Supernatural Episode Recap: "Yellow Fever

Supernatural Episode Recap: "Yellow Fever"

by Tina Charles

The brothers investigated the deaths of men who seemingly died of fear. A victim was a 44-year-old man who had a heart attack. One problem. The autopsy revealed his heart was healthy. All roads led to a ghost sickness, and guess which lucky Winchester got infected? Dean. As a result, Sam took charge of the case of the week, while his brother got scared of pretty much everything under the sun. At the end of "Yellow Fever," we were treated to an impromptu karaoke-style performance that just about stole the show.Not sure where to begin, because there were so many things to like. It wasn't as funny as I thought it was going to be. Nor was it as scary as I thought it was going to be, but all in all, it was a pretty solid episode. The brothers were together just about the entire time, which I totally loved and have been waiting for pretty much all season long. We've gotten so much of the boys separated. Even in "Monster Movie" they were apart much of the time.There was a bit of a role reversal in this one. Sam took the lead. He had to make sure Dean was all right. Much like in "Bad Day at Black Rock" when Dean had to leave Sam behind for his own good, Sam had to pretty much do the same. And just like in BDABR, Dean got in trouble anyway despite being "safe" in the confines of the hotel room. Only difference was Sam never got to burst onto the scene and utter a really cool line like "I'm Batman." Sorry, Sam.Bobby and Sam shared some scenes together. Nothing emotional like Bobby and Dean scenes are frequently. But it was nice to see the two of them work together. I'm a fan of anytime Jim Beaver's part of the action. He only got to come in at the end, but I'm not going to complain.A fearful Dean yielded some results that totally contradicted what he said in the previous episode, "Monster Movie." Back in MM, Dean told Jamie now that he was back from hell he realized that what he did for a living was a gift. That he considered it a "mission, a mission from God." Add a seriously large amount of fear to the situation and he's ready to give things up. He's questioning every facet of their lives. He brings up all the ways he has annoyed Sam, and even a way Sam has annoyed him. Who knew Sam was gassy? Too much information, if you ask me. It was funny that he was saying these things, but it was sad too. How much of it did he really mean? I kind of liked thinking that he left the doubts about what they do behind.I wish we had seen more of his hallucinations. The little bit of Yellow-Eyed Sam we got was logical and scary. Of course Dean's biggest fear was that Sam was going to go all big and bad. And as for seeing Lilith, that seemed a little more real to me than just a hallucination. Are we really to believe he remembers every single second of what happened to him while he was in hell? If he does, he's been doing a fan-freakin-tastic job of covering it up. The little demon also revealed that four months is like 40 years in hell. If that's true, I shudder to think of everything Dean went through while he was down in the pit. I'm totally surprised he's not laying in a fetal position in some white room somewhere.It was like opposite day when it came to Dean. The character we've come to know and love isn't afraid of anything. He understands the responsibility that comes with the job. He understands the kind of life he's forced to live because of it. He doesn't always like it, but he understands it. In "Yellow Fever," he questioned the use of fake names and fake badges. The boy was frightened of heights, driving fast, cats, Yorkies, everything. Poor Dean. That high-pitched scream he gave when the cat came out of the locker was hilarious.Other thoughts• Sam and Dean borrowed from Aerosmith to become Agents Tyler and Perry.• They totally showed the beginnings of an autopsy. One slice into a cadaver and I'm totally grossed out.• I liked the slow build-up of Dean's fears.• The EMF made a return. I know we caught a glimpse of one in "Are You There, God? It's me, Dean Winchester." Before that, when was the last time we saw the boys actually use one? Anytime the EMF is around I flashback to Season One. And that's a good thing in my book.• Why does this show have fascination with d—ks? They like to use that word. And they like for those type of guys to get their comeuppance. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Dean's not one. He's not.• Dean possibly dying from the ghost sickness didn't have much of an impact when you know the guy has already been resurrected from hell by an angel.• Anytime we get a little bit of Jared acting all dark side I'm all for it. More, please.• A symptom of the ghost sickness was the scratching of the arms. That was gross.• In the past we've gotten an inebriated Sam in "Playthings" and "Sin City." This time around, we got a small dose of drunken Dean at the police station. • I think Sam missed his calling. He always makes a good federal agent.• Did Bobby drive the Impala? Awesome. And the man speaks some Japanese. Wow.• The monster they chained up to the Impala and dragged until he disintegrated was originally a nice guy. It sucked that he had to relive his painful death all over again.• Sam handed Dean food and he didn't eat it. Wow. Never thought that would happen.• Dean's keeping secrets again. He didn't tell Sam what he hallucinated.• It seems to me like Dean's going to have to deal a lot with his fears this season, just not in such a less than subtle way. He's going to have to deal with what happened in hell. He's going to have to deal with what is going on with Sam and his powers. He's going to have to deal with being faced with things that will cause him to change everything he's ever believed in.Final ThoughtsUsually I sum up my feelings about this episode here, but not this time. I have to discuss the little treat Supernatural gave us at the end of the episode. The scene that aired during "Yellow Fever" had Dean air-drumming to Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger." That is, until Sam tapped on the roof of the car, thereby ending Dean's "jam session." For one take, however, Jared didn't feel the need to tap on the car and what happened was just awesome to behold. Jensen lip-synched away complete with impromptu choreography that involved sliding out of the car; getting on top of the Impala; playing air leg guitar and scratching much like Dean Winchester would in "Yellow Fever." The bonus was you could also hear Jared laughing in the background. This is reason number 600 why I love Supernatural. What other show would do something like this? Kudos to Jensen for letting the powers that be air something that usually would be saved for the DVD. It was goofy, but completely adorable and I loved every second of it.Favorite lines"Hell, we were Gamecocks. (Dean laughs) That was our softball team's name. They were majestic animals.""Am I haunted? Am I haunted??!!!!""Don't be scared of Donny, he's a sweetheart. It's Marie you gotta look out for. She smells fear.""Dude, you're going 20.""And?""That's the speed limit.""What? Safety's a crime now?""Hey, where you going? That was our hotel.""Sam, I'm not going to make a left-hand turn into oncoming traffic. I'm not suicidal. Did I just say that? That was kinda weird.""Let's do this!""I'll man the flashlight.""That was scary. What?""You're a d—k too.""Apparently I'm not.""How you feeling?""Awesome.""I don't want to be a clue.""These badges are fake! What is we get busted? We could go to jail!""Where's Dean?""Uh…home sick.""Those are real obviously. I mean, who would want to pretend to be an FBI Agent, huh? That's just nutty."

Supernatural: Preview of Episode 4.7 "It's the Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester"

Supernatural: Preview of Episode 4.7 "It's the Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester" Wednesday, October 29, 2008 Last week's episode of Supernatural brought us Sam with yellow eyes, Dean screaming like a woman, a fantastic tribute to "Eye of the Tiger," and the epic "Dean is not a dick" controversy. Now that Dean's heart is in no danger of exploding, tomorrow night's installment can get back to the apocalypse. The Halloween-themed outing, brilliantly titled "It's the Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester," features the return of Castiel, who teams up with a not-so-friendly angel to smite an entire town.To get fans ready for Supernatural's holiday spectacular, we have three clips from tomorrow night's episode. The official CW episode description reads: "It's a few days before Halloween and Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean investigate two mysterious deaths in a small town. The brothers find hex bags and deduce a witch is sacrificing people to summon a dangerous demon named Samhain. Castiel arrives in town and tells Sam and Dean the freeing of Samhain is one of the Seals that will lead to freeing Lucifer, so Castiel has brought a specialist angel named Uriel (Robert Wisdom, The Wire) to smite the entire town."Who doesn't love a good smiting? In the first clip from the episode, Sam explains that the hex bag they found is far from ordinary. In fact, it contains the charred metacarpal bone of a newborn baby, which is just nasty. ..While Sam and Dean (Jensen Ackles) look for a witch named Tracy, they run into a trick-or-treater dressed as an astronaut. What kind of kid begs for candy at a motel, anyway? Dean tells him that they're fresh out of treats, then pokes fun at the kid for being chubby. Hey, maybe he actually is a dick. ..The final clip proves that Uriel isn't particularly fond of humanity. He thinks of us as "plumbing on two legs," and believes that the quickest way to deal with the problem at hand is to obliterate the entire town. ..The new episode of Supernatural airs Thursday at 9pm on the CW.

Supernatural Contemplates Free Will (And Grisly Death)

Supernatural Contemplates Free Will (And Grisly Death) Another week, another fantastic episode of Supernatural. We're starting to feel like Kripke is spoiling us! We can't even begin to list all the things we loved about this episode -- but we'll try. 1) No more secrets!We were prepared for a long wait until Dean found out Sam was using his mind-mojo to expell demons. Nope: Dean found out before the first commercial break. Plus, Dean is upfront about what he learned from Castiel -- if I don't stop you, they will. Finally, Sam slips up and reveals what he knows about being fed demon blood as a baby. Right there, all the cards are on the table (we hope.) While we do love watching the boys look tortured, we weren't prepared to sit through another ocean of angst. Now the brothers can see what they're up against, deal with it, and move on. 2) Sam gets called on his decision -- and he's got a rational answer!Dean wasn't the only one to question Sam about what he thought he was doing using demon-granted powers and consorting with Ruby. The demon he originally questioned sneered that Sam was supposed to be some big hero, "and yet here you are, sluttin' around with some demon!" We have to admit, the Sam/Ruby relationship has bugged us, too, especially after ghost Meg asked how he could get it on with Ruby, who was controlling a helpless human meat suit. It's a valid question! But we finally hear Sam's answer -- not about any Ruby nookie, but about why he's using his powers. He's saving people! Yeah, but why don't you just use the knife, Dean asks. "The knife kills the victim!" Sam replies. "What I do, most of them survive! I've saved more people in the last five months than we've saved in a year!" We even see that he makes Ruby take the former meat suit to the hospital. It's hard to argue with that logic. 3) The victim/monster of the week kind of rules!Poor Jack Montgomery. He's this normal, happy guy, and all of a sudden he gets hungry. Like, really hungry. "[His] appetite's reaching Hungry Hungry Hippo level," Dean says. He's scarfing down raw, bloody mean, and he's getting weak at the sight of human blood. He's also getting strong -- strong enough to shatter a bully's arm in a bar. Plus, his bones seem to be moving and cracking. It's not good. That's because Jack is a rougarou. ("Is that made up?" Dean asks. "It sounds made up.") This nasty character starts out craving anything meaty, then develops a specialized taste for human flesh. He stays human until he takes his first bite of man-meat. After that, he's all monster. There's no going back. Jack wigs out and flees when his wife, Michelle, cuts her hand. He comes back later to apologize, but his sexual appetite is just as uncontrollable -- he comes close to raping her before she shoves him off. So when the Winchester boys show up in his back yard telling him about his condition, he's almost ready to listen -- that is, until they mention that his dad suffered from the same thing, and that someone killed him for it. He's not that interested in listening after that. Jack runs away from Michelle to protect her, but he starts getting really, really hungry. He spots a comely lass in a window, and it looks like he's about to give in to his hunger. That's sure what the boys think -- they burst into her apartment with flamethrowers at the ready. But Jack sees what he's about to become, and he turns back. He doesn't give in to his impulses. He just might beat this. 4) We see where Hunters can go wrong Early in the episode, Dean tells Sam "If I didn't know you, I would want to hunt you. And so would other hunters." We meet one of those Hunters -- Travis, an old friend of their dad's, who know the boys way back when Sam was a Mathlete (Hee!). Travis has encountered rougarou before -- he's the one who killed Jack's dad, after he'd gone on a particularly gruesome killing spree. Sam does some research and figures out that if the rougarou never takes the first bite, he stays human. Jack can fight it! Travis thinks Sam is an idiot -- no one can fight it there whole life. Jack's going to slip. He's not going to wait for Jack to become a killing machine -- if he could, he'd have killed Jack in his mom's womb. And that's where Travis goes really, really wrong. While the boys are tracking Jack, Travis breaks into Jack's house. Michelle says exactly the wrong thing-- don't hurt me, I'm pregnant! Now she has to die, too. Jack comes back to find Michelle tied up. Travis jumps him and handcuffs him to a column, but Jack's rougarou strength kicks in when he sees Travis is about to burn his pregnant wife alive. He breaks free and jumps Travis. Then... it becomes too much. He takes that first bite out of Travis's neck. Travis is so, so very dead. Jack stays in control long enough to tell Michelle to run. then he waits. The guys come back to the house and see Travis' bloody remains. Jack jumps them -- but doesn't kill them. He locks Sam in a closet and contemplates Dean's unconscious form (which we can't really blame him for.) When Sam comes to, he tries to reason with Travis -- who, by the way, is still very much in his right mind. he's despairing, he's got the outward appearance of a monster, but he's not a mindless killing machine. Sam tells him that it doesn't matter what he is, it matters what he does. Jack seems to be considering it, but when Sam breaks out of the closet, he's standing too close to Dean for comfort. He fires up his flamethrower and burns jack alive. But he looks really, really sad about it. Did Travis turn Jack into a monster? Yes! If he hadn't attacked Jack's family, Jack would have been able to keep his impulses under control. No! Jack was already a monster. It was only a matter of time before he snapped. 5) Sam and Dean talk -- for a while Not keeping secrets is one thing. Actually talking about what's going on is another. Sam finally breaks down and tells Dean what he's been feeling -- knowing he's infected with something evil, knowing it's something he can never get rid of or clean away. But that doesn't mean he doesn't know the difference between right and wrong, and he needs Dean to acknowledge that. Then, in the end, after Jack is dead and all seems lost, Sam tells Dean he's done with his mind mojo (and hopefully with Ruby.) "These powers, it's playing with fire. I'm done with them. I'm done with everything," he says. Dean thanks him, but Sam won't have it: "Don't thank me. I'm not doing it for you, for the angels or anyone. This is my choice." Because right now, that's all he has left. Is Sam doomed to turn eeeeeeevil? No! He's stronger than the demon blood. It's his choice. Yes. The Yellow-Eyed Demon put plans in place, and Sam can't derail them. On his own, maybe -- but he's got Dean to help him stay human. Favorite moment Dean confronts Sam in the hotel room, then punches him out. Sam asks if Dean's satisfied ... and Dean punches him again. "Ii guess not," Sam says.The guys break into the woman-in-peril's apartment, only to find she's not in peril. "We should go." "Yeah." Travis revealing a little more about the boys' childhoods. Sam was a Mathlete! Sam telling Jack it doesn't matter what he is -- it matters what he does. Favorite quote SO! Anything you want to tell me, Sam? Well aren't you an obedient little bitch... Well, I've seen big weird, little weird, weird with crazy on top but this guy? This guy's boring. "Long pig?" "He means human flesh." "And that is my word of the day."Sam loves research, he really does. He keeps it under his mattress right next to his KY. A little manburger helper may have crossed your mind already.

Television: Supernatural Creator Eric Kripke Clarifies A Comment Made About Dean

Television: Supernatural Creator Eric Kripke Clarifies A Comment Made About Dean Winchester in Yellow Fever October 24th, 2008 · Posted by: M R Reed in Television In this past Thursday’s episode of Supernatural titled Yellow Fever, Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles) was infected with something called Ghost Sickness. In an exchange between Dean and his brother Sam Winchester (Jared Padalecki) a comment was made by Sam that the others who had died from this were considered ‘real dicks’. Dean responds ’so I’m a dick’? Within minutes of the episode ending, the internet was filled with fans going to Supernatural forums and Live Journals to protest this apparent denigration of the character of Dean Winchester by the writers of Supernatural. Today, Supernatural Creator Eric Kripke has released the following statement to clarify the issue and assure fans that no denigration of Dean Winchester was ever truly intended. Eric Kripke: “So I’ve never before responded directly to the fandom’s comments about an episode, and I don’t plan to make a habit of it, but I couldn’t resist dropping in a thought about the episode “Yellow Fever.”Which is this: Dean is not a dick. None of the writers, or anyone on the creative team of Supernatural, think Dean’s ever been a dick, past, present, or future. He’s a hero. Dean did NOT contract the ghost sickness because he’s a dick. Victims contract the illness because they use “fear as a weapon.” Dean asks Lilith at the episode’s end, “why did I get infected?” And she cryptically responds, “you know why. Listen to your heart.” We, as the writers, probably should have emphasized this mystery more, I take responsibility for that omission. But the point is: the reason he was infected is because of a SECRET he’s keeping. A dark secret that will be revealed in Episode 10. And not at all because of any dickishness, implied or otherwise. Thanks, gang. “ Eric Kripke, Creator Supernatural

Metamorphosis

Episode 4.5 SidesMetamorphosisInt. Jack’s House – Dining/Living Room –

EveningJack is sitting at the dinner table, eating like there’s no tomorrow. He finishes off his steak and looks up at his wife Michelle. Michelle stars back at her husband in amused fascination. She asks if Jack is stoned, gesturing to his empty plate.Jack says its just so good, and he’s starving, then asks for dessert. Michelle exits into the kitchen to get the dessert and while she’s gone Jack notices the half-eaten steak resting on Michelle’s plate. He asks if she plans on finishing it.Michelle says that Jack’s gotta be kidding seeing as he’s already had two steaks already. Jack says he doesn’t know, all he knows is that he’s hungry. Michelle jokingly suggests that maybe Jack just has a tapeworm.Michelle watches as Jack stuffs more steak into his mouth and finishes off the bowl of mashed potatoes. Jack says that he’s never been healthier. Int. Jack’s House – Bedroom – MorningMichelle is alone in bed, sound asleep. She stirs, opening her eyes a bit and then jerks away looking more than freaked. Jack is sitting on the bed, in his boxers and shirt, just staring at Michelle. He’s a foot or two away, but its really creeping Michelle out a bit. She fusses Jack for scaring her. Jack apologizes but says the Michelle’s just so beautiful. Michelle tells him to stop, and informs Jack that she’s still pissed at him for having to drive herself to the hospital and being there until two. Jack apologizes again and Michelle asks just what happened.Jack admits that he doesn’t know, just saw the blood and got dizzy. He had to get out. Michelle says that he could’ve called seeing as she left him a dozen messages. Jack replies that his phone died and he couldn’t find a payphone. He’s really sorry and it won’t happen again.Michelle softens and says that it better not, then comments offhand that blood’s never really bothered Jack before. Jack says that he guesses he changed then. He asks how Michelle’s finger is and Michelle says that she’ll survive. Jack kisses her and Michelle smiles, and returns the kiss. Michelle stops and says that this isn’t getting Jack off the hook, but a diamond will. The couple continues to make out and Jack grins, he’s energized in a way that’s more than just the beginnings of a promising night. Michelle asks just what got into him, and Jack admits that he doesn’t know. It’s going from slow, to fast and a bit rough as Jack slides his hand up Michelle’s leg. Michelle tells him to slow down a bit and Jack tells her no and goes right back to moving up her leg. He’s fumbling with her nightgown and presses a hard kiss to Michelle’s lips.Michelle warns Jack that she means it, but Jack doesn’t stop. Michelle starts to struggle, trying to push Jack off her, but he grips her shoulders and pushes her down. Michelle’s head cracks against the headboard and she’s way past scared by this point. She cries for Jack to stop it.It finally gets through and Jack pauses, looks at her and lets her go. Michelle scrambles frantically off the bed, crying and calling Jack a son of a bitch. Jack apologizes and when Michelle demands to know what the hell is wrong with him, Jack replies yet again that he doesn’t know. Jack turns away and exits the room.Int. Motel Room – NightSam and Dean enter to find Travis, 50’s infectious grin and rumpled, making himself completely at home, beer in his good hand seeing as the other is in a plaster cast. Sam and Dean are sporting grins and Dean greets Travis saying that he told Sam they should’ve hit the beer. Travis calls Dean a smartass and Sam says its good to see him. Travis can’t believe how tall Sam’s got and ask how long’s it’s been and Sam replies at least ten years. Travis asks if Sam’s still a math-lete and Sam grimaces at the teasing, especially when Dean says that yep, Sam still is.Travis takes a second to really study Sam and Dean. He says that its been too long, and they men now. He’s almost wistful as he admits that John would be damn proud for sticking together like they did.Travis takes a drink of his beer and apologizes for being late, but thanks the boys for helping him out seeing as he’s a bit shorthanded. Travis asks if they found Jack and Sam says that they did find him at his house. Dean chimes in saying that the guy had some serious munchies and even chowed down on an uncooked burger.Travis says that Jack’s it then, Jack’s the Rugaru. Dean asks if that’s made up cause it sure sounds that way. Travis says that they are mean, nasty looking things. Fangs, gross skin, the whole she-bang. Dean says that Jack ain’t that guy cause he’s more the cell phone on his belt type.Travis warns that Jack will get ugly soon enough. Rugaru’s start out human for the most part. Sam asks if this is kind of like a metamorphosis and Travis says that yeah, that’s exactly it.Int. Motel Room- Night – ContinuousTravis tells the boys that the first bit does it. The eyes, teeth, skin it all turns and there ain’t no going back. If they feed once, they’re a monster forever. He adds that Jack’s on the monster express train.Dean asks how Travis managed to find Jack in the first place if he’s a human. Travis explains that he killed Jack’s dad in ’78 after the dude managed to mangle 8 bodies. Jack’s dad used to be a dentist and have everything. Travis explains that Jack’s mom put him up for adoption and by the time he found out, the kid was gone, lost in the system. But Travis continues to say that he’s kind of thankful he lost the kid, cause he’s not sure he would’ve had the heart to hunt a kid. Despite all that, Travis is sure he’s tracked down Jack just in time. Ext. Jack’s House- Back yard- DayJack is standing over some flower beds, garden hose in hand, but isn’t so much focusing on his task as he is starting into space. Jack hears someone call his name and turns to find Sam and Dean approaching. Sam introduces himself and Dean and Jack is bit thrown and asks if he can help the brothers.Sam says that they need to talk and Jack asks what he means by that. Sam continues and says they need to talk about Jack and how he’s changing. Jack shifts to defensive and Dean takes over saying that he’s betting Jack can feel his bones moving, his indestructible skin and the beginnings of a crazed appetite. Jack looks stunned by the brother’s correct assessment and ask just who they are, exactly. Sam says that he and Dean are there to help, if Jack will just hear them out.Ext. Jack’s Backyard – Minutes LaterThe group has moved to the patio, Dean and Sam sitting at the outdoor table and Jack pacing while he tries to get just what the Winchester’s are trying to tell him. Dean repeats that even though it sounds made up, it’s a Rugaru.Jack says that he’s noticed strange things but that he must just be sick or something. Sam interjects that Jack’s father was a Rugaru, his real father, and he passed it on to Jack. Jack is all prepared to tell the Winchesters they are nuts, but Dean cuts in and asks if they can just skip that part cause he knows Jack is hungry and its just gonna get worse. Jack asks just what Dean thinks he’s hungry for and Dean replies that its Longpig, Little manburger helper and it’s already crossed Jack’s mind. Sam gives Dean a chiding glance and Dean shrugs it off while Jack tries to deny the accusation.Sam tells Jack that it doesn’t have to be like this, others have fought it out. Dean adds that its not easy and its gonna be like an alcoholic wading in whiskey but if Jack doesn’t say no it’s not gonna be good. Sam agrees and explains that if Jack feeds once, its all over. And then he and Dean are going to have to stop him.Jack asks if somebody ‘stopped’ his dad, and Sam says that yeah, someone did. Jack doesn’t like the threat one bit and orders the Winchesters off of his property, warning them if he sees them again, he’s calling the cops.Sam tries to tell Jack that his wife and family are all in danger but Jack orders them gone, and NOW.Int. Jack’s House – Living Room – Night – ContinuousThere’s pounding on the locked closet door. Jack’s a few feet away, his transforming body and overwhelming hunger really doing a number on him. Jack says that Dean can’t come to the phone, and we discover its Sam locked in the closet freaking out because Jack’s got Dean.Jack tells Sam to calm down, and looks over to an unconscious, bleeding Dean on the floor. Sam keeps banging on the door, and Jack finally informs Sam that while Dean may be alive now, he ain’t gonna be much longer if Sam doesn’t calm down. Sam stops, and opts to try a different approach. He asks Jack to open the door and they can figure it out from there, but Jack ain’t having it. Sam’s almost reach begging, and Jack says that after what Sam did, he really isn’t going to be letting Sam out. Sam asks just what Jack is talking about and Jack says that Sam sent his friend to his house and he tried to burn his wife alive. Sam asks what and why and Jack really isn’t buying that Sam doesn’t know the answer to those questions already. Sam counters that he and Dean would never go after Jack’s wife, but Jack accuses Sam of lying. Jack is to the point of shaking now with hunger and crouches down to mop up some of Dean’s blood with his fingers and licking it off. Sam yells for Jack not to do this.Jack’s got wire hangers in the closet and ain’t that just a good deal for Sam, cause he’s taking his careful time to pick at the lock. Outside in the room, Jack scratches his head, coming back with a fistful of hair. Jack’s very emotional as he blames Sam and Dean for making to where he can’t see his family again. Sam replies that no one’s making Jack kill him.Sam stops his lock-picking for a moment, thinking before telling Jack that he knows what its like to have that dark pit inside you but it doesn’t mean that Jack has to fall into it. He can choose not to be a monster. Jack scoffs at that and asks if Sam has really seen him lately. Sam says that it doesn’t matter, its still Jack’s choice.Jack’s struggling to juggle his thoughts and his insatiable hunger and turns back to Dean. Jack can hear Dean’s heart beat and is so, so hungry. Dean begins to wake a bit, and Jack leans in, it’s getting impossible for him to resist.It seems all but over but suddenly the closet door is open and there’s Sam, picking up the flamethrower off the ground. Jack charges Sam, but Sam lets loose the fire and it catches Jack resorting him to nothing more than a curled ball on the floor as he burns to his death.

Screen Actors Guild negotiators call for strike vote

Screen Actors Guild negotiators call for strike vote

Remember all those worries about an actors' strike if the union didn't get the deal it wanted from the conglomerates? Well, it's far from over, folks. Yesterday, the Screen Actors Guild's negotiating committee issued a recommendation that its National Board call for a strike authorization vote from the 120,000 members. The union cannot walk the picket line until 75 percent of members who vote on the issue say it is okay. The National Board is set to meet Oct. 18. SAG is the lone holdout still negotiating a new contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (its previous deal expired in June). Guilds for the writers, directors, and daytime actors all signed new pacts with the major studios in the last year. Internet residuals continue represent a key sticking point in SAG's stalled talks with the AMPTP. According to the advisory motion approved by the negotiating committee, "Negotiators...have requested that the AMPTP return to the bargaining table to negotiate a fair deal, and the AMPTP...has refused to change their position and continued to refuse to meet to attempt to advance the negotiations." The AMPTP responded by questioning whether this was really the time to talk about going on strike, especially given the dire situation on Wall Street. "Not only is the business suffering from recent economic decisions, but if ever there was a time when Americans wanted the diversions of movies and TV, it is now," the AMPTP said in a statement. "The DGA, the WGA, and AFTRA reached agreements on comparable terms months ago, during far better economic times, and it is unrealistic for SAG negotiators now to expect even better terms during this grim financial climate. This is the harsh economic reality, and no strike will change that reality." Another major Hollywood strike so soon after last year's Writers Guild of America work stoppage would be devastating to the economy in Los Angeles, where one in 10 jobs is said to be in the creative sector. As it is, Bloomberg News just reported that foreclosures in L.A. have tripled, and a strike would not only affect those who directly work in the entertainment industry, but those who make a living off of the biz peripherally, like interior designers and architects, for example. TroyGould attorney and former WGA counsel Jonathan Handel, who has been blogging about the negotiations for quite some time, believes that a work stoppage now would be a risky roll of the dice by SAG. “A strike would almost certainly cause the studios to withdraw the offer on the table, and what SAG would get at the end of a long and bitter dispute is likely to be worse, or little better, than what they could get now. What SAG needs to do is close a deal promptly and live to fight -- or strike -- another day: mend the relationship with AFTRA, build closer alliances with the WGA, train its members to circumvent the studios by writing, directing, and producing their own new media productions, then come back strong in three years.”

Spoiler--Season Premiere

Supernatural Season Premiere Spoiler Pics by Cynthia on August 13th, 2008 Hot off the presses and all behind the cut. Plenty spoilery! The new season approaches. Supernatural Season Premiere Photos: “Lazarus Rising” - (clockwise) Jensen Ackles as Dean, Traci Dinwiddie as Pamela Barnes, Jim Beaver as Bobby, Jared Padalecki as Sam in SUPERNATURAL on the CW. Photo credit: Sergei Bachlakov ©2008 THE CW NETWORK, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Sam looks so. . . mature (?) in this next pic. “Lazarus Rising” - Jensen Ackles as Dean, Jared Padalecki as Sam, Traci Dinwiddie as Pamela Barnes in SUPERNATURAL on the CW. Photo credit: Sergei Bachlakov ©2008 THE CW NETWORK, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. The boys, together again. . . why so sad, fellas? Supernatural Season Four begins on September 18 All photos: Sergei Bachlakov ©2008 THE CW NETWORK, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

SAG, AMPTP: Are They Taalking Strike

SAG, AMPTP: Are they talking?

Union, studios talking disconnect to new heights

SAG and the studios, locked in a stalemate and having held just one sidebar meeting since the guild contract ran out nearly a month ago, are taking their disconnect to new heights. Late Sunday, SAG's chief negotiator Doug Allen sent members a missive stating talks have continued within "small group meetings and exchanges with the employers, their AMPTP representatives and a core group of leaders in both organizations."He essentially told members to ignore any suggestions they might read that there is "dead silence between our sides," Allen said. "Progress doesn't have to occur directly across the table. Discussions through alternative channels are ongoing as we work toward a fair deal for actors as soon as possible."The AMPTP, however, denied any back-channel talks have taken place. The studios' bargaining arm Monday refuted SAG's claims that informal talks are being held. "No meetings, formal or informal, regarding these negotiations have taken place since the sidebar SAG requested on July 16, and no meetings are pending," the group added.Allen was traveling and could not be reached for comment on the AMPTP's response.The Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers did say that it would be open to overtures from SAG -- as long as the talks involved tweaks, rather than counterproposals, to the studios' "final offer.""The AMPTP is always interested in exploring ways to reach an agreement, and if SAG has an approach that's consistent with the parameters of our June 30 final offer, then we are open to hearing that," the AMPTP said. "SAG's negotiators have not discussed with us any plan to reach an agreement, and the only meeting the parties are attempting to schedule is one to resolve some outstanding grievance claims." It's possible that there has been communication between the sides but not real bargaining, one L.A. entertainment attorney suggested."I would suspect that there have been informal talks, in the course of business," agreed fellow labor lawyer Scott Witlin of Akin Gump in Los Angeles. "They're not negotiations, not sidebars, not subcommittees, but people meeting because they have a reason to meet. This comes up because everybody has this topic on their minds, and I think (SAG) is trying to characterize it as more than it is."Another entertainment labor attorney suggested that the AMPTP might not know every conversation that's taking place or who's calling whom."I don't think that the SAG leadership would have been so irresponsible to send out a letter to membership to say that smaller groups were having discussions if there weren't discussions taking place," the attorney said. "There are individuals within the business, probably at high levels, who are having conversations." In the meantime, SAG will announce today the candidates running for open slots for a third of the union's 69 national board seats. Among the hopefuls will be members of the Hollywood board's MembershipFirst faction and the newly formed rival group Unite for Strength.Some observers believe talks between SAG and the AMPTP won't move forward until the board elections, the results of which will be announced Sept. 19.If the majority of MembershipFirst candidates win, it will be seen as an endorsement of the current bargaining approach and thus bolster SAG's position in the negotiations. However, if Unite for Strength's candidates win the majority of the seats, SAG's hard-line stance would likely be dropped for a more moderate position. Among the options before the board would be replacing Allen, the national executive director.

Review "The Rest For The Wicked

Supernatural - "No Rest For The Wicked"

Written by Alice Jester

Published May 18, 2008

DAMN YOU, KRIPKE!!!!!

There, I feel better. No actually… hold on… *rubs ears gently while humming to self in attempts to calm down*… Nope, it ain't working. This is the OMFG that the CW should have been promoting. For the record, this is my first Supernatural live season finale. I didn't get into the show until the beginning of season three, so I was able to watch the past two cliffhangers back to back via DVD. This is my first summer of agony, and dammit, the pain is deep. Dean died and went to Hell!!! Sam is more powerful than Lilith!!! Ruby is banished somewhere!!! Bobby is just plain awesome!!! You're all sick of the exclamation points!!! Okay, now that I'm calmer (breathe, breathe) I must take time to do the proverbial drop at the feet of the Kripster himself, the writer of this masterpiece, and bow down in his glory. This was better than his other scripts like "Devil's Trap", "In My Time of Dying", "All Hell Breaks Loose Part II", and "The Magnificent Seven" (okay, any script was better than that one). All season, this show harped on the "Dean's going to Hell" story line, and we fans just assumed they would come up with a way to get him out of it. So, imagine our surprise when it actually happened. Kripke went there! You magnificent bastard. Sam didn't go darkside either and even the expected shot of Sam weeping over Dean's mangled corpse blew us away. Sure, there's that whole 'Dean-hanging-on-a-hook-in-Hell-screaming-in-agony-Sam's-name' plot twist, but you wanted us to curse at you all summer, didn't you Mr. Kripke? Season finales are the toughest sells to fans. Expectations are usually sky high, so many leave disappointed. I was not one of those people. This makes up for all the crappy finales I've had to endure in recent times (yes, Heroes, I'm talking to you). Great finales can be done on a low budget. All you need is a well-paced script with great lines, two actors who can pull off the heavy emotional angst in a believable yet heartbreaking way, and a director who knows the perfect angle to capture the devastation of losing someone that you love. Bravo! Let's Start From The Beginning "Carry On My Wayward Son". All is right with the universe. I love consistency, since that song appeared in the montage opening the last two season finales. It was great to see a complete season three reel for once, reminding us that this was a pretty awesome season, all nitpicks aside. The season three DVD set is available for pre-order on Amazon and my name in on that list. Now, the fun begins. Dean is being chased through the woods by the hellhounds. Of course we all caught on that this had to be a dream, since they weren't going to off Dean in the first scene, but that still made for a great setup. I do remember from "Crossroads Blues" how the woman in the motel was seeing distorted and dead faces, so Dean seeing Sam like that was great continuity, but, could it be there's more to that? Is Dean seeing something else in Sam that he can only see now? All questions will be held until after the tour. A grinning Sam announces Lilith can be found, and I'm wondering how Bobby didn't come up with that cool demon-finding device years ago. That certainly could have helped them out of a lot of trouble. Where does he find all these books telling him this stuff? They're certainly better resources than Sam's computer. Anyway, they've found Lilith in Indiana, which sends my mind drifting, since they were in Pennsylvania last week. A '67 Impala gets what, 8 miles to the gallon? Driving from Pennsylvania, to South Dakota, back to Indiana with almost $4 a gallon gas? Ouch. Anyway, Ruby arrives and tells a not so shocked Sam what he and all of us have suspected all along, those goofy psychic and other freak powers are alive and, well, just dormant. By seeing Katie Cassidy in the opening credits we knew that Sam was going to ignore Dean's wishes and summon Ruby. Did anyone hear that Katie's Uncle Shaun has a pilot in development for FOX? Yes, he was a pinup on my wall in the late '70s, so what? Sorry, I'm drifting again. I got excited over the beginning of this scene, because nobody "latinates" better than Sam. There's just something in Jared's voice, his timber, who knows, but I'd like to see a whole episode of that. "Because of a curse, Sam can only speak Latin." Imagine all the fan girls thudding to the floor. After some stirring action in which Ruby kicks some serious Winchester ass but gets caught in a devil's trap anyway, we get the best line of the night. "Well I wish you'd shut your pie hole but we don't always get what we want." Oh Dean, you can't die. Who will say all those clever lines? Sam thinks Ruby might be right, which triggers the "I'm dying so hear my wisdom" talk. Dean wants to set things right, do it his way, go down swinging. I liked the fact that he was keeping the same attitude from "Jus In Bello" and not losing his resolve as his end drew near. Raise your hand if you knew when push came to shove though, Sam would crack and try to become that martyr. Remember Sam, your weakness for your brother will be the death of you (in the Trickster's words anyway). Now, the fun begins. Dean is being chased through the woods by the hellhounds. Of course we all caught on that this had to be a dream, since they weren't going to off Dean in the first scene, but that still made for a great setup. I do remember from "Crossroads Blues" how the woman in the motel was seeing distorted and dead faces, so Dean seeing Sam like that was great continuity, but, could it be there's more to that? Is Dean seeing something else in Sam that he can only see now? All questions will be held until after the tour. A grinning Sam announces Lilith can be found, and I'm wondering how Bobby didn't come up with that cool demon-finding device years ago. That certainly could have helped them out of a lot of trouble. Where does he find all these books telling him this stuff? They're certainly better resources than Sam's computer. Anyway, they've found Lilith in Indiana, which sends my mind drifting, since they were in Pennsylvania last week. A '67 Impala gets what, 8 miles to the gallon? Driving from Pennsylvania, to South Dakota, back to Indiana with almost $4 a gallon gas? Ouch. Anyway, Ruby arrives and tells a not so shocked Sam what he and all of us have suspected all along, those goofy psychic and other freak powers are alive and, well, just dormant. By seeing Katie Cassidy in the opening credits we knew that Sam was going to ignore Dean's wishes and summon Ruby. Did anyone hear that Katie's Uncle Shaun has a pilot in development for FOX? Yes, he was a pinup on my wall in the late '70s, so what? Sorry, I'm drifting again. I got excited over the beginning of this scene, because nobody "latinates" better than Sam. There's just something in Jared's voice, his timber, who knows, but I'd like to see a whole episode of that. "Because of a curse, Sam can only speak Latin." Imagine all the fan girls thudding to the floor. After some stirring action in which Ruby kicks some serious Winchester ass but gets caught in a devil's trap anyway, we get the best line of the night. "Well I wish you'd shut your pie hole but we don't always get what we want." Oh Dean, you can't die. Who will say all those clever lines? Sam thinks Ruby might be right, which triggers the "I'm dying so hear my wisdom" talk. Dean wants to set things right, do it his way, go down swinging. I liked the fact that he was keeping the same attitude from "Jus In Bello" and not losing his resolve as his end drew near. Raise your hand if you knew when push came to shove though, Sam would crack and try to become that martyr. Remember Sam, your weakness for your brother will be the death of you (in the Trickster's words anyway). Now, the fun begins. Dean is being chased through the woods by the hellhounds. Of course we all caught on that this had to be a dream, since they weren't going to off Dean in the first scene, but that still made for a great setup. I do remember from "Crossroads Blues" how the woman in the motel was seeing distorted and dead faces, so Dean seeing Sam like that was great continuity, but, could it be there's more to that? Is Dean seeing something else in Sam that he can only see now? All questions will be held until after the tour. A grinning Sam announces Lilith can be found, and I'm wondering how Bobby didn't come up with that cool demon-finding device years ago. That certainly could have helped them out of a lot of trouble. Where does he find all these books telling him this stuff? They're certainly better resources than Sam's computer. Anyway, they've found Lilith in Indiana, which sends my mind drifting, since they were in Pennsylvania last week. A '67 Impala gets what, 8 miles to the gallon? Driving from Pennsylvania, to South Dakota, back to Indiana with almost $4 a gallon gas? Ouch. Anyway, Ruby arrives and tells a not so shocked Sam what he and all of us have suspected all along, those goofy psychic and other freak powers are alive and, well, just dormant. By seeing Katie Cassidy in the opening credits we knew that Sam was going to ignore Dean's wishes and summon Ruby. Did anyone hear that Katie's Uncle Shaun has a pilot in development for FOX? Yes, he was a pinup on my wall in the late '70s, so what? Sorry, I'm drifting again. I got excited over the beginning of this scene, because nobody "latinates" better than Sam. There's just something in Jared's voice, his timber, who knows, but I'd like to see a whole episode of that. "Because of a curse, Sam can only speak Latin." Imagine all the fan girls thudding to the floor. After some stirring action in which Ruby kicks some serious Winchester ass but gets caught in a devil's trap anyway, we get the best line of the night. "Well I wish you'd shut your pie hole but we don't always get what we want." Oh Dean, you can't die. Who will say all those clever lines? Sam thinks Ruby might be right, which triggers the "I'm dying so hear my wisdom" talk. Dean wants to set things right, do it his way, go down swinging. I liked the fact that he was keeping the same attitude from "Jus In Bello" and not losing his resolve as his end drew near. Raise your hand if you knew when push came to shove though, Sam would crack and try to become that martyr. Remember Sam, your weakness for your brother will be the death of you (in the Trickster's words anyway). "What do demons do for fun?" I'm not going to comment much on the creepy little girl terrorizing an everyday suburban family in Indiana, except to say, once again Kripke, you're a sick bastard. I love it. Everyone knew Grandpa was going to bite it, especially since Grandma was rotting on the floor. At least they can go on in the afterlife together. I must take a pause here to pay homage to the awesomeness of Bobby Singer, just because of "Family don't end with blood." (Bites lip, tries to maintain composure). Jim Beaver has done nothing but rock ever since he first appeared in season one's "Devil's Trap". Bobby is the lone rock of stability that's been missing in these boys' lives, and I so wanted to see him standing behind Sam, weeping along with him in the end. That's certainly going to be depicted enough times in fanfic this summer. I do have one HUGE nitpick though. Bobby is driving a 1969 Chevy Chevelle SS. Come on, that car is a bigger classic than the Impala. Doesn't it deserve an awesome paint job or something? I know Bobby lives like a slob, but shouldn't he at least have a kick ass car? I'll even drive to Vancouver and do the paint job myself. Consider that an offer, Kripke! On to what will be the most talked about scene for years to come. A few months ago, in one of the fan threads asking what song you'd most like to see on this show, I put down Bon Jovi's "Wanted Dead or Alive". Am I a Bon Jovi fan? No, but I do love that song. I swear I said the exact same thing as Dean, they do "rock on occasion." Dean singing loud and bad was expected, but Sam? Whoa, that was priceless. He's terrible! Most important though, I got the moment that I lamented about last week; one last memorable show of brotherly bonding in the Impala. My life feels complete again, except for the Dean dying part. Speaking of Dean dying, he sees dead people! I loved how he could look at someone gorgeous like Katie and wretch at her ugliness. I hope his ability to spot demons stays with him. Throw that together with Sam's freakish powers and they won't be stopped, all while looking pretty doing it. When confronted by the demons, the entire time I was waiting for the boys to take out the whole neighborhood. That would have been hard for "New Harmony" to explain when vying to be one of "America's Best Places to Live". Thanks to the genius of Bobby Singer, they dodged that bullet. Oh Sam, you aren't too far gone. You couldn't kill an innocent little girl. Despite all hints this season that he was going dark, he still could draw a line at killing children. Of course he would have if Dean hadn't stopped him, but it was good to see that hesitation again. One minute to midnight, and I couldn't stop fidgeting like a baby duck on a hot plate (WKRP reference), watching with bated breath as Dean's time was up. Sam wanted to give in to his dark side, but Dean accepted it was his time. We got a very satisfying goodbye scene of no hugs, no sappy moments, just tears and resignation. "Take care of my wheels". Oh crap, I wanted to hold out on weeping until this was over. Too late. How did this show turn me into such a wimp? More continuity, this time using goofer dust to hold back the hounds. So they did learn something from that episode. Nope, I didn't catch on that Ruby was Lilith and Dean was able to wisecrack all the way to the end. "You all look the same to me." No time for laughter though because Lilith opens the door and, oh no, DEEEEEAAAAANNNNNN!!!! I'm screaming louder than Sam, yelling at the TV, begging for his life as his blood spurts everywhere, hellhounds ripping into him like he was tissue paper. Dean gasps his last breath and Lilith goes for Sam, and then… it's an outrageously long commercial?!? Damn you, CW! Actually, the commercials weren't too bad, because I hit the rewind on the TiVo about six times. Each viewing of Dean's graphic and horrible death was equally disturbing. I was too overcome by grief to even contemplate how Sam was getting out of this. I'm glad I didn't either, because whoa. Lilith was powerless against Sam! Ruby was right, he can defeat her. Who didn't sit with mouth hung open as the almighty Lilith pleaded for mercy while one very pissed off Sam Winchester came after her? Of course she escaped in time before Sam could use the "demon killing Ginsu" on her, but we don't care because it's time to cue the sad music and give us the heartbreaking shot of Ruby and a carved up Dean sprawled on the floor right when reality hits Sam hard. Jared nailed this scene, and he should to be very, very proud of how much his acting abilities have grown this season. This was a perfect parallel to Dean weeping over Sam's body in last year's finale, and every bit as emotional. To see Jensen's turn as a corpse, it was bittersweet and far bloodier. Sam got off easy with his death. Ah, but we're not done! Kripke must deliver the big "muhahaha" to fans, knowing that he now has to watch his back at all times while in public for the next several months. I never thought we would get a glimpse of Hell (or as many have speculated, not quite Hell) because I didn't think the budget allowed it. Dean, in chains, in peril, for all eternity, or at least for all summer. I feel it coming on again. DAMN YOU, KRIPKE! I'm Left With Incoherent Thoughts Did I mention that this episode was directed by the always fantastic Kim Manners? I noticed in the very first scene with the close-up shots of those pretty faces. What's great about his episodes is that they are consistent and each scene flows seamlessly. He manages to bring out the most emotion and tell the story effectively by just taking the right angle and bringing out the best these two actors have to offer (which is a lot). Emotional episodes are his forte and once again, he delivered in a spectacular way. I noticed one more piece of continuity, this time coming from often forgotten "Nightmare" from season one. Sam got out of the closet in that episode because he saw Dean die in a vision and "a freak adrenaline thing" took over, aka telekinesis. The same thing happened here. He saw Dean die (this time sadly for real) and those abilities kicked in, saving him from Lilith. Someday, I'd like to see what could happen if he actually controlled those powers. I suspect that control is going to be the key to getting Dean back. Ruby told Sam, "You don't like being different. You hate the way Dean looks at you sometimes, like you're some sort of sideshow freak." Notice how Sam didn't protest, not even with those brooding eyes. Dean tells him not to buy into what's she's saying, but he is. He's desperate, and imagine what's going to happen when Dean's not there to keep him in check. Kripke made it known that ever since John made the deal for Dean, it's been a bad chain of events that keeps getting them into deeper trouble. Dean wants to put an end to this madness but we know Sam is too obsessed and stubborn. He'll forget everything his brother told him once grief tears him apart. The possibilities for character tests in season four are now wide open. Here's a burning question for debate all summer. Is Sam Winchester the anti-Christ? Dean saw what Bobby calls "hell's bitches". Since he saw Sam as one, could we argue that he really saw demon Sam and not a hallucination? I'm sure a few of you are going "uh duh!" considering he was able to overcome Lilith, but what got me was how Dean didn't deny or ignore Sam's power this time, especially when Ruby brought them up. He instead warned Sam not to give into it. I'm sure this is not the last we've heard of the anti-Christ thing. Is Dean really in Hell, or some sort of purgatory? I think that answer will be resolved pretty quickly in season four, but for now, speculation is rampant. He's dead, that's enough for me. How's this going to affect Dean in the future? Easy, he's going to be one messed up dude. How will Sam get him out? Since speculation is running wild, I'm theorizing that the unleashing of Sam's abilities means they'll stay at the surface and get stronger, and his obsessed nature will come up with a way to use them. He won't give up on Dean. I think some therapy is in order this summer. My nerves are officially shot. Thank you, Mr. Kripke, and the entire cast and crew for delivering a season that while shortened by a senseless strike, still gave us the same caliber of excitement and brotherly angst that awed us from season two. But remember, expectations for season four now are even higher. It's your fault. A grade of an A+ is obvious on this one. I have a request. If you were happy with the finale, happy with season three, or just trust in Kripke in general, go the comment box below and type in those three little words, "Damn you, Kripke!!!", and hit submit, just to let him know our appreciation and love for his genius. He's earned it in spades this time. Damn, it's going to be a long summer. Time to start writing my season three thoughts. Happy hiatus everybody!

Reveiw: Supernatural "The Kids Are alright

Supernatural - "The Kids Are Alright"

Written by Alice Jeste

Published May 30, 2008 Reviewing episodes after seeing the rest of the season creates an interesting challenge. I try to judge the episode on its merits alone, as if I was watching for the first time, but I can't avoid recalling post-episode subplots that cleanly tie into the one up for review. "The Kids Are Alright" is one of those episodes. It sets the framework for Dean's season three character development, yet also carries over the sentiments first revealed in "What Is and What Should Never Be". So, forgive me, but this episode is going to be judged on how it bridges the gap between that stellar season two episode and the latter part of season three. It's a key piece to Dean's intense personal struggle, the one he tries to hide from the surface, but one that also defines him. Before I start plowing through this better than average episode (a huge improvement over the season premiere), I would like to take time to honor this episode's writer, Sera Gamble. I like profiling writers as many of you have noticed from my previous reviews and somehow I've overlooked the show's head writer. As a writer myself I've learned throughout the years how to appreciate the precision and careful crafting that goes into creating a work of art such as a script. There's way more to it than meets the eye, and with a television script in particular, every word counts. There are only 40 minutes to tell the story, thus so much needs to be said with so little. Sera Gamble is a master of her craft, and has consistently provided one gem after another that upon deconstruction gives us so much to ponder. Her strengths lie in the character development and bringing out the raw emotional elements of the relationship between the brothers. She wrote the tear-jerkers like "Faith" and "Heart", stories that exposed deep inner layers like this episode, "Houses of The Holy" and "Dream A Little Dream of Me", and explored deep character dilemmas in "Salvation", "Bloodlust" and "Time Is On My Side". Remember though, this is also the evil woman who killed Sam Winchester and made him kill his lover after his first hot night of passion in a while, so torture and despair isn't lost on her, either. Come to think of it, she came up with the melon baller to the eye socket, too. Seems like she relishes in putting Sam through the wringer. It's all done in love though, I'm sure. In this episode, she exposes that fragile heart of Dean Winchester, and we love it, too. Of course, no Supernatural episode is complete without the standard GOTW (gore of the week) and yep, a gruesome accident with a table saw ought to do it. Luckily, as soon as the metal teeth of the saw blade started grinding, I looked away. I still to this day, even after watching the episode a few times, refuse to watch that horrific accident. I somehow have issues with human flesh and table saws. Dean wants to go to Cicero, Indiana. Sera always manages to work in some kinky references, but Gumby and Pokey? That earns a "boo" and a "hiss" from me. It's a good thing Lisa is a really hot chick, because Cicero isn't exactly a vacation paradise. I'm surprised that she would recognize Dean after eight plus years, so he must have really left an impression. Lucky girl. The birthday party surprisingly ended up being one of my favorite scenes of the season. Dean watches Ben, sees him get excited over the AC/DC CD, watches the way he eats his sandwich, notices the race car cake, and witnesses first hand Ben's wandering eye with the chicks. He does the math in his head and is off to talk to Lisa. Jensen's facial expressions in that entire scene were priceless. It's always wonderful to see an actor exceed the intended outcome on paper. He tries to ask Lisa in a roundabout way if Ben is his, but then just blurts it out. So well done, and so Dean. He's back in character, and I'm happy again. Since Sam wasn't core to the story, I must admit that for casting him off to the side he was given a good subplot to work with. I liked Ruby from day one, and she won me over even more here. We could tell Sam was shaken by all that she said, but he played it tough anyway. It's too bad the whole "Mary's friends are dead" reveal wasn't picked back up this season. We all know the writers' strike was to blame for that, so we must eagerly wait for the answer in season four (hear that, writers, season four). Also, I can't recall an episode that spent so much time focusing on the character-in-supernatural-distress than the terror we witnessed from a frantic woman only known as "Katie's mom". The anguish was so gripping and Katie was so skin-crawling creepy that I didn't mind that they took time away from the Winchesters. It was critical to the story, and showed us the strange things that can happen in happy suburbia behind closed doors. This show does love targeting suburbanites! They always make great fodder for horror. In this episode, she exposes that fragile heart of Dean Winchester, and we love it, too. Of course, no Supernatural episode is complete without the standard GOTW (gore of the week) and yep, a gruesome accident with a table saw ought to do it. Luckily, as soon as the metal teeth of the saw blade started grinding, I looked away. I still to this day, even after watching the episode a few times, refuse to watch that horrific accident. I somehow have issues with human flesh and table saws. Dean wants to go to Cicero, Indiana. Sera always manages to work in some kinky references, but Gumby and Pokey? That earns a "boo" and a "hiss" from me. It's a good thing Lisa is a really hot chick, because Cicero isn't exactly a vacation paradise. I'm surprised that she would recognize Dean after eight plus years, so he must have really left an impression. Lucky girl. The birthday party surprisingly ended up being one of my favorite scenes of the season. Dean watches Ben, sees him get excited over the AC/DC CD, watches the way he eats his sandwich, notices the race car cake, and witnesses first hand Ben's wandering eye with the chicks. He does the math in his head and is off to talk to Lisa. Jensen's facial expressions in that entire scene were priceless. It's always wonderful to see an actor exceed the intended outcome on paper. He tries to ask Lisa in a roundabout way if Ben is his, but then just blurts it out. So well done, and so Dean. He's back in character, and I'm happy again. Since Sam wasn't core to the story, I must admit that for casting him off to the side he was given a good subplot to work with. I liked Ruby from day one, and she won me over even more here. We could tell Sam was shaken by all that she said, but he played it tough anyway. It's too bad the whole "Mary's friends are dead" reveal wasn't picked back up this season. We all know the writers' strike was to blame for that, so we must eagerly wait for the answer in season four (hear that, writers, season four). Also, I can't recall an episode that spent so much time focusing on the character-in-supernatural-distress than the terror we witnessed from a frantic woman only known as "Katie's mom". The anguish was so gripping and Katie was so skin-crawling creepy that I didn't mind that they took time away from the Winchesters. It was critical to the story, and showed us the strange things that can happen in happy suburbia behind closed doors. This show does love targeting suburbanites! They always make great fodder for horror. We got some continuity in the next scene with season one's "Dead In The Water". Dean connected with the troubled boy in that one, and after seeing him and Ben bond so well in the park, it made me wonder why we haven't had more episodes with Dean and kids. He's a natural! Despite encouraging Ben to kick a bully where the sun don't shine, he's teaching the boy something about self-defense that a single mom would never encourage. This is where I really, really wished Ben was his kid and that there would be periodic visits. Ben would grow up with Dean showing him the ropes about hunting. Throw in some influence from Uncle Sam (yeah, that does sound weird, doesn't it?) and we have a future hero in training who will one day carry on the family business. Of course it wasn't to be, which is okay, because Ben would probably have a hard time living down that whole "my uncle is the Antichrist" thing. I don't know about anyone else, but I'm still bothered by a sopping wet Katie, whom her mother just tried to drown, sitting in the kitchen with a chilling grin on her face asking "Can I have that ice cream now?" I just saw the episode for the first time on HD, and her face is way scarier on my plasma TV than the iTunes window I've previously viewed it on. This episode followed yet another primary rule of great horror — children are scary. Ah, but Sam's done his homework and it's a changeling! I don't know how he managed to research changeling lore in between all those calls finding out about his mother's friends, but Sam must have great time management skills. He probably cut out the porn. I didn't buy into creepy Ben. Katie was much better at it. Still, it rattled Dean enough, which sets up the tense rescue in a nearby under construction house. Sam Winchester with a flamethrower. Insert your incoherent babbling here. Dean was so wonderful with his concern over those kids. It was appropriate that he be the one to get them out and he even let Ben play hero by leading the other kids to safety. Okay, Ben can take over the family business anyway. After what he just saw, there's no more innocence to protect. The weaving of this scene with Not!Ben and Not!Katie terrorizing their mothers was brilliant editing. Alone none of these scenes would have had suspense, but piece them together in that way and I was on the edge dying to see how it would all play out. While the end result was predictable, who didn't love watching Dean smack down that mother changeling right before Sam torches her? The Winchester one-two punch makes for all kinds of awesome. Now we get to the scene that skillfully breaks through that rough Dean exterior and reveals for us his deep vulnerability. Dean wants so much for Ben to be his kid. Lisa at first thinks she's reassuring him by telling him he's not, and then sees what we all see, the painful disappointment in his eyes. He doesn't have to tell her he's dying, or describe the horror he faces every day, she somehow knows. She tries to comfort him by saying that Ben wouldn't be alive if it weren't for him, but that's empty solace for Dean. That's the very reason he can't have a family — he has people to save, people that in the end don't matter to him except Sam. The chemistry between Dean and Lisa made us believe that Dean could indeed have this life, even more so than in "What Is and What Should Never Be" because this was real. In his lifetime this was the closest he'd been to being part of a real family since the fire. Sure, the moment was brief, but to him, it was all too genuine. We saw his deep agony and heartache when he forced himself to leave, proclaiming "this isn't my life." Walking away this time had to be much harder than when he woke himself from the fantasy forced by the Djinn, because now he's living on borrowed time. Did Dean leave because he believed he didn't deserve this life, or he shouldn't have this life because he has to save others? Did the decision to go back in "What Is and What Should Never Be" result in the same decision here? He has a year to live, why not settle down with Lisa and experience the life he's always wanted? Is this the low self-worth talking again? We saw by Lisa's presence in "Dream A Little Dream Of Me" that he still clings onto this wish, this desire, this dream tightly and can't let go. Yet, he faces impending doom in hell and has people like Rufus Turner tell him that in the long run "there ain't no happy ending". To see Dean walk away this time, knowing the heartache sticks with him all the way to the end, it's even more crushing to watch. It's my opinion that at this time he doesn't feel he deserves this life and after all he's been through since then, if he gets another chance he won't let it pass. Now we get to the scene that skillfully breaks through that rough Dean exterior and reveals for us his deep vulnerability. Dean wants so much for Ben to be his kid. Lisa at first thinks she's reassuring him by telling him he's not, and then sees what we all see, the painful disappointment in his eyes. He doesn't have to tell her he's dying, or describe the horror he faces every day, she somehow knows. She tries to comfort him by saying that Ben wouldn't be alive if it weren't for him, but that's empty solace for Dean. That's the very reason he can't have a family — he has people to save, people that in the end don't matter to him except Sam. The chemistry between Dean and Lisa made us believe that Dean could indeed have this life, even more so than in "What Is and What Should Never Be" because this was real. In his lifetime this was the closest he'd been to being part of a real family since the fire. Sure, the moment was brief, but to him, it was all too genuine. We saw his deep agony and heartache when he forced himself to leave, proclaiming "this isn't my life." Walking away this time had to be much harder than when he woke himself from the fantasy forced by the Djinn, because now he's living on borrowed time. Did Dean leave because he believed he didn't deserve this life, or he shouldn't have this life because he has to save others? Did the decision to go back in "What Is and What Should Never Be" result in the same decision here? He has a year to live, why not settle down with Lisa and experience the life he's always wanted? Is this the low self-worth talking again? We saw by Lisa's presence in "Dream A Little Dream Of Me" that he still clings onto this wish, this desire, this dream tightly and can't let go. Yet, he faces impending doom in hell and has people like Rufus Turner tell him that in the long run "there ain't no happy ending". To see Dean walk away this time, knowing the heartache sticks with him all the way to the end, it's even more crushing to watch. It's my opinion that at this time he doesn't feel he deserves this life and after all he's been through since then, if he gets another chance he won't let it pass.