In the fourteenth episode of the fourth season of Supernatural, a kind of sub-par episode turns into a massive Nope-fest. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Supernatural.
Trigger Warning: For discussion of nonconsensual drugging and misogynist violence.
So yeah. Up until the big reveal about Nick Munroe (and what he compels the Winchesters to do), I was kind of bored by this episode? As if it isn’t painfully clear, I am SUPER GAY, so the fact that I was watching the straightest episode to ever straight didn’t help things. I admit that sirens as a mythological being are rarely, if ever, used well in fiction, because the dynamic basically boils down to evil women being evil for the sake of it. (Which is why it’s ultimately so incredible that the writers end up avoiding this trope through Nick Munroe, which I’ll get to.) (Also, I just realized that was HOYT from True Blood. Holy shit.)
This is definitely uncomfortable to watch, too, though I don’t know if that was intentional. From the cold open, we’re presented with images that are not at all recognizable as supernatural. Men beat and kill their wives all the time, and until we find out about the siren and the “drug” that compels them, there’s nothing here to suggest that what we’re seeing is anything other than violence born of misogyny. It’s a case of unfortunate implications, which is one reason why it took me so long for this episode to truly grab me. I know I’m a dude, but even I could see the male gaze all over this thing in terms of how it was filmed, where it was set, and how the use of the strippers went meant largely to act as this vague antagonistic force without ever getting any characterization at all.
In hindsight, though, there is a lot here that’s completely re-contextualized by the ending. The biggest thing, obviously, is Dr. Roberts’ flirting with Sam. So, this is actually the first time in a while that Sam doesn’t have sex with a supernatural creature??? Also, Dr. Roberts is ALIVE AT THE END OF THE EPISODE. I DID NOT EXPECT THIS. Maybe the show is deliberately toying with our expectations on this one, but still, it was a shocker. That meant that her pursuit of Sam was genuine and not under dubious consent! HEY, THAT’S WONDERFUL. And totally irrelevant by the end of the episode, since we’ll never see her again.
What was most intriguing about this episode to me was how Nick Munroe used his power to bring out the unspoken tension between Sam and Dean, which comes to a head here in the WORST POSSIBLE WAY. So much of Dean’s characterization involves his reluctance to ever speak honestly about his emotional well-being. Despite that he has made strides towards being more honest with Sam, they both have unresolved issues surrounding their trust with one another. Though, let’s be real, most of that comes from Dean, who continues to mistrust Sam because SAM IS TERRIBLE AT HIDING SECRETS. He’s so clearly doing something else. And look, even if you take away the fact that Dean snooped on Sam’s phone, there is so much more evidence that Sam is sneaking around, you know?
So, when Nick reveals himself as the siren (HOW DID I NOT SEE THIS OH MY GOD NICK FIT THE PROFILE SO PERFECTLY), he pits Dean and Sam against one another in a fight over himself. Now, there’s a sneaky little queer subtext to a man making other men fight one another to the death for him that’s kind of a neat re-telling of the Siren myth. But it’s an unaddressed subtext. Actually, it was also kind of confusing why the Siren acted as he did? I got the sense that he fed on devotion and euphoria, but it wasn’t outright stated, or I just missed it. ANYWAY. I suppose it’s not important because FIGHTING. SO. MUCH. FIGHTING.
While the physical fight was certainly a trip to watch, I was COMPLETELY MESSED UP by what these two said to each other. THEY CAN’T TAKE IT BACK. And I can already see that they’re both going to repeat the same thing to one another in the future: that they didn’t mean it, that the siren made them say that, but… is that really the truth? Because I’m pretty certain that what both these guys say to each other isn’t far from how they really feel. We know Dean’s suspicious of Sam and Ruby! BUT I DID NOT KNOW THAT SAM FEELS LIKE DEAN ISN’T A GOOD ENOUGH HUNTER TO TRACK DOWN LILITH, OR THAT HE BELIEVES DEAN IS HOLDING HIM BACK. I don’t want that to be true, but???? It probably is????
WHY IS THIS SHOW DOING THIS TO ME SO OFTEN LATELY? It’s a familiar pattern, I admit. A lot of the serialization of this season and the last one is in episodes like this, where there’s a storyline or a case meant to make us reflect on the ever-developing Winchester angst. But goddamn it, it just keeps getting worse. Do the writers think I’m made of stone? I HAVE FEELINGS. STOP IT, OKAY.
Thanks.
The video for “Sex and Violence” can be downloaded here for $0.99.
