RearView Review: Supernatural 10.03 “Soul Survivor”

  THEME

~FLASHBACK ~
 ~ purgatorious montage of recognizable memories
showcasing Dean, sleazy bars, and foosball~

Hell
A lying, bootlicking demon offers to replace Dean as Crowley’s wingman.
Crowley vaporizes him with a snap.



Lost in front of a derelict Drive-in, Hannah tells Castiel to stop avoiding the obvious solution.  
Castiel refuses to kill another angel and he won’t go begging from Metatron.
(That ground has been well covered.)
Hannah says she isn’t enough to return the angels.
Castiel remarks, “Sometimes enough is whatever you have.”
Hannah makes a feeble move on Castiel, but he’s saved by a ringtone.
It’s Sam with old bad news: Dean’s in pain and may die.
Castiel counsels Sam to keep on keeping on.
Sam informs Castiel that, “uh … I’ll leave the entry unlocked for you.”
Deteriorated, Castiel must have to open doors manually…

Bunker
Demon Dean is resting; so, Sam slaps him across the face.
(TWEET: Jared Padalecki:  My favorite part was slapping the director in the face and purposely messing up so I could keep doing it 🙂 )
(TWEET: Jensen Ackles: @jarpad yeah thanks for that. Took me a few takes to realize what you were doing.
Well played sir, well played. #Revenge #ActionAckles)

Demon Dean drowns in “sweat while his blood boils”.
He thinks Sam should stop because human Dean has been M.I.A. for some time and
besides, he’s a better “lean mean Dean.”
Demon Dean uses Dean’s memory to insult Sam saying he was sick of saving whining Sam
and that he tried to get as far away from him as possible.
He delivers a brutal shot,
“Maybe it was the fact that my mother would still be alive if it wasn’t for you.
That your very existence sucked the life out of my life!”
(By being a helpless baby, Sam killed his mom. Literally.)
Sam refuses to believe Dean thinks that.
Demon Dean attacks Sam’s masculinity.
Sam’s never had a brother only an “excuse for not manning up”. 
Demon Dean “quits.”
Sam says the Winchesters don’t quit and he bets Dean wouldn’t say that to dad.
(They have regressed to junior high hell.) 
Demon Dean doesn’t like John Winchester.
“There’s a man who brainwashed us into wasting our lives fighting his losing battle!”
(Well, Dean, you may not be related anyway.)
Sam “mans up” and dispenses another shot.

Hell
An Abaddon supporter is executed.
“Next!” They are interrupted by a crazed demon. “Stop!”
This demon is tired of Crowley’s “slap in the face rewards” and botched attempts to be human. For an added insult (in another junior high hell) the demon becomes homophobic calling Dean, Crowley’s “boy toy” and then he self immolates.
Crowley, like all of us, “Did not see that coming.”
(Or, more importantly, why it came.) 

On the Road
Castiel uncharacteristically uses metaphors telling Hannah to focus and forget hitting on him.
(TWEET: Osric: This is the exact same conversation I had with @mishacollins in the kayak on Sunday…
Except I was Castiel and he was Hannah)
Hannah, laser focussed, proceeds to the Gas n’ Sip.
(Is it just me or does anyone else want those ugly cropped pants to be immolated?)

A tipped coffee cup tips Hannah off to look behind the counter,
revealing the burnt out eyes of an angel kill.
Too late, Hannah realizes Adina (Jud Tylor) is behind her seething with vengeance for Daniel’s death. 
“You Killed Him!” she yells as Castiel enters.
Adina slams Hannah into a shelf of popcorn and
some Good Sense boxes hit her on the head.

She takes her time recovering. Castiel draws his angel blade to Adina’s
sneering amazement.
“Seriously?”
Adina inquires before punching him.
Castiel wants her to kill him instead of
Hannah, and Hannah wants her to stop.
“‘Stop.’‘Kill me.’ I mean, so many suggestions, I don’t know what to do.”
But she’s lying,
she knows what to do. “I know—I will kill
you, Castiel. But very, very slowly so your honey bunch can watch.”
Adina kicks Castiel through the glass door.
Hannah, still down, curiously watches as Adina beats Castiel.
(PerhapsHannah’s harboring some resentment for his ‘hands
off’ policy.

Bunker
In Dean’s bedroom Sam takes a nostalgic look at personal belongings:
Porn magazines, notepad, and a well preserved piece of pie.
(TWEET: Misha Collins: go for the porn, @jarpad)
The shots  bring memories reminding Sam what he’s fighting for.

On the Road
Castiel wakes to see a blurry Crowley. “Hey, champ. Look at you. Talk about roadkill.”

(TWEET: Jared Pad.: Poor Castiel. There’s probably NOTHING worse than seeing
@Mark Sheppard right when you wake up!!!! #nightmare)
(TWEET: Misha Collins: Actually, there is something worse, having
@Mark Sheppard be the last thing you see as you drift to sleep. #sleepingwiththedevil)



Bunker
Demon Dean is free. Time for some hide and seek.

On the Road
Adina torments Hannah. Crowley intrudes, slits Adina’s throat, and collects her essence.

Bunker
Sam searches for Dean and finds keys; Dean searches for Sam and finds a claw hammer.

On the Road

Crowley gives Castiel Adina’s essence.
He explains why. “Having him as a demon has caused me nothing but grief.
Fix the problem.”
Trail of logic: Executing treasonous demons + memory montage of Demon Dean + self-immolation = Kill demon/Save Dean???

Bunker
Sam locks the bunker down.
(I thought he was leaving it open for Castiel.)
Demon Dean hollers, “All that blood you pumped into me to make me human…
Well. The less demon I was, the less the cuffs worked. And that Devil’s Trap?
Well, I just walked right across it.”
(Too bad Crowley didn’t know this.)
Demon Dean flips the power back on, reopening the door for Castiel.
Sam slams the door locking him in the Control Room.
Demon Dean, undeterred with his hammer,
sledges in the door like some raging lunatic named Johnny.

The Hammer Conundrum: The original script called for an axe.
Jensen went with the claw hammer.
It’s a brilliant choice because bludgeoning someone to death with a hammer requires a lengthy commitment,
something a demon would enjoy.  His opponent had only one arm; there was no need to rush, or be merciful.
In Episode 02, Cole used a ball peen hammer to torture Sam. Clearly no one read the script for Episode 02.
This episode was filmed first, and this hiccup went unnoticed resulting in Hammer Time in back to back episodes.
(TWEETS:
Misha Collins: Hey @JensenAckles, weird choice to be using a hammer to go after @jarpad.
Couldn’t you have used a knife or something menacing instead?
Jensen Ackles: @mishacollins I agree. Hammer was a odd choice. Or was it? #AwesomeChoice
Misha Collins: ‏ @JensenAckles I know you’re new to twitter, but you still have to spell check.
                           You misspelled your hashtag. You meant, “#awkwardchoice.”
Jim Michaels: It was the director’s choice… Oh wait…
Robbie Thompson: I think you both meant: #supernatural)

Sam runs while Demon Dean follows at a leisurely pace.
“Come on, Sammy! Let’s have a beer, talk about it. I’m tired of playing.”
Sam ducks just as a hammer blow slams into the wall.
Sam presses his knife against his throat.
“Do it!” Demon Dean echoes Cole, who must have made an impression on him.
Sam hesitates and then drops the knife. Demon Dean’s eyes “SNICK” to gloat. 
He roars in rage when Castiel, ignoring the open bunker door, appears behind him, and grips him tight.
(Sweet blue eyes!)

Back in the dungeon, Castiel notes it’s easier to be a demon than a human.
“Only humans can feel real joy, but … also such profound pain.”
Being a demon is easier.
(Sure, tell that to Dar.)
Dean transitions. Sam splashes him with Holy Water.
(Yup, not a demon.)
Dean blinks, “You look worried, fellas.”
Later, in the library, Castiel reminds Sam of the Mark of Cain,
but Sam only wants to grab his “brother some cholesterol. And then…get drunk.”
Castiel visits Dean in his room and tells him he looks terrible.
Dean says “You know, it wouldn’t kill you to lie every now and again.”
But, Castiel is done with lame lies.
He has long story to tell but there’s a “female outsidein the car.” 
(?)
Dean asks Castiel if he thinks Sam wants a divorce. Castiel assures him that they are forever brothers.
Castiel advises Dean to heal while all is quiet.

Foreshadowing
In a hotel in Tulsa, Oklahoma, a beautiful redhead flicks a blood drop from her arm.
Two hotel staff are nailed to ceiling above her.

~The Script~

Handcuffed by the decision to jump the backstory the writers delivered it piece
by pea sized piece via flashbacks.
The flashbacks were repetitive and character recaps superfluous.
The writers underestimated the intelligence of the Metas and the entire audience.
The script ticked necessary boxes:
– provide flashback backstory √;
– get rid of the Demon in Dean, even though everyone wanted to see more √;
– give some power back to Castiel √.
However, it was done in an unimaginative and illogical manner that broke canon rules and featured repetitive dialogue and juvenile insults.
The brutal exchange of “ shots ” between the brothers, the interwoven lamelies and memories rescued the script from complete immolation;
but, the cast and crew saved it.

Directing/ Cinematography (Jensen Ackles/ Serge Ladouceur)

(Tweet: Ryan Curtis: Photo)

Red Lighting:

– creates an atmosphere of alarming fear and evil. Note ‘Danger’ sign, too.

###H   Shadow Play    H###

C.U.s:  

– exploiting the cast’s amazing talents of conveying thought and emotions by expressions ~keeps it real.

All The Door Shots:

Settings:

 Bunker: familiar areas opened up to a cavernous, confusing maze.
Lil’ Levi’s Gas n’ Sip:sign for Jensen Ackles’ nephew was cute, cute èt cute.

 (TWEET: Jensen Ackles: “Lil’ Levi’s” gas station. A little shout out to my
 nephew. Love ya buddy.)  

Star Brite Drive In: the tragic abandoned drive-in sparks the imagination.
What a great site for a haunting, or a meeting, or a portal to….

Casting:

The priest and the Demons. Big talent; tiny parts.
Jensen’s brother in law and niece (Gino & Valerie Graul), and Mark Sheppard’s son (Max Sheppard),
perform cameos as demons making it enjoyable to re-watch for cast, crew, and fans.
The love and fun leaks through.

Special FX:  

Demon  and Angel eyes & Dying Demons.

Horror element:

Being chased by a psycho with a hammer/needle jabs.

Best Performance:

The Oscar goes to Jensen Ackles for giving us a new character, Demon Dean

This transition says it all:

Great Lines:

 “It’s hell. You wait. It’s what you do.”

“Did not see that coming.”

“Why can’t you people just sit on clouds and play on harps like you’re supposed to?”

“It’s gunna take a lot more than trying to kill him with a hammer to get between you two.”   

(TWEET: Misha Collins: ‏ I hear u, @JensenAckles! This director was a piece of work! I don’t remember his name,
but I recall he yelled a lot & made a few actors cry.)

From The Rear View:

Russell Roberts was Quentin in “Of Grave Importance”

Raquel Riskin was Amber Greer in “I Believe the Children Are Our Future”

Thanks to: Supernatural Wiki & Home of the Nutty Screen caps