote]
How did Benny know where the human exit door was? How did he know that incantation? It would be cool if Sam researched it and enlisted the aid of the Alpha Vamp to get Dean and a favored vampire son out.[/quote]
I like this prospect. Oh so many mysteries and theories. It is going to be a great season!
Hi Again Melanie. I didn’t even think about the life and/or death of Benny on earth. I think he was killed by a hunter, because his skull wasn’t attached to the rest of his bones, like he had been beheaded (at least I think that’s what they showed… I’ll have to go back and watch again). There is also no indication of how long Benny was a vampire on earth, or even how long his bones had been buried. He could be really, really old and maybe hunters at that time didn’t know that burning the bones of a monster is the best way to get rid of them for good. Benny’s peacoat, and hat and his lazy Louisiana drawl conjure up Civil War era images of the grand old south in my head; it’s possible Benny, as a human, lived that long ago.
Actually, this retcons into canon nicely. It’s always been part of Supernatural lore that you burn the bodies of monsters after you kill them. Maybe souls don’t ever get out of purgatory because they have no body to come back to. This is the main difference from Heaven and Hell; those souls are human souls instead of monster, so presumably their bodies are here on earth, buried somewhere, and the only way to remove them permanently is to burn the bones. This tracks with the ghost thing as well.
[quote]And also, not only did Sam not unpack the Impala, which would be a normal thing to do if he was really, truly out of hunting (I mean he has to have a place for the groceries), but he re-organized it in his ultra obsessive, compulsive Sam way with foam inserts for all the weapons. Why would he do that if nothing else was going on? So, to quote sweetondean, “curiouser and curiouser!”[/quote]
Then again, this might have been part of “fixing up the Impala” to honor or hold on to the memory of his brother, rather than an active life as a hunter. It could also have been some kind of recognition that he may have to resume the duties of a hunter somewhere down the road, as fate never leaves a Winchester alone.
I hope it’s more than that, though.
[quote]As for Dean’s story, I almost get the sense that Dean’s gonna have to “take care of Benny” down the road. We see him standing outside that funeral—could Benny have not kept his nose clean now that he’s out?[/quote]
I got the impression that that was Benny’s cheeseburger.
[quote]Sam’s life changed after Dean was zapped away, and he is the cerebral one. It is definitely within his character that he would ‘drop out’ or fall back while he did a self-evaluation of his current circumstance.[/quote]
Sam is intelligent, but that doesn’t make him detached. We’ve seen many times before that underneath the self control is a stubborn, passionate, defiant personality. When Jessica died and John disappeared, it became all about finding his father and tracking down YED. When Dean died in MS, he became uber-hunter for six months. When Dean went to hell, he tried to sell his own soul to get him back. This time, it’s good to at least surmise that he didn’t go off the deep end, but where did that personality go? A breakdown for such a driven character is one thing, but stepping back is about the least likely thing to expect.
[quote]The problem with the way this season is being set up – that Sam needs to examine his tendencies to run and shirk responsibility – is that Sam hasn’t demonstrated that trait since he was a child. Part of Sam’s season 1 and 2 arc was coming to realize that he can’t, and doesn’t want to, run away from his life as a hunter and his family. [/quote]
Exactly. “Running away” wasn’t even his original motive for leaving. His beloved batshit family had reserved the right to make all the decisions for him about what his life would be, and he simply defied that suffocation, just as he later defied the role the angels and demons had laid out for him in the Apocalypse. Returning to the fold was about recognizing that the conflict had been about the lack of self-determination rather than that hunting was not a vocation. I found the dialog in the injured-dog scene awfully hokey — “Aren’t you going to take RESPONSIBILITY for this dog? That’s my HERO.” Script two-by-fours, anyone? All I could think after seeing that was, are you telling me that the the guy who knuckled down, faced down the devil, and jumped into the Hell cage for all eternity still needs to learn a lesson about responsibility? Really?
[quote][Exactly. “Running away” wasn’t even his original motive for leaving. His beloved batshit family had reserved the right to make all the decisions for him about what his life would be, and he simply defied that suffocation, just as he later defied the role the angels and demons had laid out for him in the Apocalypse. Returning to the fold was about recognizing that the conflict had been about the lack of self-determination rather than that hunting was not a vocation. I found the dialog in the injured-dog scene awfully hokey — “Aren’t you going to take RESPONSIBILITY for this dog? That’s my HERO.” Script two-by-fours, anyone? All I could think after seeing that was, are you telling me that the the guy who knuckled down, faced down the devil, and jumped into the Hell cage for all eternity still needs to learn a lesson about responsibility? Really?[/quote]
To be honest – as soon as I heard about Sam’s new girlfriend storyline – I hated it. Not ‘stop watching the show’ hate, but still pretty strong opposition to the idea. So, going in, I’m not open minded about it, I admit it. Aaaaannd after screen time of all of two minutes so far – yup, hated it.
Why? Well because, I found her bitchiness to Sam very annoying – I never understand why the writers do that – is that the only trope they know? To turn irritation into attraction?
I’m with you — it seemed like such a contrivance. And I disliked it because the flashbacks to the vet hospital pretty much ground the narrative to a screeching halt. I want to know what Sam went through, I do. But if I had my druthers, it would be something more interesting than Amelia and a dog.
I am actually torn about one thing though. I’m seriously glad to see Sam sneak out on her. Because, yeah! – Buh bye! Good riddance! However, the relationship has been touted as an opportunity to show real character growth for Sam. Both Jeremy Carver and Jared have talked about Sam’s relationship with Amelia and Sam’s character as having matured or being the adult or similar concepts. Mature. Mature?
Sure – sneaking out of the house in the middle of the night with (apparently) no explanation — yeah, that’s real mature. Yeah, that shows a LOT of growth because Sam has NEVER done that before . . oh, wait. Show has established that Sam will avoid confrontation when he needs to go and do something that someone (usually Dean, previously John) will object to, so as far as I’m concerned Sammy can (in character) sneak out on as many girls as he wants and I’m OK with it – just don’t tell me it’s a sign of maturity.
So we start out with the relationship (apparently) over (Yaaay!) and with Sam treating a supposedly meaningful, long term relationship like a tawdry one night stand. (Booo!) But its ok because things may not be what they seem. Right? Right?
As I said to Farawayeyes – I hope that there is mystery regarding Sam’s storyline. I hope that a lot of what’s been said in interviews is misdirection.
Jared and Carver and Singer have stated pretty clearly Sam didn’t look for Dean. Said it straight out. Now, in the episode Sam didn’t say that. He was silent to Dean’s accusation – leaving it open to interprettion and mystery – the very least of which would be he didn’t look because he knew where Dean was and at most that Sam was somehow was the architect of Benny helping Dean get out.
Jared et al also said – there’s a juxtaposition of one brother being happy and one fighting for his life. I suppose they could mean that Dean was happy in the pure Purgatory forest with Cas and Benny and Sam was dodging evil picnic baskets in some sort of a possessed Norman Rockwell existence with Amelia. I’d actually kind of like that, if t’were so.
RMF-enjoyed your comment especially “beloved batshit family”. Ha, too true!
[quote]
Exactly. “Running away” wasn’t even his original motive for leaving. His beloved batshit family had reserved the right to make all the decisions for him about what his life would be, and he simply defied that suffocation, just as he later defied the role the angels and demons had laid out for him in the Apocalypse. Returning to the fold was about recognizing that the conflict had been about the lack of self-determination rather than that hunting was not a vocation. I found the dialog in the injured-dog scene awfully hokey — “Aren’t you going to take RESPONSIBILITY for this dog? That’s my HERO.” Script two-by-fours, anyone? All I could think after seeing that was, are you telling me that the the guy who knuckled down, faced down the devil, and jumped into the Hell cage for all eternity still needs to learn a lesson about responsibility? Really?[/quote]
Amen! I’m holding out hope that what Show is really (and should be) showing Sam is how to get a sense of self-determination, the truest form of personal responsibility.
Hi Melanie, I think we are all assuming that he snuck out but he wasn’t very stealthy if that was the case. Maybe things were discussed and the leaving was not sneaking but a mutual decision. Who knows? I am positive there are many more aspects to this all that will be revealed as time goes on. Also not crazy about Amelia, but I am going to give her a chance along with S8. Also Sam didn’t seem particularly happy to me dispite what he was saying.Almost melancholy.
I agree that Sam did not seem at all happy. Which is another way the episode seems to be at odds with what was said by Jared, Carver & Singer.
I think that the scene of Sam leaving would have been set up differently if it was a mutual decision and/or if he was intending to come back.
Interesting point – if Sam didn’t know Dean would be at the cabin, then not only was it an amazing coincidence that he ended up there at the exact same time as Dean but he also coincidentally broke off his year long relationship JUST as Dean gets back.
Yes Melanie, too many coincidences. I’m loving the intrigue but my head hurts trying to make sense of it all!
Just an idea I came up with on the spot, but something the show has completely ignored for the last few seasons are Sam’s powers. I mean, he used to have visions, telekinesis, and other things, and then they were just gone. We never really knew were there went, or if they came back at any point and Sam just ignored them, especially after what happend the last time he used them.
So I was reading all these comments about ‘what a coincidence he went to that cabin at exactly the same time Dean was there’ and thought it’d be really neat if he had a vision of Dean showing up in that cabin just after Dean went to Purgatory, which is why he a) never looked for him, since he knew Dean would come back on his own and b) kept checking on that cabin every month or so and knew it was really Dean without the holy water/borax.
I get the feeling that Sam did not give up all hope that he would ever see Dean again. I think the reason he kept the car and weapons was in case Dean returned, since it happened before.
SEASON 8
Episode 1 – Need to talk about kevin
Thanks for the article. There is much to think about, and ponder and hope for, from this episode.
To begin, let me just get this off my chest… Holy Hot Purgatory BadAss Dean! Wow! Just WOW!
Okay, not that we’ve got the hormonal desires and fantasies out of the way, on to the big thinky-thoughts!
Here are some of the things I found particularly intriguing:
1. Dean at the vending machine can’t handle all the choices and options he’s being presented with. It’s overwhelming. The “purity” of Purgatory is that it was all black & white and gave him just one choice – do what you have to do to survive. Dean’s confusion, upon returning to this realm, is a very direct contrast to Benny’s glee at having so much choice. He is revelling in it, suggesting he’s never had it so good, not in Purgatory and most likely not when he walked the earth as a man or as a vampire. Benny sees opportunity in choice. Dean just sees danger and difficulty. I actually think “Choice” is going to be a bit of a theme this year. (I’m already mapping out a little article on the subject.)
2. Dean sitting on the floor. A much as Dean reminded me of a soldier or warrior, plucked off the battlefield and instantly returned to civilian life (and it is very reminiscent of the VietNam vet experience), he also seemed a little like a POW, or at least a prisoner of purgatory, and all he experienced there. There will be much to tell about Purgatory I think. As Dean says he’s not the same man. He’s aware that he’s changed, but I wonder how all those changes will express themselves. I also found Dean looked haunted when he talked about Castiel. I think something pretty bad happened – maybe Dean was involved, maybe he just saw it, maybe it was a choice he had to make but it seems to be weighing on him. I think his comment to Benny that “he has no regrets” might be just the opposite. Dean has admitted he “oozes guilt”. Often, saying you have no regrets is a way of figuring out just how deep that regret runs! I’m pretty sure there will be things he feels he needs to atone for.
3. Does Dean still have his gooey marshmallow centre? One of the great things about Dean is that his bark AND his bite can be equally bad, especially if you’re something that needs threatening or killing. But he often uses them to hide his huge heart, and his concern for humanity. Was he harsh with Kevin after Channing died? Absolutely, but it’s in keeping with how he’s always treated the advanced placement prophet. He was brutally honest with him last year about the price he might pay for being a prophet. I think it’s a sign of Dean’s respect when he doesn’t sugarcoat things. He was telling Kevin “this is the way it is, learn to deal with it’. He didn’t deliver the news with hugs & roses, but it’s still good advice. I also think Dean’s code of caring is intact because of his reaction to Kevin’s calls on the cellphone. He was upset, worried, concerned that Kevin “their responsibility” had been let down and was fighting on his own. If he didn’t care, he wouldn’t be so upset.
4. Sam not looking. I kind of liked his argument that people die everyday (true) and it
wasn’t up to him to save them all (equally true). I can mostly believe he didn’t look for
Dean because he was in such a state of shock – everyone he knew and loved was dead or disappeared. To hang onto his recently returned sanity, he had to cling to the fact he was still alive. Think of it as a variation of last year’s Dean who keep trying on different smiles and excuses so that he could convince himself to get out of bed each morning and keep working. I think Sam would have told himself he could honour Dean best by continuing to live, so that someone in the world would remember his brother. I am really curious to know how Sam grieved Dean this time. And I want to know how he cut himself off cold turkey from hunting. Dean tried with Lisa, but he couldn’t unlearn the fact that things DO go bump in the night. Hence, the salt at the doors and the devil’s trap. I can see Sam leaving hunting behind, but could he leave all those rituals behind? Rituals that connect him to his brother, to his father and that might save his life? I’m sure Sam is a changed man too – more aware of the beauty in the world, not just the darkness and I want to see that. And I find it strange that, according to Jim Michaels, Sam did NOT know Dean was at the cabin. If that’s true, then I would have expected a much more shocked, surprised GOBSMACKED (definitely gobsmacked) Sam. I’m either going to hand wave at that bit of info, ignore it completely, and/or wait to see if somehow Sam was already suspecting that Dean might or had returned.
5. Benny – such a wonderfully mysterious, menacing character. He’s going to be a problem for both brothers, and I think he’s going to be a trigger for bad memories for Dean, possibly bad actions and I suspect a lot of guilt. But war does make for strange bedfellows. And the will to survive is very strong – be it hunter or vampire. Dean had to get out of Purgatory and Benny was the only exit. The conflict and issues he brings into the equation will be troubling I think. And I wonder if they’ll connect Benny (vampire) back to Dean’s brief moment as a vampire? Will that experience and weird dream have any resonance this year?
6. The brothers as yin and yang. I think Sam’s year with Amelia will remind the brothers what they’re fighting for – to keep ordinary people safe and living their ordinary lives. And I think Dean’s year will show what they fight (all the monsters), why they fight (their individual motivations) and the how the fighting affects them (we’re getting a hint of that ).
7. Food. Dean turning down food when Sam offered it in the cabin. That’s got to be a first. He’s stopped eating and thrown out food, but downright refused it?? Especialy while Sam was eating? Tables have turned. And then his joy at the cheeseburger, and his wonderment “Is this for me?” It was like a kid being given a very special present. (Maybe it was – a symbol of love and sustenance.. both are powerful messages.)
8. Amelia. She is definitely feisty. I was wondering if maybe she herself was having a bad day when she met Sam. Any of us, who work with the public on a regular basis, finally have a day where we lose it. Maybe she was having difficulties in her private life, maybe she was tired of people hurting animals and then abandoning them and just decided to take out those frustrations on Sam. It will be interesting to watch their relationship develop because there’s not much chemistry yet.
9. The hooded figure outside of Sam’s house. Is it possible it is Benny, already scoping out the other Winchester brother so he knows best how to play Dean? Could it be Castiel? A new character entirely? Perhaps Kevin? I even wondered if it was Crowley.
10. Kevin. The advanced placement prophet. I like him. He’s sweet and smart but much tougher and more resourceful than he even he believes himself to be. And why did Sam want to know where the other Word of God is hidden? It’s obvious, because we’ve already seen Benny and seen the kind of dark magic Dean had to do to re-incorporate (such a bad pun) Benny that Dean has plenty of secrets. But, I think Sam has something to share with the class too.
I should probably stop now. Thanks for listening and musing with me!
Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!
Pragmatic Dreamer
Sorry about the gobbleddygook at the beginning. I was having computer woes, and wrote it in Word and forgot to edit the formatting. Oops!
Happy Canadian Thanksgiving to you!
Wow. So many thoughts going on here. I love what you’ve added to the discussion here for sure.
I like your take on Sam. He would be having a hard time considering he spent time with Lucifer taunting him and what was real and not real. I like this. That he was “living” to honor Dean. I do think it’ll be much bigger than that in the end, but for now I like this interpretation. I think it shows that Sam was trying to cope, and was trying to ground himself on his own. I still don’t know that he quit cold turkey. He tells Dean that he still read the stories and the cabin and Impala seemed stocked. He may have “ditched” the phones, yet Dean could still access the messages as they were on hand at the cabin.
I’m glad you picked up on the shadowy figure outside Sam’s window. I had to back it up a few times to verify if I saw that or not. Who is it will be a big question? Is this shadowy being the reason Sam leaves Amelia? Or is it some figure Sam wasn’t aware was there? I wouldn’t be surprised if Crowley had someone lurking around to report back as soon as Sam made any moves. Or perhaps a monster. I don’t think it’s Benny.
I love how you view Dean here. I like that he’s found his purpose again, but he seems still like a powder keg ready to blow after what he saw and did in Purgatory. I’m curious about Cas. The way Dean talked, it sounded very final. Is he the same Angel? Did he do something that altered himself? After all, every single soul and being that is in Purgatory would have been inside Cas at some point. He would have been the #1 target of all the nastiies for revenge. I am exciting to see where they go with this.
Benny will end up facing Dean head on at some point. I think he’ll eat humans and get caught doing it and Dean will have to send him back to Purgatory, no matter how protective or grateful he is to him for helping find the exit. I think he’s going to be a bit of a wildcard here in this season. Someone compared him to Gordon, and I see that being a valid comparison. He is a battle hardened fighter, and he lead Dean out of Purgatory. He has built in Dean’s mind the idea that they’re “brothers” in arms and of the same kindred spirit. I wonder how that will come back to haunt him when Dean decides not to believe that any longer.
I love that Kevin isn’t a bolting rabbit anymore. I see him giving the boys purpose–ie the Hell Gates—but he can’t do these things on his own. I will be curious to see just what he does now that he’s more or less stuck in the world of hunting and the supernatural. We’ve seen it tear others up in the past.
I love your thoughts again. Thanks so much for taking the time to share them with me.
[quote]And I find it strange that, according to Jim Michaels, Sam did NOT know Dean was at the cabin. If that’s true, then I would have expected a much more shocked, surprised GOBSMACKED (definitely gobsmacked) Sam. I’m either going to hand wave at that bit of info, ignore it completely, and/or wait to see if somehow Sam was already suspecting that Dean might or had returned. [/quote]
If the info is really true and this is the first time Sam met Dean AND also there’s no twist and turn until the end of the season, then Jared really should take a course for acting. Because I don’t buy his reunion acting at all IF there is nothing fishy behind it.
I am sorry Jared, that was bad acting.
So, there got to be a reason behind Sam’s lack of shock of seeing Dean. He even said that he knew it was Dean when he refuse to do the test.
And the hug. Every time Sam hugged Dean after Dean died in MS, in LR, even after he was resouled in S6, he always closed his eyes and looked very emotional. That was Sam. It’s in his personality. He is always the one who displays emotion openly and can relate to other people’s feelings. I don’t think even a year, no matter what happen to him during that year can change a guy that much.
Except in Exile when he had no soul. Sam’s face looked satisfied and his smirk is kinda disturbing.
This episode’s hug, Sam looks happy but not as emotionally happy as the previous hugs. This hug looked like as if he was confirming a fact that he previously knew OR suspected OR had been told/hinted by someone. This someone could be the mysterious guy outside the house. Who knows.