Recap – “Free To Be You And Me”
Holy crap! I didn’t realize how much work this recap would be until I started dissecting the episode bit by bit. There’s so much detail! I should have known though, for a Jeremy Carver script cannot be taken lightly. So beware, a lot’s coming at you!
Then: The brothers fight, Jessica fries on the ceiling, that INCREDIBLE scene from “Bloody Mary” is shown in a few glorious seconds, Dean is “the vessel,” Cas dies and lives, Sam wants to save people again, Cas thinks Dean’s plan to kill Lucifer is foolish and he wants to find God, and Sam and Dean part ways (sniff!). Got all that?
Now: We get a shot of the Great Plains motel. They have a club, bar, grill, a patio and color TV! Wow, I’m ready to book my vacation there. I’m sure having color TV is what boosts their rating with AAA. Holy crap!! Sam is shirtless! We get to the good part right off the bat? Oh, this has got to be a good one. If they started the show off with a shirtless Winchester every week, this show would get something like 20 million viewers. Okay, at least 8 million 18-34 females. Since I’m older than that, the other 12 million would be hormonally charged older women like me. Yes, we do exist in numbers. Think about it guys!
Sam is in bed, the red bedspread in a strategically placed spot at his waist, and he’s sleeping. But he’s not. He rolls over hoping that will help and whoa, Jess is there. You remember, dead girlfriend from the pilot Jess. She’s wearing the same white nightgown she got flambe’d in. Sam is stunned, as in eyes bulging out of his head and jaw hanging open stunned. Yeah, I react that way too when coming across a dead lover in my bed. “Hey baby.” She looks at him with a smile and tells him she misses him. Sam finally finds some words. “Jessica.” He surmises he’s dreaming and she says maybe not, but what does it matter. Uh oh, we’ve seen this before. Remember, with Nick, in the season premiere? Run Sam!
Nah, why would he? It’s the love of his life talking to him. Sam tilts his head, so in awe to see her, and I’m too distracted by that beautiful chest with that anti-possession tattoo looking so damn hot. Yes, I’m married, why do you ask? He gives her those sweet puppy dog eyes and tells her he misse s her so much. She says she knows and takes his hand, for he’s got to know how much this is real before its yanked away from him. She asks what is he doing. He has no idea what she’s talking about. “Running away, haven’t we been down this road before ? ” Sam insists it’s different this time. “Last time I wanted to be normal. This time I know I’m a freak.” Aww, don’t worry Sammy, you’re our loveable freak. We still love you.
Jessica calls his reasoning a “big ball of semantics,” and this is where I know Jeremy Carver is writing this episode before even checking the credits. He has such a gift for dialogue. “Even at Stanford you knew. You knew there was something dark inside of you.” She claims t hat’s what got her killed. Sam’s eyes get wide and he tells her no. “I was dead from the moment we said hello.” Whoa, a harsh ghost! Sam again denies this so Jess digs harder. “Why are you running from yourself? Why are you running now?” He changes the subject, why is she there? She’s trying to protect him from himself. “Sooner or later the past will catch up to you like it always does and you know what happens then, people die. Baby the people closest to you die.”
Sam is uncomfortable by now and swears he won’t make that same mistake again. Oh come on Sam, now you actually are lying to yourself. Most of that wasn’t your fault. Jess cleverly points that very sentiment out. “Same song, different verse.” Sam is getting really upset now, so she essentially goes for the jugular. “Things are never going to change for you, never.” A single tear runs Sam’s eye, and now Jared has taken a lesson from the Jensen Ackles’ school of acting. Jessica disappears, and we get another long shot to admire those incredible pecs before we get the title card.
Well that’s a way to kick off an episode. Jared Padalecki and Jeremy Carver, I am your bitch.
The opening notes to “Simple Man” by Lynryd Skynryd come on, along with a caption “One Week Earlier.” Oh boy oh boy, it’s an opening classic rock montage! I’m in paradise! First a shirtless Winchester now this? It’s not even close to my birthday. An ugly blue Ford pulls up to the Great Plains motel, which is in Garber, Oklahoma. Sam gets out and opens the trunk. Next shot has Dean closing the trunk of the Impala. He slides a knife into his belt and goes into the Taft Memorial Hospital wearing his blue suit. He’s in Greeley, Pennsylvania and man, what a glory shot of the Impala. All this prettiness only five minutes in is giving me heart failure.
Sam burns his fake ids in a sink and we watch his Pennsylvania State Police id light up just before Dean is seen showing his. Oh, I love these parallels! Dean is Bill Buckner, which is the baseball player infamously known for booting the ball on what would have been the saving out of the 1986 World Series for the Red Sox. The Mets went onto win that series. I’m being harsh though, since the game was already tied due to poor relief pitching and it was only game 6. The Mets did win game 7 all on their own, but heck, people always forget those sort of things.
Anyway, I better shut up for the song is still playing this scene doesn’t need interruptions like that. Sam walks up to the entrance of Hoyt’s bar and there’s a “Busboy Wanted” signed in the door. So next thing Sam is seen putting away a rack of glasses. Well, you gotta admit, it’s honest work. As the glasses slam down on the counter, the scene cuts to Dean slamming a man onto the hood of the Impala. The man shows his fangs, Dean shows a knife. “Eat it twilight.” Hee, he could have said ” Vampire Diaries. ” We won’t go there. The knife goes down and the shot goes to lemons being cut. I love this scene! Sam is cutting lemons at the bar and then Dean is cutting the Vampire with blood on his face. Sam wipes his brow, Dean wipes the blood off his face. Sam wipes down the bar with soapy water while a waitress watches, Dean wipes down the hood of the Impala to get all the blood off.
The song plays on the radio of the Impala while Dean drives. “Don’t forget son, there’s someone up above.” Unless they’re talking about Castiel, Dean ain’t buying it. Dean looks over at the passenger seat, it’s empty. That’s so sad!
Dean is in a motel room, wiping the blood off his jacket. All that blood on the hood of the Impala and his face and his jacket only needs a spot cleaning? Find a laundromat son, or was Sam the one that washed the clothes? Castiel appears out of nowhere, and Dean jumps. Castiel stands very close to him and Dean reminds him of personal space. I’d say this is the odd couple with a capital O.
I really tried to get some more and better Dean and Castiel screenshots, especially with Raphael, but it was impossible. The scenes were too shaky and dark. Plenty of good Sam ones though as you can see.
Excellent recap! Alice, I think you should record commentary for this show, because what you have to say is hilarious! This was my favourite part: “…monloguing, telling the truth to screw the Winchesters demons†– this made me laugh out loud, mostly because it’s very true!
I pretty much love every moment that Cas is on screen these days. “I just thought I’d sit here quietly.†That makes me go ‘aww’ every time. Not only is it funny, but it’s endearing. Castiel is so cute sometimes, in that floppy-puppy way.
My theory about the vessels is as follows: the basic angels (such as Castiel and Uriel) don’t need specific vessels to contain their energy – just a certain type of person (DNA wise). Angels like Michael and Lucifer, however, require very specific people (beyond Angel-DNA compatibility) to house their essences’ which is why when Raphael is in that body and then leaves it, it’s pretty much burned out inside. Consider: Pamela’s eyes burnt out for ‘peeking’ at Cas – she wasn’t the right type of person able to experience the angels in their true form through her sense (yes, I would categorize her mind’s eye as one such sense). Cas needed a person with specific DNA (Jimmy Novak) to possess him and hear him and Jimmy didn’t suffer the results the man worn by Raphael was seen to suffer because Castiel isn’t as powerful. Lucifer told Sam that Nick’s body could barely contain him – he was the runner up in the Who-Wears-Lucy-Best contest, Sam being the winner. So, to sum up that long and non-sensical babble: more powerful an angel is, the more specialized his/her meat suit needs to be.
Only 23 hours and 10 minutes (give or take) until episode 4! (How can we be at episode 4 already!?)
While we’re getting all deep and thoughtful about vesselology, has any one else noticed that the angel/ninja turtle slated to be wearing Dean in weeks to come is Mikey – The Party and Pizza Mindless Hedonism Turtle ( in case anyone cares the others are Sensible Turtle, Techno Turtle and Punch Anything That Moves Turtle ) This is just too fitting to be a coincedence … There must be more to it, watch this space …
Thanks again Alice for your recap. It’s always such a joy to read.
The amount of light humour this episode was nice after such two very heavy episodes.
Although the brothel scene may have offended some viewers, I for one found the expression on Castiel’s face priceless. (chalk one up for Misha).
It was good to see Dean’s one-liners being said with the old jovial wit.
I found the first two episodes his one-liners were delivered with more anger than actual humour.
Dean’s admission to being relieved to be free of his family obligation and happy to be able to live for himself was quite understandable.
What he has sacrificed for his family has been more than anyone could of given. He needed to step back and take a breather and be his own man.
However after seeing how he was with Castiel, straightening of his tie, assisting him with the FBI badge. Taking him to the house of ill repute. His pep talk to listen to his heart and continue to search for his father.
Sounded to me like some one still needed to be the big brother. Still wanted to be needed. So his comment about not missing Sam, really didn’t come off as his true feelings.
I wonder if Dean’s has had thoughts of regret about selling his soul to save Sam. That if he had not had Sam resurrected than none of this would be happening.
I would imagine the guilt with having these thoughts would be unbearable and make it hard to face Sam.
As for Sam, I also wonder if he is ever going to get a break.
What more could Sam possibly endure, with out having a complete mental breakdown.
The words “Poor Sammy!†have been leaving my lips at the end of each episode since “Raptureâ€. My heart is simply breaking for him.
I don’t know about you but Lucifer using Jessica’s image to talk to Sam, looked like someone lying and using trickery to me.
Thanks Alice for the recap. Jared acting was superb! It was the first time I saw an actual tear run down his face in the series, although he has come close. Jensen is an expert in that.
Great, great recap of a stellar episode. There are a few ways the inevitable God vs. Satan/Dean vs. Sam deal is going, but every so slowly nudging us towards it, these bastard writers are going to wring every bit of maddening lunacy from it. I can’t wait to see how this ends up.
@Suze, does this mean Lucifer is Krang? Muah.
Mmmm … Possibly, or Shredder … Like I said, it’s a work in progress.
Good article Alice. I think there is plenty of hope for Sam, and Dean. Both boys just need to stop beating themselves up over events they really had no control over. (And that doesn’t mean I believe in the destiny ideas). Like Lindsey said in FTBYAM, “No one has ever done anything so bad they can’t be forgiven, they can’t change.” That is SO true. For me, it’s sad that this has dragged on for so long. Hopefully they will get back to the happier things soon.
I do have to disagree with one thing. I don’t think Sam is a monster. I think he THINKS he’s a monster, and Dean does too. Both of them are wrong. Sam has extraordinary abilities that he needs to learn to use properly, not throw away. I think in MBV, he learned that for the first time, and hopefully soon he will learn that he doesn’t need blood to turn them on. At least that’s what I hope the writers will do. 🙂