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Supernatural: Time After Time

"Sometimes you just want to punch through the red tape with a silver bullet."

Supernatural does time travel good. How cool that they found a way to do it without angels. (Although I still want Castiel back.)

What a nice gift to The X-Files fans to cast Nicholas Lea as Eliot Ness, and of course Eliot Ness would have been a hunter. I liked that he didn't have a monster-related tragedy and angst in his past, but that he just had his head on straight and fought monsters because it was the right thing to do. "Hunting is the only clarity you're gonna find in this life." Ness's research partner Ezra was fun, too, especially that big kiss she planted on Dean. She called Dean and Ness "idjits," and Dean smiled. Nice touch.

In fact, all of the time travel stuff was good. Dean and Eliot Ness partnered like they'd known each other forever, and Dean had a great time. Dean rocked those period clothes, although of course, Jensen Ackles looks good in pretty much anything. I liked the period touches, the dense slang and the very Untouchables musical score. In fact, we got pretty much everything but special opening credits.


I liked Chronos, too. In fact, I don't think we got enough of him, although maybe that was just because he was played by a favorite of mine (Jason Dohring), and I wish they hadn't killed him off. He was sacrificing people not because he was totally evil, but because he kept getting tossed around in time and wanted to return to Lila, the woman he loved. Jason Dohring can project depth with very little to work with, and his death scene was effective, as well as prophetically unpleasant. Apparently, the Winchesters are looking at a future covered with black ooze. "Enjoy oblivion." That can't be good.

Couldn't Chronos have told Lila the truth and just taken her with him when he moved through time? I suppose the moves were too unexpected for that.

I enjoyed Sam partnering with Jody Mills nearly as much as the scenes in 1944. She was smart, a good partner, and she's even a real cop with a real badge. I liked the bit about Bobby's overstuffed storage locker and the bottle of scotch from Rufus, as well as the clever message Dean carved for Sam on the baseboard, even though it would be likely that someone would notice it during the passage of 68 years and sand it down or replace it. Well, he did carve it in there pretty deeply. I thought he'd mail Sam a letter a la Back to the Future. But where would he send it?

The spell to recall Chronos was also cool, with the broken hourglass and the time written in blood. Let me repeat that I really do wish they hadn't killed Chronos. The elderly Lila mentioned someone named Michael. Probably too much to wish for, that Chronos left an unborn demi-god back in 1944.

Bits and pieces:

— The title of the episode was "Time After Time," but it was listed on my DVR as "Time after Time after Time."

— Instead of a random victim in the opener, we got Dean and in media res.

— The "unreliable witness" who was "on the steps medicating" was a lot of fun. He overacted his heart out.

— When given a choice of weapons out of Eliot Ness's trunk, Dean chose a tommy gun. It was very like Dean to choose a tommy gun.

— Dean got an effective computer tutorial from Frank.

— "Fine, you ass. You win for once. Enjoy." I assume it was a bottle of Blue Label? Although in that light and with the label covered, it was hard to tell.

Untouchables is one of Dean's favorite movies. Mine, too.

— The CW included a very brief congratulatory video on Supernatural winning the People's Choice Awards a few days ago.

Eliot Ness did indeed live in Ohio in 1944, and he lived in Cleveland as well. The comment about vampires in Cleveland made me think of Buffy, since we all know there's another Hellmouth there.

— This week: the cabin and Canton, Ohio. And where do they find these skeezy houses?

Quotes:

Sam: "What's the plan here, exactly?"
Dean: "Don't die."

Sam: "I can't believe I'm about to say this, but I hope you're watching cartoon smut. Because reading Dick Roman crap over and over again is just self-punishment."
Dean: "It's called anime. And it's an art form."
It just occurred to me that all of the mentions of anime are probably because there is Supernatural anime now. (*smacks head*)

Dean: "How does paper beat a rock? Stupid."

Dean: "Special agent Smith. This is special agent Smith. No relation."
They did that in Die Hard with the name Johnson.

Dean: "Okay, let me drive for a second."
Sam: "Are you gonna look at more anime, or are you strictly into Dick now?"

Cop: "This badge was issued 68 years from now. Ace work, pro muncher."
Dean: (long pause as he counts on his fingers) "Forty four? I'm stuck in 1944?"

Jody: "Where's Dean?"
Sam: "The thing that's been mummifying people took him in a frigging ball of light and disappeared."
Jody: "You guys get that a lot?"

Ness: "We gotta get you into some new clothes. You look like some kind of bindlestiff."
Dean: "Stiff your brin pin... what?"

Ness: "He's from the future."
Dean: "Yeah. Gas costs four bucks, you can get cheese out of a spray can, and the president? He's a black guy."

Dean: "Awesome."
Ezra: "Awesome? Is he some religious kook?"
Ness: "Nah. He just likes saying that."

Ness: "Let's kill that bastard. Because that is..."
Dean: "The Chicago way!"
Ezra: "The Chicago way?"
Ness: "Who talks like that?"
Dean: "Sean Connery. I'm never watching that movie again."

Dean: "I'm special agent Costner with the Department of Homeland Termite Invasion."

Three out of four tommy guns,

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

11 comments:

  1. I wasn't super keen on this one, but it had a few nice beats. I enjoyed Dean's unabashed Untouchables love (I'm also a huge fan), and he most definitely "rocked those period clothes." My favorite touch was the score being so reminiscent of the score for The Untouchables. So glad you made note of it, too, Billie!

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  2. I'm really enjoying your reviews. One thing though, Ness said Dean looked like some kind of bindlestiff - ie. hobo.

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  3. I liked this one even more than last week's and that one was pretty good. The interaction of the brothers was way fun. Loved Sam trying to hid his annoyance at Dean's computer savvy and loved his open glee at his double entendre remark about Dean being "into Dick."

    Really enjoyed the Sheriff helping out. It's fun how easily she's taken to all things supernatural. She was just so calm about a couple of things maybe being alive in Bobby's boxes. Speaking of Bobby, that was definitely Blue Label under that note. Bobby would have really enjoyed taking that off of Rufus.

    Dean was great in '44. The pause as he figured out what year he was in was "awesome." Probably would have taken me that long too. It was nice to see him get some satisfaction from his geek-out this time since the old west was so disappointing for him. Eliot and Ezra were great, Chronos was good but underused and Dean in '40's attire? Wow! They can keep the shirtless scenes - I'll take this!

    I'll give this one 8.5 of 10. Taking a bit off for the opening. The whole in media res (another new phrase for me!) thing has worked in the past - Swap Meat and Frontierland come to mind - but this time it didn't. It seemed kind of lazily done and it pulled me out of the story just a bit. But overall this one is a keeper. I'm really enjoying this season!

    RoseCompose

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  4. I *loved* this episode so much. It had some hilarious moments and there were spots where I had to pause the episode for a few minutes because I was laughing so hard.

    Jody Mills is really growing on me as a character. Her partnering up with Sam was an enjoyable change of scene and allowed us to see her reaction to Bobby's death. (appropriate, in my opinion, since a possible romance was beginning to bloom between her and Bobby) And the scene where she started to use her "mom voice" on Sam was priceless.

    I agree, it was a pity they killed off Chronos though the way they had his veins light up as his heart beat slowed was a nice touch.

    All in all, I enjoyed this episode very much and have got it slated as one of the best episodes this season.

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  5. Always come to this site Billie, thanks so much for the reviews. I read every one of your Buffy and Angel reviews as I went through those shows a few years ago and discovered Supernatural last year and have been reading your reviews for that ever since as well.

    On the whole, this episode was just OK for me. The one part I did enjoy was Ness telling Dean "boo hoo" and to "cry him a river." SOMEONE needed to tell Dean to stop moping about. It's getting a little annoying at this point.

    Anyway, thanks for the reviews again. Will always come back here after every episode of Supernatural.

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  6. I liked the episode and Dean in a suit is awesome!! But I think it´s time they get back to the main arc because they are losing a lot of steam.

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  7. Hey Billie!

    I really liked what you said about Ness not deeding some gig monster trauma in his past. I've never watched the X Files, but the actor did a great guest spot, as did Mr Dohring. He doesn't do much for me personally, but I always get a kick out of seeing Veronica Mars alums elsewhere...The ending was totally creepy, and he acted the hell out of it. I've never seen him in anything other than 'Mars (Ringer doesn't count, he's only had about 5 minutes screen time), so it's really great seeing this kind of range.

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  8. I really liked this one, mostly because like so many others I am a huge Untouchables fan. And, my goodness, but Jensen looked hot in those '40s clothes. Nicholas Lea didn't look too shabby, either.

    So many great comic moments, but Dean counting on his fingers had me laughing so hard -- especially coming on the heels of his recently besting Sam at the computer.

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  9. Also, Snyder is a corruption of Schneider, which is German for Taylor. And Taylor is Lila's last name in our time.

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