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Supernatural: It's a Terrible Life

Zachariah: "You get to change things. Save people, maybe even the world. All the while you drive a classic car and fornicate with women. This isn't a curse. It's a gift."

Zachariah left out the most important thing: that Dean does all this with his brother, whom he loves more than anyone else on earth.

The angels need Dean. The world needs Dean. Zachariah staged that whole scenario for Dean. No one seems to need Sam. But Sam was the reason Dean went to Hell in the first place. Sam was the one who got the goods from Alastair. And here, Sam was the one who dreamed about fighting demons, who acted, who pushed, who figured it all out. Sam even got the ratty job in the basement in a tiny cubicle that barely fit his shoulders, while Dean was the director of sales and marketing with big office and a view. Heaven and hell again, only in an office this time.

This episode was like a great big pep talk, and Dean certainly needed it. Hey, life could be worse, you could work in a cube. And I just loved the little karmic reward the Winchesters got from the Ghostfacers, who were clearly pissed off in a big way about the magnet ruining their best footage ever. Dean and Sam taught the Ghostfacers how to get rid of ghosts, and Ed and Harry in turn (and involuntarily) gave the knowledge back to them when they really needed it.

Dean Smith and Sam Wesson. Smith and Wesson. Very funny. Zachariah has a sense of humor. And I thought Uriel was the funniest angel in the garrison.


Bits and pieces:

— Dean, always beautiful, looked extra yummy in those clothes. Loved the suspenders. Sam managed to transcend the ugly yellow shirt just because of the way he's built.

— Dean actually ate salad.

— Nice touch that Dean's family was Bob, Ellen, and Jo. And Madison was Sam's fiance.

— Dean and Sam had both been at the company three weeks. I think it would take longer than that to heal from the massive injuries Dean had, so Castiel or Zachariah must have healed him.

— Ohio Bicentennial license plate, so Sandover Bridge & Iron was in Ohio. Probably Cleveland, since there's another Hellmouth there. And I thought having the ghost just be the workaholic former head of the company was a nice touch.

— Major grossout deaths. Microwave. Ick. And you could just feel that elevator thing coming.


Quotes:

Sam: "I'm sorry, man. You just look really familiar."
Dean: "Save it for the health club, pal."

Sam: "I dreamt that I saved a grim reaper named Tessa from demons."
Ian: "Classic! How much D&D did you play when you were a kid?"

Dean: "Look, man. I don't know you, okay? But I'm going to do a public service and let you know that you overshare."

Guy: "I'm telling you, man, I'll never eat popcorn again."

Sam: "It's like we've done this before."
Dean: "What do you mean, before? Like Shirley MacLaine before?"

Harry: "The Winchesters still suck ass, though."
Ed: "Affirmative. Suckage, major."

Ed: "Illegal in some states."
Harry: "All states."
Ed: "Possibly all states."

Dean: "Very creative."
Zachariah: "You should see my decoupage."
Dean: "Gross. No, thank you."

Another outstanding episode. Last week's was terrific, too. I got a lot of mail about my not loving it. So I had trouble watching Dean torture someone, what can I say,

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

12 comments:

  1. Yuppie Dean, love it:)

    Got to admit this one surprised me. I felt for sure ghost Gekko was a red herring and Dean’s smarmy boss was the real culprit. Nice twist. You’re right about how the angels always seem to leave Sam out of the whole ‘save the world, stop Lucifer’ equation.

    Really felt for poor Sam, being stuck down in the dreary cubicle working tech support (been there) while Dean gets the comfy office. I howled when he quit and smashed the phone in (oh, how I’ve longed to do that).

    And it was great to see the Ghostfacers back for a quick cameo (Dean: “These guys are genius”).

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  2. This episode felt a little like filler to me, since the only pertinent scene was the last one, but i'll forgive that for seeing Dean all dressed up :-)

    I think the utter lack of mention Sam got in Zachariah's pep talk means that they know Sam isn't going to be on their side come the Apocalypse. In fact, all this vagueness about destiny is probably just a way to get Dean to accept he's gonna have to do bad things to Sam in order to stop Lucifer Rising.

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  3. i don't get the shirley maclaine reference. help!

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  4. Shirley Maclaine is famous for being into reincarnation.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shirley_MacLaine

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  5. I loved the little cuts of the xerox machine and printer, etc. It was a little homage to "The Office" (UK version) that aired on the BBC!

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  6. I totally love this episode! And the attention to details is amazing, like how Dean´s sister is named Jo and his parents are Bob and Ellen and how Sam tried to call Madison´s number and it was from a vet. And I love how Dean, after the lesson over, was starving. And did I mention this is Sera Gamble´s episode? I just love her.

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  7. I have the joy of slow motion with my Tivo. If/when you watch this episode and get to Sam kicking in the door to room 1444, don't miss Jared's imitation of Jensen's eyebrow quirk/smirk after Dean says "Whoa".

    Billie, I discovered this show with TNT reruns and I love your site.

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  8. McMaggie wrote: Billie, I discovered this show with TNT reruns and I love your site.

    Woo hoo! Another Supernatural convert. Welcome to the fold!

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  9. I loved this episode, but then I have a soft spot for anything so meta.

    It is beginning to feel like Dean's season. I agree that he needed a major pep talk, but Sam is the one who actually got him to see the truth, as Billie pointed out.

    Something tells me we are being set up.

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  10. I loved Kurt Fuller as an angel! It's about time somebody from Ghostbusters showed up!

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  11. Thank you Billie, for making these awesome reviews, I've been using them to find which episodes I should look out for!
    Love the show, love everything about it, and I'm really really sad that I was only in, like, Kindergarten when it started. What I wouldn't have given to have seen the Apocalypse arc unfold in real time.

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  12. Dragonfire, I have read your comment three times and laughed every single time. :)

    Thank you so much!

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