Review for 7x05 'Shut Up, Dr. Phil'

[galathea]

Shut Up, Dr. Phil by (almost new) writers Brad Buckner and Eugenie Ross-Leming – funny enough, the only other Supernatural episode this duo ever has ever written is Route 666 – is not a deep episode; it’s not even an outstanding monster of the week episode. What it is, however, is old-school Supernatural fun – cheese, clichés and anvils included – which is very welcomed after the more angst laden episodes that preceded it. Despite its lighter tone, the episode still maintains Sam and Dean’s current character arcs though, and I appreciate that greatly. Overall, we get some lovely brotherly banter, some deliciously gory deaths and some surprise guest stars in this episode, so what’s not to like?



I really have to say that, so far, the plot and character continuity of S7 is really great, and even though the turbulent opening phase of the season is over, the momentum for the characters is still tangible. Now, despite its overall lighter tone, Sam and Dean's characterisation in Shut Up, Dr. Phil carries on well from last week's episode. Dean’s depression shows no signs of subsiding and it seems that even in his sleep he cannot escape the things that weigh him down – Castiel’s (presumed) death, Sam’s breakdown and, of course, killing Amy. He sleeps in his clothes, like he did in S4 when nightmares about hell plagued him, and when he wakes, his first act is to reach for the beer bottle on the nightstand. While I still think that Dean believed Sam last week when he said that he feels good, Dean’s vivid nightmare about Sam’s mental breakdown suggests to me that, subconsciously, his fear that Sam will crack again is still very much eating away at him. And that is why he can’t let himself be truly happy with Sam’s current optimism and energy, afraid that it is just the quiet before the next storm. I think it is clear that something will have to give and soon, or Dean will crash hard.

Sam, on the other hand, is still upbeat and invigorated and visibly enjoys his new lease on life. It is always important to remember, however, that even if we do not always witness Sam’s hallucinations, it does not mean that they are completely gone. We have seen in the previous two episodes that Sam has ways to control his grip on reality, and he is clearly mostly functional by now, but I doubt that he is fully back to normal. In that context, I suspect that there is also a more serious aspect to Sam’s new obsession with fitness, namely that working on his physical health is a way for him to counteract his mental instability. It’s like Sam literally tries to embody the motto mens sana in corpore sano. Still, at the moment Sam visibly worries more about Dean than about himself, concerned about his brother’s emotional shut-down and excessive drinking habits. It is interesting though that Sam takes exception to Dean’s hip flask. I mean, said flask has been introduced way back in Houses Of The Holy, and I am sure that it made a re-appearance once or twice since then. That Sam remarks upon it now, while it did not seem to bother him in the past, just goes to show that Dean’s alcohol consumption unsettles him so much that even usually acceptable habits trigger Sam’s alarm bells. Or, you know, the writers just neglected to do their homework.

In any case, despite the fact that Sam’s constant worry and Dean’s communicative unavailability create some tension between the brothers, their interaction is mostly easy-going and good-natured. Their usual siblings squabbles throughout the episode are, as always, highly enjoyable – from Dean’s grumpy 'my little brother is an annoying dork' attitude in the face of Sam’s new fitness regime, to Sam inadvertently subverting Dean’s attempts at enjoying a banana cream pie – it’s all good. ♥ Although, I have to wonder if we will ever actually see Dean eating a pie. I mean, by now the running gag of Dean and his unsuccessful quest for pie seems to have become a sad metaphor for Dean’s inability to attain peace and happiness in his life. So, somebody (preferably Sam) better feeds that boy some pie before the show comes to an end.

Sam: "You two, whatever it is you have, you’re bonded."
Maggie: "Are you out of your mind? He cheated on me. Humiliated me."
Sam: "We’re not trying to say what Don did was right. When a relationship cracks, usually both parties have a hand in it."

Remember Tall Tales, where Bobby compared Sam and Dean’s constant bickering to that of an old married couple? Well, Shut Up, Dr. Phil takes that comparison and just runs with it. Personally, I always thought the comparison is not altogether invalid, and I don’t mean that in a slashy/romantic capacity, obviously, but in terms of living arrangements and emotional dependency. After all, Sam and Dean not only spend more time together than any two people normally do – even married ones – but they are also each other’s main emotional bedrock, in good times as in bad. Anyway, most of the Starks’ actions/words can be transferred to Sam and Dean, from Don’s remarks about regrettable mistakes and marital misunderstandings, to Maggie acting out when Don tries to put his foot down. The counselling scene in particular is full of delightful parallels between the Starks and the Winchesters. What I love most about that scene is how Sam and Dean use their own troubled history with each other to guide Maggie and Don through a reconciliation process. ♥ The brothers have been where the Starks are now, both of them hurt and unable to see past their own perspective, but in the end they have always been able to overcome their conflicts because they value their relationship too much to just give up on each other. Sam and Dean also know a thing or two about burying anger, resentment and disappointment, and they are quite aware that those repressed feelings have a tendency of resurfacing at the most inopportune time. However, ultimately their mutual bond always enables them to forgive one another, and that is a lesson they can pass on to the Starks.

And talking about forgiveness, the fact that the whole point of Don and Maggie’s confrontation is for them to find a way to overcome their feelings of hurt and betrayal leaves me extremely optimistic for Sam and Dean’s future. I mean, given that the parallels between the brothers and the Starks are more or less explicit, I think this scene can easily be read as foreshadowing where the resolution to the brothers’ future confrontation regarding Amy is concerned. After all, just like Don violated Maggie’s trust when he cheated on her, Dean broke Sam’s trust when he killed Amy, and just like Don, he deeply regrets that transgression. Similarly, just like Maggie, Sam will feel hurt once Dean’s betrayal comes to light, and I am convinced that just like Maggie forgave her husband, Sam will forgive his brother – and that forgiveness might very well be what Dean needs to move on from his depression. I think this resolution would not only make sense in light of Sam’s characterisation so far – he forgave Castiel and reached out to him, he forgave Amy and gave her another chance at proving herself – but it would also build a wonderful parallel between the brothers if Sam would use his own emotional stability to help Dean overcome his depression after Dean used his own post-hell coping strategies to help Sam overcome his hallucinations. I guess only time will tell, but at the moment I feel very confident that this is where the writers are going with the brotherly story arc this season, and I could not be more excited about that.

Sam: "Look, Dean. It’s fine. You can unload. That’s kind of what I am here for. I mean, we’re good, right?
Dean: "We’re good."

I think nobody will be surprised when I say that the brothers’ conversation over the top of the Impala is my favourite moment of the episode. Throughout the episode Sam pushes for Dean to open up about what is weighing on him, offering his own strength for Dean to lean on, but Dean is on the defensive and closes off whenever Sam tries to steer their conversation in that direction – and his response here is no exception. Dean is clearly not ready yet to explain himself to his brother, partly, I think, because he fears that it might set Sam’s recovery process back, but most of all because he is afraid that he will lose Sam’s love and respect, should the truth come to light. Sam and Dean’s dynamic in this regard reminds me of the second half of S4, where it was Sam who refused to take Dean’s every offer to open up to him and where, ultimately, Sam’s secrecy hurt Dean more than the actual secret Sam was hiding. However, then as now, the offer is out there, and should Dean ever decide to talk, Sam has given him an opening to approach him. Overall, Sam’s reassurance that Dean can unload his burdens on him resonates beautifully with Sam’s decision to take the burden of his hell memories back in The Man Who Knew Too Much, just so Dean would not be alone in the world. Sam clearly needs to be there for Dean and that, too, gives me confidence that he will forgive Dean about Amy. ♥

Anyway, I don’t think Dean’s final affirmation that he and Sam are good is a lie; he sounds tired but genuine to me. There are no deep-seated resentments or outright trust issues between the brothers at the moment, even if Dean’s secrecy puts some unfortunate strain on the brotherly relationship. Sam may feel hurt and frustrated about Dean’s refusal to share his burdens, but his frustration comes from a place of worry and affection. Similarly, Dean may feel anxious and guilty where Sam is concerned, but his feelings of guilt are ultimately a result of his love and respect for Sam. So, no matter how strained things may seem between them at the moment, I still feel that underneath all those communication problems, they are rock solid. And that makes watching their struggles so much easier for me than in S4/5 or at the beginning of S6, where the very foundation of their relationship has been in question at times.

What else is noteworthy:

(1) I know there is some discontent amongst fans about the fact that Sam and Dean just let Don and Maggie go, after their initial attempt at killing them failed. However, I think it is pretty consistent with Sam and Dean’s negative track record where witches are concerned. Normally, witches and witch-like magic users either fall victim to their own machinations – like the witch Traci in It’s The Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester, who was killed by the demon she summoned; or the coven in Malleus Maleficarum that was wiped out by the demon the witches sold their souls to; or the sorcerer Charlie in Criss Angel Is A Douchebag, whose own spell was turned against him by his friend Jay – or they walk free, like the 900 year old witch Patrick in The Curious Case Of Dean Winchester, whom the brothers left alone after their efforts to reverse his de-aging spell failed. So far Sam and Dean only managed to kill one witch directly, namely Traci’s brother Don. And, by the way, since killing witches via spell work proves to be difficult, I wonder why Sam and Dean don’t try to kill them by conventional means more often. After all, ultimately, witches are just human. Traci and Don, for example, who have been very old and powerful, died from physical trauma – Samhain broke Traci’s neck and Dean simply shot Don – so witches are definitely vulnerable to physical harm. Anyway, I think the fact that witchcraft is able to affect the otherwise invincible leviathans might come in handy one day, and maybe we can argue that that’s the reason why Sam and Dean refrain from taking any further drastic steps against the Starks for the time being.

(2) I know I am probably the odd one out, but when I first heard that James Marsters and Charisma Carpenter would guest star in Shut up, Dr. Phil I was not amused, mainly for two reasons. Firstly, I really prefer for Supernatural and the Whedonverse to have as few points of contact as possible. I liked Buffy well enough and I was a huge Angel fan once, but I still have massive resentment issues where Joss Whedon is concerned, and I don’t need that to mess with my enjoyment of my favourite show. Of course that has little to do with the actors themselves – I mean, Charisma gave me my beloved Cordelia, after all – but that is where the second reason comes into play, namely that the episode has been promoted as a Buffy reunion pretty much across the board and suddenly Shut Up, Dr. Phil was all about Spike and Cordelia and not about, you know, those other characters, i.e. Sam and Dean. Unsurprisingly, that did not sit well with me. Not to mention that, in my opinion, Supernatural really does not need to ride on Buffy’s genre fame, it is pretty damn good on its own.

Anyway, I did overcome my issues with this casting stunt eventually, and in the end I was actually looking forward to seeing Charisma on my screen again. However, I really have to say that I am not particularly impressed with the performance of either Charisma or James. Now, the material they have been given as Don and Maggie might not have been the best Supernatural has to offer, but I have never seen James Marsters give a performance as flat as in this episode. Charisma fares better in my opinion, but still, it is nowhere near other performances I have seen of her. Together they also have no chemistry whatsoever – which is odd, because I think they actually had a lot of chemistry as Spike and Cordy – and throughout the episode I had a hard time buying into them as a passionate couple that has been in love for over 800 years. I really adore the counselling scene, but ultimately I feel that their interaction with Jensen and Jared is more convincing than their interaction with each other. Of course this is all highly subjective and your miles may vary, but I think we have seen far better guest star performances in minor roles on Supernatural over the years.

(3) I am pretty sure everyone in fandom has seen the infamous 'outtake' for the opening scene between the brothers by now, which has been tweeted by Jared earlier last week. If anyone missed it, they can find it on youtube HERE. Jared’s bendy shenanigans are absolutely hilarious, but even more impressive is Jensen’s ability to stay completely in character throughout the whole thing. One could argue that, after over 6 years together, Jensen is just used to Jared’s pranks, but his calm reaction here kind of reminds me of a blooper from the S1 episode Provenance, where Jared and guest star Taylor Cole flubbed take after take because they just could not stop laughing, and Jensen sat through it straight-faced the whole time as well. That man has some mad concentration skills. ♥

In conclusion: Shut Up, Dr. Phil is a typical filler episode with little relevance to the overall development of the story, but I actually really don’t mind that. I mean, as long as Sam and Dean’s overall characterisation is consistent with the episodes that preceded it – which it absolutely is – I am pretty much content. And I admit, sometimes I just love those utterly ordinary, silly case files in the vein of S1, especially if they are accompanied by a lot of brotherly banter. S1 is my second favourite season, after all, and there is not a single episode in that season I don’t like, no matter how lame the monsters of the week are. I would not want S7 to continue in this manner, but since Shut Up, Dr. Phil does not hurt the overall flow of the season so far, I am quite okay with the episode.