Supernatural: Getting Old Stinks, but it Beats the Alternative
What we loved
Grumpy Old Men
Poor Dean... he did not deal well the the indignities of aging. He thought his acid reflux was a heart attack, suffered from sciatica while digging up graves, puffed and panted his way up the stairs, and -- worst of all -- realized that hot young women no longer find him dangerously alluring. Oh, the indignity! We loved the way he and Bobby grumbled and snarled at each other.
Patrick
Yowza! The looks, the accent... we approve. Sure, there's the little matter of him sucking the life out of people -- literally -- but sometimes, when he liked a person, he granted them years, too. He's a nice witch! Sometimes. Except when he's not. And giving Sam the clap? That was unnecessary. Sigh.
There's more -- read on!
The Heart
When the boys tell Bobby he can't risk playing again because there's a risk he'll die, Bobby blows up:
So what if I do? What exactly am I living for?> The damn apocalypse? Watching men die bloody while I sit in this chair, can't take a step to help them? It's the facts - I'm old and I'm broke down and I can't... I ain't a Hunter no more. I'm useless. And if I wasn't such a coward, I'd a stuck a gun in my mouth already.
Oh, Bobby! Nooooooo!
Of course, Dean gets through to him in the end:
You're not useless Bobby. ...You don't stop being a soldier because you got wounded in battle. No matter what shape you're in, bottom line is, you're family. I don't know if you've noticed, but me and Sam, we don't have much left. I can't do this without you, I can't. So don't you dare think about checking out. I don't want to hear that again.Bobby listens -- and actually gets a tear in his eye. Of course, he soon rallies and is back to his old self:
Now are we done feeling our feelings? Because I'd like to get out of this room before we both start growing lady parts.Sam's Skills
Say what you want about Sam as baby brother, but he came through when it counted. Although we have to admit, we're confused. Was it just luck that he got four of a kind? Divine intervention? Some sort of demonic kick? Whatever it was, we'll take it.What we're not so thrilled about
Poker. Again.
Look, we know that poker is hot. But it seems like every single show on the face of the planet has had some kind of poker episode. We're done.Witchy-poo's Motivation
The resolution -- Patrick's companion deciding she wanted to die -- seemed a little too Witchus ex machina to us. And what did happen in the end -- Patrick reversed Dean's aging because Sam won, he took his girlfriend's years, and... what about everyone else? Did they just stay old, or young, or whatever? That doesn't seem fair...What's your take on the episode? Do you agree with our likes and dislikes? Talk about it in the comments!
Comments
I felt a huge amount of tension in the poker playing scene between Sam and Patrick after the witch told him that Dean was going to die--and soon. Sam tried to hasten the game's ending so he could rush to his brother's side. Patrick was sure Sam was screwing up the game because he was so upset and scared (hence, method acting). OldDean was lying on the floor, his breaths coming shorter and shorter; Bobby kept trying to reach him on his cell phone--no answer! They used quick shots to build the suspense, and it sure kept me biting my fingernails down to the quick! Sure, we know the brothers can't die, but still, you worry! When Patrick was certain he'd beaten Sam with a full house, only to learn Sam had done even better with four of a kind, I was laughing, dancing, as happy as Dean when he danced out to Bobby, 30 years old again! What a great moment. For me, the downside was that Chad Everett and Jared just couldn't match the chemistry that Jared shares with Jensen. I thought the chemistry between Jared and the guy who played Patrick was mesmerizing, however. I would give this ep three stars. As for the not dealing with the apocalypse, relax! We have 15 eps of season 5 to go, plenty of time to explore the end of the world! Kripke likes to toy with us, or have you forgotten? Love, Robin, Editor, SUPERNATURAL, moogi.com--where episode 5.7 is now posted!
Posted by: Robin | November 1, 2009 3:15 PM
Dean didn't just think that he was having a heart attack. He was showing signs all throughout the episode that he really was having a heart attack, which almost killed him in the end. Bobby's acid reflux diagnosis was wrong!
More later.
Posted by: Con | October 31, 2009 12:10 PM
I don't understand why everyone not getting reversed "doesn't seem fair."
Patrick gave his companion her wish to die because he loved her, I think. The whole if you love something, set it free.
And Sam won fair and square, so it seems, and it seemed like Patrick respected that.
What would Patrick's motivation be for putting everyone else back to normal?
Posted by: Leigh | October 31, 2009 9:28 AM