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Supernatural: Houses of the Holy

Dean: "Well, I think I learned a valuable lesson. Always take down your Christmas decorations after New Year's, or you might get filleted by a hooker from God."

So essentially, the late Father Gregory had post-death delusions of grandeur and became a remote control vigilante. That was new and different.

Dean and Sam reacted differently to the whole angel thing. Dean knows evil exists because he sees it all the time. He doesn't believe in what he can't see, and after all, angels certainly didn't save his mother. Sam, on the other hand, prays every day. He wants God to save him from his demonic destiny call. I sort of can't blame him, although it felt a lot like straw-clutching.

I particularly liked the denouement, when Dean saw the bad guy get a flying pole through the heart, sort of like Final Destination. I also liked that, instead of burning bones or performing an exorcism, Gregory was set free by Father Reynolds performing last rites. Rather lovely.


The thing about the archangel Michael as an avenging angel with a flaming sword made me think. Dean and Sam are handsome young men who selflessly fight evil. They're sort of avenging angels. Whoa, profound. At least that's the comparison I think the writers were going for.

So in this episode, Sam was curious and open-minded, and Dean was a total skeptic. Doesn't that make Sam Mulder and Dean Scully, instead of the other way around?

Bits and pieces:

— There was a televangelist on television, and Gloria literally couldn't turn it off. Now, that's a nightmare. The televangelist was a reminder that "religious" doesn't automatically mean "good," so it went with our main plot.

— Sam apparently isn't wanted, even though he was an accessory to the bank robbery. But Dean certainly is, and he's trying to keep a low profile.

— This week, we went to Providence, Rhode Island. The sleazoid playboy motel with the nude silhouettes and magic fingers was like the flip side of the religious main plot.

— Unlike the others who saw the angel, Sam was able to resist it. Maybe because he deals with the supernatural every day. Or... maybe because he's not redeemable?

Quotes:

Dean: "Hey, man. You gotta try this. There really is magic in the magic fingers."
Sam: "Dean, you're enjoying that way too much. It's kinda making me uncomfortable."

Sam: "No sulfur, no EMF..."
Dean: "You didn't see any fluffy white wing feathers?"

Dean: "Did you bring quarters?"
Sam: "Dude, I'm not enabling your sick habit. You're like one of those lab rats that pushes the pleasure button instead of the food button until it dies."

Sam: "And then I'm guessing he went to the police and confessed?"
Dean: "Yup. Roma Downey made him do it."


Sam: "It just appeared before me and I just, this feeling washed over me. You know, like peace. Like grace."
Dean: "Okay, ecstasy boy. maybe we'll get you some glow sticks and a nice Doctor Seuss hat."

Dean: "Okay, let me guess. You were personally chosen to smite some sinner. You just gotta wait for some divine bat signal, is that it?"

Sam: "I'll admit we've gone pretty ghetto with spell work before, but this takes the cake. I mean, a SpongeBob placemat instead of an altar cloth?"
Dean: "We'll just put it SpongeBob side down."

Another really good episode. Three out of four stars,

Billie
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Billie Doux adores Supernatural which is a good thing since apparently, it's eternal.

7 comments:

  1. I really liked this one. In fact, I really like Sera Gamble´s work because she really knows the characters, especially Dean.

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  2. Another great review, Billie. However, I'm not sure that Sam was able to resist the angel. I think Dean just, literally, stood in his way and then left him by the side of the road. If Dean had not been there, I'm pretty sure Sam would have acted.

    Poor Sam. He's so upset about his destiny, he's willing to do just about anything to keep it from happening. I've begun to wonder if John did the right thing by telling Dean. So far, all he seems to have accomplished is royalling messing with his kids' heads. Perhaps there's a bigger picture I can't see yet.

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  3. This comment is spoiler free. So I just rewatched this one. And wow. Just....wow. In retrospect, I mean, it's just impressive.

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  4. Yes, it is. Continuity with their mythology is one of Supernatural's strengths.

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  5. Did anyone else notice the second victim had Christmas wreaths up? Always take down your Christmas decorations after New Year's, or you might get filleted by a hooker from God" indeed!

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  6. I wondered why they had Christmas decorations up, that explains it, it's a useful lesson!

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  7. Fascinating to watch this one again after having seen all 15 seasons. Lots of foreshadowing and irony.

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