SPN - Asylum - The freaks come out at night

[agt_spooky]

I've said it before, but I'll say it again - disc 3 of the Supernatural season 1 DVD set is made of awesome.

I mean, just look at this line up: Home - Asylum - Scarecrow - Faith. For me, it don't get no better than that in first season. I felt the show really started hitting it's stride with these four episodes and just built on it for the rest of the season.

I watched Home on Monday night and last night I watched Asylum, and just for the heck of it I thought I'd list a few things I really liked about it...

• Rockford, IL - this was the first appearance of my home state and I got quite a chuckle out of it

• Sam and Dean mention Caleb and Pastor Jim. I remember being so excited to finally see them in Salvation and then they were gone in the blink of an eye. A horrible, horrible decision, IMO. They could've been great recurring characters.

• "I love the guy, but he writes like friggin' Yoda" Love that line!

• Dad's telling us to go somewhere. We're going." Dean being the good little soldier and it isn't until Something Wicked that we understand why he always obeys John. And here in Asylum we get a glimpse of how rebellious Sam's always been of his father.

• I love Jensen flipping up over the fence at the Asylum - we get to see his tummy. :-)

• "Let me know if you see any dead people, Haley Joel."

• "The freaks come out at night."

• "Who's the hotter psychic? Patricia Arquette, Jennifer Love Hewitt or you?"

• Dean impersonating Jack Nicholson and Sam completely ignoring him never fails to crack me up.

• It doesn't matter what he wants." - "That attitude right there? That's why I always got the extra cookie." Again with the annoyance with John from Sam. I thought this episode did a great job with set up - Sam getting more and more pissed at both Dean and John until everything comes exploding out at the end.

• Love Sam trying to talk about his "road trip" with the younger Dr. Ellicott.

• "How do you feel about this brother you're road tripping with?" Very interesting that we never got to hear Sam's answer. What do YOU think he said?

• I thought it was great that they made Kat the strong one and that Gavin was kind of a wuss. :-)

• "Why would anyone want a job like that?" - "I had a crappy guidance counselor." - "And Dean? He's your boss?" Man, I just love that exchange between Sam and Kat.

• Okay, look at the size and depth of the holes the rock salt left in the cement wall when Kat fires the shot gun. We'll get back to that in a minute.

• When I saw Asylum for the first time when it originally aired, I remember being in total and complete shock that Sam actually shot Dean!

• Wow, those were some pretty hurtful things coming out of Sam's mouth. All of those repressed emotions and thoughts finally breaking free. And poor Dean, taking the brunt of it, being called pathetic along with everything else. Even though I've seen this episode countless times, my heart still hurts for Dean. This is just the start, our first glimpse into how damaged Dean's psyche really is.

• "You hate me that much? You could kill your own brother?" And my god if Sam doesn't pull the trigger not once, not twice, but FOUR times. You could almost see the light go out in Dean's eyes when Sam did it, that he really would have killed him if the gun had been loaded.

• Ok, what's with Dean's reaction, like there's a horrible odor coming from Ellicott's remains. They've been there for 30 years! They're not gonna smell! LOL!

• At the end there, you can tell that deep down Dean doesn't believe that Sam didn't mean the things he said, further wounding this already damaged man.

• Then the very, very end, with Sam sitting up in bed with the phone - "Dad?" and then fade to black and then it was SIX weeks before we got to see Scarecrow. I thought the wait was gonna kill me. :-)

• Ok, back to the rock salt blast that tore chunks out of the cement wall, which SHOULD have done the same thing to Dean's chest, right? Well I guess the older Winchester was wearing a bullet proof vest under his shirt, 'cause the next time we see him and his BARE chest in Scarecrow, there's not a scratch on him! That annoyed me to no end. Along with the disappearing scars from Shadow, too! Those boys must have some incredibly durable skin! :-)


There you have it, my mini review of Asylum. What do you guys think of the episode? One of your favorites or not so high up on your list? Did I miss anything you particularly liked about it? Let's chat!

Comments

[jellicle.livejournal.com]

Asylum is one of my favorite episodes ever, along with Dead in the Water, In My Time of Dying, Crossroad Blues and Mystery Spot. And funny thing is, most all of them are heavily Dean centered. I love many more episodes, but these are like high on my list.

[agt-spooky.livejournal.com]

Oh, all good choices! Being a DeanGirl myself I've watched all of those many times. :-)

[jellicle.livejournal.com]

I'm a DeanGirl and JensenFan so I absolutely love every episode he has even more chance to shine! :D

[kultiras.livejournal.com]

I love that episode too, and I agree with everything you said.

Those boys must have some incredibly durable skin!

They do!!!! You can't forget how all those scars from the crash vanished, along with Sam's burn from BUABS. I wonder if their awesome tattoos will magically be absorbed back into their skin and vanish.

[agt-spooky.livejournal.com]

I wonder if their awesome tattoos will magically be absorbed back into their skin and vanish.

LOL! I am SO waiting for that! Either that, or we'll never see either of the boys shirtless because the makeup dept. doesn't want to go through the trouble of putting them on. :-)

[agt-league.livejournal.com]

I looooooved Scarecrow and Faith. Such awesome eps. \o/

[agt-spooky.livejournal.com]

Yes! Scarecrow and Faith FTW! \o/

[bitchtude.livejournal.com]

That is one awesome disc! Home, Scarecrow, and Faith are probably in my top 5. It's hard to which ones I like best some times, LOL!

Asylum is a great ep. I do love that they made Kat the strong one. That's not to say she wasn't scared but that she didn't running screaming or wimp out when ugly ghost guy got up close and personal. Not sure I'd be that brave!

Sammy, Sammy, Sammy... just what did you say to that doctor? And as much as he tried to deny it, there was truth to those things he said to Dean. Kinda makes you wonder if he really does go dark side, if he would still kill Dean if push came to shove. I think he would have an easier time at it than Dean would at killing him, strangely enough.

Definitely lots of good lines in the ep! You picked all my faves. And yeah, not even going to go into the whole speed healing/lack of scarring, LOL!

[agt-spooky.livejournal.com]

It's hard to which ones I like best some times,

I know what you mean! But isn't it great that the season was SO good that we have trouble deciding? :-)

And as much as he tried to deny it, there was truth to those things he said to Dean

I truly believe there was. The rage Ellicott brought out in him made the feelings magnified, but they were there.

Kinda makes you wonder if he really does go dark side, if he would still kill Dean if push came to shove

Wow...that's a really scary thought. Their relationship has changed so much since Asylum, when they were still trying to fit together after having been apart for years. Their bond is so much closer and deeper now that I hope that if Sam does turn, there's still a part of him who could never kill Dean. Kinda like Darth Vader and Luke in Star Wars.

I think he would have an easier time at it than Dean would at killing him, strangely enough.

Well we definitely know that no matter how bad it's looked for Sam in the past, Dean has just refused. But Sam's never been in that position yet. It would be interesting to see what he'd do.

Definitely lots of good lines in the ep! You picked all my faves.

Cool! :-)

[riveryklown.livejournal.com]

"How do you feel about this brother you're road tripping with?" Very interesting that we never got to hear Sam's answer. What do YOU think he said?

I'm so hopelessly in love with him it hurts to think about it.
What? Well he did in my head.

They heal super-fast, but, and this is one of my favorite things about the show, the boys saw it too and commented on it (in commentary on IMTOD they mention how fast Dean's forehead-scar wanishes and there's an awesome aswesome OMG AWESOME banter on how Jared puts Jensen to sleep with a kiss on his forehead every night and Kim saying - Boys, a little too much information... but I digress :) );
Just like Jensen said several times how he hates that the graves are so square. They watch the show, they pick at it too :) Me likes :)

[agt-spooky.livejournal.com]

I'm so hopelessly in love with him it hurts to think about it.
What? Well he did in my head

LOL! Oh, if only that's what he was really thinking! :-)

in commentary on IMTOD they mention how fast Dean's forehead-scar wanishes

Yes! I remember them saying that (and the part about the forehead kiss - hee!). It's cool that they care about details like that (and the graves). Now TPTB need to listen and make things a bit more realistic! :-)

[dairwendan.livejournal.com]

Love Asylum!

You didn't say this, but I've seen it in the fandom, so I'd like to write something in here about Sam, what he said, what he did, and what the Doctors Ellicot contributed.

There is a serious argument between Sam and Dean regarding following their father's orders. This is already a major issue between them.

At the first visit to the asylum there is a second argument about following Dad's orders.

The Junior Doctor Ellicot asked Sam how he felt about this brother he'd been roadtripping with. Like you said, we don't know what Sam says, or what the doctor says, buit we do know, from Dean's line when Sam exits that it took a hell of a long time. So I am sure that tons of negative feelings that Sam ordinarily never even thinks about must have been brought up. Tons of positive as well, but that isn't affected by later events.

Then Cat thinks Dean is Sam's boss. One more little jab to kick annoyed up to irritated.

The Senior Doctor Ellicot engaged in rage therapy. He tapped into the rage center of the brain and made it overactive. The problem with this was that rather than resolving the issue, it made the patient more and more enraged about it. To an extreme extent. So something that might be just a minor annoyance could build to a killing rage.

So Sam did feel those things about Dean, but not to that extent. We know he has a problem with Dean always following Dad's orders, we've already heard that twice. And Sam always does what Dean tells him to do, which makes him indirectly follow Dad's orders, so you know that's gotta piss him off. Sam is just as desperate for Dad's approval as Dean but Sam wants Dad to approval for what he does well, for who he is. He doesn't think Dean's pathetic. But he can't comprehend blind obedience. It's why he left for Stanford in the first place. But rage therapy is gonna amp that up from "I don't understand why you always have to follow dad's orders" to "You're pathetic".

As far as Sam pulling the trigger, I know it was meant for dramatic effect, and it worked on me too. But Sam does not harbor some deep seated desire to kill Dean. If you go back to the beginning of the episode, you know Sam's gonna pull that trigger. The cop pulled the trigger on his wife, then on himself. One of the kids in the seventies, burned his friends (or tried to, one survived) and himself in a fire. Same rage therapy, same result. If there had been bullets in the gun, Sam would have killed Dean, then killed himself. That's the pattern.

Of course Dean is stunned and upset over what Sam did, and he probably can't help but take what Sam said to heart. But when Sam said he didn't mean it, that was the truth. He knows Dean has a mind of his own and he doesn't hate Dean, it was just the rage.

So, Sam never 'tried to kill Dean', he was driven insane by Ellicot. And he didn't stop pulling the trigger after the first shot didn't discharge because the rage said kill and he hadn't killed.

Okay, end of pseudo-rant.

Asylum also tells us that there is one more Winchester friend that we haven't seen and they haven't killed (yet) - Jefferson.

Also, I love when they both say "Room Number!" They haven't done that in a while, I miss that.

When they first go into the Asylum and the camera pans off of them to the freaky spirit in the straight jacket - I screamed the first time I saw that! That was a genuine scare! Miss those too.

And hey, they did their own research! Imagine that!

Sam takes a video camera into the asylum. I don't think they use that again until Hollywood Babylon, do they?

[cloex-brosluvr.livejournal.com]

• Rockford, IL - this was the first appearance of my home state and I got quite a chuckle out of it.
Yay, this was very squee worthy for me since I live about 30 minutes away!

• "Why would anyone want a job like that?" - "I had a crappy guidance counselor." - "And Dean? He's your boss?" Man, I just love that exchange between Sam and Kat.
I loved Sam's face when he answered her - "No."!

• "You hate me that much? You could kill your own brother?" And my god if Sam doesn't pull the trigger not once, not twice, but FOUR times. You could almost see the light go out in Dean's eyes when Sam did it, that he really would have killed him if the gun had been loaded.
Yes, exactly. I thought the same thing.

I agree with most of the things you commented on about 'Asylum'.

[agt-spooky.livejournal.com]

Yay, this was very squee worthy for me since I live about 30 minutes away!

And I'm only an hour! I love that they've used our area so much (Rockford, Chicago, Joliet, Oak Park).

I loved Sam's face when he answered her - "No."!

Yes! LOL! Poor Sammy. :-)

I agree with most of the things you commented on about 'Asylum'.

Well, cool!

[tracys-dream.livejournal.com]

I absolutely love Asylum and I totally agree with your comments.
It's definatly one of my favourite episodes and I especially love the altered Sam and Dean confrontation. The look on Dean's face when Sam first pulls the trigger of the empty gun is brilliant.

[agt-spooky.livejournal.com]

Hey, thanks for your comments! Asylum is just one of those episodes that really sticks with you - the first time we see some of the layers being peeled away from both boys, and it's great. Painful, but an excellent episode nonetheless.

[twistnboo.livejournal.com]

Asylum was actually the first episode of Supernatural that I saw. I liked it so much that I had to go back and track down everything that came before. It made first season very interesting for me because everything before Asylum I saw out of order.

[agt-spooky.livejournal.com]

OMG! You're alive! LOL!

Asylum was actually the first episode of Supernatural that I saw

Oh wow! What a great introduction to the show. I know I would've been hooked, too, if that was my first one.

because everything before Asylum I saw out of order.

Now that had to be a little strange. :-)

[twistnboo.livejournal.com]

Actually, I'm only mostly dead. I need to go see miracle max, but where to find the time?

Even better, when I was getting the episodes and watching them, I was cat sitting for a friend. So, I was watching these at night, by myself, and nothing more intimidating than a cranky tabby for company. And of course, a storm system with high winds. It was a very interessting week.

So, yeah, completely hooked and then I found the fic and it's been sucking up my life ever since.

[agt-spooky.livejournal.com]

Actually, I'm only mostly dead. I need to go see miracle max, but where to find the time?

LOL! That was good. :-)

So, I was watching these at night, by myself, and nothing more intimidating than a cranky tabby for company. And of course, a storm system with high winds.

Hey, it's Supernatural! You needed that kind of environment to fully appreciate it. *g*

So, yeah, completely hooked and then I found the fic and it's been sucking up my life ever since.

Good lord, tell me about it! LOL!

[khek.livejournal.com]

Disc 3 is definitely the best, although disc 6 is a very, very, very close second. (Salvation, Devil's Trap AND the blooper reel? Yeah.)

I have nothing else to add. Just that it is most certainly awesome.

[agt-spooky.livejournal.com]

Oooh, yeah, disc six rocks, too. If Dead Man's Blood had been on there too, with that whole John-arc that would've been awesome.

Glad you like Asylum, too!

Hey, will I see you at Media West this year?

[andromakhe001.livejournal.com]

I adore Asylum. You are right it was that stretch of episodes from "Home" to "Faith" that really cemented this show as something really, really special. I think Jensen in particular really shines in them, even when he's not the focus, my heart hurt for Dean over and over again.

I think you hit most of my favorite moments in your mini-review.

[agt-spooky.livejournal.com]

You are right it was that stretch of episodes from "Home" to "Faith" that really cemented this show as something really, really special.

It's like they were finally finding their feet - who the brothers were deep down and their family dynamic, which continued to carry through the rest of the season. Too bad they lost their way big time in season 3, eh? [sigh]

even when he's not the focus, my heart hurt for Dean over and over again.

Gosh, same here. He's so damaged that I can't help but want to hug him and make him better. :-)

[mittnacht.livejournal.com]

Yep, exactly right! Season I's 3rd DVD is so my comfort DVD... Can't count how often I've watched it now. Those 4 episodes are my absolute favourites ^_^

[agt-spooky.livejournal.com]

Yay! Glad you like that disc, too. It's like they were finally finding their feet - who the brothers were deep down and their family dynamic, which continued to carry through the rest of the season.