Supernatural Review - Citizen Fang

Citizen Fang-tastic! 

Can we at least have a burger and talk about our favorite boy band?

Citizen Fang was directed by Nick Copus and written by Daniel Loflin. You may know Nick's directorial work from Alphas, Nikita and The 4400, he also directs an upcoming episode of Arrow. Daniel Loflin is the other half of the Dabb and Loflin team. They have been writing Supernatural for a few seasons. Without his usual writing partner, I thought it was a good episode from Loflin.
 

Supernatural is usually on its 10th episode this time of the season, but instead we are on 9th. After watching the promo of Tom and Frayed, it got me thinking perhaps Citizen Fang wasn't written as the mid-season finale, but Tom and Frayed was. Due to Thanksgiving, we had a week off, so we are one episode short in the first half of the season. Anyhoo, Citizen Fang was a great episode but it didn't feel like mid-season finale, however, it isn't necessarily a bad thing, at least a few things were moved forward. As a viewer, this is a good thing to feel so emotional about the storyline and characters. They are not written for everyone to like, this is not a children's book. Even a children's book has villains and crap, and this is Supernatural we are talking about. It must have dramas, conflicts, the WTF moments and darkness. It is written to challenge us psychologically. We are supposed to have the WTF reactions, that's the purpose of a drama. We can all debate about whether Sam did the right thing, if Martin was a douche, or if the trust issue is ever going to go away. One thing for sure, each character in this episode think they have made the best decision under the circumstances.

Let's start with Sam. I half expected Sam to do what he did. I expected him to flip and be stubborn about Benny. "Your brother chooses a vampire over you." Oh shut up Martin! But did it really cross Sam's mind? I don't think so. I'd like to think Sam was better than this. I think it was more about 'they are monsters, we want them dead, they want us dead' -- a motif Dean once shared with Sam before. Dean was never a choir boy about monsters, Sam knew it and he was willing to give Dean a few hours to investigate the case and talk to Benny.

But what scenario was Sam expecting to see after a few hours? May be he was too arrogant. To me, it was almost as if Sam was certain that the deaths in town were caused by Benny and hoped Dean was wrong about Benny. Sam wanted Dean to see the truth with his own eyes and said "Told ya!" Sam wasn't really thinking about an alternative -- what if Dean was right about Benny who didn't kill those people? To me, Sam was going to end Benny regardless. Sam was being stubborn. There was a bit of a "why am I always the one who is wrong about things and makes bad decision?" thing going on with Sam. For once, perhaps he wanted Dean to be wrong and made a bad decision. Sam was looking for a win, so to speak.

Lumberjack Benny

Sam was pissed off about the fake text message, which was well-played by Dean. It told us and Dean about Sam's feeling for Amelia, who could be a liability and in danger. Sam was willing to drop everything, including a job, to be by her side. Hypothetically speaking, if Crowley finds out about Amelia, she is gone! Sam may want a retirement and a happy life, but it is the stuff he did before as a hunter that makes it impossible for him to start a family or close to someone, because one day shit will come back to haunt him. It is a weakness and the monsters know it. For Sam to see Amelia with Don was a good thing, because he could see that she was safe and happy, so that he could move on. But for Amelia to go to Sam, this is going to drag! I don't want this to drag. The bar scene being the last shot of the mid-season finale was a little weak. Good ending to an episode, but not as cliff-hanger for a mid-season finale. This is not Grey's Anatomy, this is Supernatural. The episode was great, don't get me wrong, but that ending wasn't strong enough to wrap the mid-season.

Let me throw a few questions out there. What could possibly happen to Amelia and Sam from now on? Let's see -- Amelia is going to have an affair with Sam behind Don's back? Sam is going to drop everything and leaves Dean and hunting, again? Amelia is going to be Lisa 2.0 and tries to accept and live with the fact that Sam is a hunter? Don is going become angry and finds out about Sam being a hunter and then hire a witch to kill him? Amelia is going to be possessed by demon and then die? There is literally nothing interesting that could happen to the Amelia and Sam storyarc. I understand that this is part of Sam's character development, but either Crowley is going to find out about Amelia and uses her as an asset (which will be much more interesting), or Sam has to join Home and Away. Oh wait.. how about Don IS possessed by a demon under Crowley's authority?  

I shook that hand! I shook that big rough hand of his.

Let's talk about Dean and Sam. Dean had a point about Benny being the only one who had never let him down so far.  It was a fact, not a gut feeling. For Sam to say, "it must feel great to finally find someone you can trust after all these years" was immature. Sam was clearly pissed off. Perhaps he was pissed off because Dean trusted a vampire more than he trusted his little brother. But can you blame Dean? Like I said, Sam wished his brother to be wrong, just once! It's a sibling thing. Dean was surprisingly calmer than I expected. This was a job -- if Benny did the killing, Dean would have no reason not to end him. But perhaps Dean always knew he was right about Benny. Dean is hardly wrong, may be that one time when Dean was all buddy buddy with Gordan in his first appearance, they had a few drinks and traded stories in the bar. 

Dean was caution about Benny. He opted for the talking rather than all guns blazing, furious about the killing. And I think most importantly, he went with facts and not let his emotion clouds his judgement. But Sam did let his emotion and anger cloud his judgement for a little bit. He didn't even want to consider the fact Dean presented to him. He didn't even want to listen to Dean. So what's going to happen to the brother relationship? If you have seen the promo for the next episode, you'd know. Cas is going to tell them to get their shits together! There is no better way to saying it. Sam needs to stop being a baby. 

Let's talk about the 'almost-ok' Martin. I hate him. There was nothing adorable about him. He was a Gordan. Martin tried to get back into the game, fine! And I get that it was a hunter instinct to be suspicious about monsters. In the tradition of Supernatural, monsters are all bad. But this season, Benny was introduced as a complex character, challenging us to consider the possibility of the existence of monster with a good heart. I think that's why I like Benny, because we haven't seen anyone like him before on the show. This makes me Team Benny! Of course, I hate Martin for acting stupid and a douche for threatening Elizabeth. What was he thinking? But it wasn't about Martin, it was about Benny. It revealed who he really was. We saw his point of view. I am glad Benny is still alive and Martin isn't! Elizabeth had one hell of a job to clean up the blood and the body. Wish Cas was here to help.

Overall, I really like this episode because I secretly was hoping Dean was right about Benny. Benny is a great addition to the show. I really like this episode because Sam really pissed me off. That's right. Sam's stubbornness made half the episode, I don't agree with his action and his thinking, but I like the drama and conflict that he brings to the episode. But seriously, the Sam and Amelia storyarc has to end right friggin now! I don't want to have 1D's One Thing playing in my head whenever I see Amelia and Sam together. 

There is the hand again!

Supernatural episode 8.10 Torn and Frayed airs on Wednesday January 16th, 2013. Really, it's not that long of a wait. Yeah, REALLY!


Here is an update on the episode titles:

8.01 We Need to Talk About Kevin
8.02 What's Up, Tiger Mommy?
8.03 Heartache
8.04 Bitten
8.05 Blood Brother
8.06 Southern Comfort
8.07 A Little Slice of Kevin
8.08 Hunteri Heroici 
8.09 Citizen Fang 
8.10 Torn and Frayed (16 Jan)
8.11 LARP and the Real Girl
8:12 As Time Goes By
8.13 Everybody Hates
8.14 Trial And Error
8.15 Man's Best Friend With Benefits
8.16 Remember The Titans

Review: Supernatural 'Blood Brother'

Review -- Supernatural episode 8.05 Blood Brother

Blood Brother is written and directed by my dream team -- a Ben Edlund script directed by Guy Bee. After last week's forgettable episode but nevertheless a good effort in thinking outside the square, I am very satisfied with great characterisation, great dialogues, great performance and great flashback in Blood Brother. 

Blood Brother is different from other Supernatural episodes in many ways. We don't usually get a monster-centric episode that is character driven like Blood Brother. The way Benny  is written and constructed is so different from other monsters. Correct me if I am wrong, but I don't think we have ever seen a vampire or a monster on the show that is like Benny. Supernatural has many monsters/ supernatural personalities in the past that we almost don't consider them as 'the bad guys' -- Lenore the vampire didn't want to kill; Molly in Road Kill didn't know she was a ghost; Mr and Mrs Stark in Shut Up Dr Phil were considered as the 'good' guys. I think what season eight is doing is to address humanity on a whole new level. When the humanity of a human, an angel and a vampire come together, what do you get? I don't know yet, but that's what this season is addressing, and I am loving it! The scene where Dean witnessing Benny helping Cas in purgatory is my favorite scene of Blood Brother.

Hunting monsters have been so black and white, it is the Winchesters family business. And it has been so black and white for the monsters too. As Dean said, "We want them dead, they want us dead." This is how the game is played. But things are more complicated now in comparison to earlier seasons -- the show has addressed the angel, Castiel, having 'too much heart', which has caused catastrophic disruptions in heaven, earth and purgatory. Death, one of the horsemen, helped Dean to kick Lucifer's ass back to hell. Through his motif and revenge, Benny is gaining new perspectives on his feelings, humanity and his identity as a monster. It seems to me that at the end of the episode, Benny has developed some sort of 'monster' depression. When he questioned if he was real, he was really confused about his feelings and identity. He is a monster but he is having all these feelings about Andrea, revenge and humanity, this is not normal for a monster! Dean saw the confusion and struggle in Benny's eyes, which caused him to question his own view on vampire like Benny who has a heart and believes in humanity. At this stage of the season, Dean has already accepted Benny as a 'friend' and his perspective will continue to develop throughout the season. This concept will definitely spark some heavy discussions for the brothers and fans. 

I know it is debatable that perhaps Benny is doing a 'Ruby' ("I remember what it was like to be human.") But I think Jeremy Carver is taking on a new direction. Perhaps we will see a monster turns good guy, this is something we haven't seen before on Supernatural. Ty
Olsson's performance as Benny is a winner! I love the accent and on screen personality he is bringing to the show. For a new guest star to have his own character centric episode, it is a great sign. Ty is exactly the kind of actor this episode needs in driving the character's emotion and struggle. I am convinced that Benny is a 'good guy'.

Is it just me or do you also want to see a spin-off based on all the purgatory flashback? I am loving it. I get why purgatory make strange bedfellows, as Jeremy Carver put it. Dean, Cas and Benny developed this strange bond during their time in purgatory. They had a common goal, they argued and they fought side by side. The Dean and Benny partnership really reminds me of the Sheppard and Todd partnership in Stargate Atlantis. In Stargate Atlantis, the odd 'partnership' between Sheppard and Todd developed throughout the series was super interesting, and it was one that I enjoyed very much, so much that I can have a Sheppard/Todd marathon! Todd was a wraith, an alien race that was the enemy of the human. Sheppard and Todd were held prisoners by the Genii (human 'bad' guys). Sheppard and Todd found a common goal and eventually helped each other to escape. They crossed path many times after that. Todd is a very cunning wraith, but he was different from others, he wanted to survive and he would work with the humans if that was what it took. At one point, Todd was considered somewhat an ally. 

Unlike Todd, Benny has more humanity in him, but it is the way two different races are brought together for a common goal and how partnership/ friendship is formed. Benny's motif is very clear, he needs to get back to the world and kill his maker. He is neither loyal nor care about his vampire nest. He is this vampire who wants revenge, he still thinks about this girl, he wants to survive, he wants to stay out of trouble by surviving on the AB+ blood packs. He wants meaning and finds connection, he still believes in humanity. Through the process of knowing Benny and working with him, Dean gains new perspectives, and he starts to see things differently, he no longer sees things black and white. This is very arguable from Sam's point of view, afterall Dean has always been the one who refuses to work with Ruby, Crowley and Meg, and killing Amy Pond was what Dean needed to do. With all the new perspectives and complication, Dean needs to remind himself that if a monster is caught killing people, Dean will hunt them down. I think that's why Dean makes the point very clearly to Benny to keep his nose clean, because Dean wouldn't want to kill Benny, who he considers him as a 'friend'. Perhaps we will get to see this friendship being tested later on.

Dean has this thing about Sam not looking for him. In We Need To Talk About Kevin, Dean was upset that Sam didn't even know where Dean had disappeared to. Sam had a break down and left hunting. Dean could get over the fact that Sam didn't look for him because afterall he is here, he is alive, he is hunting with his brother, let's move on. But as fans, we know that's not the end of it, it will boil over. Based on the promo of next week's episode, Southern Comfort, Dean said to Sam "You left me to die for a girl?" Dean is going to explode!! All these are materials for the never-ending discussions -- is Sam wrong for not looking for Dean? Should he has known, would be still pursuit a normal life and happiness? And because Dean was on his own in purgatory, monsters is the only game in town, can Sam really blame his older brother for calling a vampire his friend? This will never end, especially on fans forums. 

I was very happy to see Cas in this episode. I think his air time in season eight has been really well used so far. I love seeing Dean and Cas in a unfamiliar territory, fighting and surviving like never before. It is a very fresh thing we are seeing on Supernatural, and I think Benny is adding something really awesome to the show. I really love the chemistry between these three characters. I love how commanding Dean is, with him calling the shots like a Colonel. He is so hot when he is in charge and so bossy like this! Sorry.. you know I can't help it. When Cas and Benny have disagreement, Dean holds the partnership together, and I think he will continue to do so as things continue to develop outside of purgatory. Now that Sam has met Benny, I am very interested to see what he has to say to Dean about Benny and how Dean will respond to Sam. I am also very interested to see the reunion of Cas and Benny. 

The only think that is a little odd to me is the Sam's flashback, which is edited and incorporated in strange spots throughout the episode. But having said that, I get it. I think it was done to compare and contrast -- Dean in purgatory is dark and intense; and Sam pursuing happiness is straight out from a chick flick. The contrast also paves way for emotional connection, and how their experience has changed the way they see life, monsters and friendship, creating new meanings to everything they know previously.
Season eight is pretty well planned so far, the main and sub plots are revealed to us in stages, we are not too overwhelmed by the volume of content. So far we have seen Dean back from purgatory; Kevin, Crowley and the tablets; Sam's gap year to pursue happiness; Benny's motif...The only thing that needs to be introduced and addressed is the return of the angels and Castiel. This should complete stage one of season eight. We will probably get a filler episode or two before we move on to stage two and see how all the pieces coming together.

PS -- According to TV By The Numbers, Supernatural was the only show gaining ratings with 0.9/3 in the demo with 2.11 million viewer due to Halloweens and the Storm.

In next episode we will see the return of Garth. Yay!! Here is the episode description and promo for episode 8.06 Southern Comfort:

GARTH RETURNS TO HELP SAM AND DEAN ON A CASE — Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) investigate a murder and find Garth (guest star DJ Qualls) is already on the case.  Dean is not happy to learn that Garth has assumed Bobby’s duties, but Garth points out that both Sam and Dean have been missing for the last year and someone needed to do it. They guys discover an 'avenging ghost' is responsible for the murders and they need to find the source before the killings starts again. Tim Andrew directed the episode written by Adam Glass. Source: KSiteTV

Supernatural 'Blood Brother' Photos; Rating News

I am really looking forward to Supernatural episode 8.05 Blood Brother, because I am really intrigued with the Benny storyline. As mentioned before, we haven't really seen anyone like Benny before on Supernatural. So it will be interesting to see how this character is developed as an integral part of Dean's live. Of course, this character is written to symbolise Dean's time in Purgatory. It will be very interesting to see how Benny will impact the brothers' relationship and how Sam will deal with the fact that Dean's friend is a monster, which is something new to both Sam as well as Dean...and Cas.

Excuse for using this pic...

Benny meets Moose.

A total of 17 images are on KSiteTV Go there now! 

Here is the episode description again:

BENNY CALLS DEAN FOR HELP — After Benny (Ty Olsson) gets brutally beat up by some vampires, he calls Dean (Jensen Ackles) for help. Dean abruptly packs up and tells a confused Sam (Jared Padalecki) that he’s taking a 'personal day'. Benny confesses that he’s going after his Maker (guest star Patrick Stafford) so Dean offers to help, flashing back on the many times Benny helped him and Castiel (Misha Collins) in Purgatory. Meanwhile, Sam (Jared Padalecki) uses his solo time to reflect on the life he left behind with Amelia (guest star Liane Balaban). However, when things go bad for Dean and Benny, Dean calls Sam for help, which makes everything very complicated. Guy Bee directed the episode written by Ben Edlund. Source: KSiteTV

On rating news, if Arrow wins big on the rating front for The CW. The new show drew 4.02 million viewers, which was the most watched telecast on the network of any show, on any night since 2009. The Arrow premiere also gave Supernatural, which drew 2.6 millions viewers, making What's Up Tiger Mommy? the most watched Supernatural episode since 2010. You can read The CW press release on the WinchesterBros.

Congrats to both shows. It has been a very entertaining week. Here is to more awesomeness to come!!! (Handing out beers)