calms me down
Mar. 6th, 2008 12:26 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
llywelaMeh. The local newspaper last night had a report of a flasher in my area, seen by a few women early one morning, local police asking for anyone with information to call. So I thought I should bite the bullet and report that prowler I saw the other week, since it was about the same time of day and all. Spent 40 minutes on hold, but now have an incident reference number, with all the details logged.
Also? This week's paper has no decent jobs in it at all. Job hunting is boring and demoralising. My finishing date for the current job is April 15th, pushed back two weeks from April 2nd because Boss didn't get my official letter of notice finalised until yesterday. So, to cheer myself up, I've finished off another List of Love that's been sitting around half-done for a few weeks now.
notTen
I love this episode. It's so much fun, but also features some important early character and storyarc development, as well as seeing our first introduction to the demons of the Supernatural world.
So. In no particular order:
1. Shallow, I know, but I LOVE that long, slow, panning shot of Dean asleep on his stomach on top of the bedcovers. Legs and arms and shoulders, the curve of the spine and, erm, other areas… Delectable. How could anyone resist?
2. Sam'n'Dean as Men In Black. Awesome. 'Nuff said.
It's the looks on their faces as they glide effortlessly past security that really make this scene – deadpan poker faces glued in place, but then with the hint of a smirk peeking through as they turn away, ruse successfully pulled off.
3. "If you fellas will excuse me, I have an idiot to fire."
I love Jerry Panowski. I love that there's this guy who had his life saved by John and Dean, and hasn't just buried his head in denial but has assimilated the mind-blowing revelation of what's out there, and is getting on with his life with eyes wide open. I love that he is intelligent enough to not only put two and two together when he comes up against another supernatural problem, but to make the effort of calling in the covert experts, and to give them whatever help he can to aid their investigation but otherwise let them get on with it without interfering. And I love that the show uses him to, without even knowing he's doing it, so casually and unconsciously give Sam new insight into how his father really feels about him.
Three seasons on, Jerry is still one of my favourite one-off guest characters.
4. "It's about five forty-five."
"In the morning? Where does the day go?"
I love just-woke-up Dean, grouchy and half-asleep, having been woken up at the crack of dawn, and with the bedhair and everything. I love that for all his half-hearted grumbling about it being so early, he doesn't actually complain at all about being woken up – or about the fact that Sam's insomnia is probably disturbing his sleep, as well. He's more concerned about the fact of Sam suffering from insomnia in the first place, and makes looking after the grieving little brother seem effortless. He's been taking care of Sam most of his life, and seems incapable of resenting him in any way. And it takes only the tiniest prompt from Dean for Sam to 'fess up to what's troubling him, so naturally does it come for him to lean on his brother's support.
5. Sam thinks he doesn't want to talk about what's bothering him – but twice in the episode, at beginning and end, the moment Dean opens the door for him to unburden a little, it all comes tumbling out. He is so much the baby brother. Taking all his troubles to big brother is second nature, and, while Dean doesn't have all the answers, alas for them both, reassuring and soothing Sam is second nature for him.
6. I love the way Dean watches Sam to see if he's listening when Jerry mentions that he owes his life to John and Dean, proof that they weren't just wasting their time on some meaningless and futile drive for vengeance while Sam was away but were actually making a real difference in the lives of innocent people. It's important to Dean that Sam understands and respects that, although he'd never come out and say so. And I love but also hurt for the way Sam is so surprised to hear that John spoke of him with pride while he was away, while Dean already knows all about it, because he was there to hear it, but is clearly pleased that Sam is getting to hear about it from an impartial third party, again watching to see his brother's reaction. The estrangement between John and Sam has hurt Dean badly, and he wants nothing more than to see them reconciled and his family reunited.
It really kills me that each brother, for vastly different reasons, believes that their father is disappointed with him and favours the other – that simple fact speaks volumes about John's flawed parenting skills.
7. "You're never afraid?"
"No, not really."
"That's not fear. That is precaution."
After this many years of knowing what's out there, I'd say it was a healthy combination of the two!
8. I love how proud Dean is of his proficiency at forging fake IDs. He looks so pleased with himself when he hands Sam his card, then sits quietly smiling to himself as he examines his own, pleased with his handiwork.
Sam, of course, barely even notices – he's just all, 'oh yeah, another fake ID, how illegal', completely taking for granted the effort and skill involved in creating the forgery, and how valuable it is for their work.
9. I love that when Dean's phone rings at the start of the episode, he just sits there blinking at it, as if he's never seen a phone before. Still half-asleep and probably wondering who the hell would be calling before 6am.
10. "I look like one of the blues brothers!"
"No you don't. You look more like a seventh grader at his first dance."
Hee. I love how uncomfortable Dean is with formal attire, the way suits never quite sit right on him. It takes two full seasons before he starts to look comfortable in a suit.
11. I love Sam'n'Dean's hmm, curious faces, as they sit listening intently to EVP on the cockpit recorder.
12. This is another lovely, light, bright episode in which you can actually see what's going on!
13. Perfect expressions of wide-eyed mutual freakout when the brothers finally locate the demon, what with being trapped on a plane with it and all. Game on.
14. As with the fake IDs, I love how proud Dean is of his homemade EMF reader.
Again, though, Sam is not impressed by his brother's practical skills in the slightest, impatiently brushing it off as homemade and therefore shoddy and not the slightest bit special, rather than acknowledging it as something his brother worked hard to create and is proud of. Sam can be kind of a snob at times.
15. "Why do you think I drive everywhere, Sam?"
Dean's panic when he realises he's going to have to get on the plane is awesome to see, with Sam the perfect straight man for him to play off as he figures out what the problem is and can't believe it.
16. I love that, having disturbed Dean before 6am, Sam has the forethought to bring coffee and doughnuts to make up for it, and is just so cute as he tries to brush off his insomnia as no big deal. And I love that Dean sees straight through him, just as Sam isn't fooled by Dean's bravado.
17. Seeing the brothers cautiously poke their heads around a corner as they flee the compound always pleases me immensely. And the way they sort of scuttle-sprint toward the fence, trying to run without drawing attention to themselves. And the way they jump over the fence… Many things about this scene please me.
18. I love the way Dean improvises madly on the phone to Amanda, searching for any angle he can possibly use to convince and cajole her, with Sam anxiously hovering, trying to figure out based on Dean's side of the conversation just what's going on.
This is a character trait we see over and over with Dean: if he's called on a lie, he'll just play along with whatever the other person accuses him of until he hits something that works, and then runs with that, anything to stall, to attempt to convince. It very nearly works here – so close.
19. SuperSammy keeping his cool and exorcising like mad in the midst of chaos to prevent the plane crashing is great to see – he might not have wanted this life, might have walked away with no intention of ever coming back, might have only been drawn back in by personal tragedy, but he's good at what he does, and knows his stuff inside out.
20. I love Dean's embarrassment talking to Amanda on the plane, trying to find out if she is possessed or not: her incomprehension at his random babbling of the word 'cristo', while Dean's kind of cringing, knowing that he sounds crazy, but tries it anyway because locating the demon is more important than making a good impression.
21. Boys in dishabille. 'Nuff said.
22. The boys' wide-eyed intensity when they try to talk Amanda into helping them is hilarious, and probably rather more alarming than convincing, and yet it works.
23. I love the boys' John-type research wall at the motel-of-the-week, all that random research haphazardly pinned all over the wall in slap-dash fashion, just like John's was in the Pilot.
24. "You're humming Metallica?"
"Calms me down."
Sam's amusement over Dean's fear of flying is all kinds of entertaining. He's still not used to seeing any cracks in his brother's armour, and so enjoys the novelty of seeing Dean openly freaking out.
This is the first instance of role reversal in the show, the first time we've seen Sam having to step up to the plate and take charge because Dean is struggling, and at this stage neither is comfortable with it. It is very notable that Sam's efforts at reassurance fall flat, and only when he takes a harder line does he manage to calm his brother down. Dean responds much better to orders than to cajoling.
25. I love the faces Dean pulls.
26. Dean flipping out when the plane loses control. Bless. And he'd been keeping such a tight reign on his phobia up till that point.
27. "This is John Winchester. I can't be reached. If this is an emergency, call my son Dean."
Just…Sam's face when Jerry tells the boys about John's message, so stricken. And Dean's face, so troubled. And both of their silent reactions as they listen to that message, the first confirmation they've had that their father is even alive, after weeks, maybe months of silence. There's just nothing either one can say in reaction, nothing at all. John doesn't want to be found, has chosen to go into hiding even from them, for reasons unknown, but he's their father and they need him, and it hurts.
All caps made by me.
Also? This week's paper has no decent jobs in it at all. Job hunting is boring and demoralising. My finishing date for the current job is April 15th, pushed back two weeks from April 2nd because Boss didn't get my official letter of notice finalised until yesterday. So, to cheer myself up, I've finished off another List of Love that's been sitting around half-done for a few weeks now.
I love this episode. It's so much fun, but also features some important early character and storyarc development, as well as seeing our first introduction to the demons of the Supernatural world.
So. In no particular order:
1. Shallow, I know, but I LOVE that long, slow, panning shot of Dean asleep on his stomach on top of the bedcovers. Legs and arms and shoulders, the curve of the spine and, erm, other areas… Delectable. How could anyone resist?
2. Sam'n'Dean as Men In Black. Awesome. 'Nuff said.
It's the looks on their faces as they glide effortlessly past security that really make this scene – deadpan poker faces glued in place, but then with the hint of a smirk peeking through as they turn away, ruse successfully pulled off.
3. "If you fellas will excuse me, I have an idiot to fire."
I love Jerry Panowski. I love that there's this guy who had his life saved by John and Dean, and hasn't just buried his head in denial but has assimilated the mind-blowing revelation of what's out there, and is getting on with his life with eyes wide open. I love that he is intelligent enough to not only put two and two together when he comes up against another supernatural problem, but to make the effort of calling in the covert experts, and to give them whatever help he can to aid their investigation but otherwise let them get on with it without interfering. And I love that the show uses him to, without even knowing he's doing it, so casually and unconsciously give Sam new insight into how his father really feels about him.
Three seasons on, Jerry is still one of my favourite one-off guest characters.
4. "It's about five forty-five."
"In the morning? Where does the day go?"
I love just-woke-up Dean, grouchy and half-asleep, having been woken up at the crack of dawn, and with the bedhair and everything. I love that for all his half-hearted grumbling about it being so early, he doesn't actually complain at all about being woken up – or about the fact that Sam's insomnia is probably disturbing his sleep, as well. He's more concerned about the fact of Sam suffering from insomnia in the first place, and makes looking after the grieving little brother seem effortless. He's been taking care of Sam most of his life, and seems incapable of resenting him in any way. And it takes only the tiniest prompt from Dean for Sam to 'fess up to what's troubling him, so naturally does it come for him to lean on his brother's support.
5. Sam thinks he doesn't want to talk about what's bothering him – but twice in the episode, at beginning and end, the moment Dean opens the door for him to unburden a little, it all comes tumbling out. He is so much the baby brother. Taking all his troubles to big brother is second nature, and, while Dean doesn't have all the answers, alas for them both, reassuring and soothing Sam is second nature for him.
6. I love the way Dean watches Sam to see if he's listening when Jerry mentions that he owes his life to John and Dean, proof that they weren't just wasting their time on some meaningless and futile drive for vengeance while Sam was away but were actually making a real difference in the lives of innocent people. It's important to Dean that Sam understands and respects that, although he'd never come out and say so. And I love but also hurt for the way Sam is so surprised to hear that John spoke of him with pride while he was away, while Dean already knows all about it, because he was there to hear it, but is clearly pleased that Sam is getting to hear about it from an impartial third party, again watching to see his brother's reaction. The estrangement between John and Sam has hurt Dean badly, and he wants nothing more than to see them reconciled and his family reunited.
It really kills me that each brother, for vastly different reasons, believes that their father is disappointed with him and favours the other – that simple fact speaks volumes about John's flawed parenting skills.
7. "You're never afraid?"
"No, not really."
"That's not fear. That is precaution."
After this many years of knowing what's out there, I'd say it was a healthy combination of the two!
8. I love how proud Dean is of his proficiency at forging fake IDs. He looks so pleased with himself when he hands Sam his card, then sits quietly smiling to himself as he examines his own, pleased with his handiwork.
Sam, of course, barely even notices – he's just all, 'oh yeah, another fake ID, how illegal', completely taking for granted the effort and skill involved in creating the forgery, and how valuable it is for their work.
9. I love that when Dean's phone rings at the start of the episode, he just sits there blinking at it, as if he's never seen a phone before. Still half-asleep and probably wondering who the hell would be calling before 6am.
10. "I look like one of the blues brothers!"
"No you don't. You look more like a seventh grader at his first dance."
Hee. I love how uncomfortable Dean is with formal attire, the way suits never quite sit right on him. It takes two full seasons before he starts to look comfortable in a suit.
11. I love Sam'n'Dean's hmm, curious faces, as they sit listening intently to EVP on the cockpit recorder.
12. This is another lovely, light, bright episode in which you can actually see what's going on!
13. Perfect expressions of wide-eyed mutual freakout when the brothers finally locate the demon, what with being trapped on a plane with it and all. Game on.
14. As with the fake IDs, I love how proud Dean is of his homemade EMF reader.
Again, though, Sam is not impressed by his brother's practical skills in the slightest, impatiently brushing it off as homemade and therefore shoddy and not the slightest bit special, rather than acknowledging it as something his brother worked hard to create and is proud of. Sam can be kind of a snob at times.
15. "Why do you think I drive everywhere, Sam?"
Dean's panic when he realises he's going to have to get on the plane is awesome to see, with Sam the perfect straight man for him to play off as he figures out what the problem is and can't believe it.
16. I love that, having disturbed Dean before 6am, Sam has the forethought to bring coffee and doughnuts to make up for it, and is just so cute as he tries to brush off his insomnia as no big deal. And I love that Dean sees straight through him, just as Sam isn't fooled by Dean's bravado.
17. Seeing the brothers cautiously poke their heads around a corner as they flee the compound always pleases me immensely. And the way they sort of scuttle-sprint toward the fence, trying to run without drawing attention to themselves. And the way they jump over the fence… Many things about this scene please me.
18. I love the way Dean improvises madly on the phone to Amanda, searching for any angle he can possibly use to convince and cajole her, with Sam anxiously hovering, trying to figure out based on Dean's side of the conversation just what's going on.
This is a character trait we see over and over with Dean: if he's called on a lie, he'll just play along with whatever the other person accuses him of until he hits something that works, and then runs with that, anything to stall, to attempt to convince. It very nearly works here – so close.
19. SuperSammy keeping his cool and exorcising like mad in the midst of chaos to prevent the plane crashing is great to see – he might not have wanted this life, might have walked away with no intention of ever coming back, might have only been drawn back in by personal tragedy, but he's good at what he does, and knows his stuff inside out.
20. I love Dean's embarrassment talking to Amanda on the plane, trying to find out if she is possessed or not: her incomprehension at his random babbling of the word 'cristo', while Dean's kind of cringing, knowing that he sounds crazy, but tries it anyway because locating the demon is more important than making a good impression.
21. Boys in dishabille. 'Nuff said.
22. The boys' wide-eyed intensity when they try to talk Amanda into helping them is hilarious, and probably rather more alarming than convincing, and yet it works.
23. I love the boys' John-type research wall at the motel-of-the-week, all that random research haphazardly pinned all over the wall in slap-dash fashion, just like John's was in the Pilot.
24. "You're humming Metallica?"
"Calms me down."
Sam's amusement over Dean's fear of flying is all kinds of entertaining. He's still not used to seeing any cracks in his brother's armour, and so enjoys the novelty of seeing Dean openly freaking out.
This is the first instance of role reversal in the show, the first time we've seen Sam having to step up to the plate and take charge because Dean is struggling, and at this stage neither is comfortable with it. It is very notable that Sam's efforts at reassurance fall flat, and only when he takes a harder line does he manage to calm his brother down. Dean responds much better to orders than to cajoling.
25. I love the faces Dean pulls.
26. Dean flipping out when the plane loses control. Bless. And he'd been keeping such a tight reign on his phobia up till that point.
27. "This is John Winchester. I can't be reached. If this is an emergency, call my son Dean."
Just…Sam's face when Jerry tells the boys about John's message, so stricken. And Dean's face, so troubled. And both of their silent reactions as they listen to that message, the first confirmation they've had that their father is even alive, after weeks, maybe months of silence. There's just nothing either one can say in reaction, nothing at all. John doesn't want to be found, has chosen to go into hiding even from them, for reasons unknown, but he's their father and they need him, and it hurts.
All caps made by me.
