S07.E20: The Girl With the Dungeons and Dragons Tattoo

[Demented Daisy]

Sam and Dean discover that Frank's hard drive, containing everything on the leviathans, is now in Dick's company building. To retrieve it, they ask for help from one of the employees, a young computer hacker.

 

 

Hello, Charlie.  I appreciate the various Star Wars and Harry Potter moments in this episode, but it's still not a favorite.

 

I don't get S7 sometimes -- kill Bobby, bring in a high tech version of him in Frank.  Kill Frank, bring back Bobby in ghost form, and replace Frank with a younger, female version of him.  What's with the musical chairs?

 

ETA  Whoops -- didn't notice that extra S in the title.  Should I request the change or just leave it?

Edited August 19, 2014 by Demented Daisy

[catrox14]

I wonder how much of it had to do with behind the scenes show things with Sera on her way out, actor contracts, renewals, no renewals. Maybe not sure if they would get a s8 or if Jared and Jensen would remain.  Maybe fan backlash re Bobby's death so they brought him back as a ghost. Maybe they were writing a lot on the fly with no real map of the season or were writing for a series end and then all that changed.  I dunno just speculation given how they killed off and resurrected Cas and Bobby in Swan Song and kept Dean out of the pit, because they got renewed

[DittyDotDot]

I think they were pretty sure S7 would be the final season. They were given the Friday night kiss of death slot and then not renewed until very late, so I think they were making it up on the fly with all the uncertainty. I'm not sure fan backlash about Bobby dying led to him being brought back, but I tend to think so. They would have been working on the episodes where they seeded in some of the haunting stuff at the time that episode aired, so I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't do it just to appease fans on their way out.

 

As to this episode...I liked it. I'm with you @Demented Daisy, I didn't understand all the taking away just to give back another and take away to give back the original either. However, I rather enjoyed this episode overall. I liked it being a bit of a caper episode. And I like Charlie in small doses. The Leviathans were somewhat interesting, or maybe it was just Dick Roman that I found interesting.

[catrox14]

I love this episode for the bonding between Dean and Charlie. And any episode with a lot of Dick pleases me.  In fact, I'll take all the Dick I can get...

Edited August 19, 2014 by catrox14

[Amerilla]

Ah, a reminder for myself.,... I ((heart)) Charlie's Princess Leia t-shirt with the passion of a thousand red-hot suns. I have to look for one. 

 

My favorite part of the ep was Dean walking Charlie through flirting with the guard. 

[AwesomO4000]

I love this episode for the bonding between Dean and Charlie. And any episode with a lot of Dick pleases me.  In fact, I'll take all the Dick I can get...

Aaand it was a good thing I wasn't drinking anything or there'd be splatter all over my computer screen.

 

My internal 12-year old thanks you for this much needed laugh, @catrox14.

 

Oh, yeah,  the episode, I like this one in retrospect better than the first time I saw it. I think I am more ready to accept Charlie here now that I know her better - if that makes any sense. Not a favorite of mine, but not a bad episode either. And I agree with catrox14 that I do enjoy the abundance of Dick in this one.

[mertensia]

I enjoy the episode and Charlie. And, yes, Dick, too. I like that Sam and Dean really don't like the idea of sending Charlie in. I like that Charlie comes away with a "stay the Hell away from me in the future" attitude. I'm always amused at Dean's talking Charlie through the flirting scene. And I always laugh when Dick tells the doomed guy that's he's a "Tim Tebow" type.

[DittyDotDot]

I mostly enjoy this one, but still don't understand why paranoid and crazy Frank had all the Winchesters info on a drive in the first place. Paranoid folks generally understand they shouldn't keep any proof. Plus, why did Frank need to know all their aliases and where Baby was stashed anyway? I know, I know, how else would they write Charlie into an episode?

 

I also am not fond of Bobby's Leviathan-plan info dump at the beginning of the episode. It just seems like too much for him to know and dumping it all on the audience like that leaves little mystery to be explored. The idea of the Leviathans trying to top the food chain is still interesting to me, but I think I would've liked it doled out in smaller pieces.

 

Otherwise though, I find this one to be a good solid episode with a clever little caper and some good old fashioned fun and banter.

[supposebly]

I liked it. I liked that they both used their "special" skills to get Charlie through this. Dean snarking on Sam knowing Harry Potter and Sam laughing at Dean helping Charlie flirt with the guard. I always wonder when Sam had time to read Harry Potter. Maybe during the time they were grieving for Bobby?

 

I don't mind Felicia Day in small doses. Once a season is fine.

 

I absolutely adore Dick. He's funny, super scary, and a little creepy with no sense of personal space. I liked how he enjoys tussling with a ghost. He is probably one of my favorite monsters other than YED, Crowley, the trickster and Lucifer from The End.

[Goldmoon]

Whew.  I am relieve that I got through this one and actually kind of liked it.  Felicia Day may be a nice person in real life, but I cannot abide her "adorkable" schtick.  Her character, Holly, ruined the last season and a half of Eureka.  Anyway, I did like that this ep was different, and I enjoyed Dick.  FD seemed a little toned down from the usual, and Dean trying to help her flirt with the guy was funny.  I am with others in that I didn't see the point of introducing Frank just to kill him off.  I get that they needed a hacker, in either Frank or Charlie, though.  Sam and Dean's skills only go so far.  On to more enjoyable things.

[Demented Daisy]

I cannot believe I never noticed this!

 

The non-linear storytelling.  The mystery briefcase.  The female on the inside.  The convoluted plan.  The pop culture references.

 

This episode reeked of Tarantino, especially Jackie Brown - Tarantino.  How many times have I seen this episode?  And I just noticed this?  Pathetic.

[supposebly]

To me, it was more Alias than Tarantino. Both in the plot points and story telling but also in the style. It only needed some wigs.

[mertensia]

Leverage. This was their Leverage story.

[RulerofallIsurvey]

This was also on my watch list last night.  (New eps get seen on Hulu the next day since I cut the cable cord a couple years ago.)  Random thoughts ahead:

• Wow.  Who's Mary Sue is Charlie supposed to be?  I mean, I get a hacker extraordinaire.  That's not a new thing in shows.  But one who's also a high school dropout?  Get out.  No really.  Get TF out.  Do the writers even understand how much code she would have had to learn all on her own that includes advanced mathematical concepts like calculus?  Not something one normally picks up just because they want to become indispensable.  Not buying that with a wooden nickel.  Oh, and of course, she's Special.  To the Leviathans.  And not just any old leviathan.  The head honcho leviathan.  She has that Magical Spark.  The Spark That Cannot Be Cloned.  (And he had to say it at least twice during the show so we'd be sure we heard it.) Right....
• That being said, I thought the character was kinda fun.  A little over the top, sure, and too much too perfect.  But still kinda fun.
• I liked that Sam knew his Harry Potter lore.  And Dean knows his Star Trek lore.  They are both Adorkable.   
• Dean walking Charlie through flirting with the guard was cute as could be.  And how did he know all that?  Is that what he would want a woman to say to him?  Or has it worked on him before?
• And I get Sam laughing at him at first.  Cause it was funny.  But when it started to interfere with 'the mission' and was messing up Charlie, I don't think Sam would still be muffling his giggles like they showed.  That was unprofessional - and they've been at it long enough (and especially going up against leviathans) I thought that out of character for Sam.
• So the Super Special Hacker can break into paranoid Frank's super duper encrypted hard drive in a matter of a couple hours?  Wasn't he supposed to be some hacker wiz himself?  I guess not as good as Special Spark Charlie.  But tell me why Frank didn't have a fail safe built in?  He had the email go out (which Super Special Hacker didn't catch?) so I thought surely he would have an embedded virus that would wipe his hard drive when triggered by too many login/hacking attempts.  Heck, I'm not a Super Special Hacker and I could do that much.  And not only would I set it to wipe my hard drive, I'd have it start attacking the hacker's computer network too.  heh heh.  That would have been funny.  I seriously can't believe that Frank didn't have something like that set up.
• I agree with whoever upthread questioned why the paranoid hacker would have Sam and Dean's secret info on a hard drive, even a super duper encrypted one.  When you're going off grid, leave no trace people!  At the most, he should have had it written in a notebook that he kept in his pocket and could burn or rip out and swallow at a moment's notice.  Or have the hard drive booby-trapped like I said above.  You let me down, Frank.
• THE BEST Sam and Dean moment (maybe Ever): when they burst through the glass doors and rolled to their feet.  (Did they roll?  I seem to remember a roll.  I'm going with the burst and roll.)  Action Hero Sam and Dean dolls (with child-safe 'glass' shards) for everyone!
• That one deserves a pause of appreciation, so let's just take a moment to allow the burst and roll to sink in and wash over us....
• Best Sam moment: scooping Charlie up in his arms.  Awwww....(and she looked tiny in his arms.  Is she really that small?  Or is he really just that big?)
• Best Dean moment: "she's like the little sister I never wanted."  And now you do, don't you?  Go ahead, you can admit it.  It's nothing of which to be ashamed.  Speaking as a little sister, there are things we can aggravate our older brothers about which another brother just can't.  And you love it.
• Really liked the switch-a-roo at the airport.  Those guys are so clever!  And sneaky!  I think Action Hero Sam and Dean dolls could rival Barbie for the number of different outfits/occupations.  They sure made cute Air Traffic Controller Sam and Dean in that scene.
• I haven't said anything about Bobby.  And I wasn't going to.  But then I did like the fact that he could put Dick Roman back.  I have a few thinky thoughts about that too: like, why couldn't the leviathan see the ghost?  The leviathan is not human.  For that matter, the whole leviathan thing/plan confuses me.  The leviathans eat people, right?  But they came BEFORE people, right?  And then they were banished to Purgatory.  So what did they eat before people?  And if they are so much stronger than people, why do they even need to don human disguises (they are not taking on meat suits like demons)?  I mean, nothing (yet anyway) can kill them - and they know that.  So why even bother with the masquerade?  And what do they really look like?  Other than just the big mouth.  I'd like to see one's true form.  

Edited May 12, 2016 by RulerofallIsurvey

[DittyDotDot]

You know, I like this one despite still not getting the whole reason for the episode. I mean, that drive of Frank's. Setting aside why Frank would even have all this stuff on a drive, the Levi's ate Frank, right? Doesn't that mean they learned everything Frank knew? So, why wouldn't they know how to open the drive? I get that they may not have been able to "think" like Frank--they don't have the spark and all that--but they don't need to think like Frank if they have Frank's thoughts. 

Anyway, I do still like the episode. Charlie's kinda a fun character in small doses, IMO. I always smile when Dean says she's the sister he never wanted.

On 5/12/2016 at 10:05 AM, RulerofallIsurvey said:

For that matter, the whole leviathan thing/plan confuses me.  The leviathans eat people, right?  But they came BEFORE people, right?  And then they were banished to Purgatory.  So what did they eat before people?  

Death said God locked them in Purgatory because he was worried they'd eat the whole petri dish, so I assumed they would eat literally anything, but humans are tastier and more filling. ;)

As to the disguises, I think it's just so they can get their plan underway without being detected. If they started walking around as big monster mouths, people would actively be fighting against them. They just don't want their livestock to get all stressed out and lose some of their delicious fat!

[Demented Daisy]

12 hours ago, DittyDotDot said:

Death said God locked them in Purgatory because he was worried they'd eat the whole petri dish, so I assumed they would eat literally anything, but humans are tastier and more filling. ;)

I assumed that, at first, they ate each other.  Then God created animals....  *blink*  Maybe that's what happened to the dinosaurs.  The Leviathan ate them all.

[DittyDotDot]

Dinosaurs...it all makes perfect sense now! ;)

[GirlyGeek]

Love this episode. Love Charlie.  Love Sam and Dean and Charlie's relationship in this episode.

But WOW was it too much of a risk to send that girl into the lion's den! Right?!  I don't know why this didn't bother me the first time I watched, but it really bothered me today.  Irresponsible really.

I loved all the geeky references and nerdy stuff- and did anyone else see the sly reference to Donald Trump being in on the Leviathan plan, LOL.

[Hanahope]

I remember at the time this episode came out Felicia Day posting about it.  I like FD, because she's a female geek, gamer, and all, but she does have a tendency to get real typecast in many of her roles as the 'adorkable geek who's the smartest at whatever.'  And this was no exception.

that said, is he episode still worked for me, with Bobby laying into dick, the suitcase switch, dean flirting for Charlie, and such.   I presume I'll see Charlie again sometime.

[bettername2come]

"Where you stored your car..." "Baby?" No, they can't come for the car! Felicia Day knows how to work a montage. I like Charlie, but I think the character's a little forced on the show. Dick Roman talking to Charlie is one of his most disturbing moments. "Just because I'm dead doesn't mean I don't know how to do my damn job." I like Charlie's co-worker. I love the sword breaking when she hits Sam with it. Nice job with the Harry Potter references, Sam. The heist scenes are a fun change of pace with the van and the split screen visuals and Sam laughing at Dean coaching her on flirting with a guy. Veronica Mars reference!  Wait, did I just see that Trump was working with Dick Roman?!

Yes, yes I did. I love Sam and Dean busting in with Bobby's help. Aw, Sam just scooped up Charlie. "The really evil ones always need a special sword." I think Dean immediately calling Charlie like the little sister he never wanted in her first appearance was a just a bit much. I think that should've built a little slower. I kind of wonder if they felt they owed the fangirls a character after Becky went all crazy obsessive. 

[Wayward Son]

This has to be my second favourite episode of season seven (the first being Death’s Door). It’s one of the few episodes of this season that manages to put a smile on my face as I watch it. My favourite moments including:

 

• The initial I’m walking on sunshine scene. It was just funny and cute! 
• Dean helping Charlie to flirt her way into Dick’s office! “shut up Sam” “stop talking Charlie” hahaha 
• The broken glass and the brothers rolling through the door. 
• The Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings references. 

Yes, there are definitely some weaknesses to the episode, and it is certainly the beginning of Robbie Thompson’s obsession with Mary Sueing Charlie, but luckily hindsight doesn’t ruin my enjoyment of the episode :)

[RulerofallIsurvey]

Like I said (and said upthread) the Charlie-sueing was a little over the top - Leviathan Dick had to mention a couple times how she had that 'special spark' that couldn't be recreated and put her on the level of Bruce Springsteen.  And yet, the Levi had no trouble duplicating Sam and Dean.  So I guess they ain't so special?  (Shut your mouth, Dick!)  But it was easier to eye-roll away this time through, knowing it was there and all.  And that, this is actually one of the least obnoxious examples of it. I also enjoyed Bobby shoving Dick around more on rewatch and actually wished I'd gotten to see more of that - especially since Dick couldn't see who/what was doing it to him.  I liked seeing Dick lose his cool.  Despite the all the Charlie love-fest, this episode has some of my very favorite of all time SPN scenes

1. I love, love, LOVE the airport switch-a-roo!  Had to rewind and watch that a few times so I could catch who was who in that one.  I like when the boys have clever plans like that.  I wish SPN made more use of them.
2. the jump through the broken glass window to rescue Charlie.  Still probably one of the best Winchester rescue scenes ever!
3. Dean walking Charlie through flirting with the guard. 

[Iju]

the guy who plays dick is so perfect. the punchable perfect face, the calm voice, the swarmy smile, he never gets angry. i almost thought he was an android.

[Lunula]

I was always a huge fan of Charlie and had forgotten her intro to the show. Loved all the nerd references, her tattoo (LOL) and her flirting with the guard. Perhaps she's a bit unbelievable, the computer hacker prodigy thing - but - people like this do exist in the world. I graduated college in 1993, really just as personal computers, the internet, etc. were bursting into our lives - this stuff just wasn't part of our daily lives. But, I had a friend who picked it up so fast - seriously - his brain just worked differently. He was a hacker and though I didn't understand most of what he said, I know he did some amazing things. 

I was always a big fan of Dick Roman. Great villain and I love the actor. 

Overall, an enjoyable episode for me!

[MysteryGuest]

This is definitely one of my go to episodes.  I loved Charlie from the beginning, at least until they turned her into super hunter.  She was fun, and she had great chemistry with the boys.  

[The Companion]

On 12/28/2014 at 1:26 PM, supposebly said:

I absolutely adore Dick. He's funny, super scary, and a little creepy with no sense of personal space. I liked how he enjoys tussling with a ghost. He is probably one of my favorite monsters other than YED, Crowley, the trickster and Lucifer from The End.

I am also a Dick fan. He makes a great villain. I think he hits the perfect balance of smarm, humor and evil.

I love Felicia Day. I know she is fairly polarizing, but I am a fan and really enjoyed her. I honestly didn't know if she would survive (if she is in subsequent seasons, I haven't been spoiled), so I was tense the whole time.

I loved the heist and the nerdy references. The ghost fight was awesome. The flirting scene was a highlight, but this was one of my favorites. 

I am still enjoying the Leviathans and hope there is a satisfying conclusion to the story. I have not loved many of the standalone episodes this year, preferring the storyline episodes. 

There was something particularly enjoyable about watching the brothers work together in this episode. They were on the same page and using their different strengths.

[Katy M]

11 hours ago, The Companion said:

I am also a Dick fan. He makes a great villain. I think he hits the perfect balance of smarm, humor and evil.

I'm so not a fan of the actor. He has that evil smile. He's on General Hospital now and he does the same smile thing when he wants to telegraph "I'm doing something bad."  Just irks me to no end.  I saw him guest on something else where he wasn't a bad guy and he smiled like a normal person.  That was nice.

[The Companion]

44 minutes ago, Katy M said:

I'm so not a fan of the actor. He has that evil smile. He's on General Hospital now and he does the same smile thing when he wants to telegraph "I'm doing something bad."  Just irks me to no end.  I saw him guest on something else where he wasn't a bad guy and he smiled like a normal person.  That was nice.

Glad to hear it is a character choice. Imagine if he had that evil smile naturally and people always thought he was up to something.

Personally, I like the choice here because he oozes arrogance. Sort of a Joffrey thing. You should want to punch him. Totally get why mileage varies on that, though.

[Katy M]

5 minutes ago, The Companion said:

Glad to hear it is a character choice. Imagine if he had that evil smile naturally and people always thought he was up to something.

Personally, I like the choice here because he oozes arrogance. Sort of a Joffrey thing. You should want to punch him. Totally get why mileage varies on that, though.

The evil smile probably works here a little better when he's supposed to be a monster than it does on GH where he's a person and there should probably be some shades.

[rhofmovalley]

Making my way through all the seasons. 

I may or may not be related to someone who's a "Charlie". Didn't finish school, never went to college but said person can HACK. Even got hustled into an FBI office and interrogated in the stereotypical bare lightbulb room. And ended up getting hired by the very industry they'd hacked into, to provide computer security. Not sure why this person has this ability. Just a natural, I guess.

I find Felicia Day to be a bit precious, but she comes across as having a legit passion for all things geeky. And her friendship with Wil Wheaton is cute. 

Dean's chivalry is also cute. Didn't like sending the 90 pound girl into the Levi Den. And I also liked the coworker. Star Wars Princess Leia/Han Solo reference!