[Mei Zhuo]

"Blood Brother"
October 31, 2012, The CW

BENNY CALLS DEAN FOR HELP — After Benny gets brutally beat up by some vampires, he calls Dean for help. Dean abruptly packs up and tells a confused Sam that he's taking a "personal day." Benny confesses that he's going after his Maker (guest star Patrick Stafford) so Dean offers to help, flashing back on the many times Benny helped him and Castiel in Purgatory. Meanwhile, Sam uses his solo time to reflect on the life he left behind with Amelia (guest star Liane Balaban). However, when things go bad for Dean and Benny, Dean calls Sam for help, which makes everything very complicated.

Guy Bee directed the episode written by Ben Edlund.

[Tennessee Whiskey]

TFTNT Fla.

I can't wait for this one, not only is it a Dean/Benny one, but it's the one that filmed at the hotel we were staying at just after Vancon.

[heartlines]

Is this still going to air on time? I know the CW have been pulling a few shows

[Mei Zhuo]

I hope it is and I hope it's a good one

[ocfan27]

Benny is evil…I don’t care what anyone says! Woah….crazy opening! Sam and Dean! Kevin set them up? What is going on with Kevin? Sam peeking out at Dean! “Winchester Holy Grail” Dean don’t go! Flashbacks! Sam you are so cute! “concerned” all the rattling…Sam’s flashback! The dog is so adorable! Good job Sam! Blood in the cooler! Dean going to help Benny? Dean shouldn't trust him! Castiel in the flashbacks….forever a love/hate but mostly hate for him! You tell them Dean! Benny hunting his maker? Sam working outside…flashbacks! I don’t like Amelia either…how dare she be mean to Sam! Vampire Pirates? Benny stop…you are nauseating me. Not liking all the Benny/Dean moments! Benny seeing Andrea! Dean looking at what is happening! Benny you are such an idiot! Dean ignoring Sam’s call. I don’t like you Amelia! Benny is not good backup! “all your friends are dead” aww… Enough with the Benny already! Go Dean!! Benny talking to his maker….Dean flashbacks! Shut up Benny! Sam breaking into a car! Love it! Ugh Amelia…don’t even bother Sam! crazy fight! Leave then Benny! Jeez! That was awesome Dean! I wish he didn't resurrect him! Flashbacks! Sam is there! Sam hates him…you can tell! Pretty good episode….could have been better…needed way less Benny!

[Clean0002]

Thoughts on 8.05:

• Am I the only one who had a really hard time understanding Benny? I didn’t even catch half his story unfortunately.

• The episode was definitely suppose to make us feel for Benny but I still don’t trust him. I just don’t see how this will end well.

• The purgatory flashbacks were cool. The way the leviathans appeared was pretty well done.

• Dean is definitely hardened a lot. I still don’t know what to make of it because one of the things that makes Dean so great is his vulnerability and I am really missing that right now.

• I think the Sam flashbacks are helping me understand his mindset more. He started fixing things for the motel I think because at least it gave him the opportunity to fix something when everything else in his life was broken. Sam and nothing by that point and he needed to be able to grab onto something and fix something no matter how small it was.

• I understand Amelia more as well. She was very much alone and that is where her lashing out came from. It makes sense she ans Sam bonded. As she mentioned she lost someone, it sounded like a significant other, and as she said to Sam, he obviously knows what that feels like i.e he lost his brother, the most important person in the world to him. I still don’t know what to make of her though. Her attitude, while more understandable now, is a turn off.

• More than ever though it seems to me Sam was just living in a safe little bubble. I think he kind of mentally decided he couldn’t take the life anymore because of all it cost him so his mind just shut it all out. The problem with being in a bubble like that though is, it eventually bursts. It could never be fully real because he shut out a huge part of his life, one which he never told Amelia. It was doomed from the start. He couldn’t avoid everything forever.

• I can’t believe Sam names the dog “dog.” hahahaha that was priceless!

• The Sam and Dean phone conversation had me laughing so hard while at the same time feeling for Sam because he was starting to freak out. It was so brotherly and I loved it.

• We really saw Sam’s freak out in the car. You could tell he was panicking and we know that was because he was terrified of losing Dean again.

• That ending sure was chilly!! I loved the silent convo between Sam and Dean but you can tell Sam is royally ticked off.

• Next episode looks crazy! All this brother angst is killing me. It looks like their issues really come to head next episode.

[Tennessee Whiskey]

They edited out the best part!

So my thoughts...

AMELIA IS AWFUL! I don't care what her history is, she's just awful. She attacks Sam for being a creepy, serial killing drifter and yet she wanted him to keep the dog! WORST VET EVER! Just because she's had a bad day/year/life does not give her the right to attack total strangers who are only trying to do good things!

Benny...I like him! He seems to be a good guy so far. I hope he remains that way.

Benny/Dean/Cas...I think Benny saving Cas explains a lot to why Dean has trust in him. All he had been doing was bitching about Cas, he could have easily let Cas get killed while Dean was busy but no he saved Cas, was it just to earns Dean's trust? Maybe, but I think it really helps flesh the relationship out.

Sam...don't even start to get on Dean's case...at least he's not sleeping with Benny and sucking his blood, Just saying.

Cas...so very precious! I LOVE THAT CAS IS BACK! The whole Aunt thing was classic Cas! Not the nutty version we had last year!

Dean...I think the loyality he has in people is his biggest fault. He may seem harder/colder now but I don't think that's the case, He's just doing a better job of hiding it. Sam not looking for him still hurts, Possibly leaving Cas behind still hurts, if Benny turns out to be using him, it's going to hurt. Dean's just getting at protecting himself.

A little too Benny heavy but I really enjoyed the episode.

[Clean0002]

Originally Posted by Deep Abiding Loveღ (View Post) Sam...don't even start to get on Dean's case...at least he's not sleeping with Benny and sucking his blood, Just saying.

I actually disagree with this. I think Sam has every right to get on Dean's case about Benny. Sam knows what it is like to trust a "monster" and then have them turn on you. I am not saying Benny will end up evil, we simply don't know yet, but the situations are very very similar. Sam being wary of Benny and telling Dean they have been here before with Ruby, which I am sure is what is going to happen, is only Sam using his own experiences to try and help Dean understand what he is doing. He isn’t being a hypocrite or anything. He is pointing out he was wrong from trusting Ruby and look what happened? He loves his brother and doesn’t want the same thing to happen to him. He is trying to protect Dean like Dean did when Sam trusted Ruby. There is no difference here. Ruby manipulated and used Sam for the purpose she was serving. Benny used Dean to get out of purgatory for his own purpose as well. Ruby was able to take advantage of Sam when he was at his most vulnerable. Benny was able to use Dean when he was at his most vulnerable too. Sam and Ruby snuck off together and Sam wouldn’t tell Dean. Dean has kept Benny’s existence quiet until now and hasn’t told Sam a thing. He sneaks off with him this episode and is keeping secrets and only calls Sam because he has to. Ruby never did anything untrustworthy until the end. She saved Sam over and over again and Sam felt indebted to her. Benny saved Dean in purgatory and Cas and I am sure he will again in flashbacks making Dean indebted to him and allowing Dean to trust him. As of right now these situations aren't at all different. Benny may turn out to be good, we simply don’t know, but Sam isn't in the wrong here to be upset imo.

As for Sam sleeping with Ruby and drinking her blood well yes they obviously had a strong bond but Dean and Benny have a very strong bond as well. He trusts Benny as Sam trusted Ruby. I don't see a difference here. The other stuff is just semantics. The main issue in both cases is the fact that each brother trusted these "monsters." It is the same thing. Will it end the same? We just don't know.

[quin0611]

I still have to watch the episode. I still have no power where I live in Long Island, New York was affected by Hurricane Sandy. I'm able to be online because, I'm at work at the daycare I work at. The episode sounds interesting from what I hear. It sounds like I will still like Benny and offically not like Ameila.

[wayliz]

Thought the episode was O.K. I'm not terribly interested in Benny, and thought his backstory was a little cliche. They had a chance to go somewhere really dark and cool with the Benny character and the power he has over Dean. Instead, he's a monter with a heart that only wants to help. Ugh.

I think one of the biggest problems I'm having with the show lately is that is just doesn't feel scary anymore. Where's all the evil? The really dark, bone-chilling evil? The Leviathans, Crowley, ambiguous Mayan athlete God and his elderly wife, teen-angst werewolves...none of it has been particularly scary. I remember the first time I saw The Scarecrow, or Allistair, or Death, or Pellegrino's Lucifer and they were believably, intimidatingly scary. It added real tension and drama to the story and made it fun to watch. It made you instantly scared for the boys. This season, all they seem to want to do is make the bad guys 'grey'. Make you empathize with them. I didn't watch Carver's other series, but I'm given to understand that this was a main theme of "Being Human". So I guess maybe he's trying to fit that framework onto the Supernatural universe. The problem is, it flies in the face of everything the boys have learned through experience over the last seven seasons....If you let a monster live, it will eventually bite you in the @ss. That's why Madison, Gordon, Lenore, Amy, Dean's own daughter and a host of others have met their demise at the hands of the Winchesters......extenuating circumstances or not. I don't really want 'grey', I guess. I want black and white, scary as **** bad guys that our boys take out to save others. I have a feeling that Carver isn't going to give us that show.

Also, the flashbacks slow everything down. Why on earth anybody thought it would be a good idea to have at least half a season of flashbacks is beyond me. We know that Dean clearly makes it out of purgatory and Sam and Amelia definitely get together, so the storyline tension is completely gone. Even though purgatory looks cool...there is no sense of fear or jeopardy. And we haven't really gotten to see any of the grief/despair that Sam would have felt at losing his brother. It would have been so much better told in real time, with Dean trying to escape and Sam working from the other end to help.

Oh well. I'm here to the bitter end, no matter. Just had much higher hopes for where things were going this year.

[quin0611]

Overall I hope that this season gets better esp with the brothers relationship. I'm so done with the brother angst and fighting. I miss when they would cry and die for each other!

[wickedrum]

Originally Posted by quin611 (View Post) I still have to watch the episode. I still have no power where I live in Long Island, New York was affected by Hurricane Sandy. I'm able to be online because, I'm at work at the daycare I work at. The episode sounds interesting from what I hear. It sounds like I will still like Benny and offically not like Ameila.

I hope evrythings all right at your bit apart from the power missing!

[quin0611]

Thanks Rita! Other than my power being out! I'm safe.

[Clean0002]

Originally Posted by wayliz (View Post) Thought the episode was O.K. I'm not terribly interested in Benny, and thought his backstory was a little cliche. They had a chance to go somewhere really dark and cool with the Benny character and the power he has over Dean. Instead, he's a monter with a heart that only wants to help. Ugh. I think one of the biggest problems I'm having with the show lately is that is just doesn't feel scary anymore. Where's all the evil? The really dark, bone-chilling evil? The Leviathans, Crowley, ambiguous Mayan athlete God and his elderly wife, teen-angst werewolves...none of it has been particularly scary. I remember the first time I saw The Scarecrow, or Allistair, or Death, or Pellegrino's Lucifer and they were believably, intimidatingly scary. It added real tension and drama to the story and made it fun to watch. It made you instantly scared for the boys. This season, all they seem to want to do is make the bad guys 'grey'. Make you empathize with them. I didn't watch Carver's other series, but I'm given to understand that this was a main theme of "Being Human". So I guess maybe he's trying to fit that framework onto the Supernatural universe. The problem is, it flies in the face of everything the boys have learned through experience over the last seven seasons....If you let a monster live, it will eventually bite you in the @ss. That's why Madison, Gordon, Lenore, Amy, Dean's own daughter and a host of others have met their demise at the hands of the Winchesters......extenuating circumstances or not. I don't really want 'grey', I guess. I want black and white, scary as **** bad guys that our boys take out to save others. I have a feeling that Carver isn't going to give us that show. Also, the flashbacks slow everything down. Why on earth anybody thought it would be a good idea to have at least half a season of flashbacks is beyond me. We know that Dean clearly makes it out of purgatory and Sam and Amelia definitely get together, so the storyline tension is completely gone. Even though purgatory looks cool...there is no sense of fear or jeopardy. And we haven't really gotten to see any of the grief/despair that Sam would have felt at losing his brother. It would have been so much better told in real time, with Dean trying to escape and Sam working from the other end to help. Oh well. I'm here to the bitter end, no matter. Just had much higher hopes for where things were going this year.

I agree. The creepiness and scare factor are just missing.

I agree about the flashbacks. It makes everything disjointed. Constantly going back and fourth between stories takes away cohesion.

[Liia]

For me it was terribly boring except the flashbacks from Purgatory: wow! Really exciting and I liked the trio: Dean, Cas and Benny
Dean's loyalty to his friends is just
But overall, for me there was too mcuh focus on Benny and Andrea or Benny and that vampire boss, during their conversations I almost found myself asleep
Brothers' fighting does not upset me anymore: I'm right there with you, Quin, I'm simply sick of it.