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Supernatural: My Bloody Valentine

Sam: "It's when a dog doesn't eat. That's when you know something is really wrong."
Dean: "Remarkably patronizing concern. Duly noted."

What an intense, gross out, hit bottom episode. Such a feel good ending, too.

Famine was, of course, a great big metaphor for what has happened to the boys. Sam is still starved for the power that demon blood gave him. And Dean is so defeated that he has a big dark nothing inside of him that can never be filled. In the final scene, Dean was praying. I think. Was he? (I guess the big question is, will God stop by and answer him?)

I did not love the latest nail in the fate coffin: the revelation that John and Mary's marriage was "arranged." Before, Dean and Sam at least knew in their hearts that their parents loved each other, that John spent the best part of his life avenging Mary's death. Now, they have to deal with the knowledge that their very conceptions were the result of divine manipulation. To be honest, I could have done quite well without that little reveal.

Except I wonder if this episode was again telling us that free will is the answer. Sam faced the ultimate temptation – all you can drink demon blood, coupled with irresistible hunger – and instead, he used his power to save Dean and Castiel and defeat Famine. (Who I will grant, was an extra special uber creepy guy in a series that does creepy exceptionally well.) Sam's pain during detox was enough to make Dean admit he needed help, too. That's a step forward for both of them, isn't it? Possibly another hint that they'll be able to escape their inescapable fate?

I occasionally get turned off when Supernatural goes too horror movie, so there was too much drowning in the fry-o-later violence for me. The opening scene may have been the most disgusting thing I've ever seen on this show, and that's saying a lot. Clever, yes, but really. I want you inside me? But still, so much good stuff. Naked hairy Cupid who hugged instead of shaking hands was too funny. And I loved Dean pushing that heart in Tupperware toward Sam and saying, "Be my valentine?"

And Castiel was so marvelously deadpan funny in this one. I just want to eat him up, I love him so. Kidding.

Bits and pieces:

— Jensen Ackles starred in a horror movie called My Bloody Valentine, so that was a fun reference. No, I haven't seen it. See above about not being into horror movies.

— Misha Collins got lots of eating scenes; Jensen usually gets those. Misha, my sympathies.

— Apparently, Cupid is a cherub, a lower order of angel. I wish they'd explain what reapers are. And Horsemen. Sam blowing Famine apart was pretty cool. Another ring finger chop would have been repetitive.

— So we're two Horsemen down. That leaves Pestilence and Death. The preview spoiled it, by the way; I knew it had to be a Horseman. Gotta stop watching those previews.

— Apparently, souls can be stored in locked briefcases. Good to know.

— I don't think they mentioned what town it was. Did they? Dean was Agent Marley (again with the Christmas reference) while Sam was Special Agent Cliff. Or Clift. I didn't get that one.

— Loved all the red, and I'm not talking about the blood. The motel room wallpaper had abstract red arcs against a green background, which was sort of Christmassy and looked a bit like heart shapes. I particularly liked the big red "all you can eat" sign in the restaurant.

— Dean and Sam wore nice suits for much of this episode. They looked gorgeous. But then again, they always do.


Supernatural is on hiatus for the next few weeks; it returns March 25.

Quotes:

Dean: "These two started eating, and they just... kept going. I mean, their stomachs were full, like Thanksgiving dinner full. Talk about co-dependent."

Sam: "Dean. It's Valentine's Day. Your favorite holiday, remember? What do you always call it? Unattached drifter Christmas?"

Jim: "Seems like whatever we do, something in life is always going to keep us apart. Work, family, sleep..."
Janice: "Now prison, maybe?"
I loved how she delivered that line. Very funny.

Dean: "You mean the little flying fat kid in diapers?"
Castiel: "They're not incontinent."

Castiel: "This is their handshake."
Dean: "I don't like it."
Castiel: "No one likes it."

Cupid: "I love love! I love it. And if that's wrong, I don't wanna be right."

Castiel: "Everyone seems to be starving for something. Sex, attention, drugs, love."
Dean: "Okay, but what about you? Since when do angels secretly hunger for White Castle?"

Dean: "When I want a drink, I drink. When I want sex, I go get it. Same goes for a sandwich or a fight."
Castiel: "So you're saying you're just well adjusted?"
Dean: "God, no. I'm just well-fed."

I'd say three out of four disembodied hearts in Tupperware,

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

17 comments:

  1. The case could've been a subtle throwback to Pulp Fiction. That move centered around a mysterious briefcase with a glowy object in it. Internet rumors have some convinced that the object was a soul, but that has never been confirmed.

    Great review and I really liked the episode. Famine and Pestilence were never going to be pleasant and I thought they tackled this one very well. I hope we actually get to see death before the end of the series. We didn't even get a hint of it in Abandon All Hope.

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  2. Their aliases this time were Marley (for Bob Marley) and Cliff (for Jimmy Cliff), both reggae singers.

    Great episode - definitely gory but oh so sad. The Winchester boys (continue to) break my heart.

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  3. I really liked this episode. I was expecting a Valentine-themed gross out based on my limited memory of the preview, and while we did get that, we got so much more. Some very funny and very angsty stuff.

    Great review. I have to agree that the opening scene was the most revolting thing I've ever seen on this show. I was gaping in open-mouthed horror through the whole thing. Plus the hands in the potato fryer? Ick, ick, ick. At least they balanced it with Dean's plea for help at the end. His quiet desperation was quite moving.

    Castiel's line about cupids not being incontinent had me rolling. That one's right up there with the line about God not being on any flatbread. Misha does the deadpan delivery of those lines perfectly.

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  4. 'Roses are red, and violets are blue, chocolate's good, but instead I think I'll eat you'

    Wow Billie I'm surprised you didn't give this episode four hearts. I thought this was possibly the best Supernatural episode of the whole season so far.

    Maybe I've been starved for arc-y goodness of late, so was feeling extra inclined to invest, but Wow. What an amazing gross, creepy, freaky and sad take on Valentines. Possibly the most original twist on culture/lore they've ever done. I thought the opening scene was almost impossibly gross and found myself wondering if there would be official complaints made about it in the US. At the same time it set the stage for the rest of the episode exceptionally well.

    I loved the return of blood junkie Sam - it's when Jared does his best acting IMO. The demon smoke being pulled out of mouths is one of the best effects Supernatural has done and so very viceral, especially when Sam gets a nosebleed from doing it. It makes such sense to show Sam falling off the wagon in an episode with Famine.

    Ahh Famine. What an amazing turn from the guest star, James Otis. He was just SO damn creepy, what an expressive face and voice. Such a cool concept with the induction of all kinds of hunger in the townsfolk. Castiel being unable to stop eating struck as portrayed a little bit too lightly until the last scene. Poor Cas.

    The scene with Dean at the end was brilliantly restrained too. I am always expecting the boys to start bawling in moments like those, but Jensen was very intense and controlled. I thought it was done perfectly.

    I can't believe we'll have to wait till the end of March now, ugh! I am looking forward to the depiction of Pestilence now but maybe they've set the bar too high with such an awesome Famine ep. I can't imagine how Pestilence could be done with the same impact. Maybe it'll not be dealt with until the end of the series, so that Pestilence will be around in the finale to potentially spread the Croatoan virus should the boys lose the fight.

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  5. GREAT review Billie. Yes, this ep definitely put the gross-o-meter in the red, but I'm getting used to it now. I didn't even cover my eyes, although I went "Ew, gross!" more than once! Cupid was funny and endearing, but I noticed Dean staring at his nether regions a few times and wondered what was up with that.

    Cas eating burgers constantly was also hugely funny, but when he was down on his knees eating from that giant pan of raw hamburger--ick! Loved his face-to-face with Dean during their phone call. "I'll hang up now."

    I was SO proud of Sam! He was surely jonesing for all-he-could-drink demon blood, but he didn't partake of anymore; he saved Dean, whose eyes were like giant green marbles, and sacrificed himself having to go through detox, which we KNOW was painful for both him and Dean.

    I thought this ep a wonderful balance of light and dark, and even if Dean's soul light has guttered out, it's still there, just needing to be re-lit again. A man with as much love and honor in him as Dean has should have no trouble with that. I wonder, who will respond to him in March?

    Love, Robin, Editor, SUPERNATURAL, www.moogi.com - Episode 5.14 up now!

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  6. Hi, Billie

    I just looooooved this ep. It has the formula of the very best eps of SN (which are many): It stars out gross and looking like just another standalone, becoming suddenly funny and, when your guard is down for laughing so much, it becomes serious and heart-breaking, many times mithology-heavy. I think that without the gross and funny parts, we wouldn't care much for the ending. And I know it's your favorite, Billie, but I think Supernatural does it better than Buffy.

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  7. Great review. And helpful, since I started getting a migraine about midway through and am not remembering some of the finer points of this episode. I really should watch it again, but the vague memory of that first scene just keeps convincing me otherwise. Major cringe.

    I figured Agent Marley was more Bob than Jacob. :)

    Castiel ate a lot of Whitecastles in this episode. Can angels get acne?

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  8. The opening scene was disgusting. Cupid was hilarious and I liked how they used this episode to develop Sam and Dean´s dilemmas further.

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  9. Sam managing to skip tha blood and Dean praying. Our boys are growing up!

    I hate the thought of Dean being dead inside. I hope he finds something to give him back his spark.

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  10. I always thought that Sam and Dean were descended from Cain and Abel. Am I confusing Supernatural with another show/book/story?

    In the Cupid episode, didn't the brothers learn that John and Mary's relationship had been arranged by heaven so they could be born? Wasn't there some mention of the Winchesters' and Campbells' progenitors?

    I don't know why I was so certain that they were descended from Cain and Abel, but this episode made me doubt; seems like if it were true someone would have mentioned it.

    Am I completely misremembering?

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  11. KAM, I honestly don't remember there ever being a reference to Cain and Abel at this point. That doesn't mean there wasn't, though. Maybe I just don't remember it.

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  12. KAM/Billie - Michael tells Dean that their blood line extends back to Cain and Abel in "The Song Remains the Same."

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  13. Thanks, sunbunny. Too much mythology! Nine seasons!

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  14. Hi. Great review. I was just wondering maybe Deans soul is still in hell. That's why he wasn't starving. As famine said it's not only the body that starving. Just a thought:) thanks for the reviews. Keep going :)

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  15. When the horseman said that Dean was "going through the motions," I immediately started singing the opening song from "Once More with Feeling." http://www.douxreviews.com/2002/01/buffy-once-more-with-feeling.html =)

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  16. I really like the glowing sign "all you can eat" behind famine as he gulps up all of the souls... Nice touch...

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  17. Fun fact 1: Misha didn't have the experience yet with scenes like this - eating - so he made the mistake of eating too much on camera. According to Jensen, Misha was also still eating when the camera was on Dean. My guess is, this was a very uncomfortable shoot for him, especially considering the disgusting things the fake raw meat was made out of.

    Fun fact 2: I don't know if you know this, but J2 have a habit of pranking their fellow co-stars, and they are meaner to Misha than anyone else. One of the most re-told stories came from this episode, in the scene at the morgue where Castiel 'wings' in to join the boys.

    When standing across the table from the Winchesters - and when the camera was on Misha - Jared took a broom handle and, under the table, fiddled with Misha's - uhm - 'area'. :) When the crew took the broom handle away from Jared, he just started making silly faces.

    Misha is, unfortunately, incapable of keeping himself from laughing, so he continued screwing up his takes. And then Jensen took him aside. "Don't even look at him, Misha. Just look at me." Misha felt he had been given a life raft and did just that. So the scene began, he turned to look at Jensen...who then winked and sent him a kiss, cracking Misha up once more.

    I love the actors just as much as the characters, I swear :D

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