Rewatch S8 8x04 Bitten

[hells_half_acre]

Okay, I lied... I remembered that the next episode was bitten - and since it's really a complete and utter standalone, I figured it actually wouldn't take me too long to get through it and I might as well do it today.

Bitten

It's really an experiment in what they can do with an episode and not really about Sam and Dean at all.

It's interesting the way they do it too, because they set up the underdog guy... like he's supposed to have your sympathy, but really, he's the douchebag in the scenario. He makes himself out to be the victim, the poor "nice guy", so that he doesn't have to be responsible for his own behaviour... he can convince himself that his hunky best friend stole his girl, and doesn't deserve her because he's dumb, and only got her because he's good-looking. Whereas the poor "nice guy" is actually the one who makes cutting comments about girls while filming them across the room - doesn't apologize for (hunky best friend does) and basically is the one who is judgymcjudgerson about his best friend... not to mention doesn't consider his dreamgirl's, Kate's, choice in any of this. He doesn't respect her choice in choosing Michael over him, and he doesn't respect her choice to not become a werewolf.

If anyone is actually the poor nice guy who finishes last, it's actually blonde hunky guy, Michael.

We also get a nice outsider POV on Sam and Dean of course - though it's mostly used for little digs at them (and the fandom):

"Is it just me or are you getting a work-place romance vibe from those two?"

Anyway, it's actually the professor that makes Sam and Dean arrive in town - then he bites Michael so that they'll kill him instead... what a douche.

Meanwhile Michael refuses to give Brian the bite because he doesn't know what the bite even means, and despite having a bit of fun with it, is actually fairly terrified about the changes to himself.

Sam and Dean come by and surprisingly DON'T notice that Brian is sketchymcsketcherson.

They do the transformation pretty cool in this episode.

It's a bit of a stretch that EVERY student involved in this episode just happens to be absolutely obsessed with filming every aspect of their life. :P

Also, Kate immediately goes into "handle the situation" mode. You always find out who your friends are in a crisis, and this is where Michael should have started realizing that Brian was not really a good friend. Now, mind you, I have a very dubious sense of morality myself...well, not morality... let's just say that I'm Chaotic Good and leave it at that...POSSIBLY Chaotic Neutral. The point is, I'm not Lawful anything... but anyway, maybe you SHOULD turn in your friends when they uncontrably kill someone? Yeah, maybe...

The cafe that they eavesdrop on Sam and Dean at is just around the block from my house (technically two blocks).

Brian goes to get what he's after, which is still the werewolf bite, because it's still all about him! He gets the bite, so that he can be strong, stop feeling inferior to Michael, and since Kate obviously doesn't have a will of her own and is only with Michael because he's society's ideal guy and not because she's ACTUALLY in love with him... so, yeah... get the bite, kill the competition and the girl is yours...you just need to show her how much you love her against her will so that she'll "understand".... if you're a douchebag rapist.

This episode though is also a bit about addiction, as we find out from the professor - telling us that you never lose the taste for human hearts, and in a moment of weakness relapsed.

But yeah, in all of this, we find out that it's "underdog nice guy" in the scenario who is actually the psychotic lunatic.

Also, it's interesting that Kate wanted to pass the bar... asipiring lawyer being pulled into the Supernatural against their will? Everyone on this show is Sam Winchester. :P

And then plead to the hunters to give her a chance.

"She didn't choose this. Let's give her a shot."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah"

"Look, if Kate pops back up - if she strays, then we do what we gotta do, we take her down..."

"Hey Sam... do I really say awesome a lot?"

- Dean is letting her go because he already has his precedent with Benny. He's already compromised that part of himself that never let the monsters go. He's already more willing to see monsters as people who could be good just as much as they could be evil (or at least, there's a small percent chance that they could be good and he's willing to wait to see if they are.) Sam, meanwhile, is so used to "old Dean" doesn't know about Benny... that he thinks this is something he has to argue for, that he has to reassure Dean that they'll kill her if they need to, etc.
- And of course, Dean learns that he says awesome a lot. :P

I love the song choice for this episode and the closing shot is just gorgeous.

I'm sure there's a lot of themes pertaining to Lord of the Flies in this episode too, but I haven't read that book since I was forced to in high school, and I didn't enjoy it enough to remember much of it.

CUT SCENE:

Sam making a phone call at a payphone... then hanging up when it rings back, before getting into the car with Dean. Kate goes to redial. Kate finds out that he called a veternarian - Dr. Amelia Richardson. "Why would he just hang up?"

- Anyway, yeah, in an episode that very much wasn't about Sam and Dean issues, it wasn't really needed. Also, why the heck WOULD Sam do that? Seems weird, but then, everything about Sam is weird in this first half. :P

Okay, NOW it will be a couple of days before the next rewatch.