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Supernatural: Mystery Spot

Sam: "Man, I had a weird dream."
Dean: "Clowns or midgets?"

Yet another movie ripoff. Of course, every genre show eventually does Groundhog Day, so I really shouldn't complain. And at least, after going whole hog (pun intended) with the comic aspects of killing Dean off in a zillion different ways, they did something this show is particularly good at: they took the story to a new and dark place.

Future Sam didn't turn into Dean, after all. He turned into an emotionless, demon-hunting automaton. Even sadder, it was hard to tell if Sam might have actually considered sacrificing Bobby for Dean. I like to think he wouldn't have, but it was hard to tell. What would you do to save the most important person in your life, after all? Sam is the only family Dean has and pretty much Dean's one reason for living, but we hadn't seen this paradigm as much from Sam's perspective. Dean is just as important to Sam as Sam is to Dean.

Dean's first two deaths certainly didn't make me laugh. The third, which was the desk dropping on Dean, freaked me out, although I think it was supposed to make us laugh. (Dan laughed.) The subsequent montage 'o death was definitely funny, though. My favorite scene was the two of them in the diner repeating what Dean was about to say, but in unison. I guess what I found the weirdest wasn't Dean dying over and over again: it was Dean and Sam brushing their teeth at the same time. Do adult siblings do that? Of course, it was meant to be a contrast to Sam brushing his teeth alone later in the episode. All the motel scenes were, actually.


What was the deeper meaning of this episode? Yes, the Trickster was getting off on torturing the two of them for hunting him in "Tall Tales," but essentially, he was trying to get Sam to realize that the situation was hopeless, that Sam would lose Dean no matter what he did. But the Trickster also took pity on Sam in the end by re-setting Sam's world back to Wednesday morning. I took that to mean that even the Trickster had a tiny bit of heart, and that even he was admitting that there was hope.

Sam remembered everything that happened. I'm sure it's only going to make him more determined to save Dean.

Bits and pieces:

— I wanted them to write the Trickster back in, but this one wasn't quite as much fun as "Tall Tales." Unfortunately, they showed him in the previews, so I knew right from the beginning who was causing the time loop. Damn those previews. "The laws of physics have no meaning" also pointed to the Trickster.

— Note from later: As time has passed, I changed my mind about this one: it's better than "Tall Tales."

— Tuesday's clock radio song was "Heat of the Moment." Wednesday's, appropriately, was "Back in Time" from Back to the Future.

— I've heard of the Bermuda Triangle, but not the Oregon Vortex. It apparently does exist.

— Tricksters can only be killed by a stake through the heart. Only they keep staking him and he doesn't die. Probably because he keeps tricking them into staking a simulation?


— The repeato motel had big and small flamingos because it was in Broward, Florida, home of the Broward County Mystery Spot. Future Sam was staying at the Bounty Motel, as in bounty hunter, I assume.

— The guys were journalists again.

Quotes:

Dean: "Sammy, I get all tingly when you take control like that."

Dean: "You mean we can't even go out for breakfast?"
Sam: "You'll thank me when it's Wednesday."

Sam and Dean: (unison) "Right, you're a mind reader. Cut it out, Sam. Sam? You think you're being funny but you're being really, really childish. Sam Winchester wears makeup. Sam Winchester cries his way through sex. Sam Winchester keeps a ruler by the bed and every morning when he wakes up... okay, enough."

Trickster: "Let me tell you, whoever said Dean was the dysfunctional one has never seen you with a sharp object in your hands. Holy Full Metal Jacket."

Trickster: "Dean's your weakness. The bad guys know it, too. It's gonna be the death of you, Sam." So now we have to worry about Sam dying, too?

Trickster: "You're Travis Bickel in a skirt, pal. I'm over it." Travis Bickel was the deranged Robert DeNiro character in Taxi Driver.

Four out of four stars,

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

12 comments:

  1. I liked it a lot. Of course I laughed through some of the death scenes but then it became serious.
    That Future Sam is a bit sad because he is really cold and emotionless. And it´s major foreshadowing.

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  2. This one was intense. Sam's heartbreak at Dean's death, watching what he became alone and his willingness to kill Bobby were almost too hard to watch.

    I must admit that I am beginning to dread the end of this season. Luckily, because I am stuck in bed with this bug, I already have boxes of tissue on hand.

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  3. One of my other favorite time loops is from X-Files, S6:14. Monday.

    I think they're doing a great job building up to the end of the season. Each episode driving home the bleakness of their possible lost relationship. Great review too!

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  4. Aw man, this one is definitely 4 stars. One of my favorites so far, and it made me like Sam a lot more. The ending was perfect, too. It made me cry, and when my boyfriend asked me why I was crying, I could only say "brotherly love" before dissolving into more tears.

    This is actually the first episode this season that blew my mind.

    So far, my top 10:
    In My Time of Dying
    What Is and What Should Never Be
    Nightshifter
    All Hell Breaks Loose
    Mystery Spot
    Born Under a Bad Sign
    Crossroads Blues
    Tall Tales
    Devil's Trap
    Skin

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  5. I realised this was a time loop episode as soon as I saw the two guys with the cabinet on the first go around, so I knew none of Dean's deaths would stick. I watch too much TV. I liked the Groundhog Day/Final Destination combination though.

    This was good, but time loop episodes can be particularly awesome so it's hard to get to number one on my list - TNG's 'Cause and Effect', The X-Files' 'Monday' and SG-1's 'Window of Opportunity' are all awesome in different ways.

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  6. (I realised it because there was no reason to show two guys struggling with a cabinet, especially after making a point of bumping into a random woman, unless they wanted us to remember it for the next go around).

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  7. This one is easily one of the best episodes of Supernatural ever. Humor, heartbreak, brotherly moments, it's great. My favorite death was death by axe and the off screen dialog. "You give it, no, you give it!" Splat. I love Sam and his desperation, Dean and the comical faces he pulls as he watches Sam interact a little crazily with the people in the town. Amazing. It's also fun to know that the hug wasn't in the script, Jared and Jensen decided the moment needed a hug. I need a hug after this episode too.

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  8. Personally I disagree with you, Doux, I think this one is funnier than Tall Tales, but that's just me.

    I will also say that, again for me, this was the first time we were introduced to my favorite type of episode: hilarious coating with a dark and depressing center. SPN excells at that, making you laugh and breaking your heart, all in 40 minutes of screen time.

    Fun fact: While Jared's all-time favorite line is "I lost my shoe", Jensen's is a toss up between the tag-line "Saving people. Hunting things. The Family Business." and "Does this taco taste funny to you?" Such a great line, btw, Jensen has superb comedic timing.

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  9. One of my favourites, and the line of the Trickster about how disfunctional Sam is hit me every time I rewatch it, because it gets more and more true.

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  10. What a rollercoaster ride! I was yelling and laughing and really enjoying the craziness, then I wasn't anymore. That was so well acted by both Jared and Jensen, really comedic and dramatic and not at all ridiculous. One of my favorite episodes so far. I really love how one episode can have so much lightness and so much darkness, and how it felt like it was so much longer than 42 minutes.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Amy, this is absolutely one of the best episodes of the series. It makes top ten lists all the time and definitely gets better with age.

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