"All in all: happy ending. With a happy ending, no less."

[llywela]

For the SN people on my f-list: no recap this week. General mankiness made this a bad week to even attempt to write meta, so I didn't. I'll have to come back to this one at a later date.

Instead, I bring you pretty, pretty picspam by way of compensation. :-)

"It's about time the Winchesters got back to tackling a straightforward, black and white case." Mwah.


Sam absolutely loving having his brother back and so very Dean.


Sam eats! Documentary evidence.


The fake ID thing just never, ever gets old.


Blank stares of bzuh?


Tongue!


Sam's reaction to Dean's 'rehymenation' speech.


Dean's side of the 'rehymenation' speech: oh-so tongue-in-cheek, because he loves winding Sam up, although he isn't kidding about wanting to get off the mark post-resurrection.


You know…Dean seems pretty blasé about his missing scars, because he's in a chipper mood and is rightly choosing to regard his restored life as a gift, a new start, fresh slate, and all that. But, you know – it must be incredibly weird to have such deeply personal evidence of his life history completely wiped out like that.

"I'm getting a headache."

I know the feeling!

Dean scores a date with Jamie; both brothers' reactions are gold.



Suave, Dean – very suave.


Dean versus Dracula.


Dracula…on a moped? Brilliant. Especially the little beep beep as the scene fades out.


Sam's crinkle-nose of disgust.


Sam looking rather stunning in dishabille.



Dean looking rather stunning in dishabille – and Jamie thinks so, too.




Outta here, brother – you go kill that pesky shapeshifter all by yourself, while I entertain the girl.

How times have changed, huh? Once upon a time, Dean would never have dreamed of letting Sam go after a creature alone…but Sammy is all grown up and capable now.

Stay – have a drink!

You know, you'd expect Dean to be all over the idea of a second winsome babe joining him on his date, but instead he seems to resent the intrusion – Jamie deserves undivided attention, clearly!

Yeah, Sammy did grow up all badass.


Sam's oops, got it wrong again face.


Dean going down like a tree: vertical to horizontal without bending. For an actor, given the body's self-defence reflexes, that's a lot harder to achieve than it looks!


Sam's oh no! face.


Lederhosen, bondage and Dean. Mwah.


Badass Sammy in stealth mode.




"Hey there, Hansel." Sam just can't stop giggling at the lederhosen. And really – who can blame him?



The damsel in distress saves the day –and we all get to admire and giggle at Dean's knees.



Of course, after such a crazy adventure, Jamie was only too willing to help Dean get off the mark and counting once again, post-resurrection!

I've got to say, out of all the girls we've ever seen Dean flirt with, I really like Jamie!

And, not to go off on a tangent or anything, but if either brother was ever going to establish any kind of meaningful romantic relationship with anyone, this is how it should start. Forget Cassie (I've always been convinced that what Dean was in love with was the idea of Cassie, rather than the girl herself – he wanted the missing piece in his life that she represented) and forget Jessica (although I sincerely hope it was the girl herself that Sam loved, rather than the part she played in the new life he was building). Neither deception nor any kind of Big Reveal can ever be the surest foundation – far better to start out from an encounter like this, with a girl who has learned the truth through the course of adventure, is feisty and capable in her own right, and has bags of chemistry with whichever brother she is involved with. It would be complicated, requiring all kinds of patience on the part of the girl, who would have to put up with the long-distance thing, the ton of emotional baggage, and the fact that the brothers come as a job lot, while for the brothers it would require both willingness and courage to invest that kind of time, effort and emotion. And, of course, not that Show would ever go down that road, given the plot-complications inherent (and the fact that this really isn't that kind of show)...but if they ever did, this is how it should begin! With small steps and a one-off character that works.

And...end tangent. That was longer than I intended!

Sam pulls this face so very often, and it never ceases to make me giggle.


And finally: oh, boys.




Screencaps found at Screencap Paradise, marishna and oxoniensis

Comments

[bowtrunckle.livejournal.com]

Aww, I'm sorry you're feeling manky. Everything alright (generally speaking), though? It seems like this might just be THE week to skip a recap; I'm not sure I'm going to have mine done either. However, I can't think of a better meta substitute. If you can't get thinky just show pretty pictures. :)

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

Eh, mostly I think general stress just got the better of me this week - that and hormones. And the weather. And...well, everything. I had Small staying over most of the weekend, but then once she had gone just retreated into the 6 hours of Pride & Prejudice which, much as I love it, is always a sure sign of being either unwell or unsettled!

I feel a little perkier now, though. :) And have started to have meta-ish thoughts about this episode, way too late to actually write them down (in recap form, anyway - notes are always a must). So...hopefully normal service will be resumed next week, depending on circumstances.

If you can't get thinky just show pretty pictures. :)
My philosophy exactly! *G*

[bowtrunckle.livejournal.com]

Doesn't it just seem like things have this way of piling up all at once? I think it's life's way of getting us to STOP and recharge before we burn ourselves out. And there's nothing like a Jane Austen marathon to nurse the soul. That and emo music and an afternoon nap. :)

I'm glad you're feeling a little better. Hang in there! *hugs*

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

Aye, indeed - stress piles up and up and then announces itself with a bang, and it is never wise to fight it.

Afternoon naps are lethal, though - I always wake up really disoriented and can't tell if it is day or night! LOL

[galathea-snb.livejournal.com]

If you can't have meta, have pretty pictures (with hints of meta nonetheless, because it's you after all). I approve!

Despite all of the characterisation problems that resulted from the switch I utterly adore this episode. It's easy to just take it out of context, overlook the continuity problems and just enjoy it for the silliness and brotherly goodness.

One thing: I don't quite get why people think that Dean letting Sam go after Ed alone is so extraordinary. We have seen them separated plenty in the last couple of seasons: They often split up to pursue different leads (most of them potentially dangerous) or for one to get the victim to safety while the other confronts the monster. Often that's Dean, true, but not always. I think Dean always felt that Sam was capable and can handle himself well. He prefers to have his back, but he is okay to leave Sam alone with potentially dangerous stuff, if it's necessary or if he has different goals.

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

I didn't say it was extraordinary, just a sign of development over the seasons. And perhaps of increased familiarity with shapeshifters after a couple of previous encounters. Go back to their first shapeshifter, at the beginning of season one, and neither one was happy with the idea of the other being alone with it. And back then, if they deliberately split up, it tended to be Sam sent off with the victim while Dean faced the monster alone. So this just struck me as a strong visual symbol of how much their relationship has grown over the years, and how much more equal a partnership it is now than it was back then.

I spent yesterday pulling together the early stages of a List of Love for Faith (don't get excited - could still be forever before it is postable!) and wow - how young they both looked back then! Sam especially.

[galathea-snb.livejournal.com]

Sure, their partnership progressed over the years. But take the 2nd shifter episode 'Nightshifter' for example, where Sam goes after the shifter alone while Dean gets the security officer out. Already back in S2 the role allocation wasn't as clear cut anymore as in S1. So it didn't particularly surprise me that Dean let Sam take off alone. :)

Awwww Faith! ♥ Now there's a list of loooove! I always think that when I watch early episodes, how incredibly young they looked back then. Sam's (or rather Jared's) body and face developed from boy to man over the last 3.5 years and it fits so well with Sam's character progression. Awesome! Boy grew up during the show, in every aspect! ♥

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

Oh, even by the end of season one things were changing and evening out - but you know how tiny moments will suddenly hit you with nostalgia? This was one of those for me, just a tiny, throwaway, 'look how far they've come, bless them' moment.

Jared has definitely matured more noticeably than Jensen during the course of the show - naturally enough, because he was that much younger when the show started.

[babelmira.livejournal.com]

my brain shorted out at "job lot".

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

ROFL Tell it to get out of the gutter!

It's true - take one, and the other gets thrown in for free. *G*

[bagpuss1966.livejournal.com]

*Cwtch* for the mankiness and stress. :)

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

Thanks, Janet. This has been a difficult year - only to be expected that it would all feel a bit too much from time to time. I'm doing okay, though.

[bogwitch.livejournal.com]

I liked Jamie a lot too. It's so nice to see female characters with some strength to them. She could have been a good long-term girlfriend for Dean (although I think a relationship with someone like Pamela might have suited him better, although it'd be potentially less serious).

I was saving my opinion of Cassie until you got to your Route 666 ten (or more) things post, but now seems the time as the contrast between Jamie and Cassie is interesting.

I've never disliked Cassie at all and I find it quite sad that many people seem to loathe her so much. I did a bit of a Miami Vice rewatch last year, and compared to the awful women Cockett used to collect, Cassie was fantastic! That said, she isn't a great character, and if it hadn't been for her connection to Dean, then she'd be completely forgettable. There is a definite disconnect between what we're told Cassie is like, 'strong, intelligent, fiery' and what we actually see. It's hard to see just what it is about her that made Dean fall in love with her rather than with any of his other conquests and I've yet to read a fanfic that's satisfied me of that either.

So Jamie then. Although she's central to the case, she doesn't need to be anything much as we most likely won't see her again, but yet we see she is everything that Cassie should have been: she's clearly intelligent and isn't a bimbo; she sees straight through Dean from the get go and she concludes that his life must be tough (which isn't immediately obvious from what he tells her). She's neither a passive victim or a screamer, actively defending herself twice and saving the day. She also stays calm throughout, even when she's trapped by the shapeshifter or when she learns the truth of what's out there in the dark. If it was that kind of show, then it would've been easy to see Dean falling for her and why.

On a swallow note, although both boys looked yum, the black an white really suited Jared particularly, except for: Sam pulls this face so very often i.e his ugly sister audition!

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

There is a definite disconnect between what we're told Cassie is like, 'strong, intelligent, fiery' and what we actually see

Exactly. I don't dislike Cassie, although she does come across as more of a cold fish than feisty (show, Show, don't tell! Although I suspect it was the actress more than the writing). But the way she and Dean interact feels to me like they were both looking for something in the relationship that wasn't really there - as if it was the idea of the relationship that attracted Dean, more than Cassie herself. Maybe because with Sam away at school and John perhaps allowing Dean to handle more cases on his own, he was feeling lonely and was subconsciously trying to fill the hole in his life.

Jamie provides an effective contrast, even though she is blatantly never going to be anything more than a one night stand. It feels like it could be the start of a relationship, if this was that kind of show. Also, she feels like something approaching a 'real world' version of the ideal woman Dean dreamt up for himself in WIAWSNB, for all the reasons you stated above - everything Cassie wasn't but that Dean, in the state of mind he was probably in when he met her, no doubt wanted her to be.

[jayres.livejournal.com]

Sorry about the feeling of mankiness, but perusing the pretty, pretty, PRETTY picspam must make you feel a little bit better.
Thanks for sharing. :)

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

Thanks, Judy. Pretty pictures are always soothing to look at!