(S03E11) Well now, that wasn't what I expected. When the previews hinted at a Groundhog Day plot I thought we were in for a more comedic episode. That expectation was further fueled by the appearance of the Trickster in the previous scenes. There was a good bit of that on the recurring Tuesdays, but when we made it to Wednesday, things took a decidedly darker turn. A turn that might have given us a glimpse into Sam's future.
Before we get to all of that though, a minor complaint. For the most part, I'm a pretty big fan of the flashes at the beginning of the episode, but this week was just exceedingly odd. Why all the Bela and Colt references? Getting us ready for post strike episodes? That's like Super Bowl-level of early pre-game there. The other bit I didn't really like was seeing the Trickster. I caught on a lot quicker having been given that clue before anything even started to happen.
That is a good place to start, our old pal the Trickster (Richard Speight Jr.). When last we met up with him, a day shy of a year ago, it was for "Tall Tales." The boys thought they had dispatched him at the end of that episode, but we all knew better. I was looking forward to his return then, but hadn't really given him much thought this season. There has just been so much else going on. Now was a good time for the return.
The Groundhog Day scenario was a nice piece of work from the Trickster. The ever inventive ways for Dean to die were fun. As fun as killing your main character repeatedly can be, anyway. My favorite of the bunch was the falling furniture, narrowly edging out the axe incident. I think my favorite part of Tuesday though was Dean's little dance move out of the frame to "Heat of the Moment." They just kept showing it, and it just kept being funny.
Then the bonus of the episode came on Wednesday. No, not getting to hear Huey Lewis and the News doing "Back In Time." That was a nice choice though. The real bonus was getting to see what happened to Sam when he had to go on without Dean. It's something that has been hinted at on occasion as Dean tells Sam he is going to have to go on without him, but I don't think this is what anybody had in mind. It's not Dark Sam succumbing to some kind of evil he brought back, but it is a pretty dark Sam.
If the Trickster's end game was to get Sam to learn the lesson that nothing good could come from Dean and Sam making sacrifices for each other, he was fighting a losing fight. There's just no way that was going to happen. Dean is Sam's biggest weakness? The Trickster really hasn't been paying attention. Dean is, more than anything else, Sam's biggest source of strength.
It leaves me wondering just what the Trickster's real end game was. Was it just a matter of him realizing that Sam's relationship to Dean is his core, so if he was able to get Sam to give on that devotion he somehow had beaten him? Or is there a possibility out there that the Trickster could be in cahoots with the mysterious new baddy we have yet to meet? I am, admittedly, pretty iffy on that last one. I get the feeling that the Trickster's report card said something like, "TT is such a bright boy, but he doesn't play well with others." Still an interesting possibility to ponder.
I thought they did a good job showing Sam's increasingly warping path. And Jared Padalecki did a good job conveying that change on Tuesday, and especially on Wednesday. The huge wall of research and the growing obsession also called to mind his father's crusade, and I wager that Sam would have followed through with the same dogged determination, given the chance.
In the aftermath, the whole thing works as a nice companion to the end of "Dream A Little Dream Of Me." Last week we saw Dean coming to a realization and fully committing to the idea of getting out of the deal. While Sam was already on that train, here we see him getting all the reinforcement he could ever need. The two of them should now be fiercely focused as they turn their attention in that direction.
All things considered, another great episode. And if you liked the return of the Trickster, next week looks to be another treat. It seems our old pal Agent Henricksen is back on the case. How can you not like that?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
2-15-2008 @ 9:44AM
Adam said...
One visual I liked in the portion after Dean "died" for real was how Sam had methodically organized the trunk of the Impala. Just a neat little touch.
And the bit where they were talking at the same time because Sam knew everything Dean was going to say was hysterical. "Sam Winchester cries his way through sex!"
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2-16-2008 @ 12:36AM
nattyff said...
you are so right!!! i really didn't think of that
2-15-2008 @ 9:48AM
Susan said...
You know I wasn't sure I liked the part where Sam had to continue on without Dean -- not the actual storyline, but Padalecki's acting choices during that part (and usually I have NOTHING to complain about when it comes to the talent of the leads of Supernatural). Reading your review has me reevaluating my original thoughts, and I've come around to what the actor did in those scenes. Great review, thanks!
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2-15-2008 @ 10:27AM
Hannah said...
I believe Ruby enlisted the aid of the Trickster to help prepare Sam for the future. I think one of the Trickster's last lines hints at this, but for the life of me, I can't understand what he said. After Sam begs him to bring back Dean, the Trickster says, "This stopped being fun months ago." Then he says something to which Sam says, "What does that mean?" and the Trickster replies, "That's for me to know and you to find out." What did the Trickster say? For some reason, I just can't understand it. I even played it back several times. I realize this is probably a personal problem, but any help is appreciated! Thanks!
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2-16-2008 @ 12:41AM
nattyff said...
i think that the strikster it's playing for ruby's team, and that she hasn't told us all the story get (these demons have somenthing in their hands that we don't know jet)
PD: sorry for the spelling, i know that something is wrong but i don't now what (these is not my language :)
2-15-2008 @ 11:45AM
MXS said...
The writers had a lot of fun killing off Dean. I enjoyed the sequence starting with Dean slipping in the shower and especially the bad tacos. And Sam pulling the bullet out of his side. He has fallen a long way from grace.
I'm not sure that the Trickster is on the new player's team. Why would he send Sam back in time if that was the case? I'm thinking that the Trickster doesn't like the boys, but likes the demonic army even less. He enjoys giving humans their just desserts, but most of the demons would just as soon wipe out the humans population. taking away his favorite playthings.
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2-16-2008 @ 12:46AM
nattyff said...
actually i really think that he likes the boys, and he is trying to teach a lesson to sam for he's own good (i think that he is in ruby's team). Either way, your point it's really good too.
2-15-2008 @ 11:54AM
vacelts said...
The Tuesday Groundhog-type deaths of Dean were funny. Really it hit all the cliche's -- piano on the head, hit by a car, slip in the shower, etc. But when Dean died on Wednesday, I thought my heart was going to leap out of my chest. It was a superb episode.
My only question is how do you kill the trickster?
http://redlightnaps.wordpress.com/category/television/supernatural/
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2-16-2008 @ 12:52AM
nattyff said...
with a wood stick (vampire copycat)
2-16-2008 @ 8:51AM
vacelts said...
The wood stick didn't work last time.
2-15-2008 @ 1:41PM
Malren said...
This might be my favorite episode of Supernatural ever. I think it had a little of everything that makes the show great: ongoing inside references, some action, a lot of humor, excellent use of music, some drama, and bets of all the brothers acting like brothers. These two are the best brothers on TV in my experience. The exact right amount of vicious ribbing and total devotion.
Plus...the car. I even love the door creaks that car makes.
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2-15-2008 @ 9:13PM
G. said...
Am I seriously the only one who thought this episode was absolutely corny? I mean, honestly what planet am I on?
Okay, first of all, what really irked me was the deaths. I mean, come on! Those are friggin cheap shots! Phony! Out of question! The deaths really didn't appeal to me. I actually preferred on-the-job deaths, something that is actually BELIEVEABLE. Something I wouldn't have to sit and watch and say, "My God, that was pure s***." The Trickster coming back was also what turned me off. I was expecting a far more serious episode and instead it was corny and practically forced. Having Bobby randomly show up wasn't necessary either, as much as I love Bobby to death.
I did in fact enjoy Sam having to live without Dean, since it shows us what would happen. We have a true glimpse of Sam's dark side now--all we have to know is which way will he sway, good or bad?
However, I was very disappointed.
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2-15-2008 @ 10:06PM
Neutralzone64 said...
Who is Travis Bickell? When the Trickster was confronting Sam he called him Travis Bickell is a dress.
When I saw the promo for this show I said Oh No they are going to rip off Groundhog Day. But the episode was great!!! It is one of the reasons I watch and tape Lost.
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2-15-2008 @ 10:23PM
Brett said...
Neutralzone,
Travis Bickle is Robert De Niro's character in Taxi Driver. That much is clear. As far as what the "Travis Bickle in a dress." line means, that 's a little fuzzy. Perhaps the Trickster was implying that Sam didn't have the fortitude to make good on all his threats of vengeance. That deep down he's never going to be able to follow that path to the end. Maybe he's merely pointing out that Travis Bickle wouldn't have given him the big Winchester puppy dog eyes and said please. I'm not sure. For now, it looks like that is for him to know, and for us to wait to learn in a later episode.
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2-15-2008 @ 11:06PM
cathie said...
Travis Bickle is Taxi Driver guy.
I truly loved this episode. Tainted Tacos, and all the unusual deaths. But really you see Sam dealing with what his life could be without Dean. I totally agree that Dean is Sam's strength source, their brother bond is strong as this hunter life is all they've really ever known.
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2-16-2008 @ 1:06AM
nattyff said...
with a wood stick (vampire copycat)
2-15-2008 @ 11:27PM
Christina said...
I was pretty excited to see the Trickster back again, but was kind of surprised at the direction the episode took. Back in October, I had been trying to imagine scenarios for how Dean could get out of his deal and the Trickster seemed like the only legitimate answer. He is a god after all. And he kind of took a shining to Dean. So now I don't know if he's gone forever or what. That being said, I thought the episode was just ok. With a few exceptions (Fresh Blood was great) I think the strike kind of derailed this season a bit...and its a shame because I love this show.
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2-16-2008 @ 1:50AM
Kate said...
I love the Trickster. I think he's a great character. He really throws a wrench into the works, and if you read up on Tricksters in general (try reading about Loki of Norse Myth, who I think our SPN Trickster is loosely based on) you know that that's what they do best. The primary thing you have to know about tricksters though is that they aren't on anybody's side except their own. However, they will occasionally work with others to achieve their own ends. And most tricksters do have a tendency to show others (whether it's fellow gods or humans) what their greatest weaknesses are. I don't actually think our Trickster was suggesting that Dean himself is Sam's greatest weakness, I think he was suggesting that the family behavior pattern of sacrificing one's life and even one's soul for each other is destructive and dangerous, and he's right. I think he was telling Sam that if it comes right down to it and he can't get Dean out of his disastrous deal, he needs to let him go and not try to sacrifice himself for Dean or it will cause big time trouble. Is the Trickster telling Sam this from the goodness of his heart? Of course not, he's definitely got some sort of personal angle on this whole thing that we can't see yet. But just because someone gives good advice doesn't mean they're giving it altruistically.
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2-18-2008 @ 10:05AM
Heather said...
I loved this episode. One of the best of the season I think.
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2-18-2008 @ 11:15AM
Debbie C said...
This episode was incredible. I had a tough time with the deaths because I can't stand to see one of my favorite characters die over and over and watching my favorite character suffer through those deaths was equally hard. However, I really liked the obsessive way that Sam pursued the trickster after Dean's death. He basically became his father with the military precision of his organization and house keeping to his refusal to communicate with anybody. He became a man with a mission. I loved this show because of all of the emotions it pulled out of me. I don't know if I have ever had so many emotional transitions during a 1 hour TV show. Incredible episode!
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