Mallena’s Supernatural Musings: 6.18 “Frontierland”
The Road So Far
Sam has his soul back and Rufus and Grandpa Samuel have recently been killed. No great loss in the case of Gramps, but Rufus will be missed. Sam and Dean are trying to find a way to stop Eve – The Mother of All.
Recap
First up, we get a cool title card that is reminiscent of Bonanza. It’s very cool. I love it when they change up the title card. Forget the Cartwright Brothers – I was always in love with “Candy” Canaday. Yummy.
David Canary as “Candy” Canaday
Anyhoo, Sam and Dean find the Campbell Family library and yay – more books for Sam to geek out over. They discover that the ashes of a phoenix can harm Eve. Lo and behold, they research that Samuel Colt killed a phoenix back in Sunrise, Wyoming in 1861. Cas then sends Sam and Dean to 1861 for 24 hours. Mean angel Rachel stabs Cas because she is having a hissy fit that Cas is playing with humans instead of waging war. Sam and Dean are successful in getting the ashes, in a rather round-about way, and all is well in the end. Well, mostly.
Review
I wouldn’t say that I was really into Westerns, just great stories, though my mom’s favorite movie star was John Wayne so we watched many of his movies together on our small black and white television. I like more modern-day Westerns myself. I’ll tell you about a few of them later.
My favorite thing about this episode is that it’s pretty darn funny. It’s not quite Blazing Saddles but it’s delightful viewing. Cas is needed to help the boys go back in time, but he’s kind of cranky since he’s waging war with Raphael. I’m trying to remember if I liked Season Six Cas. I think I did; he had some bad and dumb ideas, but at least he had an interesting plot.
I love all the clothing scenes. Sam is not going to wear the duds that Dean bought for him. Sam thinks he looks stupid in his white shirt with shoulder flowers, but I think he looks just fine. Dean has to go the full “Clint Eastwood,” and the dialog about Clive the Monkey is priceless. I love the guy in the bar telling Dean that he looks “very clean.” I laugh the hardest at that one. Poor Dean looks so down-hearted that no one appreciates his look. I’m sure that everyone was very dusty back then. I don’t know how the women handled washing those dresses that dragged in the muck. It would have been a daily on-going effort to look as clean as Dean did.
I don’t really enjoy the gross saloon girl, but it is fun to see Sam on a horse, and to have Dean find the phoenix and kill it/him. Sam and Samuel Colt’s scenes are nice but the middle part of this episode is really not why I like it so much. I love the humor in the first part, and I love the scenes with Bobby and Cas as they know that they must get the boys home soon.
Bobby and Cas…Awww
Cas is injured so he needs to touch Bobby’s soul to get enough juice to do the retrieval. I’m not the canon expert so someone else can start the debate about how the power of souls is used in Supernatural. Anyway, poor Bobby obliges and does not seem very energetic after the soul-sucking. It is very nice to get so much interaction between Cas and Bobby. In the end, there is a fun resolution to the story and it’s nice when our team gets a win.
Random Bonus Material
Wynonna and Waverly
Wynonna Earp – This show is a western horror series based on a comic book. Wynonna is the oldest living descendant of Wyatt Earp. When she turns 27, she gets to try to break the curse on the Earp family. She gets a special gun – Wyatt’s Colt .45 revolver. This gun is called “The Peacemaker,” and lights up when pointed at demons. This is the only thing that can kill the Revenants, which are revived outlaws that Wyatt killed during his lifetime. There are three Earp Sisters, missing and dead relatives, flashbacks to a less than ideal family life, and so much sisterly bonding, that my fondest wish is that the Winchesters find a reason to visit Purgatory, USA (no state is specified). Younger Sam and Dean would have gone bonkers over these sisters. They are beautiful, witty, and sassy. The oldest sister is missing, but the younger two are so great together. Wynonna comes home after a four-year absence and reconnects with Waverly, whom she calls Baby Girl.
This series is fabulous. Season one is on Netflix and season two is premiering June 9th on Syfy. I loved this show from the first five minutes and it felt so familiar because so much of the story reminds me of Supernatural. This show can be wacky, and storylines come and go so quickly that you’ll think you are in Oz sometimes, but check it out. It’s often very funny, but also very heart-breaking. I love the stars of this show. Melanie Scrofano plays Wynonna and Dominique Provost-Chalkley is Waverly. Remember those actress’s names – they have a big future ahead of them. They are wonderful and they seem very much like real sisters. In real life, they get together to watch the show, tweet and bake. Watch this, you’ll love it.
Random Bonus Material (Jim Beaver Edition)
Deadwood – This was on HBO back in 2004. I should admit that the only reason I watched it was because Timothy Olyphant had a major part in it. Jim Beaver’s part was as Whitney Ellsworth – a prospector. This series was set in 1870’s Deadwood, South Dakota. The language was rougher than I like, so I just watched Timothy’s parts mostly and fast-forwarded a lot. Apparently, the showrunner decided that it would sound stupid if the characters said, “Gol-dern it” all the time, so instead they used the F-word. A lot. The show was critically acclaimed but only lasted two seasons or so.
Timothy Olyphant as Raylan Givens
Justified – This is one of my favorite shows. I’ve watched the whole six seasons at least four times through, and want to do another re-watch with my husband who hasn’t seen this yet. Timothy Olyphant stars as US Marshall Raylan Givens. Besides being drop dead gorgeous, Raylan is also the fastest gun in Harlow, Kentucky. He has a sad family life with a criminal for a father. Dear Old Dad is always looking for his next score; well, when he’s not trying to kill his own sweet son. Arlo Givens is a character that is very hard to forget – he’s terrible, but oddly compelling. Another major character is Boyd Crowder. Do modern-day outlaws have brothers and kinsfolk that are always going up against the hero? You bet’cha. It’s even more fun when Jim Beaver shows up as Sheriff Shelby Parlow. He is so great in this role; he has a major story arc that is well worth watching.
Bad Girls – I remember this one; it’s a good movie. It was about four prostitutes on the run in the Old West. It starred Madeleine Stowe, Mary Stuart Masterson, Andie MacDowell, and Drew Barrymore. Jim played a Pinkerton Detective. The Pinkerton Agency was a private law enforcement agency that started in 1850. They chased down Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, among others.
Longmire
Longmire – Would you like to watch a middle-aged Sheriff with poor social skills and an aversion to cell-phones catch bad guys and gals in modern-day Wyoming? You should, because Sheriff Longmire is so endearing. Katee Sackhoff (Battlestar Galactica) is also enjoyable to watch as his faithful deputy. Add Lou Diamond Phillips, intriguing cases, complicated personal lives, and you get masterful story-telling. I love Walt Longmire and the way that he always gets the man/woman he is chasing. Actual people in his personal life, however; those he has a harder time dealing with. Jim Beaver guest-starred in an episode in season two.
Timeless – They went to the Old West in an episode or two, but Jim had a role more at the end of the first season as a NSA Agent. I liked Timeless and am glad that it’s coming back. Eric Kripke could have made it a lot more exciting, but the premise is interesting, and I love the cast.
That Jim Beaver has been very busy! Check out his filmography, if you don’t believe me. Do you know how many times he has played a sheriff, ranger, or detective? Many, many times! I’m impressed. He did all of that while raising his tiny daughter after his wife’s tragic death in 2004. I love the guy more than ever now, after reading more about him.
What do you think of “Frontierland”? How about the Westerns I mentioned? Any other favorites I missed? Chime in!
Till next time —–Mallena
Screencaps:
David Canary courtesy of Bonanza.wikia.com
Wynonna Earp courtesy of Syfy.com
Raylan Givens courtesy of Sonypictures.com
Longmire courtesy of Commdiginews.com
Jim Beaver in Deadwood from en.wikipedia.org
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