#How Much Is Sir Alec Guinness Worth?

[p-isforpoetry]

"The Love Song Of J. Alfred Prufrock" by T. S. Eliot (read by Sir  Alec Guinness)

Let us go then, you and I, When the evening is spread out against the sky Like a patient etherized upon a table; Let us go, through certain half-deserted streets, The muttering retreats Of restless nights in one-night cheap hotels And sawdust restaurants with oyster-shells: Streets that follow like a tedious argument Of insidious intent To lead you to an overwhelming question ... Oh, do not ask, “What is it?” Let us go and make our visit. In the room the women come and go Talking of Michelangelo.

The yellow fog that rubs its back upon the window-panes, The yellow smoke that rubs its muzzle on the window-panes, Licked its tongue into the corners of the evening, Lingered upon the pools that stand in drains, Let fall upon its back the soot that falls from chimneys, Slipped by the terrace, made a sudden leap, And seeing that it was a soft October night, Curled once about the house, and fell asleep. And indeed there will be time For the yellow smoke that slides along the street, Rubbing its back upon the window-panes; There will be time, there will be time To prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet; There will be time to murder and create, And time for all the works and days of hands That lift and drop a question on your plate; Time for you and time for me, And time yet for a hundred indecisions, And for a hundred visions and revisions, Before the taking of a toast and tea. In the room the women come and go Talking of Michelangelo. And indeed there will be time To wonder, “Do I dare?” and, “Do I dare?” Time to turn back and descend the stair, With a bald spot in the middle of my hair — (They will say: “How his hair is growing thin!”) My morning coat, my collar mounting firmly to the chin, My necktie rich and modest, but asserted by a simple pin — (They will say: “But how his arms and legs are thin!”) Do I dare Disturb the universe? In a minute there is time For decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse. For I have known them all already, known them all: Have known the evenings, mornings, afternoons, I have measured out my life with coffee spoons; I know the voices dying with a dying fall Beneath the music from a farther room.               So how should I presume? And I have known the eyes already, known them all— The eyes that fix you in a formulated phrase, And when I am formulated, sprawling on a pin, When I am pinned and wriggling on the wall, Then how should I begin To spit out all the butt-ends of my days and ways?               And how should I presume? And I have known the arms already, known them all— Arms that are braceleted and white and bare (But in the lamplight, downed with light brown hair!) Is it perfume from a dress That makes me so digress? Arms that lie along a table, or wrap about a shawl.               And should I then presume?               And how should I begin? Shall I say, I have gone at dusk through narrow streets And watched the smoke that rises from the pipes Of lonely men in shirt-sleeves, leaning out of windows? ... I should have been a pair of ragged claws Scuttling across the floors of silent seas. And the afternoon, the evening, sleeps so peacefully! Smoothed by long fingers, Asleep ... tired ... or it malingers, Stretched on the floor, here beside you and me. Should I, after tea and cakes and ices, Have the strength to force the moment to its crisis? But though I have wept and fasted, wept and prayed, Though I have seen my head (grown slightly bald) brought in upon a platter, I am no prophet — and here’s no great matter; I have seen the moment of my greatness flicker, And I have seen the eternal Footman hold my coat, and snicker, And in short, I was afraid. And would it have been worth it, after all, After the cups, the marmalade, the tea, Among the porcelain, among some talk of you and me, Would it have been worth while, To have bitten off the matter with a smile, To have squeezed the universe into a ball To roll it towards some overwhelming question, To say: “I am Lazarus, come from the dead, Come back to tell you all, I shall tell you all”— If one, settling a pillow by her head               Should say: “That is not what I meant at all;               That is not it, at all.” And would it have been worth it, after all, Would it have been worth while, After the sunsets and the dooryards and the sprinkled streets, After the novels, after the teacups, after the skirts that trail along the floor— And this, and so much more?— It is impossible to say just what I mean! But as if a magic lantern threw the nerves in patterns on a screen: Would it have been worth while If one, settling a pillow or throwing off a shawl, And turning toward the window, should say:               “That is not it at all,               That is not what I meant, at all.” No! I am not Prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be; Am an attendant lord, one that will do To swell a progress, start a scene or two, Advise the prince; no doubt, an easy tool, Deferential, glad to be of use, Politic, cautious, and meticulous; Full of high sentence, but a bit obtuse; At times, indeed, almost ridiculous— Almost, at times, the Fool. I grow old ... I grow old ... I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled. Shall I part my hair behind?   Do I dare to eat a peach? I shall wear white flannel trousers, and walk upon the beach. I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each. I do not think that they will sing to me. I have seen them riding seaward on the waves Combing the white hair of the waves blown back When the wind blows the water white and black. We have lingered in the chambers of the sea By sea-girls wreathed with seaweed red and brown Till human voices wake us, and we drown.

[freecherryblossomsuit]

Peter O’Toole Blog Hot Artwork(Pics) Netflix Mature Sizes Weight Affairs

Peter O’Toole Blog Hot Artwork(Pics) Netflix Mature Sizes Weight Affairs

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[hippychick006]

5.05 - Fallen Idols

I’ve not manged to get one of these done for a while.  It could be that I sub-consciously remembered this was the Paris Hilton episode and I needed to work up to it.   But it’s probably more that it’s painful to watch the earlier seasons (even with their problems) and then switch back to Dabbernatural.  I still intend to complete my analysis of all the showrunners, it’s just going to take longer than I anticipated.

This is essentially a MOTW episode and although it’s not one of the best, it’s not one of the worst either. Given that, it can be easy to overlook this episode and not have it on a re-watch list.  That would be a huge mistake because it’s actually a very important episode.  It’s the brothers first hunt together since their separation and we see how that dynamic is going (not well as it turns out). There’s a difficult scene between them around the middle of the episode, but I think in terms of where they come out of it at the end of the episode, it’s the start of the turnaround of their broken relationship so they can start to move forward on an equal footing (with some missteps along the way.  Dark Side of the Moon, I’m looking at you with trepidation!).  So, if you watch nothing else in this episode (though you’re missing out on some things), don’t skimp on 22:45 to 25:50 as this is one of the most important and honest discussions I think the brothers have had to date and 35:50 to the end of the episode which is the follow on to that conversation.  It’s really worth a look at the whole episode if you haven’t watched in a while. This is really long again so I’ve put under a cut.

The episode opens on two men squeeing over a silver convertible.  This particular model is a Porsche 550 Spyder, labelled “Little Bastard” which belonged to the actor, James Dean, who was killed while driving it.  When one of the men (Jim) goes to get a camcorder to record this historic moment, the other (Cal) waits in the car. We see cold air when he breathes out, which alerts us that something isn’t right, then the car radio switches on and starts hopping through radio stations.   We switch to Jim who is setting up the camcorder and hear tires screeching and glass breaking.  He goes to investigate while recording and we see some of the next scene through the camcorder lens which is a good shot.  We switch back to normal view and see that Cal has crashed into the windshield and is very much dead.  

Dean is driving and Sam asks about the case, which unsurprisingly turns out to be the death we’ve just witnessed.  Sam thinks they have bigger problems with the apocalypse and finding the colt than hunting right now.  Dean disagrees and even though Sam tries to push, Dean says, “This is what we’re doing! Okay? End of discussion.”  

I like this scene for giving us insight to where the brothers are since they got back together.  I like that Sam is not afraid to put his views across or question things, but it does looks like he’s being careful not to be seen to argue with Dean.  Dean is willing to converse only so much before he pulls the big brother card.  The effect on Sam is immediate, he looks away and sighs.  It’s this that causes Dean to relent a little as he explains to Sam his reasoning:

Dean: It’s just that this is our first real case, back at it together. You know, I… I think we ought to ease into it, put the training wheels back on.

Sam: So, you think I need training wheels

Dean: No, “we” need training wheels, you and me.  As a team.  Okay?  

Sam nods and says okay, but I don’t think he’s fully agreeing. It’s more his “okay” when he doesn’t want to argue anymore.  Dean sees this and continues: I really want this to be a fresh start, you know?  For the both of us.  

They look at each other and Sam nods and says okay again, and this time we can see he’s more on board with it, so I’m glad that Dean took the time to explain what he’s thinking, because open and honest communication is really important for them moving forward and healing their relationship.  

Sam and Dean posing as FBI Agents Bonham (Led Zeppelin) and Copeland (The Police) are at the Sheriff’s office.  He guesses they are there on account of Cal’s death, but says they already caught the guy that did it.  

Sam and Dean are confused at this (given they think it’s something supernatural) but they sit with the sheriff and watch the video that Jim recorded in the opener.  The sheriff believes the case is open and shut; that Jim killed Cal and taped it. Sam and Dean look at him in disbelief. Dean asks: How exactly did Jim slam Cal into a windshield with all the force of an eighty mile per hour crash? The sheriff blinks: drugs maybe?  He tells them that it isn’t brain surgery, whatever it looks like, that’s what it usually is. The boys are not impressed and ask to speak to Jim.

They interview Jim and ask him to tell them what he saw.  He says he didn’t see anything, but heard tires squealing and glass breaking and says it was the car that did it.   Sam and Dean raise their eyebrows.  Jim goes on to explain that he heard about the curse, but just thought it was a load of crap.  Dean asks what curse.  Jim says: The car, Little Bastard.    

Dean: Li… Little Bastard?  As in the Little Bastard?

Sam: Wait, wait, wait, uh, what’s Little Bastard?

Dean: It’s James Dean’s car.  It’s the one he was killed in.

Jim confirms that’s the one and Dean leans down to Sam (who is sitting at the table with Jim, while Dean was standing behind him), “Oh, we are definitely checking this out.”

Sam and Dean are walking around Little Bastard.  Dean with reverence and Sam not really being that interested.   Sam asks, “So, what, this is like Christine?”  Dean shakes his head, “Christine is fiction.  This… this is real.” Sam asks for Dean to enlighten him and Dean explains the deaths associated with the car.  The first that James Dean’s mechanic bought the wreck and fixed it up and it fell on him. The second being that Troy McHenry was killed when it locked up on the race track.

I researched these and neither story appears to be 100% true.  E.g. Troy was killed in a race, but he wasn’t racing Little Bastard, he was racing in a car that had spare parts from Little Bastard.  His car went out of control and hit a tree, killing him.  In the exact same race, another car locked up and rolled over going into a bend, injuring the driver.  The driver of this car was Dr William F Eschrich (who had purchased Little Bastard after the crash and had loaned Troy the parts).  Eschrich’s car also contained spare parts from Little Bastard. Most of the stories around the curse, appear not to be verified.   What I found most interesting while looking all this up, was that Sir Alec Guinness (Obi-Wan Kenobi) looked at the car, declared that it looked “sinister” and warned James Dean that if he drove it, he’d be dead within the week. And he was.  WTF Alec?

Anyway, I like how enthusiastic Dean was in telling these stories, culminating in Dean telling Sam that it vanished in 1970 and has never been seen since. Sam’s non-committal “hmmm” once again shows the difference between them in terms of their enthusiasm (or otherwise) for cars and I like the consistency in characters. Dean tells Sam the only way to know if it’s the car for sure would be to look at the engine number, which unfortunately would be underneath the car.  

Sam and Dean shed an entire layer each in the next scene (don’t get too exited, they are down to shirts and ties and not full suits).  The car is jacked up (but making ominous creaking noises) and Sam volunteers to go under, but Dean’s got this. And Dean’s got this, by talking to Little Bastard: “Okay, baby, I’m not gonna hurt you, so… don’t hurt me.”  Sam’s face during this!

Dean wheels himself underneath and the car starts creaking again which panics Dean.  He just about jumps out of his skin when Sam appears on the ground and asks if he needs a flashlight.   He tells Sam to go away and gets back to trying to get the engine number.  The car creaks again and Dean carefully takes a rubbing of the engine number then quickly slides out from under the car.  He breathes deeply to compose himself then hands the paper to Sam telling him to find out who owned it, “Not just the last owner, you gotta take it all the way back to 1955”

Sam (bitchface alert): That’s a lot of research.

Dean: Well, I guess I just made your afternoon.

Dean is at a tavern that wouldn’t look out of place in any English village.  He’s trying to pick up the bar tender that wants to be an actress by telling her he’s an agent.  And this is where I don’t understand his stans when they try to deny its canon that Dean has pulled these types of tactics to hook up with women.   I mean I love Dean, but yeah, he’s far from perfect in this respect.  Dean’s phone rings and it’s Sam, who starts to update Dean on the car’s previous owners, but his ears pick up the sound of pool balls being hit, and he asks if Dean is in a bar. Dean denies it and says he’s in a restaurant. Unfortunately, the bar tender at that point puts his requested beer down, announcing cheerfully, “Here’s your beer.”  Dean’s been caught so he says to Sam: “…That happens to have a bar.”  Sam’s not happy because he’s been working his ass off back at the motel.

Dean: Hey, world’s smallest violin, pal.  I spent the afternoon up Christine’s skirt. I needed a drink.

Sam tells Dean he didn’t (spend the afternoon up Christine’s skirt), that the car’s first owner was a cardiologist that drove it until 1972 so the car is fake.  They now need to figure out what killed the guy if it wasn’t the car.

We switch to a man (Mr Hill) sitting at a desk doing paperwork.  It’s dark outside and his maid (Consuela) comes to tell him she has finished for the day.  Mr Hill thanks her.  He returns to his paperwork and sighs, seeing cold air.  He hears a creak behind him and turns.  “Oh my god, it’s you.”  He stands up, “You’re dead, you’re supposed to be dead”.  Just as we wonder who it is, we see that it’s Abe Lincoln who snarls and advances on Mr Hill. Lincoln picks Mr Hill up with one hand around his throat and strangles him, spraying blood across a picture frame containing a copy of the Emancipation Proclamation.  Nice touch Supernatural.

The next day Sam and Dean turn up at the new crime scene and tell the sheriff they heard he had another “weird one”.  The sheriff admits the case is “a little strange on the surface, I admit, but, uh… you know, once you… you look at the facts…”

Sam (I am not here for your b/s) Winchester: William Hill died from a gunshot wound to the head.  No gun, no gunpowder, no bullet.

Ably assisted by Dean (founder of the sarcasm society) Winchester: Nope, nothing strange about that.

The sheriff insists: Well there’s gotta be a reasonable explanation. There always is.

Dean: Well, what’s your reasonable explanation?

The sheriff looks around and then whispers, “Professional killer.”

Sam: Come again?

Sheriff: Well, CIA, NSA, one of them trained assassins, like in Michael Clayton.

Dean (very slowly): Riiiight (and looks at Sam)

The sheriff continues they are welcome to look around “but these guys don’t leave fingerprints.”  Sam asks if they can speak to the witness and the sheriff is fine with that but she’s not making any sense “And she’s not making any sense in Spanish either.”

I love this next scene.  Sam and Dean walk outside, and see Consuela is talking to a deputy in Spanish. I don’t speak Spanish but I’m kind of getting something that sounds like I need my family.  And something like home in El Salvador, possibly going home to El Salvador.  

Dean introduces himself and asks her about what she saw. Consuela starts answering in rapid Spanish.  I’m as lost as Dean is when he looks at Sam, but luckily, we both have Sam Winchester, who sits down beside her and starts speaking to her in Spanish.  He’s not fluent, but he knows enough words to get by. He doesn’t know exactly what he wants to say at first and looks at Dean, while he’s trying to remember the words. He starts speaking to Consuela again and Dean is very proud of his little brother who explains, “Freshman Spanish”. Sam Winchester speaking languages, sigh.  Thank you show.  Sam translates the description of what Consuela saw to Dean; “a very tall man, very tall, with a long black coat and a…” he looks at Consuela and gestures to his chin, “a beard?”  She nods and adds “y un sombrero”.  Dean asks if the dude was wearing a sombrero.  Sam explains it means hat.  Consuela says “un sombrero alto.”  Sam checks, “a tall hat.”  Dean suggests “oh, like a top hat.”   Consuela shakes her head and repeats “un sombrero alto” and gestures very tall while saying “muy alto”

Dean: What, you mean like a – like a stovepipe hat.

Consuela: Si

Dean explains to Sam: Oh yeah, like Abraham Lincoln.

Consuela (sobbing): Si, El Presidente Lincoln

Sam and Dean look at her.

Consuela: Abraham Lincoln kill Mister Hill!

Sam and Dean look at each other.

Consuela (hopefully): So, I go home now?

Sam agrees and says gracias which Dean repeats, and he looks so pleased with himself while doing so. I just love the kick Dean gets out of learning something new.

Back at the motel, both Sam and Dean are researching on laptops. Not sure when they got one each?  Possibly Dean got one when he was separated from Sam?  Dean’s looking at Jim’s video and watches it frame by frame and sees a figure appear in one of the frames.  He shows it to Sam and asks, “Am I crazy, or does that look like James Dean?” Sam agrees that it looks like James Dean.

They sit discussing the information they have, and I love these moments, which show how well they work together, despite the trust issues between them right now.  Dean suggests famous ghosts which he himself immediately thinks is silly. Sam disagrees, “there’s a ton of lore on famous ghosts.” And is surprised they haven’t run into one before.  Dean thinks it’s unlikely they’d have two of them at once. But Sam tells him the ghosts are apparently ganking their fans as Professor Hill was a Civil war nut who “dug Lincoln” and Dean chips in that Cal must have been a James Dean freak since he spent 17 years of his life tracking down the guy’s car.  Dean says, “So you’re saying we’ve got two super-famous, super pissed off ghosts killing their… super fans?  Sam shrugs and says that’s what it looks like.

Dean: Well, that is muchos loco

Sam smiles at Dean and corrects him, “muy… not muchos”

They still don’t have an answer to the key question, what are the ghosts doing here, instead of haunting where they lived or spent time, so Sam keeps researching and we see on his face when he’s found something. He says, “You gotta be kidding me.” which attracts Dean’s attention from where he is (standing at the sink and drinking a soda) and he walks over to Sam and leans over to look at the screen, repeating Sam’s line “You gotta be kidding me.”

We don’t see what they are looking at, but the next scene opens with a waxwork of Abe Lincoln.  The camera pans round and we see it’s the “Canton Wax Museum”.  Sam and Dean are there looking around the exhibits, which in this section of the wax works appears to be politicians, with not just Lincoln, but John F Kennedy and Richard Nixon.  Dean stands in front of Gandhi and complains that he’s short.  I look up Gandhi’s height, and screw you Dean for saying that, dude’s an inch taller than I am!   Sam admonishes him and tells Dean that Gandhi was a great man.  Dean: “Yeah, for a Smurf”.

The museum owner appears and apologises for keeping them waiting, but it’s their busiest time of year.  Dean looks around the completely empty museum. “This is busy?”

Owner: Well, not right now, but it’s early.

Dean: It’s… four thirty

The owner asks what he can do for them and Sam says they are writing a piece for a travel Magazine.  Dean chimes in: “Yeah, on how, uh, totally non sucky wax museums are.”

The owner’s happy which makes me sad, because they aren’t really going to be writing an article on his museum and he’s likely going to go out of business soon.  

Sam continues that they are specifically interested in Abraham Lincoln and James Dean.  The owner says they are two of the museums most popular displays and that they have their regular visitors.  Dean asks if William Hill and Cal Hawkins were regulars.  The owner nods and says he heard what happened to them.  He asks for clarification that that’s not going to be in the article and Sam reassures him no.  

Dean says the Lincoln figure is so lifelike, that you could imagine him moving around.  “You ever see anything like that?” (oh Dean).

Owner (slightly worried): Uh… no

Sam rescues the awkwardness somewhat and asks if there’s anything that would make the museum unusual.  The owner says there isn’t another place like them, not anywhere.  Dean asks why.  The owner points at Abe’s hat and says that its Honest Abe’s real hat.

Sam: It is?

Dean: Almost like his remains (Dean looks pointedly at Sam)

Owner (back to being worried): uh, I guess

Sam asks if they have anything of James Dean’s and the owner confirms they have a keychain. They’ve got Gandhi’s bifocals, FDR’s iron lung… He gestures to the leather jacket he’s wearing, and Sam asks who it belonged to.  

Owner: The fonz, Seasons 2 through 4 (does the fonz double thumbs up and grins).

Sam: Wow, yeah, that’s… that’s really cool… ish                                

The owner tells them he’s going to make wax museums hip again, bring the kids back.  He grins and gives the double thumbs up again.  Sam humours him by giving them back.

We next see a shot of Sam opening baby’s trunk and preparing a shotgun which presumably is being loaded with salt shells.  He goes back to the room and Dean’s got his back turned to the door and is on the phone to someone and is explaining about the case.  “Yeah, Abraham Lincoln and James dean, can you believe that?  Why so kill-crazy?  Ah, maybe the apocalypse has got ‘em all hot and bothered.  Yeah, well, we all know whose fault that is…Well, I’m sorry, but it’s true.”

Sam frowns (as do I) and slams the door closed to alert Dean he’s back.

Dean spins around and looks at Sam, but he doesn’t look in the least guilty that he’s been caught.  He tells whoever he’s on the phone to that he’ll call them later.  Sam asks what’s going on, but Dean ignores the question and asks if the trunk is packed.  Sam confirms it is and asks who was on the phone.  Dean tells him Bobby.

Sam: And?

Dean (shaking his head): Nothing

Sam: So…we’re just gonna pretend I didn’t hear what I just heard?

Dean shrugs: Pretend or don’t pretend. (he walks away) Whatever floats your boat.

Sam: This was supposed to be a fresh start, Dean

Dean: Well, this is as fresh as it gets.  Now are we going or not?

Sam watches Dean leave and sighs before he follows him.

Oh boys, I understand Dean’s hurt and anger, I really do, but when you make a decision to go in a certain direction, you need to commit to that direction and not keep taking several steps back.  That isn’t fair to either of them.

Sam and Dean are inside the museum after closing.  Dean takes off Lincoln’s hat while Sam gets a trash can. Sam turns back to Dean and bitchfaces. Camera moves to Dean and he’s wearing Lincoln’s hat.  He imitates Lincoln: “Four score and seven years ago, I had a funny hat”.

He does a good impression, but Sam’s still pissed from earlier and not in the mood for Dean’s humour. He puts the trash can on the ground and holds his hand out for the hat.

Dean: We can’t have any fun with this? (he takes off the hat and instead of giving it to Sam, he tosses it into the trash can.

Sam:  Let’s just torch the objects, torch the ghosts and get outta here, okay?

Dean says he’ll “go grab East of Eden’s keychain.”

Sam’s left alone and he scans the room.  He looks at Lincoln, narrows his eyes and looks closer.  I’m waiting for Lincoln to move, but he doesn’t.  The double doors to the room slam closed though and Sam spins around.  “Dean?” He goes over to the doors and tries to open them, but they won’t open.  “Dean?”  Sam is not happy at the pesky doors separating him from his brother, even if Dean was being a dick to him earlier.   He hears a noise and swings around, bringing his shotgun up into position as he looks around between Lincoln and Gandhi.  He hears a creak and turns.  The shotgun flies out of his hands.  Sam turns to look where the shotgun landed and gets attacked by Gandhi leaping onto his back. Sam slams Gandhi into a wall and he falls off.  They circle one another but Gandhi is wily and scrambles under Sam and jumps on his back again. Sam tries to throw him off again by crashing onto a table.   It works but Gandhi attacks a third time and tries to strangle Sam.  Big brother bursts through the doors.  

Dean: Is that Gandhi?

Sam (while being strangled): Yeah!

Dean (just watching Sam struggling): Dude, he’s squirrely

Sam: Get the…

He can’t finish but shakes his head towards Gandhi’s wax figure.

Dean runs over to it.  “Get the what?”

Sam: Glasses!

Dean grabs the glasses, throws them in the trash can and sets them on fire. Gandhi disappears and Sam gasps for air.

Dean: You couldn’t have been a fan of someone cool?

Sam glares at him.

Dean: Really, Gandhi?

I’m putting this next scene in its entirety because the first part is amusing, but the second part is very important for where they are right now and every line of dialogue in this scene is vital.  They are back at the motel and Dean’s packing to leave, asking Sam if he’s ready to go. Sam though is having doubts about the case being finished.  Dean’s not really interested, as far as he’s concerned, he torched, the ghost vanished.  Sam’s not letting it go though, “Yeah, but I…” he sighs, “Also, I feel like he was… trying to take a bite out of me.”

Dean: A bite?

Sam: Yeah, like he was hungry.  But the thing is, Gandhi – or the real Gandhi – he was a... (Sam hesitates to continue)

Dean: A what?... (Sam hesitates to answer again), …spit it out

Sam (answers reluctantly): He was a fruitarian

Dean laughs: Let me get this straight.  Your, uh, ultimate hero was not only a short man in diapers, but he was also a fruitarian?

Sam: That’s not the point

Dean: That is good.  That is… even for you, that is good.

Sam: Look, I’m just saying, I’m not so sure this thing is over.

Dean: It was a ghost… It was a weirdly super-charged fruitarian ghost, but it was still a ghost.  Now let’s go.

Sam: So first you drag me into town, and now you’re dragging me back out.

Dean: You ain’t steering this boat.  Let’s go, chop chop.

Dean grabs his bag to leave and Sam doesn’t follow him.

Sam: You know, this isn’t going to work.

Dean turns back: What isn’t?

Sam: Us.  You, me, together, I… I thought it could, but I can’t

Dean: You’re the one that wanted back in, chief

Sam: And you’re the one who called me back in

Dean: I still think we got some trust building to do.

Sarcastic!Sam alert: How long am I gonna be on double secret probation?

Dean shrugs: Til I say so.

Sam: Look, I know what I did, what I’ve done.  And I am trying to climb out of that hole, I am, but you’re not making it any easier.

Dean: So, what am I supposed to do, just let you off the hook?

Sam: No, you can think whatever you want.  I deserve it, and worse.  Hell, you’ll never punish me as much as I’m punishing myself, but the point is, if we’re gonna be a team, you and I, it has to be a two-way street.

Dean: So, we just go back to the way we were before?

Sam: No, because we were never that way before.  Before didn’t work.  (Dean frowns).  How do you think we got here?

Dean: What’s that supposed to mean?

Sam: Dean, one of the reasons I went off with Ruby (Sam sighs)… was to get away from you.

Dean: What?

Sam: It made me feel strong.  Like I wasn’t your kid brother.

Dean: Are you saying this is my fault?

Sam: No, it’s my fault.  All I’m saying is that, if we’re gonna do this, we have to do it different, we can’t just fall into the same rut.

Dean shakes his head: What do you want me to do?

Sam: You’re gonna have to let me grow up, for starters.

At that point Dean’s phone rings, which interrupts their conversation, but I loved that they had it.  I love Sam’s being honest and that he’s not willing to go on and accept things the way they are.  I love that Dean listened to Sam in the end and that he seems to be thinking about what Sam has said and I think that’s all we can ask for at this point.

The phone call has Dean listening to someone that we can’t hear, he looks at Sam, then away and says “Yeah, yeah, okay” to the caller before hanging up and turning back to Sam, “I guess you were right about this not being over.”

What else might Sam be right about Dean, hmmm?

They are back at the sheriff’s office and go straight to the sheriff asking him what happened.  I love the deterioration of the sheriff over this entire episode from his world having certainty through to pretty much this:

Sheriff: I, uh, uh… (he shrugs and shakes his head), I don’t know! (he gestures to two girls in a room)

Sam and Dean go to interview them.  The scene is actually quite funny as they try to get information out of the girls who are very upset. The upshot is that Paris Hilton took their friend.

Sam: I’m sorry?

Girl 1: She looked really good though

Girl 2: Skinny!

Girl 1: Skinny and fast!

Dean: What… wait… huh?

Sam and Dean ask to be excused for a minute and go to the doorway.  Dean asks for clarification that “Paris Hilton’s not dead as far as we know, right?”  Sam answers: “Pretty sure, no”, which means they don’t think they are dealing with a ghost anymore and it’s unlikely that Paris Hilton is a homicidal maniac.

We see Sam in blue scrubs so he’s at the hospital.  He’s looking through Cal’s file and frowns so once again we know that Sam’s found something of concern. We next see him cut into Cal’s body with a scalpel, and it’s cute that even after all this time, Sam’s still a little squeamish at this sort of thing. I’m reminded why I didn’t go to medical school as we hear squelching noises when Sam reaches his hand inside the body and pulls out 2 small ball things the size of cherries.

Sam meets back up with Dean outside and he’s angry at himself for missing whatever he’s found.  Dean asks for details and Sam says there was major blood loss with both victims, much more than the injuries should have caused. Dean comes to the same conclusion that Sam did; that something is feeding. Sam then shows Dean an evidence bag containing the cherry sized objects. Dean: “What are those, seeds?”  Sam says yes and that he found them in the victims’ stomachs.  Dean quickly removes his hand from the bag, “I hope you washed your hands”.  Sam says they are unlike any seed he’s ever seen before. Dean hides his pride of Sam’s nerdiness with sarcasm, “Wow, just when I thought you couldn’t get any geekier.”  

Back at the motel, Sam’s on his laptop trying to identify what type of seeds he has.  He discovers that the seeds are not in the US but from a forest in the Balkans that doesn’t exist anymore.  Dean: So? Sam explains that a local legend said the forest was guarded by a mischievous pagan god which could take on infinite forms.

Dean: And let me guess.  He liked to munch on his fans.

Sam confirms that yes, the god can only be appeased with the blood of his worshippers, after draining them, it would stuff their stomachs with the seeds. What’s most important is they find out how to kill it; chop off its head with an iron axe.

Dean: All right.  Let’s go gank ourselves a Paris Hilton

They enter the wax museum after hours again.  Dean has the axe, Sam a flashlight. They walk past Abe Lincoln (who is now hatless of course). They split up and search different rooms, which is a little dumb, given Sam doesn’t have any weapon and he’s the one that comes across a door with a sign on it that indicates the place beyond it is closed for renovations.  Just as I’m about to mark a tick in the “dumb winchester’s column” of my analysis, he whistles for Dean who joins him and they break through the door into a part of the museum that’s decorated to look like it’s outdoors with a house in the woods. Looking around, Sam sees what we presume to be the girls’ missing friend, Danielle.  She’s tied to a tree.  Sam checks her pulse and she’s alive, but barely.

The axe suddenly flies out of Dean’s hand, like the shotgun did with Sam earlier in the episode. He turns around to find Paris Hilton in front of him. Paris is a mean fighter, easily taking down Dean and throwing Sam across the clearing, causing Sam to get knocked out.  Dean isn’t unconscious yet but that doesn’t last long as Paris stiletto’s him in the face. Ouch.

Our boys wake up almost at the same time, finding themselves tied to a different tree.  What probably woke them up was the sound of the monster’s nails being sharpened against the knife she’s holding. I’m wondering why the monster didn’t just kill them, but it helpfully explains that it’s been stuffing itself with too much fast food lately, so wants to take the time to do the ritual right.  “Prepare a nice, slow meal for a change.”  

Me: And you choose the best hunters on the planet to do that with? No wonder your kind are dying out rapidly.

I’ll spare you most of the villain monologue, it’s another god pissed that people no longer worship and adore them and throw themselves to their sacrifice “with smiles on their faces.”   The monster is tired of wandering hungry and scared, scrounging for scraps, and has taken advantage of the apocalypse to set up a permanent home, where adoring fans just stroll right in the door.

Sam: Yeah, but they’re not your fans

MOTW: So? They worship Lincoln, Gandhi, Hilton… whatever.  I’ll take what I can get.

Dean tells it that it’s not the first god they’ve met but is the nuttiest. The monster disagrees, says people are the crazy ones.  That they used to worship actual gods, but now… the monster indicates the Paris Hilton body: “This is what passes for idolatry?  Celebrities? What have they got besides small dogs and spray tans?

And kudos Paris, I like people that can laugh at themselves. Also, Sam and Dean’s expressions during this are great to watch.

MOTW: You people used to have old-time religion.  Now you have Us Weekly

Dean: I don’t know, I’m more of a Penthouse Forum man myself

Dean winks and clicks his tongue at the monster who gets up and walks over to him.  

MOTW (looking Dean up and down): Maybe, but…there’s still a lot of yummy meat on those bones, boy

Dean: Well, I hate to break it to you, sister, but uh… you can’t eat me. See, I’m not a Paris Hilton BFF.  I’ve never even seen House of Wax.

Sam looks at his brother and frowns, and it’s these moments I like; the little shout outs to Paris and Jared, both being in House of Wax.  It’s not pandering, it doesn’t impact the flow of the episode, it’s just a nice little mention that’s done well.

Anyway, the monster can read Dean’s mind, it knows who Dean’s hero is; Dean’s daddy.  She walks back over to the axe which is embedded into a tree. “And this belonged to him.  Didn’t it?  Poor little Dean. All you ever wanted was to be loved by your idol.  One distant father figure, coming right up.  

Dean’s been busy though, which is why villains should not monologue. Seriously, if I’m ever a villain, I’m shooting first, talking later.  He’s free of the ropes and tackles the monster, but as we saw with Sam getting beaten up earlier, this is no easy monster to take down and Dean’s soon getting repeatedly punched. Thankfully Sam’s also been busy, and he gets free a few seconds later, jumping over the two fighting and pulling the axe from the tree. Dean lands a punch throwing the monster off him and rolls to the side so that Sam can take the shot, which he does.  It’s a little bit like Mary Queen of Scot’s execution though as he has to bring the axe down several times to sever her head from her body.  And once again, Sam Winchester’s face is completely covered in blood.  (I should have started a count on this).  Sam turns to Dean who is still lying on the ground and grins at him.  Dean lifts a finger in warning. “Not a word.”

Sam (having too much fun): Dude, you just got whaled on by Paris Hilton!

Dean: Shut up (collapses back on the ground)

Sam and Dean are finally leaving the motel.  Dean is talking to the sheriff on the phone who tells them that Danielle is going to be okay and that he’s put an APB out on Paris Hilton.  

We get our final broment of the episode as they are putting their bags in the car, Dean’s been thinking about what Sam has said, about keeping too tight a leash on him.  Sam looks at Dean warily, not sure what Dean’s going to say.  I think he’s worried that Dean’s decided its best if they separate again.  

Dean: Hell, maybe you’re right.  I mean, look, I’m not exactly Mister Innocent in this whole mess either, you know.  I did break the first seal.

Sam: You didn’t know

Dean: Yeah, well neither did you (Sam looks away, and its painful that he is completely willing to absolve his brother of blame, but not himself).

Dean: I’m not saying demon blood was a great way to go, but you did kill Lilith

Sam: And start the apocalypse

Dean: Which neither of us saw coming.  I mean who’d have thought killing Lilith would’ve been a bad thing. (Sam looks away again).  Point is, I was so worried about watching your every move that I didn’t see what it was actually doing to you…. So for that I’m sorry.

Sam says thank you and I think some people might expect an apology in return, but Sam has already apologised multiple times for what he’s done and it’s not an appropriate point for him to do so again. Dean asks where they go from here.

Sam: The way I see it, we got one shot at surviving this

Dean: What’s that?

Sam: Maybe I am on deck for the devil, maybe same with you and Michael, maybe there’s no changing that.

Dean: Well that’s encouraging

Sam: But… we can stop ringing our hands over it. We gotta just grab onto whatever’s in front of us, kick its ass and go down fighting.

Dean considers that and nods: I can get on board with that.

Sam nods too: Okay, but we’re going to have to do it on the same level.

Dean looks at Sam: You got it.

Sam nods again and Dean says: What do you say we get the hell outta here?

Sam: Hell yeah.

They turn to go to their usual sides of the car, but Dean stops and looks down at the keys and says. “Hey.”  Sam turns around and Dean holds out the keys: “You wanna drive?”

Sam (looks at the keys and then at Dean: You sure?

Dean: Yeah, I could, uh… I could use a nap

Sam looks at Dean again and Dean hands him the keys.  They get into the car and Sam drives away.

Onwards to 5.06.  I believe the children are our future.  Aww, this is the antichrist one.  Where did Jesse go?

[thevoicefromthestars]

may the fourth

i have a lot of feelings about star wars. 

in part, this is because star wars features some of the most fun things about epic space fantasy: buzzing laser swords, cool spaceships going pew pew pew!!! at each other while a silver and blue trashcan swears in Robot, an asshole muppet mentor, and eminently quotable lines delivered in sir alec guinness’s soft british accent. in part, it’s because i am a huge sap for stories about people striving to be more: how to be human means to have hope in hopeless circumstances, to look at the horizon and wonder if you’ll ever reach it, to be weak and fallible and get up to try again anyways.

but mostly, i have a lot of feelings about star wars because star wars is a story about love.

the jedi tell us that love is a danger and should be ignored, but the jedi fall, so that can’t be right. anakin says that love means wanting to keep someone with you forever, but anakin then goes on to commit several acts of mass murder and fall into a lake of lava, so we probably shouldn’t listen to him, either. kylo thinks that love is a weakness, and in addition to wearing those incredibly ugly high-waisted pants he stabs his own father and makes both chewie and General Space Mom sad, so fuck that guy.

but what about luke?

luke skywalker doesn’t save the universe on purpose. luke is impatient, and self-centered, and can be kind of a dick - and besides, the universe is a big place, and in star wars, as in real life, it’s messy and full of shit. it’s hard to look at it - with its pseudo-nazis and actual nazis and wrinkled, power-hungry old men with unnatural skin colors - and say, oh, yeah, this is definitely worth fighting for.

but your sister lives in this universe. your best friends. your coworkers. your classmates. that one guy who never fucking stops complaining but who is ridiculously in love with his tiny, angry spouse, even though they bicker all the time. your family lives here, and, god, the universe is full of shit, but it’s also got the people you care about more than anything. you’d lie to a mob boss for them. you’d go out searching in a blizzard. you’d walk into a trap with your eyes wide open, and not regret it for an instant.

luke (and leia, and han, and finn and rey and poe and rose and every hero before them and after) tells us that love is courage. it is the vulnerability of admitting that you care for others, and the bravery to risk your life for them. luke reminds you to hold out your hand, because you love someone too much to believe they’re irredeemable, and the reason star wars matters to me is because star wars says, maybe - just maybe - it works. you save them. that courageous, hopeful love saves them.

and in the end, because you loved a handful of people with everything that you had, maybe you save the universe, too.

[mormonmonastery]

Christmas seems to be mostly about your favorite Holiday Song, Holiday Movie, Holiday food, and lots of consumerism and displays. Do you have some suggestions on how to make it more meaningful? I mean, it doesn't have to be super religious like read Luke 2, although it's fair if you do say that. But in general, how to make this time less about the flair and more about substance?

Good question! There is so much flair involved in the modern celebration of Christmas that it can easily overwhelm any substance that’s left if we let it. Not that I don’t enjoy some of that Christmas flair, but all things in moderation and all. I think you hit on a good point too: a meaningful celebration of Christ’s birth does not have to be a super-religious puritan serious no-fun zone. Here’s what I’ve got:

Reclaim Advent: It’s more than those 25 boxes of cheap candies and knick-knacks! Mormons don’t really do liturgy at all, much less a liturgical year, and I think we could really benefit from taking just a little extra effort to reframe the passage of time as an opportunity for spiritual reflection. For most other Christian churches, Advent starts four Sundays before Christmas Day and is a time to think about what it means for the Son of God to come into our world--not just in a manger in Bethlehem 2000-odd years ago, but into our hearts today and in glory at His second coming in the future. In that sense, Advent has a lot to say about justice, about how God goes about setting things right in the world when we make them go wrong (something that’s very relevant this calendar year!) You don’t have to go all in with traditional Advent stuff--the wreath with candles to light each Sunday, the Christingle, the scripture readings--to think about these gospel ideas, though you certainly can. 

Celebrate with Other Christians: after either 2000 or 500 years, respectively, chances are your local Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant churches have probably picked up at least some worthwhile Christmas traditions that are rooted in the spiritual side of things (or, at the very least, are putting on a choral program or something). This season of shared celebration is a good opportunity for us to reach out and share our joy over one of the most basic tenants of our Christian faith and to develop our understanding of what Christ means to us even further by engaging in dialogue and collaboration. Check in and see what sounds interesting to you! Even if another church’s services or activity ends up not being your thing, it’ll still be fresh!

Find Art That Inspires You: There’s a lot of visual art, music, poetry, and more that engage with the spiritual aspects of Christmas. I like Henry Ossawa Tanner’s depiction of the Annunciation very much as well as the Ariel Poems that T.S. Eliot wrote about figures like Simeon and the Magi.

Share and Give: Christmas is great season to donate or volunteer during, because those actions remind us of why Christ came to Earth--to spread love and justice. If you can’t find the right gift for someone on your list, consider make a contribution to a charity that would be meaningful for them instead of handing them more junk. 

Figure Out What’s Important to You--and Why: if some holiday tradition or obligation or what-not is causing you stress, it’s not worth keeping up and you can feel free to toss it! If you’re not enjoying it or finding fulfillment in it, don’t bother! Ever since I moved away from home last year, Christmases have been more streamlined--there’s less wall-to-wall, quote-unquote “Christmassy” stuff going on when I fly back in--but it’s more meaningful to me because I get to see and spend time with my family (some of whom I haven’t seen in person since March and gosh I’m ready to be back) and participate in all other kinds of homecoming. That’s not a spiritual angle per-say, but it is a meaningful one and it’s gonna be meaningful for me with or without any trappings. Find stuff that can stand on their own like that and build your celebration of Christmas around them instead of stuff you need to do because capitalism or tradition tells you you’ve gotta. 

I hope that helps and that others have some more ideas for you! And, to reiterate, all of the other non-meaning stuff can be good too! My favorite Holiday Song is “With Wondering Awe,” my favorite Holiday Movie is Scrooge with Albert Finney and Sir Alec Guinness, my favorite Holiday food is a crockpot of wassail we always boil up and I put a nice set of Christmas Eve readings together a couple years back, if you’re interested in that.  

Merry Christmas!

[niobiumao3]

TLJ: Spoiler Edition

ABANDON ALL HOPE, YE WHO ENTER HERE

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Okay so.

Things I really liked:

I liked the Kylo Ren arc; I liked how we got more insight into the past with Luke and how Luke’s one moment of weakness sparked something ugly in Ben, and how Luke has been punishing himself for this ever since. And I am of the opinion the narrative doesn’t want us to hate Luke for this. I think the point of the conversation with Yoda was to indicate that it was never going to be possible for Luke to be a perfect Jedi Master and make no mistakes, and that failure is the greatest teacher. That really, the failing is Ben’s, in giving himself over to the dark side such that when Luke does make a mistake, Ben is unable to forgive him or understand. Rey makes the same mistake, initially, in blaming Luke, and I think once she gets to Snoke and Ren and Ren refuses to turn back with her, she better understands what has happened.

I liked the discussions of how perfect binaries/dichotomies of light and dark and good and bad are useless and dumb and probably lead to more problems than they solve. I like that BJ, an ultimately reprehensible character, is the one who points out, ‘have you considered it’s in the best interest of war profiteers that no one ever wins, that war is forever?’

THE ADMIRAL FLIPPING THE DOUBLE DEUCE AS SHE LIGHTSPEEDS HER CRUISER INTO THE FO’S SHIPS AND OBLITERATES THEM. FUCKING, ANNIHILATED. The pure silence of that moment was so good.

Luke tossing Anakin’s Lightsaber like ‘fuck this thing’. Bigtime mood.

‘Lifting rocks.’

‘Page turners, were they?’

Rey, literally and figuratively, shutting the door in Ren’s face. Like I don’t get why anyone thinks Reylo will be a thing?

Johnson was continually subverting tropes. ‘Wild crazy plans cost lives and seldom work’ was used to great effect with Poe, and I appreciate that while Poe’s attitude frustrated Haldo and Leia neither of them hated him or resented him for it. It was more a ‘in order to lead you’re going to need to learn that you can’t bank everything on a crazy win’ plot arc, which IMO is okay, and not seen enough in these kinds of films.

The situation where Hux (who has clearly been ‘managing’ Snoke because Snoke is, despite being powerful, also quite predictable) trips up constantly wrt Ren because Ren is a rageful manchild whom Hux totally cannot grok was great. Perfect example: Ren says, PUT ME DOWN ON THE SURFACE, LUKE AND I ARE GONNA FITE, and Hux, being totally reasonable, says, ‘Like, why, there is no way we benefit from this, let’s just blow it all up and--’ and Ren temper tantrums and knocks Hux out, but the pilot says, “Right away sir.” Like, Hux, yes, you’re right, but who cares? Best case scenario, Ren dies fighting Luke and now Ren is out of your hair; second best, Ren kills Luke and now Luke Skywalker isn’t a problem. Win-win! But Hux doesn’t get why Ren is so irrational and always railing against the universe, and he trips up on this cognitive dissonance several times. It was a very well-written interaction.

I also liked the trope subversion of Ren rising up and killing Snoke. We are constantly denied this in earlier SW films. And as we see, it’s not sheer power than enables Ren to do it. The one time he tries that, Snoke bitchslaps him into next week with a simple hand gesture. No, it’s subterfuge and hiding his motives, which is a big theme for Ren. He does it to everyone, IMO in a suggestion that he has no idea who he actually is. And he doesn’t want to continue the Sith tradition or whatever; he’s a nihilistic, angry manchild who wants to burn it all. It was some very good writing for him.

I know a lot of people are mad about Luke’s characterization, but honestly, I liked it. I liked that it was his turn to be Ben Kenobi, the angry old hermit living in the middle of nowhere not wanting to get involved because he fucked up badly. I loved his ‘old master skywalker’ look, it was very Alec Guinness, and I wanted so much more than we got of it. And his super badass ‘no Snoke I am not falling for your bullshit’ astral projection move, spot on.

What I disliked:

The characterization of Rey and Finn seemed off. The girl from the first movie would have, I think, been a little more likely to trust Luke and not Ren. And she seems to, at first, but then her conversion is so fast. It felt more like something that needed additional time to happen. This said, I think you can make a case for Ren constantly leaning on her vulnerability wrt her parents. He found that pressure point and hammered on it relentlessly. But Rey’s initial round of blaming Luke for Ren should have given way to her realizing she was right the first time; that Ben had ultimately failed Luke just as Luke failed him, and that while Luke might not have stopped the situation, he was not the sole person involved. That Kylo Ren has to also be blamed for his own actions; the standard ‘just because someone did wrong by you it does not give you carte blanche to do wrong by others’. IMO Rey, or Finn or Poe, would be the people to be compassionate in this way, and ultimately only Leia is for like, 2 seconds. It was a bad turn for Rey which I didn’t care for.

Likewise, Finn continued to try and bail and that seemed like a regression from the end of TFA. You can argue we don’t really see him come to terms with ‘fight for these things worth saving’ in TFA the way we do here but it still felt like a duplication of previous things for him, rather than a growth. And I don’t know why he’s shown as being so susceptible to the lavish excesses of Canto Bight; sure, I can see him being dazzled, but more in a ‘what the hell, people live like this???’ way, not in a ‘I clearly need to get me some of this’ way. It seemed weird and off. It might have made more sense for Rose, if she’s the ‘hidden princess’ she’s rumored to be, to act like this, and Finn to be the one to pull her back.

Speaking of Canto Bight, that whole segment bogged down the movie and needed to happen while they were already on Crait, or instead involve them sneaking onto a Star Destroyer. Like, then you could have had Finn accidentally or intentionally inciting a Stormtrooper Rebellion, and get more Phasma, and keep BJ as a POW they release who then turns on them. You can even keep the discussion of war profiteering in--just have some impounded arms dealer ships, and he was arrested for stealing them or w/e...it would have kept narrative tension intact, provided a better structure tin which to build Finn and Rose’s characters...ah well.

Also, again, too much music. Way, too, much, fuicking, music. Give me the subtle background sounds of the ships, of the base, of the island. Not 1000000000000 strains of music. That moment when the ship went to lightspeed and sundered Snoke’s command ship, the pure silence, was breathtaking. The movie needed much, much more of that.

So yeah, overall, not a bad film and I appreciate the trope subversions, but I wanted better writing for Finn and Rey--equal to what Ren got--and I wanted more Luke and Leia, and I wanted less music. It’s still a gorgeous movie, and a solid SW film, but not as good as it could have been. In this way it’s like the prequels for me; annoying due to its wasted potential, though still enjoyable.