Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Supernatural 8x14 "Trial and Error"

Recap/review of Supernatural 8x14 'Trial and Error'
Are we actually smiling? At the same time?
Do you remember, back at the beginning of the season, when they found out that the demon tablet thing has instructions on how to close the gates of hell? Oh, no? Me too! It's just been so long since we've touched on the tablet storyline, I kind of plum forgot. It probably hasn't really been that long, actually, but things get spaced out and whatnot. ANYWAY. This episode we find out some STUFF.

In the ole batcave bunker of the Men of Letters, Dean is going domestic, decorating his own room for the first time ever and cooking burgers that even Sam will eat. What's this? Sam eating a burger?! Amaze. Alas, Dean's respite is to be short-lived, and I mean obviously because can you imagine an entire episode of just them hanging out? Anyway, he gets a call from Kevin, who has been holed up on that nasty ass boat trying to decipher the tablet. His routine is very sad and even gross, but he has figured out something! To the boat, Robin!

Yes, Kevin has managed to decipher part of the tablet, which basically says that in order to shut the gates of Hell, a person has to first complete three trials, the first of which is killing a hellhound and bathing in its blood. How does one find a hellhound without making a crossroads deal? Find someone else who has made a crossroads deal that is about to come due, of course! They seem to be able to find this info rather quickly, which I guess just proves their superior hunting skills? Anyhow, the plan is to track down the Cassidy family. They struck oil 10 years ago on farmland that would never have oil, so clearly something is fishy. (I just wrote struck gold first, you guys, I'm losing it!)

The boys travel to the ranch and end up getting jobs as farmhands, which is great for them so they can scope out things. They're pretty sure the person who made the deal is the woman who owns the ranch, Alice, but guess what! It's her chubby husband that's killed! He made a deal for Alice to fall in love with him, the poor sap. Whoops. Guess they have to find another dealmaker to get their hellhound!

Recap/review of Supernatural 8x14 'Trial and Error'
Dean and his favorite, ole trusty demon killing knife.
Or do they? While Dean is ready to go all fake deal on a crossroads demon, Sam has a feeling something more is at work with the Cassidy family, and he is, duh, not wrong. The other members of the family come to the ranch to console Alice, and it's basically just a scene from Dallas, bickering sisters, the ranch manager who's been there forever, blah blah. The problem is, they don't know who among the group could've made another deal, and since you can't see a hellhound unless you're about to be eaten by one, that's sort of a problem. Luckily, Kevin has some more information: you can see a hellhound through glass that has been in holy fire. Dean fires up some glasses with some of the holy oil they still have from back in the olden days. Super specs!

After another of the family members is killed while trying to hunt down the "wolf" that killed the other dude, the Winchesters decide enough is enough and lock up everyone in the living room. Everyone except Ellie, the ranch manager, who made a pass at Dean, was given a raincheck, then said something like "this is the last night it can happen," which Dean does not realize AT ALL means that she obviously made a deal too, but ugh, whatever. I guess he was distracted by the pretty girl coming on to him. And also slightly flustered by it, which apparently is a thing now? He never used to be flustered by that sort of attention.

Recap/review of Supernatural 8x14 'Trial and Error'
I fear things do not look good for poor Kevin long term.
Anyway, Dean wants to go gallivant off to kill the hellhound himself, despite Sam's protestations that he needs backup. Why is Dean so hellbent on killing the hound by himself, we wonder? Because, apparently, he believes these trials to be a suicide mission, and since he knows that Sam can see himself in another life, wants to take care of the closing the gates of hell thing on his own. Because that always goes as planned! Especially once you say it out loud!

Things decidedly do NOT go to that plan, even after Dean finds out that Ellie made a deal and even finds himself face to face with a hellhound. You'd think after getting torn to death himself by one, he might have more fight ready for the thing, but he ends up getting scratched and losing both the knife and the glasses, which is just when Sam comes in and, well, I think we can all see that Sam is the one who ends up killing the thing and getting doused in its blood, just like the trial commanded. And he's fine with that, because he plans to live through the closing of the gates, and he wants Dean to want to live through it as well. Aw. He does the little ritual, gets a glowy arm for a bit, and that's one trial down!

Random Thoughts:

- Sam, you still didn't pick up your garbage even after Dean gave you a look and you saw how much he cared about his room! How dare you!

- For me, a lot of the plot twists were kind of obvious in this episode. Oh well.

- Kevin's getting headaches and nosebleeds and isn't sleeping very well, not to mention maybe having a small stroke. Things do not look good for him in the long haul, I fear. Sam is worried about it, but Dean is all mission first. At least they got him to take a shower. Yikes. Poor Kev, too bad they can't bring him to the batcave.

- I wonder what the other trials are. Hmm. Also, do we think they will actually succeed in closing the gates? What would that mean for the show? It did just get a season nine pick up, after all. I have a feeling it's going to end up at ten seasons like Smallville.

- Dean was rocking those glasses, but Sam looked totally weird in his! Probably just the style of them. Random thoughts, I told you!

Quotes:

Dean: Memory foam. It remembers me.

Dean: Those bitches can be, well, bitches.

There were quite a few more than this that I enjoyed, but my brain was not in the mood for pausing and rewinding and writing them down. Feel free to put your favorites in the comments and I'll add them!

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