sweetondean: Leylin Vixen's Quick Draw SPN Roundup

Who We Are

This episode was so good that I was cheering many times during it. I am so happy that Jody and Alex survived the whole episode and Garth too. I am actually so relieved that they did not die. We even got a telling glimpse to Mary's mind space and how Dean feels about his mom. I actually gasped when he said he hated his mother but that he also loves her. And the reasons were not from his behalf but from Sam's. That is how Dean is and probably always will be. And in the end Sam leading the hunters and helping Mary over her doubts and that hug. But I should have known I was too happy because it is Supernatural after all. That though, I will leave to the finale.

It's penultimate time!

Details

Title: Who We Are
Episode: 12.22
First aired: May 18, 2017
Director: John F. Showalter
Written by: Robert Berens
Monster: British Men of Letters
Timeline: Immediately following and two days after 12.21 There's Something About Mary.
Location(s): Lebanon, Kansas; Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Story

The episode starts out with Mary killing another hunter and she gets a new mission from Ketch. Next target is Jody Mills and my heart started to race immediately. The scene happened in the night that was as dark as the mind of Mary at that moment. At the same time the Winchesters are not in better situation as they are trapped in the bunker with Toni. She talks them over to not to kill her. If they get out she will help them to get Mary back. Also there seems to be a fail safe lever outside where they can't get to as the bunker is on lock down.

Time for the plan and day one Sam gets the idea to use magic to get out. There are loads of books in the library that can help and the over smug Toni must know something too. So they try a spell and surprise surprise it doesn't work. Even if they did do a virgin spell again. Seriously, third times the charm right? Ketch was one step ahead of them though and he made a mystical dampener against it. Magic doesn't work.

Next day and they will try some bodily workout. Behind a concrete wall are ladders in a pipe to get outside. It is actually funny to write about this scene because I heard later from a con that the crew had told them: You can’t get through this. Both actors looked at each other like they were kidding. Jensen: You don’t challenge us with like physical feats. They were beating on the wall longer than what was shown and they broke through. The set design and art department were like how did you break through 18 inches of concrete in like 60 seconds? Jensen: "Cause we’re awesome, that’s why". Jared: "I believe we said, because we’re not the Losechesters." So it is funny that in the episode and with the improvised scene with the goggles they could not break through.

All is lost so they decide to take a break and have a broment sitting down on the floor. The boys look very good btw. Sam kicks himself for working with the BMOL and he says he did it because it was easier to follow than to lead. He asks Dean if this is how he pictured the end and he ends his words to "Blaze of glory". We can see the idea forming on Dean's face and he glees. Dean gets the grenade launcher and in a Die Hard moment shoots the grenade launcher at the wall and breaks it. Dean had vanished and the hole crumbles down. Sam searches for Dean and then collapses on the floor because of the thin air. The power comes back on and the door opens. Dean walks back in but his leg is wounded.

The brothers don't have much time to relax because they need to warn other hunters. They get a hold of Garth but Jody is another story. Mary is there that is what we know and my heart is racing. They head there worried but luckily Mary is already tied up. Jody lives! But we are not out of the woods yet. It is Toni's turn to step on to the stage but she finally reveals she lied and she can't cure Mary. Shocker, I know... While Ketch keeps calling Mary Sam and Dean heads out and gathers the hunters they can find. We get some old and new faces to the group. Sam gives them a leader speech and Dean listens to it. It is time to fight back the BMOL.

Dean will not go because his leg is still busted. Sam says he would still be better than anyone else but Dean says he will be fine. He will stay to fix Mary meanwhile. We get a lovable hug and both say they care about one another in their own way "Bitch & Jerk". Sam heads out with the hunters to attack the BMOL headquarters.

Meanwhile Toni hooks both Dean and Mary up to some electrodes which is a bad BAD idea but the only one. With those and with a hypnotic sedative Dean hopes to get through to his mom. They both loose consciousness and Dean wakes up. He is in a house and as he checks it out he finds out it is their old home. Sam is resting in his crib, little Dean sits beside a table and Mary is offering him food. Everything is like it used to be long LONG time ago. Dean tries to talk to Mary while she is walking around but she is ignoring him. When she tells young Dean she will not let anything bad happen to him Dean realises something. He hates his mother.

Dean pours his heart out to Mary and Ackles sells it to us brilliantly: "I hate you... You lied to me. I was a kid. You promised you'd keep me safe, and then you make a deal with Azazel. Yeah, it saved Dad's life, but I'll tell you something else that happened, because on November 2, 1983 old Yellow-Eyes came waltzing into Sammy's room because of your deal. You left us. Alone. Because Dad was just a shell. His perfect wife, gone. Our perfect Mom, the perfect family, it was gone. And I-I had to be more than just a brother. I had to be a father, and I had to be a mother. To keep him safe. And that wasn't fair. And I couldn't do it. And you wanna know what that was like? They killed the girl that he loved, he got possessed by Lucifer.

They tortured him in Hell and he lost his soul. His soul. All because of you. All of it was because of you... I hate you. I hate you, and I love you. 'Cause I can't-I can't help it, you're my Mom. And I understand. Because I have made deals to save the ones I love, more than once. I forgive you. I forgive you. For all of it. Everything. On the other side of this, we can start over, okay? You, me, Sam. We can get it right this time. But I need you to fight, right now. I need you to fight. I need-I need you to look at me, I need you to really look at me and see me. Mom, I need you to see me. Please."

Mary slowly looks at him and says his name. He got through to her but just when he could have celebrated that he is pulled out by Ketch from the dream. Ketch has killed Toni and now it is Dean's turn. They fight it out man to man and then Ketch decides to cheat when he is losing and he pulls a gun on Dean. Just when Ketch is ready to shoot him he is shot and hit on his shoulder. He drops his gun and the one that shot him was Mary. After Ketch's last speech Mary shoots him in the head.

The hunters are pretty awesome when they come together and fight for a common cause. They quickly and efficiently take out their soldiers and corner Dr. Hess. Never liked her and never will so I am glad she gets her comeuppance here. She mistakes Sam for Dean so she is not that well informed now is she? Also she is talking about a portal so that might be a curious thing for the next season. Hess tries to make a deal but Sam is having none of it. Hess goes for her gun but Jody shoots her in the head saving Sam. I love Jody!

Mary finally admits her guilt about Dean's and Sam's lives. That is why she was keeping her distance. Dean tries to make her feel better but she still fears what Sam would say. Luckily Sam did overhear them and he says she has nothing to be scared of. The trio have a long and well waited group hug and I dwell in a pool of happiness.

Characters

There is a clear separation with the characters what we had on this episode. From my point of view the BMOL was rather indifferent although Ketch has always been the bad guy to love. But who can blame me? The rest of the characters and acting was so marvellous that the rest just pales in comparison. This time I will focus a bit to Sam and Dean because Jared and Jensen kicked it out of the park. Sam as the new found leader and son and Dean as the betrayed and hurt son who still loved his mother. He also packed up Sam who really needed it. The scene with Mary and Dean was deep and painful and also emotionally marvellous. I wrote that Jensen was great but so was Sam Smith as Mary. Who would have known that sweet Mary from the past would be so complex and troubled character. She can be proud of Mary’s character.

Not far behind the trio we have Jody Mills and Alex Jones. Jody is always there for the boys and she is very motherly. I like her character a lot and that she can also be a badass. Alex has also grown to the Mills family and she has always felt like she was Jody’s real daughter. She also doesn’t let anyone hurt her boys so when she offed Dr. Hess I cheered. Bring on Wayward Sisters! We have seen Jody Mills in 12 episodes already! And hopefully we will see a lot more of her in the future. She has been in these episodes:

5.15 Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid

6.04 Weekend at Bobby's

7.02 Hello, Cruel World

7.06 Slash Fiction

7.12 Time After Time

8.23 Sacrifice

9.08 Rock and a Hard Place

9.19 Alex Annie Alexis Ann

10.08 Hibbing 911

11.12 Don't You Forget About Me

12.06 Celebrating the Life of Asa Fox

12.22 Who We Are

Last but not least Ketch, Hess and Bevell were not that bad either but they were shadowed like I said by the other characters. We also saw a brief glimpse to the infamous Walt and Roy who killed Sam and Dean in the past.

Here is the full list of characters:

Jared Padalecki - Sam Winchester

Jensen Ackles - Dean Winchester

Samantha Smith - Mary Winchester

Kim Rhodes - Sheriff Jody Mills

David Haydn-Jones - Arthur Ketch

Katherine Ramdeen - Alex Jones

Elizabeth Blackmore - Lady Toni Bevell

Gillian Barber - Dr. Hess

Nels Lennarson - Walt

Kerry van der Griend - Roy

Anthony Bolognese - Young Dean Winchester

Chelsea Gill - Paige

Set design

We only had one new set and that was the garage yard outdoor set that set the mood to the darkness where Mary was with her mind. It was pretty cinematic and atmospheric. Otherwise we had the all too familiar bunker although I always love when we are shown the details of it. Of course it is the last time we see the BMOL base that is also familiar already. It is a shame that set is gone with a bang. We also had a returning look on Jody's cosy home which is so hunter like. It even had a plaid chair. Her home has warmth and it is in wooden colours. It doesn't have many modern elements which is fine for me. Second indoors set and quite the surprise was the old Winchester family home in Mary's dream. As it was meant to be the prefect home and mirroring the mindset of Mary the home seemed too clean and detached. The warmth was missing.

Props

You could say that there was not that many props that stuck to your eyes in this episode but there was two that lift above all else. Other was just a glimpse as the other was shown with a bang. Right at the start we saw the gruesome killing claw which Mary used to dispose the other hunter, a horrible weapon that is quite effective if used correctly. The second is none other than the grenade launcher which Dean was finally able to use! And how cool was that scene?