Let’s all talk about Asylum (S1 E10)

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    • journalbookbinder
        January 28, 2021 at 10:16 am #4492

        The first one directed by one of my favorite return directors – Guy Norman Bee. He went on to direct a lot of other very good episodes. I recently got to ask him a bunch of question via Twitter for the Fangasm blog and about Asylum he said:

        “ASYLUM was challenging… New show, ambitious script – 7 days in a REAL decommissioned insane asylum!”

        So I’m looking forward to watching and remembering why it was an ambitious script.

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      • PigNaPoke
          January 28, 2021 at 10:16 am #4504

          Great location for filming, interesting case and monster, nicely creepy visuals….all good, BUT I don’t like this episode because I thought the writers went WAY off field with Sam’s mean reactions towards Dean in this.

          Calling Dean pathetic and unthinking and being John’s “good little soldier” just following orders….And then SHOOTING HIM, TWICE???

          It went too far.

          And the lame excuse “I couldn’t control it” at the end from Sam was way too little too late.

          I know they were still defining the characters at that point, but making Sam willing and able to shoot Dean even if FUMING angry is as out of character to me as (much later) Dean holding a gun on an innocent girl and screaming at her.

          The whole thing doesn’t work for me and I still don’t understand why they thought it was necessary.

          PNP

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          • kate38
              January 28, 2021 at 10:16 am #4514

              “Calling Dean pathetic and unthinking and being John’s “good little soldier” just following orders….And then SHOOTING HIM, TWICE???

              It went too far.”

              I guess the writers thought the ghost possession explanation was sufficient. I don’t think the ghost made anyone angry or murderous, but it simply amplified anger that was already there, eventually driving someone to commit murder. The cop at the beginning of the episode had been arguing with his wife, but he’d never have killed her if he hadn’t been possessed. I guess the writers were trying to subtly show us that Sam was already resentful of Dean, and being possessed by crazy Doc Ellicott is what drove him to try to commit murder. My point being that if Sam hadn’t been so perpetually angry to begin with, the ghost wouldn’t have had anything to feed on.

              I agree with you that I can’t recall a time when Sam, in his right mind, would’ve intentionally shot Dean. But since he clearly spent a lot of time being angry with John and Dean, it’s not that much of a stretch for me to think that Sam’s existing emotions gave the ghost a big ole buffet of negativity to feed on.

              kate

              • This reply was modified 3 years, 1 month ago by kate38kate38.
              • This reply was modified 3 years, 1 month ago by kate38kate38.
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              • PigNaPoke
                  January 28, 2021 at 10:16 am #5071

                  Hi Kate,

                  my problem with it was more that I didn’t believe that Sam’s anger at DEAN was that deep. THAT is the part that was overstretched for me.

                  I get that there had to be a certain resentment from Sam’s side to get the ghost to feed off and Sam definitely has an anger issue but I believe most of that is directed at John.

                  The anger Sam harbors for John and Dean is definitely as complex as Dean’s feeling of guilt is. I think there is jealousy involved – Sam being subconsciously jealous that Dean IS the better hunter and therefore of more value and help to John for example. Sam lashes out at the other two but I believe is also in large parts angry with himself for not doing anything to rectify the situation.

                  I’m not trying to defend Sam beyond reason here. He acted AWFUL in this episode and didn’t do enough to make up for it. It left a definite sour taste behind. I just think that the writers over did it to create more conflict than there ought to be.

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              • kate38
                  January 28, 2021 at 10:16 am #4725

                  “Calling Dean pathetic and unthinking and being John’s “good little soldier” just following orders….And then SHOOTING HIM, TWICE???

                  It went too far.

                  And the lame excuse “I couldn’t control it” at the end from Sam was way too little too late.”

                  I was actually okay with this, because it was clear that Sam wasn’t “right”. The only thing I question is how Dean knew so far ahead of time. The handgun was already unloaded when Sam shot Dean with the shotgun (rock salt). So that means Dean already knew when he came down to the basement that something might not be right with Sam. But if he didn’t yet know what he was up against, why empty your weapon ahead of time? Maybe he knew by then that it was a ghost, so a regular gun wouldn’t be helpful?

                  I understand why the writers had possessed-Sam try to kill Dean. Shock value was probably a factor. It made sense in this story, because that’s what Doc Ellicott did to everybody else he possessed. And in retrospect, it gets reinforced several times throughout the series. The only time the brothers use fatal force against each other is if one of them is possessed or “off” in some way. Soulless Sam let Dean get turned by a vampire, spectre-possessed Dean pointed a loaded gun at Sam, DemonDean tried to kill Sam with a hammer, etc. The ONLY exception to this was in season 15, when Dean pulled a loaded gun on Sam. Whoever came up with that idea clearly has NO idea who these characters truly are and doesn’t understand that Dean would never do that. Sigh…

                  I personally think that Sam’s harsh words were absolutely Sam. That anger bubbles to the surface again in “Scarecrow” and a few other times. Sam clearly resented some things about Dean. His anger comes out in other ways besides words, but I don’t doubt for one second that Sam truly felt that way when he said that.

                  kate

                  • This reply was modified 3 years, 1 month ago by kate38kate38.
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                  • PigNaPoke
                      January 28, 2021 at 10:16 am #5072

                      Very good question about how Dean knew to unload his gun! 🙂 I wondered that, too.

                      PNP

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                  • kate38
                    January 28, 2021 at 10:16 am #4512

                    I don’t have a lot to say about this one.

                    LOL! Another one of those episodes when I don’t feel bad for the stupid kids. I did feel a little bad for the cop, though. And did you guys recognize Aaron’s Birch’s father from “The Third Man”?

                    I guess this was the show’s first tap into Sam’s anger issues. We knew all along that Sam seems perpetually angry and combative with John, but his anger and resentment toward Dean was sort of kept quiet until this episode. I like the subtlety of that, because they don’t spend a lot of time talking about it until later — like in “Sam Interrupted” when Sam admits to being angry all the time, but he doesn’t know why.

                    We visited the asylum when we were in Vancouver, and it really is a creepy place — even in bright daylight 🙂

                    kate

                    • This reply was modified 3 years, 1 month ago by kate38kate38.
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                  • journalbookbinder
                      January 28, 2021 at 10:16 am #4635

                      Director Guy Bee said that place was a challenge to shoot in.

                      I quite liked this one. CREEPY! My wife even jumped with the Dr. grabbed Sam.

                      I thought the shock of Sam willing to shoot Dean was VERY effective. I loved that whole scene actually…Dean obviously testing him and learning a “truth” about how Sam feels. I DO think it was amplified by the possession – not “really” Sam in his right mind. I agree with Kate that it amplified the anger.

                      I think this was built up effectively with Dean and Sam’s conversation earlier about John and following orders.

                      Loved that the GIRLFRIEND was the one who took the shotgun! Loved the bits of humor too. Jensen was superb with his reactions to everything in this one.

                      I also thought that scene where the girl was locked in with the ghost and had to try to face his disfigured face and listen to him was really interesting an effective.

                      I could just SEE Dean filing away the way Sam had been willing to shoot him under “useful information” in his mind.

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                    • journalbookbinder
                        January 28, 2021 at 10:16 am #4636

                        I am also a sucker for those episodes that happen every so often where one of them is possessed by something and the truth comes out and it’s harsh. This is the first one of those aside from getting a bit of what Dean’s thinking from the Shapeshifter in the earlier episode.

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