Review - Supernatural 8.13 "Everybody Hates Hilter"

The epicness of “Supernatural” has always been its heart and in recent seasons, that heart has been inconsistent. We’ve had episodes that have seemed to capture that feeling that won us all over in the beginning, but not as often as most of us would like. The perpetual struggles of the brothers, their destinies, quests, losses and misfortunes have more often than not, put that lovely heart, that ‘SamandDeanness’ in the back of the picture, somewhere behind the season mythology and the brother’s latest butting-of-the-heads crisis.

This doesn’t mean I haven’t dug plenty of episodes, I have. There’s still been plenty to enjoy. It also doesn’t mean I’ve ever doubted the brother’s bond or their love – when push shoves, they always have each other’s back and always will. They will always been the most important person to each other. But it sometimes felt like something was missing. That special something, that lightning in a bottle that made us all fall in love with Sam and Dean in the first place and as much as I’ve been thoroughly enjoying season 8 and as much as I also enjoyed seasons 6 and 7…that little bit of something-something that these two glorious brothers have, has not been as evident week in, week out, as I think most of us would like. Excuse me for speaking on your behalf, but I think a lot of fans missed a bit of epic broness, the fondness, or basically, a bit of warmth.

In the end, it didn’t take much to bring back something many fans feared might be gone forever…it didn’t take much to bring back that heart and warmth.... Just some quiet moments, some beautiful characterisations and a script by Ben Edlund.

When Sam said “Son of a bitch” and Dean called Sam “Little brother” I knew things were going to be good right there... From that moment I started smiling and I didn’t stop.....

I completely loved “Everybody Hates Hitler”. It made me happy. Not in the way that the LARPing episode did, which was simply geeky fun, but in a deeper, more familiar way. This episode was about the core themes of “Supernatural”. It was about family and legacy. Family and legacy have been the absolute guts of the story of the Winchesters ever since the beginning and to bring it front and centre once again, felt like an incredibly important turning point. It brought up so many familiar feelings for me. Everything about this episode hit the right notes.

It was a neat story. It was fun and funny. It had action, pathos and whack-a-doo comedy – as only Edlund seems to be able to juggle. It had great secondary characters – Hal Linden for heaven’s sake! It expanded on the newly introduced “Men of Letters” concept in a totally engaging and intriguing way. It had MOTW mythology rooted in reality and not everyone died at the end! Which means, that all the goodies and the baddies could make a comeback somewhere down the track! I love that! It’s always such a drag when they bring something neat into an episode and everything gets ganked and you think, well darn…they were kinda cool, I would’ve liked to see them again! I’m glad the Thule is still out there somewhere and that Sam and Dean now know about them and I’m glad that the Judah Initiative is still alive and kicking, because Aaron and his Golem are beyond awesome. This season the “Supernatural” Universe seems to be expanding and after the claustrophobic and dour vibe of season 7, I think that’s a great thing. But the best thing of all…”Everybody Hates Hitler” had some lovely Sam and Dean moments.

Oh the new Batcave, it’s so pretty. How wonderful was the brother’s reactions to the MoL lair? Both Sam and Dean were perfection. Sam completely geeked over the possibilities of all that information and what it could mean to them as Hunters, Dean geeked out over the power-shower and the boys-toys! Bless them both. The brothers were so great throughout this whole episode. Edlund really knows how to write them as individuals and as a duo.

I love this new place for Sam. It’s like he finally sees how he fits. He’s never felt complete at ease with the path of being Hunter, not all the time. He's half looked for something else, whether it was college, or a different life away from the Family Business. Whatever it was, something seemed to be missing for Sam. Now it’s like he has that final piece of his own puzzle. This legacy of research and knowledge, things that he’s interested in and enjoys, understanding and information which will only enhance his and his brother’s epic hunting skills. A sense of belonging. He looked like a kid in a candy shop. All those books, all that choice.

Dean at first, not seeing how anything from pre-1958 could possibly be of relevance, goes straight into creature comforts mode. He is nothing if not someone who enjoys the pleasures of life! The space, the shower, the dead-guy robe and slippers, not to mention the cool swords and he put in a mini-fridge to hold his beers! But as soon as he saw how the information in the MoL library led to a current case, he snapped straight into Hunter mode and was onboard. You could tell then, that though this joint is never going to hold the same kind of joys for him as it does for Sam, he understands its importance.

I love how Sam went off all dressed in his academic outfit! His jumper. His…what were they, Hushpuppies or something? He’s the hottest researcher ever! He was so quick to figure out the book thing and then he knew the library codes! Of course he did! And the way Dean pointed to him with pride like, "That's my brother!" I loved Sam so much in this episode.

I loved Dean and his getting flustered when he totally misread Aaron on their first meeting – thinking he was being followed and then realising he was being hit on! Hee. “Why you following me gingerbread?” I loved that line! Of course he was right he was being followed! Oh awkward Dean how I heart you. And look at him…I mean, who the hell wouldn’t hit on Dean Winchester quite frankly. Damn.

I also adored the entire conversation the brothers had outside the bar. A handful of words between them and they had a plan down pat. Wow, it’s like they’re a team or something! They were so on the same page in this episode, my Winchester brother loving heart runneth over. Little looks, little nods...they were connected and working as one.

Then there was Aaron and his Golem. A hilarious odd couple. I think these two are my favourite guest characters for a long time. As much as Aaron was snarky he was also nicely rounded out. There was a lot of depth to his character. You instantly liked him. You empathised with him. You understood his plight. The Golem could have been one dimensional, but instead he turned out to be incredibly human. When Aaron decided to accept his grandfather’s legacy, the Golem looked almost proud of him.

Aaron was also used nicely to show how others might see the brothers. I’ve noticed that a couple of times this season. I mean we’re used to what they do right? But to others, what must they look like? “What do you two just break in wherever you go?” Well, yeah they do. And what was one of my favourite moments of the episode, when Aaron was watching the brothers burn the Necromancer corpse. “Oh my God, these guys are psychopaths”. Ha! Sam and Dean were merrily chatting away as they poured the gasoline in the newly dug grave. So blasé about the whole thing, dropping the flame in and then the pièce de résistance, Sam warms his hands over the burning body! Oh my gosh I screamed with laughter! That was brilliance. I wonder if it was inscript?

One thing that really jumped out at me in this episode was that you can tell Ben Edlund is not only a damn fine writer; he’s an experienced writer. I loved his light touch with the family legacy parallel between Aaron and his grandfather leaving the J.I. legacy to him and the brothers discovering, via their grandfather, their “Men of Letters” legacy. For a change we didn’t have something like this dropped on us like an anvil from a great height! It was nicely integrated into the story, subtle – that’s experienced writing for you. The other thing I loved that Ben did was referencing Cass and Kevin. We go for episodes with characters that are key to the storylines of the season, not even getting a mention. All it took was a couple of lines to note that Kevin was doing ok, but didn’t have any answers, Garth said hi, and Cass wasn't answering the boy's prayers and we tied everything in. Once again – that’s experienced writing for you.

Did you also all notice the music choices? At the beginning of the episode the song playing in the MoL batcave was “Get Thee Behind Me Satan” and at the end it was “On the Sunny Side of the Street.” I mean…Sam’s been haunted by this horrific destiny of being Satan’s vessel and everything that came before and after that revelation…and now, here he is…a new beginning…a new place in his world. Something that makes total sense to him… Get thee behind me Satan indeed! I was IN LOVE with that song playing. Then finishing the episode with “On the Sunny Side of the Street”. The perfection. If that’s not a positive omen for where we’re going, I don’t know what is.

Then there was the closing scene. Dean can see how into this new legacy business Sam is, as he makes a catalogue entry from their latest case, and he can see it makes Sam happy. After all his inner turmoil about not wanting to hunt, wanting something else, Sam looks happy, he looks content. “So what, Aaron’s a J.I. and you’re a Man of Letters now, is that it” [Sam simply smiles to himself] “Good.” Man, I loved this. It makes Dean happy to see his brother happy. It’s been a while. They both sit there in silence, completely comfortable with each other, Sam writing up some research, Dean happily sitting with his brother, feet up on the table. Yes. Yes. Yes. It makes me all wibbly just thinking about it. I sighed out a great big sigh of pure joy.

I also have to mention Jensen and his comic timing…again. The guy is just damn funny. And for someone with a completely beautiful face…he has an amazing range of facial expressions! I always appreciate his commitment to a gag too. Like the sword…the look on his face just as he’s going in for that big swing and Sam turns around. He also delivered some cracking lines. Man, he’s wonderful…just…look…don’t start me ok...

I hope Sam and Dean keep the discovery of the MoL batcave to themselves at least for a little bit. The fewer people who know about the place; the less chance of any nasty coming in and trying to access its secrets. Besides that…I want the boys to have their own space. Geeze…they haven’t had a real home since Mary died. Sure there was Bobby’s and Rufus’ but nowhere actually theirs…that they could call their own. This “Men of Letters” secret hideaway is all theirs, their inheritance. I like it.

It’ll be interesting to see how far we go with this MoL thing. What this means for future stories – in say season 9 and 10 (yessss!). Say the boys end up closing the gates of Hell and all the demons are banished to the pit for eternity (I don’t think that’s very likely), the brothers now have enough information on hand to fight all kinds of other evil S.O.Bs. Or is there going to be some blowback from finding this place and not ditching the key as the old guy advised? Something that means they end up having to close it down forever or puts them both in jeopardy (for something completely different). Wherever it’s going, I’m excited. This feels fresh and big and like it has some legs and I have a feeling the rest of this season is going to be a corker!

This episode and last week's episode "As Time Goes By" nailed it because they were centred on what this show has always been about, Family and Family Legacy.

By bringing the story back to the heart of the show, it returned the heart to the show.

I think maybe there might be a bit of genius in the beginning of this season. Pulling the brothers so far apart that they weren't sure they wanted to be together any longer and then forcing them to make a choice - other people or each other. Of course, they chose each other, they chose family. Then bringing in this strong family storyline, making the brothers focus on family again. Bringing in the MoL, which gives Sam a clearer place in the Winchester/Campbell legacy. Giving him a reason to stay with hunting, outside of his sense of commitment to Dean. Allowing him to find some happiness - and through his happiness, Dean to find happiness, because that's who Dean is.

Edlund is a genius...and I have a sneaking suspicion Carver is too.

I look at all the new information and mythology that was delivered in the last two episodes with hopeful optimism. That it's an exciting new direction, that we’re on a good path and that the heart and warmth that was in “Everybody Hates Hitler” will continue to shine through future episodes. I know the brothers haven’t had it out, I know they haven’t discussed their recent issues, or any issues really. Maybe they will, maybe they won’t. Maybe they both just figure…ah hell, we’re in a good place now, why raise up old crap. I don’t really care, I’m just going to go with the flow and move forward with Sam and Dean, because that’s what they seem to be doing and I like it. I’ll watch and hope that this newfound harmony lasts and that if the brothers do clash again, they clash over issues that aren’t personal to them. I understand the need for conflict in drama. But there’s conflict and there’s conflict. It doesn’t always have to be about the brothers being at each other’s throats.

Sam’s right, they could use a break, so could we, maybe we all finally got one…at least for a couple of weeks…because you know, three weeks in a row a lot of us have been feeling pretty good right? And as "Supernatural" fans we know what that means right? We’re due to have our hearts ripped out right?! (Sorry...but I bet you were all thinking it too)!

But until then, here’s to Sam and Dean’s new digs, happy brothers, drinking scotch, power-showers, dead-guy robes, feeling comfortable around each other and a little bit of a break…

"Everybody Hates Hitler" made me realise I missed something I wasn't even aware I was missing - Sam and Dean. This episode was so cool. My favourite of the season.

(I have no reason for this cap...I just like that shirt and stuff...)

Thanks for reading…see you next time.
-sweetondean

sweetondean is Chief Editor and writer for The Winchester Family Business

For all the latest Supernatural info and article links, follow The Winchester Family Business on Twitter at @WinFamBusiness

Review - Supernatural 8.12 "As Time Goes By"

I love the time travel episodes. Love them. I love that through them we’ve found out Mary was a hunter, that she made the deal with the YED that sealed Sam’s fate, that the vessel thing was in the bloodline of the brothers…I love that stuff. I love that we can go forward whilst going back to flesh out the story that we thought we knew, add more layers to it and discover new things to over think! So guess what? Pop me into the camp that dug “As Time Goes By”. 

Sure, it wasn’t perfect. When you take on something as monumental as revealing the true nature of why these boys ended up with the destiny they did, when you boldy tackle the history of a family we all feel we know so well - 8 seasons in to a series – well some things are bound to get lost in the wash. And yes, I felt the mythology bumps in the road and had to side step a couple of plot holes as I careened towards the end of this episode and I acknowledge that, but did it impact my enjoyment of the story? No. As much as I like to delve into the mythology, I'm willing to overlook things if I think it will benefit the overall story, if I think that it enhances what we know. It's about moving the story forward as much as recognising history.  "As Time Goes By" had me sucked in from the first moment and in the end, I was very excited by where we landed. Very excited.

How epic was the 'THEN". Epic!

Anyhoo… So John Winchester was supposed to grow up as one of the ‘Men of Letters’ (not in love with that name btw, it’s a big naff), but instead, he became a Hunter. I’m kinda glad he did…I think Hunters are way hotter!

It’s hard to equate Henry Winchester to John, talk about chalk and cheese. Henry’s so stiff and formal, while John…well I guess we didn’t really get to know John that well, only through the hearts and minds and memories of his sons.

We still basically know nothing about John, only that his dad disappeared when he was a kid and he carried that hurt with him, which he told his boys, because clearly they knew that John grew up feeling abandoned and angry. This of course doesn’t mean John didn’t have a father figure in his life, in fact we have to assume he did, because a father figure was referenced for John in 4.03 “In The Beginning”. At some stage, John moved from Normal, Illinois to Lawrence, Kansas…so maybe his mum remarried or something. But, we still don’t know. I hope now that we’ve opened up this door, we can open up another to more of the Winchester history…I definitely want to know more. I reckon I could go for a good tie-in novel that fleshed this out a bit maybe? But I digress…

When we first started hearing about this episode, I wondered how Henry Winchester could be a time traveller, what must he be in order to be able to do that, because we knew John came to hunting through the loss of Mary. I also started to think, how much sense it makes for both sides of the boy’s family to be somehow linked to the supernatural, to somehow both have a connection to the family business. Especially off what Cupid said about John and Mary being a priority match up and what the Archangel Michael said about the vessel thing being in the bloodline. All of a sudden it made perfect sense that the Winchester line must have some role in this whole epic tale beyond which we already knew. I started to wonder if they were like “Watchers” or something. Not too far off I guess. The Winchester legacy is being the keepers of all the supernatural secrets. They were the ones with the knowledge, knowledge they only shared with a few Hunters. I guess when the ‘Men of Letters’ got decimated by Abaddon, Hunters had to learn to find their own way without the help of some elite group of bookworms. Hunters became the bookworms as well as the warriors. That’s pretty neat. And seeing as for the longest time, Sam and Dean knew very few hunters and certainly knew nothing of any kind of Hunter network, it’s not surprising that the memory of the ‘MoL’ was lost – Hunters not being the chattiest of folk.

I love that the Winchesters were the brains and the Campbells were the brawn. I love that, because it’s Sam and Dean (though they both have brains and brawn really). Sam’s all let’s find out what we need I’m going to look it up, Dean’s all tell me what I need so I can go stab it in the face. Even in this episode, when Dean used the comic-book chick’s computer, he handed it straight to Sam (while Dean gave the chick the silent how you doin’! Bless his flirty heart).

It’s interesting that Sam wanted to go to college and leave hunting, making him more like the Winchesters than he could ever have known, hungry for knowledge, with a love of books. He’s been likened to John because of his focus on the job above all else. Dean called him out on it in “Jump the Shark”, when he said Sam was more like John than Dean would ever be, but little did they know, he was like a Winchester of the past. Maybe that makes Dean more like Mary and the Campbells. Being the caretaker, the “mother” in the family, raising Sam, making sure his family was looked after, being the peacemaker between his brother and father when they butted heads, being happy to do the fighting and let someone else do the research. There was definitely a picture being painted of the two families that splashed more colour onto the boys in this episode. Even I feel like I have a little better understanding of the brothers and their place in their families, through this reveal of new history.

I found “As Time Goes By” emotionally engaging. I was a tad teary at the end I have to say…not for Henry, but just for the overwhelming loss of everyone in the brother’s family – on both sides. I also found myself wishing this episode were longer. We were given so much information about the legacy, about Abaddon, about Knights of Hell, about the ‘MoL’ and their super-double-triple-secret batcave… that we didn’t have time to find out more about Henry and he didn’t have time to find out more about his grandsons or his son. I wished they’d had an opportunity to talk. I really wanted them all to sit down and have a good natter!

I get that Sam and Dean were not in a caring and sharing mood though. I mean those guys keep getting royally screwed (and not in the good way that means we get shirtless episodes). I get why they didn’t trust Henry, not just because he popped out of their closet, but also because of the history they’d been told. They thought he was a deadbeat. Dean, in particular was falling in line with what his father told him about his grandfather and was being ultra-protective of his dad and his memory. At first I thought this was a little bull-headed, even for Dean. But when I watched the episode again, it didn’t come across like that at all. I felt him defending the memory of a man, that sometimes he couldn’t even defend himself. All those feelings coming to the surface again. Like he said, he’s read John’s journal more times than Henry could imagine and it hurts every time. There was a lot of pain being relived here. All he could do was back his dad. I get that. Also…Henry called them apes! Well screw you very much buddy! Ooo that sounded like I didn't like Henry. I quite liked him...but don't call the boys apes 'k?

And the brothers backed each other. They really felt like a team in this episode. Moving as one, conscious of each other. After their wonderful LARPing moment last week, which showed that they were both willing to try to make an effort to put the anger behind them, I was hopeful we’d see them in a better place and for me, we did. They felt pretty solid. I appreciated that Sam never chastised Dean when he was berating Henry, it smacked of solidarity. When Dean stormed out, Sam quietly allowed Henry the time he needed to learn about his son, through his son's own words. I liked that. I think Sam would've been feeling just as conflicted as Dean was, Sam's feelings for John are equalily as confused, it's just Sam has less bluster about these things. Sam was strong, calm and Zen to Dean’s tense and angry.

At one point I was thinking, hey guys, tell Henry about all the stuff you know about Lucifer and the angels and the like! Then I thought, well, really, if I were the vessels of the Apocalypse…would I share that information? “Hey grandad, so this one time, I was like, Lucifer’s vessel and you know, he was in me for a bit and…” yeah probably not! They’ve learnt to keep their secrets close. There’s a hell of a lot those brothers know that they’ve never shared with another soul. I did appreciate Dean big upping them when he was trying to prevent Henry from jumping back through time though… “We stopped the Apocalypse!” Yes you did! Shout it loud and proud baby! Funny that Henry didn’t say…”Hang on! You stopped the what now?”

Beyond all the conflict though, Dean worked with Henry. Dean and Henry nutted out a plan that would not only save Sam…as Dean made it perfectly clear, that was going to be the endgame no matter what…but if they pulled it off, it would stop Abaddon forever. Their plan was simple and it worked and it was family working together. It was the Winchester family brains and brawn, coming together to win the day – even though it was at the loss of one of them. And in his final moments, Henry saw the men that his grandsons were and in doing so, got a glimpse of who his son must have been.

I was so worried that this would be another lump of guilt for Dean to drag around, that he’d think he was partly responsible for his father not having a father, but I was happy to see they didn’t go that way. Instead we got the brothers talking, sharing their feelings about what just happened, what they’d just learnt. Sam seeing some sense in the whole thing, Dean seeing more dead. Even though it was a sad scene, it wasn’t, because they were together, being who they’ve always been and being it side by side. Boy-howdy, I loved that scene. It packed the emotional wallop I’ve been pining for.

This new layer to the Winchester mythology, this legacy business, this secret batcave joint that they now have the fancy key to, all the knowledge inside…man, this feels like it opens up a whole lot of story. I’ve been wondering if that’s where they end up stashing those damn tablets. My first thought was, oh there will be clues to help with decoding the tablets and then I thought, hang-on, impenetrable supernatural Fort Knox…what better place to pop the tablets to keep the demon's and angel’s grubby mitts off them. I’ve always kind of thought that the comeuppance of using the tablets would be so great that they wouldn't be able to use them…maybe they lock them up forever…like the Arc of the Covenant or something? Anyway, I’m craptastic at theories, so I’ll just say I’m really looking forward to seeing this secret lair of the ‘Men of Letters’.

What this show always does best is family. When the show focuses on the story behind these boys, when it focuses on the strength and importance of family, this is where it really flies. “As Time Goes By” was all about family. It was about Sam and Dean finding out about their roots. It was about them putting to rest something that haunted their dad. In “As Time Goes By” I felt a little closure somehow, like both Sam and Dean have come to a place within their hearts where they can understand John better. But not only that, in finding out about their family, they were left with a better understanding of themselves and why they were thrust into this life. I think this was especially important for Sam, who's always felt like he didn't belong. I don’t know about you, but I felt hope, the most hope I’ve felt for a long time. As Sam and Dean stood over their grandfather’s grave…in my heart I felt this little tingling of hope that maybe they'll be able to put the anger and conflict from the first half of this season behind them and move forward into this new chapter together as brothers, as family. I mean, they’re Winchesters…and as long as they’re alive there’s always hope right?

I’m excited to see where this takes us.

And just because I hate leaving you on such a deep thought…please enjoy these caps.

Thanks for reading

- sweetondean

sweetondean is Chief editor and writer for The Winchester Family Business

For all the latest Supernatural info and article links, follow The Winchester Family Business on Twitter at @WinFamBusiness

Review - Supernatural 8.11 "LARP and the Real Girl"

Well that was fun. It’s been a while since we had a fun episode of “Supernatural”. One that took us out of the mythology for a bit. “Plucky Pennywhistle’s Magical Menagerie” was the last one I could think of and let me tell you, that was 20 episodes ago! I know this because I counted them!

And season 8, well I think we can all agree, it’s been heavy going. Even for those of us that are really digging the season, it’s still been emotionally fraught and somewhat exhausting. So a little respite from the big picture story and the angst…well, that’s not a bad thing. In fact I think “LARP and the Real Girl” was perfectly timed. After “Torn and Frayed” left us, torn and frayed…I think a lot of us were in need of a bit of a break…a bit of fun, just like the Winchesters.

So yeah, I loved “LARP and the Real Girl”. Loved it. Come on, are you surprised?

I love it when the brothers find themselves solving crazy cases, in crazy situations. I love how they simply roll with the punches. I guess in their line of work, they’ve seen most things…so though they always have those little raised eyebrow looks between them; they simply shrug it off and go for it. I’ve always loved that about the Winchester boys, their adaptability.

The first killing…wowsers…nasty! That would be a horrific way to go. Quartering is a rather unpleasant part of medieval justice – hung, drawn and quartered - we’ve all seen Braveheart right? That’s what they did to William Wallace (I watched that scene once, never again). By the way, I don’t think Ed was “drawn and quartered” as Charlie said, because the drawn bit is the disembowelling bit…you know, because the hanging don’t kill you so let’s take your intestines out! Ed was just “quartered”….by invisible horses. I so loved the wall-blood-splatter! It’s almost a running joke now right? No matter what happens – splat on the wall! I giggle every time. I hope I’m supposed to!

The supporting cast in this episode was great. Lance the crying guy was a classic with his, “Those texts weren’t from me. They were from me, but they weren’t from me me” line and the way he looked at Sam when he told him he was a powerful mage, how he waited for Sam to react. I loved Boltar the Furious, though he was a bit of a tool. Talk about taking a game too far. I thought it was hilarious when he called the boys out on their fake ids “Hold” – about time they got busted! And I absolutely loved the Sheriff. How fab was he? Cracker lines. “Twig and berries” “High as balls” and the line of the episode, “Kids today with their texting and murder.” So often the law officials on “Supernatural” are either shown as dolts or they’re wallpaper, so it was cool to have this Sheriff have bit of personality. It was pointed out that the actor who played the Sheriff was also Mike – John’s mechanic partner whom the boys questioned in “Home” – love a good recycled actor. Season 8 seems to be the season for it!

Then of course, there was Charlie. I enjoyed Charlie’s turn in “The Girl with the Dungeons and Dragons Tattoo”, but in this episode…she was awesome. Just awesome. What I like about her – apart from here sassy “Smell you later bitches” line, is how she reacts the way you should react when faced with a creature who’s trying to kill you…scared! She doesn’t want to be involved in the fight, but sees where she’s needed so stays to help, but she’d obviously rather be somewhere else! She never feels like a victim, even when in a spot of bother. She misquotes Notting Hill and Star Wars and then makes out with the monster of the week! She’s smart and thinks on her feet and always has an epic comeback…much like our favourite ghost hunting bros. As woman, she’s a character that I feel very comfortable and happy to have on my TV screen. She’s not ball-busting tough, she’s not kick-ass action or any of those standard, stereotypical female TV characters. She’s an individual who is smart and confident and living her life the way she chooses, with a splash of bravado when facing possibly death and a bit of a smart mouth. I like her.

The other thing I like about Charlie, is her relationship with the brothers. With Sam, they’re both computer geeks, they have a mutual appreciation of Harry Potter and Sam protected her and carried her to safety when her arm was broken. With Dean they share a common love of pop culture and all things nerdy. We all know Dean is a massive nerd, a huge movie fan and a pop culture nut. He’s constantly quoting movies and TV, Star Wars, Star Trek. We’ve seen him nerd out before…but never quite like this! So Charlie, for me, is someone who is kind of a balance between both of the brothers. She’s got the brainiac, attention to detail, computer geek thing that Sam’s got going on and the pop culture, nerd thing that Dean’s got going on. She’s a little of both! She’s kind of their perfect girl! Kind of… She's welcome back anytime as far as I'm concerned. Felicia Day rocks.

Which brings me to our bros. Here’s something I love. Throughout this series, the brothers seem to bounce back and forth between roles. Neither is great at talking, but sometimes you have Sam reaching out trying to push Dean to talk, sometimes it’s the other way around. “LARP and the Real Girl” started with the classic Impala scene – boys driving at night (BTW loving that every episode this season seems to have a classic rock song). Sam has his head buried in something looking for clues, when Dean asks him if he’s ok. Sam then talks about how frustrated he is that they have this powerful weapon but they don’t know how to use. Pretty sure that’s not what Dean was asking. Sam was reacting how Dean so often does, not wanting to talk, shutting down, just wanting to do the job. Dean reaching out to Sam and acknowledging that he knew what Sam gave up wasn’t easy, was a real step forward for Dean. The end of last week’s episode and in this week’s episode, I was impressed with his interactions with Sam, his attempts to talk to his brother – or allow his brother to talk. Sam can be just as guarded and closed off as Dean but Dean was trying to understand.

I felt like this episode saw a definite shift in their relationship. As the boys worked the case, they seemed to actually enjoy themselves and enjoy being together. Dean all goofy in his LARPing getup and Sam trying not to smile and looking at his brother with that look only Sam can do, when he can’t believe what Dean just said or did. That…oh Dean look. There were lots of raised eyebrows, little nods and nonverbal exchanges between them. They worked great as a team, Sam taking on the research role while Dean played dress-up to canvas with Charlie – I mean, it couldn’t be any other way. It definitely seemed like a little weight was lifted off their broad shoulders…or maybe, a little weight was lifted off ours, or both. After last week’s “Torn and Frayed” just to see them do the ‘nearly smile’, was enough. But of course we got more.

I totally appreciated Dean’s acknowledgment to Charlie that the text thing was not his finest hour. Though last week he told Sam he knew he was wrong, it was part of a fairly heated exchange. So though I believe he meant it, to some, the anger in the conversation could make the words appear to lack a bit of resonance. But here, I believed that Dean knew he was wrong and that it was not the way he should have gone and he seemed accepting of that. I figure how he gave Charlie the wiki, he must have put the blame for Sam deciding to give up Amelia at his own feet – being as that’s how Charlie seemed to interpret it. I could see Dean wording it as such. Of course, the Amelia thing was not Dean’s fault as I’m sure he knows, that was Sam’s decision and Dean, in a moment which made me proud of him, allowed his brother to make that choice himself.

But you could see, as the boys worked the job, there was definitely a lighter air. Maybe somehow they both felt a little better, knowing that they no longer needed to worry about those other responsibilities. I still can't tell if Sam's aware or not of Dean's decision regarding Benny. If he isn't, then his actions at the end of the episode are even more awesome.

So then it was Sam’s turn to reach out to his brother. I think seeing Dean actually have a pretty good time, helped Sam come to the absolutely fantastic place we all found ourselves at the end. When Dean continued to try and build bridges, repeating that he got it, that Sam had given up something very important and that he needed time, I was super proud of him again. I felt like my baby is finally growing up and allowing his baby-bro to do the same. But I never saw Sam’s reaction coming...and oh my gosh…if I could have leapt through the TV screen and hugged Sam Winchester tight at that moment, I would have (I’d give Dean a squeeze for good measure while I was there). Sam recognising that Dean was making an effort and trying to get them to have some fun together, recognising that Dean was being understanding and supportive by allowing Sam time to grieve…and then returning the favour and doing something for Dean…for both of them…something for their relationship…suggesting they both have fun…well, it made me go eeeeee! The whole conversation made me clap my hands with happiness!

I might be wanting to read more into this than maybe I should, but that little exchange, that little grown-up bro exchange, felt a bit like a game changer to me…it’s like I felt something give. I just cross my fingers that this, right here is the turning point for the Winchester brother’s relationship. They’ll always butt heads, they’ll always fight, they always have…but to rekindle some of that warmth and fun in their relationship, which has been transient at best for a while now…well that’s all we want right? I’ve never doubted for one second their love for each other and when push comes to shove, their devotion to each other, I've never doubted their bond, but they’ve lacked that warmth, that joy they used to have in each other’s company. They’ve lacked it consistently since the end of season 3 to be honest. Too much crap they’ve had to wade through. I don’t ever expect it to be the same, they’re different men now and I’m cool with that, more that cool. I’ll be happy with a new kind of relationship, a more mature kind of relationship, if it’s one where they seem to enjoy being brothers again.

Now. Dean. DEAN. Yes…this is where I gush. I try not to do that here. I mean, we all know I’m a Dean girl – name is a bit of a give away – but I do try and stay pretty balanced, as we’re all fans of the show first and foremost, so I try not to let my character partiality bleed through too much. But this week….I can’t contain myself! He was just too beautiful.

Just when I think I can’t love Dean more…I love Dean more. He's such a kid a heart. He missed out on a lot growing up, having to take on so much responsibility for his family at such an early age. Seeing him let loose like this...he looked full of glee. The way he tried so very hard to hide his eagerness for the LARPing. Even when looking at the website at the Sheriff’s office, his little boy enthusiasm was showing through. Then when they got to Moondoor, he couldn’t resist picking up the sword “nice balance”, and Sam cracked me up…arms out stretched, “Dude!” Ha!

Then fixing Charlie’s army on the model battlefield, the way he didn’t blink or miss a beat when Charlie popped that crown on his head, happily donning the LARPing outfit. The way he looked in the mirror, you could see he was feeling pretty happy with himself right about there! Just, his ridiculous, adorkable, boyish excitement for the whole damn thing! It was so lovely to see him having a good time and letting his inner child shine on through. He's so precious.

Then the pièce de résistance, his Braveheart speech – “It’s the only one he knows!” Bless. I wonder how many times Sam's heard Dean say that speech! Ahhhh the whole thing was pure joy. My face was aching at the end of that scene! And of course, he looked smokin’ hot in his chainmail and LARPing gear…smokin’ hot! For heaven’s sake…dress that boy in anything and he’ll smoulder up the screen. Also, epic bowlegs…epic.

And I have to say, Sam with that chick in the IT tent. Seriously, that boy can be clueless! Hello! You’re gorgeous! Of course that chick would fancy you! I really loved that scene – thinking on his feet with the mash-up line. It was lovely to see him doing what he does best, getting people to help him and open up to him. Pulling all those, I can't believe I'm seeing this, did I hear that right faces. I absolutely loved his reaction to Dean and Charlie both thinking belladonna was the porn star! The silent stare. Cracked me up! Jensen’s known for his comic turns, but Jared as the straight man…his timing is perfection. And that ponytail…he should wear his hair like that all the damn time…justsayin’ (maybe without the cape though).

Robbie Thompson is fast becoming my favourite writer on “Supernatural”. Ok, Edlund will always be my favourite, but Robbie is a close second! I’ve dug all the episodes he’s done since joining the show (yes, even "Bitten"). But “LARP and the Real Girl” really showcased his talent. Not just with the comedy and pop culture references, but by giving us a couple of really good, poignant and important brother scenes. I seriously can’t wait for his next scripts (8.17 and 8.20).

So this was the episode I needed and I think a lot of us needed. It was so nice to see mostly positive feedback, something we haven’t seen for a good while. It felt like a large part of the fandom sighed a little sigh of relief as the stress of the last week drained away! Fingers crossed the brothers are headed in the right direction. There’ll be more bumps…there always are…but I feel a little less scared of them now. All because of a couple of ridiculously gorgeous, big hearted boys, dressing up like idjits and charging, shoulder to shoulder into fake battle.

Gotta love this show.

Thanks for reading! See you next time.
-sweetondean

P.S. - can't wait to hear what the Js have to say at Vegascon about doing this ep!


sweetondean is Chief Editor and a writer for The Winchester Family Business

For all the latest Supernatural info and article links, follow The Winchester Family Business on Twitter at @WinFamBusiness

Brothers that LAPR together..... A Supernatural Fanfiction

Sam and Dean stood in front of the basins of the public restroom in the park behind 'Moondoor'. Swords casually propped up against the wall.

"Those nerds didn't know what hit 'em" Dean chuckled as he turned on the tap and ran his hands under the cool water. "Think I got blisters from that damn sword though."

"Awww princess" teased Sam, "The nasty sword too rough for your delicate handsies?"

Dean looked up. "Hey I beat the snot out of those Orcs" he said, "And I've got a bunch of ears to prove it." He reached into the leather pouch hanging off his belt and pulled out a handful of fake ears, proffering them to his brother.

Sam just laughed. "Yeah man, you're the hero of Moondoor."

"Damn straight." said Dean. "Anyway, I saw you clipping a few Orcs and Elves around the head yourself."

Sam laughed again. "Yeah, I got me a few" he chuckled.

Dean looked at his brother and smiled, it'd been a while since he'd seen Sam laugh. Damn, it'd been a long while. He liked it. He liked to see his baby brother enjoying himself for a change.

"You know," said Sam with a smirk, "You should leave that wig on, blonde flowing locks kinda suit you."

Dean looked in the mirror and flicked the hair back with an over exaggerated wave of his hand, "You think? Well you know what they say Sammy, blondes have more fun." Dean winked.

Sam shook his head "God forbid!" He laughed again. Only his brother could turn a gibe around like that. He bent down to rinse the paint off his face.

"And you Sammy, should leave that paint on," Dean said, casting a sideways glance at Sam, "Hides that ugly mug of yours."

Dean quickly sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the water his brother flung at him.


They walked back across the field towards the Impala.

Dean sighed a contended sigh, "Well they may be nerds, but they sure know how to have a good time. That was definitely fun."

"Yeah…" Sam agreed, "It was fun. Oh and, hey Dean," he continued.

Dean looked up. "Yeah?"

"Happy birthday man."

Though he tried not to, Dean beamed.

For more Supernatural fanfiction by sweetondean visti her fanfiction page

Review - Supernatural 8.10 "Torn and Frayed"

And here we are, back in business! Hellatus over! Hooray!

I can’t tell you how happy I was to have “Supernatural” back. Seriously. I spent the afternoon beaming! I had a day off work so I actually watched it live (don’t ask me how ‘k?) and I was so chirpy after it, which is weird, because it was not exactly a chirpy episode! But I guess I was chirpy just to have the show back and chirpy to see my boys again…and that was the most I’ve ever used the word chirpy in my life!

This was a tough episode. It was tough to watch. Some tough choices were faced and some tough decisions were made. But for me, I can’t help but feel hopeful. I can’t help but feel like this was a tiny little step in the right direction for the brothers. A start...

Ok, I’ll admit something…when we awkwardly zoomed in on Crowley’s surprised face as he said “There’s an angel tablet”, I said out loud to no one but the dogs… “Well d’uh!” Do you think us fans are getting a little too smart for our own good? We’d all been discussing the possibility of an angel tablet for a while. I mean if there’s a demon tablet and a leviathan tablet, stands to reason there’d be an angel tablet. So that little OMG moment was totally lost on me. (I wonder if there’s a human tablet too)?

I was more surprised that all this information was buried deep in Samandiriel’s noggin…or his vessel’s noggin. Geeze, poor Alfie…the dude goes off to work at the Wiener Hut one day and look how it turns out! Anyway, I guess if the angels instinctively know the names of all the prophets, they instinctively know all of Heaven’s other big secrets, including the existence of all the tablets. I wonder what else they know. I wonder what other secrets are buried within their programming.

Though it was difficult to watch for the most part, I enjoyed the progression in the angel storyline. The whole thing has certainly piqued my interest and I’m finding that because we’re actually seeing what’s happening, as opposed to just hearing about it as per season 6, I’m more involved, I care more. I didn’t much care for the angel, weapons of God, Raphael war stuff in season 6, mostly because we barely saw any of it, it was just referenced. This time around, we have a greater involvement because we’re in the room, we’re getting to see the story the brothers aren’t seeing and Cass isn’t remembering.

I found the torturing scenes pretty damn brutal. Particularly the first bit, where Viggor reinserted that angel-radio silencer into Alfie’s frontal lobe. Ick and ouch. I was wincing. All the screaming, it was pretty hardcore, even for “Supernatural” and even for me. Doesn’t help that it was an angel we were all hoping would make it out alive, because he seemed like a good guy and good guy angels are few and far between. I felt so sorry for Alfie. Young Tyler Johnston did a really nice job.

So who is this Naomi chick? I figure she’s working for someone or working as part of a larger group. A consortium of angels. I’m seeing her as kind of a middleman, like Zachariah, rather than the boss of the operation. I don’t think she’s running the show. When she digs around and finds out what Alfie gave away whilst at the hands of Crowley, I wonder what her plan of attack will be. Will she mind control Cass into unwittingly manipulating the boys, to help her reach her goal of finding the angel tablet so it can be returned to Heaven, or maybe even destroyed, so that it can never be used against them? I think it’s about time the Big Man came back and pulled his bratty little kids into line! They’ve been nothing but trouble since he went AWOL.

I’m guessing that the reason the angels have crossed into mind control/brain washing territory is because angels have experienced free will for the first time in eternity and maybe this was the only way the high ranking angels could get everyone back into the fold. Or maybe it’s for some other nefarious reason yet to be revealed. Maybe just to keep their secrets, maybe something bigger. Alfie seemed surprised that Cass didn’t know who Naomi is. Like Cass should know who Naomi is. But Cass can’t remember her, because she’s playing with his programming. I wish Alfie stuck around so we could have found out more…

Poor Cass. Man, my heart bleeds for Cass. Here he is, going around fixing little baby’s hernias and generally out there doing good for humanity with a smile on his face and then bloody Naomi makes him kill Heaven’s most adorable angel! What has she done to him? It’s not just the mind control; she stuck something in the corner of his eye that made his vessel bleed. So if the Alfie thing is any indication, it looks like Naomi is tinkering with Castiel’s hardwiring. I feel horrible for him. He thought it was his idea to save Alfie. He thought after killing so many, saving one would help with his penance. Then he thought it was his idea to kill Alfie. Poor Cass. The way he cradled the dead angel’s head. A-wah! This is going to totally screw him up. Because he already feels pretty crappy about what went down previously and now... Ugh. Where’s this going? Nowhere good.

If this was why Castiel was pulled from Purgatory, well then, somehow the Winchesters must be involved, because surely the angels in charge could get any old angel to go rescue Alfie or track down Crowley or find the angel tablet. But because the Winchester’s were already on the tablet track and Cass is their friend… This all worries me because Castiel has only just got back into the brother’s good graces after the leviathan/souls episode. I don’t want Heaven to make Cass do anything that puts him at odds with Sam and Dean. Hopefully, now that the brother’s spidey senses are tingling about the whole thing and that they can see something is amiss with their angel buddy, they’ll be able to sort out what’s happening to Cass before it becomes too destructive to the lot of them. Damn angels.

This is the best Cass storyline we’ve had since season 4 and 5. He’s intricately involved in the main mytharc. He doesn’t feel shoehorned in. I felt like the last two seasons, no one really knew what to do with Cass and he was there more for the benefit of the fans than the benefit of the story, but this season he seems to have more of a purpose.

So…Sam and Dean... Clunky segue, sorry.

It seems crazy to me that a show can physically hurt when I watch it. But that’s what happened when I watched that opening scene. I got like this little pain in my chest. It simply hurt to watch. This was the Winchesters at their not listening, bull-headed best.

Sam had every right to be angry with Dean for making him fear the worst for Amelia. Dean’s text move, though it served its purpose, was not the way to solve that situation and get his brother out of the picture. But on the flipside, Sam simply didn’t want to hear anything Dean had to say. Anger does that I guess. When you’re as angry as Sam was, and I think that was anger that’d been brewing all season and wasn’t just about the message, well, you become selectively deaf. But had he known the situation, had he known that Martin had Elizabeth with a knife to her throat, I’m quite sure he would have felt differently. But of course, Elizabeth was never mentioned, because that would’ve been too easy on us!

The thing with this conversation, which I liked is, really, they were both right. They both had a case. Dean’s move was hurtful and thoughtless and caused his brother worry and pain and he should’ve realised that would be an outcome, but none of this would have happened if Sam had put just a little faith in Dean. I’m not saying Sam should’ve trusted Benny blindly. But have a little faith in his brother? Yeah.

I think Sam’s lack of faith or trust or whatever when it comes to Benny is more about Dean having lied and kept Benny a secret, than the fact that Benny is a monster. Because really, that doesn’t make a hell of a lot of sense when it comes to Sam. Sure he’s been burnt by monsters before and sure, he might be worried that Benny may turn out to be Dean's Ruby, but usually he’s more thoughtful than that and usually he has more empathy than that. This monster is responsible for his brother standing in front of him, that in itself should require a little consideration. But he doesn't even seem interested in hearing of any possibility that Benny might not be all bad. He dismisses it out of hand and that just seems weird to me. So I have to take it, this anger is about his brother and the lie and the whole getting dragged back to hunting thing and how he felt when he lost Dean and the loss of Amelia and all the fear that comes along with what he’s having to do now and just everything rolled into one gigantic bag of anxiety and anger, that he’s focused on Benny. Because nothing else really makes sense to me.

And there’s no point saying, yeah but Dean didn’t trust Sam about this or that so why should Sam trust Dean, because two wrongs do not make a right and because this is Sam we’re talking about, not Dean…this is Sam and in the past he’s not been quite so black and white. That’s why I think his mistrust and anger stems from much more than simply Benny being a monster and I really hope at some point that gets recognised.

Anyway, it was one of those scenes where you want to clonk their heads together and say, shut-up both of you and listen to your brother! Had they not (hot) angry glared at each other, maybe they might have got somewhere…but no, Dean huffed out and Sam closed his eyes in frustration and…yeah…ouch...the fans grimaced. How many times have we been down this road in the last 7 ½ years? And we keep coming back for more! We be crazy! Having said that, I actually enjoyed the opening scene. It felt honest and realistic. Any other outcome would have felt wrong at that point. They were both too far-gone. I’m glad there wasn’t a band-aid pop over their sores.

So much hurt. Sam hurt by Dean’s lies and thoughtless trick, Dean hurt by Sam no longer wanting to be by his side, by Sam wanting out. Neither taking the time to listen each other, neither taking the time to talk to each other. (Hot) angry stares and bitter words... But it had to get here, before it could get to where we ended up.

I liked all of the brother’s interactions in this episode. I dug how, even though they were seriously annoyed with each other, they fought like a team. Covering each other’s back…in unison as always. Cass was so right to go get Sam. Without this move, I’m not sure how they would’ve been reunited, because they’re so, damn, stupidly stubborn. I think Cass did it because he needed them both, but I also think he did it because he knows they need each other.

I also think Kevin’s comment about not being able to enjoy a world that he had to save, that he kicked his mum to the curb, so he could focus on the mission, may have influenced Dean’s change of heart towards Sam (though obviously not initially, we all know how Dean likes to brood on things). I think seeing Kevin push his only family away made Dean reassess. Is it worth it? If he continued on this track, he’d push his only family away out of hurt and stubbornness. If he forced Sam to stay, or if he didn’t allow Sam to make his own choices, if they continued on this path of angry resentment, where would it end? Was the job, the life, the mission worth losing the most important person in the world to him? That’s why I think Dean had a change of heart, because nothing is worth losing his brother over, nothing is worth all the fighting.

Dean was honest enough to say he was jealous of Sam’s ability to separate his life from the job, something Sam’s always been able to do from day one and something Dean has tried to do and failed at. This time, he let Sam make his choice on his future. He told him both feet in, or both feet out, not in a way that instilled guilt, not as an ultimatum, but as advice from one brother to another, because they both know, that having one foot in their world while trying to maintain a foot in the other world can lead to you being dead. Either choice Sam made, Dean would have been supportive of it, even if it meant losing Sam as the person by his side day in day out, because by giving Sam this choice, it meant that no matter what, he wouldn’t lose Sam as a brother. Mature brothers are mature! For once! I think that was one of the most grown-up conversations they’ve ever had. I look forward to more.

I wasn’t surprised that Sam chose to stay with Dean. Of course we knew this would be the outcome eventually, this being a show about the Winchester brothers and all, but we didn’t know if it would be the outcome here and now. But when I saw Amelia and Sam’s interactions in the motel room, how Sam seemed to draw away postcoital, I knew that Sam would not be there at the end. It was when Sam said they should think about it, it was when Sam said, “Words will never cover what you mean to me, what you’ll always mean to me…” Two things struck me here; if you are crazy in love with someone, if you know you’re meant to be together and that this is the only life you want to live, you don’t have to think about it, because you just know. Then when Sam said, “…what you’ll always mean to me…” well that sounded like goodbye. That sounded like he already knew. Sam’s a good guy. He was obviously regretful of the fact they slept together, Don still being in the picture. That’s never going to sit well with Sam. He cares too much for others. Also, the fact that Sam popping up again in Amelia’s life, caused her to rethink her relationship with her husband... Had that not happened, had Sam not been there, she would have moved on and been happy without him. I think both of these things would have weighed heavily on Sam. I’m not sure Sam would ever have felt comfortable living with that knowledge, living with that guilt.

But I think there’s more to it. I don’t doubt that Sam loves Amelia, but they were these two damaged people. That’s what brought them together in the first place, that’s what bonded them. With the return of both their loved ones, some of those wounds have started to heal. I wonder if Sam doesn’t need Amelia in quite the same way that he once did. Maybe that hole in Sam’s life that Amelia helped to fill is not as gaping anymore. I also think Sam knows that deep down, he could never walk away from hunting…not just from his brother, but from what he’s always done. Sometime ago he came to terms with the life and even embraced it, even more than Dean did. Maybe in his heart of hearts, he knows that hunting will always be there, like an itch that needs to be scratched.

Amelia telling Sam that it’s up to him to choose between, being with her 100% or being in the life of his that she knew nothing about, was exactly what Dean said to him. Both feet in, or both feet out. Funny that. I respected how Amelia phrased this. I respected that she didn’t give him an ultimatum, that she gave him a choice, that she gave both of them a choice and she that didn’t tell Sam what her decision would be, so there was no guilt, no pressure…just a choice to make from his heart. In the end, Amelia chose Sam…but Sam chose the life he never shared with her.

And Dean took his own advice. I know Sam pretty much gave Dean an ultimatum at the beginning of the episode in relation to Benny, but I don't think that's why Dean made that call. I think Dean listened to what he told Sam, all in, or all out. I think he was committing to repairing his relationship with his brother and with Benny still in the picture, he knew that could never completely happen, because his relationship with the vampire would always be a bone of contention between Sam and Dean. So to move forward, to get past all the fighting, he had to let Benny go. I can’t even imagine how difficult that decision must have been for Dean, he doesn't turn his back on friends and you could tell by his face and tear filled eyes, how painful it was for him. But in the end, Dean chose to put his family first. He chose to put the most important relationship in his life and the most important person in his life, first. I can’t be disappointed in Dean for this.

I am sad for Benny, desperately sad. But, I think it's important to remember, when Dean and Benny first came back from Purgatory, the plan was never to see each other again. They hugged and said goodbye. No matter how much Benny meant to Dean, that relationship was never supposed to spill into this world. It only did so because Benny needed help and contacted Dean. He needed help when his old nest attacked him, he needed to be helped when Sam set Martin on him and this time around, he wanted help to stay on the straight and narrow. Benny always contacted Dean, not the other way round. Should Dean still have dropped everything and gone to Benny? You know what? Dean’s up to his elbows in demons and angels and tablets and closing the gates of Hell and a whole lot of brother crap. Dean can’t be solely responsible for Benny’s choices. Dean can't be solely responsible for Benny keeping his nose clean. Benny has to learn how to stay on the straight and narrow himself. He can’t expect Dean to drop everything and travel cross-country at a phone call’s notice. Sounds harsh I know, but no one in this show seems to take responsibility for their own actions and it’s about time someone did.

I’m sad for Benny, I like him a hell of a lot, I like Dean and Benny’s friendship a hell of a lot. I’m sad for the both of them and I sure don’t want this going down the, Benny kills a human now Dean has to kill his buddy path…please TPTB, do not do that to us or to Benny or to Dean. I fear that’s where it’s going, but I seriously hope not. Of course, this being “Supernatural” and all, Dean’s decision will probably bite him in the ass. Lord knows, we couldn’t possibly let him walk away and it all be ok…we’ve got to grind him down with more guilt yeah? We’ll all just sit here and wait for the Benny situation to explode in Dean’s face… Gah!

Wow…this whole review has been a real downer! Sorry about that! But it was a pretty dour episode. I don’t know about you, but I ran the emotional gamut! From anger and frustration, to revulsion, to giggly glee at Cass and Dean doing their shtick “That’s his serious face, yes.” Or even better “…manifest through shrubbery” MANIFEST THROUGH SHRUBBERY! My new favourite saying. I have to figure out how to work it into a conversation! Then there was horror, confusion, fear and in the end a bittersweet, cautious optimism. It was like being on a rollercoaster… AHHHHHHHH...EWWWWWW…GRRRR...HEE HEE...AHHHHHHHH…AWWWWW…PHEW. I ended up wobbly at the knees!


I’m not saddened by Sam and Dean’s decisions. I’m not angry or disappointed that they chose to give up two important people in their lives. It’s a step towards committing to fixing their broken relationship. A fragile understanding. Don’t get me wrong, I want them to have friends, I want them to be able to have other relationships outside of each other. But at this point in time, with these two people, with these two relationships with what they're facing and with where the brothers are emotionally, it’s just not possible. But they’re not alone. They’re not isolated. They still have people around them. They still have Cass, they still have Garth, they still have the Trans and out there somewhere, they still have Sheriff Mills. It’s just right now, to get their house in order they had to make a choice. Sam and Dean chose family and well... isn't that kinda the whole point?

Thanks for reading guys! See you next week for Dean in chainmail........ Eeeeee!
-sweetondean

sweetondean is Chief Editor and a Staff Writer for The Winchester Family Business