Supernatural Hiatus Hunting 6.04: “Weekend at Bobby’s”

Ardeospina not only wrote reviews, like this gorgeous visual review of “Weekend at Bobby’s”. She was also an editor for The Winchester Family Business. She is one of the reasons Winchester Family Business is such a wonderful site.

It’s time for the visual review of “Weekend at Bobby’s”, directed by none other than Jensen Ackles!  And if you didn’t already know that, you were probably locked in Bobby’s panic room for the last 8 months.  This episode wasn’t very noir, nothing super duper fancy or stylized, and that worked perfectly for this episode because it’s Bobby, you know?  This guy is crotchety and rumpled and plain, so flashy direction would have felt out of place, I think.  This needed to feel lived-in and familiar.  That’s not to say there wasn’t a lot of cool stuff to look at, though.
 
1.


 
U.V. light Devil’s Trap?  Hell yeah!  Nice one, Bobby.  And this is a great choice of angle, the slight overhead view, like we’re an Okami on the ceiling looking down at the action.  I also like all the other things that are being lit up in the room right now, those papers or whatever they are next to Bobby.  It’s a creepy color that you don’t see often, that pale electric blue.
 
2.


 
This is a nice view of Bobby just doing his thing, researching the night away. He’s going to ruin his eyes, though.  There’s no light for him to see by!
 
3.


 
I really liked this convention with the clock clicking over to show the time passing.  I think doing it with a clock on the wall with hands spinning around would have been sort of conventional and maybe cliche.  But this way, with this old school Bobby clock, felt more fresh.
 
4.


 
“Basic Instinct”, Supernatural style.  That crossroads demon is saucy, isn’ she?  She’s just sitting there all calm amongst the clutter in Bobby’s basement.  Those crossroads demons are nothing if not stylish.  Which makes sense, considering their boss used to be a tailor.
 
5.


 
I have a fondness for these extreme POV shots, like through a peep hole or window or whatnot.  It’s fun sometimes to see exactly what the character is seeing.  Plus, look how cute Marcy is with her peach ginger cobbler and crush on Bobby.
 
6.


 
Does anyone else love seeing the grounds of Bobby’s place as much as I do?  I just want to explore that place!  It looks like there would be hidden treasures all over.  And if you look closely, the sign says “self service salvage yard”.  Yeah, right.  I wonder how many people he lets just wander around in there?
 
7.


 
This is the second flamethrower of the episode, but I like this one better because it’s super makeshift.  A gas line from a stove? Awesome!!  Of course, being the director of the episode, Jensen was probably like, “I’m going to make myself look like a total badass SOMEWHERE in this damn episode”. Also, one of the cereals in the background is called “Flocons”.  What the…are Flocons?

8.


 
I really, really like this shot of Sheriff Mills.  She’s just peeking out the window here, and it’s really plain and simple.  But the door is weathered and the glass in the door is dirty, and it feels like a real home instead of a fake TV house that’s always perfectly clean and beautiful.
 
9.


 
This was awesome.  It had a real “Carrie” vibe to it with all the blood sprayed all over her.  I just love the look on her face, too.  She’s not quite sure what to make of things.  I hope she gets over the ick factor and starts hitting on Bobby again because he could deserves a girlfriend, don’t you think?  And Marcy seems spunky, and maybe now that she knows there are creatures out there, she can come to grips with it and help him!
 
10.


 
After a while, Bobby’s basement is just a basement, so using things like a shot through a grate is a good way to create some interest in a scene.  So I approve!  Good choice, Jensen.  And there are yet more candles lit in the background.  Bobby has had so many candles lit this episode.  His candle budget must be huge.
 
11.


 
This shot really emphasizes the height difference between Crowley and the boys and makes Crowley seem small and insignificant.  And that’s probably exactly how Crowley feels at this moment.  He’s got to be completely humiliated by what’s happened to him, with Bobby finding out his secret, his son giving up the location of his bones, having to give Bobby’s soul back, and the boys almost burning him up.  But now that he’s no longer linked to them and doesn’t have Bobby’s soul as leverage, I am very curious to see how Crowley will interact with these three.
 
12.


 
I love cemeteries.  They’re so moody and atmospheric and peaceful and gorgeous.  And this one is no different.  It’s so pretty!  And I don’t even care if that stone wall is fake.  I love a good stone wall.
 
13.


 
Speaking of moody and atmospheric and gorgeous, look at this shot!  Vancouver is really doing a great job of being Scotland, isn’t it?  Or maybe the CGI team is doing a good job of making Vancouver look like Scotland.  Either way, it looks good.
 
14.


 
Oh, Bobby.  You’re never going to be able to just sit down and enjoy your cobbler, are you?  He looks so forlorn here, like even he doesn’t believe he’s actually going to get that fork up to his mouth.  Which he doesn’t, of course.
 
So there we have it.  Jensen did a great job, don’ you think?  It definitely did not feel like a first-time director helmed this episode.  What did you guys like about this episode?