Recap – “The Monster At The End Of This Book”
Before eating, Dean gets in the last word. “It’s not hiding, its being smart. It’s picking your battles, this is a battle we are not ready to fight.” Sam disagrees with that brooding glance again, but says nothing. Dean is then taken to paradise, for he’s eating the best tofu burger ever. Then the waitress comes back and tells him she gave him the bacon cheeseburger by mistake. Fighting fate ain’t so easy, huh?
They pull into the Toreador motel, which looks a lot like the one in “Malleus Maleficarum.” Sam complains it charges by the hour. They need to avoid the Red motel, so it’s opposite day. We get to play that long missing game of “Guess that classic car.” There’s an ugly brown muscle car there as they pull in. Anyone want to take a stab? My guess (which is hard with only a side view) is a 1970 or 1971 Buick Skylark, 4 door hardtop.
Dean puts out hex bags in the room to Lilith proof the room. Sam doesn’t like the idea of holing up there all night, but Dean makes it clear that’s the plan. He encourages Sam to use the magic fingers or watch Casa Erotica. No research. He even takes Sam’s laptop. He’s off to park the Impala, since the story said he was riding around in it all day. “Behave yourself, would you? No homework. Watch some porn.” Sam is not happy.
Dean drives away, and the camera goes up to the motel’s neon sign, where a short happens. Suddenly, Toreador becomes “Red.” Then, Dean parks the car, making sure it’s locked, and crosses the street. Suddenly two punks are trying to break into his baby! I know, I’m ready to shoot them myself! Dean yells and goes after them, only to be hit by a minivan. I tried to get a screenshot of it, but it’s so clear it’s Jensen’s stunt double. Dean loses consciousness on the ground. Yeah, opposite day isn’t working.
Another pivotal scene! I’ll tell ya, the scripts lately have been REALLY loaded. Last year it was only “A Very Supernatural Christmas” and “Mystery Spot.” This year, it just seems to be the norm. No wonder Jared and Jensen are tired! Sam answers the door, it’s Chuck. Sam has asked to see him. Sam asks how much he knows about him, obviously worried about the answer. Chuck doesn’t know what he means. “Have you seen visions of me when I’m not with Dean?” Oh, you mean the demon blood thing Sam? Yep, he’s seen it. He hasn’t told Dean, nor has he even written it into the books. “I was afraid it would make you unsympathetic.” Sam is shocked by that word. “Yeah, come on Sam, sucking blood? You gotta know that’s wrong.”
Sam lets down his guard, and the next shot shows how much ridiculously taller Jared is than Rob Benedict. Sam takes a seat by the window. “It scares the Hell out of me man.” Wait a second, is this Sam”¦OPENING UP? Sharing his feelings? Wow sharing and caring Sam, it’s been so long since I’ve seen you! I thought you were dead. “I have feelings inside of me, I wish to God I could stop.” Chuck points out he keeps going back. “What choice have I got? If it helps me kill Lilith and stop the apocalypse-” “I thought that was Dean’s job,” Chuck points out. Or at least according to the angels. Sam says Dean isn’t himself lately. “Ever since he got out of Hell”¦he needs help.” Chuck cleverly points out that Sam’s carrying all the weight, so Sam defends his actions. “He’s been looking out for me his whole life. I can’t return the favor?”
Chuck agrees, but doesn’t think that’s the reason. “Maybe the demon blood makes you feel stronger, more in control.” Sam denies it, not believing that’s true. Ha! Come on Sam, we see it, Pamela saw it, a weirdo writer that can get into your head sees it, stop lying to yourself! I know, he won’t. Chuck drops it, even though he hints he doesn’t believe him. “I’m sorry Sam. I know it’s a terrible burden, feeling that it all rests on your shoulders.” Sam asks if it does. “That seems to be where the story is headed.” Sam looks scared, and asks if he’s strong enough to take on Lilith tonight. Chuck doesn’t know, he hasn’t seen that far yet.
Dean wakes up, and he’s seeing stars! The woman that hit him is hovering over him, wearing the longest most outrageous earrings made from silver stars. Then she admits her daughter is going through a doctor phase, and she has put pink flowered band-aids all over the side of his face. The Impala has been broken into as well, and the rear window is shattered. Julie Siege, what do you have against the Impala? You egg it in “It’s the Great Pumpkin Sam Winchester, and now this?” You are gutsy, for hurting a classic car is grounds for a lynching in most states. All states.
Dean drives the Impala with a plastic tarp flapping over the missing rear window, like Chuck predicted, and he’s pissed. Chuck comes home to find Dean there. “You look terrible,” Chuck says. “That’s because I’ve just been hit by a minivan, Chuck.” He doesn’t sound too surprised. Dean demands to know how he’s doing this. How is everything that he writes about coming true? Chuck quivers, having no explanation, so Dean pushes him against the wall, yelling more. “Dean, let him go.” There’s that commanding voice! Another awesome entrance for our angel extraordinaire. “This man is to be protected,” Castiel commands. “Why?” Dean asks, waiting for the punchline. “He’s a prophet of the Lord.” That’s a punchline!
Alice Jester is the founder, editor-in-chief, head writer, programmer, web designer, site administrator, marketer, and moderator for The Winchester Family Business. She is a 30 year IT applications and database expert with a penchant for creative and freelance writing in her spare (ha!!) time. That’s on top of being a wife, mother of two active kids, and four loving (aka needy) pets.
Wow, Alice, this is one wicked recap. I love it. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a book, tv show or movie poke fun at itself (and us) better than this. It’s the bomb (if you will).
I notice that Kim Manners was listed as Exec Prod on this one – I suspect this is the last episode he worked on. 🙁 Kind of nice that it was such a fantastic episode.
I wonder if anyone else had the same reaction to Zachariah that I did. I just wanted him to bugger off and leave Chuck free to contact Sam and Dean. GRIN
Sigh, X’ing off the days until April 23rd.
Great recap Alice!
As far as I’m concerned, the longer your recaps, the better I like it.
I don’t think Zachariah is a bad angel. Just one of the more detached ones. At least I hope he’s not the monster at the end. And Cas, I just about cheered when he helped Dean in his sneaky way. He’s learning.
Everyone was wonderful in this episode and I’d give it an A+ for writing and acting.
Am a little scared about what Kripke will leave us with to suffer over the summer.
Hope you find lots of stuff to write about our show when the summer hiatus begins.
Hi, Alice,
Fantastic recap, thank you for all the effort it takes to put those screen caps in there, love that sometimes you get the fade.
I was checking the titles of the eppies at first as well planning to include that in my comments until I realized Red Sky was mentioned but not included…decided to pass it by but they do get high marks for referring back to shown episodes (esp. high marks for JIB and the tats…show those tats anytime please.)
I thought the actress playing the ‘comely dental hygienist’ did a good job of channeling some of what Katie did when she showed Lilith as ‘all grown up and pretty’. Some of the facial expressions and turns of the head are similar and added to the continuity.
Julie Siege is an excellent addition to the writing staff, hope she stays for next season ’cause she’s got three good to great episodes under her typewriting fingers from this season.
Yes, it will be a long, long, long summer…sheesh.
We’ve been away so I’ve got a bit of catching up to do!
I was expecting to hate this episode. Normally it makes me cringe when fiction gets all smug and knowing and self-referential. It sort of bursts the bubble … I know it’s not real but there’s some little bit of my subconcious that thinks it is and doesn’t like to be reminded that the whole thing’s a construct.
Anyway, I got as far as the publisher showing them the tattoo on her bum before dissolving into hysterics. Love it. So many in-jokes and Castiel is just getting better and better.
I think the monster at the end was poor ol’ Chuck. He goes from creator to helpless by-stander. He knows there’s something hideous coming down the line but he can’t warn the boys and he can’t help, he just writes it down and it happens, which makes him feel it’s all his fault.
For my money the best Zep ever was Immigrant Song or Battle for Evermore 😀
Ah the show amuses me with its normal male double standard here. For all Dean and Sam cringe at slash, Dean has no problem with incest when it is too his benefit. For example Magnificent Seven at the very start, Dean is about to have sex with twins (and does) while Sam researches deals in the car. Now really, two women, one man, sex? Even I am not so naive as not to know that those girls would be touching each other as well as Dean
I think it is interesting that though the first song is a famous Zep tune the second song may actually be referring to the original Robert Johnson song and not the Zepplin cover. Yup Robert Johnson of Crossroad Demon fame. The first version of the lyrics fit Dean’s travelin’ woman in every port life style, the second could either be a reminder of Cassie or a creepy reference to Dean’s deal
Oh and I forgot to mention the “get a life” is actually a pop culture reference to Shatner’s Saturday Night live appearance where he ticked off Star Trek fandom.