Supernatural 3x12: Jus In Bello

[meg_tdj]

Ahhh, the magical disappearing tattoos, LOL. Whoever placed them right up near the boys' collar bones must have been kicking themselves ever since. We should see Sam's in almost every episode with those v-necks he wears, but we've only seen it, what... twice after this ep? And just plain ole bare skin otherwise. *shakes head* ;)

I love the sense of claustrophobia in this ep, with practically the whole thing going down inside that tiny police station. Really ramped up the creep factor, and also probably saved them lots of budget for other eps.

Is it wrong that I hate Lilith more for killing Henriksen, Nancy, and cute deputy guy than for anything else she ever did? Because I kinda do. That was just SO WRONG, and so very sad. :(

This episode was originally supposed to air before Mystery Spot, but with the stupid strike and everything they wanted to end on a more explosive episode in case it was the season finale. I think it works this way around, though - Sam was oddly quiet through the whole thing, and he got pretty cold at times. It could be explained away that he was still PTSDing. When he grabbed Nancy out of the blue after being so sweet and convincing I just about fell out of my seat, though. It was the awesomest moment of the entire episode, as far as I'm concerned, but still... I'm glad Dean smacked him for it. He deserved that. :P

Nancy... I adored her. Finally, a God-fearing character representin' for the abstainers of the world! But then they gave her that stupid "I'm going to have so much sex" line. Yeah, so much for that. But seriously, that girl had just had her faith AFFIRMED, not destroyed. I get that they were going for a light moment, and showing that almost being the "virgin sacrifice" had freaked her out, but still. She knows for a fact that heaven and hell are real now. Casual sex would be the farthest thing from her mind. Just bugs me.

But anyway. The demon cloud blanketing the building was AWESOME. Loved that. And considering they say in 99 Problems that they'd never seen that many demons in one place before, there must have been a heck of a lot! The 30 or so in this ep seemed like a huge crowd. And the mass exorcism was too awesome for words. And the toilet holy water! Hahahahaha!!

In the DVD special feature for this episode, Sera mentioned that they did plan for the next Big Bad to be a male demon, until Sera got the idea to use Lilith. So I guess the CRD and Tammi using male pronouns to talk about the up-and-comer was bad planning rather than a mislead. :P

Henriksen's comment that the Winchesters are like "Hannibal Lecter and his half-wit little brother"... while I felt like slapping him for it, the outside world WOULD see them that way. It was kind of a perfect description of how they'd come across to people.

I love that the boys, especially Dean, didn't look all that scared until Henriksen said they'd never see each other again. THEN they had something to panic about. And they both sat forward and glared at him when he suggested their dad sexually abused them. I don't know how Henriksen can say all this stuff and I still love him madly, but somehow he gets away with it. ;)

Sam Latinated the heck out of this ep. It's too bad they can't set up massive speakers that broadcast to entire cities and exorcise all the demons withing hearing distance, isn't it? That would be cool. ;)

I love the way Henriksen just stood there while everyone around him was panicking and the lights went out and everything. Gah, that man was just TOO AWESOME. Too awesome to live, apparently. *sigh* I still miss him. He would have made such a kickbutt hunter, and he never got a chance. :(

I love that Sam referred to his demon possession when Henriksen was exorcised. "That's what it feels like. Now you know." Poor guy, he knows better than anyone by now. And his comment that they'd had the tats "not long enough." Yeah, if only they'd thought of it a year earlier... but nah, then we wouldn't have gotten BUABS. :P

Loved seeing Dean and Henriksen bonding while they prepped their guns. They would have made such good buddies.

Sam looked so relieved to see Ruby. I'm telling you, he really started to feel connected with her after Malleus. Oh Saaaaaaaam! I love the way she waltzed in and took over, btw. And they kinda let her, until the whole virgin sacrifice thing, heh. Sam's complete lack of response to that was really telling. Was he really thinking of saving the 30 people outside, or just that he couldn't let Dean die in that station, at any cost? I kind of wonder if that decision was part of the overall manipulation. I mean, Bela was working for Lilith, so it could have been her that set up the whole police station scenario in the first place.

And the episode ends with Ruby saying "next time, we go with my plan." I bet the writers had something planned for "next time" that we never got to see. *sigh* Have I mentioned lately how much I LOATHE that writers' strike?

Quotes -

Henriksen: Hi, guys. It's been a while.

Henriksen: You have any idea who we're about to bring in here?
Sheriff: Yeah, a couple of fugitives.
Henriksen: The most dangerous criminals you've ever laid your eyeballs on. Think Hannibal Lecter and his half-wit little brother.

Henriksen: I got 'em.
Groves: Well, I'll be damned. I was betting on your headstone reading "Couldn't catch the Winchester boys."

Henriksen: You know what I'm trying to decide?
Dean: I don't know. What, whether Cialis will help you with your little condition?
Henriksen: What to have for dinner tonight. Steak or lobster? What the hell... surf and turf. I got a lot to celebrate, I mean, after all... seeing you two in chains?
Dean: You kinky son of a bitch, we don't swing that way!

Henriksen: Life sucks. Get a helmet. Cause everybody's got a sob story, but not everybody becomes a killer.

Groves: What can I say? The FBI didn't invent bureaucracy, we perfected it.

Sam: How's the shoulder?
Dean: Awesome. *sighs* I'll live. You know, if we get out of here alive.

Sam: We're like sitting ducks in here.
Dean: Yeah, I know. *yells* Would it kill these cops to bring us a snack?!

Dean: It's kinda wild, right? I mean, it's like they're comin' right for us. They've never done that before. It's like we got a contract on us or something. Think it's because we're so awesome? I think it's 'cause we're so awesome.

Henriksen: I, uh... I shot the sheriff.
Dean: But you didn't shoot the deputy.

Dean: I owe you the biggest "I told you so" ever.

Sam: Everybody okay?
Henriksen: Define okay.

Henriksen: Shotgun shells full of salt.
Dean: Whatever works.
Henriksen: Fightin' off monsters with condiments. So turns out demons ARE real.
Dean: FYI - ghosts are real, too. So are werewolves, vampires, changelings, evil clowns that eat people...
Henriksen: Okay, then.
Dean: If it makes you feel better, Bigfoot's a hoax.
Henriksen: It doesn't.

Ruby: Are you gonna let me out?
Sam: *kneels down to break the devil's trap*
Ruby: And they say chivalry's dead. Does anyone have a breath mint? Some guts splattered in my mouth while I was killing my way in here.

Ruby: I'm sorry, I must have blood in my ear. I thought I just heard you say that you were stupid enough to let the Colt get grabbed out of your thick, clumsy, idiotic hands.
Sam: *no response*
Ruby: Fantastic. This is just peachy.
Sam: Ruby...
Ruby: *holds up hand* Shut up.

Ruby: So, you let the Colt out of your sight, and now I have to die. So next time, be more careful. How's that for a dying wish?

Sam: This is insane.
Ruby: You win understatement of the year.

Henriksen: Hell of a story I won't be telling.

Comments

[aja-evenstar.livejournal.com]

This was one of my favourite episodes of season 3. It's almost one of my favourites episodes of the whole show as well, but that's a hard call to make with all the other amazing episodes?

One of the reasons i love this episodes so much is because of the actual writing itself. I mean, it is not easy to have an episode that is basically set in one place, and has a huge level of talking rather than action. AND SERA DID SUCH A GREAT JOB. And on a more superficial level, the blue tone to the episode does wonders with making the boys look hot ;) Hahaha.

I LOVE the moment when Sam is sweet to Nancy, and then suddenly pulls her in to grab the cross. It shocked the living daylights out of me when i first watched it too LOL, but i don't know why its so entertaining O_O It's just one of my favourite scenes. I also love watching Dean's expressions in the background. His goofy smile when Officer Amici's got his gun on Sam hahahaha, so good. And Dean's little whack was great.

The special effects, speficially the huge demon cloud, was amazing in this episode! The effects had improved dramatically by this point in the show anyway, but i think that was the first time we'd had a really epic display. The way it crackeld with electricity, and almost acted like it was alive? So good! And that mass exorcism is, to this day, one of my favourite destroy-the-bad-guy scenes of the series.

I had always been annoyed with that moment in Malleus Maleficarum when Tammy refers to the "bag guy" as a "he", and i knew that it had been Sera who suggested making the demon a female, but i never considered the idea that she hadn't suggested it until after that episode was written. I can put my irks to rest now lol.

Ugh. The reactions the boys gave to being told they'd be separated. Too much love.

And Latin Sam? Life is so, so complete.

[meg-tdj.livejournal.com]

YESSSSS. Totally agree. The writing was amazing, the directing was amazing, the acting was amazing, the whole thing was just... perfect. I'm glad it wasn't the end of the season, but it would have gone out on a high note if it was.

[peach-megumi.livejournal.com]

This really is an amazingly good episode. I have to say that ever since it aired, all I can think when I look back at various episodes is just how many crime scenes have their fingerprints or blood or weapons all over them. Then, given the way they were raised, it's really no wonder that they come across like insane serial killers of the most dangerous type. Hannibal Lecter, indeed. Although, I doubt very much that anyone's half-wit little brother scores a full ride to an ivy-league university. Just saying.

I do adore Henriksen, though, and Nancy. Definitely, let's hear it for the sweet virgin girl! Proof that people can make it past eighteen without having sex. ::cheers:: Sorry - bit of a pet peeve of mine. Slightly sick of the viewpoint that virgins are basically just people who can't find someone to sleep with, rather than people who are making a moral choice. ...and I just ignore that one line as comic relief, haha.

Henriksen, though, is insanely awesome. Part of what makes him so good (and makes him able to get away with the awful things he says) is that in any other show, he would so be the guy we're rooting for. I mean, he's the tough but nice FBI agent taking out the dangerous serial killers - that makes him a good guy. Plus, once he sees just what is actually going on, he very much does what needs to be done. No panic, just determination. He would have made a good ally for the boys - and a good hunter. Plus, he and Dean ended up getting along so well! I was really upset that he got killed. Especially after all that they went through over the course of the episode.

The episode itself was amazing on any number of levels - it is so tense to watch it. A lot of it is, I think, the feeling of claustrophobia that you mentioned. Plus, there is a lot of seriously badass action - from Ruby to the holy awesome latin batman and everything in between. All of the demons were awesome and insanely freaky. Plus, really good for Ruby - she gets to kill a whole bunch of them to prove herself as being on their side, and one gets the impression that she never really liked other demons anyway, so... Sam really does already trust her so much by this point, and I feel like it benefitted this episode a lot to be after Mystery Spot - you can see his contemplation of her idea as being part of who he is after months of dealing not only with Dean dying over and over, but then with Dean's actual death.

Ugh, it's just so good. I would love to know what else they had in store for us after this ep.

[meg-tdj.livejournal.com]

I have to say that ever since it aired, all I can think when I look back at various episodes is just how many crime scenes have their fingerprints or blood or weapons all over them.

LOL I know, we've seen them wipe their fingerprints, what, twice? I would have thought they'd have taken a page from Bela's book and burned their fingerprints off by now.

Definitely, let's hear it for the sweet virgin girl! Proof that people can make it past eighteen without having sex. ::cheers:: Sorry - bit of a pet peeve of mine. Slightly sick of the viewpoint that virgins are basically just people who can't find someone to sleep with, rather than people who are making a moral choice.

YES. Nothing wrong with learning self-control at a young age, IMO. It should be encouraged, not made fun of.

Part of what makes him so good (and makes him able to get away with the awful things he says) is that in any other show, he would so be the guy we're rooting for. I mean, he's the tough but nice FBI agent taking out the dangerous serial killers - that makes him a good guy.

Totally agreed. And I love that Sam and Dean never treated him as a bad guy. They knew he was just doing his job, you know? He tried to save people just like they do, it's just that he didn't have all the right information. Until the end, when it was too late. *sigh* I miss that guy!

I feel like it benefitted this episode a lot to be after Mystery Spot - you can see his contemplation of her idea as being part of who he is after months of dealing not only with Dean dying over and over, but then with Dean's actual death.

Exactly, I thought it worked out really well. Can't say that for the other eps they've switched around, unfortunately.

[amberdreams.livejournal.com]

I don't know what it was about Victor, but I'm with you, I loved his character and was totally gutted they bumped him off. Shocked too. That was a hell of a twisted ending!
I hadn't picked up that Cialis reference, never having heard of it before - just looked it up and that was quite a funny insult from our Dean there I had missed entirely before!

[meg-tdj.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I really wasn't expecting everybody at the police station to die at the end. :(

LOL The Cialis thing... there's a blooper where Jensen pronounces it wrong, and the director corrects him, and Jared's like "How did you know that, Phil? Hahahaha!" ;)

[powerof3.livejournal.com]

♥

[meg-tdj.livejournal.com]

LOL Best quote ever. :D