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Supernatural: Skin

Dean: "He's not stupid. He picked the handsome one."

And it's the genre show staple: the evil double. And we're talking really evil. I mean, dying horribly and thinking it was at the hands of someone you loved? It really bothered me seeing "Dean" hurting Sam. It bothered me seeing him hurt Becky, too.

This one emphasized the differences between the brothers. Sam is e-mail, Dean is classic car. Sam went off to college and had a life, while Dean stayed home with Dad and did the job. Sam still has college friends, and Dean keeps his distance. The Winchester brothers have some serious unaddressed relationship issues. And the skinwalker, who picked up on Dean's thoughts and emotional state as well as his good looks, brought these issues to the surface. Along with a lot of really icky skin.


Even though pitting Sam and "Dean" against each other worked really well dramatically, it felt like a whole piece of the narrative got skipped. "Dean" tied up and beat Becky. She was rescued by the cops. Then what? The police station? Hospital? And then she actually walked home alone after all that? I thought she was seriously injured, but I guess not. Then the shapeshifter kidnapped Becky, took her place, captured Sam, and turned back into Dean again. It just felt choppy. It didn't flow.

So Dean was tapped for Emily's murder. But he's officially dead now, right?

Bits and pieces:

— The teaser was supposed to make us think that Dean had turned evil. Did I fall for it? Nah.


— Dean and Sam split up after they knew there was a shapeshifter on the loose. They're experienced monster hunters and should have known better.

— The shapeshifter said it just wanted to be loved, and It identified strongly with Dean. If It was right, then Dean thinks of himself as an unlovable freak. That's sad.

— Have I mentioned that I love the way the Impala's car doors creak?

— This week's itinerary: St. Louis, Missouri. Sam told Becky that Dean was a cop from Bisbee, Arizona.

I'm not much for the gross out, and this one had some plot holes. Two out of four stars,

Billie
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Billie Doux loves good television and spends way too much time writing about it.

5 comments:

  1. The emotional side of the episode, especially us finding out about Dean and how he somehow ressents Sam going away to have a life was pretty good. But I have to agree that the main plot was kind of messy.

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  2. I'm just loving it. after watching season 5 i'm re-watching it from the beginning again. In England if u haven't got sky u have to rely on boxsets. It's difficult but i'll manage it eventually tho.

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  3. This episode was a mess. By about five minutes in I had already predicted how it was going to play out...and I wasn't mistaken.
    The emotional aspect also felt a bit clunky - but that's just because it wasn't given enough time amidst all of the other mess to really be developed. The actors did a great job, it was just the writing.
    Definitely a watch-only-the-first-time-because-it's-obligatory type of story.

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  4. First off, thanks to your reviews I'm realizing that we humans obviously don't have enough choices for names. So far I've already heard Charlie and Becky and even spoiler free I can say that those names come up again later. I found that weird but amusing.

    Also, I adored your comment about the Impala's doors. Some fans have discussed that the boys should oil them (and so has Jensen once) but I would cry if they did that. Pathetic as it may sound to some people, every single time I hear the sound of those doors, I feel like I'm coming home. It always brings me to tears, because it's been as big a part of the show from the Pilot as the brothers have.

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  5. I can be squeamish too but I have to appreciate how... disgustingly satisfying that one transformation scene was. I actually forgot I was watching a CW show when the teeth were pushing themselves out of the gum and "row"ing up if that's even a real word. The skin shredding and stuff were really good effects. Really good.
    Also, loved In-a-gadda-da-vida in the opening

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