{"id":4295,"date":"2014-12-16T13:00:11","date_gmt":"2014-12-16T21:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/?p=4295"},"modified":"2014-12-08T15:07:46","modified_gmt":"2014-12-08T23:07:46","slug":"mark-watches-supernatural-s07e17-born-again-identity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/2014\/12\/mark-watches-supernatural-s07e17-born-again-identity\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Watches ‘Supernatural’: S07E17 – Born-Again Identity"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the seventeenth episode of the seventh season of\u00c2\u00a0Supernatural<\/i>, I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch\u00c2\u00a0Supernatural<\/i>.<\/p>\n

Trigger Warning: For talk of mental illness, suicide, and ableism, body horror<\/b>.<\/p>\n

This show is so cruel.<\/p>\n

Sam Winchester<\/b><\/p>\n

The easiest way for me to talk about this episode (which really felt like the best this season) is to split up the two major plots and dissect them. So event though they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re intricately related to one another, this\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll work best for me. Let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s start with Sam, then, so that I can unload a veritable boatload of feelings on to you all. Surprise, I love Sam Winchester, and surprise, this episode obliterated me. This poor man cannot catch a break, and yet, amidst one of the most traumatic experiences of his entire life,\u00c2\u00a0he still chooses to help someone else<\/i>. Is there a better example of Sam\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s character than this? This is what he does, repeatedly, throughout\u00c2\u00a0Supernatural<\/i>. He values the lives of others over his own, and it breaks my heart. If we didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t count Dean, who would be left to care about Sam? (Thanks,\u00c2\u00a0Supernatural<\/i>, for reminding me very plainly that all their friends are currently dead. THANKS FOR THAT.)<\/p>\n

I think it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s important, then, that we examine the manner in which this show explores Sam\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s mental decline. I do like to give representations like this a critical eye, as I think it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s important that we as consumers of media determine why things are portrayed as they are. This show (and most shows, to be honest) hasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t always treated the mentally ill well. But now they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got\u00c2\u00a0both<\/i> of their main characters coping with depression, suicidal ideation, hearing voices, hallucinations, and other problems, so it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not like this is a background plot.<\/p>\n

There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s only so much of this that I feel okay addressing, so I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m necessarily the best person to talk about it. But I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d like to think that there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a sympathy to the way Sam is portrayed within the narrative. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know that I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve ever really seen a character deal with a psychotic break on a television show, and\u00c2\u00a0Supernatural<\/i> doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t do anything to invalidate the experience that Sam is going through. Of course, the fact that the show demonstrates that a person with a mental illness\u00c2\u00a0is still a good person<\/i> felt pretty monumental to me, particularly since Sam went out of his way to assist Marin. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a huge part of the plot here!<\/p>\n

But, again, I can only speak to a bit of this, so I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d rather here from folks who are directly affected by this sort of thing. I felt that Jared Padalecki and Mark Pellegrino were in rare form here, and it was so frightening and jarring to see Pellegrino play Satan with so much charm and humor. LIKE, IT\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S SO TERRIFYING. Because he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s specifically there to torment Sam. (I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m glad I finally understood that Sam wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t trying to stay awake; his mind simply wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t let him.) BUT HE\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S SO FUNNY and I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m a mess.\u00c2\u00a0A mess<\/i>.<\/p>\n

Dean Winchester<\/b><\/p>\n

I think it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s also important to acknowledge that Dean does an undeniably amazing thing within this episode, too. He drives across the country\u00c2\u00a0for<\/i> Sam, pursuing the only avenue he can find that might save him. Does Dean even stop and sleep at any point in this episode??? Probably not, which means he drove to Colorado from Indiana. AND BACK.\u00c2\u00a0PROBABLY WITHIN THE SAME DAY<\/i>.<\/p>\n

It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not like Dean to seek out a faith healer, and that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not just because they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve had a bad experience with one in the past. Dean is such a huge skeptic, so I thought his journey here symbolized his desperation. He was willing to do\u00c2\u00a0anything<\/i> to find a way to save his brother, no matter how absurd it was, and that includes driving to Colorado to find a miracle worker.<\/p>\n

Named Emmanuel.<\/p>\n

Who looks\u00c2\u00a0exactly like Castiel<\/i>.<\/p>\n

Just\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 what is this show doing to me? What have I done to deserve this? This becomes such a fitting story for Dean because at his most desperate moment, he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s suddenly face-to-face with the entire\u00c2\u00a0impetus<\/i> for Sam\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s condition. And while it readily becomes apparent that Castiel never died in the season seven premiere, it means that a confrontation between Castiel and Dean is inevitable. I honestly didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t expect them to drag out the Emmanuel thing beyond this episode. (What happened to Daphne, by the way? That sucks for her. Her husband is just gone forever!) So we had a lot to unpack here. Could Dean forgive Castiel? Could Castiel forgive himself? Could Cas even\u00c2\u00a0do<\/i> anything to help Sam? It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a lot to deal with!<\/p>\n

SO THIS SHOW DECIDES TO BRING BACK MEG AT THE SAME FUCKING TIME, AND\u00c2\u00a0THIS EPISODE IS SO RIDICULOUS<\/i>. Again, the desperation motif pops up again. In any other situation, would Dean have agreed to a temporary truce and alliance with a demon? NOPE. But here she is, and she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s opposed to Crowley finding out Castiel is alive, and Dean accepts her offer for company, and\u00c2\u00a0I cannot believe how much is in one single episode of this show<\/i>. The scene in the car with Meg, Cas as Emmanuel, and Dean??? HOW IS THIS REAL? (Y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all, I missed Meg Masters\u00c2\u00a0so much<\/i>.)<\/p>\n

This really is such a brilliant return for both Meg and Castiel, one that brings back demons to the fold as well. The Leviathan threat still hangs over everything, but I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m glad that the show took time to address these dangling plot threads as well. Actually\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t let that seem like I thought Castiel was an unresolved plot. I BELIEVED HE WAS DEAD. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not like there was a ton of foreshadowing that he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d return, you know? Anyway, this was an important part of this season\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s story, and for Castiel specifically, it was necessary that\u00c2\u00a0Supernatural<\/i> deal with the moral implications of what Castiel had done. That happens in two different ways. Initially, Castiel re-learns how to smite demons, and in the process, all of his memories come spilling back into his mind. This gets rid of the Emmanuel identity and allows Castiel to give an honest assessment of what he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s done.<\/p>\n

In short, Cas is disgusted with himself, so much so that he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s positive he should have stayed dead and that there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s nothing he can do to rectify the nightmare he created. But Dean \u00e2\u20ac\u201c bless his heart \u00e2\u20ac\u201c insists that Castiel can\u00c2\u00a0try<\/i>. He does so by GIVING CAS HIS TRENCHCOAT BACK\u00c2\u00a0OH MY GOD HE KEPT IT THE WHOLE TIME<\/i>. (I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m pretty sure that one little moment inspired four billion Destiel fics because holy shit,\u00c2\u00a0how could you not<\/i>.)<\/p>\n

But I was far more impressed by what Castiel eventually chose to do. To me,\u00c2\u00a0that<\/i> is how you apologize and how you alleviate pain you caused. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not always possible in every situation, but Castiel knows he has to do it if he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s to ever truly help Sam. So he takes Sam\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s hallucinations, choosing to bear them himself instead of letting Sam suffer another day. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s an important moment, and while it looks like Cas will stay put for a while, I needed him to repair the damage he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d done.<\/p>\n

I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m still reeling from this, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all. Just\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 holy shit. Meg IS A NURSE AT CAS\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S HOSPITAL. Sam is healed, they have to hide from the demons, and Dick Roman is still at large and they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re no closer to stopping him. HOW IS THIS SEASON REAL?<\/p>\n

The video for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Born-Again Identity\u00e2\u20ac\u009d can be downloaded here for $0.99<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Mark Links Stuff<\/b><\/p>\n

– Mark Does Stuff is now on Facebook<\/a>! Feel free to Like the page, which I’m running myself, for updates and SILLINESS.
\n– 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!<\/a>
\n– Please check out the MarkDoesStuff.com<\/a>. All Mark Watches videos for past shows\/season are now archived there!
\n– My Master Schedule<\/a> is updated for the near and distant future for most projects, so please check it often.\u00c2\u00a0My next two Double Features are now in the schedule! I will be watching <\/b>The Sarah Connor Chronicles<\/i><\/b> and then <\/b>Leverage<\/i><\/b>. <\/b>Commission away!
\n– I will be at quite a few conventions and will be hosting events throughout 2015, so check my Tour Dates \/ Appearances page<\/a> often to see if I’m coming to your city!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"