S03.E02: The Kids Are All Right

[DittyDotDot]

Re-visiting an old flame, Dean uncovers a hunt - changelings are slowly killing off families in a suburban neighborhood. Meanwhile, Sam continues to research ways to save Dean's soul.

 

_________________________________________________________________

 

 

I think this might be the best physiological case of the week they've done...perhaps...or maybe it's the only one I can think of right now. The mother slowly losing her mind and drowning her daughter was creepy and disturbing and did I say creepy...yeah that. Not only was the actress that played the mother excellent (as she always is), but the kid who played the monster girl was super-fantasicly creepy. They had a run of good creepy child actors this season, didn't they?

 

I usually am really hard on this episode for the mini-Dean bits, but they didn't feel like they overwhelmed the episode this time--or maybe I was just steeled for them and was better able to compartmentalize this time. I do think that Jensen played off it rather well, just couldn't get behind musical tastes and catch phrases as being genetic, but whatever.

 

This episode reminded me of why I think S3 struggled with tone--Holy buckets of whacky music Batman! So we go from mullet rock to cartoon music in the space of one episode. Don't get me wrong, I know they used a lot of the whacky music in S2, but this episode in particular seems overwrought with it. I felt like I was watching some '70s screwball comedy at times. And don't even get me started on the Technicolor brightness of S3...but, I'm pretty sure that was a combination of network tinkering and them switching to digital and not getting it right out of the gate. Many shows struggled with this when they first switched to digital, so I'm a little forgiving...never forgive network interference though. 😉

 

So, we learn that Evil Ruby is evil--like I hadn't already guessed that--and mamma Winchester was more than she seemed. Good to know. BTW, my dislike of Ruby has nothing to do with the actress, I think Katie Cassidy did okay with what she was given, which wasn't all that much, IMO. I was really amused with the scene where she gets all excited about eating the "fried crack". The delight she has in pouring the ketchup onto that plate is great. If her entire character wasn't so cookie cutter, I think I would have liked her better.

 

So, I've always liked Lisa and have always thought that Jensen and the actress have great chemistry together. I immediately liked Lisa when she decided to support her friend and help her rather than be the typical bitchy mom that would run out and tell the other moms what a bad mom she was. And I also loved that she was pissed Dean had advised Ben to kick that kid--even though I think Dean was right, sometimes you do just need to kick a bully in the nads. I just like that she was trying to be a responsible parent and stood up to Dean rather than just still being enamored by him because he was hot and they had had one weekend together. Lisa had far more to her than most of the female characters they bring around and she's very much the type of woman that I think Dean would want to be with long-term.

 

So to sum up, I like this episode, just don't love it.

[catrox14]

One thing I find so fascinating about Supernatural is how every viewer gets something completely different out of episodes, characters and relationships. 

 

I really dislike this episode for the most part. Lisa was okay. I did like Lisa well enough here as her own character and mom.  I swear I thought she was the monster at first with those unnaturally blindingly white teeth. Egads.  I far preferred the actress playing Lisa's friend.  She was AWESOME and man too bad she wasn't actually cast as Lisa.  And I thought Ben was not one of their better child actors personally, especially after we had the goodness from Lucas  in s1 and Ridge Canipe as young Dean.  Yes I'm spoiled. He wasn't bad just didn't have much charisma IMO. 

 

I didn't think Jensen and Cindy had any chemistry at all. I liked them being adversarial here for the most part because Dean was sort of overstepping his bounds asking about Ben and being told "no, he's not yours, twice.  I liked that Lisa was all " You don't know me, you don't know my son. We had one weekend 8 years ago. You have no business with me or my son."  It was appropriate because she was completely right. She kept him at arms length.  . She hugged him in appreciation for saving her son's life after it all happened.  I liked Dean saying "Well at some point you think is this all there is....my car" after learning Ben was not his son. Considering he's on his way to Hell it made sense he might be thinking those things.  all season spoilers 

BUT YOU DO NOT BUILD A CONTRIVED RELATIONSHIP OFF THIS EPISODE and one dream sequence...BAHHHH

 

 

Then they undid all that good stuff by having Lisa kiss Dean and then have her say "Well, if you want to stick around awhile". The line without the kiss would have been fine especially with Dean saying  "I can't. I have to work. This isn't my life". I understand she was grateful and the hug demonstrated that. But the kiss was weird, IMO.  Then after learning that the kiss was not in the script and was a director's request on the fly for Cindy to kiss Jensen, unbeknownst to him to get a reaction clears up why it seemed really out of place to me. It didn't add anything and IMO made it worse. It went from cool woman who understood boundaries etc to unnecessary hero worship. Bleh.  Mileage varies

Edited August 17, 2014 by catrox14

[DittyDotDot]

I found the kiss to be very endearing. I didn't think she kissed him because of any hero worship, but he said she had a great kid and he would have been proud to be his dad. I thought it was along the same lines as the hug...an impulsive emotional response, IMO.

[catrox14]

The hug was fine because that was about her son and being grateful for that.  The kiss  bugged me even before I knew about the BTS story. I thought it was hero worshippy because of the way  Cindy played it which was either an acting or director's choice. She looked at the ground and then ran up to kiss him like some teenage girl. And I didn't find enough spark Cindy and Jensen that sold me anything was percolating for Lisa towards Dean. spoilers

Also, what is up with women just fondling and kissing Dean without his permission?

  

 

But to be fair this entire episode bugged me and it's in my all time dislike list. LOL

[7kstar]

The direction for Ben to act like Dean and be a mini dean was all director's choice.  It wasn't written in the script.

 

I disagree that Lisa and Dean didn't have chemistry...I've always liked them.  I also saw it as tug a war, we had a thing you left and maybe it hurt her more so put up the boundaries and then give it a slight nudge at the end.

 

I can agree the actor playing Ben wasn't the best, but a lot of KID actors aren't acting, they just play themselves and say some lines.  It's why so many kid actors can't make the transition into Adult acting.  When you're a kid, a lot of people will go aren't they cute and not have much in expectations.  So on that part, I just shrug my shoulders and go with it.  He certainly wasn't the worst I've seen.  I know in Hawaii 5-0 Grace has grown on me and at first I was like couldn't they find one kid that can really act?

 

But I laugh at the scene where Dean and Ben deal with the bully and totally get Lisa's reactions. 

 

I really haven't figured where this one is for season 3 but I never had a problem with Dean and Lisa.  I know it's in my top group but I would have to sit down to figure out where. 

 

I really like Ruby at this moment, but then again very few shows surprise me.  I remember watching a film and the whole time I kept saying watch this is going to happen and the guy sitting next to me was like how do you know.  It was an awful movie and both of us agree so the whispering kept us entertained.  Bad I know but we were in a cheap college movie.

 

Anyway, I always laugh when they say they thought they had surprised us because they don't know how to be subtle. 

I don't know if they really decided to put Lisa and Ben together with Dean for season 6 before this and that may be the real problem.  They thought, this would be a cool idea, and never did a good set up. 

 

But I have always been one of the few that really liked Lisa and Ben and those that don't thats okay, but I always enjoy this ep when I watch it.  @DittyDotDot I agree with a lot that you say.  But I do love this ep.

[supposebly]

I'm with Raoul on this one, it's one of the creepiest and scariest ones they have done. Partly due to the sucking thing and the mother. Her performance was outstanding.

 

I didn't like the final kiss either. I think @catrox14 said it best. Like a teenage girl.

 

I'm glad they did it so at least the end of season 5 and the beginning of season 5 doesn't come quite so much out of left field. Still, within the episode, it didn't work for me.

[catrox14]

 

I also saw it as tug a war, we had a thing you left and maybe it hurt her more so put up the boundaries and then give it a slight nudge at the end.

 

 

Dean shows up because the case was sort of nearby and he wanted to get laid again. And Lisa sure didn't seem thrilled to see him at all when he first showed up. I can't fathom that she's been pining away or thought it was more than a one night stand either one of them. I didn't see any tug of war about anything.  She seemed way more like why the fuck are you even here, you douchebag LOL.

 

Especially since she said that she had a type back then which was no strings attached and Dean met that criteria. And she had no attachment to Dean via Ben who wasn't his son.  There was nothing that sold me on them having any kind of connection besides hot sex. Again chemistry is a subjective thing but I didn't see it. never did. Still don't. 

 

That's why this was just too contrived and eye rolly for me. I would  have preferred they made the kiss a joke like Dean says "well finally someone appreciates what I did!"  

 

I loved the stuff between Ruby and Sam.  She's so sketch!

[Dobian]

Even though the theme of this show is supernatural phenomenon, most of the episodes don't really scare me.  It's more suspense than thrills.  But this one genuinely creeped me out.  When the mother drowns the changeling girl in the car and she's smugly looking at her through the rear window and not even trying to escape, then the mom comes home and the dripping wet thing is sitting at the kitchen counter asking to be fed, that was creepy.  Mystery girl revealing to Sam that she's a demon wasn't very surprising, nor the fact that she wants to make a deal to save Dean.  But it works well enough.  In this show's universe, it's very clear that many things are negotiable when it comes to demons, and not all demons operate under the same agenda.

Edited February 29, 2016 by Dobian

[Hanahope]

I can't imagine what a mother would go through if their child 'changed' like that.  Really creepy episode.

I loved Dean thinking Ben was his kid, and being ok with it if he was.

Can't wait to find out what Ruby wants. 

[Katy M]

On ‎8‎/‎17‎/‎2014 at 2:51 PM, catrox14 said:

 

That's why this was just too contrived and eye rolly for me. I would  have preferred they made the kiss a joke like Dean says "well finally someone appreciates what I did!"  

 

That's exactly how I feel.  Lisa was a bendy weekend for Dean.  Nothing more, nothing less.  She wasn't his great love that got away

Edited February 12, 2017 by Katy M

[bettername2come]

Thanks to Supernatural, I will never, ever go near any kind of appliance that's on when it's not supposed to be.

I like Lisa and Ben. Not gonna lie, I've always kind of wanted to find out that Ben really is Dean's son. Jensen nails the moment where Dean sees Ben acting like him, does the math and comically takes off. He's always so great with the child actors.

"I love a tall man." I like this line more than I should because it's the first time they really acknowledge just how fucking tall Sam is. I'd completely forgotten the "all Mary's friends died mysteriously" plot thread, so that was a nice surprise. Also, liked the mention of multiple Campbells before we had learned Mary's last name officially.

Dang, that creepy girl is awesomely creepy and plays the scared, real version of the girl equally well. I'd forgotten the scene of Mom trying to drown the not!daughter and failing. Both actresses nailed their roles in this one. Good, creepy monster of the week. Good, creepy reveal of the children in cages. Sam with fire! Yes, my inner Samgirl and inner pyro are both happy.

I like Lisa being a good, supportive friend and a good mother to Ben. She's right to not trust Dean Winchester with her son. I also love that Ben helps save the other children. I'm a sucker for good, decent people on this show. They are rare and precious and should be protected. 

I like the kiss and think it's believable enough that she would kiss a cute guy who saved her son and then complimented him. I don't think surprising Jensen was a great directorial choice and it seems to add nothing to the scene. We don't get a great Dean reaction shot or anything out of it.

Katie Cassidy's voice is so annoying. It's not just me, right? It's higher pitched than it's ever been on Arrow and she sounds like a snide teenager every time she speaks.

Edited June 3, 2017 by bettername2come

[catrox14]

36 minutes ago, bettername2come said:

I like Lisa being a good, supportive friend and a good mother to Ben. She's right to not trust Dean Winchester with her son. I also love that Ben helps save the other children. I'm a sucker for good, decent people on this show. They are rare and precious and should be protected. 

Season 5 spoilers

 

Spoiler

And this is what bugs the living crap out of me about Dean suddenly wanting to find Lisa and why the fuck she would let him just move in with her willy nilly in s5 when she hadn't heard from the dude in like 3 years. Like I get end of world shit but he never TOLD her exactly what was gonna happen....bah...ugh...HATE

[MysteryGuest]

I just watched this episode the other night, and I never realized that the actress who played the mother of the little girl Kate is the same actress from Citizen Fang who played Benny's niece Elizabeth.  I've only watched those episodes how many times???  I just never made the connection before.

[DittyDotDot]

30 minutes ago, MysteryGuest said:

I just watched this episode the other night, and I never realized that the actress who played the mother of the little girl Kate is the same actress from Citizen Fang who played Benny's niece Elizabeth.  I've only watched those episodes how many times???  I just never made the connection before.

Oh yeah, that's Kathleen Munroe. She, like Katharine Isabelle (Ava) and Christopher Heyerdahl (the last Alistair) are part of that crop of brilliant Canadian character actors who I love seeing crop up everywhere. I loved her stint on Stargate Universe, too. She has a knack for really filling out her characters so it's easy not to see them as the same actress, I think.

[MysteryGuest]

1 minute ago, DittyDotDot said:

Oh yeah, that's Kathleen Munroe. She, like Katharine Isabelle (Ava) and Christopher Heyerdahl (the last Alistair) are part of that crop of brilliant Canadian character actors who I love seeing crop up everywhere. I loved her stint on Stargate Universe, too. She has a knack for really filling out her characters so it's easy not to see them as the same actress, I think.

I thought she really did a great job in both episodes.  Even though her part in Citizen Fang was pretty small, she was memorable.

[DittyDotDot]

Okay, if nothing else, your commenting on this @MysteryGuest got me to go back up and reread the thread:

On 8/17/2014 at 9:47 AM, DittyDotDot said:

I think this might be the best physiological case of the week they've done...perhaps...or maybe it's the only one I can think of right now.

Quoting myself here to point out a very stupid--but also kinda funny--typo...that should have been psychological. I got to wondering what was so physiological about the episode... . ;)

Now I'm wondering if that was auto-correct or me being a dumbass three years ago? Hard to tell with me sometimes. Oh this brain of mine!

Edited June 4, 2017 by DittyDotDot

[Pondlass1]

44 minutes ago, DittyDotDot said:

crop of brilliant Canadian character actors who I love seeing crop up everywhere

Ty crops up all the time on shows shot in Canada.  Sometimes a main character, sometimes a wee small role. It's actually fun making the 'Supernatural' connections.  'Lisa' is the star of the show 'Private Eyes' (I think it's Canadian) and the actress has done tons of TV commercials.  The actress playing 'Kelly' is all over the place on Canadian TV.

It's good for the ol' memory.  I recognize a face and then have to check back which episode he/she was in.

The Vancouver acting pool must be fairly small. These actors are used over and over again - small roles, big roles, TV ads, etc.

[DittyDotDot]

44 minutes ago, Pondlass1 said:

Ty crops up all the time on shows shot in Canada.  Sometimes a main character, sometimes a wee small role. It's actually fun making the 'Supernatural' connections.

Yeah, I love this game quite a bit. The thing with Ty is, he's rather hit or miss for me. Depends on the role. Like I think he was great on Battlestar Galactica, but neither loved nor hated him on Eureka. He was great on Supernatural though. Maybe he's just one of those actors who needs the right character or the right people to play off?

[Pondlass1]

Misha once made movie  - Stonehenge Apocalypse - he's the lead and actually dressed like Dean in the movie.  I live in Canada and, honestly, I swear it's on one channel or another at least every couple of months.  He must make a fortune from the royalties... lol.

But yeah - it's a cool game.  The actress portraying Lucifer's mum (a much more interesting Lucifer than the one we've got!) is the same actress from an earlier episode Roadkill.

[bettername2come]

8 hours ago, Pondlass1 said:

 

Misha once made movie  - Stonehenge Apocalypse - he's the lead and actually dressed like Dean in the movie.  I live in Canada and, honestly, I swear it's on one channel or another at least every couple of months.  He must make a fortune from the royalties... lol.

 

*searches for movie* Hello, Sunday night plans. 

[DittyDotDot]

1 hour ago, bettername2come said:

*searches for movie* Hello, Sunday night plans. 

Hee! I've heard terrible things about that movie...which, of course, only makes me want to see it more!

[bettername2come]

6 minutes ago, DittyDotDot said:

Hee! I've heard terrible things about that movie...which, of course, only makes me want to see it more!

I found it on Youtube.

[The Companion]

Even when you have a creepy changeling kid, you can't get a moment alone in the bathroom. 

Ben was a delight. I want to watch a spinoff of him eating cake and ruling elementary school. 😆 Obviously none of what the kid was doing was genetic anyway, but people make these connections all the time. My son is adopted and people comment all the time about the resemblance, even though we are not biologically linked. Dean missed that he was a potential threat to her. If he was Ben's dad, he would have custody rights and she would have to co parent with a one night stand. 

The changelings were creepy in kid form and in monster form. So was drowning the little girl. It made me think of that awful case with the women who drowned her kids. Susan Smith. I could barely watch it. It was identical, so I am sure that was intentional.

[Aeryn13]

On 6/4/2017 at 4:56 PM, Pondlass1 said:

But yeah - it's a cool game.  The actress portraying Lucifer's mum (a much more interesting Lucifer than the one we've got!) is the same actress from an earlier episode Roadkill.

Tricia Helfer, she was a regular on Battlestar Galactica and she rocks. 

Quote

The changelings were creepy in kid form and in monster form. So was drowning the little girl. It made me think of that awful case with the women who drowned her kids. Susan Smith. I could barely watch it. It was identical, so I am sure that was intentional.

It was one of the more genuinely creepy episodes of the show. Not too many of them. 

Edited November 14, 2019 by Aeryn13

[Katy M]

3 hours ago, The Companion said:

If he was Ben's dad, he would have custody rights and she would have to co parent with a one night stand. 

Well, I'm not really sure how that would work.  He is wanted by the FBI.  Plus he has less than a year to live. OK, she probably doesn't know all that, but there is no way he's fighting for visitation or anything else.

But, people, this is why one night stands are a very bad horrible idea.

[ahrtee]

1 hour ago, Katy M said:

But, people, this is why one night stands are a very bad horrible idea.

One of many reasons. 😊