“There is no such thing as a random series of robbery-murders by your evil twins.” – Frank
One of my primary concerns with “Slash Fiction” is that I wonder just how many near-mint 1967 Chevy Impalas the writers think are just laying around waiting to be utilized in a heist by a pair of ancient sociopathic monsters.
I mean, Dean has rebuilt his twice (and, again, shouldn’t those parts be really hard to find?) and in this edition of Supernatural, the Winchesters’ evil Leviathan clones wreak havoc from California to Iowa in their very own “Baby.”
On the plus side, someone finally points out just how ridiculous the simplistically smooth and sexy Impala is for two guys who perpetually exist beneath the radar to be driving around in. Dean doesn’t appreciate it, but I appreciate his attempts to discreetly lip sync to Air Supply. Honestly, it’s my favorite part of a generally muddled episode that tries really hard to make sense. Jensen Ackles has the best facial expressions of the entire cast, and I admit this as someone who unrepentantly wants to climb his taller and shaggier co-star like a tree and braid his hair and feed him cookies.
“Slash Fiction” crams a lot of mythology into this hour: mere skin contact allows Leviathans to absorb the DNA and memories of an individual, enabling them to make pretty convincing copies of anyone they brush elbows with, or, in the case of Sam and Dean, anyone whose hair they scooped out of a motel room shower as though they were a bunch of stalker fangirls. So that sucks. On the bright side, sodium bicarbonate (aka: industrial soap) gives the gooey bad guys some pretty severe burns, so it looks like Sam and Dean need to go no further than the nearest Costco to stock up on enough ammo to do some damage. I haven’t decided yet if this is an awesome revelation or not.
However, “Slash Fiction” is not without its share of awesome. Dean and Sam’s evil twins are pretty evil and Supernatural’s stars clearly relish the opportunity to shed their usual righteous robes in favor of a little mayhem. All of the Pulp Fiction references didn’t hurt either, Pumpkin and Honey Bunny. The Leviathan brothers’ opinions of the skin they occupy are also priceless:
Dean on Dean’s love life: “He doesn’t have relationships. He has applications for sainthood.”
Sam on Sam’s diet: “Dead plants with creamy goo. It’s like eating self-righteousness.”
The unfortunate aspects of the episode manifest in an ending that is basically Season 2’s Jus in Bello rewritten with some names and locations changed, right down to the part where the baddies show up after Sam and Dean leave and slaughter the boys’ hapless civilian helpers, and the big reveal about Dean murdering the Amy-monster. Last week, I said that I just wanted the plot resolved and I didn’t care if it had the brothers at each other’s throats. I said that and I won’t complain (much) about being given what I said I would take, but really? Really?
Dean does/says something stupid/insensitive. Sam gets pissed and walks out. It feels like this happens at least once a season.
Oh wait.
Here, I compiled the list for you: S0111: “Scarecrow,” S0210: “Hunted,” S0421: “When the Levee Breaks,” and S0503: “Free to be You and Me.”
Honorable mention: S0606: “You Can’t Handle the Truth,” in which Dean] does the ditching… er… punching.
You might notice the lack of a candidate for Season 3. I’m chalking that up to the writer’s strike shortening the season by about 10 episodes. The writers would have gotten there eventually.
And finally, while I’m disappointed that the Boss Leviathan isn’t being played by Misha Collins, I am amused that his name is Dick because I have the sense of humor of a 12-year old boy.
Some stats and info about Supernatural, “Slash Fiction”
TV SHOW – Supernatural
SEASON/EPISODE – Season 7, Episode 6
AIRED ON – October 28th, 2011
NETWORK/STREAMING SERVICE – CW/Netflix
GENRE – Drama, Teen Dramas, Horror, Fantasy
CREATED BY – Eric Kripke
CAST – Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles, Misha Collins, Mark Sheppard, Jim Beaver, Alexander Calvert, Mark Pellegrino, Samantha Smith, Ruth Connell
This review originally appeared on TV Geek Army.