RearView Review: Supernatural 10.07 “Girls, Girls, Girls”

 

   

      “Girls, Girls, Girls”          
Season 10, Episode 7
Written by Robert Berens
Directed by  Robert Singer
Air Date: November 25, 2014

BY WEDNESDAY

THEME

What do enslaved prostitutes have to do with Supernatural?
Their powerlessness and inability to consent have distinct parallels with
characters whose bodies are possessed and controlled by “monsters”.
Robert Berens unites the realistic horrors of the sex slave industry with the Season’s themes: 
Monster/Human Condition, Facing Death , and the impact of Family/ Loved Ones .
He enhanced each theme by examining related themes.
For the Monster/Human Condition theme, he tied in Powerlessness, Consent, and Guilt. 
Facing Death  generated concerns of Suicide, Bravado, Hail Mary, Guilt and Redemption. 
The Family/Loved Ones theme explores Guilt, Support, Rescue, Motivation, and Revenge.
Robert Berens says something powerful while juggling seven major characters and propelling the plot forward.

 PLOT /CHARACTERS

Tiana (Emma Day) runs past an alley vagrant. A menacing shadow looms across the street. 
Her stiletto heel snaps and lies in a pool of red  light. She retrieves it and rushes straight into Pimp Raul (Michael Antonakos).
With realistic pimp policy, he wants to punish her defiant sprint for freedom. Her punishment will keep the rest of the girls in line.
That’s how it’s done. When “girls” see the mutilation and destruction of another girl, they tend to give up hope.
Tiana, powerless over what happens to her body, faces certain death.
She delivers her “Hail Mary” shot, gouging her heel into Raul’s eye.

 Raul isn’t your normal, vile, abusive, pimp; he’s a demon, too.
Raul removes his hand from his ravaged eye, grinning.
“SNICK” He twists Tiana’s head too far. That’ll teach them.

LAST BREAKFAST AT LIZARDO’S

Dean’s on his phone finishing fries while Sam searches the paper for non-existent jobs. If it’s not the cattle deaths,
“What are we doing here?” Dean claims it’s for the steaks but his phone’s “blowing up” with “alert thingies…for monster stuff.”
Sam grabs the phone. Dean demands it back, “because privacy…And stuff.”
Sam sees Dean’s dating app. and mocks the name, “Impala 67.” He notes a million messages from a beautiful Shaylene.
“Oh, baby, whatever you want. I’m burning up just thinking about you.”
Sam surmises she’s “too good to be true” which offends Dean. “…is it so hard to believe that an attractive, red-blooded,
American female could be interested in someone like me?”
Sam attempts to explain the nuances of ‘catfishing’ and how it could be a “Canadian trucker named Bruce,”
when Shaylene (Elysia Rotaru) enters. Sam’s disbelieving, “We detoured eight hours so you could get laid?”
Dean pays, advising Sam not to “wait up.” He greets Shaylene, beaming back at Sam.

(TWEET: BoboBerens: “Lizardo’s Porterhouse.” My mom’s name is Liz,
“Lizardo” is one of her nicknames. Berens family shoutout.)

HANNAH
Hannah (Erica Carroll) puts a red X over a face pinned to the motel room wall. Castiel, with grace restored,
has embraced the mission to restore angels to heaven. Hannah’s interest has dwindled.
Castiel’s determined, “We find them all –that’s the mission.” Confronted with inevitable death, Castiel adopts the mission,
a final contribution and perhaps redemption. He browses ‘WebSummon.’  Distracted, Hannah disrobes to take shower.
“What are you doing?We don’t need to shower.” Castiel reminds her. Hannah, puzzled by Castiel’s reaction, asks,
“Does this bother you?” Castiel, awkward and embarrassed, lies. “Bothered? I. I’m not.”
Hannah moves to indulge in this human sensual pleasure.

LAST LAY WITH SHAYLENE

Baby waits outside the Jack Up Rig Motel. Shaylene aggressively pins Dean against the wall.
After some kissing, Shaylene backs off, “I forgot something. We still need to discuss my terms.”
Dean’s intrigued, “Oh, like, rules? Like, sexy rules?”  Shaylene throws cold water on him, “
More an issue of payment.” When she sees reality hit him, she laughs. “Sweetie, I thought you figured it out.
I mean, shy of coming out and saying it, I thought I made it pretty obvious.”  
Dean tells her the code he lives by, the one code we wish everyone lived by,
“I have this code. Uh, ‘No cash for a$$.’” But, Shaylene is undeterred. She doesn’t want cash; she wants his soul.  
Feeling the sickening slap of reality, Dean knows where it’s going and where it’s coming from. “I love my job” she lies.
“Do you?” Dean asks. “Cause it doesn’t look like love to me.”

HANNAH 
Hannah pulls out a credit card for check-out when Joe grabs her hand.
“Caroline. I put an alert on your credit card. Saw a charge here. I drove all night.”

SHAYLENE

Dean and Shaylene sit back to back on a gungy, lumpy bed. The Demon Pimp (Jaeson Lee) enters with contract in hand.
“Okay. John Hancock right here. Then we can get this party started.” Dean rises with an Angel Blade. Sam enters from the washroom.
“Winchesters!”  The Demon Pimp follows their gaze upwards to a Demon Trap. Sam itemizes his crimes,
“Abduction, forced prostitution. It’s pretty gnarly, even for a demon.” The Demon Pimp sneers, “She’s got her version, I’ve got mine.”
“Let me guess,” Dean adds, “She came to you begging for you to pimp her out.” The Demon Pimp gets sarcastic,
“Yeah, cause that Harvard degree was working out so well for her. “ Dean digs for more information but the Pimp lies.
Shaylene calls him a liar, knowing now he’s a “demon from hell.” He figures he still “Beats trash from the street.
Face it, Missy, without me, you would’ve been dead of drugs or worse in a year. Frankly, this little ho should be thanking me.”
She seizes Dean’s Angle Blade from his loose left hand, and lights the Demon up. Dean’s surprised, “Okay. Well, that just happened.”
Sam’s frustrated, “He was our best shot at the location of the brothel. Do you have any idea where it is?”

Shaylene pulls a card from the Demon’s pocket.

CAITLIN/ ELLE

Surrounded by the sleaziest decor ever, Caitlin (Chelsea Hobbs) refuses to wear the clothes Gerald (Jackson Berlin) commands.
(What could be worse than a faux snakeskin top? I don’t want to know.)
“If you like it so much, why don’t you wear it?” sneers Caitlin. Gerald whines to Raul’s eyepatch,
“She won’t wear the clothes you picked. What should I do?” Raul suggests Gerald do what he thinks, just “Don’t leave any marks.” 
Gerald leers sadistically at Caitlin. Rowena (Ruth Connell) appears. Gerald thinks she’s “in the wrong place.”  
Rowena knows full well this is “Raul’s Girls. Clever name by the way,” she adds. Raul says he doesn’t want to hire anyone and besides she’s too old.
Rowena would rather die than do business of any kind with “filth like” him. (Oh, I like her!)
Rowena throws a hex bag at Raul. He begins repulsively retching black goo. 
 Elle (Kirsten Comerford) enters as Gerald’s parasitic demon vacates.   

                     

Reeking Raul continues convulsive vomiting. Rowena notes that it’s “Hardly the mostappetizing process in the world,
but killing demons always makes me hungry.” (Agreed.) Rowena invites the young women to join her.
Elle and Caitlin nod.

 

HANNAH/CAROLINE

Joe (Steve Belford) pleads for an answer, “Caroline… something’s going on, and I’m not walking away till I know what.”
Guilt struck, Hannah says he wouldn’t understand the reason. Castiel enters. Hannah introduces Joe as her husband.
Castiel’s confused at first and then realizes Joe’s Caroline’s husband. Hannah latches on to Castiel.
“I left you. For him. He’s the reason.” Joe’s disbelieving until Hannah kisses Castiel as proof.
Joe’s devastated. Hannah told him what he needed to hear.

Raul’s Girls

Sam inspects Raul and the goop puddle. Dean pours a drink.  After determining that Raul puked himself to death,
Sam discovers a witch’s hex bag. Dean reconsiders the fluids in his drink.

Bistro des Moules (Quick Pussy)

(Clever name by the way)

Rowena treats Caitlin and Elle to dinner and hexes the Head Waiter (Guy Fauchon) into forgetting their inappropriate attire.
Instantly, the women are catered to in a fawning fashion.
Rowena impresses the girls with something they’ve been dreadfully lacking: Power.

GOING TO HELL

Gerald, having seized a new meatsuit from some unfortunate non-consenting construction worker (Viv Leacock),
explains to Crowley about Raul’s bordello, “Soul deals were down so
Raul came up with a proactive and out-of-the-box strategy to get numbers back up.”  
Crowley’s disgusted. “So, you and your half-wit pal threw me into the sex trade? I’m evil. That’s just tacky.”
(Thank you for saying that. It needs to be said more often.)
Gerald insists Raul’s death is an act of aggression that needs retaliation.

BABY

Sam discovers the 300 year old “bind and purge” spell was 
used only by a witch named Rowena.

Bistro des Moules

Rowena informs her dinner guests, “There are 3 recognized kinds of witch in the world.
…the Borrowers, those who harness the power of a demon.
…Secondly, and rarest of all, are the Naturals, … born with the gift.”
Caitlin correctly guesses Rowena falls in the “gifted” category. The third type are Students who,
“with enough practice and training and a grand coven-approved mentor to show them the path, can eke out a modicum of witchly power.”
Elle is sold, “Will you be our mentor?” Rowena admits the Grand Coven evicted her and she’s on the run.
She’s looking to create her own coven, or family of witches. The Head Waiter’s in trouble.
His head glows red and skin bursts off. (That’s what you get for ‘slut shaming’!)
He drops. Rowen gathers her new family and heads out.
We’re not to worry about him, Rowena informs us, “he’ll be fine — worker’s comp and all that.”
(Hysterical. I almost spit up my Jugo de Rana.)

BLACK AS COLE

A Demon (Wesley Salter), bound under a Devil’s Trap, mocks his newbie torturer, Cole (Travis Aaron Wade).
Dousing the Demon with Holy Water, Cole’s determined to find the whereabouts of Dean Winchester.
(Hindsight tells us, he was a successful Newbie.)

HANNAH/CAROLINE

 Castiel pumps gas while Hannah explains, “He wouldn’t let me go. I didn’t want to hurt him. …
I thought if he truly believed we were together, he’d give up. And it worked. So, why does it feel so bad?”
Castiel tells her, she did “the right thing. 
You hurt him, but you gave him a reason, something he could use to move forward and make sense of his loss.
I had to take my vessel from his family, twice, actually. Jimmy Novak. He was a good man. He was married, had a daughter, Claire.
..It was difficult, but necessary.” Castiel replaces the nozzle. When he turns back, Hannah’s gone.

Bistro des Moules

Agent Dean listens to a waiter describe the “boiling brains” incident and the two hookers.
(Another slut shamer!)
Dean joins Agent Sam outside on the phone with the “Hunter Network.” 
 A hunter was working a case of unsolved grisly hotel murders involving boiled brains.
In addition to her homicidal maniac M.O., Rowena has expensive tastes.
They’re off to “Check out every five-star hotel in the area.”

HANNAH/CAROLINE

Castiel finds Hannah on a symbolic bridge.
She can’t continue because of the human lives sacrificed which conflicts with their original mission of helping humans.
Taking human form caused Hannah to feel “passions and hungers. To shower, feel water on my skin… to get closer to you.
But all of that was nothing compared to what I felt when I saw him. Her husband — his anger and his grief.
And Caroline was inside of me, screaming out for him, for her life back. These f-feelings, they aren’t for me, for us. They belong to her.
I know it’s time to step aside.” Hannah kisses Castiel and her essence ascends.
She collapses onto Castiel for a moment and Caroline stands confused, and then joyous.

ROWENA / CAITLYN/ ELLE

Rowena excitedly preps her followers.
She’s expecting the hotel manager to complain about overdue payment. Rowena peeps out at the Bell Boy and cues her ladies.
“Get ready. And on my word.” She opens the door and the dead Bell Boy falls in. Two demons appear.
Their eyes “SNICK.” They wisely tape Rowena’s mouth and escort them into the hall, telling the young women
“Operation skank has been terminated. The only place you two are going is the dumpster out back.”
Dean punctuates that statement with Ruby’s knife. The Demon falls.

Rowena and her students back away while another Demon throws Dean down and turns on Sam.
Dean rises and stabs the demon. Dean comforts the young women, “Don’t worry, ladies.  …We’re here for the witch. Rowena.”
Rowena puts a hex bag in Elle’s hand transforming her into an attack beast. “Impetus bestiarum!”
Elle’s eyes turn red and blood seeps from her nose. Snarling, she throws Dean and Sam down.  Caitlin and Rowena run.
Sam yells at Dean to follow them and takes on the Elle Beast alone.

HER DEUS EX MACHINA

In the alley, Cailyn demands to know, “What did you do to her?” Rowena needed a decoy and Elle was weak, not like Caitlyn.
“You’re strong.”  Caitlyn demonstrates how strong. She punches Rowena in the face and flees. It’s a Hail Mary shot. 
Rowena winds up a curse. But, it’s Deus ex machina for Caitlyn, Dean shows up behind Rowena, “Not another word!”
Dean aims a gun at the back of her head. “Lady, your luck has just run out.”

But, it’s Deus ex machina for Rowena. She laughs,
“I’m pretty sure that’s not true.” Cole whistles.
Dean groans, “Pal, we got to work on your timing.”
Cole orders, “Drop the gun, Dean-o.” Rowena scurries off.

Dean wastes his breath apologizing. Cole’s convinced Dean’s a demon. (Their faces after the Holy Water is thrown is precious.)  
Cole figures, ‘you may not be a demon anymore’ but “you’re still a monster.”
They fight.

ELLE PARALLEL

Elle, trapped in a closet, batters the door while Sam encourages her to fight it.
Elle is powerless and Sam is powerless to help her get rid of the monster inside. (Like Dean/MOC)
Sam leaning on the door, readies his gun. The banging stops. He opens the door. Elle falls out dead.

BLACK, BLUE & BLOODY

The alley fight is grim. Cole and Dean look beat up. Deans looks at his gun laying on the ground.
Cole believes Dean’s going for it, but instead Dean uses Cole’s rush to propel him through the windshield of a car.
Cole scrambles back out.
(Dude is scrappy!)
But it’s over. Dean gets the gun; Cole’s on his knees.

FACING DEATH

Facing certain death, Cole exhibits bravado, “What are you waiting for? Do it.”
Dean wants to clean up the mess and talk. Five minutes and then he can take his shot.
Dean hands over the gun in a shockingly suicidal gesture. Cole respects the five minute rule.
Dean remembers Cole’s dad was a monster who had to die. Dean’s unable to say what kind of monster.
(Future episode?)
Cole’s dad was already gone when Dean killed him. That Dean carries the weight of this killing is exhibited by his remembering every detail.
Sam shows up and trains his gun on Cole’s head. Dean tells him to put the gun down. Sam lowers his gun.

Dean’s vengeance parallels Cole’s. Dean tells him, he gets it, he was there,
but “the people who love me, they pulled me back from that edge.”
When Dean says the word ‘love’ Sam realizes how dark and desperate his brother has become.  
“Cole, once you touch that darkness, it never goes away. Now, the truth is, I’m past saving.
I know how my story ends. It’s at the edge of a blade or the barrel of a gun.
So, the question is, is that gonna be today? That gonna be that gun?”

FAMILY

Sam interrupts to remind Cole that he too has family who needs him. Cole, exhausted, gives Dean the gun.

HOME

Joe opens the door and embraces Caroline. She’s home.
Castiel opens his laptop to ‘WebSummon’ and searches ‘Jimmy Novak’.
Facing inevitable death and pangs of guilt, he considers a new quest for redemption.

Cole heads home to his family. Sam‘s rattled by what Dean said about being “past saving.”
Dean brushes it off, “I was just telling the guy what he needed to hear.
Headed for home,
Sam, still a bit in the dark, covers Dean’s back as he walks into the light.

ROWENA

Luck ran out for Rowena. Gerald captured and tortured Rowena for Crowley. (He got what he wanted.)
Crowley’s not impressed, “Wipe that ridiculous smile off your face. What do you want, a medal?
A ‘thank you’ for cleaning up the mess you made?”  
Rowena, chained and beaten, greets the King of Hell with bravado in the face of death.
“The king at last. King of what? Lilliput? I mean, I’d heard you were short, but, well? Get to it.
Time for the coup de grace. Wee boy, is something the matter with you? Cat got your tongue, hmm? Meow.”
With stunned recognition Crowley stares, “Mother?”

THE SCRIPT

Robert Berens ended two character arcs, Cole & Hannah; started two new character arcs, Crowley and Castiel;
and introduced an entirely new character arc, Rowena. He advanced the Seasonal character arc for Sam and Dean/Mark of Cain.
He advanced the plot for everyone! He drew parallels between Dean and Castiel, Dean and Cole, and Dean and the prostitutes.
Sam’s powerlessness to rescue Elle parallels his struggle with Dean and the M.O.C.
The Season’s themes were explored and enhanced.
He managed to make a serious statement about the absolute horror of the sex trade industry and the filthy scum behind it.
He cleaned up some messes namely the ‘witch canon’ that was all over the place, and the controversy of cruel ‘Angel possession.’
He introduced new canon such as a “Hunters Network” while providing promos for the Microsoft Corporation:
 It was action packed, funny, dark, poignant, sexy, profoundly meaningful,
and flawlessly woven together with memorable “Great Lines.” 
Here’s a mock-up of Berens’ “To Do List.”

(TWEETS: BoboBerens: piling up an even higher twist-per-episode than usual while scripting, the phrase “negative coincidence” became my mantra.)

 

DIRECTOR/CINEMATOGRAPHY

 

Robert Singer/Serge Ladouceur.

 

Prudent insightful interpretations for every shot!

 

COLOUR

Lovely red/ pink shades enhance “Girls” plot.

(Preceding photos/borders attempted to recapture: Dusty rose, coral, lavender, Fuchsia, Burgundy)

HIGH ANGLES 

 

 (1^st shot Hannah looks down from heaven)

HITCHCOCK’S “VERTIGO EFFECT”(PUSH-PULL)

 

HAND MOTIF 

 

(Can you guess the HAND owners and the moment?)

FIGHT CHOREOGRAPHY & EDITING

 

MAKE-UP

 

Excellent, especially injury progression during the fight.

SFX!

RELATABLE MOMENT

 

The frustration of having your phone grabbed…. “Bec
ause privacy…And stuff.”

BEST PERFORMANCE

 

Been missing Castiel’s awkwardness and sorrow, and Classic Crowley, too. Where have you been?

Sam and Dean keep it real. Hannah built empathy with her parting.  Sassy Rowena intrigued us.  

But, Cole ran the gamut of emotions. Hope he returns as part of the ‘Hunter Network.’

Congratulations Travis Aaron Wade!

 

FROM THE REAR VIEW

Elysia Rotaru (Shaylene) played Victoria Dodd 7.19 “Of Grave Importance.”

Jackson Berlin (Gerald’s 1st meatsuit) played ShapeShifter Cop 6.02 “Two & a Half Men.”

Viv Leacock (Gerald’s 2nd meatsuit) played Pete Hensley 4.15 “Death Takes a Holiday.”

Wesley Salter (Demon) played Zach Smitt 2.13 “Houses of the Holy.”

 

THANKS TO

 

IMDB  (Photo of Robert Singer)