I... I loved it. I can't believe I loved it. Honestly, I didn't want to judge this episode prematurely, but I was secretly kind of dreading it. I was thinking about the past representations of fandom on this show, what with Becky the manic rapist, and the lack of a strong female presence, and I was just... ugh. I mean, I figured they'd probably do better, but I was still thinking that I'd feel sort of... gross, after watching it, if you know what I mean. I didn't believe the creators when they said this would be a "love letter to the fans." I went in with a skeptic's mind, and emerged completely flabbergasted. This was amazing.
The plot is very basic. Sam and Dean go to investigate a case. It's just a missing person's case, and Sam isn't so sure that it's anything up their alley. Dean, however, is convinced that hunting is the only way for him to get back to normal, so.. they go.
When they arrive, they discover that the missing woman was the drama teacher at a local high school. When they go into the theatre, they discover that a musical version of their lives is being rehearsed. Dean is horrified; Sam is actually a bit excited about it.
They meet the writer/director, Marie, and her stage manager Maeve. Also, there's Siobhan, playing Dean, and Maggie playing Sam. From here, we get a lot of excellent references to the earlier seasons of the show, including the Samulet, the scarecrow, and, best of all, the various ships on the show. Dean rolls his eyes at another suggestion of "Wincest," but seems a bit shaken at the suggestion of "Destiel." Turns out, the actresses playing Dean and Cas are a couple in real life.
Eventually, Maggie, the girl playing Sam, gets taken by an evil scarecrow. Marie tells the Winchesters about it, and they tell her that she's right - ghosts and monsters are all real. At first, because the scarecrow seems to be based on a prop from the show, they think that maybe the bad guy is a tulpa, which is a collective idea manifesting itself into reality. However, they then discover the truth - it's Calliope, the muse. She works something like this: she feeds off the energy of artistic creation, waiting until the creation comes to pass and then eating the author. That's why the drama teacher and Maggie were both taken - both of them wanted to stop the show.
This means that "the show must go on," so that Sam and Dean can draw Calliope out into the open to kill her before she gets to Marie, the author.
And so that's exactly what they do. As the play goes on, Sam is kidnapped by the scarecrow and brought down to the school's basement, where he sees the drama teacher and Maggie, both still alive. As Calliope shows up and taunts her captives, Dean continually runs around the theatre chasing down the scarecrow, while the show goes on among the chaos. Finally, with the help of Maggie and the teacher, Sam manages to stab Calliope, just as Marie (who was forced to go on as Sam, since Maggie obviously couldn't) stabs the scarecrow, adding a level of reality to the performance that results in a standing ovation.
Marie gives Dean the prop "Samulet," and while Dean says that he never needed a symbol to tell him how he feels about his brother, he still decides to take it. He hangs it up off the mirror of the impala, which pleases Sam.
Chuck Shurley, aka God, shows up and tells Marie that the performance was "not bad."
Okay. I don't really have complaints. I have one... discussion topic. I'm curious as to what people think. See, I think this episode was ultimately very awesome in respecting fan culture, but at the same time... does anyone else get the sinking feeling that this was a nail in the coffin for Destiel? The whole point of this was that Dean was bewildered by this interpretation of Supernatural, and he doesn't agree with anything they're doing. But that's okay - he endorses it all the same, and says it still has value even if it isn't the reality as he knows it. This seems like it could be a respectful way for the creators to say: "look, we know the Destiel subtext is there. We're not going to lie to you about it. And we totally respect the way you interpret it, and what you wish were true. Your version is just as valid as ours, but our version is in fact different."
On the other hands, I could see a different argument being made. Unlike the Wincest stuff or the fact that it's a musical, Dean never specifically voices a complaint about the Destiel subtext, and in fact tells them to put as much sub into that text as they can. Since Dean and Sam do have a conversation about Destiel (Deastiel?) outside of the theatre and away from the questions of which version of the story is "real," maybe we can look at this as Dean considering the idea for the first time? I really don't know. I'm trying to not make too many speculations. I'm one of those Destiel shippers who goes from "there's no way it's ever going to happen" to "it's so obvious they're going to make it canon." I'm not going to let this episode sway me one way or the other. Whatever does happen, if the writers truly aren't even considering Destiel as a real thing, I'm calling hard-core queer-baiting to the extreme. Tread carefully, creators...
I'm going to spend the rest of this review positively gushing about all the awesome stuff going on here. First, there are the big, over-arching moves made by this episode which I think were really strong. Secondly, there are the tiny little moments that were so much fun for hard-core fans to see. All of the Easter Eggs were a joy to find.
So, first of all... every single character in this episode was female. With the exception of Sam and Dean, and a cameo from Chuck. I mean, think about it - they didn't have to do this at an all-girl school. The teacher could have been male. The villain could have been male. But no. All. Female. Not only that, but we had a relationship between two women, we had women of color, we had no gratuitous deaths of women... in fact, only one person died in this whole episode, and that was the villainous muse, Calliope! Like I mentioned at the start of this review, I was really scared about how the fandom would be represented. The fact that the creators have acknowledged their primarily female fan-base, respectfully this time, fills me with endless joy.
Then there's the BM moments. First of all, it's hilarious how Sam and Dean both thought this stood for "bowel movement." Secondly, this episode did something so, so, amazing for the fandom and for the show alike. I'm talking, of course, about the Samulet. This has been an obsession of the fandom's for years. If I could have picked one thing for this show to go back and address, it would be this damn stupid necklace. And the way they did it? Perfect. See, when Dean hears about the Samulet, he gets this look on his face of complete confusion, and he shakes his head, as if to say "no you don't get it!" It was the writers' way of acknowledging that the fandom has attached all of this super significant meaning to the amulet, while continuing their same stance: the amulet is not the end-all-be-all symbol of Sam and Dean's love for one another. Dean says as much, but Marie (symbollic of the fandom as a whole) gives Dean the necklace anyway. They found the right line between embarrassingly cheesy and adorably necessary. First, when the play contains the lines "you and me against the world," Sam says "what she said," to Dean, which was just precious. And then... Dean doesn't put the necklace on, or anything. He just silently, without talking about it, hangs it off the impala's mirror. The look on Sam's face is just so precious. This was such an affirming moment for the brothers. (It's going to hurt so bad when this whole Mark of Cain thing comes back to kick them in the ass...)
Marie was such an amazing character. I was totally drawn to her. Her love for Supernatural isn't some sort of manic, life-consuming force. She's not off-the-charts crazy. She's not Becky. But she's honestly, earnestly in love with the Supernatural books, and she uses that love to create something new. The best thing about this episode is how the fandom experience is respected, especially by Dean. He tells Marie: "The play's not dumb." Of course, when the girls remind Dean that he doesn't agree with the interpretation, Dean agrees: "I don't. Like, at all." But, he says, that doesn't matter, because they believe in it. Later, Dean says that it's been educational for him to see the story from Marie's perspective. This is such a beautiful way for the creators to honor the fandom.
Now I'll list a few of my favorite smaller moments.
- They used every title card! So awesome.
So, first of all... every single character in this episode was female. With the exception of Sam and Dean, and a cameo from Chuck. I mean, think about it - they didn't have to do this at an all-girl school. The teacher could have been male. The villain could have been male. But no. All. Female. Not only that, but we had a relationship between two women, we had women of color, we had no gratuitous deaths of women... in fact, only one person died in this whole episode, and that was the villainous muse, Calliope! Like I mentioned at the start of this review, I was really scared about how the fandom would be represented. The fact that the creators have acknowledged their primarily female fan-base, respectfully this time, fills me with endless joy.
Then there's the BM moments. First of all, it's hilarious how Sam and Dean both thought this stood for "bowel movement." Secondly, this episode did something so, so, amazing for the fandom and for the show alike. I'm talking, of course, about the Samulet. This has been an obsession of the fandom's for years. If I could have picked one thing for this show to go back and address, it would be this damn stupid necklace. And the way they did it? Perfect. See, when Dean hears about the Samulet, he gets this look on his face of complete confusion, and he shakes his head, as if to say "no you don't get it!" It was the writers' way of acknowledging that the fandom has attached all of this super significant meaning to the amulet, while continuing their same stance: the amulet is not the end-all-be-all symbol of Sam and Dean's love for one another. Dean says as much, but Marie (symbollic of the fandom as a whole) gives Dean the necklace anyway. They found the right line between embarrassingly cheesy and adorably necessary. First, when the play contains the lines "you and me against the world," Sam says "what she said," to Dean, which was just precious. And then... Dean doesn't put the necklace on, or anything. He just silently, without talking about it, hangs it off the impala's mirror. The look on Sam's face is just so precious. This was such an affirming moment for the brothers. (It's going to hurt so bad when this whole Mark of Cain thing comes back to kick them in the ass...)
Marie was such an amazing character. I was totally drawn to her. Her love for Supernatural isn't some sort of manic, life-consuming force. She's not off-the-charts crazy. She's not Becky. But she's honestly, earnestly in love with the Supernatural books, and she uses that love to create something new. The best thing about this episode is how the fandom experience is respected, especially by Dean. He tells Marie: "The play's not dumb." Of course, when the girls remind Dean that he doesn't agree with the interpretation, Dean agrees: "I don't. Like, at all." But, he says, that doesn't matter, because they believe in it. Later, Dean says that it's been educational for him to see the story from Marie's perspective. This is such a beautiful way for the creators to honor the fandom.
Now I'll list a few of my favorite smaller moments.
- They used every title card! So awesome.
- "Hugh Jackman got cast off Oklahoma." "You ran tech, Wolverine." "Shut up."
- I love how Dean says "Andrew Floyd Webber" and then Sam corrects him "Andrew Lloyd Webber," and then Dean just looks at Sam like - are you serious, dude?
- Lisa is mentioned briefly! Miracle of miracles! Also, Adam. I can't believe they finally mentioned Adam again. Sam and Dean look at each other like... "well, this is awkward..."
- I love how Maeve asks Sam not to touch anything, and then he immediately starts messing with the lights. He's such a child.
- Marie to Dean: "I'll have to send you some fic links later." They speak our langugae!
- Maeve says "I want to believe," and then a few moments later The X-Files are mentioned. Nice!
- I love how Maeve asks Sam not to touch anything, and then he immediately starts messing with the lights. He's such a child.
- Marie to Dean: "I'll have to send you some fic links later." They speak our langugae!
- Maeve says "I want to believe," and then a few moments later The X-Files are mentioned. Nice!
- The jokes about Sam and Dean being too old to be the Winchesters are priceless - it's a good way to poke fun at the fandom's tendency to infantile-ize these men. Jared and Jensen are, after all, in their late thirties.
- Dean's Arnold impression. Priceless.
- Sam sees all the characters lined up, and asks "Where's Chuck?" Marie replies: "Honestly, the whole authors inserting themselves into the narrative thing... it's not my favorite. I kind of hate the meta stories." Sam and Dean then say, together, "Me too." HA. Meta commentary on the meta!
- Dean quotes Rent. So much for hating musicals, huh, Dean? For that matter, he was totally bouncing to the beat of the music when the show started up. You can't hide from me, Dean. I see you.
- Marie: "Writer... director... actor. I'm gonna Barbra Streisand this bitch."
- The lyrics to the songs! Including such classics as "saving people, hunting things, the family business!" And what about the single man-tear song? I was laughing so hard I think I shed a single fan-tear! (Oh my Chuck I should be executed immediately for that joke).
- I'm a stage manager, so one of the funniest moments in the whole episode for me was when Maeve sees the scarecrow running amok, and she says "Sarah, get our understudies into hair and makeup." Basically, she was worried that a monster might kill one of the actors in the middle of the show, and she was making contingency plans. I can tell you right now: that's super accurate. Stage managers are scary, and the show must go on.
- Calliope wasn't the most interesting villain, but she was really just there to introduce a bit of conflict. I loved that she said "I can't even." Also, can I point out how hilarious it is that the show kind of sucks? I mean, the first act is okay, I guess, but we're told that the second act includes aliens and robots and that most people think it's completely silly. This was a good way to show the merit of fandom creations, but also the absurdity. And guess what? It's both okay! Dean Winchester says so!
- I love that Sam kills Calliope just at the same time as Marie, dressed as Sam, kills the scarecrow. Of course, Marie had earlier said that Sam was her favorite, so I just loved this moment of unity between them. Also, the fact that she said "no chick flick moments" was also fantastic.
- There were lots of those little things, like the "jerk" and "bitch" moment, and, maybe my favorite, the parallel to the end of the pilot, where we see Sam and Dean standing at the end of the impala, and Dean throws a gun in the back and says "we got work to do." Great way to remind us of this show's beginnings.
- One of my favorite things is how whenever anything happens that directly references the Winchesters, or something annoying like when the cast used "Ghost Facers!" as their cheer, Dean just immediately looks at Sam as if to say "what the hell, man?" So great.
- Dean's Arnold impression. Priceless.
- Sam sees all the characters lined up, and asks "Where's Chuck?" Marie replies: "Honestly, the whole authors inserting themselves into the narrative thing... it's not my favorite. I kind of hate the meta stories." Sam and Dean then say, together, "Me too." HA. Meta commentary on the meta!
- Dean quotes Rent. So much for hating musicals, huh, Dean? For that matter, he was totally bouncing to the beat of the music when the show started up. You can't hide from me, Dean. I see you.
- Marie: "Writer... director... actor. I'm gonna Barbra Streisand this bitch."
- The lyrics to the songs! Including such classics as "saving people, hunting things, the family business!" And what about the single man-tear song? I was laughing so hard I think I shed a single fan-tear! (Oh my Chuck I should be executed immediately for that joke).
- I'm a stage manager, so one of the funniest moments in the whole episode for me was when Maeve sees the scarecrow running amok, and she says "Sarah, get our understudies into hair and makeup." Basically, she was worried that a monster might kill one of the actors in the middle of the show, and she was making contingency plans. I can tell you right now: that's super accurate. Stage managers are scary, and the show must go on.
- Calliope wasn't the most interesting villain, but she was really just there to introduce a bit of conflict. I loved that she said "I can't even." Also, can I point out how hilarious it is that the show kind of sucks? I mean, the first act is okay, I guess, but we're told that the second act includes aliens and robots and that most people think it's completely silly. This was a good way to show the merit of fandom creations, but also the absurdity. And guess what? It's both okay! Dean Winchester says so!
- I love that Sam kills Calliope just at the same time as Marie, dressed as Sam, kills the scarecrow. Of course, Marie had earlier said that Sam was her favorite, so I just loved this moment of unity between them. Also, the fact that she said "no chick flick moments" was also fantastic.
- There were lots of those little things, like the "jerk" and "bitch" moment, and, maybe my favorite, the parallel to the end of the pilot, where we see Sam and Dean standing at the end of the impala, and Dean throws a gun in the back and says "we got work to do." Great way to remind us of this show's beginnings.
- One of my favorite things is how whenever anything happens that directly references the Winchesters, or something annoying like when the cast used "Ghost Facers!" as their cheer, Dean just immediately looks at Sam as if to say "what the hell, man?" So great.
- "Carry On Wayward Son..." and Sam and Dean's faces! Ugh. Too much. My precious darlings. This moment especially was just for the fans. That song isn't actually a specific reference to Sam and Dean's life... it exists on the "previously on" sections of a TV show, for goodness' sake. It's just that Supernatural has taken the time to make even these little recaps a special part of the fan experience.
- Chuck Chuck Chuck Chuck Chuck Chuck Chuck. Need I say more? Okay, I will. Say more, I mean. What does this mean? Is this God showing up to endorse fandom? Is this just a little wink to a long-gone character, or is God going to be a factor in the show moving forward? Gah! I'm so excited!
I'll stop there. As I think you can probably tell, I really loved this episode. And I didn't think I was going to be easy to please. Sam and Dean have their brotherly bond again! Of course, things are going to get worse before they get better... and I'm scared!
10/10
- Chuck Chuck Chuck Chuck Chuck Chuck Chuck. Need I say more? Okay, I will. Say more, I mean. What does this mean? Is this God showing up to endorse fandom? Is this just a little wink to a long-gone character, or is God going to be a factor in the show moving forward? Gah! I'm so excited!
I'll stop there. As I think you can probably tell, I really loved this episode. And I didn't think I was going to be easy to please. Sam and Dean have their brotherly bond again! Of course, things are going to get worse before they get better... and I'm scared!
10/10
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