Review for 2x04 'Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things'

[galathea]

This week’s episode by Raelle Tucker brought a preliminary closure to the 4-episode character arc, dealing with John’s death and its immediate fallout for Sam and Dean and in addition it is a perfect example of how plot and character exploration can go hand in hand! Wonderful! ♥



Children Shouldn’t Play with Dead Things was the perfect symbiosis between monster-of-the-week plot and in depth exploration of character issues, without adding a catalyst like Gordon. I always love the plot the most when it is directly linked to the brothers' dynamics and/or character arcs. While I do enjoy a good monster plot on its own, I am mainly interested in how it actually moves the character development and reflects back on the Winchesters, and I think this week’s episode managed that beautifully.

Dean: "What’s dead should stay dead!"

I have to jump to the end scene first, because it is so pivotal to the understanding of what Dean has been going through these last couple of weeks in general, and in this episode in particular. Dean is grieving the loss of his father, yes, but his issues reach far beyond grief. He is additionally burdened by a combination of survivor's guilt, self-loathing and anger. His final confession to Sam breaks down into two main arguments: Firstly, he feels guilty for being the cause of John’s death, strongly suspecting a connection between his recovery and his father’s sudden demise. Secondly, he loathes the thought that he has been brought back from the 'dead' by supernatural means. Dean basically questions his integrity as a person, and started to perceive himself as one of the monsters he hunts, as a supernatural anomaly, and he feels that it would have been better, if he had died in his father's place. "It wasn’t natural!"

Obviously Dean doesn’t remember his encounter with Tessa in In My Time Of Dying, but his statements here echoe his conversation with the reaper, who ultimately convinced Dean to accept his own death by pointing out to him that he will become an angry spirit, if he doesn't come to terms with dying. To turn into one of the very things he hunts is Dean's own personal nightmare and it's a tragedy on a cosmic scale that John’s sacrifice unintentionally achieved the one thing that has always been unacceptable for Dean. :( Back in Faith Dean already struggled with the fact that Marshall Hall died to save him, but the burden of John’s sacrifice pushes him over the edge. It’s very typical for Dean to shoulder the guilt of a decision on which he had no influence whatsoever.

Dean’s confession sheds a completely new light on his out-of-control behaviour in the last two episodes, thus adding a new level of depth to his character. Dean’s unrelenting stance towards the vampires in Bloodlust suddenly reveals itself as a new facet of self-hatred. It's obvious that his natural dislike of supernatural beings has been amplified by his own self-loathing. Additionally, it shows that Dean's violent outburst against the Impala at the end of Everybody Loves A Clown has not only been a manifestation of his anger at himself, but also expresses his anger towards John for putting him in this situation. Last but not least, his confession also reveals that Dean is talking about himself throughout Children Shouldn’t Play With Dead Things, when he repeatedly states that what’s dead should stay dead, and not about Angela or John!

Dean completely identifies with Angela’s case. They both have been brought back from the dead against their will and their perspectives on life have been changed in the process. When Dean describes zombies as vicious, violent and nasty, he obviously refers to himself, caught up in self-loathing. And his verbal attack of Angela’s father is simply redirected anger at his own father, using Professor Mason as a substitute for John. Man, that’s heartbreaking! The parallels between Dean and Angela are played beautifully here! Where Angela argues in her confrontation with Sam that she is still a person, intent on defending her right to live, Dean confesses to his brother that he isn’t a person anymore and argues for his own death, thus clearly demonstrating how much he is still himself. Brilliant! Kudos to Raelle Tucker; this was an unexpected but believable twist.

I utterly adore how the last three episodes intertwine to one coherent character arc. ♥ The progression of Dean’s character development in the aftermath of John’s death - from his silence in Everybody Loves A Clown, over his physical violence in Bloodlust, to the verbalisation of his feelings in Children Shouldn’t Play with Dead Things - was handled with much care and psychologically believable. I love that the writers took the risk and gave Sam and Dean's grieving period the appropriate amount of space and time in the show. Too many other shows gloss over traumatizing events within the span of one episode, if they give them any significant fallout at all.

Sam: "Stop. Please, Dean, it's killing you. Please. We've already lost Dad. We've lost Mom. I've lost Jessica. And now I'm going to lose you too?"

While Dean moved on from his physical violence in Bloodlust, Sam learns to grow past his confrontational behaviour from last week’s episode as well. While his initial suspicion that Dean tries to fabricate a case just to keep himself busy and to avoid dealing with his grief is understandable, it’s of course no route that would win him his brother’s confidentiality. Again, in his persistence to get Dean to talk - instead just giving him time to process his feelings and come to him on his own - he manages to push his brother even farther away at first. It is visible that he desperately needs Dean to open up, not only for Dean's sake but for his own as well. He looks incredibly tired and worn out throughout the episode, the strain Dean’s behaviour puts on him is obvious, and while I understand Dean’s annoyance with Sam’s accusations, I also love that Sam at least never stops trying. ♥

It’s only after Dean goes ballistic on Angela’s father and accuses him of having brought his daughter back from the dead, that Sam realises that he needs to approach his brother differently, if he wants him to open up. He finally goes from attacking Dean and trying to push him into talking about his feelings, to expressing his own feelings and fears instead, and that always works better with Dean. This way it becomes less about Dean himself and more about Sam and that's a completely different angle for Dean to consider. He hates talking about his own feelings, but he can’t deny his little brother when he sees him in distress from his own behaviour.

I love how Sam's speech to Dean on the sidewalk mirrored their dialogue in Wendigo, just with reversed roles for the brothers. Back then, in the aftermath of Jessica's death, Dean tried to convince Sam that he can’t hold on to all the anger and guilt or it will kill him eventually, now it is Sam who tries to convince Dean that his behaviour in the wake of John's death is self-destructive. When Sam confesses that he is afraid of losing Dean, just like he lost Mary, Jess and John, that finally punches right through Dean’s defences. I think Sam's desperate plea is just as much a motivation for Dean to finally open up about his feelings, as the self-reflection that Dean experiences while working on the zombie case. Sam’s admission deflates Dean’s anger visibly and although he keeps his focus firmly on the case, his stance towards his brother softens instantly. ♥

Sam: "It's not about a body, or, or a casket. It's about her memory, okay?"

Going back to the beginning to the episode, I found Sam's wish to visit Mary's grave incredibly touching. I thought about the fact that it’s not even a year ago that Dean slammed Sam into the bridge pier for disrespecting Mary's memory and here he is, searching closure over his mother's grave. The recent loss of his father and the connection to his family he restored over the course of S1 obviously re-established a feeling of closeness to the mother he never got to know. His tears and his heart-felt 'I miss you, mum!' were heartbreaking. For some reason Sam burying John's military dog tags was a symbolic closure act that had a different impact on me than the burning of his body, it was peaceful, a goodbye. It's also the second time in the show that we see Sam mourning at a grave, even if the first one was a dream, but I still like his ability to talk and find comfort there.

Dean of course is having none of it. He is way too far away from having any kind of closure at all! I was wondering about his reluctance to go near the grave, once he was there. Was it really only about the fact that he thought it was irrational to pay his respects to an empty grave? Was the memory of losing Mary too much on top of his grief for John? Or was it Dean's self-loathing that kept him away, the thought that he somehow impurifies Mary’s grave? Still, his pensive look back to Mary's grave at the end of the episode makes me think it was good that Sam dragged him there.

Talking of, another moment in this episode that I loved very much was the opening scene between the brothers in the car. I think it's noteworthy that while Dean reacts dismissive to Sam's suggestion to visit their mother’s grave, he still passes instantly on Sam’s offer to just drop him at the graveyard and drive to the Roadhouse instead! It’s the first instance where Sam doesn’t push Dean, but gives him an alternative and promptly Dean comes around. Theoretically it would have been a good opportunity to a) find out more about the hunter community and John’s involvement there and b) to avoid Sam’s nagging questions about his feelings, but his readiness to stick with Sam instead, easily reveals his negative reaction to Sam's suggestion as a distraction manoeuvre to get Sam to change his course.

Dean: "So tell me, what could you possibly say to make that all right?"

To close the circle, I return to the end scene once more. What can I say, it just killed me. After all is said and done and the case and Angela are at rest, Dean is finally able to acknowledge the effect Sam’s words earlier had on him and he breaks the silence he imposed on himself. I love how he wordlessly pulls off the street, sits down on the hood of the car and hesitantly starts to talk to Sam, never making eye contact in the process. They had a lot of physical distance over the last two episodes, so I loved how Sam awkwardly and silently comes to sit beside his brother, just close enough to be a reassuring presence, letting him say his piece.

Seeing his brother so devastated visibly rattles Sam and while he tries to comfort Dean at first, he falls silent after Dean’s last admission. There is absolutely nothing he could say to make this better for his brother; he pushed him to talk, needed Dean to talk, but the scale of what lies behind his brother’s walls stuns him. I am glad Sam remains silent, acknowledging that Dean’s pain isn't fixable with any amount of words, no matter how well-meaning and sincere. Any word of reassurance would ring hollow after that and all Sam can do is hope that him being there is enough to pull Dean through this

The slow camera pan back to the beautiful wide angle shot of the brothers side by side, but broken, leaves me breathless. The contrast between the inner turmoil of the characters and the quiet peace of the scenery is excellent! Kudos to Kim Manners!

What else was noteworthy:

(1) This episode didn’t only offer doom and gloom, but also plenty of fun. I'll predict that 'Sam watches porn' will become an instant classic in fandom! ♥ It’s great that the writers toyed with viewer’s expectations here and chose the more reserved Sam for that humorous scene, instead of the 'womanizer' Dean. I loved Dean’s little 'awkward' comment when he walks in on his brother, as well as his mocking expression when he sees the skin-channel ad on the tv. The numerous porn jokes he cracks at Sam's expense over the course of the episode are just hilarious! They are such blokes! ♥

(2) Dean’s facial expressions and his delivery of lines while interrogating Angela’s roommate Lindsey were extremely funny to watch, as was the typical brother banter while digging the grave. By the way, that's something I'll never grow tired of, the digging of the graves I mean - well, the banter as well, obviously. Although I always have to wonder how Sam and Dean manage to dig these huge and neatly squared holes in just a couple of hours, not to mention that nobody ever catches them while doing it. The magic of television I guess!

(3) I also loved that once again Dean is depicted as the competent hunter he is. He picks up the job on a hunch - lead by his instincts - and then works the case from every angle, despite Sam's disapproval. Aside from the fact that he loses it, when the case hits too close home, he is professional, creative and resourceful. I hate it when the writers try to dumb Dean down, like in Provenance. While I do think that Sam is right with his assumption that Dean picks up the case so fast in order to avoid thinking about Mary or John, I actually like that this episode shows that his grief doesn’t diminish his ability to work a job thoroughly.

(4) Lastly, I am not all that well-versed in zombie lore, but I found the way they were presented here interesting. Instead of the standard low witted and slow, brainless creatures of the average zombie movie, the writers chose a different approach and kept them very close to their human pendants. In the end Angela was still looking for faithful love, just with a completely skewed perspective and more driven by anger and violence. As so often in Supernatural the creature turns against her creator in the end and spares Sam and Dean the moral dilemma to take actions against Neil themselves. Still, it’s noteworthy that despite his distaste for people who meddle with the supernatural, Dean does try to save Neil, when he offers him to just leave with them.

In conclusion: Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things was a brilliant episode, certainly one of my favourites so far! With Dean finally breaking out of his self-destructive tailspin, I expect the brothers to return to a less strained relationship in the next episode. At least for a while, John’s secret is still lingering in the back, waiting to send them into yet another crisis!

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Did you know? Drawing on his emotions for the end scene had Jensen emotionally so drained that he took off the road after the shoot by the roadside, trying to recollect himself. Jared followed him, hugged him and told him that it was a really great scene! ♥