Review - Supernatural Episode 11x04 "Baby". Or Why I Loved Everything About Baby…And Other Obvious Statements.

-by sweetondean

Supernatural is epic. It’s damn epic. It’s all caps, EPIC. It’s save the world, life and death, angels and demons, God and Lucifer, Heaven and Hell level epic. But Supernatural is more than that. It’s more than this grandiose battle between good and evil. Because at its heart, is heart. At its heart Supernatural is a story about two boys and their struggle to hold on to each other and the most important lesson their long since passed away dad taught them; family is everything. As big as the story can be, it can also be that small, that intimate. And as spectacular as those big moments are, it’s the small moments that take our collective breaths away. “Baby” was a celebration of those small moments. A love letter to the one thing that has anchored these boys’ lives since their first memories; the place they grew up, learning the family business. She’s seen all the good times, and so many bad. And this week, we saw our boys, her boys, through her eyes. The moments only she is usually privy to. Those small moments that make Sam and Dean, Sam and Dean. This week, we celebrated the Winchester’s mighty 1967, Chevy Impala…known to Dean, simply as Baby. And it was beautiful. Cry buckets of happy tears, clap your hands, yell excitedly at your TV, crush a cushion to your chest, have hearts in your eyes for days to come level beautiful. “Baby” was all the things I knew I wanted, but never dared to hope to see. It was pretty much my head canon. Brothers laughing, poking fun at each other, feeling their feelings. Oh gosh. “Baby” was pretty much… everything.

I loved starting the episode with a reminder of Chuck’s words about how the Impala came about. “Swan Song” is one of my top five episodes. The narration was one of my favourite elements of that episode, so hearing Chuck’s familiar voice already had my heart swelling in those first moments. The tease was spectacular. Showing us all the things that make the Impala her – the blemishes that make her beautiful – but there’s blood in the carved initials behind the back seat, and then, there’s Dean, face down and unconscious on her black leather. Oh shit. That’s not at all what I was expecting.

I can’t get enough of the cute car wash scene – even if we didn’t get to see Dean in his short, shorts (though we kinda did, thanks Brian!) 

It was in that moment that I realised what everyone on the show had meant when they said we’d see the episode from the perspective of the Impala. I’d heard all the talk, seen some of the behind the scenes technical photos, but that opening car wash scene laid it right out – we were inside the car and that’s where we’d be staying for the next 43 minutes. We’d just see what we could see from her interior and nothing more. I thought that was a brilliant way to make it clear where we were going. Also, the boys washing the car together is just adorbs!

Sammy getting laid. At first I was all-sad because he didn’t want to go play at the Roadhouse with Dean. I was all…oh booooo Sam *sad face*,  go play with your brother, you've earned it! But then his diner hookup ending up setting the scene for one of, if not my favourite scenes of the entire series. The. Entire. Series. Night Moves. Just seeing Dean’s face when he realised Piper, the waitress was in the back seat – the surprise – then his adorable grin as he gets out of the car. The happiness that he obviously felt at the thought of his little brother getting a bit; the pride! It was so precious. I loved that we didn’t see Sam too. We just got this embarrassed disembodied voice from the backseat! Then later, Sam trying to explain to Dean what was going on. Um. Sammy. We get it. It’s okay buddy. Then Dean Night Moves him.

I’ve got to admit, I had some real separation issues between character and actor here! And that never happens. Ever. And it was nothing to do with performances, because the performances were as spectacular as usual. But here, in these scenes, seeing Sam and Dean driving, singing, laughing, teasing and knowing that Jensen and Jared loved doing these scenes; knowing for a lot of the time it was just them, actually driving down the road, in the car that Jensen loves as much as Dean does, shooting the shit as they did their work. It was all a great big mess of mega feels. So many feels. Washing over me like pure, warm, sunshine. Seeing Sam and Dean laughing and joking…looking happy… HAPPY! Then thinking of the Js and their friendship, like that time they drove in separate cars back to Vancouver and talked over walkie-talkies the whole way! And how much they must have enjoyed doing those scenes showing Sam and Dean’s love, because they love the brothers, like we love the brothers. Sam and Dean’s bond. The Js’ bond. OH MY GOSH. See! I’m all muddled up! There were so many feelings all jumbled up for these two beautiful fictitious men and the two beautiful men who play them. So many feels. My heart hurt in the most agonisingly, spectacular way. And Sam’s little smiles to himself as his brother had the best of times teasing the crap out of him. “…Samuel” “It’s Sam” OH MY GOD, PILOT FEELS. Sam’s face tho. He loved it. And then he sung that line, “Out in the back seat of my brother’s 67 Chevy”. Yes, this is where I burst into tears. I was just so damn happy, I simply burst into tears with the joy of it all. Heartbreaking joy. I was happy for Sam and Dean, because they were happy. CRAP I’m crying now. To see them like that... I love them with all I have.

I was spoiled by the CHCH promo as to Matt Cohen’s appearance. And try as he might to throw us off the scent, I didn’t buy his protestations. Mainly because I didn’t think 5 years down the track the show would still have outtakes like that archived off somewhere! This was before everything was save as files, so they would have had to have save it as actual footage...and…anyhoo…I love you, Matty, but I knew your pants were on fire. Having said that, I TOTALLY FORGOT! Seriously. I FORGOT. Lord. So when Matt popped up, I screamed at my TV, “MATTY!” He’s all over my TV at the moment, and I like it. I can’t wait to hear the stories (Denvercon, please ask lots of questions) of how they kept that one on the down low from us sometimes way to clever for our own good, fans! It was such a cool scene. The way Sam vacillated between speaking to “John” as not his dad, and then as his dad. He was so confused, the poor baby. “John” telling Sam words that Dean would long to hear his father say, that Dean had not only taken good care of the car, but also of Sam. Then dropping on Sam his The Darkness message, all as cryptic as a vision or dream usually is. Such a wonderful scene. Matt nailed it.

Which then lead us to the wonderful broment with Sam and Dean preparing to call it a night on the side of the road. How many times must they have done that? Bunked down in the car. Sleeping head to toe so that they can talk easily over the seat between them. So that when they wake up, their brother will be the first thing they see. That must have been a comfort over the years. 

How we’ve all craved to hear Sam and Dean share like this. We’ve had glimpses of it; snatched moments in quiet times, or as they stare down death or face losing each other. Here they shared their dreams of a normal life. Dean dreaming about his dad, wanting to hear that his father was proud of him, “Perfect landing, son”; Sam dreaming about the mother he never had the chance to know as a child. (Side note: Jensen sounded so Texan through this whole thing!) I loved to hear them discussing Sam’s “John” dream/vision and what it might mean. Working through the angles. Dean proving once again, he hides his smarts under a bushel – I love that he’s secretly brainy! They talked about Dean’s Darkness vision and Sam’s hospital vision. And when Sam revealed that he’d had the black veiny thing, the only thing you really saw in Dean was a flash of hurt that Sam kept that from him. There was no anger, no biting back, none of the kind of reactions we’ve seen from Dean in the past. He let Sam talk and he listened. They’re both still holding back, we assume – because we haven’t heard them discuss the reaper Billie, or Dean’s bond with The Darkness, only that Dean is having visions of her. But baby steps. Change takes time. 

Then…something wonderful happened. Something we haven’t heard since season 2. Jerk/Bitch. Of course this is how the boys say I love you, but it was so much more than that here. It was from a time long ago, before the water under the bridge nearly washed the love away. It was a reminder of who they are to each other at heart. What they mean to each other. It was new beginnings. It was Sam checking in – like “Goodnight, Jerk” (we okay?), And it was Dean reading him loud and clear, without any sentimentality, “Night, Bitch” (yeah, we’re okay). It was knowing these words were still part of their lives, maybe spoken in the times we haven't seen. But the best part was Sam’s smile. When Dean replied just right. It was Sam’s smile. Sam’s smile was everything.

The fight scenes in the Impala were something to behold! Dean getting dragged here, there and everywhere! Hauled over the seat, hauled out the door, all the while having the snot was beaten out of him. And Baby played a big part. Sassily flicking the Ghoulpire’s head off her window with her windscreen wipers. Damn hilarious. I freakin’ clapped my hands with glee! Then re-decapitating said Ghoulpire with her door. Ewwww. I clapped my hands again! I loved seeing Sam casually flirting with the shop girl as Dean was thumped senseless! Man, I think I snort laughed! Being in such close proximity, made the fight scenes more powerful and intimate. We were right in there. In the mayhem. Limbs flying all over. I was nearly ducking for cover. It was brilliant. Brilliant to watch and brilliant to marvel at the technical achievement those scenes were. The stunning stunt choreography. And kudos to Ackles, bodily flung all over that car, in and out! The guy is a rockstar! As the reverse 180 proved. Holy crap. One of the hottest things I have ever seen in my entire life. And I guarantee you; he was most likely responsible for all the other hottest things too!

And like every good monster of the week episode, which this totally wasn’t by the way, this was a homage to Baby and her boys, but anyhooo…we got a good dose of mytharc to keep the season story moving forward. Outside of the mysterious “John” scene, we found out that the monsters are also scared of The Darkness. The Ghoulpire maker (played by Jensen’s Devour co-star) was building his own personal army to buy him some time. He doesn’t think The Darkness can be stopped…but then, he hasn’t met the Winchesters…well he has now, one of them killed him! They may be batting a big zero in the love stakes, but they’re running a great tally in the saving the world stakes (…and the putting the world in danger stakes, but hey, they clean up their messes!) And like Dean says, they’ll work it out, like they always do. But probably tomorrow…because they’re beat to hell. 

For now, this job at least, was done, and a family was saved. And Baby helped the brothers every step of the way. She fought alongside Dean, taking as many hits as he did, having his back, doing of her what was asked without question, making sure he had the tools he needed at hand, then digging deep to give that little bit more. Making sure her family was safe, making sure they got home to their other home. She was bumped and bruised and worse for wear, just like her boys were. But she never gave up, just like her boys never do either. She carried them and let them lean on her as they leant on each other. She was, as she always has been, their family, a Winchester, tough and caring and forgiving and comforting and loyal and loving and beautiful…just like her boys are. 

Then Sam finishes us all off, by calling Baby “home”…and then, just like old times, we see the boys in their beloved car, drive off down an American back road as the people they’ve rescued watch on in awe. Just as we do every week, watch with awe these magnificent men. I cried and cried and cried. I was just so proud of my show.

“Baby” was sublime. Robbie Thompson, bless his heart, wrote us another love letter…except this time, it wasn’t just about us, it was about what we love most. The green army man, the Legos, the etched out initials, the green cooler, the jerk/bitch. He gave us new memories to take on the road with Sam and Dean. Now when they arrive at a hunt 8 hours later, in our minds we carry the little things they did along the way. Robbie gave us that. He gets us. He gets Sam and Dean. He so gets Sam and Dean. Their love. Their humour. Their strengths and their weaknesses. He gets them. I loved how he cleverly wove Cas into the story too; dead panning hilarious lines through the phone, still not getting the references, still not understanding the subtleties of human colloquial speech. Robbie’s script was fun, laugh out loud funny, smart and ambitious, and perfect.

The crew pulled off an insanely difficult episode, making it look effortless. I mean, what a feat. We never left the interior of the car. Ever. And that made for some brilliant camera angles and some insanely stunning close-ups. Oh my gosh, the close-ups. Ridiculously beautiful close-ups. Jensen and Jared are crazy good looking. I wish every episode were shot like this. It felt big and small all in one. It was intimate, yet action packed and it was so very, very pretty. A show 11 seasons in, pushing every boundary and pulling off work that no other show would probably dare try, let alone hit out of the park. Damn… we’re luck fans.

I make no secret of the fact that I’m very much a brothers kinda gal. That doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate all aspects of the story of Supernatural and all the amazing characters; but the brothers, their story, their journey, that’s where my heart lies. They are my heart. They are what made me fall in love with this show. They are what make my heart soar and ache, usually simultaneously, week in and week out. I’ve spent the last 10 years travelling this road with them, loving every second of it, every single second. We know Sam and Dean love each other, live for each other, will do anything for each other, will die for each other, quite literally. Their bond is what gives this show its emotional core, but we don’t often see where that bond stems from, or more pointedly, why it still exists so powerfully through all their ups and catastrophic downs. Some fans attribute it to some unhealthy co-dependency, but this week we saw the true reason why Sam and Dean hang on to each other, sometimes so tight they threaten to smother the other; outside of the love, they genuinely like each other, they have fun together, and in the times that we don’t see them, the times where they’re in between being up to their elbows in blood, they enjoy being in each other’s company, simply shooting the shit, or sitting in silence. This week we saw that comfortable familiarity that a lifetime of living in each other’s pockets has fostered. The love in “Baby” was so thick in the air; you could almost swat it away like flies. Yes, it was everything I always knew I wanted and but never dared to hope to see. “Baby” is my new happiness. It was flawless. 

Now excuse me while I go get my tissues and watch her again.

-sweetondean

Post script (because I just wanted to squee first and feel my feelings)

There’s been a lot of fan discussion over who is contacting Sam with the messages. 

Is it God? I’m a little with Dean on this one, on it actually being God. Unless the show is going to finally take the gianormous step of having God show himself and obviously lend a hand, I don’t know. Sam has always been a believer, though, so that door is certainly open to Him. “God helps those who help themselves” certainly could be pointing to Sam praying – helping himself by asking for help.

Or is it a representative of God?

Is it Michael? Sam and Michael don’t have a relationship, other than Michael being super pissed with him for dragging his ass into the pit. So my bet is not on Michael. And showing up as John feels too obvious.

Is it Gabriel? I’ve seen a lot of talk after the “Baby” episode of this possibility. Which would be awesome! Because I love him, and I love Rich. Like A LOT. My one thing with this theory is that I feel like Gabriel has a healthy ego, and I’m not sure why he’d be being so stealthy in his approach in contacting Sam. And I’m not sure why he’d be sending those odd torture visions. Or being so cryptic. Or coming in the guise of Young John. He gave the brothers the intel on the Four Horsemen’s rings and how to open the cage, so yes, he certainly has been of assistance before, but he did that at himself, because I think he can’t help but wave his arms around a bit. When he was appearing as other people to the brothers, it was when he was still in hiding as the Trickster, before he came out, so to speak – but those days have long since passed. So other than really, really wanting it to be Gabriel because he’s such a favourite, I’m not seeing a direct correlation to Gabe, at least not yet. But it would be a cool surprise if the show took us that way, which could be reason enough. And we had Gabriel in a Robbie episode in season 9 – and Robbie and Rich have both professed that the clicking of the fingers meant Gabe was still alive…so…anything is possible with the Trickster!

Is it Lucifer? I’m still swinging in this direction…for now. For a few reasons. We’re not sure what the breaking of the lock that released The Darkness, the lock that Lucifer was the original wearer of and corrupted him, has done to Lucifer. Has the destruction of that lock had an affect on him? We heard that there was screaming from the cage. Which could have been Michael screaming because The Darkness was released, or Lucifer because of some change in him from the breaking of the lock. The weird torture visions sure reminded me of Dean’s Hell, with all the hooks and stuff, and I can’t imagine what else they could be, other than a Hell memory pushing Sam’s subconscious mind in the direction of the cage. As for the appearance of John? Lucifer appeared to Sam once before as Jess. He appeared as Jess and told Sam exactly what he wanted to hear. He tried to manipulate Sam emotionally, before imparting his true message. He did the same to the Nick vessel in the shape of Nick’s dead wife. All to get what he needed to be heard heard, while the person he was speaking to was in an open and emotionally vulnerable state. But why would Lucifer be helping Sam? Could he too be afraid of The Darkness and want her gone? Lucifer was in part responsible for her incarceration regardless of the outcome for him. Or maybe this is part of a strategy to trick the boys into releasing him from the cage. Maybe the release of the lock that bound The Darkness has enabled Lucifer to communicate beyond the cage. This is the one big sticking point with the Lucifer theory – how is he communicating beyond the cage and why has he never done this before – what’s changed (my bet is if it is Lucifer, it’s something to do with the lock). Or maybe, those dissatisfied demons are taking matters into their own hands and helping the old boss regain his position. Maybe that was part of what that scene was with the angel and the demon in the bar. That would be cool!

Of course, it could be another player all together. Seriously though, I’ve been watching this show so long that I find it hard to believe that anyone good would have good intentions of helping the brothers without an ulterior motive that ends up biting Sam and Dean on their pert and pretty asses! Having said that, Jensen did say in his meet and greet in Dallas, that yes, Sam was kind of being pursued by “something” but it might "not necessarily be bad”.

So that’s my current ruminations on the matter! Basically…I have no clue! Stop being so cryptic, Show!