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Supernatural: All Dogs Go To Heaven

Sam: "I'd doublecross us."
Dean: "Thanks, Dexter. That's reassuring."

Are they going for the upfront symbolism this season or what? (You all got that Sam was the dog, right?)

Yes, I miss Sam and I want him back, that's a given. But is everyone going to jump on me if I say that I'm starting to like Robo-Sam? I like his complete frankness, his maniacal obsession with the hunt, his creepy sense of humor. I think Jared is doing a terrific job with him, too.

I loved the scene in the car in total darkness where "Sam" kept insisting, "It's still me," but all we could see were his eyes gleaming like a supernatural creature. This episode told us that "Sam" isn't even as empathetic as a skinwalker; he is more inhuman than the monster they were hunting. The comparison to Dexter was apt, except that "Sam" has killed innocent people and just can't see it as wrong (and we all know Dexter doesn't kill the innocent). And that final scene at the picnic table was a deliberate reminder of a similar scene in "Good God, Y'All," where the relationship between the brothers was at an all time low and Sam was out of control.

Was "Sam" telling Dean the truth? It doesn't seem likely. Wanting to be normal again just doesn't go with his "the hunt is everything" mind-set, because wouldn't a soul get in his way? I think that was a lie to keep Dean on board, because I do believe "Sam" wants to keep hunting with Dean. Unless there's something more about "Sam" that we don't know.

To continue with tonight's "all symbolism all the time" theme, Mandy and her son were so obviously Lisa and Ben. Dean sees himself as Lucky the dog – a homeless monster, putting the family he loves in danger all the while believing he is protecting them. So maybe it was the parallel with Dean, but I sort of wanted Lucky to win Mandy over and live happily ever after. Instead, just like Lisa, she threw him out, and who could blame her?


Dean and Sam usually get up close and personal when they kill monsters, and that final take-down, mowing them down with silver bullets, was out of character, too remote, too impersonal. Too much like "Sam" is right now. And Dean is so unhappy that he's starting to act a bit like "Sam." Not good.

Speaking of not good, Crowley was back and pulling the strings, and I'm so pleased that he's a continuing character now. He walks a balance between really funny and really evil. He was more on the evil side this time.

Bits and pieces:

— Good casting for "Lucky." I thought the guy and the dog looked a lot alike. And he was sort of scary and pathetic at the same time. I mean the guy. No, both of them, actually.

— Was the guy with the bald head the alpha skinwalker, or are they still going to look for him? I got confused. Plus, it seemed that a skinwalker was sort of a cross between a werewolf and a shapeshifter, and that was confusing, too.

— As I mentioned last week (I could feel it coming), we got a scene with Dean sleeping and Sam awake watching him. No, not creepy at all.

— Sam called the cops "mouthbreathing dick monkeys." That scene was weird. It felt off.

— The guys were FBI agents Holt and Wilson. Y'all are gonna have to help me with that one.

— The opener was at the Honey Wagon Bar in Buffalo, New York. But there was a Honey Wagon Bar in the siren episode, "Sex and Violence," and I don't think it was in New York. And again, isn't "honey wagon" slang for portable toilet?

— The motel was a fairly quiet one but at least it had a disco ball, rattan, and crappy abstract art.

Quotes:

Crowley: "Quit clutching your pearls. You've been working for me for some time now." I love that expression. I think I heard it the first time on Will & Grace.

Crowley: "You bag me a live alpha, and I'll give you little Sammy's soul back with a cherry on top." And let me say again that I trust Crowley as far as I can throw him.

Crowley: "Werewolves turning on the full moon. So oh nine."

Sam: "Bag him now?"
Dean: "No, when we're sure."
Sam: "Really?"
Dean: "Before we hand him over to a lifetime of demon rape, yeah. Really."

Dean: "This whole thing is just weird."
Sam: "Dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria."
Robo-Sam was quoting Ghostbusters. See what I mean? That's a bit winsome for Robo-Sam, isn't it?

Sam: "The last werewolf was in bed with me and she wolfed out."
Dean: "Don't make this personal."
Sam was talking about Madison, of course. I liked Madison.

Sam: "They're basically a werewolf cousin. Silver will drop 'em, they chow hearts like snausages..."

Sam: "Why shack up with the family? Is it a kinky thing? Do you like to play with your food? Roll over, Lucky! Speak!"

Dean: "I don't know what you are, but you're not Sam. I mean, it's your Gigantor body and maybe your brain, but it's not you. So just stop pretending and do us both a favor."

Solid episode. Not fantastic, but it worked for me. Again, I'm going to let you guys rate this episode because it's working so well. How many silver bullets out of four?

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

15 comments:

  1. When I read the title, I knew it was going to be about werewolves. Even when that German Shepherd turned into a man I was still sure this episode was about werewolves. I just thought that this particular wolf was special, maybe with some kind of mutation. And then they revealed it was about skinwalkers. Bummer.
    Crowley was very Gibbs-like (NCIS) when he appeared behind Dean while he was talking on the phone. Funny.
    Personally, I don't really like this alpha theme. It's confusing. But I do understand that the writers had to find a way to make monsters interesting again. Epic. Or something like that.
    And Lucky walking away tail between his legs was so sad. I would've kept him. Actually I'd preferred the Dobermann Pinscher, but still, I would've kept him. Considering the fact that this woman's last boyfriend was a total drunk and good for nothing, Lucky was like a gift from God.
    Sam. Sam is even creepier than last season. Especially now when we know he doesn't have a soul. Creepy.
    Did anyone notice that in the first seasons, Sam was always the one who wanted to save "innocent" monsters? Lenore the vampire or Rugaru for example. But now it was Dean who didn't want to kill that skinwalker. Just something I noticed.

    Three silver bullets. If they didn't hurt any dogs during that shooting, I'll add one damaged bullet.

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  2. I like Robo-Sam, too. He's a lot more interesting and way less annoying than angsty, whiny Sam could get. I guess, ultimately, I'm rooting for Sam to get his soul back, but I kind of hope it takes a long time, because I'm really enjoying Robo-Sam and his dynamic with Dean in the meantime.

    They were definitely going for the Lisa and Ben parallel with Lucky and his family, but the big difference here is that Dean never lied to Lisa about what he was before he became part of her family. She knew what she was getting into. At least, she thought she understood. I think the reality turned out to be a lot more difficult and dangerous than she anticipated.

    I think the bald skinwalker was just the leader of this local sleeper cell. Lucky said there were lots of cells around the country, so my guess is we didn't meet the Alpha. I think the guys just thought they could pump the cell leader for information on where to find the Alpha.

    There is a company that makes or leases portable toilets called Honey Bucket. I think Honey Wagon is supposed to be a lewd reference to female anatomy. That's just the impression I get when I hear it. I could be totally wrong.

    Definitely a solid episode. I enjoyed Crowley, as always, and was really creeped out by the reveal that the family dog was a sad and pathetic man. Totally skeezy. I was really glad that Mandy didn't take him back in. She had to feel so completely violated. *Shudder*

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  3. NO!! No! No! No! No! NO! And did I mention NO! Can you tell I didn't like this episode?

    Grrr! Last week was perfect, but now they are regressing!!! I was so upset at the end of this! Sure, it was a decent episode, especially for this season, but come on! That warehouse scene was SO off! I can see RoboSam using the sniper, but not Dean. I would have felt ten times better if Dean and Sam were switched. And the killing them in dog form bothered me too.

    Great casting for Lucky though, even though it character itself creeped me out. Watching Maddy in the shower though.. *shudders*

    I did like some of the episode though. Crowley was awesome, as always. And I loved how Dean reacted when he hurt RoboSam. It was still the same reaction he would have had if it had been MySammy. Execpt, maybe Dean would have thrown a punch. Dean waking up at the motel was a hoot. I can't see how he can fall asleep! But I loved that scene.

    Finally, I MISS MY SAMMY!!!!! Don't get me wrong, RoboSam is interesting, and gold stars to Jared,because he is doing an awesome job, but please Sera? Can Sammy get his soul back for Christmas? Because I have a feeling it might strech out to the finale. :(

    So, it was alright, but not that good comapred to the series as a whole. And no Cas!!! I really hope we see more then 5 minutes of him really soon!

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  4. Billie loved your review. You picked up so much more than I did. Thanks for pointing everything out. I’ll rewatch this episode with a clearer understanding. Sorry can’t help you out on the FBI names, that escaped me too. Hope we get an answer.

    This season has been fantastic, marvelous unbelieveable and just plain intriguing. I so love what Sera Gamble has done with Season 6. I have loved Supernatural from the first episode. All seasons were not my favorites, but everyone had something great about it. But this season is so very, very different. The direction has me trying to figure out where the writers are taking it and I’m batting a thousand in terms of being right. The only thing I got right was guessing Sam didn’t have a soul.

    I love SPN as just a wonderful, fun show to watch. I don’t love all the episodes but there haven’t been any that I hate. Yeah maybe there’s been a couple on inconsistencies here and there but I can overlook those. I’m not that picky. I’m very surprised by how much I have enjoyed Andrew Dabb and Daniel Loflin’s scripts. They had a few rough ones last season, but I feel they found their groove to the show.

    ALL DOTS GO TO HEAVEN was another great episode for me. Yes it turned out to be a filler, but after the heavy stuff we’ve had it was a joy to relax with an episode that was kinda funny. As for moving the story arc along, all we found out is skinwalkers are hiding across the country as the family pet ie: Fido. There was humor, a good story and some very serious discussions with Dean and Sam. They did well making us think it was werewolves they were dealing with when it actually was skinwalkers.

    As usual Crowley was wonderful. He really is thorn in the Winchesters’ side. Dean’s expressions were priceless when he realized he didn’t have a choice at the moment but to work with the SOB.
    Yes Sam has no soul, therefore his decisions are only logical. Thank goodness Dean is there to stop him. And yes Billie I too am liking this Sam, Jared is doing an awesome job on “soulless” Sam. I don’t want him to stay this way but for the time being it’s great entertainment.

    Dean is doing well accepting his brother for the time being as he is. Dean is like he was when the brothers were younger and Dean always watching over Sam. The rapport they have now is actually very funny. I find myself chuckling in the funniest of places.

    Nice to see the writers are keeping with the gore, which is much more prevalent this season!

    The big fight with the other skinwalkers where the skinwalker change back into “Lucky” to save the family was heartwarming. Mind you it seemed a bit moot unless Lucky thought he could attack the skinwalker before he shot him, but give the dog “A” for effort. Seeing him lying on the floor hurt , hurt me. I can handle people or monster being shot, but an animal…I just fall to pieces. Then Sam sees the dog and defenseless and moves in to kill it, but the dog is gone. Yeah Dean that’s my boy.

    I felt sorry for the skinwalker when the wife wanted nothing to do with him and told him never to come near them again. (Thankless bitch – after all Lucky protected them for cruel abusive men. Geez sometimes you just can’t catch a break!!!

    Watching Lucky walking down the street all alone made me think of “The Littlest Hobo”, he was always walking away from some nice family. Always had a tear in my eye watching that show and sure enough the same thing happened here. (sniffle).

    My favorite line:
    Sam: “Why shack up with the family? Is it a kinky thing? Do you like to play with your food? Roll over, Lucky! Speak!”
    Skinwalker” “Go to hell”
    Sam: “Already been. Didn’t agree with me.”

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  5. Ashley Holt and Frank Wilson were members of British 70's prog-rock band Warhorse.

    \m/ \m/

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  6. sorry for the double posts senior moment there

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  7. Don't worry about it, Nitewoman; I took the second one out. I'm sure it was a blip related to the confirmation word thingy, because it's happened before.

    Thanks for the info, Paul. I usually know which rockers they're referring to but this time I drew a blank, and Google wasn't any help.

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  8. Sorry me again. Honey Wagon is the name for the craft service's truck that is always on set when any of cast or crew want something. It's separate from the services that supplies the dinner meals.

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  9. What ever plot they're working towards must be fairly thin if they can continue to pour filler episodes down our throats. I enjoy stand alone episodes and all but not when there is a pretty big issue that needs resolving. SAM HAS NO SOUL! Can we get cracking on that.

    Standalones usually help flesh out the characters, and this was great 5 seasons ago when we didn't know these guys, but this is the 6th season we know and love them. Now give them something to do besides chasing Cujo.

    Creepy pervert dog was not cool, he got what he deserved.

    Highlight, I thoroughly enjoyed Sam being all snarky.

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  10. Really helpful review Billie! Am gonna have to watch again - I missed all the symbolism and Sam's glinty eyes.

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  11. I don't like to brag, but... who am I kidding, I love to brag!

    I just wanted to point out that I got dibbs on comparing Jared's acting with Michael C. Hall's as far as 2 weeks ago. The Supernatural writers will be hearing from my lawyers soon.

    And Felipe, I don't think the episodes we've been having qualify as fillers. The story *is* advancing, what with Crowley showing his teeth and all. I was wondering, actually, that we haven't had a true filler yet this season. (By the way, you name looks Brazilian. Are you from Brazil too?)

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  12. Liked this ep. A lot.

    First of all, gold acting starts for the dog who played Lucky. He was way more interesting than his human alter-ego.

    Next, I hope that Robo-Sam WOULDN'T get his soul back. I hope he'd grow another one instead, learn the normal human behavior by mimicking it, somehow "program" himself to be "normal" (well, as far as Winchesters go).

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  13. I really liked this episode, although this whole skinwalker/dog thing eating people creeped me out a bit. Let´s hope I sleep ok tonight.
    Billie, I agree with you about Jared. He is doing a really great job with this new nuance of Sam.
    And I´m really liking how this season is turning out to be, it just seems so dark to me.
    And also, I felt bad for Lucky at the end. Yes, he was a skinwalker and killed people,but he really loved that family.

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  14. At first I thought it was a wolfwere, as in an animal that could turn human at night.

    I'm pretty sure that no alpha was present in the werehouse, just some ringleader. Crowley will definately make them look for it to make up for coming up empty handed this time.

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  15. Another great review! Thank you Billie.

    I'm not sure I understand why Robo-Sam would want his soul back? He seems pretty content with his life and when you don't have feelings how can you be wishful or reflect that you should be behaving another way? If he has those thoughts, then it's not a far step that he should be feeling guilty for killing innocent people. Just a ponder.

    There seemed to be a small continuity error that bugged me a wee bit. More so because this series is pretty immaculate. Things have been pretty perfect since the boom appeared in the ghost facers, haunted cabin lore. This one was during the stake out when Dean and Sam were in the Impala and it was pitch black, then it cut to Cal closing up the garage in the middle of the afternoon.

    I loved Sam's mouth-breathing dick monkey's comment mostly because it was so unlike him. It really sounded more like something Lucifer or a jealous angel would say. Hmmm.

    Up until the last few episodes this season felt really off to me and I was a little worried but never fear I am learning to trust the writer's know what they are doing. Although I do miss the rock ballads I've grown to adore.

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