I’ll admit, when spoilers broke a few months ago that Kripke was going to do a body swap episode, I did my little Supernatural Happy Dance in front of the computer. (No, I will not post video.) Let’s face it, for practically five seasons, fandom has been bugging Kripke for body swap. And he finally relented! Peer pressure DOES work, kids!
However, there was a catch. To the fangirls (I’ll include myself in that group, despite last week’s review), the allure of the concept wasn’t in the body swap itself. No, it was about finding an excuse for Jensen Ackles to throw a couple Sammy-esque faces our way and for Jared Padalecki to pout his lips and look angsty. And sure, maybe Dean-as-Sam would run around and clog up Sam’s arteries with cheeseburgers, and maybe Sam-as-Dean would subject Deans’ body to yoga and feta cheese or something. But it was about flopping Sam and Dean into each others’ bodies and letting the actors play with the character mannerisms that we’ve all come to recognize and appreciate. So the moment I realized it was only Sam that was going to be subject to the body swap… well, my happy dance turned into more of a mopey sway.
Don’t get me wrong — I rather enjoyed the fact that Sam was stuck in the body of a seventeen-year-old frustrated, virginal, wanna-be warlock with a taste for Busty Asian Beauties and Star Wars. (Actually, except for the virginal part, that’s pretty much Dean.) I thought his goofy hoodies and khakis were adorably awkward. Jared Padalecki was clearly having fun in this episode. (Jensen… not so much. I think there’s a certain spark in him that dies when he’s not working with Padalecki in a scene.) Sam’s interactions with Gary’s father were pretty much what I would expect were he and John in the same room together. The analogies between Gary’s path and his own rebellious tendencies were heavy-handed, but boy do I love it when Sam gets all indignant and huffy about things other than Ruby and that whole “I started the Apocalypse” business. Given the fact that it wasn’t a Sam/Dean body swap, this was probably the best a viewer could have hoped for.
Overall, this week’s episode did a much better job of incorporating the Apocalypse arc into the story instead of completely trying to handwave it, as ‘Sam, Interrupted’ did. And better yet, it didn’t end with a Manly Emotional Moment either! Granted, I was still left scratching my head as to why the guys were bothering with their old babysitter’s paranormal issues when Lucifer is walking the earth, but at least a standard ghost hunt is theoretically less involved than infiltrating a mental institution. The fact that the demons had a bounty out on Dean makes sense — though if they knew he was Michael’s vessel ever since Season 4, I can’t imagine why the bounty wasn’t issued, like, as soon as he busted out of Hell. Also: not so sure that the dead body is such an issue (as Zach made clear in the season premiere). Taking Gary-as-Sam to Lucifer in order to get the big boss his Meat Suit was also an ingenious little twist.
So I have some quibbles with bounty setup and the fact that the voice that Dean heard on his voicemail, warning him of the body swap, was Sam’s and not Gary’s (everything was pretty consistent until then). Oh! And of course, the scene I really wanted to see was left out: what happened with the douchey guy friend’s parent got home and checked their basement. Really, guys? You’re just gonna leave the body there?
Actually, while I’m at it, I’ve got a letter I gotta get out in the air:
Dear Dean Winchester,
Your brother was exhibiting extremely odd, un-Sam-like behavior. Given your experiences with demonic possession, don’t you think it would have been a good idea to at least try spiking his beer with holy water? Or muttering a Christo or two? Hell, you coulda given him a silver knife to hold on the hunt. But no, nothing but a quizzical look or two. Gee, Sam sure is acting strange. Like, moreso than usual. Maybe he had a bad breakfast burrito this morning… [ME: OR MAYBE THERE’S SOMETHING SUPERNATURALLY WRONG WITH HIM, GIVEN HOW OFTEN THAT SEEMS TO HAPPEN TO YOU TWO.] I am extremely surprised that you’ve made it to your thirtieth birthday. Oh, wait… I guess technically you didn’t. Nevermind.
With much eye-rolling,
Julia Thorne.
Generally an entertaining episode, but the last two have felt a bit like Hail Mary storylines. Kripke and the writers are tossing everything up in the air that they felt they needed to cover monster-wise (Haunted Loony Bin! Body Swap!) in the event that Season 6 doesn’t happen. While I appreciate the pandering, it doesn’t exactly make for a coherent storyline. But given the choice between Jared Padalecki in a too-small fast food uniform and a sharp stick in the eye, I’ll take the Sasquash any day.
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BWAH!! Love your letter to Show, Julia!! :D I figured Sammy's breaths were numbered when he smashed the Metallicar…that alone should have clued him in.
Clearly you don't watch the show. The guys have a tatoo that protects them from demonic possessions, and sigils to hide them from angels. Jensen, if you didn't notice, has great chemistry with Misha Collins, Zach Fuller, had great chemistry with the kid Gary, and the demon Alistair. That's just to name a few. Tired, world weary Dean isn't going to be all cheerful, but apparently, you really are not aware of what has been happening on SN, otherwise, your comments would have been a lot more enlightening.
P.S. Siege sucks at writing. It's not Dean's fault she didn't know how to write a good suspensful script. However, with the way Sam's been acting lately, how the hell is Dean supposed to know what was up Sam's ass.
I'm puzzled as to why you think Jensen would be "having fun" in this episode when Dean wasn't "having fun" and was in fact fighting for his life.I also thought Jared was over the top in a lot of his scenes, especially that aweful bar scene, and to me comedy is not his forte- he's not good at being subtle at all.As for Dean, he discovered and put an end to the body swap in roughly 24 hours which is not bad in my books. He knew Sam could not be possessed because of the tattoos they sport, had probably never heard of body swapping before, and was giving Sam greater latitude as per Sam's earlier request in the season. He had to tread carefully and was not about to set Sam off with groundless accusations.As far as I'm concerned this episode was better left unrealized.
I should have also included, if you want to see sparks fly, put Jensen in a scene with Misha Collins and see what happens.You get more than sparks, you get fireworks.
Note to writer:Always praise Jensen Ackles to high heavens, regardless. You will be slaughtered if you do anything else. That's the unwritten rule.
Note to writer:Keep prasing JP even if there's nothing to praise him for. Otherwise all Sam fans will eat you alive.
Wow, clearly.
Actually, I do watch the show. Quite often, in fact! And I also remember that little episode where Dean was sure that Sam was possessed DESPITE the demonic possession tattoo (5.03, if you're having trouble remembering). There was also that other one where Zach found the Winchester boys DESPITE the angelic protection sigils (5.04, again, if your memory's a little foggy). Not exactly the most effective things in the world. I would have expected him to be more suspect, given the boys' current situation.I have noticed Jensen's "chemistry" with Misha Collins, and I don't think it's the same as when he's working with Padalecki. Personal preference here. I prefer the latter to the former. I don't think he has fantastic chemistry with the other people you've mentioned, so apparently opinions vary. I do take offense to the proposition that I am "not aware of what has been happening on SN" simply because I have an opinion that differs from your own. Claiming ignorance as the basis for a substantive argument is rather weak, in my humble opinion.
Like I mentioned to the other poster above, I think that particular duo is overrated, but that's my personal opinion.
By the same token, if you find the things I say about the show to be that offensive (which really surprises me — I do my best to walk a middle line), I suggest you not read them anymore. Win-win situation!
I disagree with your comments about Jensen, because we've got 4 and 1/2 seasons of evidence to the contrary. He has had great spark (and more) with a number of actors, including without limitation, the actors who play Castiel, Zach, Alistair, Ellen, Uriel, DemonCasey, Jamie, etc. This episode was about Sam, with a little "demons have a bounty on Dean" thrown in, though that was actually redundant, since we've been told for a while now that the demons are after Dean. So, yeah, Jared is going to have fun sorta playing a 17 year old (though it was a stereotype) and I think that was the main point of the episode. Also, I think these last two episodes show us that Dean is weary, tired, feels disconnected (from life, from Sam, etc.) and has the weight of the world on his shoulders. He's just soldiering on because that's what he has to do. I think the show is showing us, in little bits and clues, that Dean will think that he has to say "yes" to Michael.
Perfectly legitimate point of view and, most of all, I appreciate the maturity with which you present your argument. "Chemistry" is a very subjective term, as is acting in general. I guess the moral of this comment discussion is that I have trouble articulating the way I feel about Ackles' presentation in scenes where he's not with Padalecki. It's something more than, "They bring out the best in each other" and has more to do with the ways in which the characters themselves feel more three dimensional in scenes with, say, Jared and Jensen than Jensen and the guy who played Gary, or Jensen and Kurt Fuller, or Jensen and Misha. Obviously my personal preference, but I do think there's something to be said for the fact that the two have spent four and a half seasons inhabiting these characters in the same scenes together and some level of richness between the two has developed that is never entirely recreated when they interact with other actors. And that sentiment is mostly directed at Jensen's interactions with Gary-as-Sam. I don't think it's really comparable to non-Sam/Dean interactions because it's like comparing apples and oranges. I hope that clarifies my stance a little bit.I am curious, however, to hear more about why you think Dean feels like he has to say "yes" to Michael and if you think Sam will feel the same/different about his vessel question. I think I agree with you, but I can't help but wonder if Dean would really feel like he needs to say yes given the guilt he still carries with him from breaking in Hell (I presume he still carries that with him, even though it hasn't been addressed for a while).
Am I getting that right? You find both actors bad and the show silly? (I clearly didn't understand why you brought up both Js movies here?)Also you keep saying that chemistry is subjective term. That could be said about acting in general so why are you surprised that some fans see sparks when you don't? And why you feel offended by it?Don't get me wrong, I don't try to start anything I simply want to know why you said what you said.
I was trying to make a point by hyperbole. See my comment to Liz for a more accurate statement of my position.
Forget about chemistry, how about acting? Dean kept on looking down when he should be looking up. Dean should be seeing Sam, right? not Gary. That alone is plot contrivance and gave away the ridiculusness of the episode. But can we blame Jensen since Gary's parents also looking up seeing Gary in Sam's body?its Director's fault because he didnt remind Jensen to keep looking up and Jensen is too awesome of an actor to make "little" mistake like that. Or better yet, since Robert Singer is senior director in Supernatural, he couldnt possibly make mistake like that. So who to blame? Yeah, JPad because he is too tall.