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raloriaI've abandoned my full-length episode reviews for these shorter, First Impressions posts.
With each of these reviews I'll include 2 cropped caps from the episode. One of Dean and one of Sam. I decided to do something different and make them b&w.
Consider these fanart. If you take either of them, please give credit. :)
Sorry for the long delay. I only took a few notes during the airing of the eppy and then didn't get back to it until today. I'm not sure these notes are as interesting as they could be. I'd like to get back to making quick notes during the initial episode itself, but there's so much to look at and listen for this season! *sigh* Maybe I'll get to that eventually. Hope you enjoy my ramblings anyway.
Note: "==============" signifies a commercial break.
SPN 4x02 First Impressions:
Nice recap, showing us past scenes of Meg, Ronald, and Victor, along with a nice look back at last week's episode.
Cool! A female hunter! Why do all hunters live in such shabby digs though?
Ouch! Nasty spirits.
Why does the close captioning keep spelling Castiel as Castiello? Grrrrrrrr.
Ooop....the boys are arguing. I think we're going to see a lot of that this season. Dean still isn't buying that angels exist and Sam's trying to convince him.
I know I mentioned this in an earlier post, but I love the little moment where Dean puts his hand up to his shoulder with Castiel's handprint. So even though we never see it in this episode, it's a gentle reminder that it is there. It's those little touches that make Jensen's acting so very special.
Dean doesn't like being singled out at birthday parties, much less God.
Dean's starting to accept (albeit grudgingly) that maybe angels are involved. He's willing to learn about them....which calls for some heavy reading. He wants Sam to bring him some pie! Heehee! Dean and his pie! *loves*
Sam meets with Ruby and she's a little spooked with word that an angel saved Dean.
Bobby wants to check on his friend, Olivia, (the hunter from the teaser). The boys follow and find Olivia bloody and dead on the floor. Bobby tries calling other hunters and isn't getting through to them either. Another hunter Dean & Sam check out is dead too, as are others.
==================================
The boys head back to Bobby's and stop for gas. Dean's asleep in the car as Sam fills her up. He goes into the restroom and uh oh! Hendricksen is waiting for him. He blames Sam for his death, that Lilith was after Sam and he died instead. He attacks and Dean comes in just in time with a shotgun blast.
Meanwhile, Bobby is visited by spirits of his own, in the form of 2 little girls.
The boys get to Bobby's place and can't find him, so they split up, Dean goes upstairs and Sam heads outside. Dean runs into Meg, who also blames him for her death. Their scenes together are some of the best in the eppy, IMO, followed closely by Dean and Hendricksen and the one at the end with Castiel.
Bobby is being held prisoner in one of the cars in the salvage yard, the little girls laying on the guilt.
==================================
Meg recounts how she was possessed, how she had to watch as the demon killed people, how she was begging for the boys to save her. She starts beating on Dean, kicking him repeatedly. Meg asks him if he thinks he's a hero and Dean flat out answers “no” in a way that again shows how little he thinks of himself. At this point we see the brand on Meg's hand, which Sam also saw on Hendricksen's at the gas station. We learn Meg had a little sister who was devastated after Meg's death, so much so that she committed suicide. Poor Dean....getting beat up physically and emotionally.
There's a shot of Dean coiling on the floor in pain that I'd like to point out. I've always said Jensen shows pain so well and this is great example. Not to be morbid, but he has a way of really making you believe he's in pain. Jensen's acting is so raw, so real.
Meanwhile, Sam finds Bobby and they dispatch the spirits of the girls....at least temporarily.
Dean gets rid of Meg as well, by cleverly shooting an iron chandelier down on her. Awesome!
Love the way Dean snarls when he says “iron”. Hee! :D
Regrouping at the house, Dean's figured out that these are spirits of people they couldn't save.
Bobby leads them down into the basement to a fully stocked, iron walled and coated with salt, ghost-proof room. Oh, and complete with a Bo Derek poster on the wall. :P
Sam: You built a panic room?
Bobby: I had a weekend off.
Dean: Bobby, you're awesome!
Heehee!
Dean asks the ultimate question: If God exists, where is he? Why isn't he stopping people from being killed? Sam and Bobby aren't about to even attempt an answer. Heh.
Bobby's researched the symbol.....it's a sign of The Witnesses. Someone very powerful raised them from the dead. An act which in the book of Revelations is a sign of the apocalypse.
==================================
Dean's all set to head off on a roadtrip....Grand Canyon, Star Trek Experience....Bunny Ranch. Hee! But Bobby's found a spell to send the spirits back.
They head back upstairs, running into Ronald from “Nightshifter” on the way. Dean gets hung up talking to him which Bobby swiftly takes care of with a shotgun blast.
Bobby: If you're gonna shoot, shoot. Don't talk.
Back in the library, Bobby starts prepping for the spell, sending Sam upstairs for a red hex box and Dean into the kitchen for some items in a drawer. Sam gets the box and is confronted by Meg, who knows what he's been doing with Ruby. Sam's clearly effected by her words, but shoots her anyway.
Dean, meanwhile, is met by Hendricksen. He tries to apologize and inch towards his gun, but Victor flings it away. He then goes on to describe that he and the others didn't die instantly by Lilith's bright light, but instead endured 45 minutes of torture. Dean's response to hearing about Nancy being filleted by Lillith mirrors my own. She was a sweet person and while a somewhat minor character, it's nice to see Dean still remember her. Victor then attacks, trying to rip out Dean's heart. This scene is very difficult to watch. Jensen is really going all out. He looked about ready to burst a blood vessel. Eeep! Sam shows up just in time and helps a still hurting Dean to his feet.
The boys join Bobby in the library, where he's in the final stages of the spell. The spirits keep appearing with a vengeance and there's a lot of quick cuts and saltgun shells bouncing on the floor. Great action stuff! Sam gets pinned by a desk, leaving Dean to protect Bobby. But he gets attacked by Meg, managing to yell for Dean to catch the bowl and throw the contents into the fire. Phew! Cool effects, btw.
==================================
The final scene starts with the boys sleeping. Sam all comfy on a sofa and big brother sacked out on the floor. How typical of Dean to do something like that. :)
He awakes to find Castiel waiting for him in the kitchen. Dean wants to know why he didn't help them, but Castiel states that he was aware of the situation, but there were other things to deal with. He tells Dean of what's going on. Lilith is attempting to open the 66 seals, which will allow Lucifer to walk free. Castiel and his brothers are trying to stop her, but they can't win all the battles. Dean takes it all in, but still accuses the angels of falling down on the job. Castiel doesn't take too kindly to his charge's attitude, telling Dean he should show him some respect. I like how he really intimidates Dean at the end, stepping close and making him feel very uneasy. You can see the fear in Dean's eyes, especially when Castiel threatens that he lifted him from hell and can easily put him back. Yikes!
Dean then wakes up to morning and Sam getting dressed. Dean asks him if he really believes in God and angels and Sam responds that he does. Dean then asks that he must believe in Lucifer too, which makes Sam wonder what's going on. Dean, still a little stunned, doesn't have an answer.
This was a good episode. It's painful to see yet another layer of guilt laid on the brothers, but considering the spirits were there against their will it softens the blow....a little. Love Bobby's panic room! How long has he had that thing? I hope they use it again. It might come in handy in the future. It was great, of course, to see some of our favorite characters return, especially Meg. It was nice to get a better picture of her ordeal and nice that the show talked about the consequences to not only the main people that the boys deal with from week to week, but to their families as well. A long time ago I got to thinking about all of the victims and namely those they left behind. The family and friends who would deal with that loss and never really know what happened to them. How sad. So while the boys do save a lot of lives, there's the other side of the coin, which leaves a lot of collateral damage in their wake.
My only quibble would be including Ronald into the spirit mix. He only had a few lines and appeared like he was almost added as an afterthought. I've read that they originally wanted Jessica to appear for this eppy, but the actress wasn't available. That would have been very cool to see, but I don't think they needed to stick Ron in there. I get that he's a fan favorite and all, but his part wasn't really necessary. Story-wise, it also doesn't make much sense for him to be there. Bobby talks about the Witnesses dying unnatural deaths, yet Ron was shot. He also never really saw the shapeshifter outside of it's shed skin. IMO Hendricksen and Meg are much more legitimate as Witnesses than Ron.
Nice to see Castiel again and being nothing like a fluffy-feathered cherub that most angels are depicted as. There are few people who can intimidate Dean Winchester, and Castiel is one of them. His threat to send Dean back to hell was a little shocking. Not that I think he'd do it, after all, apparently God has plans for Dean, but it got the elder Winchester's attention, that's for certain. It's a beautifully acted and filmed scene. Love the deep shadows on both their faces.
Big thumbs up for this episode! Which I'm sure I'll be saying for all of S4. :D
With each of these reviews I'll include 2 cropped caps from the episode. One of Dean and one of Sam. I decided to do something different and make them b&w.
Consider these fanart. If you take either of them, please give credit. :)
Sorry for the long delay. I only took a few notes during the airing of the eppy and then didn't get back to it until today. I'm not sure these notes are as interesting as they could be. I'd like to get back to making quick notes during the initial episode itself, but there's so much to look at and listen for this season! *sigh* Maybe I'll get to that eventually. Hope you enjoy my ramblings anyway.
Note: "==============" signifies a commercial break.
SPN 4x02 First Impressions:
Nice recap, showing us past scenes of Meg, Ronald, and Victor, along with a nice look back at last week's episode.
Cool! A female hunter! Why do all hunters live in such shabby digs though?
Ouch! Nasty spirits.
Why does the close captioning keep spelling Castiel as Castiello? Grrrrrrrr.
Ooop....the boys are arguing. I think we're going to see a lot of that this season. Dean still isn't buying that angels exist and Sam's trying to convince him.
I know I mentioned this in an earlier post, but I love the little moment where Dean puts his hand up to his shoulder with Castiel's handprint. So even though we never see it in this episode, it's a gentle reminder that it is there. It's those little touches that make Jensen's acting so very special.
Dean doesn't like being singled out at birthday parties, much less God.
Dean's starting to accept (albeit grudgingly) that maybe angels are involved. He's willing to learn about them....which calls for some heavy reading. He wants Sam to bring him some pie! Heehee! Dean and his pie! *loves*
Sam meets with Ruby and she's a little spooked with word that an angel saved Dean.
Bobby wants to check on his friend, Olivia, (the hunter from the teaser). The boys follow and find Olivia bloody and dead on the floor. Bobby tries calling other hunters and isn't getting through to them either. Another hunter Dean & Sam check out is dead too, as are others.
==================================
The boys head back to Bobby's and stop for gas. Dean's asleep in the car as Sam fills her up. He goes into the restroom and uh oh! Hendricksen is waiting for him. He blames Sam for his death, that Lilith was after Sam and he died instead. He attacks and Dean comes in just in time with a shotgun blast.
Meanwhile, Bobby is visited by spirits of his own, in the form of 2 little girls.
The boys get to Bobby's place and can't find him, so they split up, Dean goes upstairs and Sam heads outside. Dean runs into Meg, who also blames him for her death. Their scenes together are some of the best in the eppy, IMO, followed closely by Dean and Hendricksen and the one at the end with Castiel.
Bobby is being held prisoner in one of the cars in the salvage yard, the little girls laying on the guilt.
==================================
Meg recounts how she was possessed, how she had to watch as the demon killed people, how she was begging for the boys to save her. She starts beating on Dean, kicking him repeatedly. Meg asks him if he thinks he's a hero and Dean flat out answers “no” in a way that again shows how little he thinks of himself. At this point we see the brand on Meg's hand, which Sam also saw on Hendricksen's at the gas station. We learn Meg had a little sister who was devastated after Meg's death, so much so that she committed suicide. Poor Dean....getting beat up physically and emotionally.
There's a shot of Dean coiling on the floor in pain that I'd like to point out. I've always said Jensen shows pain so well and this is great example. Not to be morbid, but he has a way of really making you believe he's in pain. Jensen's acting is so raw, so real.
Meanwhile, Sam finds Bobby and they dispatch the spirits of the girls....at least temporarily.
Dean gets rid of Meg as well, by cleverly shooting an iron chandelier down on her. Awesome!
Love the way Dean snarls when he says “iron”. Hee! :D
Regrouping at the house, Dean's figured out that these are spirits of people they couldn't save.
Bobby leads them down into the basement to a fully stocked, iron walled and coated with salt, ghost-proof room. Oh, and complete with a Bo Derek poster on the wall. :P
Sam: You built a panic room?
Bobby: I had a weekend off.
Dean: Bobby, you're awesome!
Heehee!
Dean asks the ultimate question: If God exists, where is he? Why isn't he stopping people from being killed? Sam and Bobby aren't about to even attempt an answer. Heh.
Bobby's researched the symbol.....it's a sign of The Witnesses. Someone very powerful raised them from the dead. An act which in the book of Revelations is a sign of the apocalypse.
==================================
Dean's all set to head off on a roadtrip....Grand Canyon, Star Trek Experience....Bunny Ranch. Hee! But Bobby's found a spell to send the spirits back.
They head back upstairs, running into Ronald from “Nightshifter” on the way. Dean gets hung up talking to him which Bobby swiftly takes care of with a shotgun blast.
Bobby: If you're gonna shoot, shoot. Don't talk.
Back in the library, Bobby starts prepping for the spell, sending Sam upstairs for a red hex box and Dean into the kitchen for some items in a drawer. Sam gets the box and is confronted by Meg, who knows what he's been doing with Ruby. Sam's clearly effected by her words, but shoots her anyway.
Dean, meanwhile, is met by Hendricksen. He tries to apologize and inch towards his gun, but Victor flings it away. He then goes on to describe that he and the others didn't die instantly by Lilith's bright light, but instead endured 45 minutes of torture. Dean's response to hearing about Nancy being filleted by Lillith mirrors my own. She was a sweet person and while a somewhat minor character, it's nice to see Dean still remember her. Victor then attacks, trying to rip out Dean's heart. This scene is very difficult to watch. Jensen is really going all out. He looked about ready to burst a blood vessel. Eeep! Sam shows up just in time and helps a still hurting Dean to his feet.
The boys join Bobby in the library, where he's in the final stages of the spell. The spirits keep appearing with a vengeance and there's a lot of quick cuts and saltgun shells bouncing on the floor. Great action stuff! Sam gets pinned by a desk, leaving Dean to protect Bobby. But he gets attacked by Meg, managing to yell for Dean to catch the bowl and throw the contents into the fire. Phew! Cool effects, btw.
==================================
The final scene starts with the boys sleeping. Sam all comfy on a sofa and big brother sacked out on the floor. How typical of Dean to do something like that. :)
He awakes to find Castiel waiting for him in the kitchen. Dean wants to know why he didn't help them, but Castiel states that he was aware of the situation, but there were other things to deal with. He tells Dean of what's going on. Lilith is attempting to open the 66 seals, which will allow Lucifer to walk free. Castiel and his brothers are trying to stop her, but they can't win all the battles. Dean takes it all in, but still accuses the angels of falling down on the job. Castiel doesn't take too kindly to his charge's attitude, telling Dean he should show him some respect. I like how he really intimidates Dean at the end, stepping close and making him feel very uneasy. You can see the fear in Dean's eyes, especially when Castiel threatens that he lifted him from hell and can easily put him back. Yikes!
Dean then wakes up to morning and Sam getting dressed. Dean asks him if he really believes in God and angels and Sam responds that he does. Dean then asks that he must believe in Lucifer too, which makes Sam wonder what's going on. Dean, still a little stunned, doesn't have an answer.
This was a good episode. It's painful to see yet another layer of guilt laid on the brothers, but considering the spirits were there against their will it softens the blow....a little. Love Bobby's panic room! How long has he had that thing? I hope they use it again. It might come in handy in the future. It was great, of course, to see some of our favorite characters return, especially Meg. It was nice to get a better picture of her ordeal and nice that the show talked about the consequences to not only the main people that the boys deal with from week to week, but to their families as well. A long time ago I got to thinking about all of the victims and namely those they left behind. The family and friends who would deal with that loss and never really know what happened to them. How sad. So while the boys do save a lot of lives, there's the other side of the coin, which leaves a lot of collateral damage in their wake.
My only quibble would be including Ronald into the spirit mix. He only had a few lines and appeared like he was almost added as an afterthought. I've read that they originally wanted Jessica to appear for this eppy, but the actress wasn't available. That would have been very cool to see, but I don't think they needed to stick Ron in there. I get that he's a fan favorite and all, but his part wasn't really necessary. Story-wise, it also doesn't make much sense for him to be there. Bobby talks about the Witnesses dying unnatural deaths, yet Ron was shot. He also never really saw the shapeshifter outside of it's shed skin. IMO Hendricksen and Meg are much more legitimate as Witnesses than Ron.
Nice to see Castiel again and being nothing like a fluffy-feathered cherub that most angels are depicted as. There are few people who can intimidate Dean Winchester, and Castiel is one of them. His threat to send Dean back to hell was a little shocking. Not that I think he'd do it, after all, apparently God has plans for Dean, but it got the elder Winchester's attention, that's for certain. It's a beautifully acted and filmed scene. Love the deep shadows on both their faces.
Big thumbs up for this episode! Which I'm sure I'll be saying for all of S4. :D
