Dean hotwires the car and goes straight to Bobby’s, and this is where Kim Manners' gift for capturing the perfect expressions comes in handy. The scene starts on a doorknob level, with a hand opening the door. The camera angles up to Dean before moving in for a close-up of his face. By doing such a detailed shot, we get a nice long look at what’s going through Dean’s mind as he sees Bobby. His reaction changes from a standard “I’m here” to relief and happiness over seeing Bobby’s okay. “Surprise.” Leave it up to Dean to have the right words for every occasion! Cut to Bobby’s reaction, who’s freaked out of his mind. Fantastic! These two could do a whole episode with nothing but bouncing looks off of each other.
Bobby backs up, fumbles for a silver knife, and attacks. How does lunging at Dean with blade forward from a distance constitute an effective attack? Dean deflects easily and takes cover, calling out personal facts to convince Bobby that it’s really him. We get Bobby’s full name, and I’ll never tire of the “closest thing I have to a father” line. Bobby gets wiser, pretending to play along and moving in closer before attacking again. Dean gets the knife from Bobby anyway, and does the “slashing of the arm with the silver knife to prove he’s not a shapeshifter” trick. As many times as Dean and Sam’s arms have been cut, shouldn’t there be a crapload of scars by now?
Bobby buys it this time, and what a hug! We see through his near breakdown how much Bobby’s missed Dean, for even though he still has his doubts, the mere thought that he’s hugging the real Dean shows how weary Dean’s death has made him. “It’s good to see you, boy.” I wouldn’t know what else to say. As this show does so well, it goes from emotional to funny in a split second. As Dean tells his story, water suddenly splashes on his face, and the frustrated reaction is hysterical. It’s the Dean equivalent to a Sam bitchface! “I’m not a demon either you know.” Bobby is apologetic, but yes, he can’t be too careful.
Both agree none of this makes sense. The line “looking like 'Thriller' video reject” is funny, but shouldn’t Dean be asking about Sam by now? I would have thought that would have been the first thing out of his mouth when he saw Bobby. When he does gets around to it, Dean asks about Sam’s phone being disconnected and then trails off, showing his fear over whether Sam’s dead or alive. The apprehension is a great touch. Dean’s relieved to find he’s alive, but Sam’s missing and doesn’t want to be found. Judging by the empty liquor bottles and Bobby’s inability to track Sam, we feel his “the last four months haven’t been easy.” That’s putting it mildly.
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Article comments
1 - cassi
Hi Alice!
Great idea with the two parts, especially with another amazing episode airing next Thursday!
"Anyone notice the bathroom walls are red"
Yeah, I loved the walls, it made the whole scene even scarier. I just love that flashback to hell!!! I was thrilled after watching the first few seconds of SPN. It was fantastic! I think it's one of the best effects I've seen in SPN so far.
I agree Kim Manners is a genius, the gravescene (magnificient), the suprise scene (my favorite) and the brothers hug (going from Jared to Jensen and back)!!!!
I think we should get a discount with ACDC songs, how many have we used already? ;)I'm still waiting for Thunderstruck! Great intro! My heart was already beating faster when I heard the first notes of the song, Hells Bells is better but Shook me all night long was also fantastic.
Of course, I noticed the knuckles, I even noticed the knuckles in the preview from Comic-Con.I'm a fan of the knuckles!;)
The new Supernatural logo (red, black feathers) is great, although my all-time favorite is still season 2.
Can't wait for the second part!
Especially what you think about Castiel, Pamela and the new Ruby.
2 - Linda
--Dean asks, “How much did you pay?”--
Actually, that's not the line. Dean asks, "What did it cost?" I think that makes a big difference to the tone of that scene. There's no way that Sam could've taken that line to mean anything other than Dean asking him what he did ... what did it cost Sam to save him? And Sam knows Dean is dead serious ... but he's immediately evasive by turning the question into a joke. Dean, of course, KNOWS Sam, and knows he's lying.
Padalecki did a nice job with the eventual reveal and apology. Ackles shows his great talent at shifting tone and emotion on a dime as he maintains Dean's dead serious and determined tone throughout the confrontation, and then in an instant, softens to reveal Dean's big-brother, caring side with his "It's okay Sammy, you don't have to apologize. I believe you." Very nice.
3 - Huppy
Really nice review of the first half of the episode, Alice.
When I saw the old car that Dean hotwired to get to Bobby's, I thought of you, and I figured you would be able to tell us what kind of car it is.
The reunion scenes between Dean and Bobby and then Dean and Sam were wonderful. Great acting on the part of all three.
I didn't like the filling station/store being so conveniently closed, yet still having that day's newspaper in stock. Also the store being so isolated, but having a car there for Dean to hotwire. I'm surprised Dean had to use a phone in a phone booth (how many of those are still around?); the store should have had a phone, since it had everything else.
And I really didn't like Ruby/Kristy opening the door while in her underwear (like all women do that!), but I assume the point of that was so we would wonder what she and Sam had been doing.
Now I don't want anybody to think I didn't like the episode overall. I really did, and it was great to see Dean, Sam, and Bobby again. Castiel and Pam were also great characters that I will be glad to see in future episodes.
I actually think this season has so many possibilities, and I like the introduction of angels to the storyline. This might be the most exciting season yet!
4 - Alice Jester
Hi Cassi! Great hearing from you again. Thunderstruck would be perfect! Something other than a track from "Back in Black". Maybe next season.
Linda - You are so right! I stand corrected. There were so many details in this episode, I must admit I missed what you saw. Great observation, and thanks for pointing that out.
Huppy - I was going to mention the phone booth thing, but since we're dealing with rural Illinois, in which I've seen some pretty scary parts, I dismissed believability. Good point though! Most stores do have a phone, but in these days of cell phones, who knows? You are so right, this looks like a pretty exciting season
5 - Joan
Alice
I love your reviews! You are such a fan girl so I really enjoy reading your reviews. Dean is one of the chosen ones! I am so excited to see where this show is headed and I am glad to see it exploring the good side.
What a magnificent season premiere!
I am still speechless. I haven't stopped thinking about this episode since it aired.
Joan
6 - Noni
There was one line from Ruby that is still disturbing to me from this LR part one episode. The one when she said, "So, you two are together?", and looked like she did not recognize the big brother.
I mean, Ruby's soul wasn't new to Dean, and she definitely knew Dean's relationship to Sam. She actually held some conversation with Dean in the previous season. So, why this question? Was it just meant to be funny?
Well, it was funny :)) thanks to Jensen and Jared's perfect facial expression. But seems uncalled for, coming from an old acquaintance.
7 - McMaggie
"There was one line from Ruby that is still disturbing to me from this LR part one episode. The one when she said, "So, you two are together?", and looked like she did not recognize the big brother."
Of course, she recognized Dean as she opened the door. If you have the chance, rewatch Sam's double-take to the "Are you together?" His first inclination may have been to say "Ruby, what are you taking about?!" but he followed HER lead, getting stuck in the deception that will start the slow deterioration of the brother's trust in each other. To be fair, I think Dean is also starting with a lie - I think he remembers Hell.