Mallena’s Musings: Supernatural 13.17 “The Thing”
There’s enough action and drama in this episode of Supernatural to satisfy me. There’s a few rough edges and plot elements that don’t make a lot of sense, but on the whole, I’m glad that we have this story where Sam and Dean are in-sync and working together…at least until the end.
The Road So Far
Sam and Dean seem to still be feeling the cartoon goodness of their last adventure. Back home in the bunker, Dean’s playing tricks on Sam and research on the boy’s current quest is ongoing.
Review
The opening’s intriguing – badness is happening to a blonde lady in a flapper dress. It’s nice to see the brothers in another chapter house, even though the place looks suspiciously like their home bunker. Sam’s eating kale and why is it still so fun to see what Sam and Dean choose to eat in diners? I find myself waiting to see if Sam’s actually going to take a bite of something. He did! Jinkies! I really like the following scene with Sam passing out and Dean going into super-fighter mode. All these years later, I still get goosebumps when Sam disappears and Dean’s concerned that he’s missing. Simple pleasures, I guess.
I also like it when this week’s monster is revealed to be a god from another dimension. More goosebumps as I immediately think of Glory from Buffy. (More on that, later.) The follow-through to that premise is less than stellar, as all we see is just a few tentacles. It’s nice that the god from that other place decided to take his girlfriend back home with him. It’s lame that Sandy, the oh-so-scary monster, would have been so badly guarded, but I’m still interested in the story, even if it’s not perfectly realized.
Asmo’s boring me, as usual, and Gabriel isn’t acting anything like the Trickster. He’s been through a lot, so who knows? Ketch just wants to get away from Asmo and he apparently wants to help the good guys. I’ve still got my doubts about him, though.
Musings
“It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man’s fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area which we call The Twilight Zone.”
This is probably the only black and white television show that I can rewatch, over and over. The episodes are so vivid and interesting that they don’t need color to be fascinating.
I did some research about the difference between alternate dimensions, alternate realities, alternate timelines, mirror universes, parallel universes, and quantum universes. My findings: I’m still confused. It seems that an alternate dimension is the same thing as a parallel universe. An alternate reality is one closely connected to our own. It is fun/scary to think that an alternate dimension/parallel universe can be anything, it doesn’t have to resemble our reality, at all. So, to me that sounds like an alternate dimension can be a scarier place where the truly weird and horrible things reside.
The Mist by Stephen King (1985) – This short story scared and disturbed me as I read of a town (and then the world, presumably) which is overtaken by deadly horrors in the mist from another dimension. A bad, nothing-like-our-reality, dimension.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season Five (2000-2001) – There’s many big-bads on Buffy to enjoy. Angelus, Spike, Drucilla, and Adam – to name a few. My favorite villain, however, is Glory, aka That Which Cannot Be Named, Glorificus, the Glorious One, Her Splendiferousness, Her Sparkling Luminescence, the Beast, the Abomination, or Hell-Bitch. Played with wit and attitude by Clare Kramer – Glory creates drama and havoc, all season long, that’s mesmerizing to watch. The ending, to this stellar season, makes me sob almost as much as I do when I’m watching “Swan Song.”
Angel Season Two (2001) Pylea – I’m a fan of this series until the last few seasons, but I rarely watch episodes of this show nowadays. However, I can happily rewatch the gang take a bonkers trip into Pylea. Imaginative and hysterically funny; this is the kind of sideways adventure that I wish our boys would go on.
Numfar! Do the dance of joy!
The Thing (1982) – John Carpenter directed this science fiction horror film that stars Kurt Russell. At its release, it was reviled as bad movie-making, but has since developed a cult following. It’s about a parasitic alien lifeform. Sorry, I’ve never seen it.
In conclusion, I did enjoy this episode of Supernatural. I kept thinking that the brothers were together and interacting very well. Dean’s funny as Yokoth’s almost bodysuit and the hour raced by…as long as Asmo wasn’t around, that is. The ending is problematic, but necessary, I suppose. It’s probably a good idea that Sam stays behind in case Dean needs rescuing and if someone has to die/sacrifice themselves in a dramatic fashion, I’d rather Ketch be available to do it. My cynical thought is that Jared and Jensen need to film separately so that they can spend more time with their family. It sucks for us, but it’s well deserved and much needed, I think.
Know of any tales that have parallel universes or dimensions? Anytime that something wicked punches a hole into our universe – well, that’s wonderful fictional mayhem.
—-Mallena
Images courtesy of:
wonkette.com
imgur.com
slayerevival.com
In memoriam: “Gizmo” June 8, 2006 – April 5, 2018 You’re a good boy. Behave in puppy heaven, big guy.
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