Review for 1x20 'Dead Man's Blood'

[galathea]

Dead Man’s Blood is certainly one of the highpoints in this season so far for me. It’s a fantastic study of the complex family dynamics between the three Winchester men that had me gripped all the way through. Cathryn Humphris provided an excellent script and Jensen, Jared and Jeff brought it to life! Great work all around! ♥



Admittedly, I wasn’t very happy when I learned that this episode dealt with vampires. Call me weird, but if there is something I didn't want to see in this show it was vampires, mostly because while there is a lot of folklore about vampires and they are indeed rooted in cultural myths, the overall popularity of vampires in supernatural themed books, shows and movies created a lot of preconceptions and different expectations of how to depict these creatures. I always liked that the monsters in Supernatural were pretty original and not overused ones like vampires, werewolves and zombies.

In the end I warmed up to the vampire plot pretty quickly though, since the show took a different direction with their vampires than shows like Buffy/Angel or the Ann Rice vampires and I was profoundly grateful for that. They threw most of the recent vampire lore over board and stuck more to the original Dracula lore, avoided the 'haunted vampire' cliché and instead depicted them as violent and restless roamers in the vein of Lost Boys and Near Dark.

Dean: "Sam, we’ve been looking for Dad all year, now we’re not with him for more than a couple hours and there’s static already?"

The main focus of the episode was clearly the exploration of the dynamics between Sam, Dean and John and damn, the family plot was tight! ♥ The moment John joins his sons the atmosphere distinctly changes and everything we learned over the course of the season about how differently the boys relate to their father was emphasized by seeing them interact here. When they meet for the first time in Shadow their conflicts take a backseat; their relief at seeing each other alive and well after a long period of separation overwhelms any lingering feelings of resentment for a while, and there’s not enough time for the friction to reemerge. As soon as John permanently joins the team in Dead Man's Blood though, the conflicts resurface almost immediately.

Admittedly, I have always been a bit ambivalent towards John. While most of his actions remain a mystery since we lack the context to understand them, the fact that he never reacted when his sons reached out for help and his refusal to openly communicate with them always bothered me. Especially Something Wicked cemented a feeling of resentment against John. The burdens and responsibilities he put on his firstborn and the unforgiving and harsh stance he displayed after Dean failed to live up to his expectations, were unacceptable and cruel parenting decisions in my eyes. So, the way John barges in and expects his sons to fall in line without questions in Dead Man's Blood and especially his condescending behavior towards Dean, amplified my negative opinion considerably.

Sam is on confrontation course as soon as John bellows out his first orders, understandably so. In the months Sam and Dean travelled together they developed a new balance with each other, grew together as a team and mastered difficult situations on their own, so John’s patronizing attitude towards his sons and his unwillingness to accept them as adults and fully-fledged parts of the team is like a slap to their faces.

The first open conflict arises when they investigate the disappearance of the couple that fell prey to the vampires. John’s attempt to keep the boys on a strict need-to-know basis and Sam’s refusal to completely pay deference to John soon has them at each other’s throats again, just as Dean predicted already in Bugs. What troubled me most though is that John takes out his inability to deal with Sam’s rebelliousness on Dean, lashing out at his oldest son in anger - scolding him out of the blue for neglecting the Impala - although Dean did nothing to earn that figurative slap. It’s easy to imagine that using Dean as a buffer was a common way for John to vent his frustration with his youngest son during his teenager phase, and that just saddens me to no end on Dean's behalf.

But Dean isn’t the same person he was 8 months ago, when he came to look for his brother at Stanford. He has a better understanding of Sam’s side of the situation, listened to his brother's arguments and grew to appreciate Sam’s perspective. So, when Sam confronts him in the car and asks him if he really is okay with John running the operation on his own terms, Dean hesitates for the first time to defend their father. His 'if that’s what it takes' shows clearly that he basically agrees with Sam but his need to have his family together outweighs any objections he might have, and it’s only later, when John threatens to leave again, that Dean finally answers his father back.

Sam: "You were the one who said 'Don’t come back.', Dad. You’re the one who closed that door, not me! You were just pissed off you couldn’t control me anymore!"

When the tension finally erupts between Sam and John, we get a first hand experience of how most of their confrontations before Sam left for Stanford probably looked like. Both stubbornly dig in their heels, the emotions are riding high and neither one is willing to even listen to what the other has to say. It’s very clear that not much has changed over the last 4 years; their separation did nothing to appease the differences between them. They both had a long time to reflect on their falling out and what caused it and both were too proud to make the first step towards each other, rather allowing an estrangement than giving in. Although Sam learned a lot about John over the course of the season and realized that he misestimated a lot of his father’s motivations, he can’t break out of his usual patterns when it comes to John. John is equally unable to react to Sam’s accusations any other way than with anger and by insisting on his authority, which of course just pushes Sam even more. It's a vicious circle!

It has to be said though, that Sam has some legitimate questions towards his father, but in the heat of the moment John is just unable or unwilling to see Sam’s behavior as what it is, a simple request to acknowledge Dean and him as equals and give them disclosure in regard to the case. John instead only sees mistrust, betrayal and questioning of his authority and hence reacts just as aggressively. Sam makes a very valid point though when he emphasizes that it was John who told Sam to never come back, thus forcing his son to completely break with his family. If John was so worried about what could happen to Sam without him, forcing him into isolation clearly was a counterproductive move, not to mention that it was cruel. It was John’s responsibility as the adult in the relationship to keep the doors open for Sam and his inability to overcome his own pride and fears in support of his son is one of his biggest shortcomings as a father.

Dean is figuratively as well as literally caught in the middle of the two persons he loves the most, forced to play peacemaker and it’s obvious that he is familiar with this role. It’s so telling that John and Sam don’t spare a single glance towards Dean, locked in a staring contest, even as Dean bodily forces them apart, building a barrier between his father and his brother. They are both so caught up in their self-righteous fight, that they completely disregard Dean’s feelings in all this, both simply assuming Dean’s loyalty to them. Dean avoids taking sides though, only focused on not letting the situation getting out of hand. It’s heartbreaking to imagine a younger Dean, constantly forced to navigate the minefield of the relationship between Sam and John, caught in the crossfire. Still, it’s noteworthy that in the end he manages to cool the situation down and separate John and Sam, with John even taking Dean’s direct order of 'that means you, too!' without contradiction and doing as he is told.

It’s typical Winchester-style though that as soon as everybody has calmed down and Sam stopped pushing, John gives and comes out with the information about the Colt Sam asked for earlier. It’s just sad that every time they allow the situation to escalate first before acting on better judgment. The level of miscommunication, fed by Sam and John’s stubbornness and similarities in temperament, is just fascinating to watch!

John: "Somewhere along the line, I stopped being your father and became your drill sergeant."

I loved how the episode went from one end of the emotional spectrum to the other, the reconciliation scene between Sam and John a counterpoint to their clash earlier in the episode! ♥ It’s great to see that John is able to reflect on his own behavior and admits to the mistakes he made, even if this episode proves that he has a hard time acting on his insight, habits and patterns that built over the years are obviously not easily broken. John’s admittance that he became emotionally distant from his sons and retreated into the role of a superior instead of being a father to his boys is a big step towards a healing process between father and son.

It’s easily understandable that the trauma of losing Mary and learning the truth about what’s out there changed the amiable and good-natured man from the Pilot and slowly turned him into the emotionally repressed and revenge driven person we see now. It’s probable that when John started hunting for the thing that killed his wife, the military lifestyle provided a much needed level of familiarity and control for the former marine, and that he didn’t realize how he gradually became more and more reserved towards Sam and Dean, treating them as soldiers instead of as sons. Even if at some point he became aware of his own failures as a father, he probably convinced himself that it was for their own safety and had by then maneuvered himself into a dead end, unable to break out from his behavioral patterns. Still, while I feel sympathy with John’s struggle, it can’t excuse his questionable parenting decisions for me.

Anyway, I love how Sam soaks up the affection and regretful words coming from John, all petulance and anger gone from his attitude as soon as his father opens up to him. It’s heartbreaking to see how little it takes to overcome their posturing and uncover the love they have for each other and then think back to how rarely they manage to actually get there, because they are both too stubborn and closed-off from each other. Sam is right though, he and John aren’t different, on the contrary if anything they are too similar and that’s what causes the friction between them, because while they may have different goals in life, they are very close in temperament.

John: "You are my children. I’m trying to keep you safe."
Dean: "Dad, all due respect, but, uh, that’s a bunch of crap."

While this episode clearly had a strong emphasis on the Sam-John relationship, Dean takes a great leap forward as well, by taking a step towards independence from his father when he finally stands up to John and takes Sam’s side in the argument about John leaving again, in order to go after the demon alone. In Shadow Dean still argued that they were John’s greatest weakness, that he was more vulnerable with his sons around and suggested a separation himself. Granted, back then they were hurt and Dean felt guilty for not realizing that Meg set them up as a trap for John, which surely influenced his decision. Now he is calmer and more rational and easily reveals John’s weak arguments as an excuse to act more reckless in his pursuit of the demon.

While it is understandable that John feels unable to cope with yet another loss and hence tries to keep his sons out of the big end fight, he never stops (or refuses) to consider the devastating effects his death would have on the boys, especially Dean. All he can see is revenge and it never occurs to him to put the needs of his sons first, and Sam and Dean don’t need (a questionable at best) safety but an intact family. It’s just like Luthor says: 'Revenge isn’t worth much if you end up dead!'

Anyway, the utterly dumbfounded looks Sam and John give Dean when he speaks up to John, at the campfire (That’s a bunch of crap!) as well as later in the motel (We saved your ass!), are hilarious and very telling. It’s obvious that Dean never before dared to openly defy his father. Back in Scarecrow Dean stated how much he admires Sam for always standing up to John for what he wanted and expressed that he wished he was able to do that as well, and finally he is there. The journey so far changed Dean, being with Sam changed him and I love how it culminated in this very moment, where he fights for what he wants: his family together! ♥

What else was noteworthy:

(1) I loved the introduction of the mysterious Colt! While it does seem a bit like a deus-ex-machina to just hand them a weapon that can kill the demon, I found myself intrigued by the background story for the Colt. It adds a sense of epic poetry to the story, to have the Winchesters in possession of a fabled weapon to kill their arch enemy. I like that! ♥

(2) It stroke me as funny that we hear so often about John’s famous reputation as a hunter and the first time we see him in action, I was pretty underwhelmed. John’s plan to lure the vampires away from the barn to give Sam and Dean the opportunity to clean out the nest, while he exchanges Kate for the Colt, was not only reckless but also half-baked. Even if the exchange would have gone smoothly, John wouldn’t have stood a chance to get out of there alive, once he handed Kate over. With only 5 bullets in the Colt - which he couldn’t even use on the vampires since he needed them for the demon - the enhanced speed and strength of the vampires as well as their superiority in numbers, John was outmatched by far, with no back-up plan. If Sam and Dean hadn't come to his rescue, he would have achieved absolutely nothing in the end, apart from his own death. If all his plans looked like that, it makes me wonder how he survived as long as he did. *g*

In conclusion: Dead Man's Blood was a fabulous episode, which captured the family dynamics pitch perfect and moved the characters forward, positioning them for the end game. While I am a bit anxious about how John’s presence will influence the beautiful dynamics between Dean and Sam, I look forward to see how they will pull the strings together in the presumably awesome finale!

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Did you know? The S1 companion gives us the content of Daniel Elkin’s letter to John: John, if you are reading this, I'm already dead. I don't know who's more stubborn between us, but, well, you know. It's a damn shame to have to say goodbye this way. But if you knew the truth of it, you'd probably have killed me yourself. You see, old friend, I've got the colt. Least I HAD it - can't right say who or what might have it now. Check my safe, the combination's one you can remember - 3-8-2-11. If it ain't there, just follow the trail of my blood. I really do pray you get the gun. And put a silver bullet right between that bastard's yellow eyes. Dan