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Supernatural: Love Hurts

"I can't help it if I'm a hopeless romantic."

This is Supernatural, after all. You know you're not going to get anything sweet in a Valentine's Day theme episode.

They spent some time with the love triangle victims this time, with a more complicated set-up than just a monster killing people. The curse was activated by a kiss, and Qareen the genie, or whatever, was coming to its victims in the form of the one they loved and ripping out their hearts, so we had literal heartbreak. Not ironic at all. (And not a werewolf, either.)

Of course, this kiss of death Valentine's Day curse was all about Dean and Amara, but it wasn't exactly a simple analogy. "Amara" said that Dean's heart was cloaked with shame. Was that because he couldn't control his fixation on and weakness for Amara, or was it a more general sort of shame? Dean may be a valiant knight – he kissed Melissa and took the curse onto himself, didn't he? – but he is also heartless when it comes to romantic entanglements. Dean picks up lonely women and leaves them high and dry. Was the point of this episode that Dean deserves this Amara thing because of how he treats women?

All good episodes of Supernatural end up being about Dean and Sam, and this one was no exception. After Sam destroyed the heart in the box, it was obvious that he was wildly curious about who Dean's loved one was (he knew it wasn't Daisy Duke). Instead of continuing to hide it from Sam, Dean finally told him the truth, and thankfully, Sam didn't give him a hard time about it. Instead, Sam acknowledged the problem and said he would be the one to take Amara out.

We also got that delightful rock paper scissors scene where Dean actually won. And there was Dean in a dirty bathrobe slurping coffee, with leftover takeout Chinese food on his face. It's sort of amazing that Jensen Ackles can do this stuff and still look gorgeous. How does he do it?

Bits and pieces:

— Jiffy Forensic Cleaning Services was taking care of the murder scene. Best company name ever. Note the services checked off on the side? "Blood & bodily fluids. Human & animal waste. No job too big or too small."

— This week: Hudson, Ohio. Since it was a Valentine's Day episode, there was a noticeable red theme in the set decoration. The opening scene at Melissa and Dan's home featured red roses, her red lips, and his red tie. The motel room, the "Too Tired Motel," had pink lights and red vinyl chairs. It also had a room divider with Hudson tires and tire jacks, and I think those were stock car logos on the wallpaper.

— Dean was Agent Weller. Was there a step up in those FBI suits? Dean in a blue shirt and blue tie was a wow. Yes, I'm a Dean girl. Isn't that obvious?

Quotes:

Dean: "You know the best thing about February 14th? You don't have to be Mr. Right. Just Mr. Right Now."

Sam: "Her heart was ripped out."
Dean: "On Valentine's Day."
Sam: "Yeah."
Dean: "Was it, like, an ironic werewolf?"

Sam: "Shapeshifter."
Dean: "Yahtzee."
I don't know why, but I love it when Dean says "Yahtzee."

Dean: "Hey, what's a dad bod?"
Come on. Have they seen Jensen Ackles?

Sam: "So the curse is transmittable?"
Dean: "Like a magic STD. Okay, that works. Kinda makes you nostalgic for good old fashioned herpes."

Melissa: "What kind of FBI agents are you?"
Dean: "The fake kind."
Come on. Couldn't they just say they work the X-Files?

Dean: "The Art of Dyeing. Well, can't say she didn't warn you."

Dean: "The silver lining about being cursed? I finally get some face time with Daisy Duke. My deepest darkest desire."
Sam: "Seriously?"
Dean: "Ever since I was seven."
Sam: "So Bach, not Simpson."
Dean: "Eh. Guess I wouldn't say no to either."

Sonja: "The only thing worse than a cheating man is one who gets away with it."
Sam: "Wow. You're practically a feminist."

Final analysis? A standard Supernatural episode. I probably liked it a little more than I normally would because it was about Dean's emotional life. Two out of four Daisy Dukes,

Billie
---
Billie Doux has been reviewing Supernatural for so long that Dean and Sam Winchester feel like old friends. Courageous, adventurous, gorgeous old friends.

16 comments:

  1. This post is a repeat, and will most likely repeat again. The only time I miss having a TV is for Supernatural, but thankfully I have Billiedoux to fill in the blanks.

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  2. Not a bad holiday themed episode, but not their best. Nothing will ever top "A Very Supernatural Christmas." I do realize that when I compare seasons 1 to 5 with the last 6 seasons, it is no contest, but I will take imperfect Supernatural over no Supernatural at all. There has been great episodes here and there like "Fan Fiction". It was nice that when Dean confessed to Sam about Amara, Sam basically already knew and was sensitive about it. No reproach about the keeping of secrets. Sam's got this...awesome.

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  3. I didn't like it much. The monster was a watered down version of the creature in It Follows. But I really liked Sam's reaction at the end, not blaming Dean at all for desiring Amara.

    All in all, very forgettable, unfortunately.

    Mallena, I think the seasons are not as good anymore, but some of the best episodes are from seasons 6 and 7. They average out ok.

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  4. "Yes, I'm a Dean girl." Nope, disagree. More like, Daniel(Rectify).

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  5. When it comes to Supernatural, I think that individual episodes and even seasons are simply part of a bigger picture by now. While obviously not irrelevant, I believe we, the fans, are invested and interested in spending time with these people in their world. We know them so well: their strengths, weaknesses, relationships, problems, etc. In my opinion, some long-running shows run out of steam because their universes stayed small. The Supernatural 'verse is so vast and the characters so rich, they are living, breathing entities to us, in an incredibly profound world.

    At this point, regardless of the story, we need to know what happens to the Winchesters, to Cass, to Crowley, to Jody (and her "girls"), to Garth, Kevin's mom, et al.

    When a friend calls you and says, "You'll never believe what happened to me last week!", you don't criticize their story. You listen and hope for the best... not for your entertainment... but for them.

    I believe that's what it's like for the majority of Supernatural fans now. I know it is for me.

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    1. That is so sweet and on point! I think that is what the show was aiming for after the initial first 5 seasons. It went for balls to the walls because it would not have survived as long and also like Doctor Who, each segment builds on to the story, like you said.

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  6. Katherine -- thank you so much! that's so nice. :)

    Mallena -- I'm also a huge fan of A Very Supernatural Christmas. Possibly the most twisted Christmas episode on TV.

    Gus -- yeah. But I know what you mean about it averaging out. Even a so-so episode of Supernatural is better than a lot of the dreck on TV.

    Anonymous -- did you mean you or me? Aden Young's Daniel is amazing, but I've been into Dean Winchester since 2005. :)

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  7. Heather1, I posted my comment at the exact same time you posted yours. And I agree. The Winchesters feel like they are part of my life and they'll continue to be until the show is canceled. Good comment.

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  8. Gus, I'm one of the few who actually liked season 7, especially after the good lead in from the last half of season 6. I love it when we comment on each others comments, especially when we get one from the writer of the review. It makes me happy.

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  9. Heather1 -- you say what I've been thinking for a long time now, but you say it better than I could! As long I get to check in to see how Sam and Dean (and Cas, and Jody, and Crowley...) are doing, I'm along for the ride, and I generally have a good time. Sometimes episodes just feel like a chapter in a really, REALLY long novel.

    I also wanted to put a plug in for the actress who played Melissa. She managed to play a wonderful mixture of confusion, fear, horror and gutsiness, and I loved watching her reactions to the fights and the weapons trunk!

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  10. StinaLisa... agreed about the actress who played Melissa.

    I am now looking forward to Sam and Dean starting to notice things that are "off" about Cassifer.

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  11. Mallena,

    It's nice to comment a comment indeed. But I simply can't agree with you about seasons 6 & 7. I think they were, as seasons, the lowest point of the series so far.

    Of course, to each its own.

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  12. Mallena, I'm split on season 7. There were actually a lot of individual episodes in season 7 that I really liked and have watched multiple times, but I felt the overall arc was one of the weakest, if not THE weakest, of the entire series.

    As far as Love Hurts, I liked the moments between the brothers and the villain wasn't bad, but I had trouble feeling sorry for Melissa, the "victim". She may not have intended for anyone to die, but the whole shebang started because she wanted a "return to me" spell. This would have essentially robbed her husband of his free will (even if his free will led him to be a major douche nozzle, still his choice.) I know Sam emphatically said this wasn't her fault, but I still thought she was indirectly guilty. Also, the character felt flat and so her interaction with the brothers felt flat and empty.

    I LOVED the rock, paper, scissors game. That was SO cute. And even more, I loved that Sam had Dean's back when he confessed about it being Amara's doppelganger who showed up.

    Billie, you questioned if maybe the shame he felt about his connection to Amara was a penance of sort for how he treated women. Maybe, but honestly, we've seen Dean feel guilty and worthy of punishment for basically everything ever. The way he treats women is a combination of his desperate need for comfort and connection combined with the inability to connect because of his forever nomadic lifestyle and fear of being hurt/ rejected/ abandoned. Hurt people hurt people. While he may not be the most gentlemanly of callers, I'm not sure he should be ashamed of it. I loved that Sam insisted that he had nothing to be ashamed of or guilty about in his connection to Amara.

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    1. Agreed. Also hurt people have a terrible time trusting anyone and it's very easy for them to turn on someone when they feel betrayed because unfortunately they have lived it. So they tend to be more closed-end and cold to a degree.

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  13. Billie - I meant you. Maybe Dean because he is easier to relate to and understand in your case. But thats like magnetic north prefering itself rather than the south..

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  14. I like this episode, deans face when he beat sam at rock paper scissors was great. The passing of the curse through kissing remind me of the film "it follows" there is a curse but it is passed through sex and if the person who passed it on dies, it goes back to the previous person.

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