Ramblings On…Supernatural Episode 8×09: “Citizen Fang”
Wednesday night the mid season finale aired and quite a bit is out in the open! After seeing how civil the brothers have been to each other the last couple of episodes, we see a bit of that eruption we have been expecting!
Daniel Loflin wrote this one alone. Andrew Dabb wrote Hunteri Heroici. Since they’ve been writing SPN forever, I suppose it was time for them to get to write their own episodes. I did thoroughly enjoy the script on this one–although I was a little disappointed in both brothers for their underhanded trickiness. The episode was directed by Nick Copus, who has directed quite a few episodes of Nikita and the SyFy Original Series Alphas.
Unbeknownst to Dean, Sam decided to have Benny tailed. He put Martin Creaser, the hunter turned psych ward patient (“Sam, Interrupted”), now out, on the case with explicit instructions to only watch and report. Sam gets a call from Martin–Benny is up to no good. Dean is dubious, but agrees that if Benny has gone back to live kill, they should look into it. After hearing Martin’s side of events, Dean is not convinced and asks to do his own investigation. Sam gives Dean a couple hours to do so. Dean comes back with news that there is a rogue vampire in the area that is doing the killing. Sam is now unconvinced that his brother is seeing what is really going on, but Martin is just plain livid…
And on to the analysis…
I think one of the things I always wonder about is why certain characters are brought back. Some appear to be because the fans just loved the characters so much. This was not one of those characters. At least not in my opinion. Martin Creaser was a hunter that was inpatient in the psych ward in “Sam, Interrupted”. He showed us that this job as a hunter really was a mind frak and that if you didn’t get killed, you went crazy instead. He has since been let out. Sam, feeling sorry for him, decided to give him work–or at least that is the way Sam phrased it…I think that because Martin had been inpatient, and had shown himself to be fairly fragile when they met with him, Sam felt that he had some level of control over Martin. If he told Martin to only observe and report, Martin would only observe and report.
I’m not saying that Sam was being controlling–actually it would make sense for Sam to use someone that he felt would be obligated to do what he wanted him to do and wouldn’t think too much for himself. After all, Sam is sticking someone on the one person who helped Dean get out of Purgatory. Dean trusts Benny, and for what that’s worth (in Sam’s opinion), I’m sure Sam on some level wants to give Benny the benefit of the doubt. I think Sam knows that if he told any other hunter about Benny he/she would just go down to Louisiana and try to kill him. The fact that he was a vampire would be enough to warrant death in the eyes of most hunters.
Because of this, even though a part of me is screaming “How could Sam have given Martin any responsibility at all!” and that “He must have known Martin would botch things up!”, most of me knows that Sam, being Sam would want to make sure that Dean isn’t allowing himself to be swayed. Sam remembers how badly it turned out when he trusted a demon (see Season Four, with particularly evil end in “Lucifer Rising”).
One thing that I think was important about using another hunter in this episode is that it makes us focus on how different Sam and Dean really are from “typical hunters”. Not that all hunters are Martin crazy, but his craziness pretty much just makes him blab out what he is thinking as if he has no internal monologue. All hunters have their unique flare, some more interesting than others, but I think what we are supposed to see here is that even though Martin is overly, well, crazy about his convictions, his thoughts are probably not that far off from what the run of the mill hunter would think in a similar situation.
Another thing about Martin–as crazy as Martin was, I think that Sam was right in that Martin probably was the most easily controlled hunter Sam could have used. If Sam hadn’t hopped in the car and left Martin alone, I really don’t think things would have turned out as they did.
Which leads me to Dean’s shenanigans…When Sam went to the actual text and called from there and got Dean, my jaw dropped a little. I knew it was a set up and that Sam was going to go all the way to Amelia’s and find out she didn’t call him, but I didn’t really expect Dean to have been the one to orchestrate that. I’ll admit I was turned on by Dean’s resourcefulness. O.K., when am I NOT turned on by Dean? But you have to admit that whole phone thing was quite ingenious. Chances are the thought didn’t even cross Sam’s mind that Dean could do that…even though Dean has shown himself to be quite intelligent (see the home made EMF Detector in “Phantom Traveler” for example). Dean said that was the only way he could get Sam to back off. Meaning, he knew Sam well enough to know that if Amelia needed him, Sam would come running.
I found Sam’s comment on how Dean knew she was going to be fine interesting. Dean said no, he didn’t. Meaning he has not been checking in on Amelia or had anyone else check on her. Sam seemed to assume that Dean had checked into Amelia and would know how Amelia was probably because he had checked into Benny.
I wonder the can of worms that has now been opened. The episode ended with Amelia going to the bar because she heard Sam outside. Does Amelia want Sam back? Does she want to tell him that she’s happy with Don?
But back to the brothers, because these things have really shown that right now, they are not on the same page. We saw clearly in this episode that what Dean said under avenging ghost control was just a more harsh version of how he really felt. Sam seemed hurt by the fact that Dean said that Benny is the only person who has never let him down. Sam’s “Well, good on you Dean, to finally find someone you can trust after all these years.” was so bitter. Particularly harsh was the idea that Dean said what he said about Benny being the only one to never let him down it in front of someone NOT his brother. Martin saw a rift between them, with Dean trusting a monster over his own brother. Martin’s crazy speak really could represent Sam’s own subconscious feelings on this. That sure, he’s done wrong, but Benny is a monster who has killed countless people and was finally put down. Dean had to do what he had to do when he was in Purgatory, but being home now, he should be back to “monster bad, waitress pretty”. With the exception of having Benny tailed, I was actually surprised about how understanding Sam seemed to be. He really was tiptoeing lightly around the Benny thing. It seems to me like he probably was hoping that Martin wouldn’t find anything. If Sam had REALLY wanted to take out Benny, wouldn’t have have lied to Dean and gone and met Martin by himself in Louisiana and not told Dean about it?
But Sam up and leaving Martin was irresponsible. He just totally ditched him and took off. Amelia would know texting Sam isn’t like texting someone down the street to come over! According to Mapquest, Kermit is practically in New Mexico…so the OTHER SIDE of Texas from Louisiana. It would take him hours to get there. And Amelia wouldn’t have had any way of knowing he was even about ten hours away. He could have been in Massachusetts or Oregon for all she knew. Sam was just so blinded though, he wasn’t thinking straight. Because Martin was left alone, Martin went and did something stupid, and then used a human as bait. That was harsh, and he totally got what he deserved, but now we have the stress of Sam hanging up on Dean! He only knows that Martin is dead. I wonder if Sam blames himself for Martin’s death (for bringing Martin in and then ditching him), or if he has deflected some of that blame on Dean for knowing him (Sam) well enough to know the text scheme would work and for doing it to get him out of the way. Likewise with Dean, I wonder if he has looked past the fact that Martin did something horrible and got what he deserved, and feels he has some culpability in this, or if he blames Sam for bringing in Martin.
Since Dean called Martin to tell him it was finished, my guess is he didn’t think that Sam would have hauled Martin in the car and taken him with. Dean took Martin at his word that he was long gone? Dean, you didn’t sense that lying liar that lies edge to Martin’s voice?
Side note on Martin…Did anyone else find it slightly odd that he would know about Occam’s razor? The wiki definition states: “It is a principle stating that among competing hypotheses, the one that makes the fewest assumptions should be selected.” As odd as I thought it was to hear Martin mention it, the situation, and Dean’s unwillingness to utilize it, reminded me of Mulder. Well, it wasn’t an episode Mulder was in, but in X-Files 8×04 episode entitled “Patience” this exchange took place:
Doggett: The more basic answer is what we’re dealing with here is simply a man. A psychotic killer with a deformed foot. You’re familiar with the principle of Occam’s Razor?
Scully: Yeah. You take every possible explanation and you choose the simplest one. Agent Mulder used to refer to it as “Occam’s Principle of Limited Imagination”.
In many ways, Sam seems the Scully, think too much, feels fighting someone else’s quest personality. Dean has more of the Mulder, focused, obsessive, driven personality. Here again, we have Dean NOT utilizing Occam’s Razor principle.
And now, it’s time for a theory…After the last episode, I was a little concerned that maybe Sam’s year was in his head, but not any more. I’m fairly confident that Amelia is flesh and blood…but I do still have a theory about stuff though…I am wondering if the angels resurrected Don to get the band back together after Dean escaped Purgatory. I’m not sure about motivations on that…maybe that Dean is the wild card they worried about. Maybe that they never could control Dean. Maybe Sam did something unexpected in going to a normal life and once Dean got out, they had a way to get Sam hunting again so they just made it so he didn’t have a reason to stay with Amelia. There is always the possibility that the angels still want to bring about the end of days and need both Winchesters to do it…I just feel that Don being found and then Sam leaving right then and BAM, Dean’s up at the cabin (now Jim’s comment that Sam didn’t know Dean was going to be up there seems like it might actually make sense) just the whole thing feels wayyyy too coincidental. My freshman year English Composition professor used to say “If you believe in coincidences, you’re just not paying attention.”
I haven’t really mentioned Benny, but I am so glad it wasn’t his body dead on the floor of the gumbo shack. Or what would you call a dead vampire? Would one find a vampire’s body re-dead? Anyhoo, glad that didn’t happen. I’m really digging Benny so far. Ty is easy on the eyes and Benny is likeable. Which of course will just rip out our guts when they have him go all evil undead on us…something I’m hoping doesn’t happen, but I am wondering if there is going to be some backlash from what happened with Martin. Dean told Benny he is going to have to go deep, so I don’t necessarily mean hunters. I’m just thinking about if he had fresh human blood again–if he had some of Martin’s blood–will he be able to go back to blood bank blood, or will he now find that unsatisfying? Will Sam and Dean have to take him out?
Also interesting to note that after all the fanfare of Citizen Kane’s final word at his death, and journalists failing to find out just what “Rosebud” alluded to, the audience learns at the end it was the name of his childhood sled. The sled represented the only time in his life he was truly happy (or so theory holds per wikipedia). Benny, as Citizen Fang has come back to his roots in an attempt to find happiness again.
So…now what about Sam and Dean? It looks from the promo like they’re apart again! Not surprising with the way Sam ended the call. Cas to the rescue on this! Will we finally find out some of Captain Carter…erm, Naomi’s end game? We know she is dangling these “meetings” as a way for Cas to get back into Heaven, but what is she doing with this information. What is she planning? What is she looking for? Who is she looking for? Metatron? Is she Metatron?
What I have found very interesting about this season is that it seems pretty clear that there is a definite plan at work regarding what is going on, but it seems like just when you hope to fit in a little piece, you find out that the puzzle is much larger than you thought it was!
A side observation–one of my friends who watches SPN pointed out Dean’s drawl in the gumbo shack talking to Elizabeth! I didn’t even notice, but she texted me about it. My comment–“Was Jensen’s Texas showing?”
I have a fascination with CCR, so it was cool hearing “Born on a Bayou”! We also heard “Feel Alright” by Steve Earle in the episode. Dean listened to some country while in the car.
We don’t get a new episode until mid January, but that shouldn’t stop us from theorizing the crazy out of this! Let me know what your thoughts are on this episode and the first half of the season!
Screencaps from http://homeofthenutty.com/supernatural/screencaps
Nice ramble, Nicole! 🙂 There have been many great reviews done of this episode so far, but you have managed to pick up something I haven’t read elsewhere. The reason Sam chose Martin to keep an eye on Benny – great pickup on the necessity to have someone “controllable” in this instance (anyone else in the ‘business’ would certainly be gunning for Benny’s head). I too was very glad Benny survived this episode – I love the interactions he and Dean have (both actors bring their A game to their scenes) and I can’t wait to see him hopefully later this season. I have watched the episode 3 times so far, but will definitely go back to check on JA’s drawl in the diner scene. Love it when it slips out! Hoping like crazy that Cass’ intervention in the next episode will bring the boys back together, even a little, but I am hanging out for the big ‘let-it-all-out’ convo and massive hugging session that follows! What?! A girl can dream…. 😉
I’m starting to see Benny and Sam as similar. Why? They both want a normal life, to be left alone. Benny went back to Carencro to his old homeland and to find family, something he had long ago. Sam found a woman and domestic bliss, something he had long ago with Jess. Maybe that’s the Rosebud, the thing he found…simplicity.
OOOH, nice. I like this analogy alysha. I think the “I found something that I never had” comment that has upset Dean so much is actually about Sam finding peace of mind and a life totally separated from supernatural elements. When he’s with Amelia he seems quiet and calm, and she seems the same. It’s not a passionate, burning connection, is a deep, still satisfied connection that they have. Sam is correct, he never has had that type of peace in his entire life, not even with Jess as that was a demon filled manipulation.
[url]Great review Nicole!
I think Sam trusted Martin was like looking for enough evidence to waste Benny. He wanted Dean to be wrong about Benny. He didn’t want to listen to Dean. Dean knew in his mind that Benny didn’t do it, but he would investigate it like any other case.
Martin was a poor choice of ‘partner’ and I think Martin was a plot device. So is Amelia. While I am not a fan of Martin, I think he was good as a plot device in this episode and I am glad Benny won!
Perhaps it was meant to be for Sam to see Don and Amelia together happy. I think he was pissed because he knew that this was the life he could never have! Dean accepted this a long time ago when he told Lisa in season three and when she and Ben were in danger, Dean had to walk away because he was putting them in danger.
Does Sam see this?
Anyway. I can’t see the Sam and Amelia storyarc will advance further. It’s a matter of seeing how he will continue to deal with his mindset — Sam never wanted hunting to be his life.
“If you believe in coincidences, you’re just not paying attention.” GREAT STUFF! I love your theory. After all, this IS Supernatural.
Also, I think even if Dean was to check in on Amelia, this is not wrong, because he is a hunter and if he is smart he will do that just to make she is not another Ruby. As for Sam, it was not wrong either to keep an eye on Benny. But boy! Am I glad Benny is still alive! I think this is another great episode about Benny and his character.
Oh.. and I think Naomi is Metatron. I think she will possess Cas in the next episode. That’s my crackpot theory!
Tiny
xoxo
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Actually yes I would like Dean to be wrong over Benny then there might be some sembalance of balance in the brothers relationship and less vitrol from Dean towards Sam.
And Dean might realize that you can trust a ‘monster’ in certain circumstances and be wrong.
As for Amelia I would like Dean to meet her and least then he can actually put a face to the woman his brother grew to love and then maybe he might realize that she isnt just a cruel text message. But I dont think that will happen as I dont think the writers will think it is important for Dean to meet her.
Sam cant have the life he wants and needs IMO because the show is about hunters and Sam’s desire doesnt fit in .So Sam will lose regardless of what happens and that is the sad reality of his life.
And on a side note and it is just a small quibble but can the writers remember Sam suffered in that cage and please dont give him lines like’ I might go to hell for this’ I winced at that one.
I agree, Sharon, about the text message. I just can’t get over Dean doing something so cruel, especially after what he went through with Lisa and Ben. When Sam told Dean Amelia’s full name, he was trying to make her real to Dean, and trying to show Dean that she was someone he cared about. And then Dean used it against him – even planned it in advance to use when he needed to get Sam out of the way.
I am sad when I hear people say it was resourceful, or smart. It was just cruel, even worse than what Dean said to Sam about Benny being the only person who had never let him down.
It was an action that I think is unworthy of the Dean I know.
[quote]
Sam cant have the life he wants and needs IMO because the show is about hunters and Sam’s desire doesnt fit in .So Sam will lose regardless of what happens and that is the sad reality of his life.[/quote]
That is the sad reality, I’m afraid. Sam can never have what he wants. The true reluctant hero.
Sam and Amelia are comfortable, and safe together … like an old married couple rather than young people in the throws of a new relationship… but I understand why that is exactly what Sam needed. Comfort, companionship, safety, home….. Would Dean see that? I’m not sure it would really help for him to meet her. He needs Sam to tell him. (like that’ll ever happen. 😉 )
Unfortunately, in my opinion, there’s been too many romanticized flashbacks if there isn’t anything more to it than that. I think that point could’ve been made much more simply and quickly. We got it years ago…. Romance/normal doesn’t fit in to Supernatural (at least not for the heroes), and they’d come to terms with that several times. I think writers will have spent way too much time developing it this season, if it’s simply the tragic failed relationship it’s been shown to date.
[quote]
And on a side note and it is just a small quibble but can the writers remember Sam suffered in that cage and please dont give him lines like’ I might go to hell for this’ I winced at that one.[/quote]
Yes. I didn’t like that one, either. Much too flippant for what he’s been through.
It seems that the writers are – so far – ignoring that stint, and the result of it. Why no comments – even throw away lines – that show they’ve remembered how the cage has effected Sam?
In all his rants, I don’t think Dean has yet thrown out that he had to worry whether Sam had his back, or was going to have another psychotic break. I should think that would’ve been fairly high up in the list of supposed “betrayals” the spectre latched onto and augmented – It would’ve made more sense to me than that Dean felt betrayed by Sam being Soulless.
I couldn’t agree more that the fact that they are totally ignoring Sam’s stint in the cage is bugging the heck out of me. That said, I understand why Dean considers Soulless!Sam a betrayal and insane Sam not. Dean has always felt like Sam’s caretaker. One of the big issues between Sam and Dean is Sam wanting to be independent and make his own decisions, while Dean still feels like a caretaker and wants his word to be law the way John’s was. He’s gotten better about it over the years, but Dean still has that trait of being the older brother who knows best. Insane Sam needed Dean’s caretaking. Since neither of them know if or when Sam was going to break, Sam relied on Dean’s decisions. He caved pretty easily on Dean killing Amy for example. But Soulless!Sam didn’t need anyone, especially Dean. He made his own decisions, did what he wanted and didn’t think he needed to consult with Dean a lot. Plus insane Sam showed that he loved, cared for and was concerned for Dean. He bought him the giant slinky, he rushed to save him from Emma. Soulless!Sam let Dean get turned into a vampire and really didn’t love Dean because he didn’t love anyone. Soulless!Sam was the epitome of what Dean doesn’t want Sam to be. Insane Sam was not.
Interesting take, percysowner.
I assumed it fit, because they seemed to be showing all kinds of things that were not Sam’s fault as being betrayals/choices… and Sam DID choose to take on Lucifer, and therefore he ‘chose’ the crazies. LOL
So Dean can forgive Sam’s psychotic breaks because that situation reinforced his need for Dean.
Soullessness emphasized his independence, and therefore lack of need.
Then the idea of betrayal all boils down to times when Sam didn’t need or want Dean’s protection and leadership. I can see that, I guess.
But that suggests Dean’s true weakness is not Sam himself -(as they keep saying, their weakness is each other) – but the need to be needed, with Sam being the designated inferior in the relationship, doesn’t it? Ouch. I don’t actually think it goes that far. That’s an incredible oversimplification of their relationship, isn’t it? I hope?
Probably off topic here, and should take this to another thread?
Sorry Nicole! I appreciate your review, it just led to other thoughts!
I’ll respond in the Sam thread, once I find it again (I need to bookmark some of these threads).
Taking it to [url]https://www.thewinchesterfamilybusiness.com/archive-articles/89-lets-discuss/17494-lets-discuss-whats-happening-to-sam-winchester.html[/url]
That’s ok. I’m glad that my ponderings can spark thought and debate. Thanks for reading! Probably further discussion on the treatment of Sam beyond this ep should go to one of the wonderful new discussion boards Alice set up. As a Dean girl, it is always interesting to see how Sam girls feel about things. Makes one think! Hope Sam girls can take the same from a Dean girl’s perspective ;D.
Thanks, Nicole, and sorry again.
Would love to hear from a professed Dean-girl on the above, too. I just don’t believe it boils down to that extreme, but it seems to be one possible interpretation. I wonder what the writers actually intended to say, and where they’re taking this?
Hi st50- Can I add my 2 cents? I read percysowners remarks on the other thread and thought were very insightful and thought out. The idea of Sam being the designated inferior doesn’t really ring right to me. I agree it is an oversimplification. He is the younger brother and Dean, has in one way or another, been making decisions and watching over Sam most of his life. This is a very hard dynamic to break. Dean has tried to let Sam grow up make his own choices but he falls back into old ingrained habits. I do not think Dean sees Sam as the ” designated inferior” of their partnership just his little brother who has always followed Dean’s lead. Dean has a hard time adjusting to adult Sam and seeing him as a equal partner. It is what defined Dean for so long and what his other purpose was besides hunting My feeling is that, even though Dean needs to be needed, if scratch the surface far enough Dean wants his brother to have some happiness. Sorry I got carried away! That was more like 22 cents.
Thanks Leah. Added to comments on the other thread, this helps clear my mind. 🙂
Soulless Sam still chose to hunt with Dean
Yes, but not for a year and he didn’t defer to Dean the way Sam usually did. I do go into greater detail on the Sam thread that I linked to below.
Sorry I don’t know how to do the quote box, so here goes. [b][i]And on a side note and it is just a small quibble but can the writers remember Sam suffered in that cage and please dont give him lines like’ I might go to hell for this’ I winced at that one.[/i][/b] I so totally agree with you on this one. I don’t think Sam OR Dean would ever use that expression so lightly in any sentence.
Well actually Dean did. In the episode when he went back to the past and was spying on his mother:
Mom’s a babe!
I’m going to hell.
Again.
Yes, but in that one it was played for laughs. He said, I’m going to Hell…again. But, yes, you’re right, I had forgotten that Dean said it. Oh boys, not even in jest should you say those words, because in the Winchester world, it might actually come true!
When you type a reply there are a series of icons over the box you type in. One (next to the eye and before the 1,2,3 icon) looks like a quotations mark. Copy the text you want to quote, click the quotation mark and paste it into the box that pops up. Hope that helps.
Yes, thank you, I will definitely give that a try. You think working on a computer all day I would actually be able to figure it out for myself, but no. 😀
Nice review Nicole thank you!
I liked what you said about showing Martin vs Sam & Dean and the difference in their attitudes. Martin, of course, was bat shit crazy, but still…there is definitely a very different approach between Sam & Dean and regular hunters and I think that’s because no other hunter has gone through what Sam and Dean have gone through.
I think everyone in this episode felt justified in their actions. I think they all felt they were doing the right thing for the right reasons.
It was all very sad, but I really liked it…yeah I don’t know what that says about me! I dug this episode, it was engrossing and thought provoking and emotionally scarring! But I like those Supernatural emotional scars!
Oh and I love Benny…I’m so glad he didn’t die…and I kind of what to cuddle him! 😀
Thanks Nicole, I enjoyed your take on the episode. I like your theory about why Sam chose Martin, because he knew he would probably be able to exact some control over him. Well, up to the moment he ditched him in the woods that is. 😆 I’ll give you my take on his choice. I saw it as Sam wanting to give someone who’d been considered looney a chance at some hunter redemption. Like maybe Sam could relate, what with the whole having hallucinated Lucifer to the brink of total lunacy. Maybe it was a bit of both!
But, oh, the heartbreak of the brother bond. 😥 Right now that bond is pretty much nonexistent, and Dean sure didn’t help with that fake 911 from Amelia. He certainly played with Sam’s fear on that one, knowing full well that Sam would run to Amelia in a heartbeat. I think if Sam had ever used Lisa or Ben in that way, Dean would have given him the worse beating of his life, well maybe not as bad as the one he doled out in “You Can’t Handle the Truth”, but you get my drift.
I agree with you that there are far too many coincidences going on. Sam breaks up with Amelia just in time to meet dean at the cabin? And who was the watcher outside the house when Sam left?
I’m not taking sides in the debate about who is being a bigger d**che,? Sam or Dean? As someone with very loud and vocal siblings, I’ve found tha all siblings on both sides of an arguement act foolish and Sam and Dean are no different in that regard.
They really need a third party to sit them on their a***es and finally hash this mess out. I thought it would be Garth, but we are apparently going to have to do this the hard way and watch a lot of fighting between the two guys first. I understand why the writers are doing this. It’s what’s called “growing pains”. Sometimes you have to redefine your relationship with a person and sometimes that’s painful and sometimes you can’t reach an accord. We know the guys will reach one, but don’t know what shape it will take.
Also I’ve seen on a few threads that everyone assumes that Benny is the one who killed Martin. I’m still hopeful that he didn’t and think it will make a far more intersting story to find that Elizabeth was the one who killed Martin. I’d also love to know if and what was said between her and Benny before he left.