Let's talk about last night's episode of "Supernatural," "Swap Meat," below!
"Swap Meat," you're a crafty little thing, aren't you?
I am betting a lot of other "Supernatural" fans were having the reaction I was during the first third or so of the episode. "Really, not even a token mention of the Apocalypse? Really, just a straight-up body-swap story?"
Yes, I was just thinking it would be another standard freak-of-the-week story, and one that strongly -- possibly too strongly -- echoed stories we've seen on "Supernatural" before.
But a couple of things elevated "Swap Meat." First of all, there was the twist about the bounty on Dean's head. That made things more interesting -- and that also tied the episode in to the ongoing Apocalypse story. I mean, we all know why El Diablo wants Dean's meatsuit. And it's no surprise that every demon on Earth is looking to get a promotion and/or a reward by bringing aforementioned meatsuit to the boss.
Having said that, is it me, or are the Devil's minions the most inefficient crew of all time? I mean, they're so terrible at their jobs that they could be running NBC. I get it, I get it -- the show can't afford to show the Winchesters battling armies of demons every week.
But more and more, it's looking like the Apocalypse is something that has drawn attention to "Supernatural's" limitations. It's a good show, don't get me wrong. And it's not that I don't think we will get or have gotten some good episodes out of the current story line. But the majority of Season 5 episodes don't touch on the Apocalypse story line, which lessens its overall impact. (I've come up with an acronym for the problem some of us are having with this season. I've come to think of it as Apocalypse On Hiatus -- AOH. Some episodes try to be very AOH, and that can be a problem.)
I still believe that Season 4's slow reveal of the angels and their purpose etc was the show's high-water mark. In Season 4 the links between the main story and the standalone episodes felt more organic and intergrated. Season 5 has struggled more to have a coherent sense of purpose and tension. But "Swap Meat," as standalone episodes go, got the job done and it was a cut above some of the less successful Season 5 outings.
What elevated this episode was not just the bounty-on-Dean twist but the terrific performance of Sarah Drew. She's a fabulous actress and I almost wish she'd remained possessed so that we could see her again. And if you've never watched "Everwood," she was wonderful on that show. She also had a small role on "Mad Men" and has guested on a number of other shows. In "Swap Meat" she played the nervous teen and the cruel demon with equal assurance. It was a pleasure to watch. As I said, I'd love it if the show found a way to use her again.
As for Gary, he reminded me a bit of a superior character, Andy Gallagher from "Simon Said" (for me, "Swap Meat" also had echos of "After School Special" and one or two other episodes). And we got a few reminders that Gary's situation -- of being forced onto a particular path that he wanted to rebel from -- is not dissimilar from the Winchesters'.
I'm in a bit of a rush today, so I don't have more extensive thoughts (but as always, I look forward to hearing yours!). But I'll say this: I ended up liking "Swap Meat." I'm willing to bet that the writers deliberately played with our expectations. The episode started out as a fairly standard, if not deliberately mundane, story -- as Dean said, a "D-list" ghost story with some body-swap comedy layered on top.
But then "Swap Meat" took a well-constructed turn and became more interesting (although it's sure lucky for those teens that the guy Gary drew just happened to arrive in their town).
I think, overall, it was a solid effort. The episode didn't beat us over the head with anything -- there were some moments when Dean seemed to like hanging out with Gary-as-Sam more than he liked hanging out with Sam-as-Sam, but all the brother stuff transpired in an amusing, believable way (well, as believable as things get in a body-swap story line).
If I have one major quibble, it's that a major complication -- that Gary's friend Trevor was murdered by the demon -- well, that was just totally forgotten. "Hey Gary, go hit on Nora. Never you mind about Trevor being dead!" Oh, these kids and their demon-summoning hijinks! Such scamps.
But hey, there were some funny moments in the episode too. Humor is so often what also elevates "Supernatural." I loved the "Star Wars" references. And people calling Sam "Sasquatch"? Never not funny.
"Swap Meat," you're a crafty little thing, aren't you?
I am betting a lot of other "Supernatural" fans were having the reaction I was during the first third or so of the episode. "Really, not even a token mention of the Apocalypse? Really, just a straight-up body-swap story?"
Yes, I was just thinking it would be another standard freak-of-the-week story, and one that strongly -- possibly too strongly -- echoed stories we've seen on "Supernatural" before.
But a couple of things elevated "Swap Meat." First of all, there was the twist about the bounty on Dean's head. That made things more interesting -- and that also tied the episode in to the ongoing Apocalypse story. I mean, we all know why El Diablo wants Dean's meatsuit. And it's no surprise that every demon on Earth is looking to get a promotion and/or a reward by bringing aforementioned meatsuit to the boss.
Having said that, is it me, or are the Devil's minions the most inefficient crew of all time? I mean, they're so terrible at their jobs that they could be running NBC. I get it, I get it -- the show can't afford to show the Winchesters battling armies of demons every week.
But more and more, it's looking like the Apocalypse is something that has drawn attention to "Supernatural's" limitations. It's a good show, don't get me wrong. And it's not that I don't think we will get or have gotten some good episodes out of the current story line. But the majority of Season 5 episodes don't touch on the Apocalypse story line, which lessens its overall impact. (I've come up with an acronym for the problem some of us are having with this season. I've come to think of it as Apocalypse On Hiatus -- AOH. Some episodes try to be very AOH, and that can be a problem.)
I still believe that Season 4's slow reveal of the angels and their purpose etc was the show's high-water mark. In Season 4 the links between the main story and the standalone episodes felt more organic and intergrated. Season 5 has struggled more to have a coherent sense of purpose and tension. But "Swap Meat," as standalone episodes go, got the job done and it was a cut above some of the less successful Season 5 outings.
What elevated this episode was not just the bounty-on-Dean twist but the terrific performance of Sarah Drew. She's a fabulous actress and I almost wish she'd remained possessed so that we could see her again. And if you've never watched "Everwood," she was wonderful on that show. She also had a small role on "Mad Men" and has guested on a number of other shows. In "Swap Meat" she played the nervous teen and the cruel demon with equal assurance. It was a pleasure to watch. As I said, I'd love it if the show found a way to use her again.
As for Gary, he reminded me a bit of a superior character, Andy Gallagher from "Simon Said" (for me, "Swap Meat" also had echos of "After School Special" and one or two other episodes). And we got a few reminders that Gary's situation -- of being forced onto a particular path that he wanted to rebel from -- is not dissimilar from the Winchesters'.
I'm in a bit of a rush today, so I don't have more extensive thoughts (but as always, I look forward to hearing yours!). But I'll say this: I ended up liking "Swap Meat." I'm willing to bet that the writers deliberately played with our expectations. The episode started out as a fairly standard, if not deliberately mundane, story -- as Dean said, a "D-list" ghost story with some body-swap comedy layered on top.
But then "Swap Meat" took a well-constructed turn and became more interesting (although it's sure lucky for those teens that the guy Gary drew just happened to arrive in their town).
I think, overall, it was a solid effort. The episode didn't beat us over the head with anything -- there were some moments when Dean seemed to like hanging out with Gary-as-Sam more than he liked hanging out with Sam-as-Sam, but all the brother stuff transpired in an amusing, believable way (well, as believable as things get in a body-swap story line).
If I have one major quibble, it's that a major complication -- that Gary's friend Trevor was murdered by the demon -- well, that was just totally forgotten. "Hey Gary, go hit on Nora. Never you mind about Trevor being dead!" Oh, these kids and their demon-summoning hijinks! Such scamps.
But hey, there were some funny moments in the episode too. Humor is so often what also elevates "Supernatural." I loved the "Star Wars" references. And people calling Sam "Sasquatch"? Never not funny.
