To begin this week’s
review, I want to say a huge congratulations to both the cast, crew, and entire
production team of Supernatural for
an early ninth season pick up. Jeremy Carver has really re-freshed the show and
the CW announcing the pick up so early is a real vote of confidence.
This week’s episode of Supernatural, “Trial and Error” was
written by Andrew Dabb and directed by Kevin Parks. Parks has been with the
show since the first season as the 1st Assistant Director on all
odd-numbered episodes and has earned the name “Parksepedia” for his
encyclopedic knowledge of the show. His directorial debut put that knowledge to
excellent use. The episode had the look and feel that Supernatural fans have come to expect, but really harkened back for
me to the grittier, darker tones of Kim Manners. Leads Jensen Ackles (Dean) and
Jared Padalecki (Sam) delivered excellent performances in an emotionally
charged script, and I’m sure that those performances were only enhanced by
having a director they were comfortable with and had confidence in. I’m sure
that Parks will be filling the director’s chair a lot more in future.
A quick shout out to Jerry Wanek for
the great work on the sets. In particular, I was struck by the contrast between
Garth’s disgusting houseboat and the bunker. Anyone else notice that the door
to the bunker makes it look like a hobbit hole? Dean’s room is a nice
reflection of himself, but it is also a recurring theme: Dean’s quest for a
home.
There were lots of shout outs to Supernatural history. Kevin (Osric Chau)
remarks that “God works in mysterious ways” which is exactly what Layla (Julie
Benz) says to Dean in “Faith”. I was really happy to see them remember that
goofer dust is an important protection against demons and hellhounds which we
learned about in “Crossroad Blues”. Also like “Crossroad Blues”, the crossroads
demon – who delightfully, turns out to be Crowley, himself – didn’t settle for
just the soul who summoned him, but stuck around for as many as he could get. It
was an interesting twist that none of them knew they only had ten years or that
they were going to Hell. Seems like that could be a loophole in their
contracts. However, there are multiple hellhounds in town to collect multiple
souls. It might have been a nice touch if they had also remembered that Dean
had been killed by hellhounds and has looked nervous if not downright scared in
the encounters with them since.
The season seems to have built to
this point. This episode sees Sam stepping into a guardian-like position. He
seems to be the only one with a healthy perspective on what they are doing
while Dean is simply hunting without regard to his own or anyone’s (other than
Sam’s) safety in mind. Sam tries to get Kevin to slow down, while Dean provides
him with uppers and painkillers so he can keep going. Dean’s time in Purgatory
trained him to live very day like it’s his last, while Sam learned there was
more to life, a light at the end of the tunnel. I did think it was more than a
little inconsistent, however, that Sam is clearly identified as the Man of
Letters, the scholar, if you will, and he tells Dean that Dean’s the best
hunter he knows, yet Sam is the one “chosen” to do the trials because Dean
fails to kill the hellhound and fails the test.
Ackles delivers an amazing
performance as he tells Sam to stay in the house because Sam living to a ripe
old age is the only happy ending Dean can see for himself. It’s a lovely moment
as Dean once more falls back on the prime directive to keep his brother safe. However,
going forward, it does also seem like we’ve fallen into the familiar pattern of
Sam having a purpose and Dean’s purpose simply being to follow behind and make
sure his brother is safe.
One final shout out to Kevin Parks
for the final scene. The tight focus on the brothers really enhanced the
heightened emotions of the scene. This was Padalecki’s scene to shine in as he
pleads with Dean to try to fight to stay alive, to find the light at the end of
the tunnel with him, and for Dean to see his own worth. Good luck with that
Sam...
I would be remiss if I didn’t
mention the great work done yet again by the VFX team: Mark Meloche, Grant
Lindsay, Ryan Curtis, Christopher Richardson, Trevor Chong, Steve McLeod, Kevin
Genzel, Derek Rein, Werner ten Hoeve, Mladen Miholjcic, Jason Macza, Adam
Williams, and John Marshall. Highlights of tonight’s episode would be Sam’s arm
being infected, Dean demoning-out, and of course, the hellhounds themselves –
finally made visible through the use of super-charged Clark Kent glasses.
This episode was an interesting
blend of monster of the week – hellhound – and the overall mytharc of the
season as we seem to finally be moving toward closing the gates of hell
forever. I’m betting that going forward that half of the tablet the Crowley has
is going to prove a significant roadblock, however. What did you think of the
episode? Let me know in the comments below. I’m anticipating that there is
going to be a lot of discussion about the fact that only one brother is really
getting to do the trials. I know I have a strong opinion about it myself.
Please respect everyone’s right to their own opinion and try to keep responses
from becoming personal. Thanks in advance.
Dean not showing fear towards the hellhound could be because of his time in Purgatory or the fact he was accepting of the fact he in his mind, would die gun blazing and only cared about Sam surviving. Or maybe him be able to see them gave him more confidence/calmness. Things are a lot more scary when you can't see where they are.
ReplyDeleteGood point about Purgatory!
ReplyDeleteI think Dean has yet to find his real purpose, Yes he is a hunter but does he really do it for the right reasons? He has a defeatest attitude, a resignation that the life he has is the only one he can have and that sort of negates from him wanting to hunt and rather tells us that he hunts because he thinks he can do anything else. I think he needs to get to a point (like Sam) where he can see beyond hunting till he dies because thats all there is for him and for that to give a real purpose and new meaning. Untill he starts to see life more like Sam does and allows Sam to help him see that there is a light at the end of the tunnel then I think it will seem to the viewers that his only purpose is to be Sam's protector.
ReplyDeleteI dont for a second believe that Dean wont be involved in the the action, the other trials are going to require his help, he hunting prowess and his brain power as well as Sam's.
Lastly in Sam's eyes Dean is the best hunter there is and I'm sure in Dean's Sam is the best. The thing that makes them both so damned good is that they have each other. I dont think either of them is the best without the other.
awsome review
ReplyDeleteGood, balanced review of what was, for me, a decent but not entirely satisfactory episode, in part for aspects of it you point up in your review. I will note, however, that your far greeater knowledge of the show and its history clarified for me why I found myself thinking during the epsiode, "Gee, this almost looks like a season one episode, with the way it's shot so dark and gritty!"
ReplyDeleteAs for why I was less than entranced, well, part of it is that the whole Dean the suicide case is, for me, getting a bit tired. Eight seasons in, you'd hope they'd be able consistently to carry him beyond the whole "Sam is all that matters" thing; it just feels somewhat retrograde to me. That said, his desire to do the grunt work while Sam does the brain work did make sense to me, as Sam really does seem to have found his metier with the Man of Letters concept. And there were some very good moments between the two of them. Still, though, I'm tired of the codependency go-to; I thought we were supposed to see a maturation of their relationship this season? It also seems to ignore or leave unresolved the various tensions from the first half of the season.
Part of it, too, was just that the secondary characters did not really grab me this episode. I found it difficult to care about what happened to most of them. On most shows this would be a given, but Supernatural is usually so excellent at creating interesting secondary characters--even ones that appear only once (there are several from across the history of the show that we saw only once and I'd still love to see again)--that it's a bit disappointing when they don't.
Good review and good show. As to who was going to do the trials -- always believed it would be Sam, why? Because Dean was way too adamant in the beginning of the show and figured it would change towards the end...and because Sam seems to be more "chosen" first than Dean for most things. So figured it would be Sam. Things I really liked -- mentioning goofer dust...crossroad demons...even just mentioning Crowley was great -- plus the hell hounds. Love the new special effects. Expected Dean to give the speech about how he's willing to die and sees that as his future -- what I like about this one was it was short and to the point. And liked Sam's concise answer. It's just we've heard it before so I appreciate it was short and as such seemed to resonate with me more. But the one thing that I think really made this show special was how both of them looked terrific in those glasses. Superman -- no -- Super Hunter!
ReplyDeleteAt the beginning of the series I always felt that Dean was hunting for the right reasons it was Sam and John that weren't. Sam and John were doing it for revenge, while Dean wanted to help people and spare them from his pain. Over time as he lost people, situations became more complicated it stopped being about saving people but rather he felt responsible for saving all these people. After Bobby it was revenge. Dick's gone, they stopped the apocalypse, it makes sense to go back to protecting Sam.
ReplyDeleteI agree to be able to survive a year in Purgatory with nothing to do but fight, would tend to make hellhounds a cakewalk.
ReplyDeleteI'm torn about my feelings on this ep, don't get me wrong, I loved it, excellent acting from both Js, but dang does Dean lose out again. Of course in season 5 he did end up helping to save the world, by giving Sam the power to control Lucifer and taking the worse beating I have seen on TV, by telling Sam I'm here, not going to leave you. I do have faith that Carver knows how to tell a story, now IF he can just fix the problem of Sam not looking for Dean, this season may replace #4 as my favorite. To bad Sam did not have the guardian-like feelings when Dean was missing for a year. OK sorry, off my soapbox for a while.
ReplyDeleteDean's room and memory foam bed was so sweet. Comments have been made about Dean cooking, heck if he did not know how to cook, Sam would not have survived. ;) He raised Sam and he cooked when he was with Lisa and Ben.
Anyway was very glad to see the Sam I have loved all these years show back up.
Great review of what is becoming one of my favorite episodes. I totally agree with you about Jensen's amazing performance as Dean tells Sam what he has always seen as his future. And Jared's response as Sam telling Dean he plans to survive and bring Dean with him was also amazing. Why these 2 great actors have not even been nominated for an Emmy is totally beyond my comprehension. So looking forward to the rest of this season and what is in store for season 9 (& maybe 10)
ReplyDeleteGreat episode........I just love my boys .....just a funny thing I would like to share. I am a 53 yr old woman...I have been watching this show since day one. My husband like to tease me about having crushes on Sam and Dean...........my response is simple....I LOVE Sam and Dean like a proud mother. I find their brotherly love to be EVERYTHING about his show. I HATE when they fight and are not together. Kripke has masterfully orchestrated a brotherly team second to NONE! The chemistry , timing and acting skills of these 2 young men are what draws me to the TV. They are funny charming hurting strong brave and courageous. Yes I admit they are absolutely HANDSOME but beneath all their good looks beats the SUPERNATURAL heart of brotherly LOVE......They are Knights...Soldiers...Hunters..men of letters....Heroic..Humorous...this show has it ALL! Thank you Mr Kripke....CW and thank you Jared and Jensen......baby too!
ReplyDeleteI'm with you all the way, I am 74 and cry when they are hurt both mentally and physically and laugh with them in the rare times they are happy, does anyone have a more beautiful smile than Jared. The end of Swan Song gets me sobbing. lol The show being all about family is what drew me in and kept me loving both Js and even though I am a die hard Dodge/Plymouth muscle car fan, I love Baby.
ReplyDeleteIt's pretty obvious that something is not as it seems here because Crowley did not appear to collect his Cassidy souls. Or did he just stay out of sight and manipulate the situation? There are lots more smells of red herrings here.
ReplyDeleteMy guess is that this episode is suppose to connect to the previous arc in which Crowley extracted essential information about angels from one he tortured, including the mirror image of the spell that closes the gates of hell. By that thinking, Kevin has likely been tricked in some way by Crowley (I would guess this is signaled by the bloody nose and "small stroke"), and the spell and trials Sam and Dean are working on is actually some anti-angel disaster (closing the gates of heaven or turning Sam into an angel-killing machine or the like). Recall that the spell is in the same language identified in the prior arc as the one in which the angels' "operating system" is written. Perhaps there is some aspect, such as the need for the spell to be worked by a good guy who once served in Hell or the like, that requires Crowley to involve the Winchesters.
We will see.
Overall it was a really good episode, but it really is hard for me to believe that Carver and Singer care about the character of Dean because they write everything for Sam over and over again. I love Sam but he didn't want back in the life, resented Dean for that, yet now he's the worthy' one while Dean, the 'greatest hunter' was too weak to kill the hellhound? Why does Sam get the major love story, the MOLs, and now, the trials and a chronic illness arc as well? I should've expected this but it's still disappointing.
ReplyDelete