TV Review: Supernatural - "Bedtime Stories"
Published June 22, 2008
Onto the hospital where, through some simple investigating and an off comment by a gossipy nurse, they find the girl, who is now a grown coma patient with the same long, black hair. Oh, and she’s the doctor’s daughter. Oh, and she was poisoned. Oh, and she had a stepmother. Yep, if I heard nothing but fairy tales while in a coma, I’d go homicidal. He’s reading the Brothers Grimm version of “Red Riding Hood,” so naturally we get to see the soon to be eaten granny.
Now, the real drama begins, and man does Jared sell it. After seeing the mauled and dead grandmother in the ER (take a good look Dean, this is you at the end of the season – still sobbing!), Sam gets to use his “puppy dog eyes of doom” to get through to the doctor while Dean goes after “the big bad wolf” to save Red Riding Hood. Even Dean thought that sounded strange. I think Dean got the better end of the deal, because emotionally this next scene tore Sam apart while Dean got to kick ass.
Dr. Garrison was pretty accepting of what Sam had to say, despite the fact that Sam had about ten seconds to convince him that his daughter’s spirit is killing people with fairy tales and watching with pleasure like the true angry ghost she is. He should have told him his brother was off hunting the big bad wolf, just to add to the weirdness. “So you’ve seen her too,” the doctor says. Busted!
He calls out to his daughter, and Callie appears in little girl form to confirm what Sam was saying - she was poisoned by her wicked stepmother. As a result, poor Sam can only stand and watch the gut wrenching emotional scene as Dr. Garrison tells his daughter to let go, and that he’s letting go. She dies, and the doctor has lost the only person left in his life. He’s all alone now. Sam is painfully forced to contemplate that this is what will happen to him. Instead of letting go though, his pain and agony give him all the more reason to prevent it.
Even Dean hoped Sam had learned from this, and we get a scene that ranks high as one of the most memorable brotherly moments. “You know what he said, it’s some good advice.” Sam looks at Dean as if he’s been slapped in the face. “Is that what you want me to do Dean? Just let you go?” Sam’s terse delivery, his deep rooted frustration with Dean for holding him back from saving him, his desperation over the idea of losing the only person he has left in the world, it all bursts through with that one line. Dean sees he doesn’t get it and walks away, in a heartbreaking attempt to show Sam he’s letting go, he’s moving on. That final shot of the scene, a despondent Sam standing there alone, is a very haunting picture of what’s to come. Yes, I’m emotional now.
- TV Review: Supernatural - "Bedtime Stories"
- Published: June 22, 2008
- Type: Review
- Section: Video
- Filed Under: Video: Drama, Video: Fantasy, Video: TV Recap
- Part of a feature: The Winchester Family Business: Supernatural
- Writer: Alice Jester
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- Alice Jester's personal site
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Comments on this articleComments
I look forward to your reviews every week and find myself nodding in agreement, laughing, and occasionally crying as I relive each episode. I love that you're so excited by the show and have so many profound things to say about it. In my life, whenever I mention Supernatural in a conversation I generally get a blank stare so it's nice to know you're out there! Thank you for all the time and thought you put into your reviews!
Same for me Kari. People think I'm crazy for loving so much this show. If I speak about Supernatural is like I talk to the walls. People just stares at me not Knowing what I am talking about, so it is very nice to read this reviews, to see that there are people just like you who understand your emotions and your feelings toward that show.
And Alice you do it just fine. It's like you collect all of our thoughts and put it on the net.
About this ep, I really like it. I mean, Dean got the best lines, like that one with the frog, or the wicked stepmother of Snow white.
Anyway i was really impressed with Sam's abilitys of drawning. Picasso would be green with envy:)
My reactiong at seeing that drawning was the same as Dean's.Even now I'm laughing just thinking at that scene.
I noticed that Dean has a pleasure in making Sam feeling inconfortable:this scene with the drawning, that one from PLaythings with the huge crush of Sam in dolls, and etc.
About Red Sky... It will be difficult but that episode too has his part off good lines. Dean's all:)
Even Kripke said he isn't content with that episode but I think they gave us one hell of the finale so we can forgive that ep:)
Barry - Yeah, the number one and two scripted shows, and they get zero respect. The latest budget cut news (I won't reveal for spoiler reasons) really bothers me. It's not fair! As for Dawn, the only reason she isn't gone yet is because no one else will take that crappy job. I wouldn't.
Kari - Why thank you! I'm fortunate to share my love of this show with my husband, but that's it. I have no friends that watch it either, and certainly no co-workers (probably because I work in IT and they're all from India). I'm just thrilled for the opportunity to share my love to an audience like this.
Hi there vichi! Dean does know how to make Sam uncomfortable, doesn't he? I plan on doing an extended commentary on that when my review comes up for "A Very Supernatural Christmas." At least I hope so. That's going to be a very long review, since it's one of the best episodes of the series.
Red Sky isn't the worst, but what I came up with as an alternate should be more fun than analyzing that episode extensively. Even Kripke admitted it was a lost cause, so I can't rub salt into an already open wound. I'm featuring the top five worst Supernatural episodes of the series. When Mystery Spot airs, then I'll do the best since I've already done a review for that. Hopefully these subjective lists will go over well. Either that, or the taunting will be harsh! We'll see.
I read that SN starts on 9/4! :)
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October 2?. It figures!. The CW gets the jump early and gets Gossip and 90210 going, and probably everything else, but no SN?. I hear it's October for Smallville as well. More disrespect thrown their way. Is Ostroff out yet?.