Robin’s Rambles: Supernatural 9.01 “I Think I’m Gonna Like It Here”
Robin’s Rambles
Episode 1, Season 9
I Think I’m Gonna Like It Here
The Recap:
* I loved the recap of past seasons from past eps to the backdrop of “Who Do You Love.”
* The brothers driving in the car in Sam’s head talking is perfect. Where else would they do their heavy talking?
* Angel fall equals meteor shower? Amusing, huh?
* If your brother continues on this trajectory–funny word, right?
* In God’s hands is scary to Dean, who knows God is MIA.
* I was sad during Dean’s plea to Cas/angels, but where is the manly tear? I kept waiting for it.
* Makes sense that Sam chose Bobby as opposing counsel to Dean–his surrogate father figure. Sam wonders what’s the sense of fighting.
* At least Cas, experiencing his first pain, met a nice human on the road who gave him money and kindness. That encounter was hilarious.
* Sounds like Dean would sell his soul again to save him, huh? Bobby kidnaps Sam from his head–and away from Dean.
* I didn’t trust that angelic-faced girl. His encounter with the biker? Priceless.
* Dean won’t even consider the inevitable–there’s always a way. He’s got Crowley in his trunk!
* One angel beats on Dean to get Cas’ location, another steps in to save him. Dean kills the bad angel to save the good one, who says he wants to help–and passes out.
* Cas tells Hael he hears angel radio, but his grace is gone. She’s scared, but he tells her there’s opportunity here, she can do what she’d like to do. She built the Grand Canyon years ago, and wants to see that.
* Dean has surrounded his angel, Ezekiel, in a ring of fire. He assures Dean he’s not hunting for Cas, like so many others, and even though he’s injured, he wants to help Sam.
* “You’ve saved the world, left a legacy,” Bobby tells Sam as they walk the woods. “Time to let go.”
* Ezekiel places his hand on Sam’s chest and says he’s weak. Cas calls Dean and tells him Metatron tricked him, took his grace. Dean tells him Ezekiel is working on Sam, which pleases Cas–Ezekiel is a good soldier.deans warns Cas about the angry angels after him–look out for yourself! You’re human–drop the girl angel and get to the bunker alone!
* The whole hospital shakes. Angels! Ezekiel says they must move Sam, but Dean says that will kill him and starts writing warding-off sigils on the walls.
* When Cas won’t bring Hael with him, she hits him over the head with a 2X4, knocking him out.
* The angels arrive. Dean orders Ezekiel to save Sam and not let anyone but him into the hospital room. He goes into the corridor, where all the glass blows from the windows, and pulls the fire alarm, yelling for everyone to get out.
* Hael is driving Cas in a car. She’d be lost without him–the angels falling is all his fault. They’ll ride to the Grand Canyon, and she’ll show him what she’s capable of. She wants his vessel, hers is deteriorating. She thinks she’s gonna like it here.
* Dean tries to help the grief counselor who spoke with him earlier, but she pulls an angel knife on him, and lifts him up by his throat.
* Bobby brings Sam to a little cabin which contains everything he needs to facilitate his death and promises to be waiting for him on the other side “with a couple of cold ones.” But Dean stabs Bobby, to Sam’s horror. Dean begins beating up his brother, insisting his plan is to try. But Sam tells Dean death is what he wants, and, after cupping his face in his hand, Dean disappears, too.
* Dean is dragged across the hall floor by two angels. One of them grabs an axe. The other tells him he’d better reveal where Castiel is; once they find him, they are going to flay him in front of Dean. “Bite me,” invites Dean. “Does anybody tell you you hit like an angel.”
* Sam finds Death waiting for him in the cabin.
* Dean dispenses with the angels using his blood and the angel sigil.
* Sam’s warning alarm goes off. Ezekiel says the warding sigils have affected him; he’s weaker than he thought. Dean crosses some out. They had a deal! Ezekiel says he can fix Sam from the inside, through possession. Dean knows Sam would never approve of being possessed by an angel. Dean will consider it, but must see proof first of how seriously ill Sam is. Ezekiel shows Dean the conversation between Death and Sam. Death is honored to be collecting Sam: “Well played, my boy.” Sam makes Death promise that it will be final this time, and no one will be hurt. Death assures him.
* Cas buckles himself in, grabs the wheel and forces the car into an accident.
* Deans asks how the possession will work. Ezekiel enters Sam, heals him, then leaves. Dean, torn, knows Sam will never say yes to the angel possession. “But he will say yes to you,” says Ezekiel.
* Hael has been thrown from the car. Cas tells her he wants to devote his life to helping the angels. She says he sounds ridiculous, they all want him dead, but she can protect him. If he leaves her in this broken girl, she will reveal everything about him over angel radio. When she won’t stop threatening him, he stabs her dead.
* Dean shows up just as Death is taking Sam, insisting his brother HAS to fight this. I can fix this, insists Dean, telling Death, it’s not his time. “That’s for Sam to decide,” says Death. “There ain’t no me if there ain’t no you!” implores Dean. (Awwwww!) That’s enough for Sam, who says yes. As he does, Dean morphs into Ezekiel, and they disappear together from Death’s presence.
* The doctor finds the sigils on the walls and the man Ezekiel possessed sitting in the bed, dazed and confused.
* Dean and Sam, possessed by Ezekiel, walk outside the hospital. The angel assures him Sam will awaken but not feel him “triaging his spleen,” as Dean puts it. He won’t know Ezekiel is there. Dean plans to tell Sam he’s possessed by an angel. This upsets Ezekiel, who explains that, without his acceptance, Sam can eject him at any time, resulting in his death. “I’ll find a way to tell him,” says Dean, deciding to wait until another time. “I can erase Sam’s knowledge of this, if you wish,” says Ezekiel.
* Cas goes to a laundromat and tosses his bloody clothes (suit included) into a washer, leaving on only his white underpants. Yummy! Hungry and thirsty, he ponders spending his change instead on something in the vending machines. He exits the laundromat wearing casual stolen clothes and downs a bottle of water in one gulp.
* Sam awakens in the Impala next to Dean. He remembers the church, angels falling, and little else. “Remember what I said at the church,” says Dean, “you’re capable of anything, Sam, I knew you’d pull through, hell if you didn’t prove me right.” “Yeah,” says Sam, “because we’ve got work to do.” (Echoes to the end of episode 1!)
Your Quiz!
1. I don’t know if I trust Ezekiel. He apparently wiped out Sam’s memory of him entirely, and now resides inside Sam, doing God knows what. What happens if Dean does something Ezekiel doesn’t like? What do you think about what Dean did this time to save Sam’s life?
2. Speaking of which, Sam seemed perfectly happy to accept death this time around. Should Dean have talked him out of it?
3. How did you like the way they brought Bobby back? I wasn’t happy to see Bobby stabbed like that, but it was interesting how he represented the part of Sam that wanted to die.
4. Poor Cas. Even human, he still wants to be the Good Angel, saving all his fellow angels. It never seems to get through his thick skull that they blame him for all the bad things that happened to them and want him dead. He’s tasted water and liked it. He stole clothes. He accepted money from a kind human. He killed one of his fellow angels because she kept threatening him. What next for Human Cas?
5. How did you like the first episode of season nine? I thought it well-done, with a lot of action, fast cuts amongst Sam’s head/the Impala, Cas’ adventures, Dean’s bouts with the angels, in the chapel and at Sam’s bedside, and the encounters with Bobby. I give it a solid 8.5 and you can dance to it. How about you? It’s so good to have our show back, isn’t it?
Love,
Robin
Hi Robin! Nice to see you here.
I enjoyed this episode, and I think it’s got lots of potential.
I do not like that they’re seemingly heading back toward brother conflict, but I guess that’s to be expected.
I thought both guys actions were very much in character.
I do hope Cas catches on quickly, and isn’t used as comedic relief!
BTW – I’m pretty sure I saw the OPT from Jensen in the chapel! There’s some gifs of it on tumblr, too.
🙂
Here! I found it! (Hope this works)
[url]http://spookstiels.tumblr.com/post/63611043269/oh-no-i-didnt-notice-he-started-crying-oh-no-oh-no[/url]
Hi Robin. Great to see you back. Are you feeling better? I really enjoyed the episode, though I hope they don’t instantly lose track of the complex situation the brothers are in and just change their attitudes from week to week, like they did for a good deal of last season it seems. Minor quibble though, it sounds like they really have some ideas going for this season.
Seeing how both brothers deal with the new angel in their midst should be fun! The other ex-angel I have sympathy for being out on his own, but I must admit I think that letting him make the discoveries without the Winchesters rolling their eyes at him (and lets face it, they would) and calling him a baby (no longer) in a trenchcoat is a brilliant idea – poor Castiel trying to deal with existence at the speed of humans …
I would like to see Sam!Bobby again too! I think Show could get away with that 😀
Before I begin a moment of silence to mourn the passing of Cas’s trench coat. OK, moments over, Cas in his boxers was as you say Robin, yummy, so I’m over it.
As to your questions
I want to trust Ezekiel but he obviously knows, unlike Metatron who was hiding, about the boys and Cas so would know better than to say he was actually looking for him in order to gain trust. Plus he said he believed in Cas and Dean and the mission but he was in a rather roaring (seriously, that was high) ring of holy fire. And he’s in Sam and even though he’s letting Sam run the show he can pop back up whenever he wants, plus he has leverage in that if somehow Sam finds out then Sam will probably be pretty mad at Dean. Also, I wonder if Cas’s memories of Ezekiel are real, I mean Naomi said she’d been in his head too many times so maybe he’s not remembering him right.
Maybe Dean should have let Sam die but then we wouldn’t have Sam on the show and that’s not acceptable.
I liked the way Bobby was brought back, it didn’t feel contrived or anything. It was a projection in Sam’s mind so it worked quite well. Miss that old man though!
I’m not sure what’s next for Human Cas but I am looking forward to seeing him try and figure it out and try and find where he can help in his new situation. I expect it will be a bit funny and a bit sad but hope that he can finally try and do the right thing and have it actually happen. I do wonder how being human will affect him and when/if he gets his grace back if that will change him even more than he’s changed since the end of season 4 when he first rebelled taking the side of humanity.
Overall, loved the episode and thought it set up some new dangers and some new drama for TFW that should be really interesting, if not gut-wrenching. They did a good job of cutting between Dean trying to save his brother (and get through to Cas as to the amount of danger he’s really in and how he can’t fight it like he used to), Sam’s conflict going on in his head (Death was awesome in there too) and poor Cas just trying to figure it all out. It’s hard to run three different stories at once and have it work so kudos to Carver on the script and keep the good ones coming!
I go with your 8.5. It was a heavy episode, but fast-paced. I agree, Cas in his skivvies was something to see – and now he has new clothes!!!!!
I do NOT think it was really Death. Somehow “honored” to take Sam does not fit in with us being bacterium. I think the Death Sam sees is ALSO in his head – how he would like to think his life had mattered.
Well, I give it a 10! I thought they came out guns a blazin. I can see why Jared and Jensen are so excited about this season. The thing with Sam is new and different. It will give Jared a lot to work with acting wise. It has all the things we all love about the show. Focus on the brothers also. It is going to be a wonderful 23 episodes…
Glad to see you back and at it Robin! I thought it a great start to the season. I am looking forward to seeing where this is all leading. I would give it a 9. Thanks for the recap Robin!
Robin, I can’t believe you missed the manly tear. It was right at the end of his chapel scene right before he puts his head down, that OPT. Now for the quiz:
1. I don’t trust Ezekiel 100%. I really believe there is another game plan in the future and more than likely will not be favorable to Dean or especially Sam.
2. I wouldn’t say Sam was happy to accept death but had just given up. Of course Dean should have talked him out of it. Where would the show be if Sam were dead? It wouldn’t be and I’m not ready to let it go.
3. I had some issues with the way they brought Bobby back. It wasn’t Bobby and how he acts but then I had to remind myself that he was only representing the part of Sam that thought he should just move on. Jim did an awesome job though as always.
4. Cas needs to replay some moments in the past where he did not listen to Dean and remember what happened. There should be plenty of time to make up for his mistakes if and when he gets his grace back but it will be a very interesting ride until that happens and I am so looking forward to that part of Cas.
5. I was over the top thrilled with the season opener. JC hit all the right notes and got me engaged automatically and ready for the rest of the season to play out. The guys were at the top of their game and Jared just knocked the Ezekiel/Sam dual role thing out of the park. Dean and all his angst just made one feel everything he was without saying a word again. I am looking forward to the best season yet.
Nice to have you back, Robin.
1. Good question. Or what happens if Ezekiel does something Dean doesn’t like? How much of Sam’s memories will Ezekiel be able to access, how much of his memories will he erase and will it be possible to change/plant memories?
About what Dean did, I don’t know. Is it like the putting the soul back in thing, or like the making a deal in season 2 thing? I know that, given it was the first episode of a new season, logically it had to be done, but looking at it long term, was it the right thing to do? These things have never worked out for them in the past, why should it be different now? I mean, already Sam seems different as a result of the possession. At the end of the episode he was all gung ho about hunting again (something he hasn’t been for a long time) so was that a healed Sam or was it a changed Sam?
2. I think that Sam was okay with death because he believed it was the right thing to do. Sam very much sees the bigger picture. He knew the only way out of his coma was via supernatural intervention, something he knows always has disastrous consequences. This is why he wanted to make sure there would be no deals etc this time.
Should Dean have talked him out of it? I thought he tried and couldn’t, hence the duping!
3. Yeah, I liked Bobby in this. (I loved the way he popped into the front seat after notDean gave his ‘Sam wants me in the front seat’ spiel!) I do think that Bobby represented more than just the part of Sam that wanted to die. I think he also represented the peace that comes with death. You can see how appealing that would be after the 30 odd (couple of hundred off) crappy years Sam has lived.
Interesting that both Sam and Dean have now stabbed a not-Bobby Bobby. Issues!!
4. Isn’t it the S-E-X word?? Guy’s got some new threads now, seems like a logical step!
5. Bout that, an 8 or an 8.5. It’s losing half a point for the way Ezekiel talks. (I miss your word by word recaps!) I also thought some of the Castiel scenes slowed things down a little (sorry!). I mean things like, right at the end, just after the Dean turned into Ezekiel scene; we’re suddenly in a bloody Laundromat! I just thought things like that could have been better placed, so it loses a point there.
Thanks for this, Robin.
I appreciate all your warm welcomes, my friends. I wish I could give you the detailed synopses of the past, but my back surgeries have not been successful, I’m in a lot of pain still, and sitting for long periods of time hurts like hell. I am SO happy to have our show back to take my mind off that! One thing I must say–do not get older. Your eyes go bad. That’s why I missed Dean’s man tear. I appreciate your showing it to me with such compelling evidence. Remember what I said–do NOT let your eyes go! Love, Robin
First of all, Welcome back Robin! Missed you! 🙂
1. I don’t know if I trust Ezekiel. He apparently wiped out Sam’s memory of him entirely, and now resides inside Sam, doing God knows what. What happens if Dean does something Ezekiel doesn’t like? What do you think about what Dean did this time to save Sam’s life?
I hope I can trust Ezekiel, but the title of the episode is worrying. I totally understand what Dean did, and if I could, I would have done the same to save many of my departed loved ones.
2. Speaking of which, Sam seemed perfectly happy to accept death this time around. Should Dean have talked him out of it?
Yes yes yes! Dean did the right thing in my eyes!! A piece of Sam wanted to live or he wouldn’t have been arguing with himself about it.
3. How did you like the way they brought Bobby back? I wasn’t happy to see Bobby stabbed like that, but it was interesting how he represented the part of Sam that wanted to die.
Loved to see Bobby in any way. Would be happy to see Bobby back in any way as it was the biggest mistake the show ever made (thanks, Sera) to kill him off! 😕
4. Poor Cas. Even human, he still wants to be the Good Angel, saving all his fellow angels. It never seems to get through his thick skull that they blame him for all the bad things that happened to them and want him dead. He’s tasted water and liked it. He stole clothes. He accepted money from a kind human. He killed one of his fellow angels because she kept threatening him. What next for Human Cas?
Don’t know, but it will be interesting to find out. Hmmm! Those boxers were really really clean, weren’t they? 😳 :-*
5. How did you like the first episode of season nine? I thought it well-done, with a lot of action, fast cuts amongst Sam’s head/the Impala, Cas’ adventures, Dean’s bouts with the angels, in the chapel and at Sam’s bedside, and the encounters with Bobby. I give it a solid 8.5 and you can dance to it. How about you? It’s so good to have our show back, isn’t it?
Loved it! Awesome in fact! 9.5 here, at least! So good to have it back for sure.( and you too) 🙄 😛
[quote]
I do NOT think it was really Death. Somehow “honored” to take Sam does not fit in with us being bacterium. I think the Death Sam sees is ALSO in his head – how he would like to think his life had mattered.[/quote]
Sam’s last act before he went into a coma was to admit how deeply unworthy he feels. And you want to make it that he suddenly has gone on an ego trip. Wow.
Sam is dying, he has seconds (if Dean’s inability to take the time to explain what he is planning is anything to go by). Sam is entitled to a reaper, there are no other reapers around in that scene are there? Soooo Death it is. Death has turned up to converse with Dean on more than one occasion. It is likely he will turn up for Dean when he dies finally so why not for Sam? Unless Sam is not as worthy as Dean maybe?
In the entire run of this show no one has ever put it to Sam – directly to his face – that he is ALSO righteous. Death was there, he gave Sam a round of applause. Sam deserved it. Sadly he won’t remember it, but that’s Sam’s existence in a nutshell. And Sam’s life [b]does[/b] matter, and he [b]has[/b] made a difference, same as Dean, same as Castiel, same as all the characters on the show, but he is the one who generally doesn’t get kudos for it.
Don’t you feel that Dean made it clear to Sam in his impassioned speech at the end of “Sacrifice” that his life means everything, that he was willing to let all demons walk to save Sam’s life? I feel Dean has believes his brother is more righteous than he himself is. Love, Robin
In the entire run of this show no one has ever put it to Sam – directly to his face – that he is ALSO righteous. Death was there, he gave Sam a round of applause. Sam deserved it. Sadly he won’t remember it, but that’s Sam’s existence in a nutshell. And Sam’s life [b]does[/b] matter, and he [b]has[/b] made a difference, same as Dean, same as Castiel, same as all the characters on the show, but he is the one who generally doesn’t get kudos for it.[/quote]
[quote]Don’t you feel that Dean made it clear to Sam in his impassioned speech at the end of “Sacrifice” that his life means everything, that he was willing to let all demons walk to save Sam’s life? I feel Dean has believes his brother is more righteous than he himself is. Love, Robin
In the entire run of this show no one has ever put it to Sam – directly to his face – that he is ALSO righteous. Death was there, he gave Sam a round of applause. Sam deserved it. Sadly he won’t remember it, but that’s Sam’s existence in a nutshell. And Sam’s life [b]does[/b] matter, and he [b]has[/b] made a difference, same as Dean, same as Castiel, same as all the characters on the show, but he is the one who generally doesn’t get kudos for it.[/quote][/quote]
Hi Robin.I just thought the line in the post I was responding too was just incredibly dismissive of Sam “how he [b]would like to think[/b] his life had mattered.”
With regard to your point well … see I have an issue with the conversation in the church, I really do… a parent could say to a child “I love you I would do anything for you, sacrifice anything for you, but that could not be interpreted by the child to mean “I trust you and/or I think you are righteous” it just means “I will protect you” And that wasn’t what Sam asked then or in the other 4 or 5 times during last season where the subject of trust came up (sorry, but you did ask 😕 )
WE know what respect Dean has for Sam’s abilities, he says it on a regular basis to other people but Sam never hears it, nor does he get a “you saved the world that one time, well done” The moment was pretty much gone by the time he got his soul back and I don’t want to see that moment taken away from him with absolutely no supporting evidence that it wasn’t Death saying it (of course he doesn’t remember it now, but, that’s SPN in a nutshell isn’t it?
Especially since it was such a sweet scene 😀
[quote][quote]
I do NOT think it was really Death. Somehow “honored” to take Sam does not fit in with us being bacterium. I think the Death Sam sees is ALSO in his head – how he would like to think his life had mattered.[/quote]
Sam’s last act before he went into a coma was to admit how deeply unworthy he feels. And you want to make it that he suddenly has gone on an ego trip. Wow.
Sam is dying, he has seconds (if Dean’s inability to take the time to explain what he is planning is anything to go by). Sam is entitled to a reaper, there are no other reapers around in that scene are there? Soooo Death it is. Death has turned up to converse with Dean on more than one occasion. It is likely he will turn up for Dean when he dies finally so why not for Sam? Unless Sam is not as worthy as Dean maybe?
In the entire run of this show no one has ever put it to Sam – directly to his face – that he is ALSO righteous. Death was there, he gave Sam a round of applause. Sam deserved it. Sadly he won’t remember it, but that’s Sam’s existence in a nutshell. And Sam’s life does matter, and he has made a difference, same as Dean, same as Castiel, same as all the characters on the show, but he is the one who generally doesn’t get kudos for it.[/quote]
Geez – I really put my foot in it. I didn’t mean that Sam’s life didn’t matter, I meant to be pointing out just what you pointed out – that he generally doesn’t get kudos for it, and so I said he’d “like to think his life had mattered”. Of COURSE it mattered – he friggin’ saved the world from the Apocalypse, plus tons of other stuff. Lost count of how many times he pulled Dean out of the fire, or how many other people he saved. He’s always been the guy rescuing everyone else. But he’s had such self-doubts, feeling like the demon blood tainted him in some irrevocable way – and felt like the trials were finally purging that out of him. So what Death said to him made sense to me as what his own mind might be saying to him – maybe he had gotten over those feelings of being part corrupted from what the yellow-eyed demon had done. My other point about not thinking it was literally Death is that I couldnt’ see what he said fitting with Dean’s first encounter with Death, when he talked about how old he was, and that even our solar system was insignificant, and that he would reap God eventually. Against that background, even the greatest hero on the planet (which surely is one of the boys or all of them!) would, I think, be considered insignificant by Death. But I could be wrong.
Many apologies for my ham-handed original post – doing it quick after one watching as I am out of town and not near my DVR, so I haven’t had a chance to watch the scene more than once.
[quote][quote][quote]
I do NOT think it was really Death. Somehow “honored” to take Sam does not fit in with us being bacterium. I think the Death Sam sees is ALSO in his head – how he would like to think his life had mattered.[/quote]
Sam’s last act before he went into a coma was to admit how deeply unworthy he feels. And you want to make it that he suddenly has gone on an ego trip. Wow.
Sam is dying, he has seconds (if Dean’s inability to take the time to explain what he is planning is anything to go by). Sam is entitled to a reaper, there are no other reapers around in that scene are there? Soooo Death it is. Death has turned up to converse with Dean on more than one occasion. It is likely he will turn up for Dean when he dies finally so why not for Sam? Unless Sam is not as worthy as Dean maybe?
In the entire run of this show no one has ever put it to Sam – directly to his face – that he is ALSO righteous. Death was there, he gave Sam a round of applause. Sam deserved it. Sadly he won’t remember it, but that’s Sam’s existence in a nutshell. And Sam’s life does matter, and he has made a difference, same as Dean, same as Castiel, same as all the characters on the show, but he is the one who generally doesn’t get kudos for it.[/quote]
Geez – I really put my foot in it. I didn’t mean that Sam’s life didn’t matter, I meant to be pointing out just what you pointed out – that he generally doesn’t get kudos for it, and so I said he’d “like to think his life had mattered”. Of COURSE it mattered – he friggin’ saved the world from the Apocalypse, plus tons of other stuff. Lost count of how many times he pulled Dean out of the fire, or how many other people he saved. He’s always been the guy rescuing everyone else. But he’s had such self-doubts, feeling like the demon blood tainted him in some irrevocable way – and felt like the trials were finally purging that out of him. So what Death said to him made sense to me as what his own mind might be saying to him – maybe he had gotten over those feelings of being part corrupted from what the yellow-eyed demon had done. My other point about not thinking it was literally Death is that I couldnt’ see what he said fitting with Dean’s first encounter with Death, when he talked about how old he was, and that even our solar system was insignificant, and that he would reap God eventually. Against that background, even the greatest hero on the planet (which surely is one of the boys or all of them!) would, I think, be considered insignificant by Death. But I could be wrong.
Many apologies for my ham-handed original post – doing it quick after one watching as I am out of town and not near my DVR, so I haven’t had a chance to watch the scene more than once.[/quote]
Hi Licia, I am sorry, I overreacted, I did wonder if I was misinterpreting your post, so I guess I should have asked.
Anyway as of a few minutes ago it appears that I am wrong about Death as well and you are right. Apparently Julian Richings has just said at Torcon that Death is a figment of Sam’s imagination. I can’t even begin to tell you how sad that makes me, for all the reasons I posted earlier. I am really pretty upset about it.
Anyway welcome to the WFB, please do come back and post 🙂 don’t mind me, I don’t usually bite and I promise to behave better in future…finding something else to watch might be a start :sigh:
@16
In all honestly, eilf, I think there might have been a little ‘Nudge, nudge, wink, wink, get them talking’ going on there by Julian Richings. Apart from the fact that I really doubt that the showrunners told JR that Death wasn’t really there, didn’t he say later on in that interview that he would be as honoured to reap Dean as he was Sam (or something like that)?
And in fairness, there have been plenty of scenes in SPN where we saw Death and he wasn’t eating, and it’s never made him any less real. He wasn’t eating when he appeared with Tessa at the start of [i]Appointment in Samarra[/i], or when he put Sam’s soul back. He wasn’t eating when we first saw him in [i]Two Minutes to Midnight[/i] (and he was definitely real then; ask the guy who bumped into him!) In [i]Meet the New Boss[/i], he’s given food (which he doesn’t even eat straight away) but it’s not as though he would not have been real if Dean didn’t stop at the chipper first. In [i]I Think I’m Going To Like It Here[/i] he wasn’t eating but if that is the only evidence that Death was not really there then it is weak, weak evidence. Plus, I don’t think Death would be rude enough to be stuffing his face while trying to reap someone. He is, after all, a professional!
Add to that, Sam was near death and we’ve seen from past episodes that there are reapers present when people are about to die. We saw in 7.01 that Death still doing the day job “I had a tingle that I’d be reaping someone very, very soon’ so there’s no reason why Sam’s reaper should not be Death. As insignificant as Sam and Dean are to him, they do hold a strange attraction for him and they do have an established relationship with him. Not only have they worked together for a common purpose more than once but Death took Sam’s soul from the Cage, held it in his hand and restored it to its owner (I wonder what Death might have learned about Sam from touching his soul).
Admittedly, Sam and Dean might be nothing more than amoebae in a world of bacteria for Death, but they do stand out. For me, it’s perfectly logical that Death would want to be the one to reap Sam and also give him words of validation. (Again, something we saw reapers do in the past with their clients.)
[quote]@16
In all honestly, eilf, I think there might have been a little ‘Nudge, nudge, wink, wink, get them talking’ going on there by Julian Richings. Apart from the fact that I really doubt that the showrunners told JR that Death wasn’t really there, didn’t he say later on in that interview that he would be as honoured to reap Dean as he was Sam (or something like that)? [/quote]
Yes, Tim I see what you are saying and your arguments were the ones I had in my head. I see absolutely no reason for JR to be right about how he sees it as the story stands. However what I see is an event which actually [b]doesn’t [/b]need to be revisited and likely [b]won’t [/b]be revisited and so what was just for once something you could be pleased about is now gone.
As Vic Reeves used to say ‘You wouldn’t let it lie!’ – what is the point in us discussing it if it isn’t going to matter in the future?
What I now see is that the show isn’t planning on moving on from any of last season’s characterisation – and when Sam inevitably is blamed for whatever mischief that results from (him and) Dean allowing Ezekiel to take him as a host while Dean’s sole input ends up being “well he HAD to save Sam somehow!” – it would have been nice to be able to say you know Death actually had an overview of what has happened to Sam during his existence and thanked him for his attempts to do the right thing.
Principally I can see how Sam having a positive opinion about himself immediately after the scene in the church can (and no doubt will) be used to bash the character.
Sorry that above is very negative but the whole “plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose” this implies has just depressed the hell out of me.
hey eilf, No reasonable and fair person would hold Sam to blame for what was Deans decision. There are haters out there of both Sam and Dean and they will scour their brain for ways to make them look bad or to blame them for something. Sam haters will never like him. Dean haters will never like him. I don’t think Dean will play the “I am such an awesome brother” card because he genuinely feel awful. He might say I did what I thought was best at the time. He always see’s saving Sam as the best thing. In this case I don’t think Dean feels it was “right” but necessary. We all have our varying degrees of opinion on that. I don’t feel it was a good choice by any means and it will blow up. What I would like to do is see how it plays out and HOPE that the worst case scenario won’t be the result. I don’t want to jump ahead and decide what will happen. Hang in eilf, it may not be as bad as you think. I only think the people who dislike Sam will “bash” him. What’s new! Those of us who love him, and there are many, will still love and see Sam as we always have. I think l2b has the right idea sometimes. 🙂
eilf – I think both Sam and Dean made the right choice under difficult circumstances and if things don’t go well because of Ezekiel’s possession I’m putting my money on the brothers solving the problem. Probably right after the Dec. hellatus so that fans can be made to suffer as long as possible. Lol.
As far as Death being the real deal, well, if you believe he was then that should be good enough for you. There is no definitive proof that it wasn’t, so go with what you believe in your own heart.
[quote]hey eilf, No reasonable and fair person would hold Sam to blame for what was Deans decision. There are haters out there of both Sam and Dean and they will scour their brain for ways to make them look bad or to blame them for something. Sam haters will never like him. Dean haters will never like him. I don’t think Dean will play the “I am such an awesome brother” card because he genuinely feel awful. [/quote]
Hi Leah, thanks for that. I don’t think I said that Dean would think he is an awesome brother for this, if I did then it isn’t how I think. I think Dean will feel terrible. I also don’t think Dean will be doing the blaming when it does all go sideways.
Thanks to you as well Prix – I am sure it won’t go smoothly but I guess the guys will work it out in a way that works for them and leaves us all fighting over minutiae like always 😛
EDIT: Ok the voices in my head are telling me I need to stop being crazy about all this so I am done 😀
Whatever else we know about Dean, he refuses to live without his brother. Period. End of story. No matter what he has to do–sell his soul to a demon or allow an angel to secretly share Sam’s body while working on him internally–Dean will not let Sam die. They are linked together in an unnatural way that we all love and tune in for, and watching them sacrifice themselves for each other, and make whatever ass-brained deals they make is what keeps us tuning in every week. Their bond is super. . .what’s the word I’m looking for? Supernatural! 😆 Love, Robin
Hi Robin,
How are you? Used to love your recaps and still love them.
1) Ezekiel- based on what I have seen I trust him.But the thing is I have seen too little to comment really.The thing is Ezekiel was very weak so he might have shown himself to be benevolent.Not all angels are as awkward as cas don’t know where he fell between Cas and Uriel or is he more like Hael.From my perspective nothing unexpected with what Dean did.
2)I thought Sam was [b]accepting[/b] and not [b]happy[/b] about death.Very mature .The part of him wanting to survive did not know what he should fight against.The part which accepted his state told him what came of fighting death and he did not want to risk others getting hurt.Very thoughtful.I don’t have any problem of Dean talking him out of it because that it means he has to convince him and not have sam alive without his choice.About the deception with Ezekiel,depends on whether he is Ruby or not.
3)Bobby is welcome in any relevant form.
4)I think Cas wants to make good for his part in the angels plight.I think it has got into his skull about other angels.Forgiveness is not mostly easy to get and that too when the angels don’t know other players in the debacle or the whole story.
5)I loved the opening episode as well as the title card(I think that is what the way they show supernatural is). I give the opening a nine.
[quote]I go with your 8.5. It was a heavy episode, but fast-paced. I agree, Cas in his skivvies was something to see – and now he has new clothes!!!!!
I do NOT think it was really Death. Somehow “honored” to take Sam does not fit in with us being bacterium. I think the Death Sam sees is ALSO in his head – how he would like to think his life had mattered.[/quote]
But it does fit with Sam saving the world or his whole life for that matter and Death acknowledging that.Death is never shown to not express his praise or distaste for things. ( As a Sam fan who is outside of the supernatural world and having information that in universe characters don’t have I am happy to know someone praises Sam and Sam only for a change, and is capable of doing so).
I might not have saved the world but guess I just don’t see myself as bacterium and I don’t know if Death will see me as one as I have not yet died (thankfully) 🙂