Quick Reaction: 7x22 There Will Be Blood

[hells_half_acre]

Good 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fact though: If anyone reads John Green, or follows the vlogbrothers on youtube...you might know that in John Green's unpublished zombie novella, the zombie "virus" was spread by corn!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!

Comments

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

Or maybe Dean snagged it out of his Dad's duffle and kept it in HIS (not being of age to buy them himself) and then Sam stole it from Dean... that's probably more likely.

[mekina.livejournal.com]

I can definitely imagine that! That probably is what would have happened. :) The idea of Dean stealing the magazine from John, then Sam taking it from Dean... It's just adorable.

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

Haha, it really is adorable. I think that'll be my new head-canon. :)

[marlowe78.livejournal.com]

Well, it's NOT cheese. It doesn't taste like cheese at all - not even cottage-cheese or anything that is used to describe it. It is more or less tasteless. Well... no, but neutral. But it doesn't matter, because I'm sure it's not easily available in Canada.

I know about Danone because it's like THE brand for milk-products over here. It's huge... would make a good company to acquire for our Dick ;-)

[bard2003.livejournal.com]

9 is young, but 13? esspesialy that if i remember correctly sam was teasing dean in 1 or 2 seasones about loosing his virginity at 13 or 14? may be it was sam trying to be more like his brother? even if phisicly he was too young?

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

Fair enough - I should have said that I'm picky when it comes to any dairy product whatsoever. :P

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

I don't remember the teasing. If you can think of the episode, let me know. But true, Sam could just be curious...I think I was 10 when I read my first porno-mag...but, I don't know, the look on Sam's face when they were talking about it seemed more of a "how awkward that we all jerked off to the same magazine" kind of face. :P

[bard2003.livejournal.com]

about yogurt... (sorry prof curiocity) muller, yople or danone? ;)

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

In Germany? I never paid attention to brands there, sadly, because I knew that I could just go into the store and pick up any brand, and it'd taste good.

In Canada - Activia by Danone and Liberte.

[mekina.livejournal.com]

My head canon includes the two of them watching Dirty Dancing together. XD (I love that thought, and after all, Dean used a line from the movie, and Sam knew it was a line from the movie, so. Hee.)

[katsheswims.livejournal.com]

Interesting.

I actually had no idea until 5 minutes ago that Dean's original jacket was stolen in real life-I just read it on Superwiki when they mentioned his new coat. Sad as I am to see the old one go this new one looks great. (I thought 'Dean' ie writers decided to have him give up the old jacket for some reason and not tell us.)

I completely agree with your end of season theories-they match with what I was thinking. Now we'll have to see what happens.

[borgmama1of5.livejournal.com]

Lat week's and this week's episodes felt like they were incomplete, and I don't think I will be able to appreciate them fully until the finale when it all (hopefully) comes together...

It would have been nice if some of these plot twists had been spread out a little more instead of feeling hurriedly shoved into place...but tv is a different animal than a book and with so many writers, it's probably a miracle that we get as much consistancy as we do...

I totally missed the police/returning little boy interaction. One of the Js said something in a recent con about having a problem with a scene where, as written, they left a young hostage behind, and they actually called CA to say Sam and Dean would have rescued the kid, and they demanded it be rewritten. I am assuming this was the kid they were referring to.

In agreement with your speculations.

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

Interesting! I had not heard that story about the Js getting the scene rewritten. I'm kind of proud of them for that - as much as I think Sam and Dean were pressing their luck, it WOULD have been out of character for them to leave the boy.

Although I thought that last week's and this week's episodes were great, and although they feel complete to me...I also think that this year the pacing of the show has been off. I'm really hoping that they correct it for next season, because it's rather frustrating. They had a similar problem in S5, but I don't remember it being quite this bad.

[percysowner.livejournal.com]

Speaking of dead people, do you think an Observant Jewish Black Hunter would qualify as a righteous light man? I'd like Rufus's death to be more than just a loss and he wasn't given a traditional hunter's funeral.

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

Oooo...I like that idea! (though, that probably means that they won't do it. :P )

[morganlucas41.livejournal.com]

Great review! I liked the ep too, but didn't have a whole lot of thoughts about it - it's definitely a lead-up to the finale, but I'm excited for that.

One quick thing, about Bobby and the hotel maid. Did you think that was just regular ghost possession, then? When I saw the black goo I immediately thought leviathan. And IIRC, she said something like "just borrowing you for a minute" (haven't rewatched yet). So I sort of assumed a leviathan had "possessed" Bobby or something to that effect.

If it's still Bobby in control, then to me that's better, but I'm really not sure! So it's definitely interesting.

And also, yes, *loved* Dean's new jacket, lol :)

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

I think it's definitely Bobby possessing the girl. If you think back to After School Special in S4 - when ghosts possess people, they leave ectoplasm behind, and it's coincidentally black like Leviathan blood. The line of "just borrowing you for a minute" was definitely Bobby talking to the girl, and not the girl talking to Bobby.

[morganlucas41.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that makes sense, and I like that idea better. That way Bobby's still in control, and I'd much rather the leviathans not have him, of course. I guess it's been so long since we've seen ectoplasm that I didn't even think of it!

[metallidean-grl.livejournal.com]

Interesting comment you make about the boys being prone to Bobby's moods. I hadn't thought of it that way before, but there is truth to that. They can't really talk anymore because they fear Bobby is around listening in, and then when they do want to talk, they make sure they are away from the flask. So, yea, being a slave to Bobby now is very true. I agree that with the end of this season Bobby's story has run it's course and he needs to go. Oh gosh, I hope he goes. He has to go.

I also hope that Kevin Tran is alive. And wouldn't that be great if he did mis-translate it a little for Dick. Sadly, I don't think that will be the case. I think Kevin was too afraid for himself, and for his mother, to think his situation through and think to mis-translate some of the writings. It would be great if he did though.

Funny comment you make about Mt. Dew. That is my favorite soda and the main one that I drink.

I loved AlphaVamp's and Edgar's conversation. It was such a great game of chess until Edgar finally revealed himself. And then Dean and Sam with the Alpha. It did make your skin crawl that they were kinda in an unholy alliance to take out Edgar. But these were all awesome scenes and so well done. Then the fact that Dean and Sam insist on taking the little boy with them, that is so Dean and Sam, and it would have felt off if they left without him. I read in the other comments about what J2 said at JIBCon. I hadn't heard that, so that was fun information to know about. I also love it that Jensen and Jared called California and insist on a rewrite that they leave with the boy. These two do definitely know their characters.

I felt this was a good setup to the season finale and there is a lot to do in this episode. I also wonder how they will get it all done. I fear that Bobby will get in the way with his vengeance, and I hope that Dick gets his due in this episode and that we won't be seeing him again next year. But, it could end up with some big cliffie and then we see Dick in only the first episode and then he is gone, for good. I have no idea how this is going to end. I'm just very excited for it. It should be good.

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

Agreed on all points! (Except, obviously, Mountain Dew, which I still think is gross. :P )

I'm really hoping the wrap up both the Bobby storyline and the Dick storyline...but it may indeed be a cliff-hanger, ala S6, where we have to wait until the fall to actually see them go. It'll be a LONG summer.

[metallidean-grl.livejournal.com]

I was thinking the same thing about the cliffie, that both Dick/Leviathans and Bobby will be gone, but that we have to wait for the beginning of S8 to actually see them gone, and then with them being gotten rid of at the beginning it will set off the new arc for S8. I guess we will all find out soon enough, won't we. Man, Friday cannot get here soon enough.

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

I hope that's the case...as much as a cliffhanger will be torture.

I can't believe it all wraps up this Friday...where does the time go! :P

[metallidean-grl.livejournal.com]

From what all the producers have teased us, it does sound like the cliffhanger will be torture. But at least we have a S8 to look forward to. And agreed, where has the time gone. It is very hard to believe we are already wrapping up S7. It feels like we were just getting started in many ways. Too bad we can't have new episdoes year-round. **heavy sigh**

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

Haha, yeah...though I'm sure the production crew are happy for the vacation. ;)

[metallidean-grl.livejournal.com]

Yea, the production crew, the writers, the directors, but mostly, Jensen and Jared, I am sure, are most welcome for the 3 month break, after all the long hours they put in on a weekly basis.