Monday, October 31, 2011

Supernatural - 7.06 - Slash Fiction - Recap

Previously - Sheriff Jodie saw a monster, Leviathans suck, Witch Don took LeviaHunter temporarily down, Sam tried to get Dean to share, Dean killed Amy, the brothers were good….this doesn't bode well for the episode

Note - I love this episode. Even the ending doesn't bother me. The writing is exceptional after a string of hits and megamisses. Therefore look for large chunks of dialogue in this recap. Some scenes are just too funny not to. On with the show. At First Bank of Jericho, Dean flatters a teller into making change and no that's not innuendo. He signals Sam to lock the doors and they rob the bank. For anyone not spoilered yet, welcome LeviaBrothers. They're like shape shifters but with a nastier appetite. LeviaSam: "Your money's insured so no heroes, okay?" Yep, no heroes here - just a whole lot of fun for Jensen and Jared. They put everyone in with the safety deposit boxes, wink at the cameras, hold their guns awkwardly, and fire. Highest number of deaths before the title card ever.

In the basement of Rufus' Montana cabin, LeviaHunter is awake but chained. Apparently Don's spell worked well as he still isn't up to breaking out, eating Bobby, and disclosing to his fellow Leviathans the location of the only thing close to home now that Bobby's house blew up. Bobby attempts to kill LeviaHunter in sundry ways; LeviaHunter attempts to make me spit out my water with his snarkitude. He succeeds. Right until he calls Dean and Sam, "My two favorite meatsicles." That's worse than meat suit and I cringe every time it's said. Bobby is frustrated. "Greatest hits didn't do the trick. I'm down to B sides and deep cuts." Dean reminds us that the spell is temporary, which we know from in the previouslies. Dean: "He gets his spinach back we're going to end up having to drop a car on him just to stop him." LeviaHunter reminds us LeviaDad walked away from that. Thanks - I can be ticked all over again. The Winchester clan isn't happy with the news either. Dean takes over the interrogation with the chatty captive. LeviaHunter tracked them through alias-tracking software. Bobby: "Great. Just what we need, a Mensa Monster." BWAH!!! And he has a new name, MM for short. "When we were all nestled in at Camp Cas, we kind of got the full download. That's just how we do." I like MM. Bobby asks why he's answering questions. "Because I'm not scared of you. You can't stop me. You can't stop any of us. We can't be killed you stupid little chew toys." (Huge sigh) You're too cocky. You aren't going to make it. Glad to have had you for a little while MM. MM must be pretty big in the LeviaLeader list because he knows all about the LeviaBros.

On an ancient TV, local breaking news catches the Winchester clan up. I puzzle why local news in Montana picks up a California bank robbery. If it was the 6:00 news sure, but breaking news? I doubt it. Dean and Sam were presumed dead (Jus in Bello) and now the focus of a manhunt. Bobby: "Busy morning you two?" Dean: "The SOB's Xeroxed us." Ha! Sam asks how and MM yells about hair. "Not too hard to lift some DNA out of a motel shower drain guys." I love his "duh" voice while the brothers exchange "we're screwed" looks. Dean: "You can copy people like that? Awesome." The Leviathans want the Winchesters on the FBI's most wanted list so Dean's all for killing them first. Bobby has very valid reasons against that. Dean: "They're wearing our faces Bobby. This is personal." Sam and I agree. Bobby: "Well if you're going to be stupid, you might as well be smart about it." BWAH! He tells them to see Frank Deveraux. "In the meantime, I'll keep working on Chatty Cathy here. See if I can figure out what makes him die." Ha! I love these small gems. The dialogue is snappy tonight. The brothers stop to fuel Baby and Sam heads inside for protein bars and Bing Bongs. What? Hostess won't pay for product placement. I'm very disappointed. Unfortunately the clerk recognizes Sam and calls the police. Sam sees an ATM robbery by their doppelgangers and hightails it outside. Baby roars into the night with nary a Bing Bong in sight. Meanwhile the Feds head to the Manitoc Savings & Loan. By this time I should have caught on, but nope, oblivious. Cop: "These Winchester boys are keeping busy I hear. What is this? Some type of psycho road trip?" Feds remind us the Winchesters were dead a couple days ago and the lead Fed doesn't like serial killer paperwork. They get a tip about the Gas n Sip and young Fed puzzles, "It's about a thousand miles from here. That's fast. Must have flown." "That or Batmobile." Actually it's Supernatural geography - nothing is more than 8 hours away no matter how many states you cross.

In a mansion in the middle of nowhere the Winchesters pop in on Frank, who greets them with a gun. He thinks he's funny. I find him amusingly annoying. "Well I'll be darned. Psycho Butch and Sundance. You're on CNN right now." That's a keeper! He agrees it's not them - no teleporter. "Now who sent you? NSA, the Feeb, March of Dimes?" (snickers) Dean says Bobby, which earns a gun waved in his face. Sam clarifies about owing Bobby for Port Huron. "Guy saves your life one time, and what? You owe him the rest of yours?" Dean and I say, "That's usually how it works, yeah." Frank puts down the gun and shreds all the brothers' ids. He thinks the government is cloning people. Frank reminds me of a much less sweet, not naïve Ronald Reznik. I miss Ron. "You're number two on the Most Wanted list. Quickest climb up the charts since Donna Summer." Frank suggests Cuba. Dean: "Look, we gotta stick around and kick a couple of a**. So, uh, we just need you to get us further off the grid but keep us on the board." Frank says, "No more rock shout-outs." Aw man, I love the rock shout outs. Tom and John Smith are so boring. He demands they change phones frequently, use only cash, and avoid 100 million government-accessed cameras. What is this? London. "You see a place that even looks like it can afford security, you just ease on down the road." Frank's stuck in the 70's. Donna Summer, the Wiz? He smashes Sam's laptop, gives him another, and claims they owe him $5,000 cash. Bwah! The Winchesters get their pictures taken and a few ids (much less than they started) and one map later, they leave Frank's. I'm surprised they had $5,000 cash on hand to pay him. Not sure why. Frank marked where the LeviaBrothers hit and tells them there's "no such thing as a random series of robbery-murders by your evil twins." He questions their plan to chase down their LeviaDoubles instead of hiding. "…I'd lay low cause I love life and its intricate mysteries, but you two want to be dumb, that's fine. At least have the common sense to ditch your car." The brothers and I cringe. What? Not Baby. "Your DoubleMints? They're using a car just like the one outside." Dean looks freaked while Sam hesitantly waits for Dean's reaction.

Quick cut and Bobby shoots MM, which only hypes him up. Bobby: "You bleed black snot, sure, but you bleed, you can die." MM taunts Bobby to provoke an emotional gaffe, but Bobby takes his frustrations out by beheading MM. "Hot damn. Well, that's something." Ha! Too bad it won't work. Cool effect though. Later, Bobby hears a knock on the cabin door. Who should be there but Sheriff Jodie? Woo hoo! Of course, I immediately suspect she's possessed. Anyone else? Bobby is rude in his shock but she persists via food and beer, while Bobby explains his other guest. Sheriff Jodie thanks Bobby for his help with LeviaDoc. "They were fresh out of thanks for saving me from liver-eating surgeon cards at the store." Hallmark needs a freaky events division. Bobby passes it off as his unpaid job. Jodie wants real conversation; Bobby not so much. Sheriff: "Bobby, let someone be nice to you for 5 minutes." He agrees, "But not too nice. Can't be going soft." Ha! It's the Winchester way. Jodie: "I can cook - ish. You know. Why don't you let me make you something? Maybe put this new place of yours in some kind of order. I owe you that much." Bobby calls her Sheriff but she corrects, "Jodie." I grin broadly while Bobby looks puzzled. Have you never gotten signals from a woman before? He's as hopeless as he was with Marcy. Back downstairs, MM reassembled himself. MM taunts, "Did you think it would be that easy?" Bobby: "No but it's a start." He swings the machete again.

In a Gremlinish car decorated by toddlers, I share Dean's pain. No grown man should ever drive this. Bunny stickers on the dash, a squeaky pegasus hanging from the mirror. No one older than 12 should like this. Dean slices the toy off and grouses, "You know it's bad enough that they are ganking people wearing our mugs. But now this? Have us driving around in this…kaboodle while Baby's on lockdown." Yep, definitely feel your pain. Sam says its temporary; I say it doesn't matter. This is a crime too. Dean: "Nobody puts Baby in a corner." BWAH! Sam calls him on the Dirty Dancing allusion, but Dean counters, "Swayze movie. Swayze always gets a pass." I shelled out money for Wong Foo so I don't agree, but I do love the line. Sam tries to placate Dean with music but Air Supply's "All out of Love" comes on. Just like Sam I figure Dean would rather be monster-throttled than listen to this. We're both wrong. Sam wants to turn it off but Dean says nothing else is on and quietly proceeds to lip sync the words. He does it with such passion I spit out my gum. I won't bore you with middle school Air Supply tales, but I know exactly why Dean knows this one. The scene is as classic as the Eye of the Tiger outtake, especially since it freaks Sam out so much he turns it off. I gasp for breath so hard I almost miss the key clue. The LeviaBrothers are strolling down season 1 memory lane. They hit Jericho, Black Water Ridge, Lake Manitoc, etc. As we flash to the brothers' first cases together, I wonder why Cas knew this info to pass to the Leviathans. I didn't get the impression he was on Winchester patrol before being one of several angels pulled up to the Majors to get Dean out of hell. Sam says it's St. Louis next and I'm all excited they are returning to my city and on World Series game 7 too. Dean's also excited, "Perfect. Connor's Diner. Best burgers in St. Louis. Oh, I deserve something good in my life right now."

Switch to LeviaDean (LD) scarfing a burger at the diner where Eve died, complete with the uniforms. (There is no Connor's Diner in St. Louis and the whole scene is an homage to Pulp Fiction, which I have no interest in seeing. Things you learn on Google.) This scene is too awesome to recap so here's the whole thing. LD: "You know he has one of these every day. And in his heart, he thinks they're almost as good as sex. This is disgusting." LeviaSam: "Dead plants with creamy goo. It's like eating self-righteousness. I mean you tell me which is worse." LD: "I mean honestly, I just I…You know what? I can't stand the guy. Talk about a hero complex. And he doesn't have relationships, no he has applications for sainthood. Oh and he thinks he's funny. Thinks he's a damn comedian." LS: "Who has 2 thumbs and a full blown bats in the belfry? I'm serious. It's nothing but Satan-vision on the inside. I mean, how he's walking around in a jacket with detachable arms is beyond me. You know I had a brother with this many issues once." LD: "Yeah." LS: "You know what I did? I ate him." LD: "Of course you did." BWAH!!!!! LS: "How are these guys even a threat?" LD: "Boss says they gotta go, they gotta go." LS: "Right. Idea. You want to trade? I mean I'll take Chuckles over Schizo." LD: "No, I like this one's hair better. You can stay in the big one." LS: "Alright. In that case let's turn up the heat. The sooner I get out of this and into something more stable the better." LD has a kid videotape the whole thing and they proceed to blow it all to pieces (off screen). Budget cuts! Everything about this scene is golden. I love how the LeviaWinchesters trash talk Dean and Sam and point out how screwed they are. I love how LS proves Sam is not alright despite his claims. All in all, one of my favorite scenes this season.

The real Winchesters talk to Bobby about beheading, but no one's keen on getting that close. Bobby discusses a shootable weapon when Jodie asks if he wants mayo. Dean: "You got a chick over there?" Ha! Bobby's caught. He denies it but no way. "Are you even working Richard Gere?" Bobby calls them idjits; the brothers and I grin. Bobby deserves some love. Sadly Bobby tells them LeviaBros "Pumpkin and Honey Bunny-ed a diner" in St. Louis. Dean's distraught because no more Connor's burgers for him. I'm distraught because instead of St. Louis they head to Iowa. Skin was far better than Hook Man anyway. The Feds still hit St. Louis though, where a cop shows them the video and we see LS yelling, "I want the whole world to see what Sam and Dean Winchester are capable of." They kill the camera kid last and move in for a close up. LD: "Well, good night St. Louis. You've been a wonderful crowd. Grab your socks and hose Iowa because we're headed to you next." He winks. The Feds head to Iowa. We head to Rufus' basement . Bobby tries electrocuting MM and makes the mistake of touching him. It's LeviaBobby. I'm thrilled; Bobby's not. LeviaBobby: "It's pretty dark in here. High school dropout. A drunk like your Daddy before you. Oh, you and Dad. Now that's a can of scorpions. Your favorite singer is Joni frickin' Mitchell. Oh Bobby, you are ten pounds of sad in a five pound bag." Aww! I love this scene too. Mostly because we get more Bobby background and there's never enough of that. Too bad he didn't tell us what happened in Omaha.

In Akeny, which looks more like Manitoc than Manitoc did, Dean and Sam walk down the street as the LeviaBrothers arrive in Impala 2.0. She may be an imposter but she's still a welcome sight. Dean agrees. "Those are nice wheels. I tell you what. When this is over, I'm stealing those rims." Sam is less pleased. "This is all sorts of wrong." Dean calls Bobby. "We've got eyes on him. It's like looking in a fun house mirror." Bobby: "Yeah, I know the feeling." Well at least I'm excited. Bobby suggests they lie low until he gets something but that is not an option. The Leviathans will keep killing until they flush out the brothers. If they lie low, more people die and we all know Winchester guilt. Sadly, all options disappear as the police bust the real Dean and Sam. Behind the cops, the doppelgangers re-enter the Impala and LeviaDean winks. It's cold and totally awesome. The Winchesters are screwed and need Bobby for answers, but LeviaBobby is still messing with him. Bobby: "Save it. I already know me, handsome." Ha! LB: "You've got the gruff thing down. Seen more death than an electric chair. Ready to die with your boots on. But you know deep down inside, you're no cynic. You still hope. You've even got a thing for that lady upstairs." Aww Bobby. I hope with you. At least one of them ought to get a happy ending. Bobby counters with a Browning quote - "A man's reach should exceed his grasp." LB likes the quote too. "After I eat you, I'm definitely going to hit the library." BWAH!!! Bobby goes to machete LB but something drips down and burns him. The almighty goo freaks him completely out as chunks of skin melt. Upstairs Jodie had a mop accident. Bobby's so happy he kisses her. YES! Jodie and I are surprised but inwardly ecstatic. Well at least until I realize the big bad Leviathans are taken out by mop water. How disappointing!

At the police station, Akeny's new sheriff puts Dean in a cell and Sam in interrogation. Then he tells his officers to go home. What? First off, the place will be a media mad house once people realize the killers are caught and Akeny seems short on cops. Secondly, shouldn't they want to interrogate the serial killers first. This is a huge deal. They should all be celebrating together, not heading for a nap. Ah, Annie enters the episode. The two cops are needed for Leviafood so common sense flies away. I sigh. LeviaCops return to eat the night crew, while the sheriff talks with Dean. Dean starts to go the innocent route but then just asks for his phone call. Dean can use puppy dog voice too. Bobby picks up over a decapitated and fully burned MM. Bobby wants to get them but Dean explains, "There's no time. We saw them. They saw us. So we are coming to get us. You read me." Bobby exposits about sodium borate. "OK, let me get Mr. Wizard on speed dial." No need, it's in common cleaners that says Borax. Dean: "You want me to Desperate Housewives these mothers." Ha! Bobby suggests Borax dousing and decapitation. Then keep the head separate. Dean says thanks but the sheriff is freaked out. "Borax. Decapitation. What kind of sickos are you and your friends?" Dean: "Hey, you listen to me. If you don't go get every ounce, every drop of whatever that stuff is in this place right now, we're all going to die." The sheriff calls him crazy and for a moment I wonder if he's a low-level Leviathan waiting for the boss. That's the genius of the Leviathan plot; anyone could be one. However, the sheriff rethinks it when he sees one of his deputies eating another. Watching your deputies turn into serial killers in front of your eyes will make anyone a believer. The actor playing the sheriff does a great job here. He lets Dean out. "OK, you listen to me and we'll live. Keep your head down. Get to the supply closet. Get anything that says Borax on it." Dean goes for a gun and runs into LeviaSam. Unfortunately, guns don't work and Dean goes flying. He breaks the fire axe box but LS mocks him. "Cute. You really think you can get close enough to use it." Dean: "Not until you're burning." Cue the sheriff with the cleaner. One clean swipe later and LeviaSam is down for the count.

Flipping to Sam, LeviaDean enters his room. "I'm not your brother but I am Dean adjacent." Bwah! Who wouldn't want to be Dean adjacent? LD: "I just want to let you know how much I have really grown to hate you and your brother since we've been wearing you. I just don't get it. You could be anything. You're strong, you're uninhibited, you're smart enough believe it or not, but you're so caught up in being good and taking care of each other." It really ticks him off. "You're wasting a perfectly good opportunity to subjugate the weak." Yikes, Leviathans are so power-hungry. That makes them more like the evils the Winchesters have already faced than monsters who really want to feed. Disappointing. LD hits psychiatrist mode and I have a terrible feeling. Please don't spill the Amy beans LD. Let Dean do it. "Here's the deal. Dean thinks you're nutballs. He thinks you're off your game." Sam: "You going to kill me or is this some sort of play with your food bull?" LD: "Alright, alright, I guess that's why Dean never told you that he killed Amy." NOOO!!! There goes the brother relationship again. This sucks out loud! LD: "There it is. The look on your face. That is priceless. That's what I've been waiting for. Now I can eat you. Cuz you see, I like my meat a little bitter." LeviaDean completely creeps me out. Kudos to Jensen Ackles here. Of course this is where Dean kicks in the door, douses LD with cleaner and chops his head off. Dean beheaded Dean. So cool!!! Dean: "Wow, that felt good." Special effects are awesome too. Sheriff uncuffs Sam and agrees he'll lie to the FBI. Dean asks to be dead again. He gets a mop but Sam's still stunned. Sam says he's okay, but I foresee a nasty NotImpala chat coming.

Next day the sheriff says he shot the brothers and killed them. The coroner confirms it, complete with fingerprints. They claim the bodies were cremated since the sheriff obviously had time to see their living will and talk religion before they croaked. They have the fastest coroner's office on the planet. Fed: "Wow! That must be some kind of record. They died last night." One Fed is believably upset. The other says it avoids paperwork. Yep, don't trust him. Let's contemplate how many conspiracy theories will surface about these serial killers. They were dead, then started a wild crime spree years after their deaths. Then they are killed by a small town sheriff and the only proof of that death is his and the coroner's word and some fingerprints. This screams suspicious! I know Supernatural is going to brush this under the rug, but in "reality" people know the Winchesters' faces now. They won't forget about them overnight and they can check the internet to compare pictures. It should be a big deal for hunters even if it won't be in the SPN-universe. Back to the story, Bobby's TV plays the sole reporter at the scene of 2 serial killers' deaths. (Did all the others get lost?) Jodie says her work is done and Bobby thanks her. "Anytime you need me to spill something else, you give me a call." Man I like her! Bobby leans in and Jodie and I think he's going to kiss her again. Instead he gives her the severed head of MM and tells her to drop it over a bridge. Way to kill the mood! He kisses her cheek and she stares at him then grins. I throw a pillow. Man up Bobby! She knows what you do and is still interested. Not many women like her. Instead of Bobby going after her, it's back to the coroner's. Not good. YoungFed returns and Leviathans out. Bye Sheriff and Coroner daughter. Their deaths, as the only witnesses to dead Winchesters, won't seem suspicious at all.

LeviaFed calls his boss with bad news. The bodies have no heads and the Winchesters live. LeviaBoss: "So all that brain power, all those resources, and those 2 field mice are still on my to-do list?" LeviaFed wants to make new LeviaBrothers but LeviaBoss realizes it will really bring them undo attention. Apparently people get suspicious with resurrections. They must not be Supernatural fans because it's a yearly occurrence here. LeviaBoss prefers subtle. They could hardly go bigger. After threatening to "bib" his underling, he enters an obnoxious limo. Hello Crowley! It's always better when you're here. He introduces himself to Mr. Roman, aka LeviaBoss, and brings "muffins" as a welcome gift. LeviaBoss knows who he is and says to call him Dick. Well, that's appropriate. Crowley schmoozes about a deal between the Leviathans and hell, but LeviaBoss won't bite. Crowley claims he released them into the world but really it was MegaloCas and quite frankly LeviaBoss already knows about soul power. "Don't roofie me and call it romance." Yikes! Crowley: "I think you got me wrong." He pegged you right but dangerously underestimates you. A ticked-off Crowley is a clever Crowley. LeviaBoss proceeds to insult Crowley and threaten demons. "You're less than humans and they're not good for much until you dip them in garlic sauce." Tell us how you really feel. I foresee the Winchesters and Crowley on the same side but not truly working together again. Too much bad blood. Crowley: "Keep the muffins." He disappears.

Meanwhile, Dean and Sam go to a pier to toss off Leviathan heads. Dean debates keeping them. I wonder why they are tossing them in the same place. Wouldn't it be a bit more secure to dump them a state apart. None of it matters because Sam isn't paying attention. Here we go. Dean thinks their doubles creeped Sam out, but Sam asks if he wants to know what's wrong. I hesitate. On one hand, we need the whole Amy thing in the rearview mirror. On the other, I dread another brother rift. Dean has no qualms. "You know my motto. Here to help." So not the right words. Sam: "Here to help. Kind of like you helped Amy." Ouch! Dean realizes the jig is up; he starts to explain but Sam is rightly ticked off. Dean lied and he calls him on it. "Don't lie to me again. You know, don't even talk to me." They stare briefly at each other and Sam get his duffel from Notpala. He says he can't and walks off. Dean: "You can't what?" Sam: "I can't talk to you right now. Dean, I can't even be around you right now." He tells Dean to leave without him. Dean slightly bobs his head and Sam yells, "Go!" Dean: "Alright. Sorry Sam." The brothers head in opposite directions but this scene hits me more the second time than the first. I guess I expected Sam to punch Dean out. He deserves it. When Sam walked off and the screen went black, it felt off. I had psyched myself up to endure this big emoangst drama fest, but then nothing. On second viewing it made more sense. Sam was way too upset to talk so some space is probably healthy. However, this means the fallout will occur in future episodes and you know me with long, drawn out emo. I won't be able to psych myself up forever. I guess future episodes will determine how I feel about this scene in the long run but for now, I'm good. Especially since I know they work together again in the next episode. It would be far different if I didn't have that assurance.

Review - Without rewatching the first 2 episodes, I think this one is on par with the premiere and possibly better. It hit for me in writing, acting, but mostly in fun. LeviaWinchesters have a levity that was freeing. They killed people and didn't brood about it. That's by no means where I want the "real" Winchesters to head, but the lack of guilt, burden, and secrets was refreshing. The scene in Connor's diner is a classic. I will never look at salad the same way . I had as much fun watching the LeviaBrothers as I bet Jensen and Jared had playing them. I also loved the asides, one-liners, and the overabundance of snark. Not only did we flash back to season 1, but in some ways it reminded me of the best of season 1. Dean didn't even drink in this episode. Sheriff Mills and Crowley were the icing on the cake…um after last week…make that brownie. Still swearing off cake. SPOILER - I am excited Kim Rhodes will reprise her role in a future episode and hope beyond hope she makes it through. I love the idea of a Bobby romance if only briefly. Let it not end in heart ache though. In the end, the only thing I disliked about the episode is that the mighty Leviathans are taken down by common laundry soap. Other than that, it's just me nitpicking. This one was plain fun and I think the fans deserved that. Kudos all around!

Grade: A-

Next week - Psychics galore. Dean and Sam reunite. I only care about the latter.

Best scene- LeviaWinchesters in Connor's Diner. BY FAR!
Best shock - Amy thing is out in the open
Worst Shock - Laundry soap can take out the big bad. Get the squirt guns folks.
Best line - "Well if you're going to be stupid, you might as well be smart about it."

Other great lines (Because there were so many of them):
"It's like eating self-righteousness."
"It's kind of hard to sift through all the drunken blackouts."
"After I eat you, I'm definitely going to hit the library."
"We saw them. They saw us. So we are coming to get us."
"You want me to Desperate Housewives these mothers."
"Don't roofie me and call it romance."

Screen caps by Home of the Nutty

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