Quick Reaction: 7x22 There Will Be Blood
May. 12th, 2012 12:17 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
hells_half_acreGood episode! Let's go straight to the cut...
Today's song cut-text song is Trickster by David Usher. It came on the iPod as I was walking home, and man, it's such a beautiful ugly song that I'm actually going to directly link to it for you guys. I'd forgotten how much I love it.
Okay, so, beginning at the beginning...where did we begin?
How about I begin with the Winchesters at the cabin. That sounds like a good plan. The Winchesters are sitting around giving themselves headaches while they puzzle over the Word as transcribed by Kevin Tran....um, boys, I saw the screen-shot, it didn't seem that complicated to me! :P
And Bobby agrees! I love the way both Jim Beaver and Jensen play the scene in the bathroom. It's beautifully done, because Bobby doesn't realize that he's not in his right mind (none of us do when we aren't in our right mind), and Dean doesn't want Bobby to not be...well, Bobby. He doesn't want Bobby to be a vengeful spirit, while at the same time, he can't deny the fact that he is...and Dean IS walking on egg shells around Bobby the way you do. I'm not sure if any of you have ever lived with someone who is prone to irrational and extreme mood-swings before, but I have (and they'd kill me if they read this despite the fact that they're much better now) and I can tell you that this scene (and subsequent scenes) ring VERY true.
The fact is that Dean and Sam are slowly becoming slaves to Bobby's moods...well, they WERE up until the point where they go against his wishes, but that's getting really far ahead.
Meanwhile, in a building...Oh I skipped the Dick interview...whatever, it was good. Point of fact though: If anyone reads John Green, or follows the vlogbrothers on youtube...you might know that in John Green's unpublished zombie novella, the zombie "virus" was spread by corn! I thought that was funny...great minds think alike! (Only, in John Green's novella, all the zombies wanted to do was plant and eat corn...only turning people so that there would be more people to plant corn.)
Where was I? Oh yeah...
Meanwhile, in a building...KEVIN TRAN IS STILL ALIVE! I will hold out hope that he will survive somehow! I knew Kevin was too good a person to take the Princeton bait...but, yeah, he's not going to let his mother die. Poor Kevin. My friend pointed out though (and this never even occurred to me, because I have what my family refers to as "The Honesty Disease")....Kevin may not have translated it CORRECTLY for the Leviathans. I guess only time will tell? I was actually surprised when the Leviathan let his mother go, to be honest, I fully expected them to kill her and possibly Kevin once they got the Word.
Now, mind you, they still HAVE Kevin...so, yeah...he's not safe yet. I really hope he survives. I LIKE Kevin.
Back to the Winchesters...they summon Crowley...who remains awesome. Crowley doesn't seem to know about Castiel still existing...interesting...unless this is some sort of test? Crowley always struck me as a Dumbledore figure (okay, I know that sounds weird...but I just mean that Dumbledore ALWAYS knew the full picture)...though, if Crowley HAD known about Cas, he probably would have made a move on him long before now, so odds are he's not lying.
Interesting that he'll only give his blood after everyone else has though (and they get the bone, presumably)...it means at SOME point, they'll have to answer the question as to where they got the angel blood. Did Crowley not notice the angel proofing on the cabin? Seems odd, doesn't it? Maybe not...
Anywho...they now have a town in North Dakota permanently carved into their kitchen table. That's going to be a bitch to clean.
Off they go!
The zombie apocalypse has already begun!
Before we get there though, I like Sam's "drinky drinky" signal to indicate that he wants to speak to Dean alone.
But then, CORN-SYRUP ZOMBIES! The only thing the Winchesters can eat are bananas! And Dean discovers the truth about the food industry in America - "natural" doesn't actually mean natural, and high fructose corn-syrup is in everything even though it's horrifically bad for you, even before the Leviathan's tampered with it! (In Canada, there are different rules...it's why Coke tastes better here..,.also Mountain Dew isn't caffeinated in Canada, although it remains disgusting. Though, I guess that brings up an interesting question about how Leviathans are going to zombify the rest of the world, given the different food laws...but, I guess they'll cross that bridge when they come to it and most viewers aren't going to question this.)
Off the the Vampire nest! Only to discover that zombified humans kill vampires! Oh man, if only it didn't turn people into zombies...that'd be a great way to get rid of vampires (or at least turn them all onto eating animals...though, I think eventually the animals would get infected too.)
Hidden room!
Hidden pink room!
Immediately, we were all like "It's a trap!" and we were right...still, the girl paints an convincing picture...probably because it's the truth. Also, it makes a lot of sense...if I were an Alpha, I'd definitely domesticate my food source (actually I believe my forefathers domesticated our food source sometime in the thousands BCE...so, yeah, makes sense. And really, that's what the Leviathans are doing too, they're just mechanizing it. Much like the Nazis took killing to a whole other level when they basically put it on the train-lines and conveyor belts...not that I'm comparing modern day slaughter-houses to the holocaust or anything, but I'm just saying that the Leviathans are only "improving" on practices already put in place)
I keep getting off on tangents - I'm really sorry.
BACK TO THE TRAP!
The girl knows where the Alpha might be. So they take off...woo!
Then Edgar shows up! And finds the location immediately!
I really find it hilarious that Sam and Dean can only eat fruit and veggies. All this time, Sam's been preparing for the corn-syrup zombie apocalypse by acquiring a taste for salads, and we didn't even know. I really love fruit and veggies, so I kept getting distracted by the delicious radishes....mmm...radishes. Have you ever had radishes dipped in honey? I only have once, a long time ago, but, as I remember it, it was a taste sensation.
Smart Winchesters realized that they don't need deadman's blood anymore, because they have an anti-vamp venom in the zombie-blood. I love Sam thinking that he's already making an unbelievable con, and then realizing that even THAT is too complicated for the zombie-guy to follow...and then Dean is just like "give us your blood!" and pulls out a NEEDLE! Hahah, DEAN! Why do you just HAPPEN to have a needle in your jacket pocket?!
Sidenote: Hey Dean, nice new leather jacket! You look so good in brown leather, my friend...so very very good.
And we're off yet again!
They leave Bobby in the hotel room, and he's not happy...and yeah...this is Sam and Dean sticking to their guns despite the fear of what Bobby might do, and I commend them for it.
And then we get the reveal that yes, it WAS a trap...or at least a spy. The girl is "stockholm syndrome" or likes the Alpha's voice as much as I do...either way, she's not what she seems. And off she goes!
Bobby's freakout is awesome. What are the orders he tries? Dean's birthday, Sam's birthday...then finally his birthday. It makes me wonder if anyone would ever be able to crack any of my passwords - because I'll tell you right now, they are not that simple!
Then the maid comes in and....you know, when Sam and Dean passed her in the hall, I thought she might be a leviathan in disguise or a Vamp or something...but no, she's sadly just a victim. And then she's BOBBY, leaking ectoplasm from her eyeballs. Poor girl. Cool effect they did with the voice. I wonder how long Bobby can keep up this level of strength for? I mean, he seems to be increasing in power very very quickly. I think it's because he's gone from using zen to using rage, and that might be decaying him faster as well.
Let's rejoin the Winchesters...
True to character, Sam decides their best approach is "let's just talk to the monsters, I'm sure they'll be reasonable." The jump-scare when he walked in the door and then was pulled violently to the side totally got me. I always fall for the jump-scares.
And...ALPHA VAMP!
I have to say, Rick Worthy is just so good as the Alpha Vamp. HIS VOICE! I love his voice. It's just...yeah...old and deep and it DOES things to me.
And I like the fact that he brings up the fact that the Winchesters were armed to the teeth. It's an interesting alliance...or, whatever...that they're trying to form here. I don't blame the Alpha Vamp for being skeptical. Also, that vampire smacking Dean down on the table was BRUTAL! I don't know how they did that stunt, but my god, it was well done. I also love Dean's reaction to it...which was to obviously try to stay cool and collected even though it must have hurt like a sonovabitch.
There's a little boy too! Yeah...they're really good at making the Alpha Vamp both this sort of...polite old creature...while also making him a monster that parents warn their children about. He'll snatch kids from playgrounds and...well, drink their blood, but vampire-blood-sucking has been a metaphor for far too many centuries for us to ignore the hidden meanings. So, yeah, creepiest of the creeps. "Your skin is crawling" indeed...but I'm getting ahead of myself again...
Dean and Sam are sent off to the study when Edgar arrives, though it's obvious they've been there. I love how Dean really hits the nail on the head with his line about how they're dealing with a creature that's survived on their own for so long they don't realize that there is no guarantee that they're continue to do so. It makes me wonder if Dean's insight is because he's smart (because he is), or if it's a slight leftover from when Dean was momentarily a vampire.
And while I'm talking about that line, I just have to jump back a moment and say how much I loved the Alpha Vamp's line about just how long he's survived "the continental divide"...it's for this reason that I'm REALLY glad that they cast a black man. White people are a later mutation (as are everyone other colour of people) and it just wouldn't make sense for a creature that old (who is meant to resemble a human) to have any other skin colour than black. Also, Rick Worthy is just so awesome at his job.
Okay...so, the Alpha and Edgar talk...and Edgar comes clean about the fact that Dick was lying. They want to get rid of the competition. It's very animal-kingdom. It's why lions kill cheetah cubs (seriously, they do, it's heartbreaking). It's why humans kill wolves and coyotes (which is also hearbreaking).
And yeah, a leviathan kicking around an ALPHA is a pretty scary thing...like them killing the angels...you don't realize it until it happens, but it's kind of terrifying to see evidence that the leviathans really are more powerful than the most powerful beings that have been on the show so far.
It makes me wonder how they're going to get close to Dick...though, I'm thinking Bobby is going to come into play there.
The Winchesters save the day! Edgar is decapitated and the alpha gives them his blood...and the boy. I'm not sure the Winchesters should have pressed their luck there, but I guess they actually have hearts - unlike me, I'm dead inside (although I love Kevin Tran...and cheetahs and wolves.)
They should really stock up on more zombie-blood before they stop Dick and everyone goes back to normal.
Speaking of which, if this season is about taking things away from the boys until they are left with absolutely nothing...uh, I think they've accomplished that, because now they can't even EAT FOOD. :P
I'm assuming the boys drop the kid off at a police station or something, because he's not with them when they get back to the motel and discover that Bobby's gone. Again, I wonder how far Bobby will get...
I can't believe there's just one episode left. They still have to get Crowley's blood...and Crowley is apparently trapped with Dick roman (and that can't be good)...and probably Dick KNOWS that Crowley is an essential ingredient in his demise and is going to keep him nice and safe until he neutralizes the threat.
Also, we still don't know where the bone is coming from...Sam and Dean don't qualify as righteous/pure men anymore, and everyone they know is dead...also, how big does the bone have to be? You sort of need your bones. So...are they going to have to get the bone, then break into Dick HQ and rescue Crowley for his blood, and THEN find Dick?
What storylines are carrying over to S8? I sort of expected Dick to get iced at the end of this season...but seasons always end on a cliff-hanger, so what's this one going to be? Am I wrong is Dick going to stick around? (Truth be told, I'm not too thrilled about that possibility, I don't think they can go anywhere else with him). Is the storyline going to be about Bobby? Cas? Crowley? Meg? ...or is the Alpha Vamp right and we really will "see [him] next season"?
Oh, I guess I skipped over that line. It was great...but what I really liked was the Alpha explaining how Dean and Sam's skin was crawling...how it was taking everything they had not to kill him when they had the chance. I sort of like the idea of stuff...being in your blood, I suppose...of the thought that Hunters hunt and Monsters kill...and for either not to do those things goes against some sort of fundamental nature. I know it's kind of a bleak outlook, but I like it...mind you, I also like when you have episodes like Bloodlust where Dean acknowledges that they've been trained to hate "monsters" and that might not always be right...mind you, that was S2 and Dean was seriously worried that he'd have to kill his brother, so he was probably looking for exceptions to the rule. I'm getting way off topic again.
Anyway, I'd ask you how you think the final episode is going to play out, but in truth, everyone has different spoiler policies and mine is stricter than most - I don't want one of you to accidentally let something slip.
So, as usual, let me know if I missed anything that you desperately want to talk about!
Today's song cut-text song is Trickster by David Usher. It came on the iPod as I was walking home, and man, it's such a beautiful ugly song that I'm actually going to directly link to it for you guys. I'd forgotten how much I love it.
Okay, so, beginning at the beginning...where did we begin?
How about I begin with the Winchesters at the cabin. That sounds like a good plan. The Winchesters are sitting around giving themselves headaches while they puzzle over the Word as transcribed by Kevin Tran....um, boys, I saw the screen-shot, it didn't seem that complicated to me! :P
And Bobby agrees! I love the way both Jim Beaver and Jensen play the scene in the bathroom. It's beautifully done, because Bobby doesn't realize that he's not in his right mind (none of us do when we aren't in our right mind), and Dean doesn't want Bobby to not be...well, Bobby. He doesn't want Bobby to be a vengeful spirit, while at the same time, he can't deny the fact that he is...and Dean IS walking on egg shells around Bobby the way you do. I'm not sure if any of you have ever lived with someone who is prone to irrational and extreme mood-swings before, but I have (and they'd kill me if they read this despite the fact that they're much better now) and I can tell you that this scene (and subsequent scenes) ring VERY true.
The fact is that Dean and Sam are slowly becoming slaves to Bobby's moods...well, they WERE up until the point where they go against his wishes, but that's getting really far ahead.
Meanwhile, in a building...Oh I skipped the Dick interview...whatever, it was good. Point of fact though: If anyone reads John Green, or follows the vlogbrothers on youtube...you might know that in John Green's unpublished zombie novella, the zombie "virus" was spread by corn! I thought that was funny...great minds think alike! (Only, in John Green's novella, all the zombies wanted to do was plant and eat corn...only turning people so that there would be more people to plant corn.)
Where was I? Oh yeah...
Meanwhile, in a building...KEVIN TRAN IS STILL ALIVE! I will hold out hope that he will survive somehow! I knew Kevin was too good a person to take the Princeton bait...but, yeah, he's not going to let his mother die. Poor Kevin. My friend pointed out though (and this never even occurred to me, because I have what my family refers to as "The Honesty Disease")....Kevin may not have translated it CORRECTLY for the Leviathans. I guess only time will tell? I was actually surprised when the Leviathan let his mother go, to be honest, I fully expected them to kill her and possibly Kevin once they got the Word.
Now, mind you, they still HAVE Kevin...so, yeah...he's not safe yet. I really hope he survives. I LIKE Kevin.
Back to the Winchesters...they summon Crowley...who remains awesome. Crowley doesn't seem to know about Castiel still existing...interesting...unless this is some sort of test? Crowley always struck me as a Dumbledore figure (okay, I know that sounds weird...but I just mean that Dumbledore ALWAYS knew the full picture)...though, if Crowley HAD known about Cas, he probably would have made a move on him long before now, so odds are he's not lying.
Interesting that he'll only give his blood after everyone else has though (and they get the bone, presumably)...it means at SOME point, they'll have to answer the question as to where they got the angel blood. Did Crowley not notice the angel proofing on the cabin? Seems odd, doesn't it? Maybe not...
Anywho...they now have a town in North Dakota permanently carved into their kitchen table. That's going to be a bitch to clean.
Off they go!
The zombie apocalypse has already begun!
Before we get there though, I like Sam's "drinky drinky" signal to indicate that he wants to speak to Dean alone.
But then, CORN-SYRUP ZOMBIES! The only thing the Winchesters can eat are bananas! And Dean discovers the truth about the food industry in America - "natural" doesn't actually mean natural, and high fructose corn-syrup is in everything even though it's horrifically bad for you, even before the Leviathan's tampered with it! (In Canada, there are different rules...it's why Coke tastes better here..,.also Mountain Dew isn't caffeinated in Canada, although it remains disgusting. Though, I guess that brings up an interesting question about how Leviathans are going to zombify the rest of the world, given the different food laws...but, I guess they'll cross that bridge when they come to it and most viewers aren't going to question this.)
Off the the Vampire nest! Only to discover that zombified humans kill vampires! Oh man, if only it didn't turn people into zombies...that'd be a great way to get rid of vampires (or at least turn them all onto eating animals...though, I think eventually the animals would get infected too.)
Hidden room!
Hidden pink room!
Immediately, we were all like "It's a trap!" and we were right...still, the girl paints an convincing picture...probably because it's the truth. Also, it makes a lot of sense...if I were an Alpha, I'd definitely domesticate my food source (actually I believe my forefathers domesticated our food source sometime in the thousands BCE...so, yeah, makes sense. And really, that's what the Leviathans are doing too, they're just mechanizing it. Much like the Nazis took killing to a whole other level when they basically put it on the train-lines and conveyor belts...not that I'm comparing modern day slaughter-houses to the holocaust or anything, but I'm just saying that the Leviathans are only "improving" on practices already put in place)
I keep getting off on tangents - I'm really sorry.
BACK TO THE TRAP!
The girl knows where the Alpha might be. So they take off...woo!
Then Edgar shows up! And finds the location immediately!
I really find it hilarious that Sam and Dean can only eat fruit and veggies. All this time, Sam's been preparing for the corn-syrup zombie apocalypse by acquiring a taste for salads, and we didn't even know. I really love fruit and veggies, so I kept getting distracted by the delicious radishes....mmm...radishes. Have you ever had radishes dipped in honey? I only have once, a long time ago, but, as I remember it, it was a taste sensation.
Smart Winchesters realized that they don't need deadman's blood anymore, because they have an anti-vamp venom in the zombie-blood. I love Sam thinking that he's already making an unbelievable con, and then realizing that even THAT is too complicated for the zombie-guy to follow...and then Dean is just like "give us your blood!" and pulls out a NEEDLE! Hahah, DEAN! Why do you just HAPPEN to have a needle in your jacket pocket?!
Sidenote: Hey Dean, nice new leather jacket! You look so good in brown leather, my friend...so very very good.
And we're off yet again!
They leave Bobby in the hotel room, and he's not happy...and yeah...this is Sam and Dean sticking to their guns despite the fear of what Bobby might do, and I commend them for it.
And then we get the reveal that yes, it WAS a trap...or at least a spy. The girl is "stockholm syndrome" or likes the Alpha's voice as much as I do...either way, she's not what she seems. And off she goes!
Bobby's freakout is awesome. What are the orders he tries? Dean's birthday, Sam's birthday...then finally his birthday. It makes me wonder if anyone would ever be able to crack any of my passwords - because I'll tell you right now, they are not that simple!
Then the maid comes in and....you know, when Sam and Dean passed her in the hall, I thought she might be a leviathan in disguise or a Vamp or something...but no, she's sadly just a victim. And then she's BOBBY, leaking ectoplasm from her eyeballs. Poor girl. Cool effect they did with the voice. I wonder how long Bobby can keep up this level of strength for? I mean, he seems to be increasing in power very very quickly. I think it's because he's gone from using zen to using rage, and that might be decaying him faster as well.
Let's rejoin the Winchesters...
True to character, Sam decides their best approach is "let's just talk to the monsters, I'm sure they'll be reasonable." The jump-scare when he walked in the door and then was pulled violently to the side totally got me. I always fall for the jump-scares.
And...ALPHA VAMP!
I have to say, Rick Worthy is just so good as the Alpha Vamp. HIS VOICE! I love his voice. It's just...yeah...old and deep and it DOES things to me.
And I like the fact that he brings up the fact that the Winchesters were armed to the teeth. It's an interesting alliance...or, whatever...that they're trying to form here. I don't blame the Alpha Vamp for being skeptical. Also, that vampire smacking Dean down on the table was BRUTAL! I don't know how they did that stunt, but my god, it was well done. I also love Dean's reaction to it...which was to obviously try to stay cool and collected even though it must have hurt like a sonovabitch.
There's a little boy too! Yeah...they're really good at making the Alpha Vamp both this sort of...polite old creature...while also making him a monster that parents warn their children about. He'll snatch kids from playgrounds and...well, drink their blood, but vampire-blood-sucking has been a metaphor for far too many centuries for us to ignore the hidden meanings. So, yeah, creepiest of the creeps. "Your skin is crawling" indeed...but I'm getting ahead of myself again...
Dean and Sam are sent off to the study when Edgar arrives, though it's obvious they've been there. I love how Dean really hits the nail on the head with his line about how they're dealing with a creature that's survived on their own for so long they don't realize that there is no guarantee that they're continue to do so. It makes me wonder if Dean's insight is because he's smart (because he is), or if it's a slight leftover from when Dean was momentarily a vampire.
And while I'm talking about that line, I just have to jump back a moment and say how much I loved the Alpha Vamp's line about just how long he's survived "the continental divide"...it's for this reason that I'm REALLY glad that they cast a black man. White people are a later mutation (as are everyone other colour of people) and it just wouldn't make sense for a creature that old (who is meant to resemble a human) to have any other skin colour than black. Also, Rick Worthy is just so awesome at his job.
Okay...so, the Alpha and Edgar talk...and Edgar comes clean about the fact that Dick was lying. They want to get rid of the competition. It's very animal-kingdom. It's why lions kill cheetah cubs (seriously, they do, it's heartbreaking). It's why humans kill wolves and coyotes (which is also hearbreaking).
And yeah, a leviathan kicking around an ALPHA is a pretty scary thing...like them killing the angels...you don't realize it until it happens, but it's kind of terrifying to see evidence that the leviathans really are more powerful than the most powerful beings that have been on the show so far.
It makes me wonder how they're going to get close to Dick...though, I'm thinking Bobby is going to come into play there.
The Winchesters save the day! Edgar is decapitated and the alpha gives them his blood...and the boy. I'm not sure the Winchesters should have pressed their luck there, but I guess they actually have hearts - unlike me, I'm dead inside (although I love Kevin Tran...and cheetahs and wolves.)
They should really stock up on more zombie-blood before they stop Dick and everyone goes back to normal.
Speaking of which, if this season is about taking things away from the boys until they are left with absolutely nothing...uh, I think they've accomplished that, because now they can't even EAT FOOD. :P
I'm assuming the boys drop the kid off at a police station or something, because he's not with them when they get back to the motel and discover that Bobby's gone. Again, I wonder how far Bobby will get...
I can't believe there's just one episode left. They still have to get Crowley's blood...and Crowley is apparently trapped with Dick roman (and that can't be good)...and probably Dick KNOWS that Crowley is an essential ingredient in his demise and is going to keep him nice and safe until he neutralizes the threat.
Also, we still don't know where the bone is coming from...Sam and Dean don't qualify as righteous/pure men anymore, and everyone they know is dead...also, how big does the bone have to be? You sort of need your bones. So...are they going to have to get the bone, then break into Dick HQ and rescue Crowley for his blood, and THEN find Dick?
What storylines are carrying over to S8? I sort of expected Dick to get iced at the end of this season...but seasons always end on a cliff-hanger, so what's this one going to be? Am I wrong is Dick going to stick around? (Truth be told, I'm not too thrilled about that possibility, I don't think they can go anywhere else with him). Is the storyline going to be about Bobby? Cas? Crowley? Meg? ...or is the Alpha Vamp right and we really will "see [him] next season"?
Oh, I guess I skipped over that line. It was great...but what I really liked was the Alpha explaining how Dean and Sam's skin was crawling...how it was taking everything they had not to kill him when they had the chance. I sort of like the idea of stuff...being in your blood, I suppose...of the thought that Hunters hunt and Monsters kill...and for either not to do those things goes against some sort of fundamental nature. I know it's kind of a bleak outlook, but I like it...mind you, I also like when you have episodes like Bloodlust where Dean acknowledges that they've been trained to hate "monsters" and that might not always be right...mind you, that was S2 and Dean was seriously worried that he'd have to kill his brother, so he was probably looking for exceptions to the rule. I'm getting way off topic again.
Anyway, I'd ask you how you think the final episode is going to play out, but in truth, everyone has different spoiler policies and mine is stricter than most - I don't want one of you to accidentally let something slip.
So, as usual, let me know if I missed anything that you desperately want to talk about!
