Quick Reaction: 6x15 The French Mistake

[hells_half_acre]

Such a good episode tonight...you can always count on Ben Edlund to bring the goods.

On this very special occasion, I'm going to go off iPod for my cut-text lyrics (mainly because my iPod chose to play a bunch of epic Radiohead songs on the way home, and as lovely as the songs were, they did not fit with the episode...)

So, on to the episode....

We open with the boys in Bobby's place. There's a thunderstorm outside and they're out of liquor, and so Bobby's out on a supply run...poor Bobby...

Balthazar shows up and rummages through Bobby's house like he knows where things are...doing a quick spell and handing Sam a key, and then shoving them out Bobby's window just as an angel assassin shows up to kill them all....and the boys land: on the set of Supernatural. Dare I say: Best ending to a cold-open ever? I absolutely loved the crew guy calling snapping the gate to end the take.

I really don't even know how to review this episode. It was REALLY good. I laughed pretty much the entire time...actually, there were many an occassion where I was REALLY glad that my friend had a PVR so that we could go back and listen to the dialog that we couldn't hear because we were laughing so hard.

First thing: Genevieve was credited as "Genevieve Padalecki" Awwwww....she took his NAME, guys...I find that so adorable...look at them, all in love and traditional and whatnot...SO CUTE!

Second thing: They actually seemed to have a French-Canadian character on crew! Yay Canada!

Ok, where did we leave off? The boys quickly discover they don't know what the hell is going on. Dean is wearing make-up, and Sam is being interviewed...and yeah, part of me really wonders how the rest of that interview went :P

I mainly just want to quote the episode...

The directors talking about cutting the scene where they talk about their feelings by the Impala - "Ha! Right - you answer the hate mail". Dean's "I'm a painted whore" line...oh man...

Sam finds out their names..."What so your polish now?" I love that Dean actually recognizes it as a polish name...haha...

Then Dean's line about how he wants to go home because it feels like the whole place is "bad touching" him...aww...poor Dean...it's just another thing in a long line of things that has bad touched him. (Totally furthering the theme of sexual assault against the male leads, I should add - just to go all serious on you for a second...these guys have been sexually assaulted more than...umm...I'll stop there so that I don't offend anyone).

I also love Dean discovering his trailer: "That's fake me's name. I guess this is fake mine!" 

I also love how everything is so much more...opulent...than it is in real life. The fish tank in the trailer and the helicopter. Why does Jensen have a helicopter?!?! I love how happy Dean is to have it though...I guess that's why :P

And then Sam finds the Days of Our Lives clip...and Dean's reaction is "we have to get out of this universe!" Hahaha....oh teenagery twinky Jensen....you were so adorkable.

I'm probably getting events out of order...but whatever...

They meet "Cas" who turns out to be Misha...and how good is Misha for acting like he's acting when they first meet him. I love the more inane stuff that Misha tweets in the universe (apparently Misha simultaneously tweeted the same tweets tonight along with the episode - metamadness indeed!)

"Clif" drives them to Jared's house...oh yeah, apparently in this universe, Jared and Jensen aren't friends....awww...boo.

Jared apparently lives in a huge mansion and likes to hang pictures of himself on the wall...oh, and him and Gen have a pet Alpaca and support a charity for Otter Adoption (CUTE! I love Otters). But man, the PAINTINGS....

And Genevieve's entrance was great...the awkward kiss and "You married fake Ruby?!"

Seriously, this review is not doing this episode justice.

Then we collapsed into laughter again when Sam went into "Jared's" study and there was that ridiculous photoshopped picture of him on that horse....and they bought a bone of a lesser saint off the internet...

The best part though, the part where I nearly fell off the couch with laughter, was the part where they show up to set the next day and have to act...so, you have Jared and Jensen pretending to be Sam and Dean pretending to be Jared and Jensen pretending to be Sam and Dean....

And they are HORRIBLE actors. Oh man, I was nearly ON THE FLOOR, because Jensen was so stiff and Jared was in the background not knowing what to do with his hands....oh god....and then Dean telling Sam not to look at the camera, so he looks at the ceiling while he does his lines...

Alright, again, probably out of order, but I love Dean using that John Lennon lyric "No hell below us, above us only sky"...man, that really is a dream for the Winchesters, I think.

My friend was momentarily disappointed that Supernatural was suggesting that we live in a magic-less universe - but then I pointed out that it wasn't actually OUR universe that they were in, because their versions of Jared, Jensen, and Misha (and Kripke and everyone else) weren't the REAL versions...so, still not our universe. Ha! Nice work-around, Show!

Ok, back to the episode....the directors thinks that Jared and Jensen are on drugs...Sam and Dean can't get home....and Virgil is shooting Canadians! NOOOOoooooo.....

Oh man...I LOVE that they actually had it set in Vancouver and they used that footage of the view going over the bridge into downtown...and well...the best part is yet to come....

So, just when we think things can't get any worse: Misha is kidnapped! Not only that...THEY SLIT MISHA'S THROAT! OH MAN! I couldn't believe it. THEY KILLED MISHA! 

And Genevieve is crying, and I love how confused she gets when Sam and Dean ask "where?" when she tells them Misha's been stabbed.

Ok...now we get to the best part...There's a maple leaf on the police tape! AH HAhahahahaha...that's Canada for you, putting maple leafs on EVERYTHING! It's such a small little visual gag, but it had me in stitches. (There was also that reflection of the neon red maple leaf in the car window as they drove into Vancouver...) We seriously do not put maple leafs on everything, guys, but I'm beginning to think we should...

Anyway, we're still reeling over Misha's untimely death...and then they question the homeless guy, and he calls Misha "the handsome crying man" Hahaha

So, the boys know where Virgil is going to be, so they head back to set....

Meanwhile, on set, "Kripke" has arrived to give the boys a stern talking too...he's been working on a project called OctoCobra, which my friend assumes is a joke about Sharktopus (look it up, it's real!)...and then Virgil shows up and BLOWS HIM TO SMITHEREENS! 

In the epic battle that commences. Virgil is shooting everyone...and I love it, because I'm pretty sure Lou Bollo (the stunt coordinator who played himself) did the 'I've-been-shot' fall, without actually being shot (which was totally going to be my strategy if I ever found myself in a shooting). Anyway, Sam and Dean show up and they defeat Virgil...just in time to be sucked back into their own universe by Raphael...

...who is a woman now! Looking good, Raph.

Then, Balthazar shows up and informs us and the Winchesters that it was all an elaborate distraction...and then Cas shows up and declares that he has the weapons that Raphael was trying to get from Balthy...and Cas does the impressive wing-thing!! 

Finally, Balthy and Raph leave and Cas zaps Sam and Dean's back to Bobby's much damaged home (Bobby isn't going to be happy when he gets home from the liquor store)....and Dean is all like "TELL US WHAT IS GOING ON!" and Cas is like "NO! SHIT HAS TO BE EVEN MORE DRAMATIC BEFORE I DO THAT!"

And then Sam and Dean talk....and well, just to get serious for a second here: I thought it was interesting that although Dean wanted to get home in the beginning, he seemed to want to try to convince Sam to stay. Sam's arguments was that they're friends were back home (Umm...Sam, you don't have that many friends...Bobby, Cas, Rufus?) and that they weren't even brothers in the AU (Dean had no comment to this.) And then, even at the end here, we get Sam basically saying that the most important thing is that they have each other, and Dean remaining mostly mute on the subject....ominous? A warning of bad Dean-decisions to come? Aftermath of Dean trying to figure out exactly what family means and whether Sam should be the be all end all of his whole life?....

Ok, so, I missed SO MUCH, because this episode was so rich. I can't even begin to cover it all...I didn't even mention the prop-Impala scene...or the jab at how much Canadians talk about hockey (Dude, it's a lot, I'm not going to lie...plus the Canucks are doing really well this year...)

I loved all the sets they walked through...the fact that they still had the sewer-Dragon set.....

There was just SO MUCH....

So...tell me your favourite bit in comments!! I obviously do not have it together enough to write anything more coherent than this right now :P

Comments

[claudiapriscus.livejournal.com]

How on earth are you supposed to pick a favorite part?

Though the alt!verse is a very sad place, IMO. But apparently demon magic works? Also: does this mean there's a variety of AU!RPF that's now potentially just plain old canonical gen fic? I mean? They're blurring the lines! I'm so confused!


I would have said there were no weak spots except that someone reminded me of the bit where Sam brings up several disasters that apparently afflicted the supernatural verse during the apocalypse... and all I could say to that was >:(

IT WASN"T SO HARD, show! You could have done that in season 5!

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

IT WASN"T SO HARD, show! You could have done that in season 5!

They did. It was on the news in Swan Song. It all happened just after Sam said yes.

But apparently demon magic works?

I too was confused at this! Apparently the blood-cup-cellphone has the best reception out of everything in all universes :P

does this mean there's a variety of AU!RPF that's now potentially just plain old canonical gen fic?

Yes, up is down, black is white...

How on earth are you supposed to pick a favorite part?

I have no idea! Hence the complete incoherency of my reaction post :P

[claudiapriscus.livejournal.com]

Swan Song counts as too little, too late in my book. It's more the principle of the thing. Subtly building up, you know, even if you don't have the budget for it? They obviously understand the concept.

Maybe they brought it up on purpose, haha.

The RPF AU thing is kind of blowing my mind, to telll you the truth. It could be like our fringe alt verse! A sad place where there is no more Cas, Misha's tweets were dreadfully boring, and he and most of the crew died.

On the other hand, this also invites the possibility of Canonical!AU!RPF 'verse fic. The fic that those fangirls would write, or their comments or metas.

What have the writers done?! They've trapped us in a recursive thingymabob of fandom! ;)

Me.

[harsens-rob.livejournal.com]

My personal feeling, tweeking the fanbase is best when done as an "aside" rather than being so blatant in that you base a whole episode on it.

This is my personal preference though, and I generally like the episode... especially both Jared's and Misha's ability to laugh at themselves and Jensen making fun of his name.

Re: Me.

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

Ah well, to each their own. Personally, I tend to love everything Ben Edlund puts to paper - it's that sort of absolutely ridiculous humour that gets me every time.

I agree with you that the best part of the episode was the casts ability to poke fun at themselves - I might be completely biased, because I'm Canadian (and that's a staple of the Canadian sense of humour) - but I find that EVERYTHING is better when people have a sense of humour about themselves.

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

Fair enough...they really did do all the natural disasters as quick lines in the last two episodes. But yeah, that IS probably why they brought them up here...

The altverse really is a sad place! No more Misha! (though he had boring tweets there anyway).

Everyone is going to get so confused as to how to label their fanfic now. :P

I think missyjack said it best, when she described it as being in a funhouse house of mirrors with a unicorn or something :P

[risenshine22.livejournal.com]

you've got me in stitches - again LOL!
I was wondering where the real fake Jensen and Jared from that universe were?
I loved how Dean missed his mark, because Jensen rarely does!
And the pics in the entrance hall? Gosh, they look just what I did to Jensen in that calendar I sent them! If they really used (and perfectioned) my idea, I so LUV it!

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

I was wondering where the real fake Jensen and Jared from that universe were?

Oh man, I forgot to mention that in the post, but I was wondering that also!

I LOVE those pics in the entrance hall! So awesomely hilarious. I told my friends that if I ever made millions of dollars and got a mansion, I'd commission similar works of myself...hahaha...

[risenshine22.livejournal.com]

mmh, do you think Jared and Gen were allowed to keep them?
I also loved the scene in Jensen's trailer with the Dean footage in the background - "really?"

[galwithglasses.livejournal.com]

If you watch the Dean footage long enough, he winks and then Sam sticks his head in the shot and winks like they do in gag reels.

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

Awesome! I want to watch it again :)

[katsheswims.livejournal.com]

I think Sam and Dean replaced/ were in the fake Jensen and Jared's bodies. Dean was wearing makeup and he definitely wasn't before falling through the window/portal.

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

Oh, good point!

[msninacat.livejournal.com]

(Totally furthering the theme of sexual assault against the male leads, I should add - just to go all serious on you for a second...these guys have been sexually assaulted more than...umm...I'll stop there so that I don't offend anyone).

I'm not offended I'm gonna hold onto that and wave it like a banner everytime the wank about violence against women on the show starts. THANK YOU!

I also think you guys should put maple leaves on everything. I love when I get a show clip and there's the rating box with half a maple leaf on it. LOL ♥

I agree with the above comment. There is NO WAY I can pick ONE favorite part. I do think there was not enough poking of the fans with a stick but they seemed to be more poking at themselves on this one so I can accept that. XD

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

I'm gonna hold onto that and wave it like a banner everytime the wank about violence against women on the show starts.

That's basically what I do! I think Sam and Dean are the most sexually assaulted people on TV.

I also think you guys should put maple leaves on everything.

Oh man, that police tape just killed me! Especially because I knew probably the rest of the world wouldn't even recognize it as a joke.

I love our little rating box too ;)

And yeah, I think they're a little bit shy at poking the fans too much, because they don't want to accidentally insult us...plus, they had Becky last season, and she was awesomesauce - it'd be hard to top her.

[zestyzorra.livejournal.com]

Such an awesome episode! XD I loved all of it, especially Misha simutaneously tweeting IRL but I think I laughed the hardest at the shot of Jared!Sam on the computer with the larger pic of Jared!Cowboy in the background. I can't wait for people to post screencaps so I can make that my new icon pronto!

And I also can't get over the part where THEY KILLED KRIPKE! lol reminds me of "THEY KILLED KENNY! YOU BASTARDS!" from South Park.

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

Oh man! I missed nearly all the dialog in that scene, I was laughing so hard at the visual of Sam sitting in front of that ridiculous photo.

Kripke's death was epic indeed! Haha, they should have had someone yell that :P

[zestyzorra.livejournal.com]

Haha, they should have had someone yell that :P

IKR!? But I think if that happened, the show would spontaneously combust from too much awesome! :P

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

Haha, true, you have to be careful when you're playing with that much fire ;)

[raloria.livejournal.com]

Did you notice they filmed all the outdoor "studio" stuff on the Watchman Set? Hee! Recognized it right away. ;)

What bridge did they go over? Someone said Granville, which would be awesome 'cause that's the one we've always come in on. *squee* But maybe it was Cambie? Not sure, even after looking at the video.

Btw, there was another Canada reference. In the alley where Misha is killed there's an ad on the back wall for an O, Canada Clothing Store or something like that. I'll have to grab a cap of it. Hee!

Loved reading your thoughts, as always. There was a lot going on in this one! :D

[kaybee751.livejournal.com]

We just frame-by-framed the bridge scene; it's Cambie for sure. BC Place's under-construction roof and the coloured stacks of the Olympic Village heat recovery system are to the right. Off to the left (at least in HD), you can see the Wall Centre in the distance - that's where VanCon is held. Awesome.

[raloria.livejournal.com]

Thanks for clarifying it. :)
I took another look myself and was pretty sure it was Cambie. Didn't quite look right for Granville.

Yeah, I know about the Wall Centre. I've been to both VanCons. ;)

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

That's the brilliant thing with this show - there were probably tons of little visual gags that I missed the first time though - heck, there were probably visual gags that only meant something to the cast and crew and we'll never understand the joke.

Like Serge being able to dodge bullets? Hahaha...

I think the only thing they filmed off studio was the motel at the end (the 2400) and the footage of Cambie bridge. Everything else was studio or the old Watchman set.

[marlowe78.livejournal.com]

Oh, while you're at the little things: did you see the alpaca-picture next to the wedding-photo? *wipes tears away*

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

I did! Hilarious! :D

Hmmmm... I like it, but I don't love it.

[harsens-rob.livejournal.com]

See the discussion over at 'The Patron Saint of Mediocrity' for comments on the episode... and don't take the page title as a general attitude. Both St. Salieri and I are fans of the show.

http://st-salieri.livejournal.com/368985.html

Re: Hmmmm... I like it, but I don't love it.

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

Ah well, nothing is ever perfect for everyone :) The important thing is that you still had a good time!

That's what I always find with Ben Edlund's episodes...no matter what happens in them, I can always be sure that I'll be entertained for a solid 42 minutes.

[purple-carpets.livejournal.com]

lol, my favorite part? how about all of it? Seriously, I havent't had this much fun watching tv in forever.

I think if I absolutely had to choose I'd go with "And then the scary man killed the attractive crying man." just because of the pure awesomeness.

Also, what was up with that blond guy randomly dodging bullets during Virgil's killing spree?

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty sure that the dude dodging bullets was the DP Serge Ladouceur. I have no idea why he has the ability to dodge bullets. As I just said in a comment above, I am sure there are jokes that are only for the cast and crew in this episode, and that's probably one of them.

Definitely an awesome episode. And yes, I agree, that line has got to be one of my favorites :)

[ikira.livejournal.com]

I just had two parts that I thought were subtle, but hilarious. At the end, when the assasin was shooting everyone, the French Canadian dodged two of his shots and ducked behind a wall just before Sam showed up, looking completely calm about it.

The other part is when Raphael dragged them back, they started to smash through the window, and then it freeze framed and cut to black, just like they suggested earlier :)

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

Haha, yes! I love those parts too! Especially because they were so subtle. :)

Just goes to show that you shouldn't try to shoot French Canadians - they're secret ninjas! Haha...such a good episode.

[franztastisch]

Everything about this was awesome. But I well did not notice that Gen had taken his name! *squishes them*

Also, Raphael gets the coolest hosts.

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

I didn't notice the first time either - my friend did though, and she has a PVR so she rewinded the show to point it out to me.

Raphael really does get the coolest hosts. I'll miss his ridiculously deep voice, but I must say that he's lady-vessel looks awesome and quite formidable! :)

[franztastisch]

I just love the fact that they've given a character that everyone assumes to be a male a female host. Cos really angels are pretty non-gender specific. I mean, Cas was Jimmy's daughter for a while, but that was made out to be due to necessity rather than anything else.

And she looked AWESOME. Raphael really does get the best hosts.

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

It's true. Personally, I think it's a clever f*ck you to the people who accuse the show of not having enough female characters - because really the angels ARE genderless (Dean repeatedly calls them junkless) and since the vessels are solely based on bloodlines, it doesn't matter what gender they are.

And Cas was totally willing to travel around in a little girl, if Jimmy hadn't begged him not to.

But yes, Raphael does have access to a very awesome bloodline :)

[mara-snh.livejournal.com]

I loved the slow-mo homage to a Clint Eastwood western (I forget which one) in the big shoot-'em-up. Kripke used to always have one scene like that in every ep before he handed the show over to Sera. So that was like a double-dipper tribute. Very cool.

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

Did he? Haha, I hadn't noticed. That's the cool thing about this episode, I bet there are tons of jokes in there for the writers/cast/crew that most of the audience will miss.

There were so many awesome parts - this is one episode that I think I could rewatch numerous times and not get sick of it.

[marlowe78.livejournal.com]

I was laughing so hard during this episode! It was soooo funny, and it was so cute. And even reading about it makes me giggle all over again.

My favorites were for one the angel-bashing the two had going. That was awesomely done, and looked much cooler than most of the flying-against-walls-stuff.

Second, I loved the make-up-line. Hated, though, that we STILL didn't get to see the freckles again *pouts*

Third, I liked Gen. She was good. And cute.

Fourth, the Cowboy-Jared *laughs hard*

Fifth, Misha's cardigan!

ah, man, I could go on and on and on.
I liked it. I liked a lot of it. Didn't like some parts, but well, since I can't recall them now, I think it wasn't that important.

Ah, well, I'm confused now if I should be miffed at Dean for being mean to Cas or if I should be miffed at Cas for being ominous and secretive and mean.

Oh, and btw, did you notice this one guy from the crew dodge the bullet (from the bad angel) like in "Matrix"? I don't know if that is somehow significant? Or what? Huh?

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

I liked all those things too!!

I think much like previous Dean - Sam fights, both Cas and Dean are at fault for their current sniping at each other.

Oh, and btw, did you notice this one guy from the crew dodge the bullet (from the bad angel) like in "Matrix"? I don't know if that is somehow significant? Or what? Huh?

I loved that! I'm also pretty sure that the stunt guy did a stunt-fall without actually being shot. I figure it's some inside joke with the crew...that Serge Ladouceur can dodge bullets or something :P Hahaha...don't mess with French-Canadians!