Recap – “My Bloody Valentine”
Now it’s an office, it’s dark, the cleaning crew are there and two miserable bastards are somehow thinking that by working late on a project they’ll get ahead in life. Fine, let them learn the hard way. Your efforts are usually rewarded with promised comp time that never happens and then a pink slip. No, I’m not cynical. Anyway, one guy is trying to work and the other is checking messages on his phone. He should really have an iPhone or a droid or something. They couldn’t get anyone who wanted to do some product placement here? Strange. Black guy is blasting other guy for his piss poor work, wondering why he’s checking messages for a girl he only met a week ago. Then he does the whip motion and swishing sound. Oh, this guy deserves to be blown away just for doing that. Only mega jerks do that. The guy goes on about how he won’t let the project get half assed. Man, he SO does not belong in corporate America. That reminds me of a story. You see, my daughter has been half assing it in school lately. Some of her assignments have just been pitiful. Yet I saw her “just enough to get by” work, looked at my hubby and shrugged. “At least she’ll be perfect for corporate life.” He couldn’t argue.
Okay, story. Girl in red dress shows up crying, streaks of makeup running down her face. She wonders where guy checking phone was, who we find out is Jim. He tries to tell her, but she doesn’t want him to choose work over her. He apologizes to “Janice” and the stupid jerk does the whip sound again. So Janice in what I deem to be a perfectly sane act whips out a gun and blows him away. He had that coming. I wonder why more people don’t take firearms to work. She asks what will they do now, since things like work will always get in the way of them being together, not to mention prison now. Jim has a way for them to stay together forever. Time to blow their brains out. Now that’s insanity. Maybe that employer will now think twice about letting people work late too. Nah, they don’t take murder-suicides as a hint.
I love this next part! Sam and Dean are back and the coroner’s, suits and all, and they walk down the hall. A man in a dark suit with a briefcase passes them and something is suddenly off with Sam. He gazes at the man intently, hearing a loud heartbeat and actually smelling his scent. It’s so cool! I should mention the director here is the always reliable Mike Rohl, who has done a few other great Supernatural episodes before like “The Monster at the End of This Book” and “On The Head of A Pin,” and he’s also done several Smallville episodes. I love how he zeros in on Sam’s perplexed gaze in slo-mo as they pass in the hall. Great shot! It really brings out the puppy angst. They pass and Dean asks Sam if he’s okay. He says he’s fine, but he’s so not fine.
They enter the morgue and the coroner calls Dean agent Marley. Dean introduces Sam as Agent Cliff. Oh, so they’re reggae superstars this week! I guess that’s mixing it up. Dean asks him about the double suicide. The coroner has finished up and shows them the body parts in the refrigerator. “Their good and plenties are already tupperwared.” Oh, I love the sharp humor of an Edlund script. The doctor throws them the keys, tells them to leave them with Marty up front when they’re done and grabs his coat and hat. “Please gentleman, refrigerate after opening.” Oh, I like this guy. A coroner with a sense of humor. You would almost have to in order to do that job, right?
Sam and Dean are at a table looking at body parts, and it’s so cool to see they don’t get grossed out anymore. It was really funny at first, but they should have been over it by season four. I think the gag was carried on a little too long. Dean pushes a heart over to Sam. “Be my Valentine?” See, he can still joke. He’s not all dead. Sam kind of rolls his eyes, showing he’s not all dead either. He’s pretty damned close though. He doesn’t give the bitch faces like he used to. Then Sam spots something on the hearts. It dawns on him what they are. Enochian symbols. In other words, angel signs! Dean asks if it’s like the tagging on their ribs. Sam isn’t sure.
So, if you want to confirm an angel tagging theory, who better than to call an angel? Especially one that carries a cell phone. Dean pulls out his phone, calls, tells Cas where he is and suddenly Cas is in front of him before he even finishes his sentence! So cool. I love Castiel’s entrances. “I’m there now,” Castiel says on the phone, even though he and Dean are staring right at each other. Dean sees that. Castiel says he’s going to hang up and you hear the echo on the cell phone conversation. Nice touch! Cas looks at the heart without the rubber gloves and confirms Sam was right. “It’s the mark of a union. The man and woman were intended to mate.” So who put them there? Castiel explains that “your people” call them a Cupid. “What human myth has mistaken for Cupid is actually a lower order of angel. Technically it’s a Cherub third class.” Wow, a caste system for angels. I guess it makes sense and all, but I love how Castiel is so repulsed by such a “simple” angel, yet he is so respectful of humans. I guess we all have our irritants.
There are dozens of these Cherubs all over the world. “You mean the little flying fat kid in diapers?” Dean asks. Castiel is confused. “They’re not incontinent.” No one gives Cas better dry humor lines than Ben Edlund too. That is right up there with “Uriel is the funniest angel in the Garrison.” Sam is trying to get to the bottom of what he’s saying. A cupid has gone rogue and they have to stop him before he kills again. “Naturally,” Sam says sarcastically. “Of course we do,” Dean says in the same tone. Needless to say, they don’t see it being the slam dunk Cas is making it.
There’s a hanging Valentine in a nice restaurant with hearts, candles and lovers everywhere. Sam, Dean and Cas are in a cozy booth together. It’s like I said in last week’s recap, these three need to get a house together. Crud, that fanfic idea just won’t die! I haven’t written some good tongue-in-cheek comedy in a while. Anyway (shakes off creative surge) Dean gets his burger, Sam gets his salad, they’re both drinking beer in a glass (???). Dean makes the joke we’re all thinking. “So you just happen to know he likes the Cosmos at this place?” Hey, I like Cosmos too! Okay, anything with alcohol in it. Cas calls it a nexus of human reproduction. Oh, that’s so not leaving my head next time I’m at a restaurant like that. Which is usually weekly.
Cas can’t finish his sentence, for he’s staring at Dean’s burger. The one he’s loading with ketchup. That’s really gross to me. I actually hate ketchup. I’ll eat anything else but that. It’s actually making me shiver worse than the eating lovers. Dean picks up the burger and doesn’t want to eat it. Not hungry. Again, is that a symptom of what’s happening or something else within Dean? Sam is suspicious, Castiel wants to eat the burger. There! That’s something weird. Sam’s attention turns to Cas now. Castiel can’t take a bite though, for his spidy sense kicks in. He says he’s there. Sure enough, there’s a couple sitting at a table, a napkin flies up and they’re all kissy kissy. Castiel tells them to meet him in the back and he disappears.
Even the recap of this episode made me cry. The ending is just too much. Poor Dean. Wonderful job on the screen caps. Their expressions are just amazing. Especially the one of Sammy with the blissed out bloody smile, so very very creepy.
I had the same reaction to Cas eating the “White Castle” burger. Wrong wrong wrong. It’s not like they couldn’t have used the publicity. lol
Great job on the recap! It’s going to be a painful couple weeks til Hellatus is over.
Hi Alice
I love the humour you bring to your reviews, it helps lighten those heavy hearted ones.
Although this episode had some light moments, I have to admit this one left me rather depressed.
My heart just breaks for both Sam and Dean. I just wish they could get a break.
I knew this year was going to be quite the emotional roller coaster and would get very dark, but it still kills me to watch them go through all this heartache.
I too, don’t believe for a moment that Dean is dead inside, just severely depressed.
I still think all these D**ks (Lucifer, Zack, Michael etc..) are just trying to beat down Dean’s spirit and Free will. If they can get him to believe that there is no free will and only destiny then he will give up and say Yes to Michael.
As for Sam, whether he is addicted to the blood or the power, it is still an addiction.
I’m worried that it can still be used as a vice to manipulate Sam into saying Yes.
That’s a good recap!…I agree, it’s one of the best episodes this season :-)…keep up the good work to give more great reviews!
Your recaps are too short. Where are all the little details, the nuance? Aside: I hope you realize that your recap for the season finale is going to be 37 pages. 😎
Wait, there’s a White Castle open that late?
Black comedy is the best and Edlund is the master. Firearms to work? Hey, those things cost money. Far cheaper to drown one’s sorrows in booze, no?
I loved this coroner and couldn’t help think of his total opposite, the weak-stomach in From Hell. As for Sam’s swanky threads, insurance agent blends in so much better than male model. Don’t want to attract too much attention. Sorry, ladies. Muah.
Re: stupid demon. I’m probably overthinking, but perhaps Famine’s power extends to his minions and can make them extra one-track-mind. Or, more likely, he’s just really stupid. There’s gotta be *some* demons who passed the SAT, right?
Re: souls. More geek fan nitpicking/curiosity, but the coroner’s soul was still there. What’s the time frame from death to when it goes flying to the Happy Hunting Grounds or Elysium or Valhalla or the South Pacific?
Re: demon blood. I’m on board with your theory. It’s not physical, it’s completely psychological. He doesn’t need it in the respect that our organs need oxygen carried by the circulatory system. Complete mind/soul gig. And that’s the rub: when will SAM get that, climb that hill to where HE is the master of his abilities, known and yet to be discovered.
Re: seeing is believing. Yes! Most notably in 2.13, but other places as well, this is why Dean just didn’t get it. Sometimes I get the vibe that fans have expected Dean to know what we know. It’s one thing to knock off Samhain, but to incapacitate a freaking Horseman? In the immortal words of little Ben, that’s *epic.*
Dead inside would mean ennui, absolute zero. He’s not dead, just as lost as a man whose car broke down in the middle of the Gobi desert without a map to tell you that the nearest road is 100 miles that way.
Alice, thank you, what a wonderful recap, it`s like watching all over again, not that I have not already watched so many times that I have lost count, as have so many of us I imagine.
Saw one review for this episode which said it was the sickest hour of tv the reviewer had ever seen and also one of the most wonderful,how right they were. Ben Edlund is a genius– A very twisted sick genius — but a genius.
At the end I find myself yelling at the tv Deans own words from Devils Trap, when Meg tries to convince them that John is dead, HE`S NOT DEAD,HE`S NOT, HE CANT BE. No one dead inside could now be in so much pain. I think that the last straw was that he finally saw the full on super vamped up Sammy (Oh Sammy!) let`s face it that would be a bit of a shock for anyone , did it not shake us up a bit.
Was anyone else totally freaked out by Famine? Not since Bloody Mary crawled out of that mirror has any thing given me chills like he did.
Damn these stupid Hiatus things, why on earth cant we just keep going! They break our boys and then just leave them and leave us to fret and suffer for weeks. We need to band together people for mutual support.
Alice, well, as I’m not at work I don’t mind killing time with this awesome recap.
This episode is so full, I can hardly breathe… from all the tears and the thoughts running through my head. It had some fine one-liners (personal fave: ‘He’s not incontinent’), a lovely MacGuffin in Cupid and the heart-wrenching that followed he encounter with him. I guess the Edlund only needed Cupid to get the heartbreak going, and boy, it happened…
Do we really believe that Sam eats mostly salads? Unless they are spiced up with some Croatoans (forgive me Randal, this was too tempting not to give in…) I can’t imagine how he got that big. You need protein to build up muscle, ah, wait, all that demon blood… When we think of how much Jared need to eat to keep up that form (as he stated in an interview once), we should be allowed an image of a eating Sam – you know, the occasional steak, preferably rare (my favourite, come on)… apart from that, a person who loves to eat can be quite sexy… okay, gutter-time again.
I concur with your thesis that Sam’s hungry for power and that he doesn’t need the blood to work his mojo. We’ve heard it before: ‘You didn’t need the feather to fly’ which one might read: You didn’t need the blood to be powerful.
He said himself in GoodGod,Y’all, I believe, that he missed being powerful. After all, if we look at growing power as an equivalent of growing up and becoming your own person that would be something Sam wanted to feel early on. He left home to pursue his goals; he turned to Ruby to get away from Dean who wouldn’t let him grow up. Having that kind of power he was given by YellowEyes distinguishes him from his brother and the family business, makes him unique, but he never wanted to stand out.
Sam obviously has not understood yet that he is the powerful one, not the blood. Judging from the degree of fear that has been poisoning the Winchester minds for some time now, he might be just too afraid to accept the fact that he, indeed, is way more different than he is (still) ready to accept. That he is more than human. A freak, one of his biggest and earliest fears.
And fear, as we know, is a most powerful weapon. Sam still uses it against himself, shying away from the person he might be. Nelson Mandela once said ‘our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.’ Well, if that doesn’t apply to dear Sammy, I’m an idiot.
Jared played out those scenes with the vigour and emotionality we love him for – and, gosh, he would make such a fantastic vampire in another show or film…
And Dean, my God, of course he is not dead… But, let’s face it: can anyone blame him? After all he’s been through? Anyone would crumble down one way or another. He doesn’t eat as he used to, he drinks way more and his libido is a mess, I don’t need to get all shrinky here, do I? Dean’s spirits have been down for a while now, and he has not yet managed to get them back to his usual cheerful strength. Right now, I believe, his strength is mere discipline, countenance and posture. If he doesn’t find a way to get out of that dark pit he fell into, he will say yes to Michael.
Whatever he does, however much he fights, right now it appears to him that it’s all destiny anyhow. From his point of view, he must feel like he can’t win. He can’t save his brother, again. My heart breaks for him, as it has for both brothers countless times ever since I was watching the show.
One of the best episodes to date. The cruellest one, no doubt. Did I mention before that I hate being confronted with a hiatus once again?
Thank you Alice. These long recaps are to be savoured and relished, which I do.
Love Jas
Wow Alice. You really outdid yourself in this one. I love it to bits! And all the pretty screencaps didn’t hurt either 🙂
This is without a doubt one of THE best eppies ever, the best of Ben Edlund for sure. I’m so at awe, he should def. play God if they ever go there. I mean, that title wouldn’t be so far off 😉
Hi Alice
This recap was long? I thought it was a little bit too short. LOL! Really, the longer the better along with all those great screen caps.
Poor Dean isn’t dead inside. If he was he would be a much happier shell. He has been crushed to the quick, the poor boy. How I yearn to help make him all better. (really missing happy bossy hungry sexy Dean)
Good for Sammy to come clean with his hunger for blood. That’s a step up from the sneaking around of last season. And its a good thing that Dean has seen with his own eyes exactly how strong his Sammy really is. Hopefully Sam can realize that he doesn’t need the blood to be strong and will accept who he is and then perhaps that strength can be used to help TEAM FREE WILL in their impossible fight.
A terrible place to leave us in a hiatus. Sam screaming in pain and withdrawal and Dean completely broken in his despair. They’ve gotten so low that surely there is no way to go but up for both of them.
🙁
It’s funny that you mentioned this Alice “It’s fascinating how watching Sam in the scene really shakes him to the core.” Then we have Dean go outside and ask God for help. The only other time we’ve seen him do this was back in MATEOTB when he wanted help in getting Sam out of Lillith’s path. Here, he is lost and doesn’t know how deal with the Sam he has just witnessed coupled with his feeling of helplessness and hopelessness. Sam was the end of that rope he was holding at bay.
I’ve always been fascinated by how much the brothers are the only one’s who can push each other’s hidden and most painful and earth shattering buttons that it defines them. The death of the other, i think is up there and the aftermath. I firmly believe that if the brother’s ever contemplate saying yes, it would have something to do with each other. Whether it be negative or positive is what i’ll like to know.
Great recap, Alice, as always!
I really liked this episode a lot. It was gory and funny and terrifying and heartbreaking and just really great. I hope the rest of the season stays at this high level.
I also don’t think Dean is really dead inside, but I do think that he believes he is, which is just as bad. Hopefully, he gets some help because he, and Sam, really, can really use a break.