Sofia’s Review: Supernatural 8.06 “Southern Comfort”
Wow. Talk about tension. You could cut it with a knife. Thank goodness for a little Garth-infused lightness or Sam and Dean may have spent the entire episode in moody silence. Not that I wouldn’t have watched…
I was intrigued coming into this episode, ‘Blood Brothers’ left us at such a heated moment and I couldn’t wait to dig into the drama of it all. (I must admit I’m still replaying that final scene in my head.) But I also knew that Garth was back and with Garth usually comes a lighter, monster of the week story. So I was worried that the Benny moment might get brushed over with a little Sam and Dean car-side conversation. And then the episode started with just that. But thankfully the conversation didn’t stop there. It actually went a lot farther than I expected, but we’ll get to that later.
There still was a monster of the week story. And let’s face it, we needed it to break up the tension. But that doesn’t meant it wasn’t a giant parallel. Two brothers, fighting on opposite sides of a war. Doesn’t take a genius to see the shout out to Sam and Dean in that storyline. But what interests me more is what Sam and Dean’s “war” is supposed to be. Is it just about Benny? Dean believes that Benny is a good man/vampire and regards him as a friend. Sam sees Benny as violation of trust and thinks Dean is being hypocritical. So is that the “war” between Sam and Dean or do you think it’s bigger than that? Personally, I think it is. Dean thought he and Sam were on the same page. Hunting is their job, it’s their life. And more than that, he thought they shared an unspoken promise to never give up on each other. Even in death. Sam doesn’t believe that hunting has to be his destiny. He believes he can make his own choices and find happiness for himself. And for reasons that are still unclear to me, he made the decision to let his brother go. So maybe that’s the “war” Sam and Dean are fighting. Benny is certainly a part of it, but not the whole shebang. What do you think? Any other theories?
Regardless of what war these boys are fighting with each other this episode ended in a battle. As I mentioned earlier, Sam and Dean’s fight went farther than I expected. It started with Dean being possessed by the coin. He said a lot of hurtful things and while it can be argued that it wasn’t really him, I think we can all agree that it comes from a place of truth. He feels neglected. He was left fighting for his life in Purgatory. The thought of Sam trying to track him down was probably the only thing that got him through. And then he met Benny who was a friend to him when he desperately needed one. Benny is truly the reason Dean is still alive. But Dean did overstep his bounds in this argument.
“Benny’s been more of a brother to me this past year than you’ve ever been!”
Not to mention this line…
“Everything you’ve ever done since you climbed into my ride is deceive me.”
Ouch. How much of that was the coin talking? I don’t know. But it was certainly harsh and untrue from where I’m standing. Of course we don’t know all the details of Dean’s year in Purgatory but I don’t see how it could make up for years of life with Sam.
When Dean was no longer under the influence of the coin, I expected a conversation about how it wasn’t really him talking. I expected that they would try to throw a patch over the fight and carry on. But Dean never really denied anything and Sam came back swinging. I’m glad to see him standing up for himself but I do think he went too far threatening Benny.
Sam: “I just might be that hunter one day that runs in to Benny and ices him”
Dean: “Well, we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it”
Sam: “Yeah, you keep saying that.”
I keep reminding myself to look at this from Sam’s perspective. He doesn’t know Benny like we do (and we don’t even know the half of it yet). When he looks at Benny he feels betrayed; he sees his brother protecting a monster. The same brother who warned him about Ruby and killed Amy. And it must have really hurt to hear Dean’s words. But Benny is the reason Dean is alive and you would think Sam would give Dean the benefit of the doubt. If only because Sam has been there before and wanted Dean to trust him. I do keep wondering if Sam’s threat was an empty one. Maybe he was just acting out because his feelings were hurt. He made it clear he’s not interested in hunting so I don’t see him going out of his way to be the one that kills Benny. But I also know that their paths will cross again and it will result in choices being made on both sides. It could even mean one brother sacrificing their relationship to make what they think is the right call.
While I sympathize with both Sam and Dean I do feel like we need some clarification where Sam is concerned. Why didn’t he look for Dean? I know, it’s the age old question at this point but it still needs to be answered. Dean has died (a few times) before and Sam couldn’t let him go. This time Sam didn’t know where Dean was or if he was even dead but he didn’t look for him. So what was different this time around? Was it the appeal of ignorance that finally allowed him to let Dean go? When Sam knew Dean was in Hell it tortured him because he knew where Dean was and that he was there because he wanted to save Sam. So maybe not knowing where Dean was this time gave Sam some peace? What do you guys think? I don’t mean to sound like I’m accusing Sam because I don’t think we have all the facts. At this point I can’t understand him just letting Dean go but I’m open to the idea that there is more that we don’t know about Sam’s year off.
Wow, how did this get so wordy. If you’re still with me, I applaud you. Let’s talk about Garth. I love that little guy. He was the perfect dash of comic relief in this heavy episode. But he also brought the heart. Just the fact that he has no beef with anyone is a testament to his care-free, forgiving personality. Sam and Dean need someone like that in their life.
He’s not Bobby as Dean so clearly put it. But I do love that he is taking what he learned from Bobby and applying it. He saw a gap left by the loss of Bobby and he stepped in to fill it. I personally love him in this role. He doesn’t have the best track record out in the field but he knows his stuff. I think it’s a good fit and I’d love to see him around more regularly. Even if he’s walking around looking and talking like a Bobby mini-me.
What did everyone think of Sam’s Amelia flashbacks? To be honest, I don’t feel like I know much more than I did before. I did really like that Sam and Amelia opened up to each other. I wonder how much Sam told her about his past, his life as a hunter and Dean. I’d be interested in seeing the rest of the conversation. Hopefully we’ll get that chance.
What did you all think of this episode? Were you satisfied with the way this episode picked up from ‘Blood Brothers’? Who is excited for Cass next week?! (I guess since CW promos are spelling it ‘Cass’ and not ‘Cas’ I need to change my ways!)
Quote time!
Dean: “You’re sulking around like a eunuch in a whorehouse”
Garth: “You guys have no idea how much I miss you.”
Dean’s once over of Garth in his Texas ranger get up made me laugh.
Garth: “That’s balls”
Dean: “That’s not how you say balls”
Garth killed the tooth fairy. This needs no further explaination.
Dean: “What do we got, a ghost with an Oedipus complex?”
Sam’s gives him a look.
Dean: “I don’t know what that means”
Dean: “You’re not Bobby. you’re never gonna be Bobby.”
Garth: “Bobby belonged to all of us, Dean. Not just you and Sam. I’m taking what he showed me and trying to do something with it. That’s all.”
Garth: “Civil War reenactments; once a year, every year.”
Dean gives Garth a look
Garth: “Don’t hate!”
Garth: “I kind of feel like we should say something”
Dean: “Sure…we won!”
I loved when we came back from commercial and they walked us through how the coin got passed along from person to person. It was nice getting eased back into the action.
Garth: “You can’t change the past, amigo.” No truer words were ever spoken!
Dean likes to pretend he doesn’t like hugs from Garth but his face tells a different story.
Sam: “Move on or I will.”
Dean: “Ok, I hear you.”
It is nice to see Sam and Dean from other peoples perspective for a change. I loved the part where Garth told Dean he had been protecting Sam his whole life. Like it is a well known fact to all.
Amelia letting Sam talk about Dean. He hasn’t had anyone to do that with.
Obviously, from Benny’s comment last week, Dean talked to him about Sam.
All I can say is I just LOVE this season. Wednesday nights is like a present every week
Great review. I agreed with probably everything you’ve said.
I loved this episode. Don’t get me wrong, I love it when the brothers hug it out, but I just love the tension when they fight, too. Supernatural has given me quite a taste in conflict when it’s done right. All i could think about was that they’re getting their issues out in the open, which gives some chance for resolution instead of being swept down the proverbial Winchester rug.
Since the start of the season, I’ve been mulling over Sam’s decision about not looking for Dean. I agree, it just doesn’t make sense to me. I mean, I kinda get where he’s coming from, about being utterly alone and maybe so hopeless and probably losing Dean was the end of the line for him, but I just didn’t understand it. Winchesters aren’t exactly the definition of letting things just go. And then a possible theory came to me. The last words Bobby told them was something along the line of “When it’s your time, let go.” So maybe aside from being crushed and hopeless, Bobby’s last words weighed in on his decision? If that’s the case, I would really like a complete mental breakdown scene. Like, the exact moment he came to this decision, because it couldn’t have been easy.
I still haven’t warmed up to Amelia. I keep hoping she has some deeper, darker secret other than being left a widow. And I like that Sam finally has some semblance of a healthy relationship, but can we maybe just twist it? Just a little bit? No? Okay…
And I liked Garth in this. Like you said, he has heart. He’s awkward and has his quirks and at one glance not really who you’ll peg as a reliable hunter, but I loved the fact that when Bobby died and Sam and Dean disappeared, he stepped up to take the mantle. That makes him as much of a hero as Sam and Dean in my books.
P.S. Did anybody else laugh when that possessed police officer sniffed Dean and Dean was all “Whoa there, pal!”
I have played around with the idea that Sam is just following Bobby’s advice. That would work for me if he would just say it out loud to Dean. That’s really all I need.
Yes, I would LOVE a breakdown scene. I want to see the moment the decision was made. I’m a glutton for punishment and those moments of raw emotion really do it for me. (Sounds like we have that in common!)
Thanks for commenting!
I guess my problem with the idea that Sam was trying to follow Bobby’s advice of “when it’s your time to go, just go..” as his reasons for not looking for Dean is that I felt that Bobby was giving this advice from the perspective of the dead person, i.e. the one who needs to make the decision to go or not go. I suppose Sam could have been conflating Bobby’s advice and deciding that since Dean was probably dead that it would be better for him to “just go”. But that’s a pretty hard idea to depict dramatically and puts Sam in the position of deciding things FOR Dean which, he actually doesn’t do all that much.
Here’s the prob as I see it in Sam’s character this season.
1) It doesn’t make a lick of sense that Sam didn’t look for Dean. It just doesn’t.
2) The FB with Amelia have not helped at all in this understanding because Sam has not shown that he is at all a mess in them. He’s dopey and a bit lost but not torn to the core of his being as I think he would be making the decision to give up on his brother.
3) And this has more to do with the mechanics of the show (and is only my opinion) but I find absolutely no chemistry between the two actors here. Amelia and Sam seem like two pieces of day old toast together. They’re boring!!
Anyway, just my opinion.
I’ll keep watching because iTunes will keep uploading.
Todd,
I agree with everything you said. I was hesitant to talk about there being no chemistry because I don’t think it’s either actor’s fault. I just think there hasn’t been much to work with. Hopefully that will change!
[quote]
I feel exactly the same way. Amelia is one cold fish, character-wise and acting-wise, no warmth comes her character at all.
I also agree with Sharon in that the flashbacks end up being more Amelia’s story than Sam’s. I haven’t learned anything about Sam yet, except he recognized Amelia was a person who had suffered losses and now they are going to self-psychotherapy together.
I was hoping and I still am in a way that Amelia would be the character to open Sam up to us and instead and maybe this is just me but the FB’s seem to be more about Amelia than Sam.
This was exactly how I felt this week. I learned a lot about Amelia, nothing really about Sam. And I’m not invested in Amelia. I don’t hate her, I just don’t care. I do care about Sam, but the writers are currently giving me nothing on that front.
As far as Sams actions in leaving Dean- I see no explanation. I’ll leave it at that, because it’s been done.
As far as the quotes about Benny at the end… I took it in an entirely different way, and I really think Sam was right in asking, and the fact that Dean didn’t answer is incredibly sad!
I think what Sam was saying was that,
1) Sam’s with Dean as a hunter right now – as Dean wanted
2) Dean feels Benny is a better brother
3) If hunter Sam has to kill Benny, then the first brother ends up killing the ‘better brother’
Sam really wants to know [u]What happens between us, Dean, if I kill your favourite brother?[/u]
Dean’s answer? We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.
OUCH!
That’s a really interesting way to look at it. I hadn’t thought of it that way. I do hate knowing that Sam thinks he’s an inferior brother to Dean. Makes me sad all over again!
That is how I see it. Sam isn’t running off to kill Benny, but he’s not ignoring the fact that someone might need to kill Benny and that someone might be him.
Wow, that is a way to look at it. Ow. There goes any hope of getting some sleep tonight 🙁
Exactly, Darya.
I’m really hurting for these guys, and I don’t see a way back from where they are now.
Sam got slammed pretty hard in this episode (not that I blame Dean for having some of those resentments), but neither brother is ‘feeling the love’.
I was glad Sam pushed back somewhat, but they’re still avoiding the real issues.
ARE they still brothers? at all?
They are brothers but at the moment in name only . Sometimes something is said that you cant take back even if later down the line you retrieve the relationship . I think if Dean will always be filled with these resentments then where do you start again?.
Yeah, I find it hard to imagine how they will get past the current set of trust issues. Most obviously on Dean’s side; a part of him, at least, not only feels that he can’t trust Sam to have his back, but feels that he has never really been able to trust Sam to have his back. But I think Sam also has grounds for some major emotional trust problems here. It’s a bit like the situation in The Girl Next Door, where Dean told Sam he trusted him and then showed he didn’t. After Southern Comfort, how is Sam ever going to be able to trust that Dean has gotten past anything or forgiven anything? If they work their current problems out, how will Sam be able to believe that it’s for real this time, that Dean isn’t still regarding Sam as a series of betrayals? If he wins back Dean’s trust again, he’s not going to be able to trust that it’s real and not an illusion.
My thoughts exactly, etheldred. HOW does Carver expect to redeem the brother bond (the professed 3rd main character by J&J at least) from this point? I just don’t see anyway to truly come back this time.
Right now I’m wondering how Carver can repair the trust that I have in this show. I started watching a show where two flawed brothers loved each other to distraction, in a purely platonic way. I now have betrayed Dean and Sam who never loved him enough.
I have been thinking what I would say to someone who asked me if they should watch Supernatural. I decided I would say that there were some shaky seasons, but that currently the mytharc is being nicely set up. The main actors are fabulous. The individual episodes are pretty well written and it is one of the better shows on television. What I wouldn’t say is that it is no longer the show I loved. It has become a husk of itself and it has ruined a relationship that I adored and done it, not by showing the foibles of both brothers, but by elevating one of them into being a righteous man, chosen by heaven, betrayed by the brother he loved and a selfish, uncaring man who hosted the ultimate evil and who never loved his brother and whose every choice is measured only by how it effect the righteous man. I’m deeply pained by this, but there it is.
[b]@ percysowner[/b]: I now say the same thing almost, leaving out an actual recommendation, but I see it as the show having moved too far away from the basic premise of the show I started to watch, rather than as anything to do with either Winchester character, and Garth’s character is the perfect example to explain that. This will be long, but I’ll try to explain in the shortest way I can.
Garth, introduced as a cartoon character the writers are now rehabilitating as the new Bobby 2.0, went to college, graduated (Sam and Dean are both drop-outs) became a dentist (did better than either Winchester brother in measured standards) killed the tooth fairy (ooh, please!), already on top of a hunt that the Winchester’s let him lead and just seemed to hang around because they don’t have anything better to do, gives the Winchesters some basic history lessons that makes them both look stupid, is now a sage advisor to the hunting community, and the Winchester psycho-therapist. I lose trust in the show when hunters are made with the stroke of a pen and in one script, especially when they are replacing a supposedly skilled character that we were lead to believe was one of the top older generation hunters and tutor to his generation and the next generation (like the Winchesters). The Winchesters don’t have to be the smartest people, but they should be on the top of the rung in the hunter community.
It now seems that we have moved from an action story with at least one pro-active Winchester into just a more sophisticated soap opera with Sam idealizing his normal life with Amedlia and Dean has hurt feelings because he thinks Sam abandoned him. Big whoop.
I know it is not the fan’s right to pick or choose the direction of a story, but it seems to me that the direction Gamble picked and Carver is choosing to follow harms both Winchester characters (i.e., Sam with the didn’t bother to look for Dean’ and, I expect Dean soon to follow with some transgression from Purgatory), but mostly to the premise this show was based upon.
Wanting normal, hurt feelings, crying tears over the losses encountered for repeatedly saving the world makes a mockery out of John’s sacrifice, the sadness of Sam and Dean’s upbringing, Dean’s sacrifice for Sam, spending 30 years being tortured, ten years of being a torturer which destroyed any remnants of Dean’s self-worth, the deaths of their good friends, Sam’s willing attempt to cage Lucifer by jumping into the cage…all of that. Now we’re down to a ‘your hurt my feelings because of what you did’ brother story. It takes the show past a realistic SPNverse hero world that at least mirrored the viewer’s real world into nothing more than mundane.
There would have been so much better brother tension achieved if they would have kept with PTSD Dean and Sam recognizing it and becoming more frantic about Dean’s flipping in and out. Dean is scary as hell when he does that, Sam is adorable when he is in protective brother mode, and the brother bond would have been front and center.
[quote]
Sam really wants to know [u]What happens between us, Dean, if I kill your favourite brother?[/u]
Dean’s answer? We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.
OUCH![/quote]
I saw that from different light, I guess. Apparently everyone see’s Dean’s reply as driving them further apart, Sam included (as implied by his reply to Dean’s). I felt that Dean’s reply was showed a calmer than he’s been since S8 started. No yelling, no “You do that and we’re through”, nothing. Just “We’ll worry about it later” [because Garth was right, you and me are all we’ve got] Yeah, so that last line might be a bit of my own wishful thinking. But hey, I’m going to interprete it that way cuz it makes me warm and fuzzy inside that way 🙂
I like your interpretation of Dean’s response. Maybe you’re right. I hope so – that would imply they are (both, I think) at least starting to ‘get’ that they still need each others affections, and do care about each other, still.
I saw it this way too but when I read st50 explanation that made sense too. I guess we’ll just have to wait. Damn patience.
They could both be correct interpretations. We know the guys just don’t quite see things in the same way.
Sam could be asking “what about our relationship”, but Dean hears him say “I’m gonna kill your friend”.
Dean could be saying “let’s leave it for now. I don’t want to think about that ’cause I need you here”… and Sam hears “You hurt my brother and I’ll kill you” – which used to be the way Dean talked about HIM …
oh the pain! BOYS! Start communicating!!!!
Actually, I like that interpretations best. Nice. They do need to start communicating.
It’s an interesting thing about perspective; I actually saw Dean’s response of “we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it” regarding Benny as vintage avoidance Dean; one of his “I am not talking about this now or ever” responses that is his trademark to anything emotional. His flat affect and stony face did not read anything other than angry and rigid, not to me anyway. Part of why I feel that way I guess is that I don’t see the brothers at the turn around point yet. I think things will get even worse before they get better. Cas is coming back and he will bring with him a whole pile of problems; some of his own, and some relating to Dean. Things are gonna get messy! It’s only episode 6, so if the conflict between the brothers is the main story arc (and I think it is, because everything else feeds into it, including Purgatory and Normal) then its probably too soon to start turning things around. Things may simmer down for an episode or two, but I think that they will flare up again quickly. Nothing is resolved at this point and I think what Dean was showing was the type of steely resolve that he used in Purgatory; the Dean who’s willing to do just about anything. And Sam isn’t that much further away from that level of anger either! Ooooh, loving the angst!
That’s possible too.
I wish the writing could be more clear!
I will be upset with Sam if we learn he never did look for Dean at all, but right now I can’t help hoping there is something coming to explain why he is so unemotional right now about having his brother back and is letting Dean think he never looked for him because he found a dog and a girl!!!!! I can hardly believe that is the real truth.
Those were extremely hard words possessed Dean said to Sam, but he can be forgiven as it wasn’t entirely him talking. Yes, he has those thoughts in the back of his mind, but I can’t see him speaking them like he did when himself. Sammy spoke some vicious words to Dean as far back as ‘Asylum’ while influenced by Ellicott and also by the siren, and those were his own thoughts beneath the surface as well. Too bad they are guys and won’t clear the air by discussing these emotions they are keeping to themselves. Even as far back as ‘Skin’ Dean had some issues with Sammy, as the shapeshifter discovered that he has never spoken to Sam. We’ve forgiven Sam as he was influenced by the demon blood. We can forgive Dean as well, as he is really hurting that his beloved little brother seemingly deserted him when he really needed to feel he was still needed by him. Sammy is like Dean’s son to him.
It hurts me to see them at loggerheads like that when I remember how very close and co-dependent they were up until half way through ‘Lazarus Rising’.
I love Garth as well and he is a sweet refreshing character with no grudges towards anyone? Wow! Don’t kill him off TPTB please. BUT I STILL WANT BOBBY BACK!
As far as Amelia goes, that union seems just blah. Sam had more charisma and connection to Sarah back in ‘Provenance’. Can’t see Amelia keeping Sam from looking for Dean at all. The dog, yes. Amelia, no.
And yes I am excited to get Cas back next week. The previews look good. And I’m really loving this season so far.
Well, you said it all. Not much I can add except that I love this season. I have always loved Garth and I love his growth. I love the fighting. I love the conflict. I love that things are being laid out a little more on the table than they usually do. I love Purgatory Dean and this harder version of him. I love Benny. (Please don’t kill him, Sam.) I love the jealousy, because I’m thinking that’s part of Sam’s deal now. I love that I finally got validation that Cass was spelled with 2 S’s! lol!
I don’t love Amelia. Yep, no chemistry. Makes no sense. OK, they have things in common so I can buy a friendship and I do love that maybe Sam spilled his guts and we MIGHT get to listen in on that, but I don’t buy the sexual relationship with the angry lady. Can somebody please look up Sarah and tell her this other woman has her man? She has fight. She can take her.
Hi Sofia, I really enjoyed your review, it brought loads of things up for me. I’ve watched the episode twice now and I must say, I did like it more on the second viewing. I apologize to everyone right now, this might be long. I think I was a little shocked the first time around with all the vitriol coming from both brothers. Dean being possessed and telling Sam what he felt deep down reminded me of Sam under the influence of the siren in “Sex & Violence”. Although Sam remembered that confrontation and tried to convince Dean it was the venom talking. But here’s the thing, and I think this goes for Dean also, words said in anger are usually how we do feel deep down. We might regret them the moment they pass our lips, but there is truth in them.
Dean has spent a year without Sam and not hunting, and now Sam has spent a year without Dean not hunting. Sam’s soulless year he continued being a warrior as Dean continued being a warrior in Purgatory. They need to reconnect with each other already! Dean’s comment about Benny being a better brother than Sam ever was? Major ouch. 😥 I don’t think he ment that one, just as I don’t really think Sam will go out of his way to hunt Benny. Dean called Sam deceitful. Ha! The pot calling the kettle black IMO. Dean has kept his own secrets from Sam, Benny being the most recent example. Maybe he’s afraid Sam will think him a hypocrite? He always said to him, a monster is a monster and you kill it. But, obviously, Purgatory has changed him.
Okay, phew! Got that out. Now, Amelia. Can’t say I know enough about her to form a clear opinion. Colour me intrigued for now. And how about Garth? Quite the perspicacious little fella! Bobby mini-me indeed. 😀
In conclusion, I thought this episode had a pretty good balance of angst and mirth. And I loved the shot of how the coin got around, great change-up in the music.
Now I can’t wait to see Cass.
I think one thing people are forgetting is that both Sam and Dean were under the Siren’s spell in Sex and Violence. When Sam said he didn’t mean it, it was the venom talking, Dean said “Yeah, me too.” The thing is, they both knew — as did the audience — that the things they said were based in how they really felt. Exaggerated, said in hurtful ways that they would never have expressed them without supernatural influence, separated out from positive feelings that also existed, but not totally false or created out of nothing.
Some say that Sam is a hypocrite here for saying that Dean did mean the things he said, when he was the first to say they didn’t mean what they said in Sex and Violence. I both agree and disagree. On the one hand, I do think it’s unfair in a sense that he didn’t give Dean the same cover he’d given himself and Dean in Sex and Violence. On the other hand, the way the scene in Sex and Violence was acted, it was pretty clear that they were both partly lying in saying they didn’t mean it and they were OK with each other, and they both knew it was a lie; they were agreeing Winchester wise to sweep the issues under the rug. I think when Sam says here that Dean did mean what he said he’s speaking with the voice of experience, experience they both have. And saying oh, you didn’t mean it is a form of evading the issue, which hasn’t worked out for them so well in the past.
The thing about “Sex and Violence” is that Sam seemed ready & willing to let go of the things Dean said at that time, but Dean was still hurt by the comment about Sam being a better hunter and Dean dragging him down. In the episode right after “Death Takes a Holiday”, Sam is talking about the people not dying and he says to Dean, let’s go and Dean is all like, you sure you want me to go, I wouldn’t want to drag you down, or something like that. My point, sorry, I do have one, is this time, Sam is not buying Dean saying he doesn’t mean what he said because he was being possessed. Man, I hope I’m making sense, I express myself better face to face! 😕
I really liked this episode. It had some of the old monster takes control themes as well as a lot of new info. Loved Garth-I think I will really like him in his new role as Bobby. Just please,please, don’t get killed. I think that Sam does want another life-that is what he hopes for- but obviously he still will not leave his brother alone out there. I wonder if that will change since Benny is there for Dean. Also, who was that shadow person watching Amelia’s house as Sam left AND in a new clip for next week epi, Cas is saying to Dean that he doesn’t remember what really happened. Does that concern Benny at all or is it only about Cas being left behind.?
I am really liking this season.
Just a funny moment that I hadn’t seen mentioned. Garth’s phone all had unique ringtones, Garth style and Dean muttered if I hear “Hammer Time”…at the very end as Garth was leaving one of his phones ring and the song? Hammer Time! I got a good giggle out of that.
Sorry, Sofia, but I am not a fan of Garth, and I am definitely not a fan of Garth becoming the ‘new’ Bobby.
That being said, I am enjoying season eight, even though I thought it was just a matter of time, before Amy was going to be bought up in comparison to Benny.
Dean needs to tell Sam, how Benny helped keep him alive during his year in Purgatory, and then Sam may appreciate Benny a little more, just like he was a fan of Cas at the beginning of season 4.
Can I bring up ‘Asylum’? Sam said some hateful things then, and Dean passed it off. I hate to say it, but Sam has done a lot of nasty things to Dean, that Dean has let slide by. Ruby, demon blood, being soulless (not really his fault, but he did keep away from Dean for a whole year), choking Dean in ‘When the Levee Breaks’, etc. So, if the worse thing that Dean did was kill a monster (Amy) and depend on another one (Benny) to stay alive until he could get back to Sam, then Dean, I believe, has nothing to be ashamed about.
As for Amelia, I don’t trust her. She just happens to be in the same town as Sam? In the same motel? Right. Sam, aside from Jessica, doesn’t have a good track record with girls that he happens to pick up. One minute she is leery of him and after a few drinks, she is hopping into bed with him?
As for the return of Cas, I have gotten tired of the character and think that it is time for the writers to decide what to do with him, either let him die or let him go up to Heaven and be gone. SPOILER ALERT: We also get the return of Kevin and his Mom. But without the tablet, what good is finding Kevin?
I just want to know the REAL reason that Sam ‘retired’ and didn’t look for Dean. And we still have a lot of season eight to go. I am pretty sure that we will have a lot more drama until we finally learn the whole truth, but I say ‘bring it’. 😆
I actually liked the way they used Garth as the ‘new Bobby,’ because I didn’t see it as Garth being the ‘new Bobby’ per se. I saw it as Garth filling a need within the hunter community, which he did, and is doing. Bobby was a crucial resource and coordinator for the network of hunters out in the field. Although its not an actual organization like the FBI, it has been made clear over the years that Bobby was the hunting world hub that other hunters could go to for advice, to have their fake ID’s confirmed or to find backup. When Bobby died (was needlessly killed off for dramatic purposes that have yet to find long term resonance in the greater scheme of the overall drama and… !%#!!&*@!) ahem.. pardon me. When Bobby died it was critical that the void left by his absence was filled and filled quickly. Someone had to do it, so why not Garth? He’s smart, resourceful, has worked with Bobby for years, (a really nice reference was picked up by Grace232 which implies that Garth has worked with Bobby as far back as season 5! nice catch!) he has an interesting and outside the box take on things and he doesn’t sweat the small stuff. Good on him, I say. Garth wasn’t wearing Bobby’s hat, saying idjit and balls to try and “Be” Bobby. As Dean noted (many, many, many times) Garth said the words wrong, as in unlike Bobby, wore the hat wrong as in unlike Bobby, said idjit wrong, as in unlike Bobby. But Garth was just being Garth and emulating a person that he admired. Dean finally came around to see that, and I hope that others can too.
I think that maybe Garth has been fleshed out some here because he’s on his way to becoming a more recurring character. Some may groan at this, but we need good recurring characters on this show and since SG killed off all of the other ones, we now need new ones and they must be fleshed out to make them believable and useful within the drama. For me, Garth is the unhunter; untroubled, unviolent, unneedy, uncomplicated and for me that is a refreshing and welcome change from the bucket loads of angst Sam and Dean carry around.
This situation was very different from Sex and Violence. In S&V, everyone remembered what they did, what they said and why the did it. None of the victims of the civil war ghost remembered being possessed. The hurts that were brought up while possessed were exaggerated, as well (seriously, 2nd grade?). While I believe that Dean spoke the truth while possessed, why is it that everyone, including Sam, seems to think he knew what he was doing? Was there a cut scene where everything was repeated to him? Because if not, I can see him thinking during that entire last scene – WTF is Sam going on about?
Also, another unpopular opinion. For the intents and purposes of this episode, I can totally see Benny being the better brother, and Dean believing it. This episode was about one person hurting another, and being held accountable (allbeit in a totally outsized, ghost-induced manner). As far as we know, Benny has never lied to or betrayed Dean. There is no hurt for the ghost to latch onto. Just as Garth was safe from Dean, because he never really hurt, lied to, or betrayed Dean, Benny is safe. And that makes him the better family member.
I can only hope that all this contrived and idiotic angst is going to have a payoff, that mature relationship Carver touts. But that relationship cannot be built on tearing Dean down in future, just to make Sam look good, which is how the show usually misdirects (instead of actually fixing the problems). I think Dean is at the point of letting Sam go instead of holding on. Sam needs to admit that he’s made bad choices, and start making good ones.
And please, no more “suck it up, princess” speeches aimed at Dean. That’s another trope that needs to be salted and burned.
I’m right there with you on this comment.
To add further, being called out when in 2nd grade and being upset about a date 37 years ago goes to the points I made in response to @ percysowner above, right along with Garth killing the tooth fairy. That kind of stuff is ridicuous and silly.
I enjoyed this episode far more than I thought I would. It’s up there as a favourite of the season. It was painful and not perfect but I found I was on the edge of my seat through the brother stuff and it was stuff I wanted to hear.
Garth surprised me this time around, I’d never much cared for the character before but he was written in a way that appealed to me in this episode, so I may have changed my opinion on him. Don’t want to see too much of him, but I won’t groan next time his name pops up in a synopsis!
The brothers still have a hell of a long way to go, but then we still have the bulk of the season ahead of us . I feel like this is a step in the right direction to finally get rid of some of this crap they’ve been carrying around.
But they really do need to fill in the gaps to their stories about their years for each other, neither has said basically anything and yet somehow they both feel like they’ve explained themselves.
Oh and the Amelia flashbacks, I totally forget to mention them in my review! I didn’t mind them. I have a better understanding of what brought Sam and Amelia together now, but they were placed weird, sort of shoehorned it and didn’t feel directly relevant to that episode. Certainly Ben and Guy have done the best work with the integration of the flashbacks.
Loved the episode. Yeah for Garth bringing some humour and lighter tone in this heavy episode. Loved your take. I’m in a quandary as to whether I want Garth to emulate Bobby. Good he stepped in to help other hunters BUT I WANT BOBBY BACK