On The Head of a Pin:
The very first episode I reviewed here at the fabulous Winchester Family Business, I was and still am floored by how awesome this episode is. I know there were many out there, the vocal, cranky many, that thought the angels had too much time and that it was boring and detracted from Sam and Dean. Should come as know surprise that I disagree. *pauses so some can recover from their shock*
The opening teaser always sets up the episode, here the set up is that an angel is dead and something violent accompanied her demise Γ’β¬β blood and vehicular destruction, not a bad opener. Also, as is typical of our gritty little show, they can’t show the flipping of the cars so we see the aftermath, it loses nothing in the translation. I’ve seen hundreds if not thousands of cars crashing onscreen, much better to slowly explore the immediate after effect than try to pause and rewind my way through the actual action.
Having reviewed this and all the remaining episodes already I’m simply going to add a few other bits here and there, if you want more, go to my reviews, however, I don’t expect a long line as Season 5 is fast approaching and time is limited. I’ll repeat what I’ve already said, I loved this episode and as far as episodes that forever change the Supernatural landscape, this joins that select few, I might even do an article at some time in the future delineating those special episodes that I deem as The episodes that redefined Supernatural, On The Head of a Pin is one of those.
It’s a Terrible Life:
At first it appears that it is not such a terrible life, soy milk lattes, fuel efficient vehicle, decent job Γ’β¬β don’t mention the stock portfolio though Γ’β¬β but all in all it seems a pretty all right life, enter destiny versus free will. It’s Dean’s destiny to be Dean Winchester, it’s his free will that finally kicks in and allows him to realize that. For Sam his free will and his destiny appear to be a little more in sync as he quickly recognizes something is amiss. I love the little bits that pay respect to parts of the show long since absent, Sam’s dreams/visions, the brotherly friendship without baggage, the Ghostfacers Γ’β¬β I know, love them or hate them, perhaps they are like Rhubarb which I dislike but know others that adore; it’s either all in or all out.
For a change of pace, as well as a chance for the boys to heal, recover, breathe and refresh this was a brilliant episode which I thoroughly enjoyed. I remember reading the spoilers prior to this and so many people Γ’β¬Λknew’ there would be an amnesia episode, I had no idea (and still don’t) where they got that bit of information but they were right. I for one was totally convinced John would appear in this episode; I was oh, so very wrong but it did not diminish my enjoyment at all. Simple salt and burn it may have been, it did much to show that underneath all the baggage of death and distrust and demon blood Γ’β¬β *hey, I didn’t even plan all of those to begin with the letter “D”* Γ’β¬β the bond between the brothers remains unbreakable. Zachariah was right about Dean finding his way to hunting every time: Dean and Sam will also find their way to each other each and every time, demons and/or angels and their manipulation notwithstanding.
Monster at the End of This Book:
Chuck a prophet? The New, New Testament? The Winchester Gospels? Really? And to think it was the next episode that people thought the show would Jump The Shark. For the record, I contend Supernatural has not yet jumped any shark, it has jumped through some hoops to avoid said event and done so with grace and panache and this one works for me despite several plot holes which I won’t go into, pretty sure either Alice or I covered them in our earlier reviews.
Gospel means good news, so the idea of the Winchester Gospels isn’t that terrible after all, in fact, it’s good news. If the idea of Winchester Gospels buggers you simply think of them as the Winchester Books of Good News, I like the idea of good news, like reading the end of the book and knowing who wins. Might dispatch some of the suspense but it sure heightens the enjoyment when all looks lost because one already knows that their side has won. I’m betting on good news at the end of this story, the season 5 end of the story that is. Kripke is willing to hedge his bets on a sixth season but has assured he’ll not drag this on ad infinitum, this particular arc ends 22 episodes after Lucifer Rising, I’ll take a copy of the entire Winchester Gospels Γ’β¬β erh, Books of Good News thank you very much *where do I preorder?*
Jump the Shark:
The premise had the fandom in an uproar for weeks, and I’ll admit, I was a bit worried. Granted, the title did much to dispel my concerns [love irony] but still, the idea of John having another son? I didn’t like it.
Where to begin Γ’β¬β John had an alternate life. That’s significant. Sure, once Mary died he packed up and flew under the radar for the rest of his life, credit card scams, health insurance scams, hustling pool, poker, life completely on the road, totally devoid of roots, or so we thought. Seven years after Mary’s death John, slipped one past the goalie [as Sam so adroitly put it] and thus Adam was born. Twelve years after that John learned of Adam’s existence and the father that was always inside him had a chance to live again. This episode is significant because over two years after John’s death we continue to learn about this man and see the ripple effects of his life.
Are you jealous of the kid? Are you? JTS is significant for what it showed about Sam and Dean in regards to the toll their lives have taken on them and the continuing journey of figuring out who they are in relation to their father. Dean learns a lot about himself and John and Sam in this episode and that ripples onward and notably breaks [seemed like a good choice of words] to the forefront in When The Levee Breaks when he tells Sam that if he walks out that door, don’t come back. Uh, Dean, you were there all those years ago when John pulled that on Sam prior to Stanford; didn’t work then, didn’t work now. Without the groundwork laid here, Dean coming to an awareness that he’d put John on a pedestal and that, in fact, he didn’t like the man very much, the lies, the half truths, the obsession with revenge, the obsession with the hunt without paying attention to the people around him, Dean would not have truly heard Bobby in Lucifer Rising.
Sam shows just how far he’s come from season one. Remember in Skin when a talk with Dean about the insular life and how attachments are incompatible with being a hunter caused Sam to call Dean antisocial? Here it’s Sam giving that very same talk to Adam. If that’s not enough think of Something Wicked when it’s Dean suggesting they use Michael to help them trap the shrtiga, Sam was vehemently against it and yet here he’s offering Adam up as chum in the water.
Thanks for the lovely recap Elle2, I am now truely all set for season 5!
Great sum up, and the first line of the second paragraph of Criss Angel says a lot: there really isn’t an episode you can miss, for even if it isn’t a heavy contribution to the mytharc story-wise, there is always grist for the brothers’ relationship. Even the “clunkers” like Family Remains aren’t bad at all precisely because of that.
As for Porky’s 2, I’m probably reading too much into it, but I see that as the choice of Dean’s defense mechanisms, if you will. *We* know he’s about family and Sam does too, even if they slog through such sentiments without delicacy or consistent openness, but of course surface Dean is going to pick a ‘guy’ flick. How many times was douche said this season? π
Hi, Ash and Randal,
Thanks for the comments. I’m glad I did these season recaps. It really is necessary to look at the season as a whole to understand where things are going and then to piece together threads from four years is a lot of fun. Looking forward to how we go forward in just TWO days!!!!!
Randal…as for how many times douche was said…I have no idea. It was a lot, a lot and it’s already in Sympathy for the Devil so obviously ’tis going to continue. That’s all right though…hope they bring back fugly every now and again.
π
Good overview Elle2.
You’re quite right … Even the weaker episodes have something to contribute when you lay them end to end ( and everyone feel free to insert your own ” I know who I’d like to lay end to end ffnar-ffnar ” comment here … )