First Impressions: 5.13 The Song Remains The Same

[raloria]

A new season and a new set of episode reviews. Enjoy!

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. :)










Since I've got my comm spn_westcoast to monitor and discuss the episodes as they air with other viewers, I don't get to take notes during the initial showing anymore. These notes (which are a bit long - sorry!) were made during my 2nd viewing of the eppy.

Note: "==============" signifies a commercial break.


Recap: All about Anna, Dean traveling back in time, Mary makes the deal, “Destiny can’t be changed, Dean. All roads lead to the same destination.”

Whoah! Dean’s having one heck of a dream....A devil and angel strippers. ”Now that’s what I call peace on earth.” LOL
Anna!
Awkward is right....hee!
Anna’s a little bitter....she’s been in angel prison. Ouch! Dean learns Cas turned her in. She broke out and wants to meet with Dean.
And Dean wakes up.

Anna enters a rundown warehouse....oooh....whispers....it’s like on Lost! LOL
Oh, gotta be Castiel....yep!
He wouldn’t let the Winchesters come to meet her....doesn’t trust her. He’s sure she didn’t escape, she was let out to do a job.
But he admits turning her in was a mistake. She still denies she did anything other than escape.....hmmm.
She says she wants to help, but she did bring a knife...so did Cas...heh...and his kills angels. ;)
Anna: “Sam Winchester has to die.”

Anna says killing Sam is the only way....scatter him across the universe.
But Cas is determined to find another way....”The answer is still no, because Sam is my friend.” Aw....Cas. *draws hearts around him*
He warns her that if she comes near Sam, he’ll kill her. Oooooh.

Yikes! Time travel wasn’t so smooth for Anna....ouch.

Ooooh....Cas is getting ready for some sort of ritual...
Dean’s disappointed....doesn’t like hearing Anna’s gone all Glenn Close. A reference Cas totally doesn’t get. LOL
Sam wants to know if Anna’s plan is the right one. Noooo! Sam, no!
Cas says she’s wrong....err...Glenn Close. Hee!
Cas says they have to kill Anna, that she won’t give up until Sam’s dead.
Oh, I love it when Cas does the deep voice chanting stuff! *guh*
Whoah! That did something to him....
He found Anna is in 1978.
Since Anna can’t get to the boys through Cas she’s going after their parents to kill them.
Dean wants to go back right now, but Cas says it’ll be difficult with his diminished powers...”it’ll weaken me”.
But Dean’s determined....he doesn’t want to just save their mom & dad but set things right.
They pack a bag and Dean gives Sam one bit of advice before they’re zapped...”Bend your knees” Heh.

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The boys are back...in time. Hee! So is Cas, except he’s not lookin’ so good. Ooops. :(
And again they’re at a location I visited back in August! Even my mom recognized it! *squee* :D
Sam’s lovin’ the time travel trip....”I mean...the mustaches alone!” LOL
Dean checked Cas into the motel’s honeymoon suite for 5 days....wants to buy stock in Microsoft. Heehee!
Sam’s worried about Cas....after all he’s their only way back.
Dean: “He’ll wake up. He’s...you know, tough for a little nerdy dude with wings.”
Sam found where John and Mary live....

Awww...there’s the Impala!
Dean found a suitable replacement for their transportation...heh.
Sam’s ready to charge in, but Dean wants to formulate a plan. Good old Dean. ;)
He wants Sam to follow his lead....
Awwww....John & Mary are so sweet!
Dean says they’re cousins....heh. That’s thinking on your feet, Dean.
Poor Sam....he can’t quit staring at Mary and then he can’t let go of John’s hand....awww.
Dean’s got this whole cover story pretty well laid out....so far.
Sam’s so on the verge of tears....even John notices....uh oh.
He invites them in for a beer, despite Mary trying to get rid of them.

Mary’s a little weirded out by the way Sam’s looking at her.
He’s taken with how beautiful she is....awww Sammy.
Dean explains it by telling John she looks like their mom....heh.
This is so bizarre even to imagine....the boys sitting across from their parents....
Boys, you really gotta a have a better plan....John asks what business they’re in and Sam says plumbing while Dean says scrap metal. Ooops! :P
Mary’s still eager to get rid of them...
John insists that they stay, before he answers the telephone....
Oh....sneaky Anna disguising her voice as John’s boss.
The boys try to convince Mary they’re in danger and Sam ends up telling her it’s an angel, but she doesn’t believe they exist. Now we know where Dean gets it from. ;)
They convince her to leave then notice John hasn’t returned.
He’s left, with a message by the phone that he’ll be back in 15 min. Uh oh....

John’s at the garage and finds his boss....dead.
Looks like Anna’s recovered from the time travel trip....ouch!
She flings John around until the boys & Mary show up.
Dean!!!! She tosses him clear out of the building! Owie! Nice Dean tummy shot though. Hee!
Mary picks up the angel-killing sword.....good to see she hasn’t lost her hunting moves. Go Mary!
She gets a good slice in and then Anna disappears....only to return to fling Mary into a car’s windshield.
Before Anna can get to her, Mary stabs a crowbar into her chest. Yikes!
But of course that won’t kill an angel....heh
It was enough of a distraction though....for Sam to do the angel dispelling sigil on the wall! Go Sam!!!! Woot!
Bye, bye Anna....for the time being.
And poor John saw all of that....this should be interesting to explain.

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Oh, look at them all in the Impala with John driving....*glee*
John’s learning that Mary fights “monsters” and has done it her whole life. Oh, boy.
As everyone starts talking, John’s had enough.
“Shut up all of you. Look, not another word or so help me I will turn this car around!” LOL
Silence.
Dean: “Wow. Awkward family road trip.”
Sam: “No kidding.”
Heehee! Love it!
OMG people!!!! That shot of the Impala driving up to a house with the big tree in the forground? That’s just like the design that they used to put on the slate and cameras for the show!!!! *squee*
Mary shows them the run down house, which has been in the family for years and is all decked out in devil’s traps, iron, salt, and holy water.....none of which is going to be any good against angels. Luckily, the boys brought along what they’ll need.
Sam & Mary disappear to get ready and John and Dean have a chance to talk.
John wants to do something and he doesn’t want to know how the angel sigil works, he just wants to know where to put it.
Dean wants him to go help Sam ‘cause the sigil’s gotta be done in human blood....so John takes a knife and slices open his palm.
Dean admits to John that he suddenly reminds him of his dad. Awwww....

John’s working on the sigil when Sam comes in....
Sam apologizes for everything and John wants to know how long he’s known about this hunting stuff. Sam answers all his life and John gets all upset over how anyone could do that to their kids.
John: “Your father was supposed to protect you.”
Sam: “He was trying. He died trying.”
Awww....here we go with Sam opening up....
Sam: “I used to be mad at him, I mean I used to...I used to hate the guy, but now...I get it. He was...just doing the best he could. And he was trying to keep it together in, in this impossible situation. See....my mom, um....she was amazing, beautiful and...she was the love of his life. She got killed and I think he would’ve gone crazy if he didn’t do something. Truth is, um, my dad died before I got to tell him that...I understand...why he did what he did and I forgive him. For what it did to us, I do...and I just....I love him.”

Anna....meets with Uriel. What a surprise.
He tells her they’re under strict orders not to come down to earth, much less take a vessel.
He recognizes she’s not the current Anna, but she reminds him she’s still his superior and she wants him to kill some humans. She says in the future these people will kill him. She’s giving him the chance to strike first.
Ooooh, evil Anna!

Mary wants Dean to explain why an angel wants her dead. He tells her it’s complicated, but she’s not letting it go.
He finally tells her the truth, that he’s her son....that he and Sam are named after her parents.
He recounts how when he was sick she used to make him tomato-rice soup, because that’s what her mom made for her....and instead of a lullaby, she would sing “Hey Jude” to him because that was her favorite Beatles song. Awww....this is so sweet!
She doesn’t believe it, horrified that she raised her children to be hunters, but Dean reassures her that she didn’t....because she’s dead. The YED killed her and John became a hunter to get revenge.
Dean tries again to keep her from going into Sam’s nursery on that fateful night.
Sam appears in the doorway and says that’s not enough, that the demon will find her wherever she goes. He says she should leave John and never look back....in this way the two of them will never be born. Oh, boys!!!!!
Dean agrees and says they’re okay with that but Mary’s not.
But Sam tells her she’s never going to have that normal life she wanted....she’ll die and her children will be cursed.
Mary says she can’t leave John, it’s too late....she’s pregnant.
John comes in and reports the sigils are being wiped out...the holy oil is gone too. Uh oh....
A piercing sound and then the windows all blow out!

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It’s Uriel....and Anna....
Dean takes on Uriel and Sam takes on Anna....whoo-ya!
Sadly, the boys aren’t much of a match against angels....John tries to step in but is stopped by Anna, who shoves him through a window and outside.
OMG! Sammy!!! Noooooooooo!!!!! Anna stabbed him with....a pipe from the wall and Dean can’t help him ‘cause Uriel’s got him in a choke hold. Gah!
We see a bright light as John comes to....
“Sam!” Oh no! Sam’s dead!
Anna tells Mary she’s really sorry...yeah, right.
It’s John! Except it isn’t....it’s Michael in John’s body. Whoah.
He smites Anna and it’s quite graphic and um.....fiery. Yikes! Impressive.
He gets rid of Uriel by simply snapping his fingers. Oooh.
Michael puts Mary to sleep and Dean wants him to fix Sam right away, but first they have to talk.
We find out Dean is Michael’s true vessel, but not his only one. It’s through the bloodline, stretching back to Cain and Able. Wow.
Dean: “Awesome. Six degrees of heaven bacon.” LOL
He says he doesn’t want to kill his brother, Lucifer, anymore than Dean does Sam.
“But I am going to kill him because it is right and I have to.”
God has long forseen these events and he’s going to obey because he’s a good son.
But Dean’s “gotta believe that I can choose what I do with my unimportant little life.”
Michael tells him he’s wrong that all the random choices and decisions that have been made aren’t random at all, they’re happening just as they’re supposed to. “Free will’s an illusion, Dean. That’s why you’re going to say yes.”
He assures Dean he won’t leave him a drooling mess when he’s done with him. Good to know.
He’ll also erase John & Mary’s memories of him and the boys ever being there.
This also means that Mary will still go into the nursery and die. Poor Dean...
Michael zaps Sam back home and does the same to Dean, telling him he’ll see him soon.

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The boys are getting ready to have a drink in the motel room when Cas reappears and again he’s not looking so good. He passes out and they lay him on the bed.
Dean: “Team free will. One ex-blood junkie, one dropout with six bucks to his name, and Mr. Comatose over there. It’s awesome.” LOL
Sam: “They all say we’ll say yes.”
Dean: “I know. It’s getting annoying.”
Sam: “What if they’re right?”
Dean: “They’re not.”
Sam’s worried about being weak because he was before and even John said yes, but Dean says that was different, Anna was about to kill Mary.
Sam counters with that if it was Dean, what would he say to save Mary?

We see John and a pregnant Mary in a nursery.
Mary bought a little angel figure that sits above the crib for 25 cents. She really doesn’t know why.
John steps out of the room and Mary feels a kick from the baby, calling him a troublemaker already. Heh. If only she knew! ;)
She then reassures it, saying that angels are watching over him.
Awwww....a sad and touching ending.


This episode is already being called one of the show's best hours and I can't agree more. It's a far cry from the mess that was 5x12. It's in equal quality with the other time travel episode of the season, "The End".

It was wonderful and bittersweet to see the Winchester family all together. Poor Sam, seeing his younger parents for the first time and Dean, still trying to change everyone's fates. It was sad to see Anna return so changed. I had a feeling her death was the predicted one by early spoilers, but I sure didn't see Sam dying again! Eeep! They've gotta quit killing our boys, even if it's only temporary. It was good to finally hear from Michael. He's not at all what I expected. Somehow he's....nicer. But everything seems to be heading in one definite direction....the boys are going to say yes to being vessels. Whether this actually happens by the time we get to the end of the season, well, that'll be the interesting part. Is human will stronger than destiny? That appears to be the question this season.

You couldn't ask for better performances. Matt Cohen was amazing and his turn as Michael was powerful. Amy Gumenick was again wonderful, as was Misha and Julie. The boys, naturally, were each given a scene to truly shine in and shine they did. How far Jared has come from 5 years ago and Jensen continues to peel away more layers of talent. I'm so proud of both of them for their powerful, emotional scenes. I love where the show is going and what we continue to learn not only about the past but about the present and possible future. Go Team Free Will!!! \0/