Not only do we get Winchester Wednesday on Halloween, but we get an episode written by Bed Edlund and directed by Guy Norman Bee. Two of my absolute favorites. Does it get any better than this? What a great excuse to forgo the Salem Halloween parties and stay snuggled inside with all of you.
Sam and Dean’s interactions throughout the episode were pretty hilarious. Even if they were very angry. “Which words are giving you trouble?” “Did you have a stroke?” Dean is ready to throw Sam taking a year off into his face in order to go help Benny. I understand Dean’s unwillingness to share information with Sam. The last time one of them befriended a monster, it didn’t turn out very well. I couldn’t help but laugh at their phone conversations though. They sounded like a couple of bickering sisters. I would know. “Dean! All your friends are dead!” “That’s not what I called to talk about!” Dean sounded like every person I know when he told Sam to, “Stop talking!” because he had already sent him a text.
This episode finally gave us the Benny back story we have all been starving for. Who is this monster Dean is willing to hug? Turns out Benny had quite the past as a “Vampirate,” (thank you Dean). Apparently a vampire and his maker have a unique bond. And his maker was none too happy when Benny took off to live with his human love, leaving the “vampirate” business behind. I really enjoyed hearing Benny and Dean commiserate over being back in the world of the living. They came off like war buddies, trying to relate after coming home. In the end, Dean helped Benny take down his maker and his lady who had been turned after Benny was sent to Purgatory. She was too far gone to imagine a world outside of the murderous one her maker had created.
My favorite scenes of the episode were those back in Purgatory. “You and that whole friend thing, man.” A line from Benny that moved me to tears because we all know Dean so well. While in Purgatory, Dean was unwilling to heed Castiel’s warnings and insisted on taking him along for the ride. Dean can get through the door because he is human. Benny can hitch a ride because he was born that way. But Cas? He may be S-O-L. That answer doesn’t work for Dean though. Did we expect anything less? Benny convinced Dean that he had an investment in humanity (see human girlfriend above) and was no longer taking lives to survive. Not only that, he killed a Leviathan in order to save Cas and then helped him up off the ground. Consider me moved.
Dean wasn’t the only one to get some flashbacks. Sam had a few of his own. And though we got to know Amelia a little bit better, I’m not sure I like her any better. Sam was able to break down a few of her walls and find out that she was alone in the world, just like him. Still, she could be a little less of a bitch, if you ask me. I am going to need a bit more before I get to the “birthday picnic” place. Also, those flannels look a little more J.Crew and a little less Army Surplus. Shows what she knows.
A few other notes and quotes from a fantastic episode!
- Kevin Tran is pretty good at evading the boys. “Well, he was in advanced placement.”
- “Mind if I take the Toblerone?” Dean’s stomach is always thinking.
- That whistling score music they used during the initial Purgatory flashbacks is brilliant. It sounded lighter but made it feel so much more terrifying and chaotic.
- Apparently the Impala repair lessons came in handy? Who knew Sam was so crafty with an air conditioner or an ice machine? Or a sink?
- I love that they are giving us so much Impala Porn this season. Especially after going so long without our Baby last year.
- I wish we had more than an hour. I would have loved to see how Dean got those blood bags.
- “If you murder a monster in monster heaven, where does it go?” Very excellent question, Cas.
- “And this is the crazy aunt I wanna take on the road?” “I am not your aunt. I have no possible relationship to your sibling offspring.” “OH! You two are killing me!” This is the stuff that really makes me miss Cas. Hilarious. And Dean sounds like frustrated parent.
- “Vampirates.” “I can’t believe nobody else thought of that.” “It’s like the third thing you say.” “No, it isn’t.” Sam isn’t the only brother that can shoot down Dean’s jokes.
- It’s really strange to see Benny in the Impala. Kinda awesome. But strange.
- “I think we both know which of our kind kills more humans.” “Statistically speaking that would be your…” “Yes, thank you, Cas.” Brothers in arms. Bonding. *Sigh*
- That Purgatory Ax is so BAD ASS. I want one. You know, for home protection.
- I cannot believe the episode ended on “When Benny met Sammy.”
What do you guys think? Do you love Benny as much as I do? I really feel for him and his loss and his story. I just hope he can keep his nose clean. After watching promos for next week, I am pretty nervous. LOTS of angst coming up. Our brothers have a few things they need to work out. Also really looking forward to seeing DJ Qualls’ Garth again. He is always a lot of fun. Don’t forget to share ALL OF THE FEELS with me in the comments! I do love it so!
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Erin prefers to spend her days watching CW shows while drinking wine and tweeting (
Impala porn, yes! I am adoring that. Didn’t Dean get the blood bags out of Benny’s pick up? I assumed that’s why he went straight to it when he pulled over, he recognised it? This ep changed my mind about Amelia, I like her now! Sam, God love him, is a big scary intense guy and was aggitated and yelling at her staff when she first met him, so although she was a bitch, I can see her pov thinking he’s a drifter serial killer (although also, lmfao!) I LOVED Dean’s “Stop talking!” Hahaha. I like Benny but I’m not in love with him like a lot of the fangirls seem to be. Guy Bee is my hero, the Leviathans were incredibly badass, the two slo-mo parts to the ep were awesome, and I can’t wait for next week. The brothers didn’t say one nice thing to each other in 805 and that made me really sad. Clear the air time!
I totally agree with everything you said, especially about Amelia.
I agree – loving Benny and enjoyed seeing his back story. Poor guy. Amelia needs to win me over still too. Nice to see Sam chip at that wall a bit more, but she has some work yet before I feel for her. Still trying to reserve opinion since we haven’t see much on her back story yet.
It was like watching two different episodes for me, one which was awesome and one which was awful. On the one hand, we have the Thrilling Adventure Hour with Vampirates and Meteor!Leviathan. On the other hand, we have the boring life of Mr. Fix-It and Bitchy McBitcherton.
I’m actually pissed they’re writing Amelia as a bitch. Do they really suck that much at writing a likable female character? Sure some people are now saying, oh poor her, she’s alone. It actually kind of pisses me off they’re asking me to feel sorry for her without first giving me a reason to like her. And I guarantee you that whatever she’s been through, it’s a drop in the ocean next to what Sam has been through, and Sam isn’t verbally abusing her. And to people saying, well look at Sam’s clothes, look how big he is, look at the fact he’s just passing through, look how upset he was he had accidentally hit a dog. Is she really so shallow and prejudiced she judges everyone by their clothes and their size and the fact they’re between jobs and the fact they care enough about dogs to be upset when they hit one? And if she really thought he was a drifter serial killer, why the hell did she force him to take a poor helpless dog? Does she not care what a drifter serial killer would do to a poor helpless dog?
Wow, didn’t even realize how much the way they are writing Amelia bothered me until just now. But it’s just that, on top of them assassinating Sam’s character by having him abandon Dean in his hour of greatest need to shack up with a girl, and on top of this story being completely devoid of anything supernatural, anything new, or any action, or any plot, or any awesomeness, they’re writing the girl as a bitch.
And you know, I’m tired of them giving us these unlikable female characters, and then saying we’re sexist-against-our-own-sex jealous fangirls when we don’t like them. And killing off or benching all the female characters we do like. (Bring back Jody, dammit! Well, at least Charlie is coming back.)
Really loved this episode-just hated that it ended @ “Benny meets Sam”. Can’t wait to see how Dean and Sam work this complication out. I’m liking Benny more each week-the Purgatory scenes and how he helped Cas as well as his back story-make it easy to like him. I feel for Dean because he seems scared to talk to Sam about Benny, yet he is still hanging on to his anger about Sam not trying to find him. This season is really great (except for last week’s episode).
Watch it again. It shows you where Dean gets the blood bags from… Benny’s truck. Love Dean, Benny & Cas and their storylines. Sam, not so much. Too dull.