Unspoiled and wanting to stay that way….

Man, it’s difficult to enjoy episodes where Dean is so very hopeless and broken. How did the Whore of Babylon put it? Pathetic, self-hating and faithless? Ouch. They could have gotten away without including the line because Jensen Ackles has made me believe it so completely. Even the laugh out loud lines from Castiel aren’t enough to overcome that pall. Which makes sense, I suppose, since Castiel is losing his own struggle to hope.

Sam did his part to try lightening things for the viewer with his air quotes around “corruption of the outside world,”

and asking angels stupid questions like “Are you okay?”

and his resigned acceptance as Castiel matter of factly labels him an abomination.

And now, for a bit more of my obsessed speculation… In the same scene as the word “abomination” is being directed at Sam, we see the research calling the Whore of Babylon the “Mother of Harlots and Abominations.” (Who is the closest Sam’s had to a mother?)

It took forever to notice a flag in the episode and I realize now how much I’ve come to expect it. It’s there in the background of the “Flying Nomads” t-shirt on the kid Dylan.

Sleep and dreams were not included directly. The closest I can see might be Castiel reclining on one of the motel beds recovering from the showdown with the Whore. Also False Prophet Leah stretched out on a couch at church as Dean stays behind to talk to her. Was Dean catching a nap while Sam was talking to the bartender? Other than that, Dean did guess that Leah’s prophetic visions were accompanied by migraines and flashing lights.

However, there were lots of stairs scenes since this church, like the one in 5.02 Good God, Y’all, had a basement.

The hand-to-hand fight sequence on the demon hunt Leah sends them to literally involved stairs. Dean takes out a demon on the steps using the knife he pulled from the back of a demon Sam threw it into.

After a True Servant of Heaven (Dean!) kills the Whore of Babylon, we cut to Sam assisting Leah’s father (the congregation’s pastor) and Dean helping Castiel up the church’s outside stairs and to the Impala.

The church group is the Sacrament Lutheran Militia. Lutherans have two sacraments: baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Are we meant to think of Sam’s blood consumption as a twisted kind of communion and acceptance of God’s offered grace? (Or perhaps as sin-eating given it was demon blood Sam drank? I think I could almost buy into either idea when I go the furthest with my theories of Dean having indeed been sliced into pieces of monster in hell.)

I definitely noticed that the boys witness a wedding on their arrival – the blessing of a union between a man and woman. The increase in marriages in this community does come with shotguns and armed preachers (Was this Dean14′s inspiration to strap on a thigh holster in 5.04 The End?), but they seem to be motivated by the new apocalyptic circumstances facing the people.  Time is short and the pastor’s message is:

Marriage. Family. It’s a blessing – especially in times like this. So, hold on to that.

I’m really relieved the pastor didn’t end up revealed as misguided, insincere, or monstrous! I think we can take this as a real message meant to encourage the boys.

The new restrictions hold true for activities like the consumption of alcohol as well as promiscuity – aka 90% of Dean’s personality according to Sam. Dean is not not-cool with abiding by the town’s rules and it could be seen as one more example (ring, amulet, heck, the spotlights on the Impala!) of his Dean-ness being stripped down and worn out leaving plenty of room for Michael to move in?

There was definitely Supernatural’s requisite inclusion of drinking scenes. The town is shown unwinding at the bar early in the episode before tightened restrictions take effect. We watch Paul pull out a flask in church during a prayer. Sam and Dean tap beer cans together after discovering what it’s like to fight with backup. Sam and the bartender Paul clink shot glasses while discussing belief (or non-belief)  in God.  (Every one of Paul’s lines during this conversation would have sounded just right coming from pre-hell Dean.) But, for this episode, Castiel takes the prize for drinking… a liquor store.

On the other hand, Dean has no problem going without once the ban takes effect. I think it’s extremely telling (of exactly what, I don’t understand yet) that at the episode’s end Lisa twice invites Dean to come in and let her get him a beer – followed by a third invitation to come in. I’m afraid Sam will need to power-up in some way to get back in touch with Dean now that he’s taken off?

There was a point in the story when the boys were (somewhat unexpectedly) given custody of the teen/young adult Dylan who saved Dean’s ass during the demon hunt. He asked for a ride back to town after the fight and waved goodbye to mom and dad. Sam and Dean toss him a beer and he is promptly grabbed at the ankle and dragged under the Impala by a demon. Sam yanks the demon out and knifes her, and Dean is left on the other side to pull the dead boy into his lap. It’s reminiscent of many previous scenes. S1′s The Benders kidnapped Sam that way. S4′s Jump the Shark ghoul similarly grabbed at Sam from under Adam’s truck. We skipped the scene of Sam and Dean returning with the body to face the town, but then again, we saw it in 4.11 Family Remains when the uncle was killed on Dean’s watch.

I do think the real message of the episode was to provide another example of how with  the right nudges humans become the true monsters surprisingly easily.

The story is introduced mid-action when three militia members swoop in and save the boys from demon attack. They turn out to be a son (Dylan, the one killed later), his father (Rob), and the father’s bartender friend (Paul). Rob and Paul seem to be a team of long standing as they openly tease each other and are noticed for their silent communication during a prayer.

YET, once Dylan is killed and the false prophet sets the town on a mission to cleanse itself, Rob is at the lead among those ready to drive Paul out.Paul unsuccessfully tries to appeal to Rob based on being best friends and having stood up for Rob at his wedding. Paul’s refusal to leave and make it easy on everyone leads to the grieving mother pulling the trigger.

There is a crisis of conscience after this act, but the False Prophet is able to reassure Jane and Rob that these acts are necessary to insure seeing their son in Paradise. That leads to even more lines being crossed as ‘sinners’ – men, women, and children – are rounded up to be burned alive. The Whore comes close to to her goal of dragging the whole town into the pit.

quick edit to credit livejournalist cybel for the screencaps!

Tags: , , ,