{"id":4441,"date":"2015-02-12T13:00:11","date_gmt":"2015-02-12T21:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/?p=4441"},"modified":"2015-01-27T20:34:15","modified_gmt":"2015-01-28T04:34:15","slug":"mark-watches-supernatural-s08e14-trial-and-error","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/2015\/02\/mark-watches-supernatural-s08e14-trial-and-error\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Watches ‘Supernatural’: S08E14 – Trial and Error"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the fourteenth episode of the eighth season of\u00c2\u00a0Supernatural<\/i>, Kevin Tran makes progress on the demon tablet, giving the Winchesters their next step in closing the gates of Hell. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch\u00c2\u00a0Supernatural<\/i>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Trigger Warning: For gore\/blood.\u00c2\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

WELL, HOLY SHIT, EVERYTHING GOT SO REAL, Y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ALL.<\/p>\n

I really feel like this is the first episode that makes me excited for the mythology of season eight, at least in terms of the\u00c2\u00a0whole<\/i> episode. I loved the introduction of Naomi, I thought the tablets and the war with Crowley were a nice touch, but it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the personalization here that makes this a lot more meaningful to me. LET\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S DISCUSS.<\/p>\n

Kevin\u00c2\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m worried, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all. I now know why dean\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s behavior seems, at times, rather forceful throughout \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Trial and Error.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s rough with Sam and careless with Kevin, all because he feels like they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re as close as they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re gonna get to ending the demon presence on Earth. Which I understand! I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think the writers have sold this idea poorly. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s clearly a meaningful thing for the Winchesters. But Dean\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s treatment of Kevin Train is disturbing because Dean views Kevin less as a person and more as a means to an end.<\/p>\n

You can see that throughout the episode, of course. And I think it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s also important to note that Kevin is well aware that he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s been working so hard that he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s prioritized the translation over his own physical and mental health. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want to place blame on Dean where it doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t belong. Kevin wants this to be over just as badly as Sam and Dean, perhaps more so because he has no interest in ever continuing this line of work. That doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t mean Dean should push him to take\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 well, whatever it is that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s supposed to give him \u00e2\u20ac\u0153pep.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d The symptoms Kevin has are TERRIFYING. And I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m so worried that once he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s done serving a purpose within this narrative, he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll be gone. I JUST CARE ABOUT KEVIN TRAN A LOT, I REALLY DO.<\/p>\n

Hellhounds and Crossroads<\/b><\/p>\n

There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a fun mystery within \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Trial and Error,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s one of those scripts that tricks us into expecting a certain outcome. We go into the Cassity family farm believing that Alice most likely made the deal with a crossroads demon and that she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the easiest way for the Winchesters to kill a hellhound. And then, five minutes later, Carl is dead, and THIS IS ALREADY DERAILED. This aspect of the episode is entertaining because it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s like a whodunnit mystery, and every goddamn time, I was wrong. I EVEN THOUGHT I HAD ELLIE FIGURED OUT. Christ, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all, I was so certain that her forward nature with Dean was a distraction to keep him from hunting the hellhound. BUT NOPE.\u00c2\u00a0NOPE<\/i>. She was the one who made a deal \u00e2\u20ac\u201c with Crowley, that is, HOLY SHIT \u00e2\u20ac\u201c in order to save her mother.<\/p>\n

Of course, the biggest twist was saved for the end.<\/p>\n

Sacrifice<\/b><\/p>\n

This episode outright acknowledges the fact that one of the Winchesters always seems to face some horrible whenever they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re up against a Big Bad. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s true!\u00c2\u00a0Dean knows this, and he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s ready for it. But I think to understand Dean\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s motivation for making himself the sacrificial lamb in the trials, you have to take account his time in Purgatory. Dean\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s experience there shaped who he is at this point in the series. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s that purity of the hunt. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the way Dean felt more alive when he could focus solely on what he did best. And while some of that is subtext or maybe even a headcanon, Dean comes right out and tells Sam that he wants to do the trials because\u00c2\u00a0he can<\/i>\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t see a light at the end of the tunnel<\/i>. Whew, was I ready to hear that?<\/p>\n

NOPE.<\/p>\n

Dean is a self-sacrificing character, though, and I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t say I was utterly surprised by this turn. It still hurt to watch because it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s hard to see someone devalue themselves. Dean truly believes his only value to the world is through hunting and dying. He can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t see himself contributing any other way! So when Kevin reveals the first Trial to close the gates of Hell, Dean knows that he has to be the one to do it. He knows that Sam found a life outside of hunting with Amelia; he knows that Sam could probably do it again. So he throws himself upon the grenade, knowing that if he succeeds \u00e2\u20ac\u201c even if he dies \u00e2\u20ac\u201c he can give his brother the light at the end of the tunnel.<\/p>\n

EXCEPT HOLY SHIT, SAM IS THE ONE WHO KILLS THE HELLHOUND AND HE HAS TO DO THE TRIALS AND\u00c2\u00a0I AM NOT READY FOR THIS<\/i>. Like, we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re talking maximum Winchester angst here, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all. Even if Sam\u00c2\u00a0wants<\/i> to succeed and survive, that doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t mean he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s going to. So where does that leave Dean? He can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be the one to sacrifice himself because Sam\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s already completed the first trial. Sam has to go through with this. Dean wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t prepared for this outcome, and to be honest? I have no guess as to how he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s going to deal with this. (Poorly? Probably poorly at first.) But what I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m hoping from this is that Dean will eventually support his brother.\u00c2\u00a0That<\/i> is what\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s going to keep Sam alive. Well, and he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s on the box for season nine, BUT I DIGRESS.<\/p>\n

This is such a great development. Can we also keep the Men of Letters headquarters around? Domestic AU Dean is in full effect, and I never want it to end.<\/p>\n

The video for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Trial and Error\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 Double Features will be\u00c2\u00a0The Legend of Korra<\/i>, seasons 2 – 4, series 8 of\u00c2\u00a0Doctor Who<\/i>, and Kings<\/i>.<\/b>
\n– The 2015 Mark Does Stuff tour is being announced!!! Check my Tour Dates \/ Appearances page<\/a> often to see if I’m coming to your city!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"