#spnwin 1x07

[disasterbijedi]

how we feeling fellas?

[youchangedmedean]

I’m sorry I had to

[happilyfeatherafter]

Dean’s VOs in The Winchesters (season one!)

(LISTEN ALONG WITH AUDIO HERE)

Dean episode 1: 

( Ten Years After's "I'd Love to Change the World" ) ♪ ♪ 

March 23, 1972. The day Dad came home from the war, and the day he met Mom. Now I know this story might sound familiar, but I'm gonna put the pieces together in a way that just might surprise you. And in order to do that, I have to start all the way at the beginning. 

[END OF EPISODE]

What they didn't know is that the Akrida weren't just a threat to Earth, but to all of existence. Now, like I told you, there's gonna be some surprises. Hell, I'm still trying to find all the puzzle pieces myself. But I'll explain everything. And until then, I'll keep picking the music. 

♪ ♪ Spread them wide ♪ ♪ Rich or poor ♪ ♪ Them and us ♪ ♪ Stop the war ♪ 

Dean episode 2: 

( punchy, percussive music ) ♪ ♪  The ties that bind a family together can be complicated. Parents raise you, teach you what's right and wrong, and in some instances, how to kill monsters. But no matter who you are, there comes a time when you have to break from them and make your own way. And if you're not careful, things can get pretty ugly. 

Dean episode 3: 

( dramatic music ) ♪ ♪ ( screams ) ( sizzling ) ( growling )  There's no map to being a hunter. No playbook. You gotta follow your gut. But that can only take you so far. Truth is, you can't do it all on your own. You need other people to help guide the way... Your friends, your family. Otherwise you just end up lost. 

Dean episode 4: 

( eerie music ) ♪ ♪  Fighting the battle between good and evil isn't easy, especially when the first monster you have to face is the one inside yourself. ( soft dramatic music ) 

Dean episode 5: 

( dramatic music ) ♪ ♪ Spending a lifetime of hunting monsters takes its toll. There comes the time when you gotta let out that pain inside you. If you don't, it'll eat you alive. 

Dean episode 6: 

(Lata) I am centered. I am at peace. I create my own path, and I walk in it fearlessly. (end Lata)

Hunting has a way of changing a person. After a while, right, wrong, good, evil, they all start to look the same. And then it makes you start to wonder, "Who's really the monster here--them or me?" 

[END OF EPISODE]

Hunting's not for everyone. You have to be strong, stay sharp, make tough decisions, and it's not easy, But then again, the righteous things never are. 

Dean episode 7: 

( birds chirping ) Comes a time in every hunt when the fightin' starts. And the difference between winning and losing isn't whether you have the holy water, the wooden stake, or the silver bullet. It's whether you've got the grit to get the job done. (Mary on radio)

Dean episode 8:

(John Moran’s “Rebel”) ♪ ♪ Being a hunter, it means living a life of sacrifice-- not a lot of room for dreams. But you open your heart and get a little lucky, you'll find you gain more than you lose. ♪ ♪

Dean episode 9:

( mellow bluesy music ) ♪ ♪ This isn't how I saw things going when I pushed over that first domino. Thing is, I've had more than a few dances with free will and fate, but as my dad used to say, "Fate is what you make it."

Dean episode 10:

Hunting and happy endings don't usually mix, so when you get your chance, you got to ask yourself, "How far will I go to get it?"

Dean episode 11:

Being a Hunter means always being on the move, No matter how hard you plan, no matter how hard you work, at a certain point, we all run out of road. It's what we do with those crossroads that defines us.

Dean episode 12:

♪ ♪ ( carnival music resumes ) ♪ ♪ ( giggling manically ) ♪ ♪ ( shrill giggling ) ( whispering voices ) ( strange sounds ) 🤡🤡🤡

Hunting's a dishonest business. You gotta lie all the time about who you are and what you do. But the hardest lies aren't the ones you tell other people. They're the ones you tell yourself.

(Mary to John) Another day looking for this mystery man and still nothing. It's like this guy's a ghost. (End Mary to John).

Dean episode 13:

*RECORD SCRATCH* HE’S HERE!!!!! We’re going in universe baby.

(Opening scene, dramatic music ) ♪ ♪ 

Dean: John Winchester. 

John: Sir, can I help you? 

Dean: This is for you. 

John: Where did you get this? Who are--  [...] One ticket for Lawrence, Kansas. 

Ticket lady: Okay.

BOBBY, IT’S FREAKIN’ BOBBY!!!: We're not supposed to meddle with things, ya idjit!

Dean: You always said if I was gonna be stupid, I might as well be smart about it. 

Bobby: Yeah, that does sound about like me. We're not even supposed to be here. 

Dean: Come on, the letter was meant for him. I just, uh, you know, gave it a nudge. 

Bobby: You keep an eye on things here. I'm gonna get the damn cavalry. 

Dean: How you gonna do that? 

Bobby: I got no freaking idea. One last hunt, huh? 

Dean: One last hunt. ♪ ♪

[Insert finale including lots of chat about the ‘ruggedly handsome' mystery man here. For Akrida!Queen exposition science: You're here to talk about the man with no name...he was digging around in things that should have stayed buried. ... The Akrida. You see, our mysterious friend isn't from around here. There's only so much he could do. His hands were tied. Credit where it's due... he did manage to stay ahead of me for a while, but... I can assure you that he's not going to be a problem anymore. ... Well, there's this portal. You see--I'm sure you've heard of it. It's not quite up to code yet, but I managed to pry it open just enough to toss a certain someone and his car into it. No human can survive that gateway, so his body will be torn to shreds for centuries. Anyway, this, um... this old journal... it's all that's left of him.]

Back to the end of the show:

( electricity crackling ) ( engine revving ) ( engine revving ) ( dramatic music )  ♪ ♪ 

John: Mary! ... How did you guys survive? 

Dean (gestures at Baby): She kept Mary safe... me too. Of course, there's not a lot that can tear me apart. I'm already dead. I was stuck in the world between worlds, so I stayed close to that portal, and as soon as I saw baby come through, I hopped in and grabbed the wheel. 

Samuel: So who are you? 

Dean: I'm a Hunter, just like you. But I'm not from this Earth. 

Ada: And how did you get here? 

Dean: When I died, I made it to heaven. And she was waiting for me. So I went for a drive, and then I took a little detour. 

Latika: Through the multiverse. (Dean points ‘bingo’.)

Carlos: S-so what were you looking for? 

Dean: That's a good question, Carlos. I was looking for my family. See, I come from a long line of Hunters. I guess I was hoping that somewhere out there was an Earth that had a version where my family had a shot at a happy ending. When I was driving, I caught wind of the Akrida. Turns out that they were one of Chuck's last creations. 

Millie: Who's Chuck? 

Dean: God. It's a long story, but, uh... basically, he's a real dick. He left the Akrida behind to wipe out all of existence in case he failed. Well... he failed. Eventually the Akrida were going to make their way to my world, and I got family there, so I couldn't let that happen. 

John: T-the letter, why did you-- 

Dean: I took my little detour. The rules were simple. Don't mess with anything. Well... I gave it a little nudge. Thought it might need a little help. Looks like it worked out pretty well. So now that the Akrida are gone, you all can choose your own destiny. You can write your own story. 

Jack: And you can get back to yours. 

Dean: It's all right. It's all right. They're--they're with me. This is Bobby. That's Jack. They're family. Excuse me. You okay? 

Bobby: I told you I'd figure it out. Didn't say I wouldn't get us in more trouble. Look at 'em. Man, this is all kinds of weird... seeing Samuel with a full head of hair. 

Dean: Right? ( chuckles )

Jack (~~or is he?~~): Dean. 

Dean: Yeah. No, I know. I know, Jack. 

Jack: When I restored things, I wanted mankind to make their own fate. That meant no interference from on high, anywhere... no exceptions. 

Dean: I couldn't let our world get destroyed. Sam's still down there, okay? He deserves a good, long life. Hell, they all do. ( indistinct chatter ) So, if you want to cast me out of heaven... so be it. 

Bobby: If we're taking a vote, I'd say you give the guy another chance. 

Jack: There's always another case with you Hunters... even in death. Well... if you're going to meddle in things, finish what you started. After this... it's time to get around to the... "there'll be peace when you are done"... part of the song.

Dean to John: Listen, um... b-before I go... I want to give you two something. My dad... he, uh... Kept a Hunter's journal, looked just like this. I lived my whole life by that damn thing. Well, this is my Hunter's journal. So if you're gonna stay in this game... This will help guide you through it. 

John: Thank you. 

Dean to Mary: I know you're thinking about quitting Hunting. Believe me, I understand. But you need to do me one favor. Keep an eye out for a yellow-eyed demon. And if you even catch a hint of that son of a bitch... I need you to use this. 

Mary: Your family... did you ever find a version where they had a shot of a happy ending? 

Dean: I think I did. 

John: You never told us your name. 

Dean: Hetfield... James Hetfield. (Hetfield is the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, co-founder, and a primary songwriter of heavy metal band Metallica.)

( Nick Drake's "One of These Things First" ) ♪ ♪ (Dean, Bobby and Jack vanish with baby). 

Transcripts from: https://tvshowtranscripts.ourboard.org/viewforum.php?f=1550

[becauseofthebowties]

THE WINCHESTERS | 1.07 Reflections

[spnwin1967]

Henry and John Winchester + Music Box

Supernatural 8x12 // The Winchesters 1x07

[drsilverfish]

SPNWin 1x07 Reflections - The Seance

John broke the musical box, which played his parents’ intensely romantic love song As Time Goes By (which was also the love song of Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman in Casablanca): 

Dean “Dammit Cas, we can fix this”

Cas: “Dean, it's not broken.”

6x20 The Man Who Would Be King

Now he needs to speak to his dead loved one (his father) and Lata tells him that the seance-spell requires that the connection between the significant object and the loved one’s spirit:

Dean: “I hope you can hear me, I hope you can hear me...”

Cas: “You don’t have to say it... I heard your prayer”

15x09 The Trap 

Cas: “You know, ever since we met, ever since I pulled you out of Hell... Knowing you has changed me.... I love you...”

Dean (Non LatAm dub version): “....................”

15x18 Despair

“Amate Spiritus Obscure Te Quaerimus

Te oramus nobiscum colloquere

Apud nos circita”

“Beloved Hidden Spirit, We Seek You

We beg you to speak with us

In our circle”

SPNWin 1x07 Reflections

Pamela (with her hand on Dean’s hand-print brand):

“I invoke, conjure, and command you, appear unto me before this circle.”

4x01 Lazarus Rising

Notice that in The Winchesters seance, the spirit is addressed as “Beloved”.

Narrator-Dean’s story is filled with reflections from his own life, and here, in the subtext of 1x07, a story about his parents’ first kiss, he longs to share his feelings openly and honestly with his own beloved, from whom he is separated by death, Castiel. 

[green-blue-heller]

If I had a nickel for every time I had to watch an episode of SPN directed by Rich where the “couple” were chased by something that wanted to kill them into a corner where they had nowhere to go and decide “if this is it you’re gonna know how I feel about you” and then right afterwards, a portal to another world opened up… I’d have TWO FUCKING NICKELS lol

Listen…

I didn’t want the first nickel!! Ok???

And I’m trying to not want the second nickel because I know that isn’t going to be a happy ending either!!

[werepires]

“When I realised he wouldn’t come back I got angry and I broke it” now if that isn’t a John Winchester thesis statement right there

[shirtlesssammy]

The Winchesters 1x07: Reflections

“Comes a time in every hunt when the fightin’ starts. And the difference between winning and losing isn’t whether you have the holy water, the wooden stake, or the silver bullet. It’s whether you’ve got the grit to get the job done.” 

We open with John and Mary surrounding a radio station tower. The radio tower has been a beacon for all the unicorn monsters who come to Lawrence and then the Akrida feed on their essence. 

They head inside to find the place in shambles. Mary finds her dad’s pack, with blood all over it. 

Meanwhile, at the Bunkerhouse, Carlos and Lata are lamenting the uselessness of the Akrida catching box. They’ve tried everything to make it work again. Ada shows up with a box full of papers from other bunkers. Carlos wonders what happened to all the Men of Letters. <Insert bird ??? gif> He suggests retirement —um, yeah, let’s go with that. 

Mary and John find a dude possessed by an Akrida. He passes along the message that their job at the radio station is done. They’ve acquired all the monster essence they need for their queen. Nothing can stop them now. “We’ve got a box that says different.” YES! A BOX! John coming in with the big guns!! WHOOT! 

Rockin’ Roxy is busy browbeating her nerdy scientist Akrida minion. The dig has begun! Get with it genius dude! (Sidenote: Words that Boris frowns at that have been said in this episode include essence and juicy.) An Akrida monster pops in with an update!

Back at the clubhut, Lata discovers the name of the box. The Ostium! The notes on the box are in code –AND written by Henry Winchester!! If they can translate it, maybe they can figure out the secrets of the box! 

Carlos tries to give Mary a pep talk over her missing/possibly bloody father. He tells her about his own parents. How he wanted a guitar and they went to get it for him, only for them to be killed by ghouls. He got revenge and lives with the guilt.

He helps Mary understand that it’s not her fault for Samuel’s disappearance. 

John brings Millie in on the translation party. 

Carlos and Mary are pulled over by Officer Mustache wearing lovely sunglasses, and Roxy. She needs a word with Mary. She wants the Ostium. She’s willing to trade Samuel for it. Carlos thought ahead and put a hex bag in the cruiser. If they can track Roxy, maybe they can get the jump on her! They rush back to the others and ask Ada to track the hex bag. 

Ada starts on her work in the conservatory. Millie walks in, surprised at everything in the building. They drink and talk about Henry. And generational trauma. “Seeing John here, it’s like history repeating.” 

Lata explains to the others that the Ostium transports monsters –to parts unknown. The Akrida are hive-like monsters that take over worlds. The Akrida are all connected to their queen. Use the Ostium on the queen=kill all the Akrida. Win! Carlos gets morose realizing that if they save Samuel Campbell, the Scooby gang will break up. 

Ada’s spell is working so the gang rush over to watch the magic.

The Akrida are hanging out where Mary was stung. WHY? 

Down in old tiled and bricked over tunnels, Akrida-possessed people dig. And they dig - without care for the bodies of their hosts. (I rock back and forth chanting, “the broken nails are not real the broken nails are not real”)

In the clubhouse, the Scooby gang spin out attack plans while Millie goes over Henry’s notes. Millie tells them about a ritual she discovered - a seance. She proposes raising Henry’s specter and having him translate his notes himself. (As someone with dreadful handwriting, I look forward to having my ghost be summarily raised for future researchers!) We also try to remember just when John had given up on finding his dad alive, but it doesn’t matter, because the gang is all in on this plan. Carlos proposes that they use Millie’s wedding ring as a fulcrum to the spell, but she sold it to fund equipment for the shop. (That’s my girl!) Instead, they choose an emotional keepsake from John. 

Once more down in the pits, one of the Akrida hosts takes a sledgehammer to one of the walls. Breaking it down, they discover an ancient-looking door. 

John gets his old music box from his closet, and fills everyone in on the sad backstory of it. He played it at night as a child. After his dad left, he played it for comfort until he got angry one day and broke it. SYMBOLICALLY. Further driving us into a state of frothy unrest, DEAN’S THEME plays over this confession. And the father/son/anger parallels overwhelm me for a moment and I lie down gaping like a fish suddenly laid out on a rock. For just. Imma need a minute.

The gang preps for the seance. But ooooh there’s a catch. John has to share his emotions with his dad “openly and honestly” in order for the spell to work. LOLOLOL good luck. Millie wants to know if anyone else can talk to Henry and I ache for her a little bit. They chant to work the spell and the candles extinguish at the height of their chanting. Carlos proposes that it was just a drafty room and not the magical workings of spirit magic. 

John storms off, his chair crashing to the floor behind him. Mary finds him in the conservatory, where he bitterly stews over his memory of Henry. John reveals some additional insight into his music box FEELINGS. He also played the music box to drown out the sound of his parents arguing. (Specifically, his parents arguing about HIM and his safety.) Mary concludes that he was angry at himself as well - for failing to be ENOUGH. To keep his dad with him. GAH!

Henry appears, a flickering but warm presence. He assures John that what happened was Henry’s fault, not John.

Mary heads off to get Millie, which gives John and Henry an opportunity to display vulnerability without manly man masks. John cuts to the chase: the Akrida are back. They have the ostium but it’s broken. Henry proposes that the ostium is NOT broken, but instead just needs a quick power-up. The energy source that powers the box ensures the location of the portal on the other end of the transporting ostium. They need to power it up Akrida-style, in order to zap the Akrida back to their world. John has a piece of the Akrida energy source - it’s hidden in the jasmine vine growing along the side of the garage. 

Henry and John spare a moment to talk about John’s larger arc, and Henry warns John that he’s stepped into a dangerous world. “Watch out for yourself, and your mom,” he instructs. And OOOOOOH that’s gonna sting when John fails to save Millie sometime in the future. (I’m sorry, but we’re all thinking it???) 

Millie arrives in time for the flickering Henry to tell her that he loves her - both of them, in fact. He fades away. 

Later, the Scooby Gang passes a rock around - the Akrida energy source. Mary sets it on the box and it glows, opens, and swallows up the rock. BOOM. They head out to the tunnels to track Roxy. If they trap her in the box, the whole colony will collapse. Ada warns that the box won’t be able to swallow up every Akrida. Eventually it will lose power. 

John and Mary head inside, and Akrida-possessed humans step out to block their way. While Mary and John prepare to fight, Mary reminds John that they “have to use demon possession rules” - so, like, be super careful not to kill the hosts. I laugh and laugh and then cry a little too, my fists clenched in voiceless agony. We get a great action fight scene in the hallway, the camera traveling, agile. I enjoy the style! (Good work, Speight)

Elsewhere, Carlos and Lata find the lab from before. They locate the monster essences, but there’s someone at the door before they can do more than run and hide. The Akrida woman who discovered the doors in the tunnel arrives to remove the monster serum and transport it to places unknown. 

Millie and Ada stake out the scene when the cop from before knocks on the window. He orders them to get out of the car and Millie whacks him with a bat in reply. 

John and Mary, meanwhile, encounter Roxy. Mary whips out the box. The ostium sucks in Roxy and one of the Akrida, leaving a third behind to growl angrily. Wherps. Not the queen, then.

Mary and John flee, ending up in a room with no way out. They banter, riffing off of episode one dialogue to reflect on their first monster excursion. Remember all the way back then? Man, they were kids then, amirite? John makes his move and they kiss passionately, to swelling music. The Akrida break down the doors. It’s looking bad for our heroes, when an ostium-like light spills out and the monsters all get sucked inside. It’s…SAMUEL to the rescue! I am seriously just happy enough for Mary that I forget how much I dislike Samuel post-resurrection.

Emotional reunions have to wait, however. The Akrida pulls up to the entrance of the tunnels at their dig site. They gather around the doors and open them up. The Akrida woman with the vials of monster essence heads inside, her eyes full of wonder. She promises to make the Akrida QUEEN strong again.

__

Don’t You Quote About Me:

Didn’t any of you guys ever go to Sunday school?

I know what you’re thinking and you’re wrong

“How insane are we talking?” “Certifiable with a side of sassy”

Plants break the earth to reach for the sun

Guess I shouldn’t be surprised he didn’t show up. He didn’t come to my baseball games either

__

 Want to read more? Check out our Recap Archive!

[found--family]

look guys it's henry winchester. it's john's father.

[disasterbijedi]

i’m putting my money on the theory that this is a parallel universe. one where john knows about hunting, henry winchester died in the 50s with the rest of the men of letters, and samuel campbell has got a full head of hair.

[youchangedmedean]

getting corned in a room with no way out and making grand confessions of love

John & Mary 🤝 Dean & Cas

[minalblood]

Ep 7, finally! Sorry fellas took a while.

I will try to skip past the Despair destiel parallels since they've been mentioned often enough and focus on other stuff i find interesting.

Ok 1stly Carlos jokingly saying they should try jumper cables for the Ostium only to then look back at Lata judgingly was A++ friendship moments.

Love the Tony mention from Ada so much!

I will say all the shell company and warehouse talk reminds me of spn season 7 and the Leviathan plans which to be fair, the Akrida's plans are basically the same. Both hungry, some type of shapshifting beings. Kinda wanna know which came first for Chuck, cuz we know the Leviathan are meant to have been genuine creature vs the Akrida who were deliberately made as fail safe plague.

Mary big mad this ep beginning and it's all because of her worry.

God I still love the Akrida design and I also adore their growls!!! Tho I add that the fact that they can feel pain but cannot be killed save for something out of this world is hella intriguing, feels like something a, to quote Chuck, "cruel, capricious God" would do.

I adore Carlos brain! They're soooo smart and it's constantly shown in all the subtle ways but it's so consistent throughout that I love it. And not just generally, but also emotionally speaking, especially highlighted in the scene with Mary. Putting the right blame on the shifters, being honest about dealing or not with their parents death and still succeeding in bringing Mary's spirit up.

Why would John be so shocked that Henry would've written something for the MoL? Henry was a MoL so it really shouldn't be that surprising that he wrote stuff down. I personally think it's because he chose not to ask more questions because it would've fucked with him too much and he couldn't handle it.

Millie in the Clubhouse! Finally! She's still too harsh, but this time I tend to give her tiny bit more benefit of the doubt since it's obvious being in the Clubhouse is bringing up all the very complicated feelings she has deliberately not dealt with about Henry. It's why she can go from mentioning love letters with a soft gentle loving tone one moment and then insulting Henry's chicken scratch and its supposed use in saving the world. She has dealt a lot more with her feelings about Henry these past... weeks months? since all the stuff began, especially having received a clear answer about where Henry disappear to (he died), but that in many ways likely made it so much more complicated because the anger hasnt gone away but now it feels almost unfair to aim it so much at someone that seems to have not had a choice in abandoning them as she initially thought. She's still mad tho, not just because of that but also because she was never allowing in by Henry, not really, and we learn later that he deliberately distanced himself from her as well so being invited to the Clubhouse is a huge step in slotting into place what she feels. It's also why I think she demands so staunchly to know exactly what's happening because last time she didn't, Henry died.

The implication that Samuel Campbell is messy from Mary gave me such a John's room in Pilot vibes. Love that parallel (read: hate)

The mention from the Akrida possessing Roxy bout Roxy's beauty is made sooo much worse by the later episode about her possession, but with it in my mind, it give such icky vibes now. Besides the sheer disregard about Roxy's life. It makes it even more clear how much humans are just things for the Akrida to use and discard whenever. And that will only be made more apparent in later episodes.

Carlos' miiind!! The hex bag!! God I love them.

Interesting just for me I guess, but the fact that u just need to know the ingredients of a hex bag to find it, is sooo fun. I have so many questions.

I also love seeing Millie adjusting to the whole supernatural thing, her mind just going and her saying shit only to find out she might actually be onto something to them using her plan. Love that, especially love that it happens in connection to Ada. Millie and Ada have been pretty linked throughout the show so far, and I love that it's while Millie is talking to Ada, one of the few people who actually knew Henry and Henry allowed in, that she gets the idea she does. I also think it's very important that Ada does tell her the stuff Millie didnt know.

Ok, maybe controversial opinion here but I actually agree with Ada here, John is not closed off like Henry. He just isnt here. He is extremly reactive which means you will know what you get with him cuz he will make it clear, in a very bone headed way, sure , but it will be clear what he feels. There are of course things he doesn't disclose, but it aint about him being open, its just that he isnt closed off like Henry. Henry who his wife thought didnt even think of her or if he did it wasn't good terms at least toward the end, Henry who planted a protective plant for his family but never said anything about it. John, in spn, certainly does become closed off like that, id say he gets even more closed off but not this John, not yet and hopefully never. This john is just angry. Really angry, but it's still not the same insurmountable situation.

I adore Lata's excitement about all things monster.

Ahhhhhh I miss you all too Carlos 😭😭😭 #SavetheWinchesters

Nixon being Akrida is a nod to Lucifer possessing the president vibes to me.

I kinda love that Millie sold her wedding ring, it makes sense on so many levels. 1. Shes a single mom with a business to run. 2. She s trying to distance herself from the pain Hwnry left her with. 3. She is very much a dont think about it and it'll not affect you denial stage of grief person.

The music box!

It says shit about Millie that she didnt know john still had the music box all these years. It makes it clear which parts of John's life she paid attention to (or could allow herself to pay attention to) and which not.

I hate that they cant actually deal with any of the stuff because of the short window they have, but that's how things are right? both generally and def in the spn verse, you never have the space or time to actually confront the person thats traumatised you, not really, you just have small pockets of chances to process what happened in the middle of world ending events.

Fun fact, I rewatched Inside Man recently and the spell they use here to summon Henry is the exact same one Sam and Cas use to talk to Bobby in Heaven. And the fucking meaning always hurts me, cuz it calls onto dead loved ones to answers their calls/questions abd it feels like a prayer to me tbh. I also headcannon that the reason the spell works differently here is because Henry was still in the veil rather than in heaven, but ive nothing to substantiate that.

Once more Mary and John have such a genuine relationship tho, they really are honest with each other as often as they can because of the connection and similarities they felt when they first met and everything experienced since. Unlike their spn counterparts who were very much not honest about themselves.

I really love that John gets to hear Henry unequivocally say "it was my fault, not yours". It's so so important, both that Henry immediately owned up to it, and that he made sure to let John know first that it wasnt anything he did and that he wanted to explain everything.

I also wanna point out the immediate dif in Henry's demeanor once John mentions the Akrida aka work. Henry instantly compartmentalizes alll the feels he had about seeing John and getting to see Millie because he very much knows the importance. Better to have ur family alive even though you can't get closure than risk their lives just to explain yourself.

The paaaiiinnn, the emotionssss ahhhhh!! They can't get through everything they want to say but they make sure to say the things they need and my heart hurts now thx! Im very glad Millie got to see him though. It helped close another leaking wound in her. Damn this whole ep is Millie being put through the emotional wringer as much as John and Mary are. It prolly felt really good to hit the cop in the face with a bat after all that.

Love Mary's fighting advice. It shows she gets the urgency and the need to not linger on too long since the end goal isnt to kick ass, but to actually defeat the Akrida. Her hubting experience shows and her reason for doing this shows too.

I just know Lara wouldve had a field day if she couldve gotten that monster essence. So sad for her actually.

Also you know if Ada had been left to her own devices she wouldve followed Tragic Haircut and found the Akrida queens location. We've seen she can be very cutthroat when needed and her input wasn't really needed in the van, but it was needed to follow the Akrida. Thats what i think anyways. Millie for all her harshness, would never leave the kids behind. Shes suprising soft underneath it all, Ada is surpsingly cutthroat. Yay more parallel and contrasts between them.

Oh Mary, you were wrong there and it almost cost you dearly (just like how Dean going after Billie assuming shes thanosing people went wrong). Love the call back to their first meeting. Hate the despair vibes cuz ouch. Samuel to the rescue, congrats, you did the bare minimum. ( i am not a fan of Samuel and all the call backs to Spn!john only make it worse everytime, especially the heroic last second save when he's been mia and shitty throughout otherwise).

God can't wait talking about the queen when she finally appears properly.

See y'all later for a double special of Dean alive (ish) and Trickster/Loki discussion.

[becauseofthebowties]

THE WINCHESTERS | 1.07 Reflections

[supernatural-rewatch-3]

[drsilverfish]

1x07 Reflections - Dean Picks “As Time Goes By” and “Can’t Find My Way Home”

To reflect is both to mirror and to meditate/ think upon. 

Dean, Dean, Dean... this story continues to be filled with reflections in Holy Ghost Narrator Dean’s mind, about matters of his own heart.

Honestly, when read on this level, The Winchesters is the most bittersweet of meditations.

Firstly, the characters keep saying all the emotionally meaningful stuff to each other which Dean himself needed to hear or to say:

Notice how we can read this as a reflection for Dean’s relationship with his own father (remember when he knew Azazel was possessing John, because the demon told him it was proud of him in in 1x22 Devil’s Trap, whereas his Dad would have “torn him a new one”), AND we can read it as a reflection of the moment Dean lost Castiel for the last time. Henry, like Cas in 15x18, is saying “I love you” here, as he fades out, back to another dimension. AND we can read it as a reflection of Dean telling Sam he loved him and was proud of him, whilst he lay dying on the rebar in the barn in 15x20. Henry speaks both to a lover (Millie) and to a son (John) allowing all these subtextual reflections (Dean-John, Dean-Cas, Dean-Sam). 

The music Dean picks this week is all about love and longing.

Can’t Find My Way Home can be read as Dean’s reflections on his soul leaving his own body in death, with the lyrics singing to his beloved, Castiel, about how much he wants to find his way back to him, but he can’t find him (because he’s lost in The Empty): 

Can’t Find My Way Home

Come down off your throne and leave your body alone Somebody must change You are the reason I've been waiting so long Somebody holds the key [Chorus] But I'm near the end and I just ain't got the time And I'm wasted and I can't find my way home [Verse 2] Come down on your own and leave your body alone Somebody must change You are the reason I've been waiting all these years Somebody holds the key

But I'm near the end and I just ain't got the time And I'm wasted and I can't find my way home [Outro] But I can't find my way home

We could read a Dean-longing-for-Sam reflection here too, although all the other reflections in the SPNWin 1x07 narrative point to Cas (John and Mary’s situation locked in the room with no way out, as the Akrida bear down on them, prompting John to declare his feelings with a kiss, being a strong reflection for Dean and Cas locked in the bunker with no way out, and Billie bearing down on them in 15x18 Despair, prompting Cas to declare his feelings). 

As Time Goes By, Millie and Henry’s love song, is a classic made famous because of its role in the wartime star-crossed lovers story Casablanca (1942) 

And Millie and Henry’s back-story, wherein we learn this week they fought a lot, because Henry was always leaving (and keeping Millie in the dark about his MoL work) because he was trying to protect her and young John, has echoes of the many times Cas left Dean (often to protect him, e.g. in Purgatory) when all Dean wanted was for him to stay. 

And John was so angry he broke the musical box which played the love song. Sad echoes here, of the Dean/ Cas break-up.

“You must remember this A kiss is just a kiss A sigh is just a sigh The fundamental things apply As time goes byAnd when two lovers woo They still say "I love you" On that you can rely No matter what the future brings As time goes by”   

Holy Ghost Narrator Dean sure is dreaming of a kiss: