SPN 5.2" "Good God, y'all"

[norwich36]

Spoilers behind the cut

Ok, they brought back Rufus AND Ellen AND Jo and none of them died! And in fact, they all kicked major ass, and none of them turned out evil. Hurray!!! That is probably the single thing about this episode that made me happiest.

Other things that I loved:

1. DEAN'S AMULET HAS PURPOSE!! YAY! I knew it had to be more than a symbol of how much Sam loves him. (Though OUCH how appropriate yet hurty that Dean lets Castiel take it away in the very episode he and Sam officially break up.) Oh, and speaking of symbolic objects, "Pit stop at Mount Doom" is officially my favorite Dean-secretly-is-a-geek reference of the whole show, I think.

2. Ellen giving Dean hell for not calling her and saying he was alive. Because, HELL YES.

3. The 4 horsemen are going to be driving classic cars. OF COURSE. Oh, Kripke, you're such a boy. *Pats his head*

4. Dean being SMART and figuring out the thing about the four horsemen on his own. I do love me some smart Dean.

5. Those Enochian symbols on the X-ray. Holy SHIT, when Cas decides to mark you, he really decides to mark you!

Things that made me go hmmm

6. Has anyone noticing MC is using a different vocal register for Castiel this season? I keep trying to decide if that's a sign that Jimmy Novak is still in there, peeping out, or if it just symbolizes his loss of power.

7. The hunt for God is either going to kick ass or make me hold a pillow over my head to avoid seeing how embarrassing things are getting--I'm not quite sure which, at the moment.

8. I'm glad it turns out they're not just completely dropping the demon blood addiction plot, though I hope they don't stretch it out too too far--and I'm very happy they're tying it to Sam's need for power, because I do think that's the root of the problem

Things that made me sad while watching though which I enjoyed on the level of plot

9. The break-up. HOLY MOSES. I didn't actually think they were going to go there--I mean, they've been a lot more directly at odds with each other in the past and never separated--but DAMN. It would hurt my heart a lot more if (a) I wasn't pretty sure this separation isn't going to last more than an episode or two and (b) this wasn't the plot of about 1/3 of the Sam/Dean fanfic I've ever read, so I'm conditioned to expect it will end up happily with onscreen sex. (Ok, maybe not so much the onscreen sex, dammit).

I thought the break-up was so much better than every revelation-by-the-roadside from last season, because they're both being totally honest with each other. And maybe I should have seen this coming when Dean didn't immediately go after Sammy when Ellen reported he got captured by demons. Clearly he wanted to, but then pulled back and did the smart thing instead. And though part of me is mourning for the Dean who would always charge blindly off to rescue Sam, I do actually think Dean will be a stronger person and a better hunter if he detaches a little bit from his all-consuming love of Sam. Though I did think it was a little cold when he said worrying about Sam was distracting him from the fight.

But Sam's level of self-knowledge in that scene really impressed me. He clearly took War's criticisms to heart, and I'm happy that he recognizes his own feelings that he is craving demon blood for the right reasons can't be trusted. On the other hand, I think the decision to separate from Dean is a bad decision--if he actually is actually dangerous, shouldn't he be around someone who can actually cope with the danger that he poses? I wonder whether he was completely expecting Dean to talk him out of leaving, and got himself backed into a corner where he had to actually leave when he really didn't want to.

10. Bobby's continued losses. While I hope that he's going to be healed someday (just like I kept hoping Pamela's sight would be restored), I do love that they're taking his injury seriously, and giving him realistic responses to it. I loved how he demanded healing from Castiel, because seriously, if anyone actually deserves divine healing it's Bobby. And I liked the fact that they had a believable reason why Castiel couldn't heal him. (I've never understood why he didn't heal Pamela, and that's actually the one thing about canon Castiel that I resent most.)

11. Castiel's whole speech to Dean was pretty much a Dean/Castiel shipper's wet dream, wasn't it? He gave up everything for Dean! Of course now he's mad that his boyfriend Dean won't take his hunt for God seriously. And wow, I'm more than a little bit scared about what Cas taking Dean's amulet is going to provoke in that particular subset of Dean/Castiel shippers who hate Sam.

Comments

[svmadelyn.livejournal.com]

On no. 6 - YES, and it's been driving me nuts trying to figure out *why.* So far, I'm going with: he saw God (and maybe doesn't remember it wholly) and it was super super freaky.

[norwich36.livejournal.com]

He has been acting pretty freaked out (at least when not actively smiting someone) in the past two episodes, so that could very well be the case.

I would actually like it if it turned out that God isn't really the one that raised Castiel and saved the boys--that they have some other secret powerful ally they don't know about. They could still find the missing God in some Dogma-esque scenario, if they want, but I would like it turn out that it's not God manipulating things behind the scenes.

[rsadelle]

Ooooh. That would be awesome. (And I was thinking Dogma too when Castiel was going to look for God on Earth.)

[norwich36.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I think everyone is thinking that Good Omens and Dogma are the major inspirations for this whole plotline.

[yaycoffee.livejournal.com]

on 6--I've noticed that, too. I think it shows that he's becoming more in touch with humanity. He's making his own decisions and acting a little more like a human. *shrug*

on 7--I think that the God thing could go either way (but I have a feeling that it will be good). The only show I've ever liked the way God was portrayed was JoA... it'll be hard to find a God that is more true to what I actually believe than that (not that my personal beliefs about God will really matter or come into play when it comes to the show... just as long as whatever they do, it gets done well). The only thing that would piss me off about it is if God turned out to be just the Biggest Dick With the Brightest Wings. Somehow, though... I don't think that's gonna happen. I have this whole theory (since Zach came on the scene last year) that God isn't NEARLY as absent as the angels think he is. There's just such a difference between Cas and Anna (faithful!) and Zachariah and Uriel (POWER MAD!)... I think that means something. What it means? I have no idea. These... are obviously not well-formed thoughts. /stops talking

I loved this ep, but man... HURTY!

I am just really excited to see what tptb have in store for us...

[norwich36.livejournal.com]

Very very hurty. I went back and rewatched a couple of the pivotal scenes, and they hurt even more the second time around.

I agree with you that JoA is the only show I've seen that did God well. But I honestly think the only SPN scenario in which God doesn't turn out to be a complete dick like the angels is one sort of Dogma-ish: God is trapped in a body and unable to act, maybe not even knowing S/He is God.

Of course, maybe the show will come up with some angle I'm not anticipating.

[justforspite.livejournal.com]

#11: fandom will drown in blood [laughs maniacally: mwahahahaha!!!]

[norwich36.livejournal.com]

Yes, that is likely. I've already seen a lot of fallout from Castiel-haters, who have taken the preview for next week as a personal insult.

[justforspite.livejournal.com]

Fandom's so fun when everyone's batsh!t insane ^-^

[shopgirl318.livejournal.com]

Very awesome episode! yes! Dean's characterization in 5.01/02 reminded me of season 2 Dean. I loved the fact there wasn't no tears or man pain. It was just quiet resignation, but still very heartbreaking. I worry about Sam though, I think he is going to get into something. It is never a good idea when he is separated from his brother but sometimes distance is necessary, won't take up too much of your journal time!

[norwich36.livejournal.com]

Yeah, neither of them do too well without the other, do they? Last time they deliberately separated Sam hooked up with a demon and Dean came within seconds of being sacrificed to the Scarecrow.

[rsadelle]

6. He's too busy playing with Photoshop (NSFW) to match his voice to last season.

[norwich36.livejournal.com]

OMG.

You know, elizah_jane's stories about him adopting sockpuppet identities and starting online flamewars have never seemed more possible.

[rsadelle]

I love the way he's taken Twitter and turned it into a platform for performance art.

[starry-dawn.livejournal.com]

Ha. Rarely does a guest star make it to the end of an episode or a group of episodes, and even more rarely does he/she come back a second time and STILL make it through. That has to be some kind of record for Supernatural.

1. I loved this part. And I think it was a great bit of foreshadowing for the end of the episode. He gave away the one thing that represents so many years of brotherhood. And as soon as it was out of his hands, so was Sammy.

2. THIS. I got a kick out of seeing her smack him and ask him if she needed to open a can of whoop-ass on him. Kickass woman, that one.

3. I know! Red Mustang! I loved it.

4. I love it when they write the story in such a way that both boys figure it out independently and meet up after they've both realized what's happening. It reminds me of "The Usual Suspects" ... ah, good days.

5. AHAHAHA, I just noticed how PRETTY they were. Cas likes to make his tattoos pretty!

6. Has he? I haven't noticed. I should keep a ear out for it in the next episode. (I'm also torn between whether or not I want him to get a wardrobe change. On one hand, he's been wearing that for a whole season now. On the other ... it's his defining outfit. It's practically his identity.)

7. Haha, I know what you mean. But I'm ready for it. Bring God in, I say!

8. I said the same thing. I like that they're still continuing with that storyline, but I hope it doesn't keep the boys apart too far. D:

9. The scene made me sad, but I was also happy about how honest they were being with each other. This is far easier than watching them yell and lie, and like you, I have no doubt they will be reunited in a couple of episodes.

I thought it was smart of them to decide what they did, despite their feelings about the issue, but I don't see how it's going to make any difference, especially on Dean's side. I found myself thinking, "Pfft. You're only going to worry about him MORE with him not by your side 24/7, you doofus." It's not going to help him focus on the job AT ALL, methinks. Remember "Hunted"?

And like you mentioned, it doesn't make sense from Sam's perspective either. Why would he want to go off alone and fight that much harder to prevent temptation? Unless he's planning on sticking with Bobby, and I don't see THAT happening.

10. They really do keep piling the tragedy on Bobby, no? *sigh* Kripke likes torturing his characters ... that's all we can say.

11. Hee. I don't do slash, but even I can't NOT see the sparks flying in every Cas/Dean scene. And I refuse to believe the writers and the actors aren't manufacturing it themselves.

[norwich36.livejournal.com]

6. Yes, he has. Not all the time--he still uses the gravelly voice whenever he's being threatening--but any time he's just conversing normally (like at the very beginning of the hospital scene) he sounds like he did when he was playing Jimmy.

I want him to keep the trenchcoat, though.

9. I thought it was smart of them to decide what they did, despite their feelings about the issue, but I don't see how it's going to make any difference, especially on Dean's side. I found myself thinking, "Pfft. You're only going to worry about him MORE with him not by your side 24/7, you doofus." It's not going to help him focus on the job AT ALL, methinks. Remember "Hunted"?

And like you mentioned, it doesn't make sense from Sam's perspective either. Why would he want to go off alone and fight that much harder to prevent temptation? Unless he's planning on sticking with Bobby, and I don't see THAT happening.

Yeah, it pretty much seems like a dumb move on BOTH of their parts.