Reply To: Let’s all talk about Dream a Little Dream of Me (S3 E10)
I actually forgot that this was the episode where Dean, under the effect of the dream root, confronts his future demon self. That scene STILL gives me chills. It’s masterful. Both in the shooting of it with the stand-in and with what Jensen does with it. I remember on first watch I was absolutely floored. It’s still a truly spine-tingling and stunning scene. It’s so hard to hear what Dean (on some level, we assume, even if enhanced by evil forces controling what he dreams about) really thinks of himself. To have Jensen be able to play both the Dean we know (trying to play it off; trying to make himself wake up; trying to ignore his inner demons until he finally snaps and shoots that version of himself!), and this very cold, very insidious version of himself is so chilling and then I’m left wondering which one is the “real” Dean???? The one we love? Or this voice inside his head telling him how useless he is? I DO love that Dean doesn’t really want Sam inside his head. So you know there’s plenty in there he doesn’t want Sam to find out about.
But before we get to that amazing scene, there’s a lot to this one! We learn about Bobby. We learn how he started hunting and of course THAT’S tragic! That screaming dead wife (I think is wife’s name was Karen, we learn later, right?) went on SO LONG that I was just dying for the sound to stop! Meanwhile, Sam’s outside dealing with the “villain” of the story who’s controlling things in “dream world”.
We see that Dean at least craves knowing that Lisa loves him and wouldn’t mind having a life with her and Ben. That was sweet and sad in light of the fact that he’s going to die thank to his deal and we know he’ll never have the chance for that. Or we think that at this point. It also gives Sam a clue that Dean does sometimes want different things out of life other than hunting.
I did like the realistic touches of Dean being reluctant to drink the root brew. Or at least questioning having to drink Bobby’s hair! Loved that.
Bela. Okay. I have ALWAYS had a problem with Sam’s sex dream about Bela. It seems to come out of the blue! Are we meant to understand that people dream about things we’d never expect? I mean, it’s a funny and cute scene (I especially love when Dean asks him if he was dreaming about Brad Pitt after he says “no” to Angelina Jolie…and funny when he can’t stand up at that very moment…and Jared plays it out with the hopeful look when Bela arrives and takes off her coat…only to reveal NO lingerie), but Bela usually screws them over…and all the sexual stuff was between Bela and Dean (on Bela’s side…suggesting they should have “angry sex” in Red Sky…) and so I do not get and never did get WHY Sam was having a sex dream about someone he had no emotional connection to. That is just not his usual pattern. That always bothered me and made me think they just threw it in for laughs and I didn’t appreciate that because it was so inconsistent.
I did like Dean’s utterly cold phone call to her when it was done; when they realize she’s stolen the Colt. He is not playing around anymore. She could tell too. Also too funny when Bobby suggests that Dean and Sam should “check their pockets” and Dean literally checks his pockets and Bobby says, exasperated, “NOT LITERALLY!”. Hee hee.