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Nov. 9th, 2007 07:25 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
llywelaSN 3.06 Red Sky at Morning. Oh, boys.
I have to admit, this episode took a little while to warm up for me, but once it did, it had me, completely.
First, the case stuff. Very nearly a standard salt 'n' burn, only not. The ghost ship was very Pirates of the Caribbean, very cool, if only glimpsed once or twice. Bela…there hasn't been enough of the real her to capture my heart, not yet. But there are encouraging signs. She's all about the game face, playing the role she's chosen for herself, self-interest all the way – look out for number one and don't care about anyone or anything else. But here we have our first hint at a chink in the armour, so who knows what the future will hold; this is only her second episode, after all. Dean in a tux was in itself well worth the admission fee – oh, okay, and Sam, too. James Bond, eat your heart out! And Dean's reaction to having to wear the tux, and Bela's reaction to him in the tux: gold. Bela might not have completely won me over yet, but the snark between her and Dean is always fun, and now there's Sam joining in, too. The absolute loathing makes for good entertainment, so there's a strong element of humour with Bela that we don't get with Ruby. I loved her reaction to the dump the boys had found to squat in – it's not like them not to spring for a motel. Money must be tight, so that ten grand she gave them will probably come in handy.
It probably says a lot about Bela's values compared to the boys that she could put a price like that on the act of saving her life when they'd have settled for a sincere 'thank you'. Ten grand? Cheap at half the price; both of theirs cost a hell of a lot more. Putting things on a business transaction clears the slate. She likes to go it alone, so having a debt like that hanging over her head wouldn't sit well.
Sam and the old lady was highly amusing, although it felt a bit thrown in for the sake of giving Sam something to do while Dean worked with Bela. Or maybe because the writers have suddenly realised that JP is actually pretty good at comedy! And, of course, Sam earned his supper by producing a creative solution to the problem out of thin air.
"You wouldn't understand. No one did. Never mind. I'll just do what I've always done – I'll deal with it myself."
Again with the sibling/family parallels – the way both brothers reacted to the ghost's origin story, and to the revelation that Bela must have the blood of a family member on her hands, that told a huge story. Family is sacrosanct to the Winchesters. Sam couldn't bring himself to shoot John even for the sake of destroying the Yellow-Eyed Demon, Dean sold his soul for Sam's sake…the very concept of the ship's captain having his brother hanged was pretty much obscene to them. And the vague knowledge that Bela must have been responsible for the death of someone in her family, they both seemed pretty outraged about that, as if they didn't hate her enough already. The show hasn't given us any backstory on it, though, not yet, which I like. Bela looked like she'd been kicked in the gut when she heard the spirit's MO, why she'd been targeted, but she wasn't going to spill her guts, not in front of strangers who hate her, not even to save her life. This is not a woman at ease with reliance on anyone.
Our boys still came through for her, though, in spite of having these dark suspicions about her murky past, and every reason to loathe her utterly. I would say I hope she's taken note of that, but I doubt it would mean much to her – she already had them pegged as the type who want to do the right thing and can therefore be exploited by those more unscrupulous than them, such as herself. Saving her life in spite of everything will only have added to that impression she has of them. From their point of view, if you're one of the good guys, you just don't get to draw lines between who is or isn't worthy of being saved – a distinction Dean never really remembers to apply to himself.
Okay, so that was the case story. And then there was also the development of our boys. Oh boys.
First of all, this is the second episode in a row where the ongoing stuff has been tacked onto the beginning and end of the episode, rather than being worked into the main body of the story. I'm not sure if I like this as a regular trend or not, because on the one hand it feels very real, that they'd put all their personal stuff to one side while working a job, but on the other hands it smacks of slightly lazier writing than we're used to on this show, after two seasons spent carefully weaving such development into the ongoing story-of-the-week.
As for the content – wow, it hurts. It figures that Dean would find out what Sam had done – noticing a missing bullet? Yeah, he would. Dean's a weapons man, and they're in the habit of keeping tabs on the bullets in that thing. We still don't know the details of its restored function to know whether the amount of bullets remains relevant or limited in any way, but I think Dean would notice anyway. But Sam absolutely was not going to tell him about his confrontation with the Crossroads Demon; Dean had to drag the information out of him.
Dean: "So what, does that mean I'm out of my deal?"
Sam: "Don't you think I might have mentioned that little fact, Dean? No."
Oh, Dean. He had to ask. He hasn't been allowing himself even the tiniest grain of hope, and then there it was anyway, shot down in flames immediately. I'm glad they are talking about Sam's efforts, though, even if it is highly charged and confrontational.
Sam: "You're my brother, Dean, and no matter what you do I'm going to try to save you, and I'm sure as hell not going to apologise for it."
That argument has become very familiar this season: Sam wants to find a way to save Dean, no matter what, and Dean wants him to just drop it and accept the inevitable; Dean won't take any chances with Sam's restored life, Sam doesn't care. They're getting hardened in their respective stances, reaching that stage where they could just about hold the argument in their sleep they know it so well, covering the same ground over and over until the words lose their meaning, almost. Sam is absolutely unrepentant about going after the Crossroads Demon, in spite of all Dean's anger and bluster – he feels it was worth trying, and refuses to back down. Shouting at him only puts his back up and makes him dig his heels in harder, that much is well established.
No mention of the fact that the Crossroads Demon's human host was killed along with the demon. Partly, I think, the killing of demons has by necessity to become routine this season, and acceptance that some humans will have to be sacrificed for the cause is also necessary. Mostly, though, in this instance, it's just a place neither one is willing to go, that subject with all its connotations.
Dean: "I'm not blind. I see what you're going through with this whole deal: me going away, and all that. But you're going to be okay."
So then at the end we have Dean giving a little. He's been butting heads with Sam for a few episodes now, dictatorial, playing the John card for all he's worth, but that isn't who he really is and it isn't working. So he relents, can't keep it up – can't deal with Sam being so miserable and angry. Making Sam feel better is what he does, what he's been doing most of his life. The trouble is that there isn't a great deal he can do to make Sam feel better right now. He can't take the deal back and he can't apologise for it, doesn't regret it in the slightest. He absolutely believes that this is the best possible outcome of an impossible scenario, that Sam is better equipped to carry on alone than he is. Trying to get Sam to accept the inevitable and stop fighting it is just about the only weapon he's got in his comfort arsenal right now, but it just isn't going to work. That he's trying to comfort Sam again, though, tells its own story. It's Dean resetting back to his default, and it's also another stage in his journey toward impending death, trying to ease the way for those who'll be left behind.
Dean: "You're stronger than me. You are. You'll get over it. But I want you to know I'm sorry. I'm sorry for putting you through all this, I am."
So, having tried being obnoxious to make Sam stop looking for a solution, now he's trying conciliation to make his brother accept the inevitable. And…just…damn. The worst part is that he really, honestly believes that, believes Sam will be able to just pick himself up and carry on when it's all over. It's a statement that refers us back to Scarecrow, when he told Sam he was proud of him for being strong enough to go after what he wants, to Devil's Trap when the Yellow-Eyed Demon taunted him for needing his family more than they need him. Dean takes things to heart, and tries not to let anyone see, buries his hurts deep, but they always come out again later. He's built this immense wall of denial around what's going to happen, right down to euphemising it as 'going away', not letting himself look at the destination. But Sam's not playing the game with him.
Sam: "Would you please stop worrying about me? That's the whole problem in the first place – I don't want you to worry about me, Dean. I want you to worry about you. I want you to give a crap that you're dying."
God, poor Sam. And the awful thing about that is that there is still very good reason for Dean to worry about him, but Sam is way past clinging to his brother as his only hope of salvation, can see very clearly where the damage has come from. It's why he's been trying so hard to be more self-sufficient this season, it's why if Dean dies the guilt will tear Sam apart, and it's a contributing factor to his increasing determination to find a solution. But Dean just shuts him down, won't talk about it – he'll talk about how this is affecting Sam, but what it means for him is off the menu, because talking about that means facing up to it, and he's refusing to go there. Damn, damn, damn. This is going to get so much uglier before it gets any better. And there's that writer's strike complicating matters, too.
So, Sam's got demons telling him his brother isn't worth fighting for, and he's got Dean himself telling him that he isn't worth fighting for. All he's got to hold onto is his own determination, which is leading him down some very dark roads indeed.
Episode six. As things stand, we might get a total of fifteen for the season before production has to shut down, unless a resolution to the WGA strike is struck. Whether or not we get any kind of resolution to the season – well, we'll just have to keep our fingers crossed and hope.
I have to admit, this episode took a little while to warm up for me, but once it did, it had me, completely.
First, the case stuff. Very nearly a standard salt 'n' burn, only not. The ghost ship was very Pirates of the Caribbean, very cool, if only glimpsed once or twice. Bela…there hasn't been enough of the real her to capture my heart, not yet. But there are encouraging signs. She's all about the game face, playing the role she's chosen for herself, self-interest all the way – look out for number one and don't care about anyone or anything else. But here we have our first hint at a chink in the armour, so who knows what the future will hold; this is only her second episode, after all. Dean in a tux was in itself well worth the admission fee – oh, okay, and Sam, too. James Bond, eat your heart out! And Dean's reaction to having to wear the tux, and Bela's reaction to him in the tux: gold. Bela might not have completely won me over yet, but the snark between her and Dean is always fun, and now there's Sam joining in, too. The absolute loathing makes for good entertainment, so there's a strong element of humour with Bela that we don't get with Ruby. I loved her reaction to the dump the boys had found to squat in – it's not like them not to spring for a motel. Money must be tight, so that ten grand she gave them will probably come in handy.
It probably says a lot about Bela's values compared to the boys that she could put a price like that on the act of saving her life when they'd have settled for a sincere 'thank you'. Ten grand? Cheap at half the price; both of theirs cost a hell of a lot more. Putting things on a business transaction clears the slate. She likes to go it alone, so having a debt like that hanging over her head wouldn't sit well.
Sam and the old lady was highly amusing, although it felt a bit thrown in for the sake of giving Sam something to do while Dean worked with Bela. Or maybe because the writers have suddenly realised that JP is actually pretty good at comedy! And, of course, Sam earned his supper by producing a creative solution to the problem out of thin air.
"You wouldn't understand. No one did. Never mind. I'll just do what I've always done – I'll deal with it myself."
Again with the sibling/family parallels – the way both brothers reacted to the ghost's origin story, and to the revelation that Bela must have the blood of a family member on her hands, that told a huge story. Family is sacrosanct to the Winchesters. Sam couldn't bring himself to shoot John even for the sake of destroying the Yellow-Eyed Demon, Dean sold his soul for Sam's sake…the very concept of the ship's captain having his brother hanged was pretty much obscene to them. And the vague knowledge that Bela must have been responsible for the death of someone in her family, they both seemed pretty outraged about that, as if they didn't hate her enough already. The show hasn't given us any backstory on it, though, not yet, which I like. Bela looked like she'd been kicked in the gut when she heard the spirit's MO, why she'd been targeted, but she wasn't going to spill her guts, not in front of strangers who hate her, not even to save her life. This is not a woman at ease with reliance on anyone.
Our boys still came through for her, though, in spite of having these dark suspicions about her murky past, and every reason to loathe her utterly. I would say I hope she's taken note of that, but I doubt it would mean much to her – she already had them pegged as the type who want to do the right thing and can therefore be exploited by those more unscrupulous than them, such as herself. Saving her life in spite of everything will only have added to that impression she has of them. From their point of view, if you're one of the good guys, you just don't get to draw lines between who is or isn't worthy of being saved – a distinction Dean never really remembers to apply to himself.
Okay, so that was the case story. And then there was also the development of our boys. Oh boys.
First of all, this is the second episode in a row where the ongoing stuff has been tacked onto the beginning and end of the episode, rather than being worked into the main body of the story. I'm not sure if I like this as a regular trend or not, because on the one hand it feels very real, that they'd put all their personal stuff to one side while working a job, but on the other hands it smacks of slightly lazier writing than we're used to on this show, after two seasons spent carefully weaving such development into the ongoing story-of-the-week.
As for the content – wow, it hurts. It figures that Dean would find out what Sam had done – noticing a missing bullet? Yeah, he would. Dean's a weapons man, and they're in the habit of keeping tabs on the bullets in that thing. We still don't know the details of its restored function to know whether the amount of bullets remains relevant or limited in any way, but I think Dean would notice anyway. But Sam absolutely was not going to tell him about his confrontation with the Crossroads Demon; Dean had to drag the information out of him.
Dean: "So what, does that mean I'm out of my deal?"
Sam: "Don't you think I might have mentioned that little fact, Dean? No."
Oh, Dean. He had to ask. He hasn't been allowing himself even the tiniest grain of hope, and then there it was anyway, shot down in flames immediately. I'm glad they are talking about Sam's efforts, though, even if it is highly charged and confrontational.
Sam: "You're my brother, Dean, and no matter what you do I'm going to try to save you, and I'm sure as hell not going to apologise for it."
That argument has become very familiar this season: Sam wants to find a way to save Dean, no matter what, and Dean wants him to just drop it and accept the inevitable; Dean won't take any chances with Sam's restored life, Sam doesn't care. They're getting hardened in their respective stances, reaching that stage where they could just about hold the argument in their sleep they know it so well, covering the same ground over and over until the words lose their meaning, almost. Sam is absolutely unrepentant about going after the Crossroads Demon, in spite of all Dean's anger and bluster – he feels it was worth trying, and refuses to back down. Shouting at him only puts his back up and makes him dig his heels in harder, that much is well established.
No mention of the fact that the Crossroads Demon's human host was killed along with the demon. Partly, I think, the killing of demons has by necessity to become routine this season, and acceptance that some humans will have to be sacrificed for the cause is also necessary. Mostly, though, in this instance, it's just a place neither one is willing to go, that subject with all its connotations.
Dean: "I'm not blind. I see what you're going through with this whole deal: me going away, and all that. But you're going to be okay."
So then at the end we have Dean giving a little. He's been butting heads with Sam for a few episodes now, dictatorial, playing the John card for all he's worth, but that isn't who he really is and it isn't working. So he relents, can't keep it up – can't deal with Sam being so miserable and angry. Making Sam feel better is what he does, what he's been doing most of his life. The trouble is that there isn't a great deal he can do to make Sam feel better right now. He can't take the deal back and he can't apologise for it, doesn't regret it in the slightest. He absolutely believes that this is the best possible outcome of an impossible scenario, that Sam is better equipped to carry on alone than he is. Trying to get Sam to accept the inevitable and stop fighting it is just about the only weapon he's got in his comfort arsenal right now, but it just isn't going to work. That he's trying to comfort Sam again, though, tells its own story. It's Dean resetting back to his default, and it's also another stage in his journey toward impending death, trying to ease the way for those who'll be left behind.
Dean: "You're stronger than me. You are. You'll get over it. But I want you to know I'm sorry. I'm sorry for putting you through all this, I am."
So, having tried being obnoxious to make Sam stop looking for a solution, now he's trying conciliation to make his brother accept the inevitable. And…just…damn. The worst part is that he really, honestly believes that, believes Sam will be able to just pick himself up and carry on when it's all over. It's a statement that refers us back to Scarecrow, when he told Sam he was proud of him for being strong enough to go after what he wants, to Devil's Trap when the Yellow-Eyed Demon taunted him for needing his family more than they need him. Dean takes things to heart, and tries not to let anyone see, buries his hurts deep, but they always come out again later. He's built this immense wall of denial around what's going to happen, right down to euphemising it as 'going away', not letting himself look at the destination. But Sam's not playing the game with him.
Sam: "Would you please stop worrying about me? That's the whole problem in the first place – I don't want you to worry about me, Dean. I want you to worry about you. I want you to give a crap that you're dying."
God, poor Sam. And the awful thing about that is that there is still very good reason for Dean to worry about him, but Sam is way past clinging to his brother as his only hope of salvation, can see very clearly where the damage has come from. It's why he's been trying so hard to be more self-sufficient this season, it's why if Dean dies the guilt will tear Sam apart, and it's a contributing factor to his increasing determination to find a solution. But Dean just shuts him down, won't talk about it – he'll talk about how this is affecting Sam, but what it means for him is off the menu, because talking about that means facing up to it, and he's refusing to go there. Damn, damn, damn. This is going to get so much uglier before it gets any better. And there's that writer's strike complicating matters, too.
So, Sam's got demons telling him his brother isn't worth fighting for, and he's got Dean himself telling him that he isn't worth fighting for. All he's got to hold onto is his own determination, which is leading him down some very dark roads indeed.
Episode six. As things stand, we might get a total of fifteen for the season before production has to shut down, unless a resolution to the WGA strike is struck. Whether or not we get any kind of resolution to the season – well, we'll just have to keep our fingers crossed and hope.
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no subject
Date: 2007-11-09 09:48 pm (UTC)Oh! And I forgot:
Dean: Can I shoot her?
And Sam actually seems to think about it and is almost upset when he finally says, "Not in public."
And Sam's Super Death Eyes were totally awesome - Sam definitely didn't like that Bela was ragging on Dean so much.
The only thing I didn't like was that she kept calling him stupid - but he's proven time and again that he's not. He even disabled that alarm without her help! Bitch. *g*
no subject
Date: 2007-11-09 09:56 pm (UTC)He outsmarted her twice the last time they met. I'll bet she was still smarting from that. Putting him down in that way hits him in a vulnerable spot, and soothes her own ego.
*pets Dean* No wonder he has no belief in himself.