Supernatural: Afterschool special

[norwich36]

Just some really brief reactions, mostly because rsadelle asked me last week if not posting a review meant I didn't like the episode. (No, I liked "Criss Angel is a douchebag"-- I was just having root canal the next day, so I had to go to bed--in case you're curious).



I totally loved "Afterschool Special". A few brief reasons why:

1. Yay! for a Sam-focused episode.

2. I've been looking forward to this episode for weeks ever since I saw those stills of giant adolescent Dean with tiny Sam. How long, do you think, until I can icon that without it being considered spoilery? One week?

3. Dean as the sadistic gym coach was HILARIOUS. (As often the case with Dean, things that would make me hate him forever in real life are much more fun to watch onscreen. The shorts! Dodgeball! The whistle makes me their god!)

4. God, I love me some young!Sammy character development. We all knew, from many a weechester fic, that Sam was the one who made friends easily and hated to leave them, and that totally got inked here. And I loved the teacher (though, RLY SAM? Werewolves? Couldn't you just have lied and said you were hunting bears? Sure he wouldn't think the werewolf thing was true, but it seems like a stupid risk), and especially that he went back and told the man he made a difference even though Sam ultimately was unable to escape the family business. OH SAM.

5. And wow, poor Sam feels guilt for both of the kids he couldn't save--the one who was his friend and the one who was his enemy. Not only couldn't he rescue his friend the nerd, but he actually contributed to "Dirk the Jerk's" social ostracization. Ouch. They're almost doing too good a job this season of humanizing all the bad guys; it makes the show even more tragic than it always was. I loved his speech to the bully right before Dean burned the lock of hair, though.

6. Dean has always been incapable of forming true relationships with anyone who is not Sam. Ouch again. All he has, outside of Sammy, is his conviction that he is a hero--and the mocking looks of the high school girls of course foreshadows the present, where he can't even cling to his self-image as hero anymore now that he spent years torturing people in hell.

7. I was SO happy they used the same actor for young!Sam as "A Very Winchester Christmas"--he was fantastic. And the guy they got for teen!Dean was great, too--I thought he had JA's speech patterns down perfectly. As well as the "God, he makes me want to just slap him" smugness JA does so well.

My only disappointment with this episode was that with all the flashbacks in the "previously on Supernatural" focusing specifically on the Sam/John relationship (and John being the one to tell Sam to not come back if he left), I thought they were going to develop that a little bit in the episode. Other than that, though, it was just about perfect.

Comments

[revenantrose.livejournal.com]

All he has, outside of Sammy, is his conviction that he is a hero--and the mocking looks of the high school girls of course foreshadows the present, where he can't even cling to his self-image as hero anymore now that he spent years torturing people in hell.

*wince* Ouch. Very well put.

[norwich36.livejournal.com]

Thanks. (Poor Dean!!!)

[rsadelle]

Man, I just wanted to cuddle both of them.

I loved that Sam saw Dirk as a bully and Dirk saw Sam as the bully. My favorite part of the story of Exodus is actually commentary from the Talmud (which I've read in the Haggadah we used to use): "Our rabbis taught: When the Egyptian armies were drowning in the sea, the Heavenly Hosts broke out in songs of jubilation. God silenced them and said, 'My creatures are perishing, and you sing praises?'" You don't see that even the bad guys are people/God's children too (er, when they are people) sensibility in a lot of these kinds of stories. (Hmm. Are Kripke and company good enough to pull off eventually making Lilith sympathetic too?) I also liked it as a reminder that how we see ourselves and how we think other people see us are not how other people actually see us - something we never realize in high school, but only as adults. Also an interesting parallel to Sam's current story arc: Dirk saw himself as a victim who had to lash out to get any respect, and Sam sees himself as a good guy with no choices but to do what Ruby suggests.

Dean as the sadistic gym coach kind of made me cringe, although the outfit made me laugh.

I wonder if you could see this episode as being about Sam and John's relationship: John is never there for him growing up, and it's Dean and outsiders (tangent: I loved that the notes on the board when Sam comes into the classroom are about The Outsiders) who support, nurture, and teach him. Maybe a parallel to Dirk too: Dirk's mom died and his dad was too busy to pay any attention to him. The only reason Sam didn't turn out like him was because he had Dean.

And, oh, Amanda saying she thought Dean could be caring like he is with his brother. Oh, Dean, baby. *cuddle*

[norwich36.livejournal.com]

I, too wanted to just cuddle them. It's entirely possible that I have fantasies in which I go back in time and kidnap those poor babies from John and take them home and feed them cookies. Or raise them normally or something. Ok, if I really had time travel and fictional hopping powers I should just rescue Mary in the first place. But you get the idea.

I am familiar with that particular Midrash, and agree that it's great to get multiple perspectives on events. I'm sure *someone* could make Lilith sympathetic, though I'm not sure Kripke is the person to do it, with his creepy little girl fetish.

I didn't cringe at Dean's sadism, yet I cringed at how obnoxious young Dean was to the teacher and how socially inept he was while visiting the dead kid's dad, so I certainly know that reponse.

I agree with you that John's absence was very formative for Sam, and yet I *still* want to see more actual onscreen interaction between them. (Dammit JDM, stop playing a ghost on Greys and come back and play a dead guy on SPN instead!!!!!!!)

[rsadelle]

Hee! I suspect it's kind of like Judgment Day in the Terminator universe: Mary's death and Sam using his powers are inevitable.

From commentary or panel appearances or something, I got the sense it was Sera's creepy little girl fetish at play, not Kripke's. (Although, of course, he's going along with it.) I'd love to see Lilith's perspective on raising Lucifer - I'm sure she truly believes it's the best thing.

Hee! I thought he was obnoxious, but just kind of being Dean with the teacher. Clearly I come from an unathletic kid perspective and you come from a teacher perspective.

I figured he wasn't going to actually be in the episode since I hadn't heard fangirls squeeing about it ahead of time.

[skuf.livejournal.com]

I really liked this ep - pls to be continuing on in this vein, so I can get into the show again. And I thought young!Dean-actor did a great job, yay - and ickle!Sammy, too!

[norwich36.livejournal.com]

It's interesting to see the reactions to this episode. About 2/3 of fandom seems to think it was the best episode EVER (I'm pretty much in this camp), but the other third thinks it was self-indulgent fanfic and can we get back to the angels and demons please.