Saturday, April 30, 2011

Mommy Dearest


So Mommy Dearest starts with two guys leaving a bar and running into Eve, the Mother of All, in a bloody white dress. One of them says, “Heaven must be missing an angel.” Umm, he’d be a tool just for saying that, but who says that to a woman covered in blood? Eve caresses his cheek and we see black webs crackle across his skin and then disappear.

She then steps into the pub, bars the door and starts contaminating people with her evil touch. Carnage ensues as the infected attack the “untouched.”

Meanwhile, Dean is making a handful of shotgun shells with the Phoenix ash. He’s grows worried about their effectiveness after accidentally discovering the soot has no affect on him. Now that they’re armed, they have to find Eve. The boys have no way of tracking her and she’s hidden from Cass so they decide their best shot is finding something with “claws and sympathy.” Their good monster turns out to be Lenore, the vegetarian vampire from Season 2’s Bloodlust. She confesses she’s been fighting a losing battle against Eve’s siren’s call. In fact, Lenore’s nest turned bad. The boys mange to persuade her to reveal Eve’s location, but she asks that they kill her in return. As Dean and Sam hem and haw excuses, Cass dispatches her without a blink of hesitation and then zaps the boys and Bobby to Grant’s Pass, Oregon. (Angel boy gets less and less angelic.)

“I was expecting more Zombieland, less Pleasantville.” – Dean

They arrive in a small, seemingly sweet town and quickly learn Cass has been rendered powerless, which gives us my two favorite lines of the night, both delivered by Dean. “Mom is making you limp” and “Without your power you’re basically just a baby in a trench coat.”

Bobby does some research on an I-Pad to his consternation and discovers a Dr. Silver called the CDC about an illness he couldn’t identify. At the doc’s office to treat Cass’s “painful, burning sensation” they find the doctor’s gone AWOL and the ill patient is dead and oozey in the nearby shed.

The four musketeers head to the patient’s house to see if they can learn anything more. They see his “twin” at the window. Sam and Dean find five more of the same guy inside the house, all dead! WTF, is this an evil version of Multiplicity? The guy they saw at the window is barely alive. My advice? Stay away from the bleeding, coughing guy. You don’t know if he’s contagious! But noooo, they’ve got to talk to him. The guys figure out Eve’s responsible and poor Marshall croaks. Which just doesn’t make sense. If Eve is making some kind of army why would she make them sick, dying and gooey?

“I’m bathing in Purell tonight.” --Dean

The supernatural squad heads over to the bar where it all began and finds complete carnage inside. Now why wouldn’t the Sherriff know about this? Dean examines one of the bodies and finds it has vamp teeth, but the spike of a wraith. Say what? Eve’s making hybrids. Bobby tells Dean he can name the new species since he discovered it. Dean decides to call them Jefferson Starships. “Because they’re horrible and hard to kill.” A closer look shows the starships burned up, like they died from a fever.

Ah, here comes that stupid sheriff. Of course, he’s there to arrest the boys for the carnage. Fortunately, Dean hides and follows them. At the station Sam see the cops are actually starships. They kill all but one, hoping they can get some answers out of him.

They also find Dr. Silvers’ sons bound and gagged in a cell. Poor Joe and Ryan are orphans and the cute little one won’t talk. Sam and Dean see themselves in these two boys and want to safely deliver them to their uncles. Cass is pissed that they’re leaving. He wants Dean to serve the greater purpose and find Eve.

Bobby tells Cass to get over it and suggests they go poke that pig until he squeals. Bobby does his best to torture a little cooperation out of the guy, but he holds tough. Finally Cass tells him he wants five minutes alone with the guy. Bobby asks what he could possibly do without powers. We never do learn the answer to that but we hear a scream, Cass returns with his hands covered in blood and he’s got the answer they need. This dark, unsympathetic Cass is disturbing and scary. Not only has he lost his humanity, he no longer seems to care about doing what’s right in the religious sense of things.

They all head back to Ervin’s diner, the first place they went when they arrived in town. Sam wonders why she ever let them in or out. Sam and Dean intend to walk into the restaurant to draw her out. If they fail, then Bobby and Cass will still have their ash bullets. Inside, the brothers are scared to learn everyone in the diner is a starship. Just as they’re getting ready to bail the waitress, Eve, tells them to stay put. She then disarms them. Damn, so much for the phoenix bullets.

But it turns out she doesn’t want to hurt them. Even more surprising, she doesn’t want the planet destroyed. She felt she had no choice because the natural order was disturbed. Her children were being kidnapped and tortured and a mother defends her kids. To gives some punch to her message she morphs into their mom. Seems the person she wants dead is Crowley. That’s right, he’s not dead! And he’s the one hurting her babies. He’s using them to collect souls, because they’re like super fuel. He’d be all powerful with all those souls. So she’s turning everyone into her children to fight back. Her “beta tests” failed, but eventually she got it right….in little Ryan. Dirty pool! Now, we know why he didn’t speak. And the bad seed turned his brother, then killed his uncle. Wow! The 2.0 version of her infector was really clever, especially when you consider that they tested the kids.

“Beat me with a wire hanger, the answer is still no.” -- Dean

Eve wants the boys to deliver Crowley to her. In return she’ll let them live. She’ll even let Bobby and Cass, who’ve been hauled into the diner, live. Dean refuses so she threatens to turn them. Still Dean continues to bait her. Um, has he lost his ever-loving mind? He finally tells her to bite him and she does. Aaaah! Wait, she’s coughing. OMG, he fricking drank down the ash with some whiskey. She oozes to death in a most awesome way. The starships start to attack and Cass blazes them with light then heals Dean. Yay-ya!

To Cass’s disgust Dean insists on going to find Ryan. At the uncle’s house they find they’ve been ganked by demons. Cass takes off, telling the boys he’ll find Crowley. As Sam, Bobby and Dean discuss how on Earth Crowley could’ve survived, Bobby wonders if Cass let Crowley go on purpose. Dean is stunned by the accusation, but Sam is obviously following Bobby’s train of thought. I’m afraid they might be right. And, yup, they are. Cass and Crowley meet up at the diner where Crowley asks how many times he’ll have to clean up Cass’ mess. Holy cannoli. What does this mean? I thought at first Cass might be genuinely evil, but the previews show him questioning what he’s doing. That at least leaves me with hope and a whole lotta questions. Overall, great episode. I think we’re on the fast train to the finale now. I don’t expect to see a lot of levity, like last week’s show, but that’s okay as long as they have this kind of balance between humor and dark within the episode. I just ask that they keep the damn wall up in Sammy’s head because I like the brothers relationship as is. What did you think of Mommy Dearest?

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Nice recap, terri. And I agree that we're probably on the dark road to the finale (Cass seems to be a *particularly* dark road. On a semi-related note--TRISH, how excited were you about Crowley appearing again? ) And it's funny you mentioned this, Terri, because I actually turned to my husband and said, "Cass traced them there. And now they have not just one but TWO cars?") I liked last night's a lot more than I was anticipating. It semi-answered the growing question about what Cass is up to, had good character/storyline continuity (reaching back even as far as season 2), and I liked seeing the four of them (Dean, Sam, Cass and Bobby) have so much screen time together to play off each other. Bobby complaining about the iPad made me laugh. So did the "starships!" warning and the baby in a trenchcoat convo. It had enough surprises to be really engaging, and I thought it was a good example of why I got hooked on this show in the first place. When they found the two boys in the cell, I was totally suspicious, but then when they supposedly "tested" them and we saw the boys hugging their uncle...well, I was completely suckered in.

Anonymous said...

Tanya, I was suckered too. I admit they got me with the boys. I didn't suspect a thing until Eve started talking in the diner. I thought it was so cruel and clever. :)

Natalie J. Damschroder said...

Fricking Blogger just ate my really long comment! *scowl* So this is a truncated version.

Nicely done as usual, Terri. :)

Cas couldn't zap them into the doc's office because his powers were blocked.

I assumed they stole the two cars, as they always do when they're without the Impala.

No one mentioned my favorite part, when Dean asked why he has to make the call, that he doesn't keep Cas in his ass. Cas's response to the whole thing was just awesome.

I, too, loved having Lenore come back, and how realistic her situation was, and all the rest of the continuity and connection.

The anachronicity of Bobby asking for a computer amused me, especially when he had the iPad/tablet. I also loved having all four guys together.

Cas is scaring me. I love him so much, I don't want him to have gone all dark side. I hope Dean gets a little less selfish and helps him.

Only three episodes left! *sob*

Trish Milburn said...

Cool, Crowley's back. So deliciously evil. This dark Cass is bothering me though. I think this path he's on shows that we can all go to far to the dark side even though we might start out with the best of intentions.

Loved having all four guys together!

I don't know if I'm just tired, but I'm a bit confused about why Cass is working with Crowley.

Tanya, I felt like you did about the boys -- suspicious at first, then okay, then surprised.

Had to laugh at the incredibly crappy cars they stole. It always cracks me up when Dean has to drive a beater.

Lots of funny lines. Have to say I laughed out loud when they're sitting in the diner and Cass is trying to access his powers and Dean says, "Now you just look like you're trying to poop." :)

Unknown said...

I'd like to comment a little on the "selfish" argument.

I agree that Dean has been rather bossy and er not particularly polite when asking Castiel for help this season. But wouldn't callous and demanding be a more apt description of his attitude rather than selfish?

I believe that Dean(and Sam of course) wouldn't hesitate to help Cas if Cas would be more forthcoming with them. In fact Dean has asked Cas several times what is going on and has even offered to help him(in Caged Heat i think).

The problem is that Cas refuses to reveal to them exactly what he has been doing and what he needs. He either evades the question, and hides chunks of information from the Winchesters, or outright lies to them.

There's not much you can do to help someone who keeps you in the dark imo.

Anonymous said...

That's true, Iiwen (liwen? sorry, can't tell!), Cas hasn't been that forthcoming and he hasn't asked for help. But that just makes Dean dismissive, like it's not happening.

I think Rachel had a point. They call for Cas whenever they want his help, they demand he do things instead of asking nicely, they phrase a lot of stuff as "you'd better" instead of "I hope." It's an allover attitude, and whenever someone calls them on it, they kind of scoff and I don't recall them ever apologizing. They just treat Cas like a flunky.

BECAUSE Cas and Rachel have both called them on it, it's clearly intentional, and not just something the writers have done without really being aware that they're doing it. (A lot of times, writer intent and viewer perspective don't match up! :) ) So I'm hopeful that it's leading up to something.

Also, sometimes Dean is just mean, like calling Cas a baby. :(

Unknown said...

Hi Natalie.

Actually i don't disagree with you that Dean can be dismissive and ocassionally mean. Although, i'd say that calling each other insulting names is kinda how these guys communicate, especially Dean and even Bobby, which i know doesn't mean it's not hurtful, . But i think this is beside the point here.

I also agree that it's intentional on the writers' part that this issue has been brought up several times. I think it will definitely lead to something too.

What i disagree with is the word selfish. I think that the word selfish implies that Dean would not help Castiel even if Castiel expressly asks for it simply because it's too much trouble.

Dismissive? Yes. Callous? Yes. Rude? Yes. Unappreciative? Yes. Insensitive? Yes. Bossy? Yes.

But selfish? I don't think so.

Then again that's just my opinion :)

Sorry if what i said sounds muddled. English isn't my first language.

Natalie J. Damschroder said...

I think your English is fantastic, liwen! Better than a lot of native English speakers. LOL

I think you and I are essentially saying the same thing, even if we don't agree on that one word. :) Maybe the reason we disagree is because Dean's NOT selfish overall. Everything he does is for Sam or other people, not himself. He's just so focused on that mission that he wants Cas (and, before "Weekend at Bobby's", Bobby) to drop everything to support his goals, and doesn't think about the fact that their goals and needs might actually be more important, at least to them.

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