Jus In Bello

AGENT HENRICKSEN CATCHES UP WITH SAM AND DEAN - Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) break into Bela’s (Lauren Cohan) apartment in order to get the Colt back, but she has tipped off Agent Henricksen (guest star C. Malik Whitfield) about their whereabouts and they are arrested. While Sam and Dean are locked in a cell in Colorado, a demon breaks in and kills some of the sheriff’s men and possesses Henricksen. After the guys vanquish the demon, the FBI agent realizes they were telling the truth and prepares to release them, but Ruby (guest star Katie Cassidy) shows up to a warn Sam and Dean that the jailhouse is surrounded by a band of demons with a powerful new leader who wants Sam dead.

Kim Manners directed the episode written by Sera Gamble.

Yes, it’s another musical clue and this time it was dueling episodes of Supernatural and Torchwood.

On Supernatural, Sam and Dean are on the trail of a man who disappeared while visiting "The Mystery Spot", one of those typical tourist attractions where the laws of physics don’t apply. And though the episode aired on Valentine’s Day, it should have aired a few weeks earlier on Groundhog Day because Sam was caught in a time loop to end all time loops.

It’s Tuesday again and again and again and to make matters worse, Dean dies at the end of every Tuesday just before Sam wakes up and does it all again.  Now, I was pretty spoiled coming into this episode so I had it all figured out in my head, but boy was I wrong.  I expected the show to start with Sam angsting over Dean’s death only to find out twenty minutes in that it was all going to happen all over again.  I knew the episode was going to go all Wylie Coyote by the middle but I didn’t expect the nail-biter that was the end.

Turns out Sam never had a chance to grieve for Dean as every death led directly to a wake-up call - Asia’s Heat of the Moment.  Loved Dean rocking out and the slice of life as the boys brushed their teeth and prepared for the day.  The banter in this episode was top notch - but how the actors remembered which slight variation they were on take after take was beyond me.  And when it came to synchronized sibling arguments — that blew me away.  Turns out our old friend The Trickster from Tall Tales was behind it all but his quick fix only makes things worse.

It’s Wednesday, and this time Dean is killed and Sam doesn’t wake up.  The montage that followed showed us a glimpse of Sammy turning into Daddy John complete with obsessive compulsive behaviors and a lonely lifestyle.  But did you have to show us him sewing up his own chest wound! (Shivers)

Sam without Dean is a sad sad sight and when the youngest Winchester agrees to murder the man who is like a father to him just to get his brother back. . .well, that’s more than even he can handle.  After some tremendous puppy dog-eyed pleading from Sam, Dean is returned but it’s a lesson learned.  Sam hugs Dean to within an inch of his life but the joy is short lived as the reality of the situation hits Sam hard.   Life without Dean is a given and it’s coming up very very soon unless Sammy can find a way to make a deal with the devil.

Over on BBC America (thanks to my DVR) was the Torchwood episode titled "To the Last Man."  It’s wake-up day for Tommy, a soldier from WWI who’s been frozen by the team for use in the future.  Once a year they wake him up and he gets to spend the day with Tosh, walking, talking and having a beer.  But this year his number is up and it’s time for Tommy to do what he was meant to do all along — keep time from collapsing in on itself. 

The most fascinating thing about this episode is the scifi explanation for paranormal phenomena, ie ghosts.  Back in 1918, the hospital staff things they’re seeing apparitions when what they’re really seeing are people from the future coming through a rip in time.  It’s a fabulous concept to explain all things ghostly and yet the very idea rattles my brain.  Like John Connor sending his own father back in time to become his father, young Tommy must go back to meet his ownself in order to close the rip.  Logic would have it that once he does this, he will again be taken by the Torchwood team, but into frozen suspension until 2008 when he’ll wake up and do it all again.  It’s all very chicken or the egg and I think I prefer to believe in ghosts.  Easier on my brain.

You know what else was hard on my brain?  Watching Ianto and Jack in that liplock!  Lollapalooza!  Couldn’t think straight for a full two minutes after that one.  Hey, if Tosh can end up in bed with frozen soldier from the past, surely Ianto and Jack can have a game of stopwatch between the sheets!  Gimme gimme.

Stars shining bright above you;
Night breezes seem to whisper "I love you."
Birds singing in the sycamore tree.
Dream a little dream of me.

Supernatural was back in fine form this week with an episode titled "Dream a Little Dream of Me."  Bobby is in a coma and the boys have to go dreamwalking inside his head in order to save his life.  Not a bad little trip, but the Freddy Kruger of the story has a go at Dean and man, that’s a trip and a half.

Kudos this week go out to the production design department, lighting, sound and director of photography and camera team.  The motel room the boys were staying in was one of the ugliest (and I mean that in a nice way) ones they’ve ever stayed in so it’s no wonder they had nightmares!  The dream sequences used a terrific mix of no color and overly bright colors, even the sound was soft and muted and was there a funky camera lens being used?  Some shots looked overly elongated.  And what was the significance of Sam’s areas being so bright and cheery?  Any ideas?

Once we stepped inside Dean’s head — well that was a surprise.  The way Dean talks about women and sex, you would expect his dreams to be filled with half-naked strippers, but instead we had sweet Lisa on a picnic blanket with suggestions of a son and a happy family life.  Then he looks at Sam as if he’s embarrassed to have his brother in on this secret — that Dean wishes for a wife and child and a home. 

Then it’s one step further into the inner mind and suddenly Dean is faced with himself.  Again, excellent production values here.  The one split screen was a bit funky, but in general they did a great job of putting Jensen in two places at one time.  Jensen himself managed to play two totally different and easily distinguishable characters during the scene and how heartbreaking was his admission that Dad was an "obsessed bastard."  With Dean going on and on about how he himself raised Sam.  How he was the only person that was always there for him.  Once again, Supernatural hits the mark.

On the funny side, I adored Sam’s sexy dream about Bella and the conversation afterward with Dean was priceless.  "Happy noises," indeed. 

One last thought.  If Sam was walking around in Dean’s head when he was attacked by Bat-Boy, is there some significance to the fact that he was staked out spread eagle on the ground.  I know that in dreams, sometimes a cigar is just a cigar but usually. . . it’s not.

Wild new episode of Supernatural coming up next week.  You can watch a clip from the show at SFUniverse.com.  While you’re over there, check out the Jericho Valentine’s.  There’s nothing like the end of the world to prove to two people how much they love each other.

How cute are these new Supernatural mugs called Two Brothers!  The art is so Christmas Carol, don’t you think?  I know the image isn’t fabulous, that’s why I had to order one  — to get a better look!  Click on them to order one for yourself!