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galatheaYou know, every year there is this one episode, where the plot description alone makes me throw my hands up in horror and ask myself why the writers would think that actually going through with that particular story concept might be a good idea. Now, sometimes those episodes manage to surprise me positively, like The French Mistake for example, and sometimes they turn out to be just as bad as I expected, like The Real Ghostbusters. Time For A Wedding by Andrew Dabb and Daniel Loflin unfortunately falls in the latter category. In fact, I think it is one of the worst episodes Supernatural has ever produced. I daresay that, with the exception of a few brotherly scenes, the episode has barely any redeeming qualities for me. It is rather unfortunate that the season’s continuous run of excellent episodes has been interrupted in this manner, but I hope this misstep remains a one-off.
It is no secret that I loathe Becky with fiery passion ever since she was introduced in Sympathy For The Devil. I think she is the worst character the Supernatural writers have ever conceived – and I am not even talking about the offending meta aspect of her character, i.e. the fact that she serves as a stand-in for fangirls in general – so an episode that almost entirely revolves around her was bound to test my patience, no matter the story concept. However, a terrible plot on top of a grating, obnoxious character like Becky makes Time For A Wedding almost unbearable to watch for me. I mean, a storyline that depicts Becky as a wannabe rapist, who basically robs Sam of his own free will in order to force him into a romantic relationship, is not only not funny, but outright distasteful. Maybe if the writers had treated the plot as the horror story it is – like in the movie Misery, for example – instead of trying to make light of themes like drugging and attempted rape, this episode could have worked for me, but alas, they did not. It is not the first time that the writers handle this sensitive topic poorly either. Remember, back in Wishful Thinking underachiever Wes forced long-time crush Hope into a non-consensual relationship via dark magic as well, and I resented the rather humorous approach to the subject matter then, too. Wes, at least, had been apologetic about his actions; Becky, on the other hand, does not even seem to comprehend that she did something wrong, if her hope of seeing Sam again is anything to go by. Moreover, the fact that Sam thanks her for saving him and then gives her a sympathetic pep-talk really does not sit well with me. I reject the obvious implication that Becky redeemed herself by helping the brothers, so the writers’ attempt to get me to sympathise with her 'sad' story has the exact opposite effect on me. Ultimately, Becky’s despicable actions have no consequences for her, and I find that just plain infuriating.
Okay, rant over. Let’s have a look at the few moments in the episode that I actually enjoy. First of all, I love the opening scene at the strip-club, where Dean pours his heart out to an unsuspecting stripper/bartender, who is obviously quite taken with him. Now, it is interesting to note that even though Dean is in his own personal version of heaven in that moment – strippers, a cold beer and a hot girl hitting on him – he is unable to just unwind and have a good time with the young woman. Instead he keeps himself mentally preoccupied with his brother’s psychological issues, and that effectively illustrates Sam’s later argument that Dean needs to take care of himself more. The fact that Dean constantly worries about Sam not only affects his ability to appreciate the little pleasures in life – and Dean really needs some enjoyment in his life – but it also prompts him to evade dealing with his own issues, and that is part of why he is so messed up at the moment. By the way, I love Dean’s reluctant admittance that Sam might be okay after all. Just last week I asked myself what would need to happen for Dean to accept that Sam is actually doing better and, as it seems, the fact that Sam handled the emotional distress of the truth about Amy without relapsing finally allowed Dean to take that step. Anyway, Dean’s whole demeanour in the opening scene effectively proves that, consciously or not, he neglects his own needs in favour of obsessing over his brother’s problems; a tendency that is transparent even to strangers, if the stripper’s insightful advice that he needs to face himself at some point is anything to go by. Overall, I really love that Dean’s conversation with the stripper/bartender here basically serves as a prelude to his conversation with Sam at the end of the episode, which takes up the same points and confronts Dean with his own avoidance strategy.
Sam: "I do need you watching my back, obviously."
Dean: "Yeah, when crazy groupies attack."
Sam: "You know what I mean."
Dean: "You know, I gotta say, man. For a whackjob, you really pulled it together."
You know, I think I said this in almost every review for the current season, but the final conversation between the brothers is my favourite moment of the episode, and I just wished that it had taken place in a different episode, because it is not likely that I am going to re-watch Time For A Wedding often, if at all. Sam and Dean’s shared smiles and light-hearted banter at the end are just wonderful to watch, and I love that their interaction feels so affectionate and genuine, despite the rather serious overtones of their conversation. It is one of the many things I love about this season - the emphasis on their friendship, on the fact that they genuinely like spending time with each other and how their shared past connects them in a way they can never connect with anyone else. Of course I love especially that I finally got my wish and Dean openly commends Sam for handling his mental problems so well, and I am equally pleased with the fact that Sam does not pretend that his hallucinations are completely gone, just to further reassure Dean. Instead he acknowledges that his mind is still unstable and that he simply learned how to manage his situation. That’s nice continuity from Slash Fiction, where leviathan!Sam affirmed that Sam still struggles with his condition on a daily basis, and even though I would prefer to actually see that struggle from time to time, I appreciate that it is at least frequently mentioned.
I also love that Sam reassures Dean that he will always need him to have his back. ♥ The unspoken implication is, of course, that he needs Dean as a partner and friend, as the one person he can trust and rely on, no matter what. However, Sam does no longer need a caretaker; he does not need a protector, who will always put Sam’s well-being before his own, hurting himself in the process. "Will you please stop worrying about me? I mean, that’s the whole problem in the first place. I don’t want you to worry about me, Dean. I want you to worry about you," Sam told Dean back in Red Sky Of Morning and the same sentiment is expressed in his statement here that, with the responsibility for Sam out of the way, Dean will finally be able to take care of himself. Now, it is no surprise that Sam perceives his own strength as a blessing, especially for Dean. After all, ever since his mental breakdown it has been Sam’s greatest fear that he will be a permanent liability for his brother, so the fact that he is able to manage his condition proves his fear to be insubstantial. Instead of adding to Dean's problems, Sam's inner strength allows him to act as a support system for his brother, and that undoubtedly adds to Sam's good spirits. Furthermore, just last week Dean indirectly told Sam that he cannot fully trust him as long as he considers Sam’s condition to be unstable, so by asserting his self-reliance he also tries to re-establish Dean’s faith in him. Not to mention that, from Sam’s perspective, his independence gives Dean the freedom to explore what he wants for himself in life – apart from being with his family, that is. And really, the latter is not as much of an issue as Dean likes to think, because he will always, always have Sam, even if he is sometimes too insecure to believe that.
The problem is, of course, that Dean has no clue what to do with the kind of freedom Sam offers him, and I have no doubt that at least part of him reads Sam’s concern for his well-being as a form of rejection. Dean’s forlorn expression at the end shows just how lost he feels at the prospect of taking care of himself for a change. This links directly back to Dean’s realisation in Swan Song that he needs to define his life outside the established roles that determined his self-identity for so long – a realisation he has yet to truly act upon. It also ties in with Dean’s admittance in Defending Your Life that he just does not know who he is underneath all his guilt and self-worth issues. While I think that Sam will be able to teach Dean a thing or two about self-discovery and independence, Dean needs to want to change first. To apply an overused Matrix quote here, Sam can only show Dean the door, but he is the one who has to walk through it. Personally, I think that, ultimately, the brothers’ relationship can only benefit from a Dean who is able to identify his own needs and voice them accordingly. Dean needs to understand that taking care of himself and taking care of someone else are not mutually exclusive, but interdependent. After all, he cannot be there for Sam, if he runs himself into the ground. I know I sound like a broken record lately, but the fact that the writers address the various aspects of Dean’s issues so frequently this season really nurtures my hope that we will see some development for him further down the road.
What else is noteworthy:
(1) I usually love new insight into Sam and Dean’s activities outside of hunting, but the rectons in Time For A Wedding do not really fit into previously established canon in my opinion. While I like the idea of Sam and Dean having a sacred annual pilgrimage to Vegas, it unfortunately does not track back well. After all, in six years this has not been mentioned once and, quite frankly, it seems like a rather unlikely shared activity for the brothers, given that in earlier seasons Dean suggested several times that they visit Vegas or Atlantic City and Sam always reacted irritated and dismissive. Plus, an annual Vegas trip is a rather far-fetched and convoluted explanation of how Becky was able to find the brothers. I mean, even if the brothers had a tradition like that and it would have made it into the Supernatural books for Becky to exploit in this manner, Sam and Dean’s erratic lifestyle simply would not allow them to take time off every year at the exact same time. So really, Becky had no way of knowing when exactly the brothers would show up in Vegas. It would have made considerably more sense if the crossroads demon had simply told her where to find them. Furthermore, while I do like the thought of Sam taking some time for himself, maybe even to better cope with his condition, his sudden camping trip also comes off as an unlikely plot device to separate Sam and Dean, just so Becky could catch Sam alone. Sam just does not strike me as the camping type. And later, when Sam states that Dean goes camping as well from time to time, I was rather perplexed, because in Wendigo Dean explicitly said that he hates camping.
(2) One of the few bright spots in Time For A Wedding is the introduction of Dean’s temporary hunting partner Garth. Now, technically, their teamwork does not make all that much sense. After all, Dean works a fairly standard monster of the week case, and he could easily have handled it on his own, but since I enjoy his awkward interaction with the dorky hunter, I don’t mind Garth’s presence all that much. Besides, I quite like the symmetry of Sam working with Becky and Dean working with Garth, which ultimately only serves to emphasise that Sam and Dean are both off balance when they work with someone other than their respective brother. I mean, Sam seems to simply tag along after Becky, an obedient companion with not much of an agenda of his own – a side-effect of the love potion, obviously – which is quite the opposite working dynamic he has with Dean. And Dean has to constantly compensate for Garth’s social awkwardness, something he never has to worry about when working with Sam.
(3) As usual, I really enjoyed Crowley’s appearance, which provides a bit of unexpected mytharc continuity. Crowley’s admittance that he deliberately kept his minions out of the brothers’ way these last couple of months, so they could concentrate on hunting down the leviathans, makes a lot of sense, considering that Dick Roman rebuffed his suggestion of a cooperation between leviathans and demons in Slash Fiction. Now, given their recent history, it is unlikely that Sam and Dean would have received Crowley with open arms, had he tried to openly approach them about a deal regarding their common enemy. After all, in S6 Crowley blackmailed the brothers into bringing him Alphas and threatened to hurt Sam's soul if they would not comply with his demands; he abducted Lisa and Ben and almost got them killed; he worked with Castiel to open purgatory and thus is partly responsible for letting the leviathans out in the first place. So, Crowley had to settle for less obvious ways to (selfishly) support the brothers’ cause, and I quite like his solution. I also like the innovative crossroads demon and his cunning, if a bit short-sighted strategy to use a loophole in his contracts to collect the dealmaker’s souls way ahead of time. It nicely links the different, seemingly unconnected plot strands of the episode together.
In conclusion: I guess whether or not someone is able to enjoy Time For A Wedding largely depends on how much they are bothered by the non-consensual aspect of the main storyline between Sam and Becky and the rather flippant way it is resolved. Personally, I am unable to get past my extreme discomfort with the plot, a problem that is only exacerbated by the fact that I consider Becky a character with no redeemable qualities whatsoever. Moreover, the episode barely adds anything to the ongoing character arcs or the mytharc. I really hope the show is back on track next week.
