Supernatural 2x06: Road Kill

[vaznetti]

I liked the double story here -- what Molly saw, and what Sam and Dean knew. And there were two ghosts, after all.

I liked that Molly was a ghost, too: I mean, I started to wonder the minute she got out of the car all alone, and there was more and more evidence for it as the episode progressed. It was a neat way of approaching a case -- from the ghost's perspective, for a change -- and a nice insight into Sam and Dean. Sam, especially, who was so gentle with her, and I liked the way a lot of what he said here looked back to Houses of the Holy. No one knows where the dead go, of course, not even the people who lay them to rest.

I didn't really like that, even though she was a ghost, she was playing the screaming-girl-victim part. I could have lived without that, really.

"You're like a walking encyclopedia of weirdness." I <3 Dean!

And as always, elements of Molly's story (and of the farmer's) mirror elements of Sam and Dean's story. Dean's face, listening to the speech Sam gave, at the end, about needing to move on, was interesting: he still isn't quite sure he should be here either, although he's not ready to give up and move on. And Sam's response to the photograph album, that ghosts are good people, often, at least at first -- well, that's his story too, or might be.

I rather liked the shot of Sam and Dean reading microfiche, rather than finding newspaper articles online (I wasn't hallucinating that, was I?) because really, searchable online databases of local newspaper articles are far less likely than werewolves. And speaking of that, next week's epside looks awesome.

A nice episode, aside from the screaming girl stuff. But now I'm sleepy; this was a long day. Yes. Sleepy.

Comments

[embroiderama]

I didn't really like that, even though she was a ghost, she was playing the screaming-girl-victim part.

The thing that made that somewhat better for me was that she was determined to stay there, even though she was in danger, in order to rescue her husband. She wasn't much of a badass, but she was brave.

[vaznetti]

You do make a good point here -- she was determined to stay there until she found her husband, no matter the danger to herself.

[amelia-eve.livejournal.com]

The screaminess was one thing, but the clothes really set me off. Those low-rise jeans were absolutely not happening in 1992. The devil is in the details.

[vaznetti]

You know, that put me off as well -- I kept looking at her and thinking that she couldn't be a very old ghost, because her clothes were so modern!

[dotfic.livejournal.com]

I didn't really like that, even though she was a ghost, she was playing the screaming-girl-victim part.

She was terrified, yes, but in a holding-it-together kind of way. I thought she came across as capable. She was likeable, too; I think it was easy to relate to some of her reactions -- one thing I thought this was doing was outsider pov on Winchesters (until towards the end when it was clearly more than that). But that's what I thought this was, how does this ordinary woman deal with being pushed into Sam and Dean's world.

[vaznetti]

Thinking about it now, it wasn't so much her character as the structure of the story. A lot of the early screaming-and-running was understandable terror, and then she turned out to be fairly capable. But then there was the ghost-snatching, and she ends up hanging from a hook while the other ghost carves her up. Now, granted that leads to a wonderful moment of Dean with a shotgun (and his, "call me Dean," line), but I could have lived without the reaffirmation of her victim status.

[camille-is-here.livejournal.com]

The whole girl-as-victim of the rapacious male ghost was pretty annoying to me, even if I liked her as a person and a ghost. I think it annoys me more because when girls exist in this universe at all anymore, they are victims, evil, or dead. And frequently multiples--victim and dead, evil and dead. I miss Meg.

I thought they overdid the emo!Sam this week, but Dean was just delicious. If he would just stop being so Dean, I could stop watching.

[vaznetti]

I like emo Sam, so I didn't mind that. Dean seemed a little abrupt, but in the larger story that worked well -- after all, she's a ghost, hanging on to life she isn't supposed to have any more. Dean's not going to let himself sympathize.

The whole girl-as-victim of the rapacious male ghost was pretty annoying to me, even if I liked her as a person and a ghost.

Yes, that's it exactly -- I liked the character a lot, but it was the structure of the story that bothered me there.

[camille-is-here.livejournal.com]

I like emo Sam too, but I thought there were times in this ep that it felt more like JP was playing emo Sam than that Sam was really that emo. Which sounds dumb, I guess, because that's what was happening for real.

However, I loved the boys admitting that they have no idea what happens to a ghost when it is salted and burned, no matter what their dad said. Because they salted and burned dad. And I am not sure what a ghost is, but if it is a spirit, then what did they think they were doing to dad?

I also loved Dean's "I don't like'em, I kill 'em" attitude here, because for meit came across as a warning to Sam --not about Sam. "I'd rather die" sort of drew the line in the sand on Sammy. But that he was running short on patience about Sammy wanting to save the monsters.

But I think she was not evil because of the reason she was trapped. She wasn't angry about dying or trying to get revenge for anything. In fact, her attachment was completely outwardly directed and benign--she thought her husband was in danger and she wanted to save him. So she couldn't move on until she saw that he had in fact been saved. Sam said some ghosts are held here by love, and sometimes that can go really bad--not wanting to let go of somebody who is moving on. The problem there is that you are a ghost, so even if you succeed in stopping the moving on, you can't really get your life back. But if you are stuck trying to save somebody, then seeing that they are saved should let you go. And it did. Which, I thought, was one the coolest part of the show.

[destina.livejournal.com]

There were interesting parallels in this story, and depending on where you stand and what angle you view the episode from, there are many ways to see them. *g*

The screaming bugged me, too. Alas.

[vaznetti]

There were interesting parallels in this story, and depending on where you stand and what angle you view the episode from, there are many ways to see them.

I am looking forward to reading your take on the episode!

[cofax7]

Yeah, the scene where Sam was talking about the ghosts being victims of circumstances beyond their control was totally Sam worrying about his own issues.

I didn't mind the screaming so much, because honestly, I'd have been screaming too. She was doing more than screaming, and she was not irrational, either.

In fact that was kind of odd: basically all the other ghosts they've met have been kind of irrational, and she wasn't, she was like a real person, not just part of one stuck there in an endless loop. I mean, what other ghosts have they been able to argue into going away? Not even Father Gregory, who got a ceremony (if a bogus one).

[se-parsons.livejournal.com]

Their mom was like this. She was not only rational, she was protective and interactive to both her own kids and the kids who lived in her house and were threatened by the poltergeist.

[kernezelda]

Clearly, blondes make better ghosts.

[vaznetti]

I do wonder, though, how conscious Mary was of herself until Sam recognized her; but then, there had to be something there for him to recognize in the first place.

[se-parsons.livejournal.com]

I wonder if it might not have something to do with being "on" all the time vs. appearing only one night a year with a discrete purpose.

Mary was always there trying to protect and only had enough oomph to destroy the poltergeist by eating up her own essence or whatever. I think the boys showing up freed her to do that, or she would have not taken it on knowing it would destroy her.

Roadkill girl (Molly?) didn't even know she was dead. She appeared full on and solid one night a year trying to find her husband, so all her power as a ghost was saved up for a discrete event that happened annually.

I think it's probably harder on a ghost to be in Mary's position. Probably dissipates their power somewhat.

That's my theory, anyway.

[vaznetti]

I think what irritated me wasn't so much the character as the role she was playing in the story -- that she was the victim/bait figure. Her reactions as reactions made sense.

She was much more together than most ghosts, but I think you could see hints of the endless-loop at moments, especially when she was talking about finding her husband. As for persuading her... ::handwaves:: Either we'll see that kind of thing again, or we won't. mary did go more-or-less of her own accord.

[octavia-b.livejournal.com]

I rather liked the shot of Sam and Dean reading microfiche, rather than finding newspaper articles online (I wasn't hallucinating that, was I?) because really, searchable online databases of local newspaper articles are far less likely than werewolves.

Yeah, I liked that too because it's one of the little things that bugs me about the way 'research' is presented on tv and in movies. I know the internet is big but most of the nitty-gritty is still not going to be online. Generalities, yeah, but not specifics. So it was a nice moment.