Reply To: Let’s all talk about I Believe the Children are Our Future (S5 E6)
I LOVE this one. It’s another perfect example how humor, tragedy, horror and action can be mixed into a great blend of entertainment on SPN. Just brilliant.
The case is so interesting and whacky. We are AS clueless as the Winchesters, and I like that. Every time they THINK they have it all figured out there is another twist.
Nicely gruesome makeup effect with the girl’s scratched up skull.
The whole bit with the joy buzzer and the never-ending ham is hilarious.
The joke shop owner with the Siegfried and Roy T-Shirt is excellently pathetic. And the melting rubber chicken was another cool effect.
I completely agree with the little girl about the tooth fairy situation but then I didn’t grow up with that tradition. Hehe.
The conversation about how the culprit has “Sense of humor of a nine-year-old” “….or you” is so totally Sam and Dean, it’s a delight.
It’s very interesting to me that most of the kids lies they used in this episode are obviously GLOBAL as I heard them ALL in Germany as well when I was little. Even the Pop Rocks and Coke thing! Odd how something like that spreads across the world…maybe through the Allied Forces during and after WWII?
Anyway, the first half of the episode is SO funny that it’s almost shocking when it turns so serious thereafter.
Jesse is such great character and the actor they picked really does an excellent job with the role. He is so old-soul and matter of fact that it’s easy to believe that he’s more or less raising himself while his parents work. I agree with you, JBB, that it’s a WASTE not bringing Jesse back for SOMETHING later on. There is so much potential in that character.
Then the story turns real dark and sad when we hear about what Jesse’s mother went through. She is really well written AND portrayed. What awful fate for the woman. And what an interesting concept for a demon possession to end with a pregnancy….That was new and unique. And having her be repossessed later and become so cold-hearted and manipulative was an interesting turn of events. Nice range of that actress.
Next we learn about Jesse being the Antichrist and his powers and his role in the Apocalypse! WHOA, didn’t see that one coming a mile away. Nice twist. What an awesonme scene between Sam, Dean and Cas! Intense and kinda desperate. Especially the stand off between Cas and Sam with Sam pleading to give Jesse the opportunity to make the right choice and Cas saying “you didn’t”. OUCH! True, but….that stung. Just the idea of being put in a position where they might have to kill a child that has done nothing knowingly wrong and for Cas to be so unapologetic about it is CHILLING. (Then again, Cas was ready to nuke a whole town before).
I absolutely applaud Jared and Jensen for finding a way in their performance to show us very subtly that Dean and Sam teeter on the edge of fear or at least real worry when interacting with Jesse after they find out about his powers and after he turned Cas into a toy!
It’s so sad to watch Jesse learn about his possible fate and for him to have to make the horrible decision to leave on his own to protect his parents and essentially the world. But I am glad that Sam and Dean are telling him the whole truth and not try to manipulate him either way. Those scenes are very well played all around. Love the way Sam and Dean level with the kid in a gentle but straightforward way.
I always wondered if Cas is correct in the end when he says “Jesse turned everyone back to normal” before he vanished OR if Jesse’s simple disappearance was enough to turn reality back to normal?
That very last exchange between Sam and Dean here always bugged me! I wish they had written it a little differently. It just sounded all a little hollowly to me. I am sure Dean and Sam are not just now realizing why parents lie to their kids….they’ve been in this life for so long now and they have had plenty of cases with kids involved. I know the writers wanted to get to that last line of “The more I think about it…the more I wish Dad would’ve lied to us” from Dean and Sam’s agreement, but that, too, seems unlike them to me. If they at least had said “I wish Dad would have lied to us a little while longer” instead!!! That would imply that they would have liked a little longer childhood, but they also understand why John eventually involved them to be able to protect themselves. They have both stated as much before. The way it stands now is kinda pointless to me.
Other than that bit, the episode is GREAT.