Quibbles with Heart
Mar. 24th, 2007 09:35 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lunabee34I read a lot of the episode reviews for "Heart" and some posters had quibbles that I don't share. Let me tell you why.
1. Several people said that they thought the emotion Sam displays at the end of the episode is unwarranted for a girl that he's only known for a couple days. Um....hello! I don't think Sam cries because he's about to kill the girl he's decided to drag down the aisle. I think he cries because he's going to kill a person--a human being who is in a situation he finds remarkably similar to his own. I know that Sam has killed before in the heat of battle and to protect himself and his family, but I shudder to think of the day Sammy won't shed a tear before he commits a mercy killing. For anyone. I also think Sam's crying for himself (he seems pretty sure he's going to be the one begging for death again sometime soon) and for Dean (because now he knows a tiny sliver of what Dean must feel like with that promise hanging over his head).
2. Sam pounding on the door of their motel room instead of calling Dean or opening the door with his own key bothered some people. My take--sometimes you don't want to say a thing over the phone. You want the reassurance of saying it to someone in person. Also, maybe Sam needs time to see if he can come up with a solution before he tells Dean; he knows what Dean's solution will be. I can see him racking his brains on the way over there, trying to think of another solution to the problem. I think he also might be afraid that Dean will immediately take matters into his own hands in order to spare Sam the pain. I think Sam knocking instead of opening the door is a nod to the fact that Sam thinks Dean's likely got a girl in there and he doesn't want to walk in on anything.
3. Someone mentioned that the heart thing wasn't fully explained. The episode did not go into detail about the hearts, but the first scene indicated that a missing heart is a sign of a werewolf attack, and that was good enough for me. Also the title nicely references Sammy's poor ripped out heart. ETA: Also, I somehow didn't catch the first go round that the werewolves had to be shot in the heart to die.
4. Others took beef with the way the werewolves looked. I have really never liked the way werewolve are portrayed on film. I think they look stupid. I have always thought they ought to just look like wolves, not like weird human/wolf hybrids (which is just a personal preference). I am really pleased SPN erred on the side of less special effects than too many. The werewolves were clearly not human and clearly evil in their changed form and that was good enough for me. I'm glad my total angst on didn't get interrupted by the hilarity of somebody with a giant wig glued to them.
But there are a few quibbles I agree with:
1. I do think that the lunar cycle and the way it affects werewolves was poorly explained. How often do they wolf out, etc? Why doesn't she change that one night? Is Sam just that good in the sack *g*? ETA: On second watch, the show does make it clear that werewolf activity occurs in the week leading up to the full moon.
2. I find it almost impossible to believe that hunters don't know that werewolves aren't in control of their behavior when they change and that in between changes they have no knowledge of what they do. I can't imagine that John, say, wouldn't know that. This means that many hunters do know and just don't care (ala Gordon refusing to believe that Lenore can behave ethically because she is a supernatural creature). I want the show to discuss the implications of information, especially as it regards their father, but I know it won't. Guess that's what fanfic is for, huh?
3. Is there really nothing else they could do besides kill her?
4. Shouldn't they have wiped down everything *before* Sam killed her? Or driven her out somewhere secluded?
1. Several people said that they thought the emotion Sam displays at the end of the episode is unwarranted for a girl that he's only known for a couple days. Um....hello! I don't think Sam cries because he's about to kill the girl he's decided to drag down the aisle. I think he cries because he's going to kill a person--a human being who is in a situation he finds remarkably similar to his own. I know that Sam has killed before in the heat of battle and to protect himself and his family, but I shudder to think of the day Sammy won't shed a tear before he commits a mercy killing. For anyone. I also think Sam's crying for himself (he seems pretty sure he's going to be the one begging for death again sometime soon) and for Dean (because now he knows a tiny sliver of what Dean must feel like with that promise hanging over his head).
2. Sam pounding on the door of their motel room instead of calling Dean or opening the door with his own key bothered some people. My take--sometimes you don't want to say a thing over the phone. You want the reassurance of saying it to someone in person. Also, maybe Sam needs time to see if he can come up with a solution before he tells Dean; he knows what Dean's solution will be. I can see him racking his brains on the way over there, trying to think of another solution to the problem. I think he also might be afraid that Dean will immediately take matters into his own hands in order to spare Sam the pain. I think Sam knocking instead of opening the door is a nod to the fact that Sam thinks Dean's likely got a girl in there and he doesn't want to walk in on anything.
3. Someone mentioned that the heart thing wasn't fully explained. The episode did not go into detail about the hearts, but the first scene indicated that a missing heart is a sign of a werewolf attack, and that was good enough for me. Also the title nicely references Sammy's poor ripped out heart. ETA: Also, I somehow didn't catch the first go round that the werewolves had to be shot in the heart to die.
4. Others took beef with the way the werewolves looked. I have really never liked the way werewolve are portrayed on film. I think they look stupid. I have always thought they ought to just look like wolves, not like weird human/wolf hybrids (which is just a personal preference). I am really pleased SPN erred on the side of less special effects than too many. The werewolves were clearly not human and clearly evil in their changed form and that was good enough for me. I'm glad my total angst on didn't get interrupted by the hilarity of somebody with a giant wig glued to them.
But there are a few quibbles I agree with:
1. I do think that the lunar cycle and the way it affects werewolves was poorly explained. How often do they wolf out, etc? Why doesn't she change that one night? Is Sam just that good in the sack *g*? ETA: On second watch, the show does make it clear that werewolf activity occurs in the week leading up to the full moon.
2. I find it almost impossible to believe that hunters don't know that werewolves aren't in control of their behavior when they change and that in between changes they have no knowledge of what they do. I can't imagine that John, say, wouldn't know that. This means that many hunters do know and just don't care (ala Gordon refusing to believe that Lenore can behave ethically because she is a supernatural creature). I want the show to discuss the implications of information, especially as it regards their father, but I know it won't. Guess that's what fanfic is for, huh?
3. Is there really nothing else they could do besides kill her?
4. Shouldn't they have wiped down everything *before* Sam killed her? Or driven her out somewhere secluded?
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no subject
Date: 2007-03-24 03:39 pm (UTC)Yes, Sam really *is* that good!
Yeah, that was a little weird, but who knows? I sure don't. It seemed like...they stayed up all night, and perhaps she needed to sleep - to sort of lose her conscious grip on herself - in order for the 'wolf' to take over. That's my theory, and since they don't change in the daytime...
I, too, loathe the hairy half-man 'werewolves' that show up in tv and movies. I hated Oz-wolf in Buffy - he looked more like an ape! I also hated the werewolf in 'American Werewolf in London'. The best i've seen so far are the ones in 'A Company of Wolves' - they look like wolves, and 'Underworld', where they looked like upright wolves. Very cool.
Absolutely, Sam wasn't crying because he was *oh so in love*!! with this chick. He wasn't going to marry her. He was protecting her, then he was trying to 'save' her, he felt sorry for her and he 'felt her pain', as it were. Powerful reasons to feel a strong and sudden attraction. Plus, he's what, 24 and spends *all his time* with his brother. He's probably a little lonely and a lot horny. So, it worked just fine for me.
I think they were going on older myths about the three days before and the three days after the full moon also are 'turning' times. Plus her boss could have been the work of the guy who 'turned' her, if he knew boss-guy was a jerk and it kind of translated over into knowledge the 'wolf' had. After all, Madison *did* kill her ex, so i think the wolf has some info of the 'waking world', at least on an instinctive level.
Uh...most hotel rooms *lock*. He'd have to pound - you can't just open it from the outside, it's a *safety feature*. And i think he went there, too, because he wanted to look at his books, he wanted to make sure Dean was okay - what if the werewolf went after him? - he wanted the reassurance of his big brother being *right there*.
So, you know, yes.
:)
I really *don't* think they could have done anything but kill her. There's no cure, and they can't take on the task of babysitting her. Maybe if she wore silver or something? But since nobody knows...well...
And i think, perhaps, since Dean said they hadn't seen one since they were a kid that werewolves are rare, and that John probably *didn't* know. I think they probably killed the one they saw with John and then got out of there, or killed it hard enough that the 'bewildered human' never had a chance to speak or make him/herself known. And yeah, i think what other hunters may or may not know is probably kept close to the vest to nobody startes to feel sorry for them.
Fingerprints? What are those?
*rolls eyes*
no subject
Date: 2007-03-25 02:48 am (UTC)You know it! LOL
perhaps she needed to sleep
*nods*
And Dean did mention that as a possibility, so *shrugs*. I've gotta watch the ep again. Did she fall asleep when Sam had her tied in that chair?
I hated Oz-wolf in Buffy - he looked more like an ape! I also hated the werewolf in 'American Werewolf in London'.
Yeah, me too. I mean, I adored Oz's character, but I did not like the way he looked as a werewolf. I think wolves themselves are so beautiful and lethal looking, I wish more film versions would use that image, but I suppose it's a bitch to work with live animals. Also, I know the werewolf is traditionally *supposed* to be a hybrid of man and wolf and that's where all those cracked out looking versions come from, but I just don't like it.
There's no cure, and they can't take on the task of babysitting her.
Yeah. I guess I'm just spoiled because of the Buffyverse where they do deal with werewolves. I keep wondering why the supernatural world isn't banded together more. You'd think that somehow, someway, some hunter or a werewolf himself or the family of a werewolf would've figured things out and tried to set up some network--come to this abandoned mine shaft every month and we'll chain your asses up. I dunno. It's a moot point because clearly Sam and Dean can't implement that system; it just seems like maybe the supernatural underground would already have one in place.
that werewolves are rare, and that John probably *didn't* know.
I agree. Vamps are rare in this 'verse, so I can buy that werewolves are too. It seems that really what most hunters deal with most often are ghosts. Maybe John didn't know, but I'd sure love to read the fic where he did. :)
no subject
Date: 2007-03-25 04:19 am (UTC):)
Yeah, Oz rocked but the wolf was just....ech. Not good at all.
I think...some things just can't be fixed. Way it is. I was sorry they had to kill her but...sometimes, you can't make it better.
*pets the boys*
Knowing makes things pretty awful so i'll be it's a thing hunters don't talk about much. At all.
no subject
Date: 2007-03-25 04:44 pm (UTC)*wails*
I know.
*wails*
*cries like Sammy*
LOL
On second watch.....
Date: 2007-03-25 11:23 pm (UTC)and
2. it's unclear if Madison is asleep when she wolfs out tied to the chair. We only see her from behind and we're not shown her face.
no subject
Date: 2007-03-24 08:28 pm (UTC)I can't say I 'really' had many quibbles with the ep. I absolutely loved how the ep ended, focusing on Dean with tears in his eyes for the whole thing, for his brother, for knowing he may face the same exact situation one day.
As for wiping down the place...that probably is my only quibble with that show. Those boys break into just about everywhere with no gloves on and touch practically everything and never give it a second thought. Just a detail that does bring me out of the stories on occasion. Although, I guess I can look at it like this: If you're going to buy a world full of supernatural things that nobody seems to be aware of, perhaps in that universe the cops just ain't that bright! LOL.
I didn't mind the debate over whether the werewolves are in control or aware of their actions. It played into Sam's potential situation. I really enjoy how these stories are mirroring/foreshadowing that story arc.
I have to say that these past 4 episodes or so have kicked total ass. If they don't renew this show, I'll be seriously pissed.
Hey! Hey you! *waves like mad! :)
Date: 2007-03-25 02:52 am (UTC)*blushes*
Aw, darling, I love yours. I wish you were around more, 'cause we always have the bestest convos.
Jensen Ackles has totally perfected the single tear of absolute heart-rending despair. *flails about* It's so freaking pretty. Actually, I very much adore that both boys are pretty free with the waterworks. They are both so hardcore, and Dean is especially uber-masculine, and yet when the situation calls for it, they're not to proud to cry. That makes me hot. LOL
*Waves back with both hands!
Date: 2007-03-25 09:19 pm (UTC)I'll try to be around more. Working part time at a print shop (gotta love a steady paycheck - yes, I'm a money ho), still doing my own design stuff and taking care of my four legged and furry 'children' has seriously cut into my internet/goof off time!
Re: *Waves back with both hands!
Date: 2007-03-25 11:23 pm (UTC)*smooch*
Re: *Waves back with both hands!
Date: 2007-03-26 12:43 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-03-25 01:37 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-03-25 04:42 pm (UTC)I'm just glad somebody's getting something out of my recs. I really enjoy making them, and I do trawl through that 95% you're talking about to find the goodies. LOL
I love that song, too. I don't think I'd ever heard it before this ep, but I've listened to it a lot now. *g*
this is in reply to your 2 Heart posts
Date: 2007-03-25 06:10 pm (UTC)yeah, infinitely better than last week's 6th sense bullshit episode.
a couple things:
+ when did Sam get those muscles? jesus.
+ the soaps thing was hilarious, but only for the look on Sam's face after the credits rolled. it reminded me of the exaggerated Sam we saw in Dean's retelling of events in the trickster episode.
+ poor poor Dean, always choosing scissors. maybe he should pick tiger hand (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLIDkEKfUhw) next time?
and now my issues...
- as much as i understood why Sam was so invested in Madison (hah, INvested, bow chika bow wow) and all that, the writing wasn't clear enough, i feel. it was too easy for someone to gloss over the subtext and think Madison had some kind of voodoo punani.
- i'm thinking this has been covered before, and i don't know why it hit me this late in the game, BUT...given the boys' run-ins with the law and the whole credit card fraud and such and the life on the road kind of thing, um, how do they have cell phones?
- as soon as i saw the creepy neighbor from across the hall, gears started grinding in my head (foreshadowing of the grinding to happen in Madison's bed? BAAAA-ZING!) about the episode's plot and twists. minus the whole "we can't cure her" problem, i called the events. this is my problem with the show most of the time: it isn't necessarily formulaic all the time, but it's getting easier to predict what's going to happen. maybe it's because i've been following this genre of TV shows for what seems like eternity, but i don't know. i just want more yellow-eyed demon episodes, dammit. THAT has kept me guessing thus far. aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah.
Re: this is in reply to your 2 Heart posts
Date: 2007-03-25 11:26 pm (UTC)Hope you got something fabulous! LOL
when did Sam get those muscles?
Baby, I do not know, but holyfuckingguh!
some kind of voodoo punani
Ahahhahhaha. I think I may steal this for the title of my journal. LOL
how do they have cell phones
Hmmmmm....I dunno. Prepaid ones, maybe?
Dude, from the spoilers I've read, the YED season finale is gonna be awesome.