Review for 3x01 'The Magnificent Seven'
Oct. 5th, 2007 05:23 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
galatheaIt's over! We finally escaped the HELL known as HIATUS, a prison made of withdrawal, pre-season hysteria and sleepless nights! Oh how I missed the boys, but they are back for another season of kicking ass and taking names! Welcome to season three!
Okay, so I have to do this review backwards, because the last scene in this episode is pure love and it was what I was waiting for in this season premiere and it kind of made good on some of the points that I didn’t like about this episode.
Dean: “It’s like there is a light at the end of the tunnel!”
Sam “It’s hellfire, Dean!”
As predicted after All Hell Breaks Loose Pt II Dean is floating on a high: the YED is dead, his mother revenged, his father freed from damnation, Sam is alive, the natural order of things (disrupted by John’s sacrifice for his life) is set right again. He sacrificed over and over again for his family, for their job, for the safety of other people and the finality of his deal puts a stop to that and he feels unburdened for the first time in a long time. I love that he feels entitled to a bit of selfishness after everything he’s done over the years, formulating for the first time to wanting something for himself: the opportunity to live the life that he has left to the fullest, without reprimands. He is unapologetic, he has no regrets and I think he has the right to feel that way.
I adore that he doesn’t feels the urge anymore to keep things from Sam, openly laying out to him the specifics of the deal, fierce in his statement, that he personally will stop Sam if he tries to get Dean out of his deal, intent on not letting Sam’s determination to save Dean endanger Sam’s life, thus effectively extending the demon’s terms, to not being allowed to weasel his way out of the deal, to Sam. It’s very understandable from his point of view that he cannot risk Sam dropping dead only on the slightest chance that the demon’s terms were only bound to him personally and not to everyone who would try to get him out.
On the other hand he also forces Sam into hiding with this stance. I guess it is fair to say that it’s very unlikely that Sam will just let it go and with Dean announcing that he is willing to sabotage Sam’s actions, he needs to keep his efforts hidden. That doesn’t bode well for an open relationship between the brothers this season. As the little exchange at the end also shows, their different foci also leads to diverging opinions on how to proceed.
While it is shown repeatedly during this episode that Sam clearly feels guilty for the fact that the demon army was set free, torn between the different tasks he defines as his very responsibility: saving Dean, sending the army back to hell, Dean, for all intents and purposes is in for the excitement of hunting, but also feels the right to follow his hedonistic urges, which ultimately may lead to him crossing Sam’s plans more than once, like their disagreement over Louisiana or Reno clearly shows.
Sam is frustrated, angry and desperate as he learns the specifics of the deal, calling Dean openly on his hypocrisy and selfishness of his actions, rightfully so. What I love about this exchange is that, not unlike their dialogue in Shadow, there is no absolute right or wrong to either Sam’s or Dean’s side in this, both are entitled to their feelings and right in their own way, and what they need to find is a compromise that allows both of them to live with the consequences. I can’t see Dean being fine with seeing how much Sam is hurting over the long haul, and I can’t see Sam being okay with reflecting his own burdens back to his brother.
I think he honestly means it, when he says in the beginning of the episode that he thinks Dean deserves to have a little fun. He tries to be the good little brother, the saviour, the hunter, but without Dean’s support he will soon be emotionally drained. Which leads me to one of the scenes that I am not so fond of: Dean in the store, trying to make fun of his deal in front of Sam in order to coax him into letting him off the hook for flirting with a witness. While Dean might have a carefree attitude in general, that was outright mean and Sam is visibly crushed and weary. To guilt-trip Sam into an all-out-of-the-jail free-card is harsh even for Dean, who can be unsubtle and direct at times, but never is mean on purpose.
With that said, while I get Dean’s carefree attitude and find it totally in character, the way Ackles plays it slightly over the top and how Dean confronts the issue of his near-death permanently as a joke, it reminds me of Dean’s behaviour in Everybody Loves A Clown, trying so hard to appear okay, but failing spectacularly to be convincing all the way (it's also in ELAC where we see one of the rare occasions of Dean deliberately hurting Sam). It’s a known way for Dean to deal with things he’d rather bury deep, by the way of joking about them, so while I was at first a bit irritated by his nonchalance, I now interpret it as Dean partly trying to keep the more frightening aspects of his deal under control. So, I reserve my full judgement on his behaviour for when we are a bit into the season, when all the facets of his dealing process should be revealed, step by step.
There is a very short moment at the cabin, right before the demons attack, where the brothers are alone, preparing for what's coming, when Sam and Dean just share a silent look with each other. So much intensity, concern and understanding flows between them in that wonderful subtle moment, that it emphasizes very much, how Ackles' slightly over-the-top acting of Dean is a deliberate acting choice. Contrasts like this show how much care the actors bring into how they depict their roles. It's important for the viewers to see that, so they can judge Dean's behaviour better and they do a terrific job with that. :)
While the tension between the brothers is perpetually tangible just so beneath the surface, they are also still totally brothers in the best of ways, bantering and from time to time even exhibiting easy contact with each other, for example when Sam startles Dean and Bobby and being very giddy about it. Adorable! Aww Sammy, how I missed ya! ♥ With at least some of his burdens from last year taken from him as well, especially the ominous threat of possibly going over to the evil side, without being able to control it, he may be able to breathe a little easier from time to time now, coming stronger out of the ordeal of last season, even if he is burdened by new responsibilities. At least, no sign of him not being 100% Sammy so far. Thank god!
Overall: With Sam possibly being crushed under the burdens and feelings of guilt in the near future and Dean, who won’t be able to keep up his carefree attitude forever, sooner or later inevitably being confronted with feelings of fear and uncertainty as the end draws nearer, the brother’s dynamics again have turned tables from last year and will be exciting to watch. My boys are back! ♥
Bobby: “Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life son!” *lol*
Just for the record: The phrase 'my boys' from now on officially comprises Bobby, he may not be a Winchester but hell, he would make a formidable one! :D Bobby is the voice of reason and caution, a life-time of experience and knowledge behind him and he is a valuable ally for the boys. He is obviously deeply troubled by the magnitude of what the release of the demon army means to the world and the hunter community, not convinced that they will make it out of this confrontation as the winning party in the end, but he keeps a cool head and I love how he more or less takes leadership in this episode.
Sam and Dean easily accept and respect his judgement and superior knowledge and turn to him like they would to John, I love that. Only that Bobby can treat them more as equals as John ever could, because he was always seeing his children as well. Bobby is a good example on how you can create a character that makes it believable for the boys to surrender leadership to, without making them look weak. We know Sam and Dean can handle themselves well and are a fantastic team, still, to know when to listen to someone else is an important trait as well. I love the puzzled glances they throw each other when Bobby yells at Tamara. Bobby rocks! Sorry it has to be said over and over!
The overall plot of The Magnificent Seven was thrilling and they stepped up their game this year, in terms of special effects (and gore, I hope that’s no trend for the rest of the season though). Although I found it a bit disappointing that although they were not killable (which, btw was only possible with the Colt before anyway, so no news there) they could just easily be sent back to hell, I wished they would’ve been a bit harder to defeat (see my end statement).
What I found especially interesting was the confrontation between Sam and the demon Pride! Confirming openly that he was the prodigy and boy-king of the YED, implying that he was off game for other demons because he stood under the protection of the YED. Chatty lot those demons! *g* As I assumed earlier, Sam as the last of the psychic children standing is the army’s leader, if he wants it or not. It will be interesting to see how that plays out over the season. If Pride’s reaction is anything to go on, the demons are obviously not overly happy to bow to a human. There are troubled times ahead!
Another thing I noticed was that of all possessed people only the one's Dean and Bobby encountered made it out alive. Tamara as well as Ruby were showing absolutely no concern for the innocent people involved in this. Together with the whole debacle that Tamara and Isaac caused at the bar and the ambivalent Roadhouse from last season, it made me think that John's decision to keep his kids as far as possible away from the hunter's community seems to be more and more reasonable, the more hunters we get to know.
A great deal of them seems to be ruthless rogues, prejudiced, slightly unhinged and with not much of compassion. With the exception of Bobby (who is more of a researcher than an actual hunter) we have yet to meet a hunter that I would consider likeable. It's interesting to see how Sam and Dean will fit (or more possibly not fit) into this community, given that they probably will need to cooperate with them in order to take that army out. If Tamara and Isaac's attitude towards Sam and Dean is anything to go on, I doubt that they will find much of support and back-up there. Another interesting angle for S3 to explore.
What else was noteworthy:
(1) New title card! YAY!! I adore it. ♥ I love that we get a new title every season, giving each season a distinct 'face' and tone, lightning, fire and now silvery devil’s traps and storm clouds! Fab!
(2) Sam, Dean and Bobby communicating via silent army codes! So much love for that detail! ♥ We never saw them use it to that extent before, but it totally makes sense, what with John being a Marine and all. I am just totally in love with all those code-words and contingency plans and I love how naturally they fall into that.
(3) Sam reading Dr. Faustus at the beginning of the episode (geek!) while Dean was having a little 'fun' made me incredibly giddy, what with Faust making a deal with the devil and then savouring the pleasures of life and all. Let’s just hope Dean’s deal doesn’t end quite as tragic as that one. ;)
(4) So, at the end the one really serious critique I have with this episode: Ruby!
It’s like they deliberately want to piss the fan base off with introducing her like that. I’m sorry, but she wasn’t introduced as a character but as a cheap deus-ex machina: conveniently getting our heroes out of a severe predicament, mysterious super-woman waltzing in with a wonder weapon, slicing off 3 demons, throwing a really aggravating, stupid oneliner towards Sam and then vanishing again, I mean, c’mon! To cite Kripke: lame, lame, lame! I don’t know what to make of that and I really thought they would know better by now. It throws me totally off the character and I really tried to keep an open mind about her. Sorry, not like that! If you want to create a character, make her real, make her tangible, give her believable interaction with the characters the audience knows. It doesn’t matter if you want to make her foe or friend, she needs to be a person and not some Buffy-Wannabe.
In conclusion: While not one of the best, this was a good episode, even if only an okay season opener. It didn’t pack quite as much of a punch like In My Time Of Dying did, but the character arcs that were loosely laid out in All Hell Breaks Loose II were picked up and shaped more clearly and we got a glimpse into the mytharc plotline about how the demons released into the world may operate. Season 3 roll on!
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Date: 2007-10-05 03:40 pm (UTC)We've already talked the episode through at length, and will again, so I have nothing more to add there ;)
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Date: 2007-10-05 03:47 pm (UTC)SN is back! *sighs*
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Date: 2007-10-05 03:55 pm (UTC)And I never manage to comment on everything I want to comment on until I've written a 20+ page full episode recap, and even then don't get everything!
Such TV geeks. LOL
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Date: 2007-10-05 04:01 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-05 04:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-07 02:19 am (UTC)We're congruent in many respects. On Dean's behavior in constantly bringing up the "dying" card; I think he might have been trying to accomplish a couple of things, neither of them intended to be painful to Sam. My guess is that he's keeping his fate in view partially to convince Sam that he's content with the price he paid for his deal and the value he got in return, and partially to attempt to desensitize Sam to the grief of it by making it an accepted thing. He's going to fail on both counts because Sam will never accept losing him any more than he accepted losing Sam; I suspect that when this becomes clear to Dean, he'll back off on waving that flag in his little brother's face.
I had no problems with the introduction of Ruby. Her knife, with its ability to kill demons even more quickly than bullets from the Colt, was a fascinating revelation, and something I suspect Bobby will be searching for intently because it's precisely the kind of edge (whoops, pun not intended) that the hunters need, now that they are so badly outnumbered and outgunned. Ruby herself was a mystery flavored with an essence more demonic than human. Her ability to disappear so swiftly after she saved Sam smacked more of demon than hunter to my eyes. And the way she was fixated on Sam, much as the escaped demons themselves were - not to mention the female demon recognizing her ("You!" she exclaimed, as she struck Ruby and then died ...) - makes me think that she's going to prove other than the human woman she appears to be, which helps offset any qualms. I'm trying to stay spoiler-free this season, but I think I'm seeing the visual writing on the wall, here. Just a thought ...
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Date: 2007-10-07 08:31 am (UTC)(...)partially to attempt to desensitize Sam to the grief of it by making it an accepted thing.
I was thinking the same thing, plus I also think he needs Sam to realise that he won't be there forever and that Sam needs to learn to be independent from him. It is just that one scene in the store that made me feel uncomfortable with the way he delivered the blow so bluntly. The only time where he deliberately openly hurt Sam in a similar fashion that I can think of is in ELAC, when he tells Sam he's doing "too little, too late." It's so rare that he lashes out that much at Sam and he is usually very distressed if he does so. But yeah, I think he'll drop that constant reminding soon enough.
About Ruby: I don't know. A lot of people enjoyed the mystery that she brought in, I just was annoyed by it. Mainly because she and her knife were so terribly convenient. I found the 7 deadly sins a great idea and I was very disappointed by the way they weaseled their way out of coming up with an original way to deal with them. Plus her 'I'm the girl that just saved your ass' is the worst possible way for me to introduce her, it's so corny and lame. I reserve my full judgement on her as a character to when we know more about her. At the moment I am weary though.
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Date: 2009-11-18 01:16 am (UTC)Um.....I guess I missed that....*is confused*
I've been reading a lot lately about the paramilitary culture that developed in the early 1980s in the US, which involved many Vietnam veterans (I wonder if John was one, since he was a Marine, and the years seem to match....)....all I can think is how relevant it is to SN!
I was wondering what you thought of this epp (lol duh, hence I checked out your review!) esp. after seeing you call it "sub-par" in the season 3 thread on BF begun by buffyholic....I'm surprised to see your review so positive here, given that....:s I also thought Dean acted a little over the top and was a little too casual about dying several times during the epp, and I did think his "I don't care" attitude about Sammy suffering after he died was harsh, but perhaps you are right, perhaps he was trying to hide his true feelings a little....
I totally squeed the the mention of Shreveport, LA though, as always now, since if you didn't know, that is where Eric (icon) on True Blood has his bar and lives....;)
In all though I enjoyed the episode, so far so good, more or less (I am going in with reservations given all the mediocre things I've heard about season 3 from you all).....the hunter couple annoyed me, and ugh the draino thing was too gory and gross for me! But yeah....and I was interested to see Ruby for the first time, since I've heard so much about her of course (too much actually, unfortunately)....
Oh and there's been something I've been meaning to ask someone for forever--how do you do the little hearts?!
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Date: 2009-11-18 09:19 am (UTC)It's at the beginning when they are searching the house of the family that was killed by sloth.
I wonder if John was one, since he was a Marine, and the years seem to match....)
He was indeed in Vietnam. That's confirmed in the S4 episode 'In The Beginning' ;)
I'm surprised to see your review so positive here, given that
Well, to be honest, 3.01 is one of my least favourite episodes of the show ever. I dislike that Dean is so over the top, I think the seven deadly sins didn't live up to their names, Tamara and Isaac grate on my nerves and so on. But from S3 on I tried to keep my reviews more neutral in tone and focus on positive aspects if possible, without leaving the negative aspects away, but be more rational about it. There are only few reviews from here on, where I agitatedly rant about what I hate. LOL
How do you do the little hearts?!
The code for the little hearts is &*hearts*; (but without the *)
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Date: 2009-11-19 09:46 am (UTC)In my understanding of at leas the Goethe version of the legend (which comes from the TV show "Wishbone" lol, so it could be off) Faust doesn't actually end up in Hell damned in the end because he ultimately did good in his striving--so in that respect (getting out of his deal by suffering and doing good deeds) one *would* hope that Dean had a somewhat Faustian end! ;)
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Date: 2009-11-19 11:00 am (UTC)