In the seventeenth episode of the second season of Supernatural, Dean and Sam try to save a woman from a werewolf stalker, but then EVERYTHING IS TOO MUCH. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Supernatural.
LOOK, OKAY. #MistyEyedBoyTalk was supposed to be a joke. I DIDN’T ASK FOR THIS SHOW TO MAKE IT REAL IN THE MOST DEVASTATING THING IN THIS SEASON SO FAR. WHAT THE FUCK. TAKE IT BACK, PLEASE.
So, before I get to the tears, I wanted to start things of by talking about – surprise! – The X-Files. Kim Manners, who directed “Heart,” directed one of my favorite episodes of The X-Files: “Hungry.” I often think it’s one of the most deeply underrated episodes in the show’s run, particularly since it’s during what a lot of fans think is one of the strangest seasons of the whole show. Spoilers for The X-Files: Crefbanyyl, V guvax gur jvyyvatarff bs gur jevgref gb rkcnaq gur fubj naq rkcyber arj gurzrf vf jung znqr frnfba frira fb erjneqvat. Vafgrnq bs gelvat gb pyvat gb fbzr arj birenepuvat aneengvirf yvxr gur fubj unq qbar va gur cerivbhf fvk frnfbaf, jr trg zhpu fznyyre nepf gung ner vaperqvoyl erjneqvat. Nyfb “Gur Tbyqoret Inevngvba.” NAQ “K-PBCF”!!!! BU TBQ, GURA GURER’F “Ubyyljbbq N.Q.,” juvpu vf gbb ornhgvshy sbe jbeqf orpnhfr bs gung oevyyvnag ohooyr ongu frdhrapr. Naljnl, V’z trggvat bss ba n gnatrag. “Hungry” works so well because it’s the first time that the show truly explores what it’s like to be the monster-of-the-week on the show, and in “Heart,” we get a gut-wrenching depiction of a similar theme, one that calls back to both Kim Manners’s work on The X-Files and to Meg’s story in season one. What should the Winchesters do if a person is committing evil if they don’t know they’re doing it?
Like “Roadkill,” there’s a massive red herring given to us when we’re led to believe that the main character here aside from the Winchesters is the victim. I don’t actually think that changes much once we find out that Madison herself is the werewolf. She was still Glen’s victim, and the nature of lycanthropy on this show is very much like possession. (Which then raises the question of whether or not Glen is the villain, because wouldn’t that mean he was also a victim, too? It’s basically an endless cycle of pain, isn’t it?) But that doesn’t negate her actions. She still killed her boss, Kurt, and a random police officer who happened to find her. Thus, the problem is born: Does Madison deserve to be killed?
The first half of “Heart” builds up our sympathy for Madison by pairing her up with Sam, who quickly becomes quite attracted to her. She’s bold and humorous. She’s confident. She’s also the first person Sam has been physically attracted to in a while, and I appreciated the chance the writers took to explore this, especially since Sam’s behavior is easily contrasted with Dean’s. (I’m still sticking to my conclusion that this is the STRAIGHTEST episode yet, good god.) However, I admit it’s kind of off-putting that every time this show introduces a possible love interest, the woman is either killed off or disappears or stays behind, and I only say that because Supernatural keeps giving me these AMAZING one-off women characters and I JUST WANT MORE OF THEM. (Speaking of such, the Harvelles are due for an appearance soon. MY QUEENS.) I get that adding another character to the Winchester dynamic would be a huge challenge. After you’ve built up the relationship between these brothers like this show’s done over two seasons, it’s admittedly daunting to try and conceive a way to add another regular character. But I’d like to see Supernatural do it! More Bobby, perhaps. HE’S AWESOME.
Anyway, the true staying power of “Heart” is in the way that the writers use the main hunt to examine longstanding issues that the Winchesters are dealing with. There’s no misdirect in “Heart” when it comes to Sam’s fear that he’ll become evil, and the show much more openly addresses how frightened Sam is that he’ll end up like Madison. Of course, we don’t know the details of Sam’s role in the yellow-eyed demon’s plan, and with just five episodes left this season (HOW????), I admit I’m nervous to find out what’s going on. Will Sam be able to fight possession? Will he be able to stand up against the demon when the time comes? And if not, will Dean keep his promise to kill him if necessary? I DON’T KNOW, BUT HOLY CRAP, THIS EPISODE JUST MAKES IT ALL WORSE. Dean is, frankly, quite eager to kill Madison. He’s not overjoyed to do so, but he knows that Madison committed murder three times, and it’s only a matter of time before she does so again. As the werewolf, she is evil, or, at the very least, her body is being used to commit evil. I don’t even think this is a matter of Dean’s personal morality because even Sam agrees that without a way to break the lycanthropy, there’s no solution aside from locking Madison up every time the lunar cycle will trigger her transformation.
On top of this, Sam has to consider that Madison asks him to kill her. It’s her choice. It’s her will. And it haunts Sam because he knows he asked Dean to do the same for him. If he can’t kill Madison, how can he expect Dean to kill him? Honestly, it’s all messy in every sense of the world. My emotions were all over the place, exacerbated by the fact that SAM STARTED SOBBING AND THAT IS ABOUT EIGHT TRILLION PERCENT NOT OKAY IN EVERY UNIVERSE. Y’all, the enormity of what Sam has asked of Dean hits him in those moments where he accepts that he’s got to kill Madison. And it’s not just emotionally devastating; it’s really fucking scary. Like, Sam has to accept that he might very well die by the end of this journey, and that it’s going to be at the hands of the person he loves the most. THAT IS SO FRIGHTENING TO TYPE, LET ALONE BELIEVE.
But oh my god. OH MY GOD. THAT SINGLE FUCKING TEAR FROM DEAN WINCHESTER’S EYE. NO. NOPE. TAKE IT BACK. SOMEONE MAKE THAT TEAR CRAWL BACK UP HIS CHEEK AND INTO HIS EYE BECAUSE NOOOOOOOOOOOOOPPPPEEEE. I can’t ignore that the reality of this promise hits Dean just as hard as Sam, perhaps even more. Will the day come when Dean will have to execute his brother because he’s turned evil? I DON’T WANT TO FIND OUT. I DON’T WANT TO SEE IT. But it’s an undeniable reality at this point, uncomfortable as it is. Even if we haven’t had an episode that’s entirely related to the season-long arc of Sam’s powers, I think that “Heart” does a fantastic job building dread for the season two finale. Again, there are only five episodes left, and I don’t think Sam’s going to have much time before the final confrontation between him and the yellow-eyed demon. I still have no idea what the demon wants, but just knowing what’s at stake? That’s definitely bad enough.
Christ, I unknowingly made #MistyEyedBoyTalk real. FUCK.
The video commission for “Heart” can be downloaded here for $0.99.
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