Supernatural 8.03 "Heartache" Review

 

           Supernatural 8.03, “Heartache” was the 150^th episode of the series to be filmed (thought the 152^nd to be aired) and marks the third directing outing of Jensen Ackles. It also continues the return to form we’ve seen this season delivering not only a well-directed episode but also a tightly written stand alone monster-of-the-seek episode.

            Ackles takes his direction to the next level this season. The episode itself also forced him to spend a lot more time in front of the camera, making the job even more challenging, according to interviews with him. The first shot pans from a skyline shot to a great crane shot of a jogger and then down to the ground to a close up of the runner’s feet, nicely mimicking the disorientation of the scene. This episode sees Ackles experiment with a lot more different angles and close ups than in previous episodes. Unlike many directors, however, the choices reinforce the action on screen and aren’t merely distracting, such as the scene where the victim is chanting and rocking in the jail. The camera comes down the dark corridor and the view through the bars is claustrophobic. The camera pans away before the victim takes out his own eye. Co-executive producer Jim Michaels tweeted that they did actually film the guy taking out his eye, but it was too graphic for television.

            The scenes between the brothers are shot seamlessly – there’s an art to filming Supernatural as the audience expects to see and feel certain scenes in a particular way, such as those in the Impala. Ackles has a leg up on any director new to the series as he’s been in every one of those scenes! A good director knows when to stick with the tried and true. The audience expects those scenes to have a particular feel, and they do. Ackles also reinforces the emphasis on character through the use of lots of tight head shots.

            As with every episode that Ackles directs, he’s also put his own unique stamp on it, bringing something very personal to the episode. Last year, his episode featured shout outs to his roles in My Bloody Valentine and Batman: Under the Red Hood. This year sees Alan Ackles, Jensen’s father, playing the first police officer they see about the first murder. The scene is really fun as Alan’s character and Dean rub each other the wrong way. Jim Michaels also tweeted that Jensen’s mother had a cameo in the episode, making it truly a family affair.

            Before I move into a discussion of the story, I want to make a quick shout out about the return of the fantastic motel room sets that Jerry Wanek is a master of. I particularly liked the one in Boulder.

            The episode was written by Brad Buckner and Eugenie Ross-Leming. It’s a monster-of-the-week episode as Dean convinces Sam to go after the thing mysteriously ripping the hearts out of victims because they are currently stalled in their search for Kevin. The clues were teased out slowly, and I really felt like I was uncovering the mystery with the boys as they worked the case. I was at first puzzled by the reference to Dr. Morrison, the professor from “Slice Girls”, who appeared in the THEN flashbacks, thinking there might be a link to the Amazons, but it seamlessly filled in who he was when Sam contacts him in the episode – tight editing to go with the tight writing.

            The title “Heartache” resonated with the script on several levels. The obvious allusion is to the victims having their hearts ripped out, but more symbolically, the story is about the love between Betsy and Brick. He gives up his immortality because he doesn’t want to live without her, and she ignored how he stayed young because of her love for him. Their relationship isn’t really one of heartache, except that only he was immortal, so they did have to part in the end. There is also the heartache that we can see Sam experience in the too brief flashback at the end of the episode. It’s very obvious that his heart aches to live a normal life: to have birthday cakes, to have a dog and a girlfriend, to go back to school. And then there’s Dean’s heart ache which is to hold on to his brother, to have his brother committed to being by his side.

            Dean says he’s gotten a new perspective from the last year. He knows where he’s best and that’s hunting evil with his brother by his side. But the year has given Sam a new perspective too, and that’s to know he wants more from life. In some ways, Sam really has changed more than Dean. How this plays out is going to be interesting. I think that Sam can still be there for Dean in some ways without his having to be physically present on every hunt. Of course, the end of the episode proves that Dean does need someone to watch his back too, as Randa and her thugs would likely have killed Dean if Sam hadn’t been there.

            Sam ends the episode by trying to convince Dean that he isn’t going to continue hunting after they find Kevin. Dean just dismisses Sam because it isn’t what Dean wants to hear. He needs Sam in ways that Sam hasn’t ever really needed him. He needs Sam to talk to, to help be his conscience. These are themes that take us right back to the beginning of the series, and I’m intrigued to see how they play out. I’m really enjoying how the writers are showing that the events these guys have been through have had lasting consequences and effects on them.

            Sound off on the episode below – Did you like it? Hate it? Love it? What about Jensen’s directing? Sam’s hair? I have to confess, I’m kind of liking Sam’s hair...

            Next week’s episode, “Bitten”, looks to be another great episode that pushes the boundary on story-telling. Be sure to visit all the spoilers for the episode here...