Robin’s Rambles – “Metamorphosis”
Bar – Jack inhales booze and gobbles peanuts. He thinks about his wife’s bloody cut and blood running through veins in general. He catches sight of his haggard face in the mirror behind the bar. He orders another drink and more peanuts. He overhears a chunky guy trying to pick up a pretty brunette sitting at the bar and orders the “Fat, sweaty dick” to leave her alone. Jack, more than eager to get into a fight, breaks his opponent’s hand (or so it appears) and the girl runs away in terror
Dean and Travis work on making super flamethrowers, because deep-frying is the only way to kill rugarus. That’s how Travis offed Jack’s father. Sam returns and reports he’s been checking out the lore on rugarus–Jack’s doesn’t necessarily have to “hulk out.” Travis is miffed that his 30 years of experience isn’t enough for Sam, but Dean assures him that Sam loves research, he keeps it under his mattress next to his K-Y (LMAO!) “Those with the rugaru gene,” explains Sam, “if they never eat human flesh, they never transform. Eat a lot of raw meat, just not longpig.” “Fairytales,” says Travis,” every rugaru I ever saw or heard of took that first bite.” “That doesn’t mean Jack will,” insists Sam. “We talk to him, that way he can fight it.” “We’re meat on legs to him now,” says Travis, “he’s hungry! I’m sure he’s a stand-up guy, but this is pure, base instinct.” Sam insists they aren’t going to kill him unless he does something to get killed for. Sam leaves. “What’s up with your brother?” asks Travis. “Don’t get me started,” warns Dean.
Montgomery house – Jack’s wife is pissed at him for forcing her to drive herself to the hospital; she was there until 2 AM. He saw the blood and got dizzy, he explains, he had to get out. But he didn’t even call, she complains, she left him a dozen messages. His phone died, he couldn’t find a pay phone–“But I AM sorry,” he says sincerely, “and I promise it will never happen again, and certainly, not to a wife as STUNNING as you.” He gets all affectionate and smoochy. She remarks it had better not, blood never bothered him before, As he begins kissing her with more fervor, she advises him to “think diamonds, Kobe-sized.” He lifts her onto the counter and kisses her behind her ears, her neck; she asks, “What has gotten into you?” He doesn’t know. Then his actions are harder, harsher, more like rape than passion, and she orders him to stop. When he doesn’t, she escapes his grasp. “You son of a bitch!” she cries. “I’m sorry,” he whispers. “What the hell is wrong with you?” she demands. “I don’t know,” he replies, and leaves.
Sam is annoyed with Dean, who keeps referring to Jack as “that guy.” He has a name and a wife, Sam reminds him. Who they are probably going to be making a widow, says Dean, by burning him alive. They argue–maybe Jack can fight off the urge to turn, says Sam. And maybe he can’t, counters Dean, who suggests that Sam’s emotions are getting in the way here–nice dude, but he’s got something evil inside him, something in his blood– maybe you can relate. “Stop the car!” orders Sam. Dean pulls over and both get out of the car. “You wanna know why I’ve been lying to you, Dean? Because of crap like this! The way you talk to me, the way you look at me, like I’m a freak, or even worse, like I’m an idiot and don’t know the difference between right and wrong.” “DO you know the difference?”asks Dean–“you’ve been kind of strolling a dark road lately!” “You have no idea what I’m going through–none,” says Sam passionately–I’VE GOT DEMON BLOOD RUNNING THROUGH ME, DEAN, THIS DISEASE PUMPING THROUGH MY VEINS, AND I CAN’T EVER RUB IT OUT OR SCRUB IT CLEAN! I’M A WHOLE NEW LEVEL OF FREAK! And I’m just trying to take this. . .curse and make something GOOD out of it. . .because I have to.” Dean, guilty, sad and sorry, says, “Let’s just go talk to the guy.” Sam snorts. “I mean Jack,” adds Dean.
Montgomery backyard – Jack stands watering his garden, his thoughts miles away. Sam introduces himself and Dean to Jack. When he sees Sam unable to begin saying what needs to be said, Dean says, “You’ve probably noticed your bones moving under your skin, and your appetite reaching Hungry Hungry Hippo levels.” “Who the hell are you guys?” asks Jack. “We’re people here to help,” answers Sam compassionately, “please, hear us out.” After they explain about the rugaru, Jack can’t accept it, even after Sam tells him his real father was one, and passed it on to him. Dean lays it on the line, “You’re hungry and you’re only going to get hungrier, for longpig, or Manburger Helper–hasn’t it crossed your mind already?” “No,” lies Jack. “You can fight this off,” says Sam, “others have.” “It won’t be easy,” says Dean, “you’ll feel like an alcoholic swimming around in whiskey.” “You feed once and it’s all over,” says Sam, “and then we’ll have to stop you.” “My dad, did somebody ‘stop’ him?” asks Jack. “Yes,” replies Sam. Jack orders them off his property; he sees them again, he’s calling the cops. Sam reminds him everyone Jack knows, including his wife, is in danger. “NOW” shouts Jack, overheard by his next-door neighbor. As the brothers leave, Dean says to Sam, “Good talk.” Jack, distressed, watches them go.
Jack sits on a bench, listening to a message on his cell phone from his wife: “Please come home, we have to talk.” He hangs up, staring up at the window of the woman he rescued in the bar. She’s opened her blouse, revealing her bra. Jack stares up at her, hungry. He stands and walks across the street, heading for her apartment. From the Impala, the Winchesters watch him. “Damn it, Jack, no!” says Sam. The brothers each take hold of a flame thrower from the back seat. Jack is already ascending the fire escape to the woman’s apartment. The brothers enter through the front door. Jack stares through the sheer black curtain; the woman slides off her bra and puts on a night shirt. Jack’s face looks terrible, feral, the whites of his eyes going red. No! he whispers to himself, and his eyes return to normal. Sam and Dean burst through the woman’s front door. “We’re here to save you, I guess,” says Dean lamely, realizing the woman is alone. She screams that she’s going to call the police. “We should go,” says Sam. Dean agrees, and closes the door behind them, smiling. Jack returns home, looking a lot more human than the last time we saw him. “Michelle,” he calls. “I’m home. Hey babe, you here?” He enters the living room and sees his wife tied to a chair, gagged and struggling. Travis appears behind him, covering his mouth with a Chloroform-treated cloth.
Robin, you’ve taken on one of the episodes that put my soul through a meatgrinder whenever I watch it. THanks for this masochistic pleasure.
Okay, off to your questions:
1-well, choice and family – that’s pretty much what this show is all about. The themes of free will, sacrifice and doing everything for a part of your family. Travis probably underestimated the power of emotions one can hold for a loved one, even while transforming into a monster.
2-gosh, that scene was so heartbreaking… I think Dean reacted in that harsh manner BECAUSE he had seen Sam with Ruby and felt betrayed to the core. I’d say it was his pain speaking, the pain of realizing what Sam had been doing behind his back and the fear of what that might make of his beloved brother.
3-The worst things happen to the best people, a sad fact of life. For me, within this show, losing Ellen and Jo was the toughest part. Even sadder as we haven’t seen them in heaven. I’m afraid they might have ended up downstairs for whatever reason, perhaps the hellhounds devoured them before being blown away…
4-she seemed genuinely afraid, much like a woman would who fears for her unborn baby. The story continues, to my mind.
5-I believe SAm really believed it at that moment and he wanted to keep to those words. He had no other choice, however, in his opinion, trying desperately to do the right thing.
Thank you Robin, your ‘rambles’ are always a real treat and some delicious brain food.
Love Jas
Hi Robin
1)I always blamed Travis for turning Jack, if he hadn’t threatened his wife, Jack wouldn’t of turned. Well at least not at that time. The possibility of Jack eventually giving in to the hunger would always have been there.
2)Dean always had a problem with anything that was supernatural, especially when it came to Sam. I think that warning given by John, to watch out for Sam, and that he may have to kill him one day, forever haunted Dean. And to see Sam using these powers and how strong he was, made that possibility much more real. Seeing Ruby made it worst, because he knew it was her influence, but even if she hadn’t been there, Dean would have still been upset and angry.
3)I felt for Jack and his wife, especially being oblivious to your families past, who and what they were. The death that affected me the most was Ellen and Jo.
4)I never even thought that she could have been lying, hoping it would save her. But I think she was pregnant.
5)I believed Sam was being sincere, but yes I figured that something was going to happen to cause him to use them again. I figured it would have been some major threat to Dean.
You’ve raised some really interesting questions here, Robin…
1. I think the question of how much choice Jack ultimately has makes this episode especially interesting–in the face of such overwhelming hunger, how long can someone hold out? Is it possible?
I also love the way the MOTW story tied into what was going on with Sam, although I wish they’d gone a bit more subtle in terms of pointing out
the parallel, and not been so on the nose about it. The “maybe you can relate” line I could’ve done without–you’ve got a smart audience, Show, we get it! Still, the way the story was constructed, nicely done.
Love the way Supernatural looks at the way love, relationships, family can drive the choices we make. Even though they ultimately come down firmly in favor of the redeeming value of choices that turn to family, they’ve also explored its darker side, the ways the pull of love and family can interfere with individual agency, cause people to act against their will, fuel violence and vengeance… Again, nicely done.
2. Found myself thinking a lot about how much Dean’s objections came from his deep fear regarding what the demons had done to Sam (there’s no way he was fed demon blood for any GOOD reason), how much from prejudice (against
“psychic freaks”, plus his belief that there’s no such thing as a nice demon), and how much from pure gut “this is wrong, it just feels wrong” instinct. He was definitely harsh, but after NRFTW, practically begging Sam not to go down that road, that this is just a variation of the demonic bargains they’d made before, I understood his sense of betrayal. On top of that, an Angel of the Lord was backing his point of view.
I also think we lash out more when we’re really scared. His instinct that Ruby is manipulating Sam was pretty strong, and deepened his fears for his brother, so yes, I think finding her there certainly made him react more
harshly. But his sense of dishonesty and betrayal from his brother would’ve caused it to be pretty strong regardless, IMO. I do think Sam has valid reasons for the choices he’s made as well–saving the host IS pretty
powerful–guess what I’m saying is I feel like I get where they were both coming from, and the fact that it strained their relationship–well, I absolutely loved the tension and conflict that generated.
3. Absolutely broke my heart–thought it was tragic. Whose death affected me the most? The Harvelles, hands down.
4. I think she really was pregnant… which raised another sticky question for me. Travis says he’s got to take care of things now because he won’t be around in thirty years (and presumably can’t risk his quarry getting lost, or entrusting the job to another). So it seems he’s not willing to kill a child, but is willing to torch an innocent pregnant woman? Interesting where a hunter draws the line…
Btw, before a person with the rougarou trait starts to change, can they die a natural death like any other human? A geek’s question to be sure, but brought about by the above situation…
5. Yeah–I thought, “We’ll see how long that lasts…”
Blech, I wrote another dissertation. No idea why. Thanks for your thought-provoking questions, Robin. –ElenaM :geek:
Hmmm, looks like the paragraphs came out kinda screwy there, sorry ’bout that…
Elena, I love your dissertations, please, don’t ever change in that regard!
Love,
Robin
Hi Robin and thanks for your “rambles” and questions!
So I´m months late for this, but I just rewatched this episode, and it´s still one of those that affects me the most, so…
1. I´m with Karen on this first question, I´ve always thought it tragic that even though Sam thought he had been wrong about Jack for thinking he should be given a chance to make a choice he may actually have been right, had Travis not gone for the kill in “sorry but you´re evil”-hunter mode.
It´s tragic for Jack and his wife of course, and it´s tragic for Sam as well because it undermined his self-esteem, fed his fear that, no matter what he did, he was in fact already damned. Sam´s road to hell may have been paved with good intentions, but what pushed him to follow that road in the first place, what pushed him to save as many people as possible no matter how was fear, his fear of not being good enough to be considered a human, too tainted.
I still basically agree with Sam, with his approach, to take the cards he was dealt and try and make the most of it – which answers the choice question: it´s all about choice, life as well as this show. You get born into a life, into a family, you get shaped by the world you live in, and by your family, and yet you still choose how you react to it, always and all the time, little things and big things. Without choice I would see life as completely pointless.
So how do family and choice pair in SPN? If we just take Dean and Sam: being born into that family comes with heavy issues to deal with. Dean´s choice in dealing with them is to embrace them the way he is told to, for the sake of his family. Sam´s choice is to find his own way, regardless of what his family wants. He is still having to deal with them, but he makes his choices more independently, but still relating to his family´s needs and expectations.
Or, in Swang Song: Sam sacrifices himself for the world, backed by his family, by Dean, but on the other hand not “chained” by it, or by his “destiny”. Dean sacrifices himself for Sam, his family (I see what Dean does in Swan Song as a sacrifice for Sam: he is letting him go, literally go to hell in fact, relinquishing his claim as a big brother, and he is doing it for Sam, no one else, and only because this is what Sam wanted). Both of them are making the ultimate choice, freeing themselves and each other from any kind of obligations and expectations, and they are doing it and are capable of it because of the bond they share, because of family, because of love.
I guess we all do things of that sort, in different forms, SPN just brings it out more clearly, how intertwined those two aspects actually are: destiny, or the life, the family you are born into and free will, or the choices you make living this life.
SPN´s approach to this issue is quite clear, too (and I couldn´t agree more): yes, we are born into a life and dealt a deck, but we are still responsible for what we do with it. No one else is.
2. Dean is basically a one-track straightforward person, and his reaction I think is for the most part one of helpless angry fear. His instincts are very sound, and he can feel that Sam is in danger from what he is doing. Ruby is a part of that, part of the threat to Sam, so yes, I think he is being harsher because of her.
He would still be harsh without her though I think. He wants to be sure that Sam is ok, he always does, and this entire situation is completely beyond his reach and control, and that makes him lash out at the one person who could help change at least part of that and has instead betrayed him. I don´t think he is really that angry at Sam in this situation, I think it´s mostly fear and frustration, and anger about his helplessness.
I don´t think he means to hurt Sam, but he is trying to make him understand, trying to get through to him, and his frustrated efforts make him violent, both physically and verbally.
3) For me that´s a tie between Ellen/Jo and Pamela. Ellen/Jo was horrible for me as a mother, that was truly awful.
Pamela´s was so bad because she had not chosen to be a part of this, she died because she was doing the brothers a favour, and she did not want to die (seeing her hurt by Castiel had already affected me quite a bit, that scene with her burnt out eyes haunted me for a while). She was a great character, brought down by the brothers, and it was no one´s fault. That´s truly painful and tragic.
Besides I liked them very much, all three of them.
Come to think of it, this show has awesome women, few, granted, but they are awesome.
4) Actually it never occurred to me that she could be lying, but of course that´s possible, and it would make sense for her to do it. It would also explain why he didn´t know – if there was nothing to know.
They seemed to have a good relationship before things started, so unless this was a very recent discovery, he´d know about it.
I think I´ll have to rewatch to see her reaction to really have an opinion on this. “Sorry I couldn´t tell you” should look different from “I just made this up”
….Well it wouldn´t leave me alone, so I did rewatch that scene. I think her way of talking to Jack indicates that she is indeed newly pregnant but hasn´t been able to tell him.
So yes, it seems like a new generation is growing.
Begs the question, what would Sam and Dean do if they knew?
5. I think in this moment he meant what he said, probably under the influence of his “fellow monster`s” gruesome death.
However, he did sound like he was trying to convince himself: it is my choice, etc. This was a “I really shouldn´t ….anymore, it´s not good for me” decision, not true conviction, not heartfelt.