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Supernatural: Blood Brother

Dean: "You don't know him. He's a friend."
Sam: "Dean, you don't have any friends. All your friends are dead."

"Blood Brother"? As opposed to Dean's actual brother? Where are they going with this?

It feels like Dean and Sam are cheating on each other, and I mean emotionally, not in the ick sense. They're connecting with other people and their heads are in completely different places. Sam gave up his new life and his girlfriend (not to mention the dog) to be with Dean again, and Dean blew him off to go rescue a vampire, and Sam was furious about it. Well, it's not like this hasn't happened before; when Dean was in Hell, Sam connected with Ruby. And we all know how that turned out.

Which doesn't bode well for Benny. As I've mentioned previously, I like seeing Dean befriending a monster; Dean takes his relationships and commitments seriously. And developing long-running characters on this show is a good thing, because it's too narrowly focused on its two beloved stars. I like that they gave Benny an interesting backstory – enslaved and murdered by his maker, the very young-looking Father; a human love interest, Andrea, who was turned and corrupted. And Dean coining the term "vampirates" was really funny.


The thing is, while I like Benny well enough, I'd much rather see them do more with Castiel, a long-running character and close friend of Dean's that I already care about. Even though I'm definitely enjoying the Purgatory flashbacks (how about those T-1000-like Leviathans landing like meteors?) I'm tired of the "Castiel died in Purgatory" tease; I want to know what happened to him. And whatever it is, I don't want it to be permanent.

While Dean was flashing back to Purgatory, we found out how Sam segued from monster-killing to unclogging sinks. I can honestly see how a fix-it job would be a nice break for Sam (plus I thought the scene where Sam heard something suspicious and it turned out to be a ceiling vent was funny). And I can also see how he and Amelia connected; they're kindred souls, lonely and lost, living in impermanent motel rooms, although obviously Amelia finished college and got a professional job. She thought Sam, a man much like herself, was creepy. What does that say about her?

So where am I on the new season? Again, I like they're putting some time into developing new characters. And I can feel that the show is moving in a specific direction, although I don't know what that is quite yet. I had some trouble connecting to this episode. But I often feel thrown at the beginning of a new season, and I always end up liking it afterward. So we'll see.

Bits and pieces:

— Benny is depressed and doesn't feel like anything is real. Dean is familiar with that problem. I liked that bit of connection.

— Benny has a strong drawl, and I sometimes miss what he says. But he has striking blue eyes, so there's that.

— I loved the visuals of the head flying across the hallway followed by Dean with a machete, and the bloody knife on the harpsichord. Although my favorite special effect this week was the Leviathans. I wish they'd been that cool last season.

— Okay, I actually didn't think Jared Padalecki was all that good looking at the start of the series, but now I swear he gets handsomer every year, and he looked amazing in this episode. I don't blame Amelia a bit for overlooking the wardrobe and the muttonchops. Although women who date the Winchesters are usually sorry afterward.

— There was mention of Socrates, who said that a life unexamined is not worth living. There was also a mention of Garth, for what it's worth.

— If Castiel being hosted by a human body, why can't he use the human escape pod?

— This week: Eagle Harbor, Washington and Enid, Oregon, plus Prentiss Island, wherever that was. Flashbacks went to... was it Kermit, Texas? as well as Purgatory.

— The Paradise Motel in Enid featured cheap abstract art and primary colors, while the motel in Kermit was decorated in clashing plaids and patterns with longhorn accessories. It's just amazing how they make the motel rooms so different and distinctive, and so consistently in such poor taste.

Quotes:

Dean: "Kid's like Rain Man. Like a crappy little credit card counting criminal prodigy Rain Man."
Sam: "Well, he was in advanced placement."
Kevin is proving difficult to find. I think Sam is hoping the God Rock will close the Gates of Hell and he'll be able to legitimately quit the biz.

Sam: (to himself, checking out Amelia online) "Concerned. Not stalking. Concerned."

Castiel: "It does present a curious curl in the metaphysics, doesn't it? If you murder a monster in monster heaven, where does it go?"
I must not be the only fan who has been asking questions like this.

Amelia: "I knew that there was something off about you, with your creepy Army Navy and your sideburns."

Dean: "Vampire pirates. That's what you guys are. Vampirates."
Benny: "You know, all the years we ran together, I can't believe nobody ever thought of that."
Dean: "What do you mean? It's like the third thing you say."
Benny: "No. It isn't."
Vampirates. And that is my word of the day.

Dean: (phone message) "This is Dean's other, other cell, so you must know what to do."
Where are they charging all these phones? There are never enough plugs in a motel room.

Benny: "Sleeping with God has gotta have its perks."
Actually, I could have sworn he said 'parks', which would give that sentence a whole different meaning.

Sam: "So you think I'm creepy?"
Amelia: "I think it's creepy that you buy all your clothing at Army surplus. White supremacists do that."
Sam: "Yeah, but I'm not..."
Amelia: "Drifting serial killers do that. You come from nowhere, you appear to be going nowhere, and you've seen a lot of stitches? It's all pretty solid creepy."

Father: "This universe is a pyramid of despair. Nothing else."
Benny: "A little dark."
Father: "I am evil, after all. At least I've had that much to keep me cold at night."

Three out of four meteoric leviathans,

Billie
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Billie Doux has been reviewing Supernatural for so long that Dean and Sam Winchester feel like old friends. Courageous, adventurous, gorgeous old friends.

26 comments:

  1. I thought this episode was the best one thus far in the season. I like having Benny as an ally to Dean, and I was on edge the whole time because I thought Benny would turn on Dean at any given moment.

    The Winchesters need more supernatural allies that assist them. It was nice having ghost Bobby, Castiel, and Meg all on the same side at the end of season 7. So I'm hoping Castiel comes back and aides the Winchesters along with Benny.

    This episode looks like the start of the season story arc, and I hope Benny plays a mjor role. I liked the confrontations he had with Castiel in Purgatory.

    Speaking of Cas (again) they need to stop stringing us along and give him back to us!

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  2. I'm relieved that you mentioned Benny's drawl, Billie, because one of the reasons I had difficulties connecting to this episode is that I couldn't understand what he says. When I watched his scene with his maker, I thought "It sounds fascinating, but I have no idea what they're talking about".

    There are some shows that I wait a day or two, until the subtitles in English are available, so I can watch, such as Justified, The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, Misfits (mostly because of Kelly) and Downton Abbey. Supernatural has just entered the list, because of Benny.

    Speaking of handsomeness, he is a handsome man in nonconventional ways, and he has a good looking, well groomed beard. I have a beard, and I admired a good one. Btut being a straight male, his handsomeness was not enough to counter the drawl.

    And Jared was not that handsome early in the series because of that awful emo hairdo. It's hideous on anyone. I remembered him from Gilmore Girls, and when I started watching Supernatural (around the hiatus in season 5) I was thinking "what have they done to his hair!?!?!".

    To sound a little less gay, I'll comment that Amelia is indeed interesting and cute, and that I recognized her from somewhere. She played Gary's (girl)friend Anna on Alphas. She's a good actress!

    I also feel like they're heading somewhere, and I like it. Much of the beginning of seasons 6 and 7 felt like they were finding their step. I have high hopes for season 8.

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  3. "If Castiel being hosted by a human body, why can't he use the human escape pod?"

    That was driving me more than a little crazy. The only reason I can think of is that Benny and Cass (and all other beings in Purgatory, except Dean) aren't physically there, just soulishly there. We already know Benny's body was stashed in a graveyard in our plane of existence. So their appearances and physicality in Purgatory must be a sort of magical convenience.

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  4. I loved this episode. Seeing Dean with the machete in kill mode was awesome. However, Sam had a chance to really show us who he is as a hunter in the final scene. When he reached for the knife, I was screaming "OH MY GOD, HE'S GOING TO KILL BENNY!" And as much as I love Benny, it would have really been a moment to define Sam. When he didn't do it, I said to myself, Sam has never had the balls to do something like that. Even when he was evil Sam he didn't have what it took.

    And I have to agree about Jared Padalecki, he is getting more handsome. At first I hated the Fabio hair, but I'm kind of digging it now.

    So where do we go from here? I really loved this episode. I can't believe it was in the same season as that Mayan god crap. It's going to take a while for me to forgive them for that hour of fail.

    Side note: My captcha for this post is "Edward" lol.

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  6. zob, due to the time differences, episodes appear available for download at around midnight where I live. It takes some time to download because internet in Brazil sucks. If I wait to see it with subtitles on the same day, I'll see the sunrise too. That's why I have to wait at least a day.

    At any rate, Downton Abbey subtitles usually take longer than Supernatural. The fanbase is different. I remember that subtitles for LOST were available almost immediately.

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  7. It's odd that people from the US are having problems with an essentially American accent. I rarely have problems with accents, foreign or otherwise. I wonder if that's because I come from an island where dialects and accents are as numerous as weeds; if you don't understand them, you may as well not leave the house.

    And Gus, you need subtitles for Downton Abbey? Apart from the odd accent, they speak as clearly and properly as any fictional Englishman ever did. I'm curious, which characters do you struggle to understand? And, don't worry, we can talk about these things openly; we've both already admitted to watching the show. It's not as if we can get any uncooler ;o)

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  8. Paul, most of my English learning was in schools where they prioritize American English, so I'm not so familiar with British accent as I'd like to be. And it's a know fact that native speakers understand a much broader spectrum of accents that non-native ones. Though if I were to watch a Portuguese TV show, I'd struggle to understand a word they say. It's like another language altogether. (It's like another language!!)

    In the case of Downton Abby, it's not any character in particular, but sometimes there are two or three lines of dialogue in a row that leaves me completely baffled. Daisy's intonation is add to me too.

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  9. I meant "Daisy's intonation is odd to me too."

    Before I forget again: Billie, "It's just amazing how they make the motel rooms so different and distinctive, and so consistently in such poor taste." was the highlight of my day yesterday. I laughed for a long time.

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  10. Thanks, Gus. :)

    I'm a native English speaker, but British accents and slang is often too much for me. Even the Doctor loses me sometimes. I much prefer watching British shows with close captioning.

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  11. A strong southern accent can be difficult to understand even for those of us in the U.S. Why,even Honey Boo Boo airs with subtitles. Please don't ask me why I know this...it was just a drive-by, I swear.

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  12. I liked this one a lot, it surprised me how much I liked it.
    All I ask is more Purgatory flashbacks and the Leviathans bombs.

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  13. There are a few things that have been bugging me about Sam:

    1- How did he know to go back to the cabin the day Dean returned?
    2- That demon reverse spell....if he wasnt hunting, how did he "learn" this?
    3- Can he tell a monster from touching one? That handshake with Benny seemed to suggest it.
    4- Did he really just "fix up the impala, and drive"? Seems almost like he knows more than he is letting on.




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  14. I regret to burst the bubble, but vampirates have existed since 2005 - in Justin Somper's stories for children (he did a talk at the library in the UK where I work, which is how I know that!).

    Still a cool word though!

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  15. Anonymous: I'm assuming a vampires hand is (dead)cold to the touch, not warm as a living human being - thus Sam would know a vampire when he feels one.

    About this episode: Not really sure where they're going and therfor still annoyed about not getting seasonal arc.

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  17. I loved this episode and I am really enjoying the season. So far, it appears as though this year's Big Bad is the boys themselves and how they "are in completely different places," to quote Billie. Their relationship is what is threatening them, literally if Dean continues to enter vampire nests without backup.

    My favorite episodes have always been the ones that center on the boys' relationship, so I would be thrilled with a whole season of them. But, I would also be thrilled for the return of Castiel.

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  18. Jared definitely just gets more and more attractive. If only the man would get a haircut...

    I understood Benny, but his voice creeps me out. It's so soft and whispery.

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  19. I loved Benny's voice and accent, but I can understand how it might be difficult for others to understand. I'm really close to the Louisiana border, so I've grown up with the drawl. I like his accent better than anyone on True Blood. Those accents make me not able to watch the show. We don't sound like that, fyi. :) Like the season so far, and am loving the reviews, Billie!

    P.S. I miss Castiel.

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  20. Season 8 is now on Netflix!! Now I can finally figure out this story line.

    I'm sorry if this has been addressed, but can anyone tell me why Kevin Tran doesn't have an Arch Angel?

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  21. Katherine, I think all the archangels are dead or otherwise unavailable. Although after eight seasons, I could be confusing things and might be wrong.

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  22. Billie Doux,

    That is a depressing thought. It was such an important plot point earlier in the story that I thought it would have been given definitive screen time to express the lack thereof.

    I confess myself to be spoilt, having encountered Lost whole and intact for the first time on Netflix. I have been trying to piece together Supernatural relying on your excellent reviews and catch as catch can from TiVo bits, and it has been frustrating. There are large gaps in my understanding of the storytelling which are flat out unacceptable to me.

    Now I remember why I’m a word girl and not an image girl; a book is on the shelve and I can hold the whole of it in my hands, and if I need to look backwards to refresh my memory all I have to do is turn the page.

    Thank you yet again for your thoughtful writing and this site.

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  23. Okay, I just hit it in another season eight episode. There are four archangels: Lucifer, Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. Gabriel and Raphael are dead, and Lucifer and Michael are in the box. So I was right. I was just spacing the details.

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  24. I thought this episode was pretty uneventful. This is the first time I'm watching this season, and I doubt it will be as good as the previous one. I don't think I will ever forget Dick Roman and that grin of his. Season 7 was just amazing. Now Sera Gamble is gone and that is starting to show. It seems like they're repeating things from past seasons and it's getting kind of boring... This season seems to be about Crowley and Kevin with some "monster-of-the-week" episodes in between. I do like Benny, though, and I think he can make the season worth watching. Because Crowley and Kevin storyline... meh

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  25. When did Sam learn the skills to be a handyman? He grew up in motels, where you wouldn't have to fix things, and they don't cover that in pre-law. Does Hell have an Air Conditioning Repair School annexe?!

    I was wondering why Castiel in Jimmy's body couldn't get out, too. But I have been wondering lately if Jimmy died the first time Castiel did, and only Castiel came back. I hope so, for poor Jimmy's sake. He deserves heaven!

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  26. Vampirates alone was enough for me to love this episode.

    The Kevin is in advanced placement thing bugs me a little every time they bring it up. Advanced placement is a category of courses. You can take advanced placement chemistry, literature, economics, calculus, etc. You generally have to qualify for each advanced placement courses individually so it doesn't really make sense to say "I'm in advanced placement" without following it with a specific course.

    I laughed a lot at Sam calling his dog "Dog"! My husband used to volunteer at a wildlife museum where the curator was fond of naming the animals whatever type of animal it was.

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