hells_half_acre | Quick Reaction: 7x05 Shut-Up, Dr. Phil

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Quick Reaction: 7x05 Shut-Up, Dr. Phil

Hello!

So, this episode was fun! And that's coming from someone who is actually NOT a Buffy fan. I know James Marsters best as Capt. John on an episode of Torchwood - and I know Charisma best as...uh, Cordelia from the very few episodes of Buffy and Angel that I have seen over the years, but still!

Oh, I should say that today's cut-text music is from Cordelia by the Tragically Hip, because it actually did come on my iPod on the walk home and I couldn't resist. Now of course, that song is referencing Cordelia from King Lear, but hey, whatever works! (And hey, at least Sam's sideburns aren't as bad as Gord Downie's in that video! Haha)

So, how did we start off? Oh yeah! Dean is sleeping. I love it when they sleep...only, Dean is dreaming (in film negative, that's gotta be disturbing), and he's dreaming about Cas dying and Sam going insane, and Dean killing Amy behind Sam's back....

And HE IS WEARING THE RED PLAID SHIRT OF ANGST! OH GOD! I WANT TO CAP IT NOOOOOWWWWW (but I won't, I will save that joy for next fall.)

And then we get the ACTUAL version of the exercise scene that Jared and Phil Sgriccia shared with us on twitter yesterday. It, of course, is far less ridiculous, but also doesn't have all the great references to Mary Lou Retton and Jane Fonda that Jensen threw in.

Oh wait, I missed talking about the hair-salon scene - that was gross! I love how Supernatural can be so disgusting without actually showing us anything. It just uses our imaginations against us, and our imaginations are HORRIBLE (or at least mine is.) I loved the hairstylist screaming though, he did that so well.

Anyway, weird deaths, so off the Winchesters go to beautiful Fort Langley! (Um, actually, I think it was Indiana, but Fort Langley happens to be my favourite small town around here and I like to drive out there on nice weekends and eat chocolate truffles and buy hats. (Ok, I only bought a hat once, but it's a very nice hat.)

Oh yeah, I also have to say that I love how Dean's search was for "Freaky accidents" - hahaha...I'm not sure "freaky" is an effective keyword, Dean.

So, interview interview...and then some other dude dies by being nailed in a port-a-potty (uh, not the sexy kind of nailing.) Again, they don't actually show us that much, but it's DISGUSTING. I also giggled at how the pot-a-potty was from "BM Disposals" haha, I'm apparently a twelve-year-old.

Eventually this all circles to Don Stark. I LOVED Dean's face when they panned back to him after Don's assistant left. Brilliant.

Sam takes off to "go to the bathroom" and instead discovers that only half the walk-in-closet is being used - save for a few left over witchy things. Ah ha! Witch! Of course, this episode was had SO MANY SPOILERS out that I already knew it was a War of the Roses deal and that Don was a witch too (warlock, whatever)...but it was still fun to watch despite knowing that twist.

I thought James Marsters and Charisma were fun to watch. Good job, them.

Of course, this whole time Dean is drinking...and Sam is worried and disapproving while trying not to piss Dean off, which is getting harder and harder.

Oh, also this whole time that Leviathan dude is following them...and uh, having very odd musical taste.

So, i won't go into the whole plot, because for the life of me I can't remember what happened when - but I loved Sam setting off the car alarm and then saying "sorry, restless leg syndrome" and the girl with the beating hearts in her cupcakes! Oh man, it's not often they ACTUALLY rescue someone. Seeing the aftermath was hilarious.

I love after they see the bust get destroyed and Dean has that line about "Killing his mistress is one thing, but destroying the man's commemorative bust? That's low." Or whatever the line was exactly.

I loved how disgusted they were by the chicken feet that had gone off.

I also love Dean calling Bobby and saying, "Hey Bobby, it's Dean. *pause* Winchester!! *pause* ha ha very funny."

Bobby really should have given those directions to Sam.

And finally, I love Sam and Dean trying to play therapist in order to not be killed. Dean, I think, probably goes a little too far into the Savage Love realm of relationship therapy.

The bees were a little TOO fake looking, especially on the long shot, but whatever - I'll forgive the show it's low budget for VFX.

And finally, I love that they don't kill the witches. Hopefully no one complains about that, because it isn't the first time they've HAD to let a witch go...and each time it's been an 800+ year old witch that was just too powerful for them to defeat.

Oh, little historian quibble - by the 1400s, everyone knew that the world was round...at least, anyone half-way educated. That's a common myth about Columbus - he wasn't laughed at for thinking the world was round, he was laughed at for thinking that it was much smaller than it is. If he hadn't found Central America, he and his whole crew would have starved to death.

Anyway, I also love the fact that Don Stark saves them at the end. When the Leviathan showed up, I was like "Oh shit! How are they going to get out of this one!" and then bam! Haha, witch to the rescue! They should befriend him and keep him around - handy. I also loved his line of "Ewww, what's that?!" and Sam/Dean saying "I guess we better find out."

So, a witch saves their lives not once, but twice in quick succession! And then gives them a leviathan to throw into a bottomless pit somewhere...so they're going to take it to Bobby, because apparently he might have something like that? I have no idea. I think they should keep it in the trunk, not the backseat, myself.

Finally, I like Sam trying to get Dean to talk at the end. I love Dean's line "The lindburgh baby, my fault! No jobs - my bad!" Haha, oh Dean, you break my heart yet make me laugh.

I love how the parallel monster story to Sam and Dean's story this week is about a marriage with poor communication. Homoerotic undertones again there boys...and they're not so much undertones.

I loved Sam's "I want to strangle him so bad right now" look at the very end.

But yeah, Sam and Dean are going to have to have it out soon, or Dean's going to give himself cirrhosis.

All in all, and amusing MOTW with nice tidbits of the myth-arc. Thoroughly enjoyable.

I'm sure I missed talking about a ton! So let me know if there's anything vital that you want to talk about in comments!!

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I was particularly gleeful over the GORE this week. Tiny beating hearts inside cupcakes esp!

This reminded me in some ways of Fallen Idols, which was also a MOTW but with one of the best Sam and Dean relationship talks in it. My fantasy is that Dean will come clean to Sam - and be absolutely astonished when Sam is angry but forgives him.

Also - Dean denied pie again. Also LOL - i love chicken's feet! And Jim again tweeted some great trivia.

Yes, I love it when Supernatural gets back to it's roots of disgusting us with the least amount of visuals possible.

And yes, that's my fantasy too - that Sam will be angry, and then just forgive him and try to work out his other issues too, and Dean will be amazed that he's not being abandoned or something.

Poor Dean and his tragic love-story with pie. :P

I saw enough chicken feet when I was in visiting my friend in China, that I don't think I'd be too grossed out by them - mind you, ROTTING chicken feet would probably drive me away by smell alone.

I love that Jim is tweeting trivia! It's so much fun. :)

Yay for James and Charisma, and can I just say, as a BtVS/AtS fan, Spike/Cordelia was a concept I've never considered.

I totally did a happy dance when I saw the Red Plaid Shirt of Angst. But then I felt sad because Dean has been doing far too much angsting. :(

On the Leviathan's weird music; the lyrics said something like 'dying on the inside, laughing on the outisde,' and I kinda thought that described how Dean has been right since season one. But that's probably me reading too much into things.

I really liked that episode!
I know, a lot of people won't but who cares, right? A lot of people watch Vampire Diaries...

Sorry.
Back to topic.

The PLAID! I wanted to huggle Dean in that plaid. I always want to do that.

And I saw the cut scene with Sam's workout already, so I couldn't help giggle during the "real" scene, imagining the other scene overlaid and yeah, FUN! I absolutely LOVE how they can act that strange, funny scene without breaking into unstoppable laughter.
*hascompetence-kink*

Also, those deaths? All were damn gruesome. Soo disgusting and scary, and yes, the hairdresser really screamed nicely *nods*

Oh yeah, I also have to say that I love how Dean's search was for "Freaky accidents" - hahaha...I'm not sure "freaky" is an effective keyword, Dean.

Well, I thought about it some. I think it would make utter sense if Ash, before he died, developed a hunter-usable (meaning: easy) search-engine. Where he has "freaky" explained to the poor search engine in ways it understands. Because really, what hunter (except Sam, who can also use google, and maybe Bobby?) is able to find the right keywords?

So yes, there is a totally logical explanation. I'm sure the search-engine can be downloaded from some website *nods* Hey, maybe the nerds from the Ghostfacers have the link?

I thought James Marsters and Charisma were fun to watch. Good job, them.
Oh yes! I especially liked Don's suave character. His confidence and maybe pride. And Charisma was also very good. I watched some Buffy and Angel (though I preferred Charisma as the spoiled cheerleader) but she really played the scorned wife well.

and the girl with the beating hearts in her cupcakes! Oh man, it's not often they ACTUALLY rescue someone. Seeing the aftermath was hilarious.

And dude, the face of that poor cupcake-girl when they suggested she and Don "you know" --- "Don and I? Eewwwwww"

:-D Not every perky, pretty assistant is having an affair with her boss. I liked that they didn't spread that cliché further.

The bees were a little TOO fake looking, especially on the long shot, but whatever - I'll forgive the show it's low budget for VFX.

Yeah, that's actually one of the few things I disliked. Why didn't they do something else beside bees? I mean, I totally understand that Jensen didn't want live bees in his face (again), but couldn't they have... dunno, maybe put an octopus on him? Or something?

And finally, I love that they don't kill the witches. Hopefully no one complains about that, because it isn't the first time they've HAD to let a witch go...and each time it's been an 800+ year old witch that was just too powerful for them to defeat.

Well, I'm more than sure that some will complain. I'm glad they didn't, because for one,Don saved their lives (twice), and also, they were WAY too powerful for them.
Only thing that makes me wonder is that Dean, apparently, doesn't have a problem with letting THEM go, when he had big problems with letting Amy go.
Why is that? Was Amy something special? Or was it just because he didn't trust Sam with having the right idea about her character? I'm leaning towards the second now... though it's not entirely satisfying.

I think they should keep it in the trunk, not the backseat, myself.

I'd agree, but the trunk is probably full with weapons? And duffle-bags?

I also liked the talk at the end, or better, the trying-to-talk. And though I thoroughly agree with Sam, I'm pretty sure that telling Sam what Dean's current problem IS will not help much in the way of lighting Dean's conscience...
So I understand that he can't tell Sam. And I still think it's not so much the fact that he killed AMY that bothers Dean, but that he did it behind Sam's back, lied to him and basically didn't trust him.

I wonder how that's gonna pan out.

On the Leviathan's weird music; the lyrics said something like 'dying on the inside, laughing on the outisde,' and I kinda thought that described how Dean has been right since season one. But that's probably me reading too much into things.

No, I thought so too. They fit too much to be accidental, I'd say :-)

it had its gross moments... but i SO loved this episode too! =)

I got a kick out of the fact that a man was the one who screamed upon gruesome discovery. If you enjoy beheadings by silver tray and death by nail gun, well, this was the episode for you! And honestly, because I saw no out for the brothers when they were confronted by Chet the Leviathan, I figured one of the witches would show up. Did not have any expectation who it would be but guessed that was the only way out of the situation. I'm also disappointed (and worried) 800 years is not enough to learn about Leviathans. That definitely hampers hunting and disposal. The emphasis on the drinking is certainly less subtle than it has been.

I loved the banter this week, the emphasis on Dean's drinking, the fun FUN guest stars and I can't help it, I kinda adored the hairdresser from the opening salon scene!

The ONE thing that truly bugged me about this ep, though, was that Dean felt he had to kill the good-hearted kitsune, but let the selfish, mean-spirited witch live. I'm really perplexed about that break in character. Theories? Explanations? Anyone?

but couldn't they have... dunno, maybe put an octopus on him? Or something?

Sorry that just really, really made me laugh. :D

It was a fun episode, but I do have two quibbles.

So they have a trussed up Leviathan in the back seat and are rushing it to Bobby,'s and Sam has to pause for a heart-to-heart before they get in the car? C'mon, Sam, don't you think you guys should get started? You can talk in the car, okay?

Bigger concern--800 year old witches who have killed at least 4 upstanding citizens get to go free while Amy who killed a few lowlifes to save her son's life has to die? That bothers me. Since you are good at meta, justify that for me?

I was genuinely surprised that I enjoyed the episode. The promo made it look like a Buffy-fan circle jerk and I'm not really into Buffy. But yeah, quite amusing! I love Sam running by the window in the background. I saw the alternate take beforehand, so I was ready for it, and it still makes me crack up as he races past!

The nail gun thing was just... *shudders*.

I like that Don Stark didn't know what the Leviathan was, but I was surprised that Sam and Dean didn't make the connection immidately after they shot him and he bled black ooze. And I liked that he was called Don Stark and was referred to as "Mr Stark" occasionally. Hahah Iron Man.

I really liked that particular Leviathan. He really reminded me of Chuck. Something about his face, but also something about his voice. But I just thought he was cool. I hope he comes back. Well he should do but you know.

Oh and I love Sam's increasing frustration with Dean for not talking, and his tiptoe-ing around the drinking issue.

Yeah, at first I thought the trunk was better, but they do have all their weapons in there so it would be a bad idea if the guy woke up early...

I'm also hoping that we might get the witches back. You know Sam and Dean have never killed a witch, ever (that we've seen).

Did Sam and Dean not really recognize the Leviathan as a Leviathan? It bled black. Or did they just not want to tell Don. He could have some info-he's really old!

Actually, though the Ash explanation is one possibility, I'd think there's a simpler sollution. Considering how many 'freaky' deaths would be considered almost funny or gruesomely interesting, there might actually be websites devoted to tracking stuff like that for people interested in that kind of stuff. And not nearly all of the people following those kind of sites would be hunters. (just check some of the lists on cracked)

I think it's more a case of being unable to kill the witch, rather than not wanting to kill them.

Oh, you're right. That's a much simpler solution *nod*

I liked my Ash-explanation, but you're right, there are a lot of sites in the net that focus on stuff like this. I'm sure the World Weekly News has its own site anyway :-D

No worries, I'm glad I made you laugh.

but they do have all their weapons in there so it would be a bad idea if the guy woke up early...

Hmmm, good point.

You know Sam and Dean have never killed a witch, ever (that we've seen).

That's true - I guess it was Ruby who killed the witches in Mallus Malificarum? When else have we had witches? Oh - they successfully killed one in It's The Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester, but sadly they were supposed to and then he got possessed by Samhain. :P

Did Sam and Dean not really recognize the Leviathan as a Leviathan? It bled black.

They knew it was a leviathan - I think Sam's "We should probably find that out" meant more "we should really find out how to kill these things and how they work." They know what they are called, and how they eat, and not much else. But as soon as it bled black, you could see the "oh shit" expressions on Sam and Dean's faces.

You are probably not reading too much into things. It was just funny to me that they had it playing while we saw shots of the leviathan. :P

Dean is angsting because Sam is not...the day the Winchesters figure out how to be happy at the same time is the day the series ends. ;)

The PLAID! I wanted to huggle Dean in that plaid. I always want to do that.

Me too. :)

I think it would make utter sense if Ash, before he died, developed a hunter-usable (meaning: easy) search-engine.

I know another theory is floated somewhere else in the comments - but I like this one too! Especially since Sam and Dean always use a service called "Search the web" which of course doesn't really exist - so it makes it more fun to think of it as a secret search engine that Ash made for Hunters.

Not every perky, pretty assistant is having an affair with her boss. I liked that they didn't spread that cliché further.

Yeah, I really liked how they played on our expectations like that.

but couldn't they have... dunno, maybe put an octopus on him? Or something?

Indeed. But, I guess they filmed it thinking they could make it look better, and then it was too late.

Only thing that makes me wonder is that Dean, apparently, doesn't have a problem with letting THEM go, when he had big problems with letting Amy go.
Why is that? Was Amy something special? Or was it just because he didn't trust Sam with having the right idea about her character? I'm leaning towards the second now... though it's not entirely satisfying.

You're confusing action with desire here. They let them go because they HAD to, there was no other choice. It doesn't mean that Dean didn't have a problem with it. Yes, I suppose the show could have stuck in a line like "damn, I wish we didn't have to let them go" or something - but I think we know the characters enough by now to know that they aren't happy about having to do it.

I'd agree, but the trunk is probably full with weapons? And duffle-bags?

True, and thanks to me, we know that the Winchester wardrobe takes up a lot of duffle-bags. :P

And I still think it's not so much the fact that he killed AMY that bothers Dean, but that he did it behind Sam's back, lied to him and basically didn't trust him.

Indeed, I agree. I mean, the very first episode of this season, Dean gave Sam a hard time for not being completely honest with him - and now Dean is not being honest with Sam, and it is definitely eating at him.

:) Yay! I thought it was witty and fun.

I got a kick out of the fact that a man was the one who screamed upon gruesome discovery.

Me too, I think they've only done that (to that extent) once before on the show.

I'm also disappointed (and worried) 800 years is not enough to learn about Leviathans.

This is the scary thing about Leviathans - basically, from what Death said, it sounds like they've been trapped in Purgatory since before the birth of mankind - which means that yeah, not even old people know how to deal with them.

The emphasis on the drinking is certainly less subtle than it has been.

Yeah, I'm happy about that - it's been a thread from nearly the beginning that has been getting steadily worse, and I'm glad they are amping it it, because it means they are going to deal with it.

Exactly! Thanks!

liliaeth points out, it's important not to confuse action with desire. He CAN'T kill the witch, whereas he COULD kill the kitsune. Just because he can't do something, doesn't mean that he's happy about letting it go.

Like I said in the post, they also had to let the last 800+ year-old witch they met go. I doubt Dean was happy about that either.

I loved the banter this week, the emphasis on Dean's drinking, the fun FUN guest stars and I can't help it, I kinda adored the hairdresser from the opening salon scene!

Oh man! Me too! It was a very fun episode.

C'mon, Sam, don't you think you guys should get started? You can talk in the car, okay?

Haha, very true - there is a time and a place, Sam!

800 year old witches who have killed at least 4 upstanding citizens get to go free while Amy who killed a few lowlifes to save her son's life has to die? That bothers me. Since you are good at meta, justify that for me?

Easy. Amy is easy to kill. The witches are FAR more powerful and much harder to kill - especially when they don't even have the element of surprise anymore. Like I said in the post, this isn't the first time they've had to let a 800+ year-old witch go. Just because they had to let them go, doesn't mean they are happy about it.

If you want, you could also see it as a commentary on our current society. The more powerful you are, the more crap you can get away with. :P

Also, um...well, not to be preachy or anything, but technically we SHOULDN'T be valuing the lives of upstanding citizens over lowlifes....though, I know we all do.

Certainly though, I'm sure this will drive Dean to more drinking...

The promo made it look like a Buffy-fan circle jerk and I'm not really into Buffy.

Yeah, this was what I was worried about too, because I also don't really like Buffy. I was pleasantly surprised!

Yeah, I was cringing that whole time and watching through my fingers - *shudders*

I think Sam and Dean DID know that he was a Leviathan when he bled black ooze - I thought the "I guess we should find out" comment was more of a "we need to find out how these things work so that we can kill him" - though, hey, maybe I'll be proven wrong in the next episode and they'll be surprised it's a leviathan or something. :P

Well, they don't know how to kill him, so he'll at least be in the next episode!!

I'm really interested to see where the story line with the drinking is going! :)

Oh. I totally didn't interpret it like that but I guess that could be it yeah.

I think that the Dean drinking thing will be like the Sam demon blood thing and I'll spend half the time wanting to shake him going WHY MUST YOU HURT ME SO? :(

I think that the Dean drinking thing will be like the Sam demon blood thing and I'll spend half the time wanting to shake him going WHY MUST YOU HURT ME SO? :(

Haha, yeah - this happens to me a lot too. We are all masochists, watching this show :P

Oh, yeah I forgot they shot the guy-for some reason I was thinking the girl had killed him after they let her loose. But we also see Patrick and his girlfriend in the poker episode, and Gary and his friends might be counted as witches because they did magic. Sam and Dean don't kill any of them. But that one guy ruins my theory...

Yeah, it seems SuperWiki also forgot about that one guy - because they are saying the same thing about them never killing witches. Still, you don't know how powerful a witch he was. I think it would have been quite easy for Sam and Dean to kill Gary and his friends - but they didn't because they had learned their lesson, or something, and the only person they had really tried to kill was Dean - and even then they did a poor job of it.

Maybe Dean's ire with letting the witches live didn't quite come through for me. Musing on, he's also got this line he draws between human and monster, despite the fact Sammy has a drop of demon in him. Humans deserve mercy; monsters get no quarter.

So I'll buy it, I s'pose!

Nah, it's not just you - I think they really could have used a line in there where he was pissed off about it. But I think he WAS...and you're right, Dean DOES have more mercy for humans. I mean, he basically says back in Bloodlust that he was raised to hate monsters with every fiber of his being, and he does. He's basically a monster-racist.

Wasn't there a monster that called him "racist" once? Or am I remembering fanfic somewhere...heh...

I think Ruby did it more than once. I'm not sure if a monster has ever done it though.

Yeah, they didn't kill Gary because they thought he learned his lesson and he actually didn't get anyone killed. And they didn't kill Patrick because they couldn't-he was too powerful. I imagine the guy witch they did kill just wasn't expecting them and maybe wasn't that powerful (despite being a few hundred years old apparently).

oh yes!

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Quick Reaction: 7x05 Shut-Up, Dr. Phil

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