Review for 5x08 'Changing Channels'

[galathea]

For the last two episodes I had pretty high expectations, and I found myself sorely disappointed. For Changing Channels, on the other hand, I had very low expectations, due to its silly premise, and found myself pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it. Go figure! Jeremy Carver’s characterisation for Sam and Dean was, for the most part, enjoyable and felt more natural to me than in the past episodes, which was an immense relief. Additionally, I found some of the depicted TV show parodies in the episode genuinely funny and even meaningful in places, and although I also cringed at quite a lot of the 'jokes', there was enough good in the episode to outweigh the bad for me, not least because the episode managed to make a strong turn at the end and tied it into the mythology.



Okay, let’s get the worst critique out of the way first: Firstly, I am getting immensely tired of jokes about prostitution, sex, sexually transmitted diseases or the like. It’s tasteless and crude and neither funny nor clever in my opinion. While we had the occasional joke about porn and sex in earlier seasons as well, those were far and few between and mostly an expression of good-natured ribbing between brothers, which felt natural for two young men in their twenties. But lately those jokes not only appear in nearly every episode, they also become increasingly vulgar. I am pretty sure the writers have more imagination and a wider repertoire than genital herpes and 'nutcracker' jokes, and I hope they remember how to use it sooner rather than later. Secondly, the most cringe-worthy moment in the episode for me was Dean’s coy and adoring behaviour towards Dr. Sexy, which I think was completely out of character, especially since we have seen Dean star-struck before, namely in Hollywood Babylon, and he was definitely bordering more on the geeky, but emotionally genuine side in that episode, rather than displaying this kind of exaggerated 'fanboy on the verge of fainting' silliness. It’s one of the unfortunate moments, where I feel that fanservice overruled character plausibility, and I find that annoying.

Okay, enough with the ranting, on to the good stuff! :)

Dean: "We get it. Playing our roles, right? That’s your game."
Trickster: "That’s half the game."
Sam: "What’s the other half?"
Trickster: "Play your roles out there. You know, Sam starring as Lucifer. Dean starring as Michael. Your celebrity death match."

The premise of Changing Channels had 'potential disaster' written all over it for me, when I first read about it. Since the writers’ taste in humour and my own rarely match up, and I often find that episodes specifically designed to be humorous tend to compromise continuity and sacrifice characterisation for cheap jokes, I actually expected the worst. Granted, as specified above, there were a considerable amount of scenes that I found tasteless and cringe-worthy, but I was pleasantly surprised that at least some of the parodies were extremely amusing to me. More importantly though, all of the different TV show settings had an unexpected deeper metaphorical layer that connected in one way or the other to Sam and Dean’s story and can be read as foreshadowing and/or symbolic for their character development in S5. So, I felt compelled to look at the different show sequences a bit closer in my review:

The 70’s sitcom: "Together we will save the day!" – Okay, I admit it! I might have watched the special Supernatural title sequence - based on the style of cheesy 70’s sitcoms, over-saturated colours, corny show tune and all - an unhealthy amount of times. I find it ridiculously funny. It’s like watching Jensen and Jared goofing around on set or an unofficial gag reel. It’s definitely my new happy place. ♥ Beneath the exaggerated kitsch of it all though, there is a true core that resonated strongly with the resolution to the episode for me, namely that only in standing together Sam and Dean will be able to defeat their supposed destiny as vessels. Without exception the clips shown in the opening titles emphasise their effortless synchronicity and their affectionate bond and combined with the lyrics, it sends out the clear message that once Sam and Dean moved on from their issues, they will be a force to be reckoned with. I liked that.

Dr. Sexy MD: "You’re afraid." - I’ve seen enough Grey’s Anatomy to appreciate the way Dr. Sexy MD mockingly highlighted the soapy character of the show, complete with constant pop music in the background and digs at ghosts in a medical 'drama'. I found the sequence only mildly amusing, and even that only in places, but I think it had two very poignant scenes. Dr. Piccolo’s rant about how Sam’s guilt holds him back from doing his job and keeps him from being able to love again, was interesting. Of course she is talking about the fictional doctor!Sam, but her statements can easily be transferred to Sam’s very real situation of feeling guilty for his actions in the past season. We know that Sam has difficulties trusting himself, and that he came back to the job out of necessity, rather than because he felt ready for it. Sam also stated in earlier episodes that he won’t allow the people close to him to get hurt again, and I think he is reluctant to let people in general, and especially Dean, get too close for that very reason. Dr. Piccolo’s insistence that Sam can’t allow himself to waste his abilities because of past failures, hits the right note in this context. In the end, when Sam actually steps up and assumes his 'role', he manages to save Dean’s life as a result. That’s not only a nice counter-point to Mystery Spot, where the Trickster set Sam up to fail that very task, but it might also foreshadow that once Sam is able to realise his full potential – and maybe that even includes his powers – he will succeed in saving people again. Additionally, Dean shows explicit trust in Sam’s ability to save his life, strengthening Sam’s determination in the process. Strictly speaking, they survive that round through trust and the overcoming of fear.

Nutcracker: "I don’t understand Japanese." - Admittedly, I cringed my way through the mock version of the Japanese game show Say it right, Nutcracker. I don’t find the obnoxious and crude tone of that show even remotely funny, but again I thought that it actually offered a nice real life metaphor, i.e. the importance of open communication between the brothers. Both questions the Trickster presented for Sam and Dean tried to play on major issues that added to the deterioration of the brothers’ relationship in S4, namely Dean resenting Sam for choosing Ruby over him, and Sam’s fear that Dean might resent him for being the cause of the 'curse' that has befallen the Winchester family. However, both questions were presented in a foreign language, leaving Sam and Dean completely oblivious to their content, which symbolised how oblivious both brothers have been to the underlying issues that helped their estrangement to escalate, not least because they didn’t find a way to honestly, and most importantly rationally, talk about those issues. I thought it was poignant how the contrast between Japanese (failure to communicate) and English (successful communication) was emphasised by Sam hurriedly putting the clues together and relaying them to his brother, and Dean trusting Sam’s deductions and finding a way to play his role, avoiding to get hurt in the process.

CSI Miami: "Follow my lead." - The digs at Supernatural’s second biggest competitor in the Thursday evening timeslot were amongst the most enjoyable for me. Jensen and Jared’s parody of Horatio Caine, the lead character in CSI Miami, and his exaggerated body language and speech patterns, was very amusing, not to mention scarily accurate. The deeper layer of this sequence was shown in the fact that despite Dean’s resentment against the scenario, he unquestioningly complies with Sam’s request to follow his lead, thus showing a newly gained trust in Sam’s judgment. They don’t agree on a game plan beforehand and simply play off of each other’s actions and body language, and as a result they manage to get the Trickster to reveal himself and take him down (in theory at least). Their teamwork is dependent on trust and the ability to read each other’s body language, and I like how this was demonstrated here.

Knight Rider: "Should I honk?" - My favourite show setting by far was the homage to the 80’s TV show Knight Rider, with Sam being transformed into the Impala, as an equivalent to the sentient car KITT in the series. Dean finally being able to have a 'real' conversation with his car and interaction that is actually reciprocated was absolutely hilarious. And even this short scene managed to strike a very interesting emotional cord, since KITT in the original series was specifically designed to serve humanitarian goals and protect his driver at all costs. The car’s extra gadgets made it a secure shelter, as well as a powerful weapon, and its artificial intelligence displayed a sensitive persona and moral values. So, Sam turning into KITT’s equivalent can easily be seen as a metaphor for his wish to utilise his powers for the greater good in general, and to protect Dean in particular. Transferring KITT’s protective stance towards its driver to the scenario with Sam, the Impala and Dean, the driver is especially heart-warming, not to mention the deeper symbolism of the Impala (Sam) being Dean’s home. ♥

In conclusion, I thought it was really interesting that while Sam got the harsher end of the stick in TV land – standing in for the Herpexia advertisement, getting hit in his private parts, getting his nose rubbed in his past failures – which, I think, mostly demonstrates the Trickster’s resentment towards the younger Winchester for not learning his lesson in Mystery Spot, on closer inspection, Sam was remarkably often shown in a protective/saviour capacity towards Dean. Dean, on the other hand, was most often shown with a renewed capacity to trust his brother’s instincts and abilities, and it was trust and teamwork that allowed them to get out of the different show rounds. Maybe I read way too much into the various silly show sequences, but in the end these particular scenarios were specifically designed by the Trickster/Gabriel to teach Sam and Dean a lesson, and I can’t help but feel that just like Zachariah’s lesson in The End taught Dean to say 'yes' to Sam and not to Michael, Gabriel’s lesson taught the brothers that playing their roles means regaining their mutual trust and love and not surrendering to Michael and Lucifer. And despite the cringe-worthiness of some of these scenes, that’s a lesson I can happily accept. ♥

Dean: "Ally with the Trickster? A bloody, violent monster. And you wanna be facebook friends with him? Nice, Sammy."
Sam: "The world is gonna end, Dean. We don’t have the luxury of a moral stand. Look, I am just saying it’s worth a shot. That’s all. If it doesn’t work, we’ll kill him."

As I already explicated in my review for The Curious Case Of Dean Winchester, I had a problem with the characterisation of the brothers over the last two episodes, mainly because I felt there was a lot of tension between them, without apparent reasons for tension to emerge at that point. There was also a distinct lack of their usual affection and concern for each other, not throughout, but in certain situations, like Dean carelessly using a potentially lethal electric buzzer on his little brother or Sam’s initial casualness in the face of Dean’s rapid age deterioration. If I am grateful for one thing in Changing Channels it’s that it returned a feeling of natural interaction between the brothers to me. There was ribbing, but it was good-natured, there was tension, but it arose out of comprehensible disagreements, and their usual affection was continuously in place, like Dean instinctively reaching out to Sam when he is shot and Sam’s panicked reaction, when he realises the situation is real or Dean’s genuine worry and sympathy when Sam has to take a hit in his crotch.

There are also two wonderfully subtle instances in which Dean’s trust issues resurface, and I am immensely relieved that the writers remembered that those are still in place and haven’t been dealt with and even managed to bring them to the foreground so naturally in the episode. The one situation arises when Dean finds himself alone in their motel room after they supposedly killed the Trickster, with Sam nowhere to be found and unreachable via cell. Dean’s reaction is visibly tense and irritated under his surface layer of worry. It’s easy to comprehend that the situation is an uncomfortable reminder of Sam’s past habit to sneak out on Dean in order to meet with Ruby and/or keep secrets from him. Sam might have changed to a policy of honesty with Dean lately, but the feeling of suspicion as soon as Sam is out of his sight, will be difficult to shake for Dean for a while.

The other situation that creates tension is the brothers’ discussion about how to approach the Trickster. Sam’s suggestion to try and become allies with the Trickster, although he proved himself to be a murderous creature with no moral qualms, visibly raises Dean’s hackles and even if he doesn’t force the issue, it’s obvious that the topic evokes negative connotations of Sam’s disastrous alliance with Ruby. Like in most of their good discussions though, both brothers make valid points: Dean is right in pointing out that it is foolish to trust an evil and unpredictable creature like the Trickster, as a move like that can easily backfire on them, and Sam does have a point in emphasising that they do need powerful allies, if they want to stand a chance against Lucifer. Not once in their argument I got the impression that Sam falls back into bad habits and again starts to lose his moral compass, if anything his attempt to search an open dialogue with Dean upfront and his calm reaction to Dean’s disbelief and his subsequent offer to compromise, showed that he approached the subject very thoughtfully. I loved the fact that Sam didn't feel that he had to censor himself in front of Dean and trusted that he can bring up the controversial topic without throwing their slowly healing relationship back a couple of steps. So, ultimately I take Sam making the suggestion as a sign for his growing trust in his relationship with Dean.

It’s extremely interesting to compare the brothers’ conversation here, with their mirror conversation at the beginning of Bad Day At Black Rock, where Sam insisted on using Ruby for information and maybe take her offer to help them with Dean’s deal. Their argument back then was filled with anger and resentment. Dean instantly tried to shoot Sam down and irately insinuated that something must be wrong with Sam to suggest that step, and Sam fiercely rebelled against Dean’s authoritative stance on the subject and ultimately disregarded Dean’s objections. In Changing Channels though, both brothers listen calmly to one another’s point of view. Dean openly shows his discomfort with the suggestion, but ultimately concedes Sam’s point and Sam listens to Dean’s objections and meets him halfway with the compromise to kill the Trickster, if it doesn’t work out. The direct comparison of these very similar scenes is stunning and very effectively conveys the new maturity in the brothers’ relationship, especially in their communication with each other. That’s exactly the kind of change I wanted to see since their agreement in Fallen Idols, so this scene hit the absolute right note for me.

Sam: "So, which one are you? Grumpy, sneezy or douchy?"
Trickster: "Gabriel, okay? They call me Gabriel."

I have to admit that I am in two minds about the massive retcon that the Trickster has always been the archangel Gabriel. The writers’ efforts to retroactively tie the pre-angel seasons into the new mythology are only partially successful for me, as the details often chafe against each other and put the mythology on more and more shaky ground. Gabriel is a good example for that, as he further complicates the already complicated and not entirely consistent angel mythology. The simple fact alone that he remains incredibly powerful, despite being completely cut off from heaven, when Castiel stated that heaven is the source of the angelic power, already causes need for some sort of rationalisation, and that's not even taking the rest of his story into account. I just think there is no real need to force all seasons together under one single roof, as S1-3 stand perfectly on their own without explicit ties to the angel mythology. We know that Kripke never planned to add angels to the show, until the writer's strike changed his mind, and still, the story continuity was ensured perfectly by the simple information that they haven’t been on earth for over 2000 years, hence we haven't seen them before. Moreover, I think the show robs itself of its variety in mythology, because before, the Trickster was an independent entity with his own agenda, now he is 'just' another angel, even if it is a massively fascinating one.

That being said, however, in the case of the Trickster/Gabriel retcon, I feel a tad more forgiving, mainly for two reasons: Firstly, Richard Speight Jr. played the hell out of his role and gave a marvellous and convincing performance. He has always been a delightful addition to the cast, but Gabriel gave him completely new character layers to work with, and Speight certainly knew how to use that to his advantage. While I always had a dislike for the Trickster’s propensity for silly and crude humour, which unfortunately always diminished my enjoyment of Trickster episodes, especially Tall Tales, I do love the character itself. The way he unites menace and mischief in his persona, his ambiguous morals and unrepentant nature have been fascinating to me since his first appearance. Additionally, his past interactions with the brothers were always enjoyable to watch and the prospect of seeing him more often, maybe even in a more serious plot context, is something I look forward to.

Secondly, and most importantly, I loved how the twist in the Trickster mythology added new layers to the episode Mystery Spot. I’ve always regretted that the importance of Mystery Spot suffered so massively from the writer’s strike. Originally it would have been the pivotal episode in S3, as it was designed to provide the psychological motivation for Sam to go dark side in order to save Dean. However, the strike forced the writers to change course of the plot at short notice, i.e. sending Dean to hell instead of having Sam save him, which made the episode largely redundant for Sam’s motivation and the lack of emotional fallout for Sam’s tour-de-force in the episode was a disservice to the character. The reveal that the Trickster is the archangel Gabriel though, at least elevates the relevance of the episode for the mytharc again, even if it still does little for Sam’s character development. In S3 it wasn’t quite clear what kind of goal the Trickster had in mind with his cruel lesson for Sam, and I speculated back then that he has unknown ulterior motives for his little game, so I am quite happy to find that confirmed now.

If we look at the Trickster’s motivation before the seals were broken and Lucifer was set free - keeping in mind that he is an angel - his actions suddenly become much clearer: "This obsession to save Dean, the way you two keep sacrificing yourselves for each other, nothing good comes out of it! Just blood and pain. Dean’s your weakness, the bad guys know it too. It’s gonna be the death of you, Sam. Sometimes you just got to let people go," the Trickster pleaded with Sam back in Mystery Spot, and with hindsight that’s a scarily accurate lesson. From the Trickster’s perspective Dean was already doomed to become the first seal the moment he made the crossroad deal, there was no saving him from his destiny. Sam, however, still stood a chance to be saved from the dark path that would eventually cause him to break the last seal. If he had been able to let his brother go in peace, instead of falling into the madness of mind-numbing grief, revenge and guilt - which in the end opened him up for Ruby’s manipulations and his own inner darkness - the breaking of the last seal might have been prevented. Just like the breaking of the first seal could have been prevented, if Dean had been able to let Sam go in peace.

Ultimately, the Trickster’s goal in Mystery Spot was to prevent the prophecy of the seals to come to pass by trying to force Sam to accept Dean’s death, whereas his ultimate goal in Changing Channels is to ensure the outcome of the Michael versus Lucifer prophecy by trying to force the brothers into their roles. It’s interesting to note here that, according to Castiel, angels believe in the immutability of the divine word of prophecy, and Gabriel’s speech that they always knew that it would end with the Winchesters, takes the same line. Nevertheless, Gabriel tried to change the outcome of the prophecy with his lesson to Sam in Mystery Spot, and it’s interesting to speculate if he lost his belief that destiny is not inevitable, when his efforts to prevent the apocalypse proved to be in vain. Of course it can be argued that telling the brothers the truth or standing up to his fellow angels, instead of hiding away in his own 'witness protection program', might have been the smarter and more successful option. In the end Gabriel’s course of action was too little, too late, and he carries his own share of responsibility that the apocalypse came to pass. It will be interesting to see, if this is addressed later in the season again.

Gabriel: "This isn’t about a war. It’s about two brothers that loved each other and betrayed each other. You think you’d be able to relate."

It’s no secret that I was never the biggest fan of the epic scope the mytharc had developed over the last season, as it seemed to disconnect the mytharc more and more from what drew me to the show in the first place, namely the dysfunctional family drama that has always been at the core of Supernatural. Therefore, I very much appreciate how S5 started to firmly ground the angel mythology in motifs of family in general, and siblings rivalry in particular, thus opening a multitude of parallels between the family Winchester and the heavenly host. I already pointed out the parallels between Castiel and Sam in my review to I Believe The Children Are Our Future, Gabriel, on the other hand, shows parallels with both brothers. Like Dean, Gabriel suffered from the constant conflict between his brothers and their father, but was unable to stand up to them and make his voice heard. Like Sam, he chose to leave his family, turn his back on the 'family business' and find his own way in the world, but was pulled back into the conflict against his will.

Gabriel’s situation in the apocalyptic conflict is similar to Dean’s situation at the beginning of the season. He clearly loves his family, but is angry at their self-destructive tendencies, and instead of fighting for what he wants, i.e. his family united, he resigned. Where Dean overcame his fears and chose to fight for and with his family, Gabriel allows his fears to paralyse him at the moment. Where the brothers Winchester chose to defy prophecy and forge their own path, Gabriel clings to fate, hurting himself and his family in the process. Choice or destiny? Just like his brother Castiel, Gabriel struggles with the decision. Dean unerringly finds Gabriel’s sore spot and throws his fears back into his face, and for once the angel is lost for words. Maybe Dean’s passionate parting words to Gabriel were the angel’s wake-up call, maybe Sam will get his wish after all, and the Trickster will join them as an ally in the end. It’s worth noting here that just like John’s absence/death allowed Sam and Dean to grow into men of their own, God’s absence allows his angels to do the same, by forcing them to make their own choices, and it will be interesting to see which angels will come down on the side of humanity in the process. Only time will tell, I guess.

As a side note: I am growing increasingly weary of the constant emphasis that it always had to be the brothers Winchester, who were destined to play the roles of the angelic vessels. My problem is not with the prophecy in itself, as I firmly believe that in the end Sam and Dean will defy the prophecy and find their own way out of the dilemma. No, it is more that unless Lucifer himself was completely clueless about said prophecy - which is unlikely since he, too, stated that it always had to be Sam - his order for Azazel to find a special child and Azazel’s subsequent creation of generations of psychic kids, makes no sense whatsoever. Even if we assume that Lucifer didn’t know Sam and Dean’s names, specifically, and sent Azazel on a general search mission, why would Azazel even bother with creating female psychics or psychics without siblings, if, like Gabriel claims, ultimately the apocalypse is all about the re-enactment of the conflict between the brothers Lucifer and Michael? I wished the writers would shed some clarifying light on this issue, because otherwise it has the potential to be a real deal-breaker for the consistency of the mytharc.

What else was noteworthy:

(1) I am curious how Gabriel was able to find out that Sam and Dean were in town. I mean, as long as he didn’t actually see them walking around somewhere or the brothers have been the town gossip for some reason, he shouldn’t be able to sense them, as they are hidden from all angels. While it made sense that he needed to utilize the police radio to lure the brothers to a location of his choosing and trap them, it doesn’t explain how he knew they were there in the first place.

(2) After meeting Gabriel, whom I found very intriguing, I am now incredibly curious to meet the ever elusive Michael himself. I am more suspicious than ever of the fact that the archangel didn’t even make an effort to contact Dean through his dreams yet. And talking about suspicious absences, I think it’s really difficult, from a narrative point of view, to justify the current extended absence of apocalyptic signs in general, and Lucifer in particular, from the plot. That kind of stalling tactic didn’t work for Lilith as the big bad, and it works even less for Lucifer and the apocalypse. I would welcome even simple narrative means like catastrophic news on the TV or radio like they did in Sympathy For The Devil and Free To Be You And Me, something that would convey a sense of urgency or movement at least. I can only hope that the writers intend to delve into the apocalypse with more determination in the second half of the season and pull the plot tighter together.

In conclusion: While Changing Channels had its fair share of indigestible 'humour', it also revealed enough depth beneath the silly surface to elevate its meaning over a simple parody. The main selling point of the episode though was the characterisation, because whenever Sam and Dean didn’t pretend to be someone else for the sake of the game, they definitely felt more like them again, and I missed that.