In the fourth episode of the third season of Supernatural, WHAT THE FUCK JUST HAPPENED??? If you’re intrigued, then it’s time for Mark to watch Supernatural.
OKAY SO I HAVE COMPLEX THOUGHTS ABOUT THIS EPISODE, BUT A LOT OF IT IS GOING TO DWELL ON THE FACT THAT I DID NOT EXPECT THIS SHOW TO REVEAL SO MUCH ABOUT WHAT’S GOING ON THROUGH ONE CONVERSATION. WHAT THE HELL. WHAT THE HELL DID THIS SHOW BECOME.
So let’s start off with something that rubbed me the wrong way about “Sin City”: its depiction of women. I made a joke in the video commission for this episode that this was clearly the straightest episode of Supernatural, but seriously. There’s so much consumption of women for the male gaze here that it’s uncomfortable! Why are you gonna portray that one woman who propositioned Dean for sex as one of the negative, immoral people of Elizabethville when Dean canonically pursues no-strings-attached sex as often as possible on this show? I think this was the most glaring double standard in this regard, which was why it felt so grating to me. And on the other hand, I love what this episode does with Casey and Ruby, though killing off Casey made me sad because OH SHIT, I WANT TO KNOW SO, SO, SO MUCH MORE FROM HER. So it’s not all terrible in the slightest, and I acknowledge that. (RUBY. RUBY.) It’s just that this show is historically a dude fest in terms of the characters, so it feels more obvious when the women written into these scripts are portrayed as they are.
Aside from this, “Sin City” was an adventure. This is one of those episodes where the main case is cleverly written in a way that hides the true purpose. Up until Casey actually spells things out for Dean while in the devil’s trap, I seriously couldn’t figure out what was going on. How are demons at work if no one is possessed? (OH, HOW POORLY PREPARED I WAS.) What’s the plan here? Why would the demons possess humans just to compel them to kill themselves?
BUT SHIT. SHIT. I JUST LEARNED SO MUCH:
- The plan is there is no plan.
- The demons in Elizabethville were simply setting up humans to do their worst without possessing them, which is a whole lot more grim than this show usually gets. Human nature is worse than possession. But it also speaks to the chaotic state of the world after the Devil’s Gate was opened.
- Which… holy shit, it makes so much sense. It’s not like the Devil’s Gate stay opened as long as Azazel planned, so it stands to reason that the partial army of demons would be confused and disorganized upon leaving Hell.
- AZAZEL.
- OH MY GOD I ACTUALLY TYPED HIS FUCKING NAME
- BURY ME RIGHT HERE.
- OH MY GOD ALL MY QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW MUCH OF CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY WAS REAL IN THIS WORLD WERE ANSWERED IN JUST ONE EPISODE AND I CAN’T DO THIS.
- LUCIFER IS REAL.
- OH MY GOD NO ONE HAS EVER SEEN LUCIFER?
- THE DEMONS HAVE A “FAITH” OR “RELIGION” THAT PARALLELS FAITH IN OUR WORLD
- I CAN’T WRAP MY MIND AROUND THIS.
- LIKE, IS THERE DEMON CHURCH
- DEMON PRAYERS
- I NEED SO MUCH MORE INFORMATION THAN I AM GETTING.
- Oh fuck, Sam was meant to lead the demon army.
- That Hunger Games bullshit was to find the best leader of a goddamn demon military
- I CAN’T DO THIS.
And really, it’s the strange and surreal bonding that Dean and Casey experience that truly makes this scene so fucking memorable, y’all. Dean knows that his time on this earth is coming to an end. He’s got ten months left before he must pay up with his soul, and it’s clear that this is affecting his decision-making on a daily basis. So, when he’s stuck with Casey in that basement, we see how this new philosophy of his actually works. He’s unbelievably honest with a demon, and she develops a respect for him in the process. And I believe her! I know that demons lie, that it’s their thing, but I have no reason to believe that she was lying here. She didn’t think that Sam would make it to the house before Father Gil did, so she risked telling him the truth behind Azazel’s plan. Well, it wasn’t a risk for her at the time!
I just can’t believe how soon I was giving answers. It’s a big reason why it’s so disturbing to see Sam gun down Father Gil and Casey. In the context of his character’s growth and change, it’s scary because it makes us think if he’s really not the same person he was before he was resurrected. I’d like to think he’s the same, and I think you could reason that his change here – the coldness that Dean has observed on two separate occasions up to this point – is due to his desperation to save Dean. I mean, would the Sam of season two ever work with a demon? No, I don’t think so, but Ruby has given him hope for a positive outcome with the Crossroads Demon. But… why? I don’t get why she’s choosing to help Sam and… not the demons. What does she get out of this? Why help these two? I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO FEEL. No, wait, that’s not right. I know that I feel an UNENDING LOVE FOR RUBY. Holy shit, what a rad character. MORE. MORE RUBY. In the same vein, there needs to be more Bobby Singer as well, and I’m endlessly pleased that he’s been in nearly every episode this season so far. Look, it’s not that I’m disinterested in the Winchesters’ stories, but I love getting to see them interact with other characters in this universe.
Y’all, this show just completely changed the game. I’m in awe.
The video for “Sin City” can be downloaded here for $0.99.
Mark Links Stuff
– If you would like to support this website and keep Mark Does Stuff running, I’ve put up a detailed post explaining how you can!
– Please check out the MarkDoesStuff.com. All Mark Watches videos for past shows/season are now archived there!
– My Master Schedule is updated for the near and distant future for most projects, so please check it often. My next three Double Features will be: Baccano!, The Middleman, and Band of Brothers.
– I will be at quite a few conventions and will be hosting events throughout the US, Canada, and Europe in 2014, so check my Tour Dates / Appearances page often to see if I’m coming to your city!
– Inspired by last year’s impromptu event in London, I am taking Mark in the Park on the road! You can see all currently planned dates and pitch your own city here.
