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**Llywela** · 14-12-07, 03:19 PM

Miraculously, I was able to get to see this episode before I left for work this morning. Hooray for Christmas miracles!

Eh, festive Supernatural ? what could be better? Plus, Flashback Sammy and Dean! And they even have the same little actor playing Young!Dean as last time, only two years older, of course, which makes for nice continuity. Of course, his hair is still completely the wrong colour to be Dean. And I'm not sure who the hell thought it would be okay to hire a blond child to play Little!Sam! But hey ? we can overlook all that.

Um?this first reaction isn't going to be very coherent. I apologise for that. I'm trying to think thinky thoughts but coming up all SQUEE and EEP, AWW and EWW!

It kind of killed me that Dean confessed that he wanted to do the Christmas thing because it's his last ? back to being all wistful and nostalgic ? but then when Sam said that he couldn't do it for exactly the same reason, Dean just dropped his One Last Happy Christmas wish like a hot potato, because he won't push for anything that hurts Sam, no matter how much he wants it himself. It's progress, though, that both of them said their piece about it out loud, because it shows that neither of them is hiding anything any more ? not about this, anyway. But the fact that they are both accepting Dean's imminent death as inevitable now hurts just as much as when they were both buried above their eyes in denial.

Oh, and then when the pagan demi-god things started cutting on Sam, man, Dean hollered more than when they started cutting him! No one is allowed to hurt Sammy! I'd been waiting for the whumping to start ? they got an impressively long way into the episode before actually coming face to face with anything dangerous! The abattoir cellar was enormously EWW. Then pulling Sam's fingernail right off? EEEWWWWWW. I couldn't even look! But Dean escaped with all his teeth intact, thankfully.

If we really have skipped vast swathes of time this season, as seems to be the case, and my timeline for the first two seasons remains accurate, then Dean could be as much as eight months into his final year. It wouldn't surprise me to have the remainder of the season ? or as least as much of it as the strike makes possible ?crammed into a short space of time; we've had similar compressions before, after all. Just look at the arc of Dead Man's Blood through Everybody Loves A Clown, all of which take place within the space of a couple of weeks.

The flashbacks. Man. It was Christmas 1991, so Sam would have been eight and Dean 12, and they were all alone yet again. The last (and till now only) flashback we had came from Dean's POV, so it's nice to have one that comes from Sam's perspective. But, man. It really kind of hurts that adult Sam only remembers childhood Christmases as miserable ? all of them presumably blending together in his head and mixed up with all his other issues about their upbringing ? when it was so clear in the flashback that Dean was trying hard, with very limited resources available to him and in spite of his own doubts and insecurities, to give Sam as much of a normal, happy holiday as possible. I loved, though, that even at only eight Sam so clearly recognised what his brother was trying to do for him, even if he couldn't quite pull it off ? he just didn't have the wherewithal.

Oh, and now we have the amulet origin story! Where the heck Sam got it is another matter entirely...EDIT. Sam tells us that 'Uncle Bobby' helped him with the gift, which means it can be a protection charm without Sam knowing anything about it at the time, and is canon evidence that Bobby knew the boys when they were children. And the point is that it was a gift from Sam to Dean, and that over a decade and a half later Dean still never takes it off ? it meant a hell of a lot that Sam gave it to him that day, after everything. And it can be read as all kinds of symbolic that Sam gave Dean the gift he'd intended for their Dad. John let them both down badly on this occasion by not getting home in time, and Dean was the one who was there for Sam throughout, who at least tried to make it a proper Christmas for him, and Sam recognised that, rewarded him accordingly. He's a generous little soul, really, and it ties beautifully in with the childhood hero worship of his brother he confessed to last episode.

And then we have the fact that Sam at eight was still very much in the dark about John's hunting, and a large part of that revolved around Dean's determination to preserve as much of his little brother's innocence as he could. I'm fairly certain that it would also be about John's uncertainty over Sam's ability to not talk to outsiders about the supernatural if he knew too early, but it's pretty clear that it was mostly Dean's decision not to tell him as he grew older. After all, Dean was the one who had to field all Sam's questions while John was away, whenever he was away. And Dean was the one who had to make the enormous decision to come clean this particular Christmas after Sam got hold of John's journal, because he was there to make that decision and John wasn't, and Sam was clearly no longer willing to be fobbed off with excuses and lies. I'm fairly impressed that they'd managed to keep him in the dark as long as that, since we know he was already questioning John's absences when he was five ? three more years is a long time to keep up the pretence. And the timing of it still ties in with Sam's little anecdote from way back in the Pilot episode, that John gave him a gun when he complained of being afraid of the thing in the closet when he was nine. If he learned the truth about what was out there in these flashbacks, at age eight, I can well believe that he'd start to fret about it.

Oh, and Dean is pretty heartbreaking in the flashbacks, even though we're seeing Sam's point of view, not his. At twelve he was already clinging desperately to the image he'd constructed of John the Superhero to comfort himself for the fact that his Dad had left them all alone in a dingy motel for Christmas. He and Sam were coming a poor second in their father's priorities, but Dad's work was important, he was out there saving lives, so that had to make it okay. You can imagine him telling himself that, telling himself over and over that Dad wouldn't leave them like this if it wasn't important, that saving those random other lives was obviously more important than Dad actually being at home to look after them or spend Christmas with them, that he was fine and perfectly able to take care of Sammy, didn't need any taking care of himself, not when there were those other lives at stake. It all feeds into that inferiority complex of his, and this has to be a large part of how it started. He's making excuses for John's behaviour to himself every bit as much as for Sam's benefit, trying to hide John's inadequacies from his little brother because preserving Sam's innocence is important to Dean. The way he kept repeating that Dad would be home in time, that he'd promised, that he always got home in time ? how many Christmases had they spent like this already, then? Stuck in a dingy motel wherever they'd moved to this time, knowing nobody but each other, with John out hunting; did John usually manage to get home in time, and this was a one off, or was this selective memory, Dean just trying to kid himself that Dad always got there in time?

Either way, it's another stark glimpse into a bleak childhood experience. Dean's extreme reaction to Sam's mention of their mother ties into all those issues, although little Sam, at eight, has no way of knowing that. Dean's been left in loco parentis yet again, and it's Christmas, and Dad isn't home yet in spite of having promised, and Sam won't stop asking questions that Dean doesn't know how to answer, and he's only twelve and doesn't know how to make any of it right. Sam wants to know the truth, is demanding the truth, and Dean struggles to say no to him, but also wants desperately to shield him from the harsh realities of the world they live in, and those harsh realities are all tied up with their mother's death. If Mary hadn't died the way she did, none of this would have happened, and they wouldn't be in this situation now. Sam's questions are probing at issues that are painful to Dean in ways that he can't articulate ? he still can't, even now, sixteen years later. So he blows.

But although Dean will blow up and get mad in the heat of the moment, he really can't sustain it for any length of time. That's still true now, as an adult. It's interesting, following on from the Something Wicked flashbacks, that there is no issue with Dean going out and leaving Sam alone this time, now that they are both that bit older. His walking out in the first place totally fits his behaviour patterns ? whenever Sam starts poking at raw nerves, Dean always has to put physical distance between them.

That Dean was lying about John having come home for them with presents was obvious right from the moment he woke Sam up, all the more so once it was clear that there were gifts only for Sam, none for Dean. Sam was so willing to believe it, though, hadn't learned yet to resent John ? and how much of that was about Dean's determined PR campaign in their father's favour? It would have been so easy to say 'Dad hasn't come home, so I've got these for you instead', but that would blow holes right through the fa?ade Dean was so rigidly maintaining. However disappointed he was in John's failure to return home himself, he would do anything rather than let Sam feel the same way, needed Sam to believe in the justifications he offered, so that he could believe in them himself. And Sam was in the habit of believing Dean when he offered empty reassurance ? even now he still falls for it half the time!

Kind of breathtaking how casually Young Dean admitted to having broken into someone's house and stolen the gifts he brought back for Sam. Just a shame they weren't labelled with the recipient's name, really?

So. When Dean first raised the subject of Christmas, Sam's immediate reaction was a knee jerk 'no way, Christmas always sucks', and when you look at the surface of those flashbacks, from the perspective of an eight-year-old, yeah ? it was pretty sucky. But over the course of the episode we saw Sam thinking about that Christmas, probably for the first time in years, and looking back at it through the eyes of an adult. At age eight he recognised that Dean was doing his best, but that small fact would have quickly been buried beneath the weight of everything he resented about their lives. As an adult, however, he can look back and realise just how young Dean was back then and how unfair a position he was in, has been recognising for a long time now just how much his brother has done for him over the years. He's been making a determined effort this season to give a little of that back where possible.

And so at the end of the episode we have Sam giving Dean the Christmas he's asked for, even though it hurts. It's just the two of them alone together in a dingy motel again, but this time at ease with one another, with decorations and trimmings, and token gifts, just hanging out with each other as both brothers and friends. It's what Dean wanted, and he doesn't ask for much, is allowed to have what he asks for even less. And it's what Sam asked for in the last episode, although he's clearly finding the reality of living his request painful. Sam's gift for Dean is beautifully attuned to his brother's interests and passions, while Dean's gift for Sam is more jocular, but the content isn't really important, for either of them. It isn't about the gifts in themselves; it's the gesture and sentiment that counts, the fact of being together.

Oh yeah, and there was a case in there, as well. *G*

And, um...that was rather a lot of babble!

**galathea** · 15-12-07, 12:15 AM

Supernatural's first very own holiday themed episode, was pretty much what you would expect: a lovely, peaceful and mellow episode, with Christmas choires, singing uplifting tunes and happy families exchanging presents ... uhm, wait ... *cough* ... well maybe not exactly like that.

I have to say from the 2 new writers that were introduced this season, Jeremy Carver really makes a very solid impression so far. I find his Sam and Dean characterisation in both, ?Sin City' and ?Supernatural Christmas' very enjoyable and the episode plots entertaining and well written, though both episodes start out a bit slow and need some time until it gets to the interesting bits, but I don't necessarily mind a slow pace so much.

I still reserve my full judgement on Laurence Andries until I have seen more of him, but so far, after repeated re-watching, his episode proved to be the weakest of the season for me. I am still confused as to why we didn't have a John Shiban episode yet. He is still listed in the credits and was one of the busiest writers in the first seasons, I wonder if he changed to production only. On the other hand it looks as if Matt Witten is also banned from the writing staff, which I see very positive, I have to admit. So while we lost 2 very strong (Tucker, Shiban) and one weak writer (Witten) this season, we seem to at least gain 1 good writer in return so far. It will be interesting to see how that develops over the course of the season (well, if we get a full season, that is, of course). Sorry, for my ramblings lol, but I just take a specific interest in who writes which episodes, call it a hobby.

Anyways, while I am the first one to admit that I was deeply struggling with the distance that Sam and Dean kept from each other in the first couple of episodes, I have to say there's a lot of delayed gratification in the newly found emotional closeness between them, which probably wouldn't hold the same gravity if there hadn't been that chasm between them in the first place. So, I was very happy to see that the reconciliation in ?Fresh Blood' wasn't just a fluke in the brotherly dynamics but continued to delight me in ?A Very Supernatural Christmas'.

The emotions are out in the open and both brothers try to deal with it in their own way, but are now willing to share with each other. I had the impression throughout the episode that Sam was heavily strained, struggling with the memories that their current case file stirred up in him as well as with his brothers nostalgic streak, clearly fighting with the reality of loosing Dean soon, while Dean was pretty relaxed around Sam and obviously enjoying his time with his brother. It might have been easier for Sam when he was frustrated and angry with Dean to push his immediate fears more to the back of his mind, but with his research stuck, the finishing line drawing nearer and Dean clearly accepting of his death, Sam visibly struggles to hold it together.

I think this was the first time since ?Bugs' that we heard the boys openly voice such an immensely different take on their childhood experiences. While Sam retrospectively seems to remember their Christmases as a series of unfortunate events, Dean is able to look back quite fondly, even if the flashbacks show, how bleak the situation was for them and how difficult it was for young Dean to maintain at least some resemblance of normalcy for him and his brother. But since he put a conscious effort in making those holidays as positive as possible for them, taking an active part in creating these memories in the first place, he is holding on to a more optimistic look on his childhood.

Dean: "We have the coolest Dad in the world! He is a superhero!"

The flashbacks not only managed to keep up the timeline continuity to the earlier episodes, they also very much confirmed what we know so far from canon, content-wise. In fact, the first flashback pretty much verbatim reiterated Dean's monologue at Sam's death bed in ?All Hell Breaks Loose Part II', with 8 yr old Sam relentlessly asking questions, which 12 yr old Dean carefully tries to evade by brotherly teasing and insulting, trying to keep up a fa?ade for Sam, to retain some kind of childhood for his brother, that he has long lost. It again emphasized how protected Sam was in comparison to Dean, who had to carry all the knowledge while trying to hide it from Sam and being a support for John at the same time.

The flashbacks also tie in neatly with the SN comic ?Origins' where we learned that Sam was kept in the dark about Mary's death and Dean refused to talk about it not only for his own sake, but mainly because he knew that it upset John too much, so his harsh reaction to Sam's question about Mary was understandable, although clearly upsetting and confusing for young Sam, who had no real understanding of the emotional complexity that topic holds for Dean. We know from ?Home', that Sam never really learned the full truth about what happened in that fateful night and that Mary and the events around her death were a forbidden topic in the Winchester household.

We also know from the 'Pilot', that John gave 9 yr old Sam a gun when he was afraid of the monster in the closet, which tells us, that despite Dean's threat to end Sam if he ever tells Dad that Dean told him the truth, John obviously found out and decided that Sam at that age should be able to handle himself. So, assumedly Sam's "warrior training" would've started pretty much after Christmas 1991. Although, if Sam knew about the supernatural threats by the age of 9, his demand in the 'Pilot' that John should've told him ?Don't be afraid of the dark' makes even less sense than it did before, but I guess we can write that off as Sam simply being petulant and wanting to get a rise out of Dean in that moment.

By the way, I'm not sure if it is a continuity error, but the fact that Sam has John's journal when Dean comes back from buying ?dinner' tells us, that had stolen it before John left, hence he would already know that John isn't a salesman and that Mary was killed by something supernatural, unless we are willing to believe that he had it all the time and only just managed to take a look at the content, when Dean left the motel room that afternoon. At least he had to have some sort of suspicion or he wouldn't have stolen it in the first place. Anyways, stealing John's journal shows that young Sam already showed his disobedient and stubborn streak at a pretty young age, definitely pre-teenage.

We also finally get canon confirmation for the fact that Bobby knows the boys pretty much their whole lives and that they spent enough time with him to consider ?uncle Bobby' family. While this always shined through in the interaction between Bobby and the boys, it's nice to have it affirmed here. I love that Bobby gave Sammy the necklace for John, although it isn't quite clear if Sam asked him for something he could give his father for Christmas or if Bobby just used Sam as a carrier to pass it on to John for hunting reasons. While we can assume that in 1991 Bobby wasn't quite as knowledgeable as he is nowadays, it's interesting to speculate if Bobby knows more about the function of the amulet.

Apropos the necklace: How much do I love that Sam gave Dean the necklace that Dean never ever takes off.

Not only did Sam give it to him, he also knows, that it was intended for John, so it holds immense emotional value to Dean, connecting him to the two most important people in his life. What I really loved though is the symbolic act that goes with this gift, how with this little gesture, Sam's trust seems to shift from John to Dean. In the beginning he is carefully wrapping up a present for his father, pretty much focused on John's return, intent to give him a ?real special' present, but when he learns that John lied to him he starts to question John's motives, starts to loose his faith in him.

It pretty much seems to mark the begin of the chasm that will open up between him and his father over the next couple of years. Although Dean hid the truth from him as well, he was upfront with his little brother when directly confronted. Sam obviously also realises how hard Dean tries to give him what John fails to provide, a sense of safety and normality, so the gift, he so carefully prepared for John earlier, goes to his big brother instead, Sam's trust and faith transferring to Dean right with it.

Well, that's how I see it anyways!

Dean trying to convince his brother on every occasion that their Dad is fine and will be home for Christmas was heart-breaking, because it was visible that he desperately tried to convince himself as well. His hero worship of John, while clearly sincere, nonetheless comes off as an urgently needed defence against his own disappointment with his father's absence and the fear that something could happen to him. It kind of repeats the sentiment that Dean voices on John's behalf in ?What Is and What Should Never Be', that the happiness of his sons only comes second to the importance of the lives they save and young Dean already tries to embrace that credo whole-heartedly, at least for himself. With Sam it's obviously an entirely different matter and that alone tells a whole story about Dean's own needs.

I have to say here, that loved that they kept Ridge Canipe as Dean, not only for continuity reasons, but because I already thought in S1 that he does a pretty good job at being the bratty big brother but showing enough vulnerability beneath. Colin Ford as Sam was considerably more convincing than the young actor in ?Something Wicked', although he really doesn't bear a lot of resemblance with his adult version. Well, at least he had emo!Sam and puppy dog eyes down pretty well.

While ?Something Wicked' was more about Dean and John and Sam as a character wasn't really explored, this flashback fleshed him out more, probably because it was told from his point of view. I like that the dynamics between young Sam and Dean pretty much mirrored their normal older versions, with Dean being evasive, reverting to jokes and insults and even storming out of the house, when Sam's questions get too close for his own comfort and Sam being pushy and stubbornly pursuing his need for knowledge until Dean relents and opens up.

While I was a tad irritated at first that Dean went out to leave Sam alone (after all it's post the Shtriga incident) I realized on re-watching that scene, that it is clear that he left because he was upset and wanted to avoid Sam's further nagging, but he didn't go far and presumably was only out for a short time, given Sam's surprise when Dean comes back, clearly unexpected. He also had to leave Sam alone though, when he snuck out of the room during the night to steal the presents and the Christmas tree and lights for his brother, so with Sam being a bit older, he obviously doesn't have too much trouble to leave his little brother out of sight for a short while.

The sap for brotherly love in me was a bit disappointed that young Dean didn't comfort his little brother, when he was crying, apart from the typical ?it will all be better soon' reassuring routine, that adult Dean has so well internalised when it comes to Sam. Though I guess he tried to convey comfort by organising Christmas for Sam, trying to pass it off as John's surprise, trying to keep his brother's faith in their father up and at the same time filling in on the parental void that John's absence creates, but miserably fails to fool Sam.

As a funny side-note: It's nice to see the double standards Dean so often applies to himself and Sam in the small details here. While he questions Sam earlier for presumably having stolen the money for a gift for John, he obviously has no problems with stealing presents for Sam himself. It's also a heart-breaking detail, that while he stole presents for Sam, he clearly didn't think of getting something for himself, even not under the pretence that John was supposed to have left the gifts and hence there should be presents for the both of them

Dean: "Look at this! Fuel for me and fuel for my baby. These are awesome, thanks!"

I love very much how they pull off the parallels again, with young Dean secretly preparing a Christmas for a devastated Sam, to give him the illusion of safety, comfort and home and 16 years later Sam is doing the same for his brother, giving him the illusion of normality, even though it pains him and looks a lot like acceptance of Dean's fate. His frantic search for a solution to Dean's deal and his complete denial over Dean possibly not being around next year earlier this season seems to have come to a complete halt. Sam admitting to believe that it is his last Christmas with his brother takes the same line, he seems to have resigned in his quest, which could confirm the theory that Dean's year seems to be pretty much up already.

Their quiet exchange over the question why Dean wants to celebrate Christmas and Sam does not, was utterly devastating, even though I am happy that they are finally able to openly share their feelings over Dean's impending death and don't play hide and deny anymore. Dean is looking for closure, for some last happy moments with his brother and holiday rituals can be a very potent expression for that notion. I love how carefully and sincere Dean voices his needs and wishes to Sam, compared to his ?death wishes' in the beginning of the season. It's not really much that he asks for himself and even though Sam struggles he can't really deny him.

But while Sam tries to give his brother what he wants, he fails in selling it 100%, just as Dean did in the flashback. Sam's smile is a tad too bright, his voice a smidge too loud and his laughter a bit forced, the present's exchange slightly awkward. But what he really wants to say then comes out only a moment later in a helpless and quiet ?Hey Dean ?' and an utter expression of love in his eyes. They were always better in communicating the really important stuff in a silent look, better than in words anyways and the way they continued to steal glances on each other instead of following the game really said it all out loud. Oh boys!

It's a funny side observation though, that skin mags and shaving cream are just as flawed presents for an adult Sam as a Barbie and a glitter stick were for young Sam, while in both timelines Sam's presents were pretty much perfect for Dean. While I don't think that Dean knows Sam less, than Sam knows Dean, it's probably the fact that Dean wasn't expecting for Sam to give into Dean's wish for a shared Christmas and probably bought something he himself could use in case he wouldn't be able to find an opportunity to give it to Sam, without getting him upset again. In the end though, the real gift exchanged between them was just spending time together as brothers, like both of them wanted, even if Sam probably wasn't aware how much he would struggle with his emotions, when he asked Dean for it in ?Fresh Blood'.

For an anti-Christmas person like me the bloody Christmas story was obviously lots of fun and there were some very creepy moments in the episode, noticeably the sequence where the frightened little boy has to watch his struggling father getting dragged up the chimney. It's also an interesting parallel to the wee!chesters storyline, that in both cases that Sam and Dean investigate, it is the father who has gone missing and the distressed mothers are left explaining to their kids why their father isn't with them on Christmas, just like Dean had to explain the same thing to Sam. It underlines the theme of Christmas as a family ritual and why it would be so important to Sam and Dean that John was with them on that occasion.

The pagan god's basement was awfully reminiscent of ?The Benders', as was Dean's utter rage at Mr. Carrigan carving up Sam. Nobody hurts Sammy and gets away with it, do the bad guys never learn?

Though I have to say it is funny how Sam went through getting shot in the shoulder in ?Bad Day At Black Rock' without a fuss and Dean just cut himself in the arm in ?Fresh Blood', with a machete nonetheless, without flinching and yet they both are pretty wussy about getting cut with the ritual knife here.

Sam's fingernail, now that's a completely different story of course!

What else? Oh, the special Christmas title card was very nifty.

The only part that I didn't really find funny at all, was Sam and Dean singing ?Silent Night' when they wrongly bust into sleazy Santa's trailer. I'm sorry, that just made me cringe.

So overall I really enjoyed this episode and I found it especially satisfying that this episode was solely focused on Sam and Dean, struggling to find a new balance in their relationship and no recurring characters in sight, apart from the quick phone-call to Bobby. Now it's another long wait til the next episode, although with the prospect of the strike not finding a resolution any time soon, I might be glad to draw out the last remaining episodes as long as I can.

**Wolfie Gilmore** · 22-12-07, 05:02 PM

Loved this episode. Loved the pagan gods - they reminded me of that dude in Buffy, the one in "All the Way". The sinister potential of middle aged small town America is always a fun thing to tap into. Loved the Mini-chesters in the flashback. That boy playing Dean...was he the kid in Smile Time, the one that got puppet-sucked in the teaser?? Looks awfully familiar...

**galathea** · 22-12-07, 08:39 PM

Originally posted by Wolfie Gilmore View Post

Loved this episode. Loved the pagan gods - they reminded me of that dude in Buffy, the one in "All the Way". The sinister potential of middle aged small town America is always a fun thing to tap into. Loved the Mini-chesters in the flashback. That boy playing Dean...was he the kid in Smile Time, the one that got puppet-sucked in the teaser?? Looks awfully familiar...

Yep, Ridge Canipe who plays wee!Dean also was the kid from Smile Time!

**Wolfie Gilmore** · 23-12-07, 01:13 AM

Originally posted by galathea View Post

Yep, Ridge Canipe who plays wee!Dean also was the kid from Smile Time!

Wow, I'll be rewatching the Angel ep with a whole new mental image then! Poor wee!dean! Abused by puppets!

Supernatural should have some evil puppets. I bet they'd do it in a terrifying fashion.

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3x08: A Very Supernatural Christmas

3x08: A Very Supernatural Christmas

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