Supernatural "Shadow" - An emotional punch to the gut

[agt_spooky]

OH. MY. GOD.

Last night's Supernatural ("Shadow") was the most amazing episode this season!

I'm so glad that my bestest buddy charityflint (who writes great SN fanfic, BTW) was watching with me last night. This was an episode that you had to share with a fellow fan.

The brother-banter was just spot on. One liners were just flying last night! The whole credit card scam, thinking with your "upstairs brain", Dean being a horn-dog, and my favorite, the simultaneous "Dude, I gotta talk to you". LOL! Just freakin' brilliant!

Then there was the brother-angst, thanks to that crazy, psycho b**ch, Meg. How dare she treat Dean that way! Making Sam out to be a piece of luggage that Dean just carts around. I wanted to smack that smug smile right off that little pixy woman. Grrr....

Of course the ultimate angst-fest came a bit later in the episode, when Dean just lays his emotions bare to Sam. My heart was in my throat, listening to Dean tell Sam that all he wants after this is all over is for they and their father to be a real family again. The tears welling up in his eyes just ripped my heart out. I want to wrap Dean in a blanket and just hug him. (I just have to say here that Jensen Ackles is a fantastic actor. His whole demeanor in this scene was amazing).

Then Sam had to go and stomp all over his brother, telling him that no, he doesn't want to be a family, he's going to go his separate way and that Dean needs to let him.

Good god, but I wanted to hit Sam for crushing Dean like that. Dean was right, Sam is a selfish bastard. All he ever thinks about is himself. Grow up, Sam!

Man, that whole scene was like a one-two punch to the gut.

We'll skip over the demon-hunting part and the part where Sam and Dean leave Meg's body just lying on the ground, without checking to see if she's really dead! ARGH! Guys, ghost-hunting 101: always, always drive a stake through the demon's heart, just to be sure it's actually dead! Duh. :-)

So now we get to another angst-fest: Dad shows up!

Loved, loved, loved the hug between Dean and Dad. Even though I think John Winchester is not a nice man, it's so obvious that Dean worships the ground that he walks on.

We had to wait a bit for a hug between Sam and Dad, though, and at one point I thought there'd never be one. Afterall, it's been 4 years since they've seen each other, after Dad told Sam to never come back if he went off to college. Ouch! See, told ya John was not a nice guy.

But the hug finally came, with tears in everyone's eyes and it looks like all is finally forgiven between Sam and John. (Well, John doesn't know that Sam has no intention of being a family again...)

Another heart-wrencher at the end of the episode, when the boys and Dad must split up again, for everyone's safety. More tears in everyone's eyes when they have to say goodbye. They've just found each other again and now they don't know when they'll see each other again. It was just killing Dean to have to say they couldn't stay together. (Again, kudos to Jensen for a simply remarkable performance through the entire show).

I didn't pay any attention to who the writer was on Shadow (even though I watched the episode again, immediately after it was over!) but I give my utmost thanks for a truly powerful hour of TV. Who knew that a show about two guys who hunt ghosts could turn out to be a show with so many emotional layers?

So what about you guys out there? Let me hear from you, your thoughts on Shadow. Loved it, hated it? Let's talk! :-)

-- AgtSpooky

Comments

[gothphyle.livejournal.com]

I found the episode simply amazing! Even despite my "technical difficulties" (the feed for my WB station was all wonky, with the background music/noises deafeningly loud and the dialogue nearly imperceptible, even turned up to the max; I spent the epsiode basically reading lips! Grrr!).

My heart was in my throat, listening to Dean tell Sam that all he wants after this is all over is for they and their father to be a real family again. The tears welling up in his eyes just ripped my heart out. I want to wrap Dean in a blanket and just hug him. (I just have to say here that Jensen Ackles is a fantastic actor. His whole demeanor in this scene was amazing).

Then Sam had to go and stomp all over his brother, telling him that no, he doesn't want to be a family, he's going to go his separate way and that Dean needs to let him.

See, this? This is the scene that just made the episode. I was already a little on edge after the "Meg Meeting"; how Sam could have left that impression, even though it is likely that Meg was intentionally twisting the situation for her own musement, is beyond me. Dean cares so very much for Sam, and to hear (once again! Asylum, anyone?) hoe little Sam seems to value that care is just... it hurts, it physically hurts me to watch and hear that!

So, we have a situation that's already a little hurtful, and then Dean just goes for it, just tells Sam what he's been holding onto so tightly, and he's just so wonderfully, vulnerably raw in that scene (JENSEN!!! You're so GOOD!!!!!), and then...

Sam just crushes him.

Utterly and totally.

I just... I was so very angry at Sam, and so very, very hurt for Dean. If ever anyone needed a hug, a little comfort, a shoulder to (literally!) cry on, it's that boy. *sigh* Oh, Dean, with your tough guy act and your tender, gooey insides, you make the fangirrls cry. *sniffle*

I was also struck by the fact that even though Dean and John had the first reunion hug, Dean looked so alone and on the "outside" when Sam and Jogn were reconciling. Hello, men, it's called a "group hug" -- hop to, soldiers!

And then the end...

So, to recap:
Dean = so emotionally raw, and so very hurt
Sam = selfish little shit (even if he is entitiled to his "own life", he doesn't ahve to be so blunt about it! and he should more sincerely convince his brother that he doesn't resent Dean and the way he treats him!)
Jensen = a surprisingly excellent actor!
Supernatural = WOW!!

[agt-spooky.livejournal.com]

I was already a little on edge after the "Meg Meeting"; how Sam could have left that impression, even though it is likely that Meg was intentionally twisting the situation for her own musement, is beyond me.

Exactly! You could even tell by the look on Sam's face that Meg was blowing things out of proportion.


Dean cares so very much for Sam, and to hear (once again! Asylum, anyone?) how little Sam seems to value that care is just... it hurts, it physically hurts me to watch and hear that!

I know! That's why I just want to shake Sam until he truly realizes how selfish he is. He makes me SO mad.

So, we have a situation that's already a little hurtful, and then Dean just goes for it, just tells Sam what he's been holding onto so tightly, and he's just so wonderfully, vulnerably raw in that scene (JENSEN!!! You're so GOOD!!!!!), and then...

I just couldn't believe what I was seeing and hearing, actually. That Dean would just lay it all out like that. We've been getting more and more glimpses over the past few weeks that Dean really is an emotional person deep down, but even so, I wasn't expecting how intense that scene was.


Sam just crushes him.
Utterly and totally.

When Sam said what he did I was just stunned. Again with the selfishness!! To just crush Dean like that, so very nearly calling him a freak because Dean wants this life, doesn't want Sam's version of "normal"....damn. My heart just bled for Dean. All he wants is the only family he's ever known back.




Oh, Dean, with your tough guy act and your tender, gooey insides, you make the fangirrls cry. *sniffle*

He does! He's always been my favorite of the brothers, and as we learn more and more about him he becomes even more appealing, as a different layer of him is exposed, little by little.

I was also struck by the fact that even though Dean and John had the first reunion hug, Dean looked so alone and on the "outside" when Sam and John were reconciling. Hello, men, it's called a "group hug" -- hop to, soldiers!

You know, you're right. John and Sam went out of focus, showing Dean standing back there by himself. Maybe manly men don't do group hugs. :-)

So, to recap:
Dean = so emotionally raw, and so very hurt
Sam = selfish little shit (even if he is entitiled to his "own life", he doesn't ahve to be so blunt about it! and he should more sincerely convince his brother that he doesn't resent Dean and the way he treats him!)
Jensen = a surprisingly excellent actor!
Supernatural = WOW!!

Yeah, baby! You hit the nail on the head there!

And I'm glad we all enjoyed Shadow, 'cause we're not getting another new episode until APRIL!! Argh!!

[charityflint.livejournal.com]

I swear to god, we share a brain woman. I was going to do the same basic "Yay!" type entry today, but will bow to your having beat me to it.

After Sam's little confession, I couldn't help but wonder just what was going through Dean's head. Here he spills his guts about how empty he feels since Sam left, and shows how vulnerable he really is feeling, and Sam just spits in his face. Talk about having no purpose anymore. That, or figuring out a way to draw things out indefinitely so that Sam *has* to stay. And that's equally warped. Oh my gosh, this poor thing has such incredible baggage! And Meg accused Dean of treating *Sam* like luggage?

I had this snippet pop into my head where Dean and Sam get into this argument about his leaving at the end, and Dean basically saying something like, "Here's how it will go. Dad finally gets his revenge and can retire a bitter man. You get your revenge and can go back to blissful ignorance at Stanford. Me? What do I get? I get to be abandoned by my family. See, it's never been about revenge for me. It's been about duty and loyalty. I'll have nothing."

I do have one more sort of sad thing to add, that is just a bit silly. I was thinking about the ep all night and then again in the shower this morning and had the AM radio on in the background. They do the traffic and weather every ten minutes and I had this crazy thought.

We watched Dean back the Impala out of that alley and roar away into the night after Dad has described them as "beat to hell."

Twenty minutes later, the adrenaline wears off and Dean, Sam and the Impala all perish in a firey crash on the westbound Kennedy expressway on their way out of town. Chopper 78 is there making the report for me and all the good listeners of WBBM AM 780.

Was it just me, or did Dean (Jensen playing it so well, again!) look like he was about ready to literally fall apart by the end of that episode? He was bloody and beaten, heart ripped out and stomped on, holding his arm against his left side nursing broken ribs or something. He just looked *awful!* Literally, like he was just going to collapse any second, and he goes and gets behind the wheel. Oh, man. Disaster in the making.

[agt-spooky.livejournal.com]

I swear to god, we share a brain woman. I was going to do the same basic "Yay!" type entry today, but will bow to your having beat me to it.

LOL! I'm sorry! I won't post so fast next time. :-)

That, or figuring out a way to draw things out indefinitely so that Sam *has* to stay. And that's equally warped.

You know, I actually can see Dean figuring out a way to keep Sam with him, somehow. Especially now that he knows that once the demon's dead, Sam's outta here. And all he wants is to be with his brother, his family, all that he has. Hmmm...just had a thought. What if Dad is killed fighting the demon? Dean could make his case that they have to carry on.

You get your revenge and can go back to blissful ignorance at Stanford. Me? What do I get? I get to be abandoned by my family. See, it's never been about revenge for me. It's been about duty and loyalty. I'll have nothing."

Oh man, make me cry, here! But really, it's very true and very sad. :-(

Twenty minutes later, the adrenaline wears off and Dean, Sam and the Impala all perish in a firey crash on the westbound Kennedy expressway on their way out of town. Chopper 78 is there making the report for me and all the good listeners of WBBM AM 780.

OMG! You sick, twisted person! That's horrible! LOL!

Was it just me, or did Dean (Jensen playing it so well, again!) look like he was about ready to literally fall apart by the end of that episode?

He did! He really looked like he was just going to throw up, then sink to the ground.

Literally, like he was just going to collapse any second, and he goes and gets behind the wheel. Oh, man. Disaster in the making.

Something tells me that the boys didn't make it too far out of the city before they had to stop or become the firey wreck you were talking about! And besides, I don't think Dean wanted all that blood to get all over the Impala's seats. :-)