Supernatural Rides the Crazy Train
We adored how the guys made it into the asylum. The boys met the head of the mental hospital and told him the God's-honest truth -- which they knew would get them committed faster than any made-up crazy act.
Along those lines, we loved meeting Martin, a Hunter casualty. It stands to reason that not all Hunters succumb to physical injuries. Some of them have to fall victim to the mental effects of fighting something that no one believes in.
It's actually surprising to us that we haven't had more monsters hunting lunatics. Come on, it's brilliant! Who's going to believe a bunch of crazy people when they talk about monsters? Our favorite evidence of that? Poor Ted in group therapy:
Ted: I'd very calmly like to talk about the monster that's hunting us.He's got a point, doc...
The doctor: We're not going to have that discussion again. It's not good for group.
Ted: I agree! You know what else isn't good for group? A monster eating all our faces off!
There's more -- read on!
And this monster of the week doesn't just hunt crazy, it enhances it! Which led to some alternately hysterically funny and seriously disturbing scenes with the boys. Drugged-up, blissed-out Sam is always a favorite, but tweaking Dean's nose went above and beyond the call of duty. Hee! On the flip side, we see Dean's subconscious "thrape" him, first by playing sympathetic shrink ("To feel like 6 billion lives depend on you? God -- how do you get up in the morning?"), then by rubbing his nose in his self-perceived failures. And Sam? He hallucinates that Dean blames him for everything -- "The problem was you! It was always you - the lies, your arrogance, that black spot on your soul!" Oh, boys!
But here's the question -- do you believe the wraith when it said that it didn't cause madness, it just brought it to the peak of flavor perfection? Both the baddie and the doc made a big deal about Sam's supposedly overwhelming rage, but we're not quite seeing it. When he attacked the doc, he thought he was a brain-sucking monster. When he beat up the orderlies, it was because he was hallucinating a crowd attacking him. And doesn't he have every right to be mad about the situation he's in?
Same with Dean -- we've know about his self-esteem issues for a while, and we understand where they come from. Then they made his fear seem like an aspect of insanity. Dude, he's fighting an implacable monster that sucks peoples' brains. Wouldn't it be crazy not to be afraid?
We're also unconvinced that Dean's approach to mental health is really the way to go. Look, some of us here at CW Source Central are of Stodgy Northern European extraction, so we know all about repressing feelings, etc. It's the Scandinavian way! But too much repression leads to ulcers, Ingmar Bergman films, and lye-cured herring. That's not something we'd wish on anyone! (Dear Grandma Jersild: please don't write us out of the will for the preceding sentences. Purely for the pebbernodder alone, Scandinavian heritage is totally worth it.)
ANYway. What did you think of the ep? Was it all you were hoping for after our long winter's nap? Do you think the boys are crazy, or just reacting in a completely reasonable way to unreasonable circumstances? Talk about it in the comments!
Comments
Please check out my comments over at Winchester Family Business--Robin's Rambles.
This show just continues to get better and better, mixing humor and pathos in the best possible ways.
As for Jensen and Jared, your Emmy-caliber acting continues to impress and amaze me!
Posted by: Robin | January 27, 2010 8:36 PM
As a summary episode, it did the job for the casual viewer. What the boys are doing and how they got into the mess. It also gave a glimpse into Dean's head and Sam's emotional sate. As a fan having watched all episodes at least once, most more, it was ho hum. However, I do have to admit to amazement about the amount of information covered.
Posted by: Malinda | January 27, 2010 8:31 PM
Dean's approach isn't the way to go, but it is the Dean way to go. He has always tried to repress his feelings. Sam would try to talk things out, but Dean would bury what he was feeling. It's the apocolypse. Fight now, deal with feelings later. I thought this episode was awesome!
Posted by: Kay | January 26, 2010 9:19 PM
I'm so happy that Hellatus is over!
I'll admit this episode isn't my favorite of the season, but I still think it's a good solid episode.
I knew when Wendy kissed Sam too that she was destined to die .. because no girl could be lucky enough to kiss both Winchesters AND live to tell about it. ;-)
Posted by: CandyMaize | January 24, 2010 1:11 PM
I LOVED this episode. It was a hell of a lot better than last year's return episode.
Posted by: jennybean_01 | January 24, 2010 11:49 AM
This has been the best quality episode of Supernatural this season. It was scary, twisty, and focused on the relationship between the brothers in a way that was not as off as it has been all season.
Posted by: o | January 23, 2010 1:36 PM