Supernatural Episode 7.11 Review: Smile, Though Your Heart is Aching
I'll admit, I found out about Bobby's fate shortly before Supernatural aired tonight and I was so angry. Angry enough that I typed three pages about my feelings. Then I watched the episode and I was still angry (and I saw where they were going with the whole thing). After the episode, I didn't throw away my rant, but I did modify it, because despite Frank's big proclamation about why hunters do what they do, I still think there's flaws in the argument. I also apologize about the length of this review, but I had so many things to say about motivation after watching it that literally spans the entire series, so I hope you'll stick with it.
The Five Stages of Grief
However, before we get to that, let's start at the beginning. Bobby (Jim Beaver) is dead. Supernatural took a page out of Twilight's book (and it pains me to even admit I know this scene happened in that movie) and showed the passage of time with silent stares. After Bobby flat-lined in the hospital, the boys regrouped at Rufus'cabin. A few weeks past. Sam (Jared Padalecki) brooded, while Dean (Jensen Ackles) silently planned his revenge against Dick Roman. Said plan included a hunter's wall of clippings, photos and notes, along with sending the numbers Bobby wrote on Sam's hand to Frank to decipher their meaning. Well, it was taking Frank a few weeks to get back to Dean, so the eldest Winchester decided to head off to see him. Sam, meanwhile, went off on a case, but we'll get to that later.
Dean managed to track down Frank and they both convinced the other that they weren't leviathans in disguise. Dean pushed Frank to tell him the meaning of the numbers and eventually Frank revealed they were coordinates, with one number missing. Specifically, coordinates to a field in Wisconsin. So they headed there to do surveillance, only to realize that the field was already being surveilled by Dick Roman and his people. After tapping into the video feed, they spotted a woman surveying the property, indicating that someone was going to be built there. That's when Dean got called away to help Sam on his case.
So, a Hunter Walked Into a Diner....
Speaking of Sam's case, it's clear that it was meant to draw parallels to the Winchester's life. Before the boys separated, Sam took a call on Bobby's phone from a 14 year old girl named Krissy, who was looking for help. Sam wanted to help her and tracked her down, only to learn her father went missing. He realized her father was a hunter and set off to follow his trail. He came across two monsters in a diner where the hunter (Lee) was last seen. These monsters - vetalas - were sort of similar to vampires in that the drank blood. Sam got ambushed by two of them and brought to a warehouse where he found Lee (still alive) and several other drained hunters.
That's when Dean was called up by Krissy and learned that his brother had disappeared. He also realized Sam didn't know that vetalas hunted in pairs based on a voicemail Sam left for his brother. So he headed to Krissy's apartment and quickly realized she knew her father was a hunter. Not only that, but she demanded that Dean take her on the rescue mission. Like I said on Twitter during the episode, Dean finally met his match in a teenage girl. Krissy was sassy and fairly self-confident. Dean was convinced she was afraid - or should have been - when faced with a real hunt, but she was able to handle herself. They tracked down the warehouse and Dean went inside, handcuffing Krissy to the steering wheel.
Unfortunately, Dean couldn't exactly get the jump on the two vetalas inside. And then Krissy burst in and got captured. It looked like all hope was lost until the girl managed to stab the vetala holding her and freed Sam, who killed the other monster.
Later, at the hospital, Dean told Lee he should quit the life so that his daughter could be normal. Lee insisted that hunters didn't just quit the life, but Sam and Dean had hopes that this family could. Like I said, there were so many parallels between Lee and Krissy and the Winchesters. You had a single father raising a child to hunt. Krissy nearly lost her father like Sam and Dean had recently lost their father figure. And Dean was trying to convince Lee to take an option that the Winchesters could no longer take. This is where my problem lies, but we'll get to that soon enough. The point is the brothers had another 'emo conversation in the car'moment at the end of the episode, where Sam said he wasn't fine, but just wanted to work. Dean, meanwhile, just wants to go on.
Bobby, the Friendly Ghost
So, Bobby's dead. But we all know where this is going, right? No one actually came out and said it, but it's clear that Bobby is around. Remember that scene at the beginning where Dean's beer disappeared? Well, I'm pretty sure that was Bobby. Not because ghost Bobby likes to drink, but because he was trying to stop Dean from burying his grief in alcohol, as per usual. So, now is the opportune time to talk about my reaction to what happened to Bobby, the flaws in Frank's argument, and why something's gotta give.
Concluded on next page....
I believe them being stripped of everything is the whole point of this season. I also think everything will be restored in a big way. I think that the end of this season will hopefully redeem it in its entirety. It is my belief in this that has me very excited again in this show. I was pretty down on it at about episode 3 and had lost faith (after the first two amazing episodes), but now that everything is gone I'm looking forward to how things will transpire. I enjoy every episode now because it is truly a well written and acted show and I think we are a little spoiled by that and take it for granted.
I just love how you can take the thoughts tumbling in my head and turn them into an articulate article!
I also uwittingly saw the "Bobby's dead" spoiler about an hour before the show came on, and I was PISSED. Thinking about it now, I think it colored the way I saw the episode. I never really felt into the story until the very end, back with the boys, the music, the car and the open road.
I think I need a re-watch before I can truly pass judgment, but all-in-all I liked it. As long as they don't try to turn Frank into a de-facto Bobby that is.
Could it be the writers are trying to draw it all to a close? Not what I want, but maybe they have to leave certain doors of possibility open if the show can’t go on much longer.
I like your review. Too tired to fully comprehend now, so I must read again tomorrow & may offer more ideas/speculation.
I don't believe Bobby is gone, and the last scene of Dean holding back the tears was just heartbreaking! As for what Dean and Sam have to fight for, well, I think they have a purpose beyond saving people and hunting things. Their hero's journey is not over. While Sam's journey was completed in Swan Song, which really was a lazy way to finish an arc that had built up so much promise, Dean's journey was left hanging. Dean's story is being told and his journey and how it fits in the cosmic order has yet to unfold. SPN has the potential to build an arc that will hopefully be satisfying.
I love SPN and I'm prepared to believe they might be able to deliver and give Dean and Sam their just rewards.
Wow, can I just say that I'm blown away I am by the brilliance and thoughtfulness of this review. And it actually doesn't feel like a rant to me, more like a carefully proposed argument. I'm also bummed by Bobby supposedly final death, but on the other hand, I have to say after 'Death's Door' I don't think I would have taken any other possible outcome for keeps. It just would have cheapened the episode and I do think that Bobby is in our future. What I do agree with (and you have finally put together the sting that I've been looking for all season concerning the 'strip-down-plan' as Sera called it) was the reason to fight. The thing is, I cannot imagine our brilliant writers not being aware of it and doing it with the purpose of addressing exactly that issue (because that's what not only the Winchesters, but also the Show is struggling with after all, isn't it? The fickle five-year-plan and the thing of the Apocalpyse Then) and I have faith in the show and the people who work so hard for it (cast and crew) that they're working on something grand.
Wow, can I just say that I'm blown away I am by the brilliance and thoughtfulness of this review. And it actually doesn't feel like a rant to me, more like a carefully proposed argument. I'm also bummed by Bobby supposedly final death, but on the other hand, I have to say after 'Death's Door' I don't think I would have taken any other possible outcome for keeps. It just would have cheapened the episode and I do think that Bobby is in our future. What I do agree with (and you have finally put together the sting that I've been looking for all season concerning the 'strip-down-plan' as Sera called it) was the reason to fight. The thing is, I cannot imagine our brilliant writers not being aware of it and doing it with the purpose of addressing exactly that issue (because that's what not only the Winchesters, but also the Show is struggling with after all, isn't it? The fickle five-year-plan and the thing of the Apocalpyse Then) and I have faith in the show and the people who work so hard for it (cast and crew) that they're working on something grand.
Also, taking up a thread of thought from a previous commenter, I think this season is only going to work in its entirety. The season arc's been very tight and driven every since the first minute and I think after the sometimes floundering and a bit aimless plots of season six, they felt that the show needed that, even if it's a daring approach because it relies on the audience and their continuous loyalty no matter what happenes. I think that Supernatural and particularly the show's fans have proven time and again that they are those people and I'm willing to trust in the fact that the producers know what they're doing and will give us an amazing final showdown and a season that will be delight to rewatch and find all these gossamer threads of the big picture that you must miss because you haven't seen it yet.
That means to succeed they have to deliver of course, but I know they have it in them and I want them to triumph, so I'm going to watch and learn and be entertained and fill the holes with interpretations like we always do.
Since episode 2:01, beginning when John Winchester was killed, never to really return, 'death' has come to every supporting character on the show. People thought Castiel and Bobby were different – somehow immune to this – apparently they're not.
The Winchesters soldier on.
I think that is the point. I think the Winchesters themselves are the hope. We, the world, have hope because the Winchesters are our wayward sons and they carry on. Sam and Dean to me represent everybody who fights the good fight — who stand up for those who can't, who go on when others would falter.
I doubt that Show is finished with Bobby, or Cas for that matter, just yet – I mean, both have been dead before and it is Supernatural after all. So it wouldn't surprise me if one or both are brought back. But neither will it surprise me if they are not.
I really like that perspective. I like to believe Bobby will be back and I would be surprised if he isn't, at least in some way.
i like this i dont think spn will if bobby or cas are gone i mean its about the winchesters their my hope and as long as their there im good =)
Excellent article! Let me just say a few things. I apologize in advance for how long this comment is going to be. First, this article doesn't seem like a rant at all. This seems like someone who loves Supernatural constructively criticizing the direction the show has taken. Second, I wholeheartedly agree with you. Your article says (quite eloquently) what I've been saying for a while now. Killing off all the people that the Winchesters care about makes it very difficult for the audience to get invested in the hero's journey. I do think it's important for the heroes to lose people along their journey, but SPN has gone overboard in that regard. The writers, showrunners, or whomever is in charge of these decisions seem to be under the impression that it's necessary to kill off all the supporting characters in the name of "raising the stakes" for the Winchesters. The truth is, the more people you kill off and the smaller the Winchester's world becomes, the lower the stakes become. If you've killed off all the supporting characters in their world, they no longer have any investment in the world, so what's the point in them trying to save it? If Dean's world is Sam and Sam's world is Dean, then they've got that right there in the Impala and there's no point in them even really worrying about anyone/anything else. I also agree with your point that a hunter needs to actually choose hunting. In the beginning, Dean and Sam didn't have a choice, and given everything that they've done/seen I unfortunately don't think it's possible for them to live the "normal" life. But it is possible for them to find meaning in the life that has chosen them. It can't just be about revenge. It can't just be about not leaving your brother out there alone. You've got to choose to do it because you want to save people. You've got to actually choose hunting. Bobby was right when he told Dean he had to find a reason to keep going. And revenge ain't enough. Finally, eliminating all the supporting characters from the Winchester universe also means that we don't get to see the main characters grow. Supporting characters are necessary not just to provide interesting characters alongside the leads. They are necessary to reveal the hero's character, state of mind, and feelings. Look at how much we learned about Bobby from his interactions with Rufus. Look at how much we learned about Dean from his interactions with Ellen and Jo. One of my favorite moments in SPN is the first time that Dean met Rufus back in S3. That one simple conversation revealed a great deal about Dean. There are all these great storylines that could happen, but as soon as we (the audience) fall in love with a supporting character (Ash, Ellen, Rufus, Bobby, Cas, Gabriel, etc.) the writers kill them off. I've heard the argument that the killing off the characters is done to demonstrate how dangerous a hunter's life is. Well, 7 seasons in, I'm pretty sure we all get that. And it's unnecessary and unwanted to keep losing these wonderful supporting characters just to prove that point. I liked this episode despite the fact it confirms that Bobby is dead. I think this episode was really about Dean. Dean is trying to find a reason to keep going. He's trying to find his way. I'm interested in that journey for him. I for one hope that they don't bring Bobby back in spirit form because that's just going to make me angry. They kill off all the great characters and then bring them back as spirits or temporarily in an alternate universe. How about just don't kill them all off in the first place. There's a thought.
Wow what a thought provaking article. I do agree on many of your points. Both dean and sam was driven to keep on hunting when their dad died by killing yellow eyed demon and their relationship. When the demon died dean made a deal to keep sam alive because of the family relationship. Next was sam driving through all this to kill a demon who drove his brother to hell. Then the angel cas came and told dean to save the world and of course the people hes loves bobby and sam. When sam died and lucifer and michael were gone dean brother made him promise to go to another family dean cared about lisa and ben.
Some may argue the reason their hunting is to save the world, which is true but yes their tired. Tired and emotionally wrung out. With bobby now gone and no castiel the only spark they have on saving the world is revenge on their last family member dying bobby. When dick roman is finally dead what will dean and sam fight for? the world?. The writters clearly have wiped out all resourses leaving the boys a wreck and just hanging on to each other. Who knows maybe when the finish this they will end the season because the boys have no more reason to face the world anymore because their is no family left to protect.
I dont really like what they have done with killing bobby or even if he is a ghost. Bobby was there for them through alot of the seasons and now that he is dead you have to wonder if the winchester boys are going to just snap after all this and say "im done". Other hunters for once should come and be the heroes. Why does it always have to be a burden to sam and dean?. I hope there is a happy ending to all this. And i do agree i dont want them to go live in a surban house hold with white picket fence because thats not our boys. But the boys deserve their family back or at least something else to fight for if the writters contuie onto another season. Okay thats my rant done. :)
As always, a well written write up of the show!
C'mon Jim Beaver is going to film Justified again, he probably requested to be written off the show. Yes, losing Bobby puts the winchesters on their own, but maybe they need to grow up a bit. With any luck maybe they'll find MIssouri again!
As far as a reason for them to continue the fight?… How about the fact that the leviathan know them and are hunting them. Makes sense to me. It is also all they know, all they've ever done. Remember the episode "It's A Terrible Life"? They instinctively knew they were hunters. They LOVED it for seemingly no reason other than it was something they were good at – perhaps that's reason enough.
I think Bobby returning is more likely than finding Missouri.
And the fact that the leviathans know about then isn't a good enough reason to fight. First, they could choose to simply die instead, as Dean had threatened over the voicemail when he thought Bobby burned up in their house. Second, what happens when they BEAT the leviathans? What's the reason to continue once they've defeated their current enemy.
And yes, I completely agree that they are instinctual hunters and this is the only life for them. I stated that several times. However, just because there isn't any other job for them to do, doesn't actually mean they have to do THIS ONE. I want them to find their drive again, instead of only going through the motions or thinking this is the only thing they can do until they get killed. I think their relationships give them a fulfillment that cannot only be found in hunting and their isolation is counter-productive to their purpose.
Where is the melt down that needs to happen? Sam and especially Dean, just getting back out there and hunting, it was too soon for that. I know the point they were trying to make tonight, but they did it in a piss poor way. I am sure why all remember Dean beating the crap out of the Impala after John died, something very similar should have happened tonight. Dean is broken, he isn't even able to grieve the way that he supposed to. Trust me, I love this show very much. But the writers' screwed up with the script for tonight's episode. It didn't flow and it wasn't the right time for it. Perhaps it is because I have experienced loss in real life, several times over, that I saw the defeat in Dean's eyes tonight. There is only so much a person can take before they become completely numb, when they no longer care. I've been there. It has taken me years to move past the loss of my mother, father, grandmother and sister. That is why I need the characters I love so much to be better at it than I was. TV is escapism, it is meant to be fantasy. I fell in love with this show because it was a disfunctional family that was still a family with a purpose. They would get angry about what they lost and find a way to make it right! That is something none of can do in real life. I don't want to watch my favorite character, Dean, react to Bobby's loss the same way that I did to the loss of my sister (the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back). I want, I need him to react differently. I am of course speaking as both a fan and a writer now. Every character I have ever created has experienced as much loss as I have, as Dean and Sam have, but they find the strength, the will, the courage to move on and they always have a great epiphany about the loss they suffered. I am pretty sure who ever wrote tonight's episode was attempting to include that epiphany moment, but it was not fully realized, not by any stretch of the imagination.
True fans of Supernatural know Dean and Sam inside and out, we know what to expect from them. The writers' need to be aware of this and if they are going to change these characters, they need to do it a bit better than what I saw tonight. I honestly think this might have been a good episode a little later on in the Season 7 timeline, and only if it had been better written. And as much as it pains me to say this, even the acting was off tonight. Being the theater major that I am, I am trained in suspension of disbelief, to accept that an actor is a character, but I couldn't do that tonight. For the first time ever, I saw Jensen and Jared on screen, not Dean and Sam. That is problematic. I am hoping that it was just the script that through them off. Too much was trying to be accomplished in one episode. It should have been at least two episodes: deal with Bobbie's death in one and then in the second reveal the epiphany moment.
One additional comment: it is only through loss that one can truly understand what it means to be alive. If a person never loses what they hold dear, they never learn to appreciate what they have. Dean and Sam are losing everything, but they aren't reacting to it the way that they should. The writers need to wake up and realize this before they kill the show.
Its only natural to react like this. Its human to fall into a hole before you can react foe another reason. I think the writers will find a reason for Dean ans Sam to move on beyondtheir relationship as brothers.I am kind of excited whats coming!
I have a theory.
I think they (showrunners) are trying to make the show real. Sometimes, too many times, people feels that they've lost everything in their lives, and that there's no reason to keep fighting.
I think the show pretends to prove that there's always a reason to keep fighting, despite everything is lose or doom. They're going to fight because they have to and that's the reason to keep going.
I don't like losing supporting characters, but i think i understand why they're doing it. It's like a test, in which they have to proof "faith" in the task they have to accomplish. It's an unrewarded cause, but they're going to do it because it's the right thing to do, and that's why God is going to help us in the end, because they're going to prove they're selfless.
I loved the end with Dean and "Dear Mister Fantasy"….makes you wonder what's to come…
Oh my god! none of you think that Dean actually drank the beer? Because He obviously did that a lot? jeez.
I'm rewatching the episode right now. Dean picks up the nearly full bottle of beer and holds it in his hand as he talks with Sam. At no time did he sip the liquid. A moment later he lifts the bottle into view and the liquid is completely gone. Watch the scene again, I think you'll find it's suspicious.
I actually thought That Dean had become such an alcoholic that he just didn't notice that he drunk the beer.
I would have thought that too, but he picks up a nearly full bottle and then doesn't drink it, yet it's completely empty a moment later. I also wonder whether the booze disappeared from his flask as well. He sniffs it, finds it empty and then turns to the beer bottle, which soon disappears as well. The situation is suspicious – particularly with the beer.
That wasn't his flask, it was one he found in Bobby's things when Sam was looking for the ringing cell phone.
Sorry, you're right about the flask. But the beer bottle thing still stands.
Very nice review. Enjoyed your colourful commentary in keeping with the tone of the episode. I loved it. Except for Bobby being dead (I so did not want him to be dead..bad writers MHO. Krissy was terrific. A female version of a young Dean. MOTW was interesting and quite deadly. Loved Dean in the cherry picker. Jensen is so good at subtle comedic movements. Last scene with Dean trying to smile broke my heart
Jim Beaver is onto Justified and even Mischa is doing other stuff, sometimes reality pokes it's head in and even Tv shows have to make adjustments. I think they are doing a great job. This is the Sam and Dean show after all and as long as they give them great writing and arcs I am happy. A season 8 would be great but I would also love to see these guys do other things, especially the incredible Jensen Ackles. I think Dean drank the beer and had a WTF moment and is hopefully realizing he has a problem with the juice and will not be able to be an effective hunter and will make huge mistakes. He needed a 36 hour sleep to clear out all the juice. I do expect that Beavers will possibly show up in flashbacks if his schedule permits and Mischa is on for the end of the season.
Jim Beaver's role on Justified is not permanent and he's always said that Supernatural has been very good about accommodating his other roles. I don't know what the situation is about his scheduling, but I think he'll be back regardless – and maybe even alive. As for the beer – a lot of people have commented on it, but if you watch the scene Dean very deliberately picks up a bottle that's close to being full and then when he finally lifts his hand, it's completely empty. If you listen closely, there's also a small whooshing sound in the background – the kind of sound that usually means something supernatural is going on. Whether it was ghost Bobby or not, what happened to that beer wasn't normal.
I'm with Clarissa about the beer. I had to watch the ep twice to hear the whoosing sound. But something was definitely not right about that beer situation. And I don't think it was because Dean drank it without noticing. My initial feeling is that ghost Bobby is hanging around and he's trying to get Dean's attention. I really hope that's not the case though, because that's just going to make me mad. Bobby deserves better than that.
Okay if he is a ghost – didn't they salt/burn his body at some point, as per hunter code?
And if they did or didn't – who's to say he won't return? If other "dead" characters can, perhaps Bobby can too – and would that be true or good for the show?
You would think they salted and burned his body, but the truth is that they never showed it and I think that may have been deliberate. Sam also refused to salt and burn Dean's body after he went to Hell, hoping they could find a way to bring him back. Did the boys think the same thing about Bobby? I honestly don't know. But I think the fact that they left it open means his body might still be intact.
Also, I think he WILL return. I really believe he's a ghost right now, but whether that's true or not, that doesn't mean he can't return.
I think maybe the whole point of taking everything away, leaving them only with revenge is to show that there is hope left. John resorted to revenge and basically screwed up his kids in the process. He saved people, but it was at the expense of his family. He told himself it was to learn more about the supernatural to keep them safe, but becoming their drill sergeant and keeping them on a 'need to know' basis left them with scars they're still learning how to handle. The question now is, will they fall into the same pattern? Sam did when Dean went to Hell, but he still had his brother to help pull him out. Now, with Dean bent on revenge, will he fall victim to the same reasoning? I don't think so. And I think that's the point. Sure, they've always fought for family and to save people, but Frank's point (and I think Bobby's point in 7.09) was that despite everything, they do their jobs because it's the right thing to do. That's a hero. I think whether they are alive or dead, the boys are still fighting for their family. They've seen people return, they've been to Heaven and Hell, so they know nothing is permanent, so even if their family is gone, they know they are expected to continue the fight — the family business — until they no longer can. That was the message I got from this ep and I think it was delivered well.