Mark Watches ‘Supernatural’: S05E02 – Good God, Y’all

In the second episode of the fifth season of Supernatural, Sam and Dean reunite with some old friends who almost immediately try to kill them. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Supernatural.

Good god, y’all.

This was an incredible episode, one of my absolute favorites, and IT MEANS THAT THERE ARE GOING TO BE AT LEAST THREE MORE OF THESE CHARACTERS INTRODUCED THIS SEASON I AM SO EXCITED.

Bobby / Castiel

So, two episodes in a row with Bobby! I AM ON TRACK FOR MY PREDICTION TO BE RIGHT. He’s still in recovery in this episode, though it’s revealed he’s in a wheelchair now. While I understood he was frustrated about his predicament, I thought it was a bit cruel of him to call a wheelchair a “trap.” Yooooooo, let’s not got down that road, Supernatural. Anyway, Castiel arrives, not to heal Bobby, but to inform us that he’s cut off from heaven. Which actually makes sense! If he’s rebelling against heaven, then it stands to reason that he’d be restricted. Some of that is self-imposed, of course, since he etched those Enochian symbols on the Winchesters’ ribcages. (OUCH TO THE VERY THOUGHT OF THAT.) But we’re given a red herring – one of many – when Castiel insists that there is a way for them to beat Lucifer.

To find God.

Literally.

OKAY SO I AM ALSO VERY INTERESTED IN THIS STORY. We don’t see Castiel for the remainder of “Good God, Y’all,” despite that the title itself made me believe this would be an episode about tracking down God. ALSO, DEAN’S AMULET CAN FIND GOD? WHAT? WHAT THE FUCK???

More please.

River Pass, Colorado

There are a number of tropes and inversions of them that I adore that are used in this episode, and that’s only part of the reason why I enjoyed this episode so much. This is a story about the beginning of the apocalypse, and there’s something haunting about the idea that the world starts to end in a small town in the middle of nowhere. We’re undone by the very paranoia that might have otherwise kept us alive. The big twist here is that the demons Sam and Dean set out to hunt aren’t demons and all. A number of familiar faces – Ellen, Jo, and Rufus – have come across the work of War. The War. As in, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, hinted at earlier in this show and finally revealed.

So much of what unfolds in “Good God, Y’all” is in total daylight, and it’s so creepy. On top of that, what War does to River Pass is not only bewildering to the characters. It makes no sense to the audience either. The show long ago established that there were certain rules about demons that they’ve largely obeyed: they don’t bleed when you stab them with The Knife, they are susceptible to salt and holy water, and they don’t need to obey human biology. And yet, over the course of this, every demon we see doesn’t make any sense at all. How come the demons bled? Why did possessed Jo insist that her mother was “black-eyed”? When Sam’s kidnapped and bound, Jo and Rufus are utterly convinced that Sam is a demon. NOTHING MADE SENSE, EVERYTHING WAS BROKEN

This episode is a fantastic way for the show to up the ante, so to speak. The writers have clearly committed to their decision to unleash the apocalypse on the world, and THIS IS WHAT WE GET: paranoia, terror, suspense, and a whole lot of violence. AND JO AND ELLEN AND RUFUS ALL IN THE SAME EPISODE AND THEY ACTUALLY SURVIVED. Holy shit, I was so worried. DON’T TOUCH THEM, WRITERS. Does this mean that we’ll actually see more of the Harvelles? I would love this!

War

I admit that I haven’t read Revelation in a while, and I think I’ll stay away from researching it just so I can be surprised. But y’all, I’m so excited that we’ve got an actual Horseman of the Apocalypse. And played by Titus Welliver!!! SO THAT MEANS FAMINE AND PESTILENCE AND DEATH ARE BOUND TO SHOW UP NEXT. Oh shit, does that mean we’ll get “Bugs 2: The Electric Boogaloo”? Probably. SAY NO TO BUGS.

Question that is entirely rhetorical but I want to post just so that it’s on record: What can they do with War’s ring now that they have it? Control stuff? Be fashionable? Get color-coded Mustangs?

Separation

I’ll reiterate what I said on video: there’s something infinitely sadder in the mutual decision that Dean and Sam make to part ways. I initially read the scene where Sam fixated on the blood on The Knife as his shock that those two teenagers didn’t seem to react as a demons when they were stabbed. Truthfully, though, the blood just reminded Sam of what he’d done and what he was. The wound was still fresh, wasn’t it?

However, it was Sam’s interactions with War, who could read his mind (!!!!!!! nooooo noppppeeeee !!!!!!!!), that truly put this shit into perspective. Sam still had a hunger for power. Not blood, but power. And that’s so much worse to him than any sort of biological need for blood or being the victim of emotional manipulation. He recognizes that at the core of this issue is his own problem dealing with the power he once had. And so he suggests that perhaps him being around Dean isn’t a good idea.

Now, I’d picked up on the fact that Dean and Sam fighting was inopportune, but, like Sam, I was shocked at how readily Dean agreed. This wasn’t a cruel decision that Dean came to, and you can tell Dean cares so much about Sam when he’s telling him that he agrees! AND THIS IS LIKE… SO MUCH WORSE TO ME THAN IF THEY FOUGHT? LIKE?!?!?!? EVERYONE, WHY DOES THIS HURT SO MUCH. I do hope that Dean and Sam work out some sort of plan to enact while they’re not working side by side. I don’t get how this is going to work, but it also just happened, so I’m willing to give the show the benefit of the doubt. BUT FEELINGS. MISTY-EYED BOY TALK FEELINGS.

The video for “Good God, Y’All” 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 Double Feature will be Farscape.
– 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.