5,04 (the usual belated reaction post)

[ariadnes_string]

So when Lucifer-in-Sam looked at Dean and said “and then he created you" it seemed so personal that all I could think of was that icon you see around LJ that says “On the Eighth Day, God created Jensen Ackles. And then he said: Top that!”

Because, seriously: two Deans? I wasn’t able to resist watching the last 20 minutes of the episode on Thursday night, even though I knew I wouldn’t be able to watch the whole thing until Sat. night, and I’m pretty glad I watched the end (at least) twice, because most of the first time through I was thinking: “wow, look how pretty Jensen’s face is from that angle?” and “oh wait, it looks even better from that angle,” and so on…

As has been said many times before, one thing JA is particularly good at is listening, and here we got to see him listening to himself. And running. I could watch a lot of footage of him running.

Ahem….

This is a bunch of pretty random comments. I haven’t looked at too many reaction posts, so forgive me if I’m repeating what a million other people have said.

*I know it’s just been a series of throw-away lines, but I am enjoying Dean defending his right to enjoy his own bodily functions this season: eating, sleeping, pooping. It makes a change from the disassociative state he was in for a lot of S4—troubled sleep, hardly even wanting to eat, sometimes…Maybe it’s because he knows that someone else wants his body (and not in a good way), but it does seem to signal a return to health/energy/ self-possession. Now, if he could only stop sleeping fully clothed….

*Even in a show with a pretty high quotient of sad conversations, I thought the phone conversation between Dean and Sam at the beginning was pretty damn sad. The moment when Sam said he wanted Dean to feel “panicked, maybe?” about him being Lucifer’s vessel, you know he meant “panicked about something bad happening to me, aren’t you going to rush right out and try to protect me???” And to hear Dean tell him no, no he wasn’t, wasn’t shocking exactly (except maybe to Sam), because we know from 5.02 that Dean had already made that decision—but it was sad. And it clearly made Dean sad too…..It was a dynamic you thought you’d never see: Dean telling Sam to stay away.

(and it sure didn’t last long: I don’t know how I feel about Dean changing his mind at the end…I’d like to think that he isn’t rushing right back into being protective—or at least he now sees the protection as being necessarily mutual….but I don’t know…I was enjoying separated!boys, though I understand that they need to get back together…).

*Like everyone else, I found future!Dean hot like burning (thigh holster FTW), and enjoyed the wonder of two Deans together. I loved that both Deans were bolshie even (especially?) with each other. JA did a beautiful job of differentiating them without being OTT.

I thought it was interesting that future!Dean has become a leader of men, since, for all he’s always been a hero, leading groups is not something we’ve seen that much of from him (maybe in “Jus in Bello”? or more recently in 5.02?). yourlibrarian was saying that this evolution is in keeping with his move this season to being the Winchester most concerned with the general good, and I agree. I just guess that the fanfic I would like to see now would be about the moment when Dean decided to shoulder the leadership of the group of survivors….

*I quite liked the Lucifer-in-Sam-present!Dean conversation, despite the little brain hiccup mentioned above. JP did a fine job with was an inherently campy/ridiculous situation (and suit). I particularly liked the moment when Dean called him a belly-crawling fugly—can we see Lucifer turn into a serpent sometime please?

I also thought it was interesting how ready Dean was to kill Lucifer-in-Sam. I guess we were supposed to think that he was going to kill Lucifer before he ever got (in)to Sam, but it was quite striking to see Dean threaten Sam’s body like that: quite different than the way he is with Meg-in-Sam in BUaBS for instance…

*Which brings me to the fact that in the final scene, when Dean pulled the knife, I almost thought he was going to kill Sam after all. I mean, of course I didn’t really think that, but since he’d said he was gong to do what he should have done in the first place, and he’d already said no about Michael….I just fell right into that little set-up.

The final scene looked beautiful, and it did what it was supposed to do, but after the fierceness of everything that had gone before….I don’t know.

Oh, and Misha was great—I don’t have anything more to say about that, except that the little look o’love he gave Dean when he said “we had an appointment” was just adorable.

But basically, I thought the episode did a great job of delivering a compelling story that looked really, really good (and not just because of the two Deans).

Comments

[yourlibrarian]

“On the Eighth Day, God created Jensen Ackles. And then he said: Top that!”

I always think that icon's missing the words "to Jared Padalecki" ;)

I could watch a lot of footage of him running.

This made me laugh because the scene went by quite quickly, I slowed it down on my rewatch. It was really interesting to see the variety of shots and angles they used to put that scene together which I only got an impression of at full speed.

Maybe it’s because he knows that someone else wants his body (and not in a good way), but it does seem to signal a return to health/energy/ self-possession.

That's an interesting point.

JP did a fine job with was an inherently campy/ridiculous situation (and suit).

I'm rather on the fence by that bit myself. I thought 75% of it was great. The passion he had when he spoke of God was almost moving. I think he was also trying to be not-Sam and be more like Lucifer!Nick but it didn't exactly work. But what struck me initially was that first moment when he turns around and he looks so young and altered -- it made me realize how Sam himself in this episode looked furrowed and glum.

can we see Lucifer turn into a serpent sometime please?

Now I've just got an image of Lucifer!Sam with a forked tongue.

[ariadnes_string]

I always think that icon's missing the words "to Jared Padalecki" ;)

hee!

I guess if the growly voice starts to bug me too much, I can just turn off the sound and watch the running!

I thought 75% of it was great.
Yeah, me too--but that was better than I would have thought he could do with it...Mark Pellegrino is much better at it, but then he doesn't have to deal with the suit (or maybe we're going to see him buy the suit--since "we always end up here.").

Now I've just got an image of Lucifer!Sam with a forked tongue.

okay--in all seriousness--that would be awesome!

[yourlibrarian]

that would be awesome!

Well, presumably he already has the yellow eyes!