Mastodon Mastodon Mastodon Mastodon Mastodon Supernatural - Episode 9.17 - 'Mother's Little Helper' Review


    Enable Dark Mode!

  • What's HOT
  • Premiere Calendar
  • Ratings News
  • Movies
  • YouTube Channel
  • Submit Scoop
  • Contact Us
  • Search
  • Privacy Policy
Support SpoilerTV
SpoilerTV.com is now available ad-free to for all premium subscribers. Thank you for considering becoming a SpoilerTV premium member!

SpoilerTV - TV Spoilers

Supernatural - Episode 9.17 - 'Mother's Little Helper' Review

Mar 26, 2014

Share on Reddit
Over the course of this season, I’ve made numerous comments about tone, or something just not feeling right. When I was commenting as a fan, I could just throw out statements like, “I liked this,” or “I didn’t like this,” without explaining further. One thing I’ve tried to do as a reviewer is look at why I liked or disliked something. Was it personal taste? Were there holes in the story? In many cases, it was harder to define. Often, it was that something just didn’t feel like “Supernatural.”

As I was was watching this episode, I was left with the thought that this was a seriously good episode. On the surface, it didn't seem that different from many - we had a possession storyline, more mythology focusing on the past, Dean depressed and drinking too much at a bar. There were a number of factors that contributed to that, but the primary one that struck me is that it was slowed down enough to allow for emotional impact – something common in the early days of the show, but that seems to have been lost in recent seasons, while the emphasis has been more on camp, gore, and mockery.

Let me get a couple of things out. First, I usually don’t notice director choices unless something strikes me as really good or really off. Second, I had honestly forgotten who had directed this one until I was about 10 minutes or so into the episode. I was watching the scene where Crowley sneaks up on Dean from behind, and thought the angling of approach was pretty cool. It was about that time that I was thinking there’s something a little different about this episode. And that got me thinking, who directed this anyway? And then, Oh! This was the one Misha Collins directed. I’m probably the only one in the fandom who forgot, but anyway, it’s been a crazy couple of weeks, and I’ll leave it at that.

Sam and Dean are the heart of the show, but as a fandom, I feel like we’ve at times lost a sense of who they are. There are a number of factors behind this. There’s inconsistent characterizations, not just over the seasons but from episode to episode. There were long gaps in presenting Sam’s point of view in recent seasons. (How can this be a story of brothers if we only understand one of them?) And there’s a sense with some of the fandom that Sam and Dean have lost their mission. We know they’re still good people, but when they go most of a season with seeming to care very little that a big evil is planning to chow down on the human population, it leaves questions about their priorities. Most of this is due to poor planning in the writing. In my review of the last episode, I pointed out that Sam and Dean apparently have an easy spell at their disposal that allows them to summon a demon into a demon trap and exorcise it. If it’s that easy, why do we never see them taking shifts in summoning demon after demon and sending them back to Hell – thereby saving thousands of lives? This season we’ve seen little focus from them on the effects of the angel infestation on the human population. The angels are killing thousands of human vessels, but Sam and Dean don’t seem that concerned about the human impact.

This episode – through both the writing, as well as the direction (and by that, I mean the pacing, the tone, the background music) – brought back some of that emotional connection in both Dean’s and Sam’s storylines by telling very simple stories, but an emotional ones.

The brothers were split up in this episode (thank god), but they both had emotional storylines. For Dean it was dealing with (or more accurately not dealing with) depression, apathy, self-loathing, and a craving for violence – the after-effects of holding The First Blade with The Mark of Cain branded into his arm. After Dean emerged from Hell in season 4, he was faced with a deep self-loathing bred from the knowledge that had had become a torturer in Hell, and that the role felt right for him. He had managed to repress that side of him, but with The Mark of Cain, he presumably is back to experiencing those old feelings of violence and unchecked self-hatred again. Dean hasn’t verbalized any of this yet, but that’s what I’m led to believe we’re seeing. Sam, who has seemed to be without purpose for some time now – no one in the fandom can be quite certain whether he even wants to hunt or not, or why he’s hunting now that he’s angry with his brother – appears to have made a personal connection for going after Abaddon.

With Sam, the personal connection came in learning that Abaddon was removing souls to breed an army. Sam identified with the victims in that he remembered what it was like to be soulless. The practical consideration is that the army will make Abaddon nearly unstoppable. As I said earlier, it was nice to think that the Winchesters still care about mass destruction and death – something that hasn’t always been apparent.

Who is this director anyway?

I’m going to spend a little time talking about the director’s choices, since it was Misha (Cas) sitting in the director’s chair in this episode, and this is his first shot at directing a Supernatural episode. He was very, very good. I mentioned the music choices earlier that intensified the emotional impact of the scenes. The music picks for this show haven’t always been so good and I remember some discussion in the fandom about how distracting they were a couple of seasons back. There were also a number of extreme close-ups of character’s faces, zooming in on the emotional reactions that heightened the impact. The smoky atmosphere of the bar, matching Dean’s clouded emotional state, made a nice contrast with the crisp atmosphere and slightly muted tones of Sam’s experience – a fitting choice for telling a story of something that had occurred in the past. And most of all, this was an episode that wasn’t rushed. There wasn’t too much going on to distract from the story, which made it feel like a Supernatural episode from an earlier era.

If the writers decide that Cas’ time on the show is limited, TPTB should seriously offer Misha a chance to stick around a permanent director. With this episode, it became apparent that he has a lot of talent on the other side of the camera as well. And while SPN has a number of very talented directors coming and going, with this episode it was apparent that one of Misha's strengths is that he really understands the show and the characters better than many others do. Anyway, I’m clearly overstepping here, but these are my thoughts.

What did you think of the episode? Let’s hear your impressions in the comments.

52 comments:

  1. Good review. I agree. Misha's directorial debut was VERY impressive. He 'gets' the show of course, but he definitely possesses a talent behind the camera. And I agree too about the pacing. We had time to feel. Although the hour sped by (for me) it still felt like I could taste and savour the emotions on screen. And can I say, Jensen is giving Emmy-worthy performances this season (and every season). The guy is a natural born actor. Poor Dean, I just want to hug him.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great review, thanks.

    Misha truly is one of the best 3 directors, if not the best, of the whole show. This episode was amazing, as you said the pace, the angles, the music... Especially the music, right ones in right places. I really don't understand why other directors don't use these effects, most of the episodes are so dry and cut-edged that if you don't notice the story, you'd think you're watching a documentary show of supernatural!

    The much needed emotional aspect of the episode was perfect. Dean's storyline is great and Jensen was absolutely awesome, but in this ep I was really happy to see a concerned side of Sam. He's starting to understand what it feels to see your brother destroying himself but not being able to do anything about it. I hope this way he appreciates their bond and admits it and becomes devoting just like Dean. I don't want him to save Dean, I just want them to know each other and value their precious bond.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thank you! I agree that there was a lot of talent displayed there. I was trying to praise what I saw without comparing it too much to other directors, because there's a lot of talent and years of experience with other directors, and there's a danger of giving a celebrity more focus than what they maybe deserve and unintentionally diminishing the work of others. But yes, I was struck by the fact that Misha appears to have a real talent for this - beyond my strongest impression which was that it was apparent that he knows the show very, very well.

    And yes, I agree that Jensen have a very strong performance as well. Jared too, as well as the Mark Sheppard and the guests.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thank you. I guess with Sam, I'm coming from it from a different angle than you. I've never doubted Sam's concern or devotion. It's been apparent through the many seasons: all the time Dean's been in danger and Sam's rushed to his side, and also the bigger sacrifices, like trying to switch places with Dean in Hell, or coming back at the end of season 6 when he wanted to move on because he didn't want to leave Dean alone. I saw his response as a mix of feelings, including some anger and also dealing with a huge wake up call on how destructive this attachment Dean has toward him has become. I think there were clues all along that Sam was noting the mark and was concerned, not just about that, but about Dean's self-destructive tendencies and understanding that they would play themselves out and not end well. But yes, it's time move on to the next step in the healing process and see more openly displayed concern and communication - for the sanity of all of us.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I was so, so happy with this episode. I can agree with you-there has been something 'lacking' in some of the episodes more recently, either feeling rushed, or with poor or strange characterization, or (as you said above) with odd pacing or writing choices leaving me questioning the 'goodness' of our characters (I suspect accidentally or unintentionally, just due to not thinking things through). But this episode felt like pure good old fashioned Supernatural again, like everyone who put this one together really 'got' who the characters are supposed to be. I couldn't be more pleased-I just want to see more just like it.

    ReplyDelete
  6. i agree with most of your review, but if by "easy spell to summon a demon" you mean snooki, that particular thing only works with crossroads demons. snooki was working the crossroads. they buried their pictures in the middle of the crossroads after drawing the trap as though they wanted to make a deal and that made her appear. that won't work on everyday garden variety demons.

    ReplyDelete
  7. This is the first ep in a loooooong time that I am going to watch over and over, which used to be a common thing I did. It felt like I had come home to my favorite series. Even the writing from Adam Glass was tight, Misha directing was awesome, acting excellent, perfect music. This is my favorite ep of the season..so far. Misha needs to carry that directors chair with him all the time, super job.

    ReplyDelete
  8. This may be my favorite too. I need to go back and review when else came before, but I like simpler episodes like this that really focus more on the characters. Thanks for commenting.

    ReplyDelete
  9. The confusing thing was that they appeared to be standing in a paved road (checked again and it was a crossroads). There was a pickax but no sign that they had buried anything and the road looked undisturbed. In the past the ritual has been that they bury the box with no incantation and the crossroads demon appears. In this case they didn't bury a box, but just said a spell. I guessed from this that this was something new.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thanks for the comments. I'm not question their goodness, just pointing out that it's really hard not to see them as unmotivated when they just don't seem to have the same passion, or fear/concern for others, in the way they used to. I'd like to think this shift is leading to somewhere, but we're getting mixed signals on whether hunting is good or bad. It was very nice to see Sam connect with the nun in this episode and seem to really feel the story - and walk away with it with some motivation to stop Abaddon.

    ReplyDelete
  11. If castiel doesn't come back i'll be seriously sad.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Honestly, I was so relieved that this was such a solidly directed episode. Misha had some minor previous indie-type experience, but after all he was a rookie in this type of context. And while I adore him, clearly he can't be fantastic at everything – he's not the best singer, for instance ;) – so what if he wasn't really that great a director? There was a lot of hype in the fandom and people expected his maiden episode to be gold. I was nervous they'd be disappointed.

    I felt an emotional connection to the characters. The scenes where Sam released a soul and it moved around him, and then where the souls reunited with their owners in the lock-up, were beautiful, and even though these scenes had no dialogue they were allowed some time to sink in. If they had been rushed, I wouldn't as a viewer had reflected over what this meant to Sam and how he felt about it, even with the verbal reminder that he was once soulless. This was a wonderful piece of silent storytelling that underlined the written script and connected with my heart and not just with my head.

    The music was so good and gave a real quality feel to the episode. The actors were allowed to shine in close-ups. I could go on and on if I had the time. Thank you for this thoughtful review!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Great review!

    As I was was watching this episode, I was left with the thought that this was a seriously good episode. On the surface, it didn't seem that different from many - we had a possession storyline, more mythology focusing on the past, Dean depressed and drinking too much at a bar. There were a number of factors that contributed to that, but the primary one that struck me is that it was slowed down enough to allow for emotional impact – something common in the early days of the show, but that seems to have been lost in recent seasons, while the emphasis has been more on camp, gore, and mockery.

    And most of all, this was an episode that wasn’t rushed. There wasn’t too much going on to distract from the story, which made it feel like a Supernatural episode from an earlier era.



    In so much agreement with this in particular.


    The earlier SPN seasons, I'd say 1-2 and 4 (the best years of the show for me, with some moments of brilliance here and there ever since), didn't always have good scripts, but the tone of the show was more serious, more respectful. Now everything is often rushed through, phoned in (at least in direction and sometimes writing).


    I couldn't help comparing this episode to something like As Time Goes By, which should have had a heartwrenching story, but instead got nothing out of me. Not a tear, no real reaction at all. And yet I did care here, because I could feel it. I finally saw Henry as Dean and Sam's grandfather, saw them in him, and I was sad for what they never got to know. I was sad for Josie, for the soulless people who hurt themselves and their families, for Julia. For Dean. They felt like real people.


    And Misha got so much out of the cast - it's rare that the entire guest cast gives so many wonderful performances. This episode reminded me of what Alaina Huffman can do when she isn't just there to pose. Gil McKinney was great, Jenny O'Hara was wonderful, whoever played the demon nun was terrific, Billy, etc.


    I wish this tone and this respectful quality happened more often, because it, along with the balanced pacing (instead of slowslowFASTFASTFAST), really added to the show and elevated the script.


    I'm a Misha fan, so I'm biased, so I'm glad that you, as a reviewer, offered your opinion too.


    Thanks for the review.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I loved this episode. I think you're spot on when you say it harkened back to earlier seasons with its atmospheric and slowed pace that still grabbed you and didn't let go. I've watched it three times already :) I really loved how Dean's state of mind was shown rather than told through dialogue and Sam off on his own, getting a connection to the fight against the Big Bad (one of them at least) without it being through Dean was really important. Plus Sam getting to save his own ass for a change!!

    ReplyDelete
  15. I think Jensen and Misha are both talented directors. I was glad to hear that Jensen might be directing again. I believe that Jensen and Misha, since they both understand the show and have a lot of history with the show, are definitely better than some of the guest directors.
    I agree with the comments that I was glad to see the 'show' not 'tell' when it came to Dean and the Mark of Cain. I think Jensen can convey Dean's thoughts, feelings and concerns better with his eyes, facial expressions and body language than some dialogue, especially some of Adam Glass' typical dialogue.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I agree with everything you said here. Although to be honest, I probably shouldn't have been so surprised that he was that good at this. He comes across as a very intelligent and well-rounded person.

    ReplyDelete
  17. I agree with what you're saying here. I was pretty tough on Buckner and Ross-Leming for the Holy Terror episode, and that was mostly for seeming to mock the angel wars by making it so silly that it was impossible to take seriously. But you know, at some point, we (viewers) need to become invested in the mission for this type of show to keep our attention. If it seems like the creative team are mostly mocking their own storyline, how are we supposed to take it seriously? There's a time for humor, and there's a time for giving us some reason to care about the story.


    I'd bet a few months from now, more people will remember these MoL flashbacks than will remember that angel war segment (I believe it was bikers against a choir troupe). I think Misha's approach of treating it seriously, rather than as something silly, was the right touch here, and was reminiscent of the earlier seasons. The writing was also important, but in truth, the writing wasn't all that different from a handful of other, less memorable episodes.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Thanks for the comments. I know some people hate to ever see Sam and Dean separated, but I need to see it once in a while, and watching Sam defeat the demon without backup, rather than getting knocked out cold, was a refreshing change.

    ReplyDelete
  19. I agree about the writing not being hugely different (the main difference was that Glass treated Sam as an important character with a POV, rather than someone who was just there to be knocked out and tied up).


    Another thing I liked was that they had multiple tiers (compared to most episodes) - Sam's thread, Dean's thread, and then the flashbacks that showed us Abaddon taking Josie. It was a nice change. I know a lot of people don't like separate stories on SPN but I thought it really worked here.

    ReplyDelete
  20. I swear they buried a box to start... I only watched it once though and now I am second guessing myself.

    ReplyDelete
  21. The only fly in the ointment that I found in this episode directing-wise, was the lack of continuity in the first flashback scene of Dean in the bunker, looking at the empty bottle and getting lost in his thoughts.

    I was broken out of the moment when Dean's hand started shaking on the table.

    Why was I broken out of the moment?

    Cause I am a hardcore stickler for continuity, especially in important moment like this, and the hand that was on the table shaking, that he later looked at in surprised...was his LEFT hand.

    For anyone who is still like "Yeah okay, sooooo what? What's wrong with that?"

    Look again! Even in the flashbacks, the Mark of Cain is on his RIGHT arm, so why exactly was his LEFT hand shaking on the table, it should've been his RIGHT hand instead.

    Later this is remedied, when during the bar scene flashback, Dean puts his LEFT hand over the Mark on his RIGHT arm.

    But still, where was the continuity director person for the first flashback scene?

    I feel something like that shouldn't have been missed or mistaken by anyone. I'm surprised that no one noticed it in the playbacks or the editing room or pre-airing, even Jensen probably didn't mention it, & he should know what arm the MOC is on.

    Other than that, I found the episode, director-wise absolutely flawless.

    ReplyDelete
  22. You're assuming that the shaking was directly tied to or caused by the Mark, which you're implying would only affect the arm it's on.

    I had the impression that the shaking was an indication of Dean's general emotional state and the influence of the Mark on his whole being, the same as his drinking, sleeplessness and stalling. As Crowley said, Dean was scared and feeling the effects of addiction. It was affecting all of him, not just the one arm.

    Chances are he was somewhat shaky on the right side too; it just happened to be his left hand that he noticed, and that the episode therefore called attention to.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Going by the flashback at that moment, they showed Cain giving Dean the Mark on his right arm, then Dean holding the blade in his right hand, then letting it go and his right hand shaking, then they flipped to the table and it was his left hand shaking.


    I'd like to believe what you're saying about the addiction and it affects his whole body, and I'm sure it does - but to me, this part just felt like a continuity mistake.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Some interesting observations! I'll look for this when I rewatch this episode next.

    ReplyDelete
  25. I thought just about everything was done really well. The Dean storyline was very simple and straightforward - actually not all that much happened actionwise - but communicating what was happening with Dean through the body language and dialogue with Crowley turned out to be the perfect approach.

    ReplyDelete
  26. I like the occasional separate storylines, so long as there are actually separate storylines being written that are each interesting on their own. While I often love the interactions between Sam and Dean, both characters also each need to be developed independently, so a mix of togetherness and separation can be good. And now, with all of the tension in their relationship that doesn't seem to be going anywhere soon, I found myself welcoming a temporarily split.

    ReplyDelete
  27. I checked this a couple of times - first while writing last week's review - and again before responding to comments about this week's review (you're not the only one second-guessing ;) ). The scene starts with showing them finishing painting on a devil's trap on what looks to be pavement. There is a pickaxe nearby, but I didn't see any signs of the road having been disturbed. And then Sam says a spell to call the demon.


    It's just a break in continuity, and a minor one really. The only reason I brought it up again was that I had been originally assuming that this was a new spell to summon any demon (because of the break in continuity). And my point was that the writers have a bad habit of writing these new tricks that make things very easy when it's convenient for them, but forget all these tricks later even though it's not really logical that Sam and Dean wouldn't use them more often. For example, the reason Sam and Dean reassembled Abaddon last season was because they needed a demon for the curing ritual. Why bring back such a dangerous one if all they needed to do was to say a simple spell and get Snooki?

    ReplyDelete
  28. Are you gonna do a re-watch review here in the comments?

    ReplyDelete
  29. One of the end games I can see for Misha/Cas is that Castiel gets himself and angels back into Heaven, leaving his vessel Jimmy Novak behind for season 10.

    ReplyDelete
  30. The scene starts with Sam holding the box with the ingredients to summon, he then places it in the hole and kicks dirt over it as Dean finishes painting the devil's trap. Why they added a Latin incantation, I have no idea, maybe it was said to speed things up. But at the same time yarrow use to have be planted at the crossroads to summon a demon, and that got dropped after a season.


    Also they had the ability to summon demons since season 2, but it falls under either a specific ritual for a specific demon or getting into some serious black magic to summon one from Hell like in "Swap Meat," which will cause the demon to hop into the nearest meatsuit, and what would be the point? Summon a demon from Hell, just to send it back?

    ReplyDelete
  31. Great review, Chris. I felt it was two episodes rolled into one in terms of content = be that visual/emotional or story-telling.

    There aren't many that leave me feeling so satisfied as a fan - this I gave a 9.5/10, for many of reasons you found too.

    Misha did a great job with the flashback imagery too = far too often, I feel the writers/directors haven't actually watched previous seasons for all the references they make to it/or clunky canon errors. It was clear from this episode that Misha brought his recollections of the show to the party, and incorporated the *actor's* perspective to the story-telling.

    I hope he gets more gigs like this - though I'd hate to see him leave the stage to become an off-screen player full-time.

    ReplyDelete
  32. I'd give it my Favourite Episode tag. Road Trip comes second = most of the rest gets a Meh or less.

    ReplyDelete
  33. No, a re watch would just be for myself.

    ReplyDelete
  34. You are right about that scene. I just rewatched that scene for the third time. I didn't get that Sam was burying something earlier.

    ReplyDelete
  35. When I watched the last big angel episode where Cas became a leader again, I started to wonder if the heavy focus on the angel mythology this year was give Cas a purpose and a place to send him off at the end of the season. They could have stuck with his human arc, but they didn't, and now he's an angel again with a purpose in the angelic wars. I never thought I'd say this a couple of years ago because I love Cas, but the angel and Winchester stories just aren't meshing anymore. It's a shame, because there was opportunity with Gadreel especially to have the Winchesters more involved. If Abaddon was Dean's mission, Gadreel could have been Sam's mission.


    To be honest, Jimmy Novak would have less purpose on the show than Cas. Plus, I'm pretty certain he's dead by now, or else the show has some explaining to do with how he could have survived Cas' multiple deaths.

    ReplyDelete
  36. Thanks for the very nice comment. I don't have much to add, other than to say I agree with you.

    ReplyDelete
  37. It has been a major pet peeve of mine for several years now that hunting on the show is something awful and destructive. I have often wondered why the brothers did not just quit (in S6 as soon as Dean got Sam's soul back, for instance).


    The brothers should also have a personal stake in the season's quest. Sam may have got that a little bit in this episode. Abaddon did kill their grandfather. So far, except for Gadreel screwing Dean around on their deal and possessing Sam (meaning Sam's life was saved), there has been nothing to connect the brothers to what is going on with the angels. Is Malachi still around? Is the angel story Cas' separate story?


    Yes, this was a good episode and certainly reminded me of earlier SPN times, but there is still a lot of work that needs to be done with pacing, plotting and story structure by the writers and showrunners.

    ReplyDelete
  38. The also used to be able to summon an angel -- remember Balthazar. I can't remember what that entailed; some ingredients and some Latin. Why don't they summon Gadreel, if they want to kill him?

    ReplyDelete
  39. This is where I am at, too. Momma's Little Helper and then Road Trip. Momma's Little Helper had a better look at the brothers and put them back to characters I recognize. I will second that JA has been giving excellent performances this season, and I love he and Mark Sheppard together. I love Crowley's seeming respect for Dean covered by his flippant remarks. Two fine actors.

    ReplyDelete
  40. The only problem I had with the direction was that I thought the floating soul scene was way too long and very whimsical. I ended the episode in the middle of that scene, started doing something else, and remembered it wasn't wrapped up when I head the brothers talking.

    ReplyDelete
  41. I agree totally about the tone of the show. I miss when Kripke's idea was two modern day cowboys riding a steel horse. That tone is completely gone, and I just liked that flavor better. In this episode, the Dean scenes kind of had that tone to them.

    ReplyDelete
  42. That bothered me to. I don't know what the purpose of it was, but it was distracting.

    ReplyDelete
  43. I agree with this completely. I am ready for Cas to go. Cas' purpose to the story is over and it's become so obvious this season that it is painful. That human arc was awful, so I am glad it ended quickly. What I fear this season is that Cas has the angel story with the Winchesters as support characters. I never like that.

    ReplyDelete
  44. But Cas doesn't want to be a leader. I don't even think he wants to be an angel now. I feel like this may all end in him letting the other angels into Heaven but wanting to stay on Earth. Or I hope it does, anyway.


    I feel like the angel and Winchester stories meshed more this season than they have probably since season 5. But the back half has moved away from that.


    I think Gadreel is still supposed to be important to Sam, but, as always, they dropped it for a while until they could bring the character back.

    ReplyDelete
  45. Even in the flashbacks, the Mark of Cain is on his RIGHT arm, so why
    exactly was his LEFT hand shaking on the table, it should've been his
    RIGHT hand instead.
    I think they're trying to how that Dean's affected by the Blade systemically, not just on the arm with the MOC. JMO. Similar to how Sam was affected after he completely the first two Trials and almost the third - the symptoms started in his arms and then affected his whole body as time when on (coughing up blood, high fevers, nausea).

    ReplyDelete
  46. It's simple he was resurrected with Cas, the Super Wiki mentions that when going against Famine Castiel was feeling the his effects because Jimmy was desiring red meat, and in the episode desire comes from the soul. So I'd think that confirms that Jimmy was brought back with Castiel after his death at the end of season 4. So if it's true for one death, than it would have to be true for the others.

    ReplyDelete
  47. It's simple, Jimmy was brought back each time Cas died. In season 5 when he they were going after Famine, Cas says that Jimmy is making him wan to eat burgers because he desires red meat, and later in the episode Famine says desire comes from the soul. So that to me confirms Jimmy is still alive, because what would be different from his death and resurrection at the end of season 4 to the subsequent deaths? If it's true for it should be true for the others.


    \

    ReplyDelete
  48. Plus that new bottle of booze was empty.

    ReplyDelete
  49. On Cas, I was reading his story as being thrust into the role of reluctant leader, but really the angel's only decent choice. Every other angel leader who has come along has become almost immediately corrupted. Also, there's still still the question of who/what kept bringing Cas back from the dead over the seasons to tie up. Whether the force was for good or for bad, it hints at a bigger destiny for Cas than riding around in the backseat of the Impala.


    On the angels part, with the exception of Gadreel inserting himself into the Winchesters' lives, I don't think the angel wars and the Winchester storylines have meshed at all. I didn't elaborate much on my previous post, but what I was thinking was that the show passed up an opportunity to have Sam throughout the season actually taking an active role in the angel subplot. Dean seems to have the demon angle this year, so it would follow that Sam would have the angel one. Yes, there's also Cas, but there's no rule that more than one character can't play an active role in one of the mytharcs. We could have seen Sam and Cas working together more on the angel situation, with Cas representing the angel interests and Sam representing the human interests. That would have solved three issues that people have complaining about - the lack of a connection between the angel wars and the Winchesters, Sam having no role in the mytharc, and the fact that the human angle to the angel possessions have been ignored.


    That so many humans seem to be dying because of the mass angel possessions and wars, and that Sam was possessed by an angel, could have been tied together in a slow story build over the season. I think we'll see a scene of Sam and Gadreel, in fact it's hinted at in the promos for the next episode, but I don't expect anything more from that than a half-hearted attempt to suddenly try to jam in a story where there's been almost no build up. We've had seven episodes for the show to tell a story of how the possession has affected Sam on some deeper level, since Sam first became aware of the possession, but the writers have done nothing but show Sam angry with Dean, which is hardly a story.

    ReplyDelete
  50. Sorry, I don't see it. First, Jimmy was never an interesting character, and second, that scenario would raise serious questions about Cas' character for not releasing Jimmy a long time ago. In season 4, Bad Cas blackmailed Jimmy into consenting by threatening to take his daughter instead, but Good Cas should have rectified this long ago if Jimmy was still around. It also raises the question of what thing, when resurrecting Cas, would keep pulling Jimmy's soul out of heaven so that he could be tortured more inside Cas' body. Not allowing Jimmy to move on would be very cruel.

    ReplyDelete
  51. Supernatural is all about being cruel. Why would Jimmy come back after being killed by Raphael at the end of season 4, but not at the end of season 5 or season 7? Each death was pretty much in the same manner. It also raises the question how is he occupying an empty vessel? If that's the case why weren't Sam and Dean just killed in season 5, would have made things a lot easier for the angels. Because death would have separated Cas from the body, and wouldn't have had to kept getting Jimmy's consent?

    But, the proof is right there in "My Bloody Valentine." Famine affects the soul, so it makes it clear Jimmy Novak is still there.

    DEAN Okay, but what about you? I mean, since when do angels secretly hunger for White Castle?

    CASTIEL It's my vessel-- Jimmy. His, uh, appetite for red meat has been touched by Famine's effect.

    FAMINE And yet, you're all still starving because hunger doesn't just come from the body, it also comes from the soul.

    ReplyDelete
  52. Yes, this, too. Not that the show hasn't ever made Dean's heavy drinking the focus of multiple arcs because the show has (part of S5 and virtually all of S7), his Purgatory stay dried him out. Even in several prior 9 episodes he wasn't attempting to hide his drinking from Sam - he had his bottle of booze and his glass out in the open.

    Now Dean's 'hiding' his alcohol consumption from Sam. My take on this very recent occurrence is much that like Crowley attempting to steal candy in Blade Runners to temporarily hold his blood addiction symptoms at bey, Dean is again abusing (and hiding bottles from Sam) alcohol to keep the "Blade Cravings" down.

    I think they're showing us that for even as physically and morally strong individual as Dean is - holding the Blade even once may be like injecting heroin into your veins. If the pull of the "substance of abuse" (the Blade) is strong enough even a single 'dose' may be enough to crave more and more. When Crowley injected himself with human blood in Blade Runners the song playing in the background was "Heroin" by Velvet Underground - don't think that was a coincidence. Magnus told Dean the more he held the Blade the more 'comfortable' he would become with the 'feelings' induced by the Blade.

    ReplyDelete

NOTE: Name-calling, personal attacks, spamming, excessive self-promotion, condescending pomposity, general assiness, racism, sexism, any-other-ism, homophobia, acrophobia, and destructive (versus constructive) criticism will get you BANNED from the party.