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Supernatural: Captives

"Should have known. Internships suck."

I was expecting Kevin to go directly to Heaven because he was the prophet. Guess I wasn't thinking about what would happen if Heaven was closed for business. It was so good seeing him again, even if he is a transparent American now.

The fate of Linda Tran was such a big dropped plot thread, so good for them, sewing it up so well. I've always liked her and was actually upset to see her in such dire straits. And when she asked about Kevin, and Sam had to tell her, wow. Especially when instead of falling apart, she said in such a determined way, "You will take me to my son." Yes, I cried.

What I'd like (are you listening, Supernatural powers that be? Probably not, but I'll say it anyway) is for Linda and Kevin to spend some quality time together and for Kevin not to go ghost-Bobby-like bad before Heaven is reopened. That's not too much to ask, is it?


Sad to say that the best bit of Winchester brotherly interaction centered around the haunted espresso maker. (I'd probably haunt a coffee maker, too.) And I was seriously bummed that Sam lied to Kevin about burying the hatchet with Dean. There was something so sad about Dean alone in his room with his earphones on. Even with Kevin dead, Kevin and Linda have much more of a relationship than Dean and Sam do right now.

The confusing angel subplot got a bit less confusing now that the evil Bartholomew is dead. (Did we know before that Bartholomew was one of Castiel's lieutenants against Raphael? Did I forget?) Castiel is so changeable that I was actually worried that he would go along with Bartholomew's dastardly torture and murder plan, but thankfully, no. It's so nice that Castiel has just acquired followers simply by being Castiel.

(And I'm so glad that I don't have to type the name 'Bartholomew' any more.)

One more comment. I really liked how the pasty disgruntled storage place clerk acted just like a pasty disgruntled storage place clerk, only demonic. It's detail like this that makes Supernatural so good. But what I don't get is how Dean could underestimate the guy, or pretty much anyone. Dean knows so much better than that.

Bits:

— I thought we were going to see Crowley because he was in the trailer for this episode. So was Snooki, whom I think is a reality show star. What happened there?

— The forest summoning scene was cool. Gotta love a ghost named Candy.

— Linda Tran was able to hotwire the storage locker lock. Of course she could.

— Dan liked the iron sword Dean was using in the opening scenes. He said that it was the sword Xena should have had.

— Sam's hair is completely flippy now.

— This week: Wichita, Kansas. Dean and Sam were agents Nicks and McVie (Fleetwood Mac). Crowley was apparently using the alias "Daniel Webster."

Quotes:

Kevin: "Heaven's closed for business. Everybody who's died since the angels fell, we're just stuck inside the veil, waiting. And it's bad in here. Like DMV line times infinity bad."

Sam: "I think I felt a chill."
Dean: "Yeah. That's because it's cold."
And because they're not talking.

Dean: "Let me guess. Five-five, pasty white, black-rimmed hipster glasses just like the last place…"
Sam: "Nailed it."
I loved that the second clerk was also five-five, pasty white, with black-rimmed hipster glasses.

Dean: "I know a lame Crowley in-joke when I see one."

Kevin: "Go put a blade in that asshat who possessed you and we'll call it square."
And so say all of us.

This was a good one. Three out of four haunted coffeemakers,

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.

8 comments:

  1. Sam's hair is completely flippy now.

    I'm growing my hair out, and my hair looks just like Sam's hair.

    This isn't the first time that has happened.

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  2. This one was good but I'm not going to hide my frustrating at the way they're dragging out the brotherly conflict. Besides that last bit with Sam though, loved the episode.

    Great to have Kevin back (even as a ghost) and Mama Tran is such a great character. Every time she mentioned Kevin, she broke my heart. And I loved the "we're saving you for someone much worse" at which point the two gargantuan men stepped back to reveal a tiny, middle aged woman who looked far, far scarier than either of them.

    I was also frustrated that the boys didn't check that the guys were demons as soon as they got to the place and even more frustrated that they split up. Have they learned nothing? Do they even watch this show?

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  3. I was so, so pleased to see Kevin again, especially this soon. Watching Sam tell his mom the truth broke my heart as well. So well played.

    While I am not enjoying the conflict between the brothers, I do like the fact that it is not being resolved too quickly. This fight seemed like a last straw kind of thing and would have been seriously diluted if they had hugged it out too soon.

    The stuff at the end made me sad. I wish Sam hadn't felt the need to lie to Kevin. We know now that he is watching the boys.

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  4. I agree completely with Chris about the brotherly conflict. I would have been seriously disappointed if Kevin telling them to just get over it had fixed things. This is a very deep rift between them, and they need to really talk it through and work it out, not just set aside the damage. If they do that, it is just going to come back 'round again.

    Also, it kind of pisses me off when someone tells you to "just get over" pain caused by very deep issues. It's like telling someone "other people are worse off than you, so just set your pain aside." Like you aren't entitled to feel your own grief or anger or loss. Some wounds aren't the kind of thing you can "just get over," and I appreciate that the show is sticking with that.

    That said, it was nice to see Kevin again, and I was very happy to learn about some of the fallout from the closing of Heaven.

    Chris, I got the impression that Kevin going with Mrs. Tran and the ring meant that he wouldn't be able to watch over the boys anymore. He said that the souls in the veil were generally stuck close to where they died, and that's why they were passing messages via the "twilight bark" network. He was only able to go with his mom because she had the ring to anchor him. And now that he's with her, he won't be able to pop back to the bunker.

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  5. @sunbunny "Do they even watch this show?" cracked me up. Of course this is part of the great tradition of horror - anyone who watched a horror movie would know better than to do what they do in horror movies but you're right, the boys (men) should know better. @Jess maybe Kevin will keep an eye on the boys through the network. I will point out again that Sam is being a jerk. Kevin's request should have at least started them talking although I guess a heart to heart isn't really something they do.

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  6. I liked everything Kevin about this episode. It's a believable idea that he'd haunt the bunker, although I did think his unfinished business might have been a way to undo Metatron's spell and restore the angels to Heaven, otherwise why did Metatron consider him so big a threat? It was news to me that Heaven was closed for humans/souls, too, I thought that just the angels were barred from Heaven. So, using Kevin to communicate to the boys about the souls stuck in the veil and how crowded it was getting was good plotting, and might even be setting up a future episode. The conditions in the veil also explained how Kevin got in touch with Candy, and the tenuous information that she passed along about Mrs. Tran being held captive.
    I also like Mrs. Tran and appreciate the show's portrayal of her as a strong, smart woman, but this shouldn't have been at Sam's expense. Does anyone else believe that Sam, a lifelong hunter not to mention genius doesn't know how to hotwire a storage room lock? We've seen him hotwire a car and dismantle a security system, way back in seasons one and two.
    And how did demon, jr get the drop on Dean? Dean, whose sense of survival has been honed by a year of living in Purgatory, prey to every beastie out there? This is just sloppy writing, which it pains me to see on my favorite show.
    The ending with Mrs. Tran and ghost-Kevin reuniting was pretty cool, but the boys are as divided as ever;-( I'm beginning to think that their issues aren't going to be resolved this season, and will come to a head during the season finale, which would make for a long, long summer hiatus.


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  7. i was happy to see kevin and linda again. as kevin is bound to that ring will he be with her forever or once heaven is opened back up will she late him go. As dean said if he sticks around too long it may not end well. I hope they don't have to stop kevin in the future. I was hurt that Sam didnt respect kevins wish but if that all it took to resolve it I would be disappointed i don't think it will be resolved this season. As for Dean getting the drop by low level demon. It happens a lot and they should have tested the boys. Espically since crowley was renting the storage and they had knowledge of a 2nd person involved

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  8. This episode inspired me to finally read The Devil and Daniel Webster.
    http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks06/0602901h.html
    Completely consistent with Supernatural lore, including the pie.

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