In the eighteenth episode of the seventh season of Supernatural, a spirit that can only be seen while drunk. HONESTLY. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Supernatural.
I was so ready to write a review thanking Supernatural for giving me an episode that was, largely, a break from the onslaught of emotional pain that’s been season seven, BUT OH WELL. How have I not learned after all this time? If it’s funny, then SAD IS AROUND THE CORNER.
For the most part, “Party On, Garth,†is a much-needed exercise in silliness. The return of Garth is a lot of fun, especially since we continually learn what a fucking weirdo he is. Well, a weirdo who GETS SHIT DONE, strangely! Who knew Mr. Fizzles would be so effective? Through Garth, we’re given one of the most absurd premises in this show’s history, and that’s saying a lot given that this is the same show that did “Changing Channels.â€
That’s not always a good thing, though. At times, “Party On, Garth†does not carry the weight it should. There are sequences where Garth’s usage feels underwhelming, particularly when the writers go for the easiest joke imaginable. The best scenes here are the ones that aren’t expected. I expect Garth to get drunk on one beer. I did not expect Mr. Fizzles to work. But that’s a tiny, tiny nitpick, and DJ Qualls is an utter delight throughout this episode. He’s frequently typecast as this kind of character, but you know what? It works in the Supernatural world.
As for the shojo… not so much. That’s mostly why this felt underwhelming at times. The idea of a creature you can only see when you’re drunk is pretty damn funny, but for some reason, the show decided to make the shojo the girl from The Ring and the girl from The Grudge, all mashed into one. Her character design is such an obvious combination of cliches that she’s not particularly exciting to watch on the screen. (I was still jumpy, though, but I’m naturally a jumpy sort of person anyway. For real, my boyfriend can sometimes startle me if he’s merely in the same bed as me. He finds this endlessly entertaining and often collapses in laughter because I jumped due to him WALKING INTO A ROOM. Shut up.) The death scenes were fairly horrifying before the shojo was revealed, but afterwards? I don’t know, it just felt kind of lazy to me. The show engages with Japanese culture in such an artificial way, you know? The shojo barely makes sense (What does it want or need? Does it ever exist or act independent of the person who commands it? How did some white dude in Junction City, Kansas get ahold of something that literal Japanese people still think is a myth?), it looks like other creations, and the only speaking Japanese character is largely there to assist someone else. (Though I will admit that I like the idea that this is how Dean has to solve problems he can’t deal with himself. He just pays random people to do it for him.)
But “Party On, Garth†is the first case that Dean and Sam work together post-hallucinations, and it is, in every respect but one, a traditional Supernatural episode. I feel like that needed to be the case, so it was nice to see the two of them hanging out like this. Y’all, that scene where they get drunk in Jim’s office is just SO BEAUTIFUL. If anything, I think this episode didn’t have nearly enough drunk scenes. NOT NEARLY ENOUGH.
It did, however, have far too many feelings. There is something distinctly devastating about the reveal at the end of this episode, and I don’t think it’s the obvious one. Garth is the first hunter the Winchesters have worked with since Bobby’s death, and he’s quick to point out the possibility that Bobby hasn’t actually left them. I’d picked up on the clues along the way, but what’s so sad about how this episode unfolds is that we gradually start questioning whether or not they were clues to begin with. Garth seemed pretty convinced it was Bobby, but it’s not until Sam contradicts him that I had to accept that maybe I’d been biased by the show itself. As he points out, they’re so used to supernatural explanations to everything that it’s easy to find them in this specific problem. They all want Bobby back, and this would be the next best thing.
EXCEPT IT’S TOTALLY NOT. IT’S NOT. That surprise reveal hurts so much because Bobby can’t seem to properly communicate with Dean. I won’t deny that. But it’s what that glimpse of Bobby implies that upsets me the most. Is he doomed to stay in our world? Will he get worse if he can’t break through to Sam and Dean? AND YOU KNOW WORSE MEANS, “VENGEFUL SPIRIT†IN THIS WORLD. When Bobby’s reaper gave him the option to stay, I’m sure Bobby didn’t think this is how it would be. And yet? He’s stuck. He’s most likely going to become exactly what he used to hunt.
Ouch, my heart was not ready for that.
The video for “Party On, Garth†can be downloaded here for $0.99.
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So, I had a crazy day and am just now getting online… really glad I wrote this last night 😛 But it’s still quite late… so for anyone still reading comments on this post, here’s mine 🙂
You know, this episode focused on drinking would be a lot funnier and less depressing if it wasn’t for how out of hand Dean’s drinking has become this season. :/ But there are quite a few good things about this episode – not the least of which is the fact that they actually address drunk driving somewhat, which is responsible of them given how easy it is to assume that Dean probably drives intoxicated all the time. :-S
1) My favorite thing about this episode is GARTH! 🙂 I just LOVE him and it’s so good to get to see him again! 🙂 I love the little details about him – like the fact that he’s able to command respect despite the initial impression he makes, that he is apparently in some type of relationship with some person he loves and who loves him back in a hot-tub-sharing kind of way. 😛 Like “You’ve been Garth’ed.†LOL I love that Garth is sunshine and light and fun in a universe that is consistently dark and painful. (Not that I don’t love the angst; if I didn’t I would have another favorite show. But Garth is a breath of fresh air.) <3 <3 <3
2) Once again I’m reminded of the concern that Sam seems to consistently show for Cas, while Dean still seems too angry and hurt to do so. Sam points out that he feels kind of bad that Cas is now suffering in his place, like he just “passed on†the hallucinations and mental torment. But Dean is… unsettlingly okay with that. :/ Yeah, I know it’s Sammy and he’s just glad his little brother’s okay. Yeah, I also know Cas kind of deserves what he’s going through right now. I still don’t like seeing Dean so utterly unconcerned with him. 🙁
3) “Corporal James Brown†– LOL GARTH I LOVE YOU and your healthy self-image and confidence and the fact that you like the way you look in a uniform and have no problem taking charge in a room with two Winchesters. You are AMAZING. <3
4) The show also gives us a clever mislead when it comes to Garth, and the EMF and ghost!Bobby. Because it’d be really easy to dismiss Garth’s character as silly, unprofessional, ill-equipped to be a hunter – and when his EMF appears to be broken and Dean gets to momentarily show him up, the moment is played for laughs, like Garth is worthy of mockery. When the truth is – Garth is right all along throughout this episode. Garth catches on to what’s going on before the boys do, and he’s perceptive and sharp and an impressively skilled hunter. It’s a nice little switch the show pulls that I appreciate, because I’d much rather see a character like Garth respected than belittled. <3
5) “It’s not easy being the axe man.†– Okay, the weary way Dean agrees with that statement, meaning “axe man†in an entirely different way, is – kinda funny, but kinda sad. Mostly sad. :/
6) “Beer’s not food, it’s… whatever water is.†– Also funny, but sadder than it is funny. 🙁
7) “Dude, I just drank a whole beer. Of course I’m drunk.†LOL Oh Garth you are adorable. And so not scarred by this life. Your inexperience with alcohol is a sure sign of that. :/
8) I’m just SLIGHTLY offended on Dean’s behalf that he can’t get Tess to talk, but Garth can. Just because Dean’s affinity for children is one of my very favorite things on Supernatural. 😛 But Mr. Fizzles pretty much makes up for it. 😛 (And it’s surprisingly realistic; there’s a reason they use puppets in child therapy. I’ve seen it work very often.) I also like that Dean seems a little defensive, a little more bothered than you’d expect, by Garth’s success in getting through to Tess. This is DEAN’s territory, Garth don’t you know that? DEAN’s the kid-whisperer! 😉
9) LOL I love Garth’s smug little smirk as he and Mr. Fizzles turn simultaneously to look at Dean when he gets the answers they need. 😛
10) Garth makes the connection between the flask and Bobby and the EMF – but when he tries to bring it up to Dean, Dean abruptly shoots him down. Because Dean doesn’t want to think about that. He really doesn’t want to know, one way or the other. Because if it’s not Bobby, then Bobby’s really gone. But if it IS Bobby, that’s potentially even worse. :/ So he’s harsh and snappy with Garth about it, but Garth knows the truth, even if Dean’s not willing to face it. Garth is really a lot better at all of this than the Winchesters give him credit for.
11) Sam: “I mean, can you even get drunk anymore? It’s kind of like drinking a vitamin for you.†– Okay, so not funny. 🙁 🙁 🙁
12) Dean manages to find something in that office that’s strong enough to make him choke, though, so maybe it’s strong enough to get him there. :/ And I do have to admit that as sad as all the “Dean’s an alcoholic†“jokes†are to me, seeing the boys actually drunk is still pretty amusing. “It must have just followed him to the place with all the thingies.†LOL 😛 Drunk!Sam is adorable. I’ve thought so since season one. 😉
13) And LOL at the way Dean spits the drink back into the glass when they get caught, as if he can undo what they just got caught doing. 😛 *headdesk*
14) Garth tries again to bring up his concerns about Bobby, with both brothers in the room, and Dean gets even more upset than before. He doesn’t want to talk about it. But then Sam reveals that he’s already had his own suspicions for a while. In fact, he’s already attempted to contact Bobby on his own right after Dean’s beer disappeared. Of course, Dean wasn’t around, which means the flask wasn’t around… which means Bobby wasn’t around. So no dice. :/
15) I like that Sam, when he realizes he’s had enough to drink to be impaired, chooses to call a cab instead of driving. And I like that they make it clear that Dean, who drove to the warehouse, was NOT drunk since he can’t see the shojo. I mean, I’m sure Dean’s driven drunk in the past, but I like that this episode chooses to make a responsible statement about that, at least this time.
16) And I do like the scene where Dean fights the shojo, while Sam instructs him where to aim, because Sam can see it and he can’t. That’s a pretty cool sequence. And even cooler is the moment when Dean loses his weapon – and Bobby slides it right back into his hand. Bobby wanted to stay behind to look after his boys, and that’s exactly what he’s doing. <3 <3 <3
17) It’s typical Dean, and utterly heartbreaking, that he only allows himself to give voice to his hope when he thinks he’s completely alone. With Sam and Garth out of sight, Dean calls out quietly for Bobby, and the way his voice breaks, the open emotion on his face, the way you can see how desperately he WANTS it to be Bobby and how SCARED he is that it IS Bobby, at the exact same time – Jensen Ackles deserves ALL THE AWARDS, he really does. <3 I just wanna hug Dean so bad in that scene, he’s so vulnerable. <3
18) And we’re reminded that Garth is a hugger. Which I LOVE. Because these boys can use all the hugs they can get. This time, both Winchesters get hugged by Garth, and what I love is that you can see on their faces that while yeah, it’s a little awkward, and they’re laughing about it – they don’t mind it at all. In fact they secretly kinda like it. <3 (After all, we already know that Dean “wuvs hugsâ€, right? 😉 hehe) But anyway, I LOVE seeing the boys be treated with affection, whether it’s Garth or Jody or whoever (S8-S9) yngre ba Puneyvr, naq gura Pnf bapr Fnz grnpurf uvz ubj <3 – because they just need it so desperately.
19) Once Garth is gone, Sam and Dean have a conversation about whether or not Bobby is still there. Sam tells Dean he heard him in the warehouse, and knows he suspects – but by now Sam believes that it’s probably all in their heads. “I think that regular people, they see the ones they lost everywhere, too.†Sam says it can’t be Bobby, because they WANT it to be so badly. It’s all in their heads. Dean: “So your theory is that we’re practically regular people about something for once.†🙁 🙁 🙁 UGH, it’s just endless heartbreak with these two. *hugs them forever*
20) Dean reasons that it can’t be Bobby because Bobby would have shown himself by now, more clearly, right? “Who knows more about being a ghost than Bobby? Instant Swayze, right?†(S7) Abcr. Jebat. :C
21) And then the family theme music plays as we get the reveal – the proof that yes, Bobby IS still there, as we see his ghost standing there in their motel room, momentarily left behind, because Dean forgot the flask for a moment before going back for it. The affection in Dean’s voice as he says, “There you are.†– It’s heartbreaking that he’s talking about the flask, because it shows just how much love he has for the man it belonged to. Bobby is right there – but Dean can’t see him. And the fact that they both love each other so much and both want to be able to reach the other so bad, but can’t – that’s just so sweet and so painful and beautiful and agonizing and just – a great end to a pretty solid episode.
Bobby’s officially still around. Can that possibly end well? This is Supernatural, so… :/
*sigh*
Bring on next week, y’all! (Spoilers) Naq fbzr bs zl nofbyhgr snibevgr zbzragf ba guvf fubj! <3 <3 <3 Puneyvr! Xriva! Pnf! <3 <3 <3 Nyy gur srryf nobhg nyy zl snibevgrf! <3 <3 <3 PNA'G JNVG!