Robin’s Rambles – “Metamorphosis”
Jack awakens, handcuffed to a chair. Travis apologizes–“This isn’t the way I wanted it to go.” He removes Michelle’s gag. Travis urges Jack to tell his wife the truth; she deserves to know. Jack begs Travis to let her go, she isn’t part of this. Oh, she is, says Travis, tell your husband what you told me when I got here. “I’m pregnant,” reveals Michelle, crying. “See the mess we’re in?” asks Travis. “I can’t make this mistake all over again. I won’t be around in 30 years, this has got to end now.” To Michelle and Jack’s horror, Travis takes out a gas can and spreads the fluid around, saying he has no choice. Unfortunately, Jack’s love/lust for his wife gives him the strength to free himself from the handcuffs and attack Travis. Jack re-breaks Travis’ arm, then gets his first taste of longpig, homing in on Travis’ succulent jugular. Travis screams and twitches as Jack begins to hungrily, greedily feed on him, a piece of flesh hanging from his lips. Michelle watches her husband in disgust and horror. (And may I say, ewwwww!) Jack, his face covered with blood, frees Michelle. “Stay away from me!” she screams, and runs from the house and into her car, driving away as fast as she can. Jack gazes at Travis, around whom a huge pool of blood has now formed.
Dean and Sam pull up in front of the Montgomery house. They see Travis’ car–“That stupid SOB,” says Dean. They notice the giant blood stain and follow it to what’s left of Travis. “I guess you were right about Jack,” admits Sam reluctantly. Jack leaps on top of Dean, knocking him unconscious, then Sam, felling him with his own flamethrower.
Sam comes to consciousness and finds himself locked in a closet, blood dripping from his nose, a bad bruise on his forehead. “Dean?” he calls. “Dean can’t come to the phone right now,” mocks Jack, who now truly looks like a monster, blood covering his face. “Jack! If you hurt him, I swear to God!” warns Sam. “Calm down!” says Jack. “Your brother’s alive.” Dean is lying on the coffee table, Jack hovering over him. Sam rests his head against the door, panting. “But not if you don’t calm down,” vows Jack. “Open the door,” urges Sam, “we can figure this out, okay?” Jack, close to tears, says, “After what you did?” “What are you talking about?” asks Sam. “You send your friend here,” accuses Jack, “he tried to burn my wife alive!” “What? Why?” demands Sam. “He didn’t say,” lies Jack. Sam grabs a metal hanger and starts working on the lock. “I guess psychopaths don’t have to explain themselves,” says Jack. He gazes at Dean and begins to longingly check out his body. “Listen to me,” begs Sam, “you gotta believe me–my brother and I, we never would have hurt her, okay?” Jack comes up to Dean’s face and, with a shaking hand, reaches out and tastes Dean’s blood. Wanting more, he begins to rock back and forth. “Oh, God. I’m so hungry!” cries Jack. Sam is working feverishly on the lock. “Jack, don’t do this,” he pleads. “I can’t ever see my family again,” cries Jack, turning back to Dean. “You two. . .your friend. You made me into this!” “No one’s making you kill us,” points out Sam. “You got this dark pit inside you. I know. Believe me, I know. But that doesn’t mean you have to fall into it. You don’t have to be a monster.” “Have you seen me lately?” asks Jack bitterly. “It doesn’t matter what you are.” says Sam, “It only matters what you do. It’s your choice.” Jack sits still for a moment, then grunts in pain. He begins to move up to Dean’s head again, mouth open, about to devour Dean. Dean begins to awaken. Jack puts a hand on his shoulder, eyes completely fixed on him. “Jack,” calls Sam, now standing right behind him, flame thrower and lighter in his hands. Jack lunges for Sam. Dean slowly lifts his head and turns around; over his shoulder we hear Sam flip the lighter and the flamethrower goes off. Dean turns his head back around, shielding it. He watches as Sam burns Jack alive. Jack falls to the floor, in flames. Dean looks at Sam, who’s depressed and unhappy that things turned out this way for Jack.
Impala – Dean assures Sam, “You did the right thing–the guy was a monster, there was no going back. I’m sorry, Sam, I’ve been kinda hard on you lately.” “Don’t worry about it, Dean,” says Sam softly. “It’s just. . .your psychic thing scares the crap out of me,” admits Dean. “I’d rather not talk about it,” says Sam. “You don’t wanna talk–YOU?” asks Dean. “There’s nothing more to say,” Sam says, “I can’t keep explaining myself to you, I can’t make you understand.” “Why don’t you try,” says Dean. “I can’t,” insists Sam, “this demon blood, it isn’t in you the way it’s in me. It’s just something I’ve gotta deal with.” “Not alone,” Dean assures him. “Anyway, it doesn’t matter,” says Sam, staring at his reflection in the passenger window. “These powers–it’s playin’ with fire. I’m done with them–I’m done with everything.” “Really?” says Dean. “That’s a relief. Thank you.” “Don’t thank me,” says Sam, “I’m not doing it for you, or for the angels or for anybody–this is my choice.”
1. Choice – a big theme in SUPERNATURAL. Travis insisted Jack couldn’t make a choice, yet he did, when he went to the woman’s apartment, to not go in there and do anything bad to her. However, when his pregnant wife was threatened, all bets were off. How do choice and family fare as a pair in SUPERNATURAL, now that we’ve seen the endgame?
2. It really hurt Sam—and me—when Dean said watching Sam do what he was doing made him something he would want to hunt. Didn’t the fact that Sam was saving the host make it better than killing it? Would Dean have been less harsh if he hadn’t found Ruby with Sam?
3. Jack and his wife seemed like a nice, ordinary couple. Didn’t it break your heart to watch what happened to them? There are so many people who lose their lives and selves on this show. Name someone whose death or loss affected you most. For me it was Pamela Barnes.
4. Do you think Jack’s wife was really pregnant or only said so in the hope Travis wouldn’t harm her? Another generation of hunter is going to have to hunt down another rugaru in the future, damn it, if she is!
5. When you heard Sam assure Dean he wouldn’t use his powers in this episode, did you say to yourself, “Sure, Sam, until you HAVE toâ€? I did!
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.