Review for 7x06 'Slash Fiction'

[galathea]

That? Was awesome! ♥ I am usually not a fan of plot driven episodes, but if they are done well, I can enjoy them just as much as character driven episodes – and this one definitely had me riveted to my screen. Robbie Thompson’s script for Slash Fiction is fast, but evenly paced, action heavy, sprinkled with brilliant humour and topped off by a row of fantastic side characters. It is not often that I am this impressed by a first time writer for Supernatural; Thompson hits all the right notes with the characters and proves to be knowledgeable where canon is concerned. Overall, Slash Fiction is definitely one of my favourite episodes of the season so far.



It is no secret that the 'Winchesters versus law enforcement' storyline in S2/3 is one of my favourite subplots of the show, and I was very disappointed when the writers decided to drop it. After all, it limited the writers' narrative options considerably. I mean, episodes like Nightshifter or Jus In Bello always made for a nice change from the regular monster-of-the-week episodes, because they pitted Sam and Dean against innocent, law abiding civilians and, unlike monsters, they could not just kill those. Instead the brothers needed to resort to evasion tactics and relied on their smarts to get out of tricky situations. Not to mention that Sam and Dean have often been confined in episodes that dealt with law enforcement and had no means to escape whatever was after them, which added extra tension and suspense. So, when I read the plot outline for Slash Fiction a couple of weeks back, I was understandably excited. Evil doppelgangers framing Sam and Dean for a murder spree, thus putting the FBI onto the brothers’ trail? What’s not to love! Granted, I did not expect the writers to resolve the situation so quickly. I had high hopes that the law enforcement storyline would span most of the season or a couple of episodes at least, but since there is already the promise of another evil leviathan scheme on the horizon, I am not too disappointed that it was only a one-off plot. I am just extremely curious to see what they will come up with next.

Leviathan Dean: "He thinks he's funny. He thinks he's a damn comedian."
Leviathan Sam: "Who has two thumbs and full-blown bats in the belfry? I'm serious. It's nothing but Satan vision on the inside."

I absolutely love the diner scene, where Sam and Dean's leviathan doppelgangers mercilessly mock their human counterparts. ♥ By the way, I am just going to handwave the dubious fact that, apparently, leviathans can not only clone bodies, but also memories, emotions and mental states from hair samples. I mean, shapeshifters at least need to have some sort of direct contact to form a mental bond with their victims; it seems a bit far-fetched that leviathans just need some DNA to copy a person down to their individual thoughts and feelings. Anyway, I find the leviathans’ annoyance with the idiosyncrasies of their human counterparts highly amusing. The way they take offence at everything, from the brothers’ eating habits to their psychological issues, is just hilarious. More importantly though, the leviathans’ conversation also confirms my earlier assumption that even though we do not always see Sam’s hallucinations, they are not necessarily gone for good. On the contrary, according to leviathan!Sam, he still sees Lucifer all the time, and given how stable Sam seemed to be these last couple of episodes, that information not only tells us how well Dean’s post-hell coping strategies work for Sam, but also how much effort he puts into appearing normal on a daily basis. And that is one of the reasons why the brothers’ falling out at the end of the episode is so worrisome.

Overall, I think the leviathans make great opponents for the brothers this season. They are smart, organised and resourceful and, if anything, their brilliant plan in Slash Fiction demonstrates that they know how to use Sam and Dean’s societal outsider status against them. Most of all though, the leviathans don’t underestimate the Winchesters and they know how the brothers think, which gives them a definite advantage over Sam and Dean. In that context, I really have to say how much I love that the leviathans’ killing spree follows a pattern that only the real Winchesters are able to identify – although, unless Sam just jumps ahead to the next target once he figured out the pattern, they seem to have skipped Nazareth, Pennsylvania (Phantom Traveller) and Toledo, Ohio (Bloody Mary) – thus remaining unpredictable for the FBI, while luring the brothers to their location at the same time. I also like that the leviathans’ interest in Sam and Dean is all about threat assessment and not about them, personally. I find the fact that these millennia old, powerful creatures look on two severely damaged humans as the only obstacle between them and world domination fascinating. It seems that, in a sense, Sam and Dean have become a myth themselves, at least in the world of monsters.

Dean: "Listen, Sam …"
Sam: "Don't … don't lie to me again. You know, don't even talk to me."

So, let’s talk about the final scene between the brothers, where Sam confronts Dean with his lie about Amy. First off, I really love that this scene is basically a reversal of last week’s final moment between the brothers, where Sam pushed for Dean to talk about what is weighing him down, but Dean refused to open up to him. Now it is Dean who urges Sam to unburden himself and let Dean help with whatever aggrieves him – and Sam instantly complies. That’s a very typical communication pattern for the brothers. As was to be expected, Sam’s immediate reaction to Dean’s betrayal is hurt and anger, and it is no surprise that he feels the need to put some distance between himself and his brother. However, I think Sam’s drastic response is not primarily about Amy – even though her death is an important factor of course – but about the implication that Dean does not trust him. I suspect that the circumstances of the reveal are of great relevance here. If Sam had learned about Amy during Osiris’ trial, for example, which would have shown him how guilty Dean feels about his betrayal of Sam’s trust, he would still have been hurt, but I think his reaction would have been less fierce. Instead the reveal comes from the enemy though; it comes from someone who makes sure to inflict maximum damage by presenting Dean’s actions in the worst possible light. After all, telling Sam that Dean killed Amy because he thinks Sam is insane and his judgment cannot be trusted, is a purposeful manipulation of Sam’s emotions on the leviathan’s part – and a very effective one at that, given Sam’s recent history.

Remember, back in Hello, Cruel World when Sam hallucinated Lucifer-as-Dean, he told Sam just the same, i.e. that he is crazy and will never get better, over and over again, which effectively demonstrated that it is Sam’s greatest fear that his brother believes him to be a permanent liability – and the leviathan gives him confirmation that Dean thinks exactly that. Moreover, Dean has offered himself as Sam’s touchstone of reality; he explicitly asked Sam to believe in him and to use that trust in Dean as a further means to ground himself in the here and now, so to learn that Dean does not reciprocate that trust has to be a crushing revelation for Sam. I mean, how can he build on someone who does not believe in him? These last couple of weeks Sam has made every effort to be as stable as he possibly can, despite the fact that he fights with hallucinations on a daily basis, and he was finally in a place where he was able to move on from the past, but that victory has to ring hollow when the one person he depends on the most has no faith in him. To be honest, I would not be surprised if Sam’s condition would get worse as a result of the brothers’ emotional rift. Anyway, Dean’s reaction to Sam’s angry outburst and subsequent departure is resigned acceptance, and I have no doubt that this is exactly what he expected would happen once Sam learns the truth. So it’s not surprising that he lets him go without a fight, and given his guilty conscience, he probably believes he deserves to be punished.

Now, usually the heartbreak of a brotherly separation scene would impact my enjoyment of an episode as a whole, but unless the next couple of episodes prove me terribly wrong, I am still steadfast in my belief that once Sam worked his way through his hurt and anger, he will forgive Dean and maybe even help him to move on from his depression. After all, Slash Fiction only shows us the immediate fallout to the Amy reveal; Dean has no chance to actually explain himself and Sam is way too agitated to listen to anything his brother would have to say anyway, so I have no problem with Sam walking off to cool down for a while. It’s not like the brothers have a lot of space to themselves. And compared to Hunted, where Sam also had legit reasons to be furious with Dean for keeping a secret, but simply snuck out on Dean in the middle of the night after he promised him not to leave, their open confrontation here feels more honest. I just hope the fight between the brothers will not drag on for too long and that the resolution to their conflict will move the character arcs forward. I mean, I would be very disappointed if the Amy storyline would just turn out to be a simple plot device designed to create friction between the brothers instead of a carefully constructed means to facilitate a substantial development for Sam and Dean and their relationship. Only time will tell, I guess.

What else is noteworthy:

(1) Dear writers, can we keep Frank Devereaux, please? The introduction of the eccentric hunter and conspiracy theorist, who obviously also dabbles in forgery and computer hacking, is definitely one of the highlights of the episode for me. ♥ The scene between Frank and the brothers is absolutely hilarious. From Sam and Dean’s puzzled reaction to Frank’s wary question if they have a teleporter, to Sam’s shock when Frank trashes his laptop or Dean’s consternation when Frank advises them to ditch their beloved Impala, it is all comedy at its best. I think the character would make an excellent addition to the recurring cast. Obviously it would not make much sense for him to appear on a more frequent basis, but I think once or twice per season would be easily justifiable. If we get another season that is, of course.

(2) I think there is no doubt that the scene with Sam and Dean in the not!Impala is one of the funniest brotherly moments in a long time. Dean’s absolute resentment at having to leave his baby behind is tangible and the way he takes his frustration out on the poor toy horse dangling from the rearview mirror is very amusing. I utterly love that Sam tries to comfort Dean by turning on the music and then instantly apologises when Air Supply’s I’m All Out Of Love comes on. ♥ Dean mutely singing along to the rather mushy love song – dramatic facial expressions and all – had me in stitches, and Sam’s incredulous reaction to his brother’s unusual enthusiasm for the song is delightful. It’s all very reminiscent of Simon Said, where Dean just could not get REO Speedwagon’s I Can’t Fight This Feeling out of his head, much to Sam’s dismay. I don’t think scenes like that will ever get old.

(3) I am very pleased to see Jodie Mills back so soon after Hello, Cruel World. I really adore her character more and more with every appearance. I love that she tracks Bobby down in a remote cabin that even the leviathans could not find yet, and then resolutely convinces Bobby to let her take care of him for a while. To accept help is not something that comes easy to Bobby, so it is all the more telling that Jodie gets through his defences. The burgeoning romance between Jodie and Bobby is just heart-warming to watch, especially since those two seasoned and somewhat damaged people act as awkwardly around each other as teenagers with their first crush. ♥ I also love that Bobby’s confrontation with his leviathan doppelganger provides us with some interesting insights into Bobby’s past and, just like on other occasions, there are strong parallels between Bobby and Dean. Both are high-school drop-outs with daddy issues and a tendency to bury their sorrows in a bottle, just like their fathers before them. However, while Dean has given up on hope and the thought of a happy future long ago, Bobby has apparently retained a sense of optimism, and that is one of the reasons why their relationship is so beneficial for Dean. Bobby does not only understand Dean, but his capacity for hope also allows him to offer Dean a positive perspective and emotional stability. ♥

(4) You know, since I have been so very disappointed with the performances of last week’s guest stars, I feel compelled to point out that the numerous guest stars this week deliver very memorable performances. Above all, Kevin McNally’s depiction of the paranoid hunter Frank Devereaux is positively delightful and, as I said before, I hope he will join the cast in a recurring role. Kim Rhodes presents Sheriff Mill’s more nurturing and flirty qualities with grace and charm, and Michael Hogan (aka Colonel Tigh from Battlestar Galactica) gives a very convincing performance as Sheriff Osborne. The leviathans are well cast, too. Sean Owen Roberts as Bobby’s guinea pig Chet is just wonderfully sarcastic and maniacal, and James Patrick Stuart makes a good first impression as the smooth leviathan CEO Dick Roman. Of course Mark Sheppard’s surprise appearance as Crowley is fun as always. And while we are talking about performances, I love that Jensen and Jared managed to make Sam and Dean’s doppelgangers distinct characters of their own, but still maintained enough of the original characters to make watching their evil versions disturbing for the viewer. I think that Jensen and Jared have each played at least half a dozen different versions of their characters by now, and I am amazed that they always find new nuances in their performance.

In conclusion: Slash Fiction is an amazingly entertaining episode that not only advances the mytharc, but also finally draws the subliminal conflict between Sam and Dean to the surface, and I am very glad that the writers seem intent on resolving the brothers’ issues sooner rather than later. I mean, if the leviathans' clever attack on the Winchesters in Slash Fiction is anything to go by, Sam and Dean simply cannot afford to be at odds with each other when the next assault hits them. Anyway, we are six episodes into the new season and I have yet to be truly disappointed. On the contrary, S7 already gave me at least three episodes that I think will make it into my personal list of Supernatural classics, namely Hello, Cruel World, Defending Your Life and now Slash Fiction, and the last time that happened in such a short time was back in S2. ♥

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Did you know? When Jensen and Jared first read the script, they thought that the final scene between the brothers read like a break-up scene straight out of a romantic comedy, so they adjusted the dialogue to make it closer to their characters, you know, more 'manly'. I am not quite sure they succeeded though. *g*

I am sorry this review is late and not very extensive, but my sister visited me this week, which severely limited my time for writing. I am glad I got to watch the episode at least and was able to get some basic thoughts down on paper. I will probably expand this review at some point though