My friends, I think I got myself too hyped for this episode. I was honestly really looking forward to it, but I felt kinda let down. The structure of the episode was just a bit wonky, why did they need the whole beginning with those dumb kids? They could've cut straight to them with the pearl saying it's supposed to grant your deepest wish so it wasn't 20 minutes of filler in the beginning. It seemed like there was hardly any history there even though that's what it was supposed to be about.
I don't know, maybe I'm crazy and over-analyzing. I'm sure a lot of people loved it. But okay let's get into the recap portion of things. As I mentioned, there's this whole beginning part where the guys are looking for this skull because another hunter who had it was killed and this dude took the skull and put it in his collection and... I mean, do you care? I don't care. The point is, they get a bunch of occult stuff in the Impala, then head into town (aka Lebanon), and the Impala gets stolen by a punk kid with all the stuff inside, they track it down, figure out there's a magical pearl in with the stuff.
So. Yes. They have the pearl. It grants wishes. Dean's like alrighty let's try it so I can get Michael out of my head. Well, he seems to get Michael out (though this is truthfully never fully addressed unless I completely spaced out), but he also, you know, brings his dad, John Winchester himself, there to the future. But a very specific version of the dad, from 2003, before all of the events of the show. Why would Dean want this particular version of John back? No idea. Not addressed. But he's here, and the boys tell him all about what has happened, and he's the most caring version of John we've ever seen from here on out. Not that John couldn't be caring, but you know what I mean.
Mary walks in and they're immediately kissing, and while they mack, Sam pulls Dean aside to rain on his parade about how messing with time travel is rarely a good idea. It will inevitably change things. Dean wants to ignore that, at least for now, and have a nice family dinner of Winchester Surprise that we've only heard about as of this season, but is now folklore of the family as if it were always a thing.
While Dean and Sam head out to get the ingredients, they realize that things have already started to change. Since in this version of the timeline, John disappeared in 2003, Dean never ended up going to get Sam (I mean, really? The whole reason he went to get Sam in the first place in 2005 was because John was missing. Are we supposed to believe that Dean went and got him and because they never found John, Sam went back to school in this reality? IDK, guys, IDK.). So, Sam is now some tech goofus while Dean is still hunting and also wanted by the police for many beheadings.
So, while they're out and about, they see some bright lights that could only be from an angel declaring themselves to complete strangers because that's what they do in this timeline even though the only reason they got involved in the world's affairs before was because of the whole Winchesters being special thing, but I guess because time is being messed with, it's fine, whatever. Cool, bro. Zachariah and Castiel, now back to a version of season four Castiel, are here and declare themselves and beat up the brothers, and Sam can kill Zachariah this time, and blah blah they banish Castiel with an angel symbol thingamabob and ok, let's go back to the bunker and tell everyone the bad news that dad has to go back to his timeline, because duh.
Now there are some father-son moments between both John and Sam and John and Dean, and everyone gets to be very touchy feely and talk about stuff. John is very proud of his boys, Sam is over his old resentment toward his dad, etc. They ponder whether changing things even further back in time would be better for them, but of course they're themselves and besides, we saw what that life could be like way back in season two in one of my actual favorite episodes of the series (that's What Is and What Should Never Be, for those who haven't figured it out already), albeit without John in the picture.
Anyway, they come together and bash the pearl, and John slowly disappears back to his time. All is back to normal, or as normal as it ever has been for this Winchester crew.
Random Thoughts:
- Like Sam would ever pick up a cursed object and almost pull the string on it. Puh-lease.
- Did I miss where they called themselves Campbell before? Are we just supposed to know they go by that name in town near the bunker?
- I'm sorry, I really wanted to like this episode, I really did. I was really thinking it would be the best episode of the season. Maybe my expectations were just too high.
- I do feel bad being mostly negative anymore; you'd think I was never a fan. But this was my favorite show back in the first five seasons. I went to the first Paley Fest panel for it back in season one, you guys. It just makes me sad.
Quotes:
Dean: They always talk too much.
Dean: This is like the best worst thing that could happen. 'Cause you love serial killers, but you hate clowns.
Sam: Yeah, Dean, I get it.
Dean: I Googled me as well. A lot of beheadings.
Zachariah: Come on, Constantine.
Castiel: I don't understand that reference.
Zachariah: You wouldn't.
Dean: Would we be better off? I don't know, maybe. But I gotta be honest, I don't know who that Dean Winchester is.
John: You two, you take care of each other.
Sam: We always do.
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Hi,
ReplyDeleteThanks for writing a review of the episode.
I liked the episode but I understand what you are saying about being disappointed in it. I thought that it would somehow be "bigger", I guess, even though I don't have much of an idea of what I mean, exactly.
It was a quiet episode that may make sense since the show has been on for so long. The 100 episode brought the brothers back together after several episodes (years?) of conflict, I think. Dean was about to say yes to Michael and ended up not saying yes because he didn't want to disappoint Sam. It was a big episode that resolved a big issue and moved the plot along. But maybe I'm not remembering the 100th correctly. It's been a while! :-)
The 200th episode was that wonderful high school musical! It was a real shout out to fans and had so much going on! We even got the Samulet back! And singing...and God, I think.
After all of that I'm not so sure what the 300th could be. Maybe they decided to focus more on family? I thought that there might be some discussion with John about how he'd "send Dean away" which was mentioned last week. I thought that's why that was even brought up.
And John was really so reasonable. I read another review that discussed John's calm reactions to finding himself in this bunker with his sons who are now kind of supernatural themselves having been possessed by angels and demons, being friends with the CEO of Hell and such. The review suggested that John wouldn't have been so reasonable about everything. He was kind of a pyscho around 2003. And I always wondered how long John had known about Sam and the demon blood.
It was nice, I suppose, to get some closure with John for Sam and maybe some fans. I felt that Sam got closure with John in a much earlier episode when Sam and young John have a heartfelt conversation. It was a time travel epi that I can't remember the name or the season.
Anyway-I always write so much, sorry! I enjoyed the references to SPN's past with the clown, the Dean wanted poster, the echoes of the scene when Dean broke into Sam's apartment represented by John's appearance in the bunker and maybe more that I'm not remembering. I liked that Dean accepts what they've been through and who he and Sam are. I liked that the teenagers think they brothers are strange. I liked seeing Zachariah and remembering how much of bad guy Castiel was when we first met him. (I really didn't like Castiel at first and sometimes still have mixed feelings.)
Enough of me! I do get your feelings about the episode. Could certainly be seen as an understatement for a big moment.
Susan
Always appreciate your comments, Susan!
DeleteIt was a much quieter episode than I was expecting, maybe that's why I was a bit disappointed. I really liked both the 100th and 200th episodes, so I was basically thinking it would be the same here, especially since John was going to be back.
I guess he just... didn't feel like John? It's been so long since John was on the show, that I guess he's become more of a myth than a real person anymore. But yeah, I kind of agree with the people who were saying he wasn't really acting like the 2003 John would have acted. He just accepted everything and moved on in what felt like five minutes or something.
I also agree with you that it felt like the boys kind of already got closure with John through the years, so it wasn't necessarily needed here in the same way. In that respect, it might have been more interesting to see more of the John/Mary connection. Then again, the show is about Sam and Dean, so I'm sure people would've been upset if that was more of the focus.
Anyway, really do appreciate you leaving such thoughtful comments! :)
Hey!
DeleteI agree that John didn't feel like John but I couldn't really figure out why. I think you've got it right-he hasn't been on the show for so long he really has become more of a myth so maybe it's difficult to capture what he would do.
Although I'm still thinking 2003John-who told his youngest son to never return because he was smart enough to get a full ride to college-wouldn't really have smiled so gently at his grown sons. The John that landed in the bunker seems like the John who'd spent time with the boys in season 2, the man who killed Yellow Eyes and gave his life for Dean's-like a wiser John.
I really don't get why Dean brought up how he'd seemed to side with John against Sam and how John sent him away. It just seemed like a set up to discuss these things when John showed up. But maybe that would have been too negative? I've always thought of John as a complicated person who was an unintentionally bad parent. I wanted that addressed!
John coming back at this point seems kinda ho-hum. :-) He needed to come back like years and years ago, really. But I guess it wasn't possible due to JDM's interest and schedule. In fact I was kind of surprised that Dean's dearest wish or whatever was for his mother and not for his dad or for Sam to never leave him. :-)
A more detailed John/Mary connection would have been so interesting. I mean he's never gotten to discuss hunting with her, right? She did all that stuff that ended up with Sam having demon blood dropped in his mouth. And John didn't have a clue. And the whole Men of Letters thing-Hunters being the brawn and the MOL being the brains and how Winchesters fuse the two sides...How the Cupid made the two of them fall in love...And when DID John find out about Sam's demon blood and those powers???
Of course I say all of this and would probably be a person who'd be sad if the focus had been on John and Mary. Ha ha ha!!
Anyway-the possibilities were kind of endless and it would have been nice to maybe explore at least one of them. I think we were supposed to just be happy to have a scene of them all sitting around the table together. I would have liked hearing the conversations, though, instead of only having a montage of them talking.
Maybe the 300th thru the 305th episode should have been celebrated and the John could have hung around a little longer!!
Thanks for replying.
Susan