Dean: "Great. We'll just bust in, drag the kids out, torch them on the front lawn. That'll play great with the neighbors."As far as I'm concerned, they're two for two.
I thought Dean's reactions to little Ben looking and acting exactly like him were just hilarious. They did it all, right down to the haircut, wardrobe, classic rock, and the way he stuffed his face. And it was character, too. Ben not only took out a bully, he showed courage and concern for others when he helped get the other kids out of the house. Maybe they should go back and recruit him in another ten years or so.
As I expected, Dean isn't going to spend his entire year eating junk food and getting laid. If Dean had found out about Ben before the Crossroads Deal, I bet he would have freaked. Instead, he was actually bummed that he wasn't Ben's father because he wanted to leave something behind. The point of this episode was that Dean already has a massive legacy. All those kids, including Ben, would have died if it weren't for Dean.
The scenes with changeling Katie and her distressed mother were particularly strong, but it felt odd to me, somehow – like it should have been Lisa and Ben, but there wasn't time to do it all and still allow Dean to bond with Ben. The car in the lake scene actually shook me a little, even though I knew "Katie" would come back. (Good little Bad Seed actress there.) Although at that point, we didn't know what was wrong. What if Katie had just been possessed, not replaced?
Dean and Sam spent most of this episode apart. I wonder if they're going to spend a lot of time apart this season? It would make sense, since they're at cross purposes. Dean is understandably preoccupied with his approaching death and making the most out of what he has left, while Sam, as I expected, is still determined to save Dean in spite of himself.
And he might be doing it with our new cast member. I was surprised that Blondie turned out to be a demon, although it did explain how she managed to take out three demons on her own and why one of them recognized her. They even gave us a huge, honking clue: in the first restaurant scene, Blondie squeezed a whole lot of ketchup into a white saucer. A less lethal callback to Meg's Bowl o' Blood.
Will Sam work with a demon if it will save his brother? Absolutely. And if he told Dean about it, Dean would freak. That was actually pretty interesting, from a conflict and drama standpoint. Is Blondie the Demon a "good" demon? Can there be good demons? Probably not. I bet she just has a monster agenda of her own. Pun intended.
Her little heart-to-heart with Sam about him being the Antichrist revealed that Yellow Eyes eliminated all of Mary's friends and relations. Why? Did he want to make it appear that she had never existed? That makes me want Sam to find someone still alive who knew Mary. What if there's something they could tell him?
Bits and pieces:
— This week: Cicero, Indiana.
— Sam was an insurance agent, and I could swear that was another new suit. Sam also said he was Police Chief Phil Jones; Phil Jones, lead singer of Quintessence.
— Dean had a credit card in the name of Siegfried Houdini. I think that one is self-explanatory.
— I try not to prejudge, but I was turned off by the tinkling minor key nursery rhyme music in the previews. Fortunately, it never happened in the actual episode.
Quotes:
Dean: "Okay, Weirdy McWeirderton."
Dean: "She was a yoga teacher. It was the bendiest weekend of my life."
Dean: "God knows I'm going to be smiling after twenty-four hours with Gumby girl. Gumby girl. Does that make me Pokey?" That one actually made me groan.
Ben: "Yes! AC-DC rules!"
Lisa's friend: "You don't know about Dean? The Dean? Best night of my life Dean?" I just loved the way she looked at him. Very cute scene.
Blondie: (re: French fries) "These are amazing. It's like deep-fried crack. Try some."
Blondie: "Doesn't change the fact that you're special in that Anthony Michael Hall ESP vision kind of way." A Dead Zone reference.
Tightly written, well acted, creepy as well as funny. In other words, good episode. I thought it was at least a three. Dan gave it a four,
Billie
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Billie Doux adores Supernatural which is a good thing since apparently, it's eternal.
Really great episode and Ben acting exactly like Dean was hilarious but then it was sad when Dean found out that he wasn´t the father. This one was written by Sera Gamble and again, she has a pretty good understanding of Dean.
ReplyDeleteI would have to give this one a four. Creepy, funny, moving and engrossing all the way through.
ReplyDeleteVery disappointed that Ben is not Dean's son. Their scenes together were wonderful - from both of them checking out the hot chick(s) at the party while they eat their cake to both of them looking down at the ground when Lisa scolds Ben for fighting.
During the scene where the kids are escaping, I flashed onto John in Dean's role and Dean in Ben's. Passing the torch and all that.
I'm not at all sure what I feel about Blondie yet. She did give Sam some new information and she confirms what I think most of us have suspected all along - it's all about Sam. If she is a good demon, does that mean that Sam's demon side will not necessarily take him to the dark side?
I loved Mini-Dean. I like to think he actually is his son and Lisa was lying because, grateful as she was, she didn't actually want Dean around teaching Ben how to fight.
ReplyDeleteIt probably has to do with starting the show much later, as in January of this year, but I was rarely creeped out or scared by the stuff in the episodes. The scenes with Katie and her mom really did the trick for me, I thought it was great and really well played by both of the actors.
ReplyDeleteThis episode is great! I really enjoyed the interaction between Ben and Dean. It really tugged at my heartstrings when Ben ran back to Dean and hugged him and thanked him for his help with the bully. Just really good chemistry between them. Also, the kids all did a really good job being creepy. There was just so much about this episode to enjoy. I'm loving this show way too much!
ReplyDeleteLol there's a part about 16 minutes in where one of the swapped little girls stares disdainfully at Sam through a window. I don't know what it is about it but the little girl's expression was both convincingly subtle yet really funny. That little bit actually hit me more effectively with the unsettling feeling than the other girl who survived the drowning. Maybe because it was wholly nonverbal.
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