Let’s all talk about Live Free or Twi-hard (S6 E5) E
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Accidentally watched this one out of order, so I can comment!
First, the start is HILARIOUS. A complete send-up of the crazy-stupid “teen romantic” language of the Twilight series! Future generations watching this may not get that, but it’s so funny. The dialog between the two at the bar where the girl “write poetry” and so the guy “understands her real self” and how she’s so swept up in the fictional romantic component of it all…so good. ALL the Twilight references. When Dean stops one of the fake vampires with the fake teeth and is so offended that he’s wearing glitter (like the way vampires’ skin sparkles in Twilight)…and the guy says he just does it to get laid…and Dean asks, “Does it work?” and the guy says it does and Dean looks like he’s considering it. (The fact that Dean would ever have to TRY to get laid is beside the point – he wouldn’t have to try.)
Like the best SPN, it starts out funny. The girl’s crazy “vampire” bedroom where Sam and Dean are both very put-off by all of it. I like the idea of a monster using pop culture popularity to grow their ranks!
Then it gets very, very dark. All the beheading and Sam letting Dean get bitten (which it SEEMS maybe he does, as Samuel says, because Samuel already told him there’s a possible cure; but it’s very clear that something’s wrong with Sam – to put mission above Dean – because that is way too risky to risk Dean like that (or even put him through that!). Normal-Sam would never do that.
Tons of violence in the “nest”. Very interesting glimpse into the “message” from the Alpha vamp.
Horrible scene of Dean going to say goodbye to Lisa and shoving Ben against the wall to keep him away and protect him, but we know that has to be the beginning of the end if he hurts Ben. It all made for good drama…and maybe Dean figured that if he hadn’t fed yet and full turned, that he’d be okay to go to Lisa’s but that seems like a riskier move than Dean would be willing to attempt. I have to say that Jensen’s body acting in that scene was stellar. The way he shies away from the light and flinches away from Lisa…soooo good. The absolutely painful look on his face at Lisa’s when he turns away and all his teeth descend…it LOOKS like turning into a vampire is REALLY painful. Tooth stuff IS painful! It looks awful.
Also loved the “flirting” Dean did with the head vampire just to try to get more info. He does THAT so well. Trying to play along…saying he wants the “private party” but not being able to hide his disgust at what that might mean he’d have to do or witness. I wonder whose idea it was to have Dean resting his foot on the head vamp’s head when Sam and Bobby finally arrive? It was good. Like when he circular-sawed the head off a vamp and Sam started to get concerned about where he was mentally.
This one was one of the rare instances where Samuel seems like a better person than Sam. You really do get the feeling that they two of the have this plan they are not sharing with Dean, when DEAN’S the one putting his life on the line unknowingly just to get them information. AT LEAST Dean remembered seeing Sam hesitate to save him, so he knows something is not right. He tests Sam a bit at the end; asking if he always has his back and Sam plays it off and Dean knows he’s lying.
It’s hard to watch, but Jensen did SUCH a good job with everything he had to convey in this one. I forgot how good he was here.
I always enjoy them playing with both sexes wanting Dean…and the head vampire was doing that. Always fun. Also so true that Dean as a vampire could turn HUNDREDS of women (and some men probably) by seducing them. I always like it when characters (or Sam or whoever) just SAYS how gorgeous Dean is. I like that we’re not supposed to believe that no one ever notices his looks!
So annoying (supposed to be) how Sam just keeps asking him what he saw. No concern for the hell Dean’s going through as he’s “cured” from being a vampire.
But this is the start of a period of unraveling for Sam and Dean (and Lisa and Dean) and it’s not fun. My spouse, watching for the first time, finally asked, “What’s wrong with Sam?” This episode makes it clear that something’s really wrong.
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I’ve always had a hard time with this episode because of SAM.
YES, it is absolutely great and funny, how they make fun of the Twilight Saga in the first third of the episode. I admit, I did read those books and watched those movies and was always on the Werewolf side, lol. So I can say that I really appreciate how much attention to detail was put into the way they poked fun at it in this episode!!! Down to the pretty damn good likeness of the two actors in the beginning to Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart. Some of the same or very close to same lines from the movies and books were used. A lot of the imagery was closely related etc. JUST GREAT!
Also, funny, of course how Sam and Dean would even know some about the Twilight stuff incl. the actors names portraying the main two guys….
I also liked the twisted premise of how romanticizing vampirism in pop culture would be a great opportunity for actual vampires to hunt with ease. HA! I mean, why not pray on the stupid and innocent and poor of judgement girls.
My main DISLIKE for this episode was Sam’s behavior. I know it’s supposed to show us how detached from human emotion Sam is at the moment, but I still have a hard time believing that Sam – even soulless – would go as far as to risk Dean’s life like this in order to find a vamp nest.
It IS effectively chilling for both us viewers and Dean to find out that Sam actually willingly waits before stepping in when Dean is bit. THAT more than anything made me worry when watching it the first time that Sam was possibly lost for good, that what came back from hell is actually NOT Sam.
And the parts with Dean and Lisa are SO PAINFUL TO WATCH!!!!! I did not WANT them to unravel! I did not WANT her to be scared of him. I still don’t want this to the beginning of the end for them. UGH. I HATE that part and don’t like rewatching it. (Even though Jensen is INCREDIBLE at portraying all the inner conflict, the dear and the pain.)
What I did enjoy a lot was watching Dean turn his growing anger and need to feed into an absolutely coldly dangerous killing spree in the vamp nest. That scene where he waits for Sam and Samuel, sitting in the middle of the nest with the vamp leader’s head under his boot is REALLY GREAT in it’s brutality and honesty of what hunters have to be at their core to do the job at times!
Well done episode – but far from a favorite of mine.