S06.E14: Mannequin 3: The Reckoning

[Guest]

Ben calls Dean and tells him Lisa is in trouble. Dean leaves Sam to investigate a case alone and rushes home to rescue Lisa, however, he’s not prepared for what meets him at the door. Meanwhile, Sam discovers the men that were murdered were all a part of a cruel practical joke played on a female co-worker who went missing.

 

 

[DittyDotDot]

I can't really put my finger on exactly what doesn't work for me here, there's definitely something. I like a lot of some of the bits and pieces, but overall something just doesn't sit right.

 

I like the beginning of them dealing with the big fat taste of hell Sam got and I like Sam encouraging Dean to call and deal with Lisa and his past year. I like the banter and I like them keeping in touch and bouncing ideas off each other when they're separated. I also like the stuff with Lisa and Ben and if this was the last we saw of them, I'd find this a good wrap-up to their story. Dean accepts its just not his life and makes the choice to move on. There's no dramatic big betrayals, but a simple adult break-up.

 

The case of the week isn't a bad one with a twist on the typical ghost and there's a good old fashioned salt 'n burn to go along with that ghost. Plus a goofy car-possessed chase scene. I also like the wrap up scene at the end where Sam thanks Dean. And, I never tire of seeing Dean work on his Baby. 

 

With all these things I like, I should adore this episode right? But I don't. Maybe there's not a great through-line that ties the two stories together, or maybe it's just too slow in the end. I really just don't know. Maybe one of y'all's got something to explain this.

[Iguana]

I barely remember this one but I thought the ghost being attached to the kidney or whatever made no sense. Other than that I got nothin.

[rue721]

I barely remember this one but I thought the ghost being attached to the kidney or whatever made no sense. Other than that I got nothin.

 

I love the ghost attached the the kidney! That's just so weird and stupid. I wish they hadn't taken the easy way out and had this young and apparently otherwise healthy woman accidentally killed within like ten seconds of finding out she had a haunted vital organ. I wish they'd had to leave her, just haunted forever (or as long as she had that kidney). Maybe she could have been really torn about taking her immunosuppressants, Idk.

 

The side characters were so unlikable-yet-boring in this one, though, sadly. I think the show should have turned things up a notch and made this more of a farce. They tried to play it all pretty straight for some reason? I don't know how they read a script about haunted mannequins and vital organs and a woman who died while falling on a coffee table trying to leave some random apartment, and that titled called Mannequin 3:  The Reckoning, and decided that the right tone would be to play it like a relatively straight horror/tragedy story.

[Hanahope]

I didn't really understand why the ghost was suddenly after Sam and Dean.  They certainly were not going to kill an innocent woman just to get at her kidney, and certainly having to replace a kidney is kindof a big deal.  I thought that the ghost going after them, with the car, and conveniently killing the kidney recipient way too contrived.  Once she killed the 3 guys involved in the bad joke, wouldn't she have been 'done' anyway?

And then why didn't they need to burn the kidney to get rid of the ghost?

[Katy M]

3 minutes ago, Hanahope said:

I didn't really understand why the ghost was suddenly after Sam and Dean.  They certainly were not going to kill an innocent woman just to get at her kidney, and certainly having to replace a kidney is kindof a big deal.  I thought that the ghost going after them, with the car, and conveniently killing the kidney recipient way too contrived.  Once she killed the 3 guys involved in the bad joke, wouldn't she have been 'done' anyway?

And then why didn't they need to burn the kidney to get rid of the ghost?

There was at least 1 more person, and I think possibly 2, in that flashback when Johnny was telling the story, so no she wouldn't have been done.  And, you never know, she may have decided to go after bullies in general after that.  And, we know that they wouldn't kill Isabelle.  But, did Rose know that?  Or, maybe, back to my first sentence, she just thought they were bullies. 

I think they didn't have to burn the kidney, either because Rose felt bad for what she did and left on her own, or because a haunted kidney needs a living host.  Sometimes, I think the whole burning bones thing is ridiculous because of the reasons it doesn't work. In Provenance, the doll has the girl's hair.  Well, you know how much of my hair is in my shower drain.  A disgustingly large amount, I'm sure.

In It's a Terrible Life, it was fingernail clippings in gloves.  We all have fingernail clippings all over the world, probably. 

What about blood donors?  Could they get attached to anyone who had some of their blood?  Folsom Prison Blues, they thought there was a spirt attached to blood on a mattress.

I mean, come on. But, that's the kind of thing that has to be suspension of disbelief, or you'll keep yourself up all night.

[bettername2come]

On 5/19/2017 at 11:50 AM, Katy M said:

I think they didn't have to burn the kidney, either because Rose felt bad for what she did and left on her own, or because a haunted kidney needs a living host.  Sometimes, I think the whole burning bones thing is ridiculous because of the reasons it doesn't work. In Provenance, the doll has the girl's hair.  Well, you know how much of my hair is in my shower drain.  A disgustingly large amount, I'm sure.

In It's a Terrible Life, it was fingernail clippings in gloves.  We all have fingernail clippings all over the world, probably. 

What about blood donors?  Could they get attached to anyone who had some of their blood?  Folsom Prison Blues, they thought there was a spirt attached to blood on a mattress.

I mean, come on. But, that's the kind of thing that has to be suspension of disbelief, or you'll keep yourself up all night.

Could it be a combination of emotional connection and physical remains for the smaller amounts? Cause that's the only way I can think it might work. Like kid has emotional and physical connection to a doll, girl has emotional connection to sis and the kidney, ghosts have emotional connections to scenes of death, etc. Otherwise, I got nothing and Sam and Dean would never be able to destroy my ghost because I've got hair all over the southeastern United States. 

The dual "Go to your room!" was nice. I like Dean doing the dad talk. I'm not sure Dean, Lisa and Ben would've worked in the long-term, but they love him and I will always give credit to anyone who genuinely cares about Dean. Okay, I laughed way too hard at Dean defending butcher shop doc and how clean it was. "You leave my baby alone! She's got nothing to do with this!" A great line in a subpar episode that could've been so much more entertaining.

[AwesomO4000]

1 hour ago, bettername2come said:

"You leave my baby alone! She's got nothing to do with this!" A great line in a subpar episode that could've been so much more entertaining.

My favorite part was the end scene with Sam thanking and encouraging Dean... I like appreciative, resouled Sam so much.

[RulerofallIsurvey]

I actually rewatched this one a few weeks ago, but never got around to posting comments on it.  Then I forgot what I wanted to write, so I watched it again.  Here goes:

The anatomy mannequin was genuinely creepy.  I'm a sucker for the eyes moving on inanimate objects like that.  Before I get to far into the ep again. I had to go make a comment in the All Eps thread about how Ghost Rose got around.  

I appreciate the scene of Sam and Dean sitting in front of the monitors going through all the security footage.  I realize they had to compress it for time, but it's a nice reminder that a lot of the job/research is boring and tedious work.  

I love how Sam is so supportive of and adamant about Dean going back to check on Lisa and Ben.  No animosity whatsoever.  That's how it should be.  

Was it ever explained why Rose started killing now - a year after her death?  Why not right away?  Or did she need time to hone her ghost skills?

I like smart, savvy interrogator Sam.  

I liked the Lisa and Dean talk scene.  They both played that perfectly.  I guess she cancelled her date that night.  How long has it been since Dean left?  Time can get a little wonky on this show.  When Dean asked Lisa "What do you want from me?" I expect her to ask Dean, "What do you want from me?"  Every time.  And every time I'm a little disappointed that she doesn't.  I would have liked to hear the answer. But then, I'm one of those people who think Lisa and Dean could have worked out, but for the Plot obviously.  I know she later asked "what do you want from us, Dean?"  And we still didn't get to hear the answer.  I also like the Dean and Ben talk.  I like Dean and Ben together.  

I don't know what Jonny is complaining about having to stay in the break room.  At least he can sit and has snacks.  Most people only get a tiny little circle.  I did not see the sex doll girlfriend coming the first time through!  And he called Rose pathetic.  

I thought it was a pretty cheap way out of the predicament to have Isabelle fatally injured by a shard of glass due to Rose possessing Baby.  I think the Hoo-Doo route would have been so much better.  And something they could have revisted a few years later too.  Mostly I really hate that Isabelle died.  

Nice shot of Dean working on the car and Sam bringing him a beer.  The "I got your back" is a nice bookend to when Dean asked Soulless Sam, "You got my back, right Sammy?"  This time you knew Dean knew that Sam meant it.  

[Katy M]

21 minutes ago, RulerofallIsurvey said:

Was it ever explained why Rose started killing now - a year after her death?  Why not right away?  Or did she need time to hone her ghost skills?

I think that's it.  Rarely do ghosts start killing immediately on this show. 

 

23 minutes ago, RulerofallIsurvey said:

I thought it was a pretty cheap way out of the predicament to have Isabelle fatally injured by a shard of glass due to Rose possessing Baby.  I think the Hoo-Doo route would have been so much better.  And something they could have revisted a few years later too.  Mostly I really hate that Isabelle died.  

I get what you're saying, but I didnt' find it a cheap way out.  It goes along with their "you can't save everyone" motif.  Plus, not only did they not save Isabelle, she wouldn't have been in any danger if not for them. Rose may (or may not) have stopped killing after she finished with the 1(?) other guy left.  So, they're left with the question, did we trade sweet, nice Isabelle's life for jerk guy's. 

[DittyDotDot]

9 hours ago, RulerofallIsurvey said:

Was it ever explained why Rose started killing now - a year after her death?  Why not right away?  Or did she need time to hone her ghost skills?

It's been a while since I've seen this one, and it's not a favorite, so I might have some of the details wrong here, but, for some reason, I thought it had something to do with her sister running into one of the guys at the college. Which got her all stirred up and vengeance-y. But, yeah, probably also needed some time to power up too.

9 hours ago, RulerofallIsurvey said:

When Dean asked Lisa "What do you want from me?" I expect her to ask Dean, "What do you want from me?"  Every time.  And every time I'm a little disappointed that she doesn't.  I would have liked to hear the answer. But then, I'm one of those people who think Lisa and Dean could have worked out, but for the Plot obviously.  I know she later asked "what do you want from us, Dean?"  And we still didn't get to hear the answer.  I also like the Dean and Ben talk.  I like Dean and Ben together.  

Well, Lisa did say she knew what she wanted, but also knew she couldn't have it. Which implied to me Lisa wanted it to be like it was before Sam came back. What I really love about this part of the episode is, they didn't have to manufacture some bullshit drama here. Sometimes, no matter how much you love someone, it just doesn't work out.

9 hours ago, RulerofallIsurvey said:

How long has it been since Dean left?  Time can get a little wonky on this show.

For the most part, the show time and our time is the same. For instance, when Dean got out of Hell, the newspaper he picked up was dated the day of the premiere and when Sam released Lucifer, it was mid-May. And, Abandon All Hope has the Devil making a crack about being sure Sam would say yes in about six months--which, surprise, surprise, that would be just in time for the finale in mid-May. My Bloody Valentine aired the week of Valentines day... . If you pay attention to the newspapers and calendars in the background, they usually are dated the week the episode airs. Of course, the years are all screwy now because of the time jumps, but that's a discussion for another thread probably.

Anyway, I'm not sure the date this episode aired, but I'm thinking probably mid- to late-February. So, if Dean hit the road with Sam in October, it's been about four months. Probably about three months since the vampire shoving that forced Lisa to basically end things with Dean.

Edited September 7, 2017 by DittyDotDot

[RulerofallIsurvey]

18 hours ago, Katy M said:

I get what you're saying, but I didnt' find it a cheap way out.  It goes along with their "you can't save everyone" motif.  Plus, not only did they not save Isabelle, she wouldn't have been in any danger if not for them. Rose may (or may not) have stopped killing after she finished with the 1(?) other guy left.  So, they're left with the question, did we trade sweet, nice Isabelle's life for jerk guy's. 

I didn't mean it was a cheap way out for the guys.  I meant Plot-wise it was a pretty cheap and easy solution to a potentially very sticky situation.  The way it worked out, the ghost was dead, and sure the innocent girl was dead too but her blood wasn't technically on Sam and Dean's hands.  I just thought it was a little too neat and clean of a way to wrap the story.

[RulerofallIsurvey]

9 hours ago, DittyDotDot said:

Anyway, I'm not sure the date this episode aired, but I'm thinking probably mid- to late-February. So, if Dean hit the road with Sam in October, it's been about four months. Probably about three months since the vampire shoving that forced Lisa to basically end things with Dean.

Ah, thanks!  Binge-watching throws my sense of time Way off!  :)

I know everyone's different.  And maybe Lisa wasn't really that serious about Dr. Matt (but maybe she was).  I just think 3-4 months after she ended things with Dean - after living with him for more than a year - seems pretty quick to start dating again.  But that's just me.  Not judging her here, honestly.  I wouldn't have been ready to move on - not with a kid to think about.  Maybe she just needed some levity in her life after how things went with Dean.  

[Katy M]

3 minutes ago, RulerofallIsurvey said:

I didn't mean it was a cheap way out for the guys.  I meant Plot-wise it was a pretty cheap and easy solution to a potentially very sticky situation.  The way it worked out, the ghost was dead, and sure the innocent girl was dead too but her blood wasn't technically on Sam and Dean's hands.  I just thought it was a little too neat and clean of a way to wrap the story.

I don't see how it's any "too" neater or cleaner than having a hoo-doo spell said over her.  They wouldn't have revisted it in the future.  They haven't gone back to Hell House for that quick and easy fix.  They just buried the immortal guy in Time Is on My side.  Anybody could dig him up. But, they haven't.  What it was, was probably a more exciting climax scene.

1 minute ago, RulerofallIsurvey said:

Ah, thanks!  Binge-watching throws my sense of time Way off!  :)

I know everyone's different.  And maybe Lisa wasn't really that serious about Dr. Matt (but maybe she was).  I just think 3-4 months after she ended things with Dean - after living with him for more than a year - seems pretty quick to start dating again.  But that's just me.  Not judging her here, honestly.  I wouldn't have been ready to move on - not with a kid to think about.  Maybe she just needed some levity in her life after how things went with Dean.  

It was only their third date.  We know because Ben knows what happens on a third date.  He watches TV.  Personally, I'm only up to a first kiss on a third date.

[RulerofallIsurvey]

11 minutes ago, Katy M said:

I don't see how it's any "too" neater or cleaner than having a hoo-doo spell said over her.  They wouldn't have revisted it in the future. 

I meant I thought it was a neat and clean plot device precisely because they don't have to deal with it again in the future, regardless of whether the show would have had them do it.  And  Sam and Dean weren't responsible for the sister's death, so it took her blood off of their hands.  It would have been way messier imo, and more reasonable instead of the conveniently convenient shard of glass to the stomach, if Isabelle had died as a direct result of something Dean or Sam did  - say Dean was driving the car when Isabelle got hurt or the hoo doo thing went wrong.  But I understand if you don't see it that way.  I still do.  

18 minutes ago, Katy M said:

It was only their third date. 

I know.  And I said I wasn't judging her for it.  Personally, I wouldn't have been up for dating at all only 3 months after ending a serious,  pretty long term relationship.  I consider living with guy for over a year a serious,  pretty long-term relationship.  But like I said, that's just me.  

[DittyDotDot]

42 minutes ago, RulerofallIsurvey said:

I know everyone's different.  And maybe Lisa wasn't really that serious about Dr. Matt (but maybe she was).  I just think 3-4 months after she ended things with Dean - after living with him for more than a year - seems pretty quick to start dating again.  But that's just me.  Not judging her here, honestly.  I wouldn't have been ready to move on - not with a kid to think about.  Maybe she just needed some levity in her life after how things went with Dean.  

I don't know if she was ready or not to seriously move on, but I think she knew the writing was on the wall for her and Dean, no matter how much she wanted it to be different, and didn't want to be someone who was sitting around five years later pretending they could still make it work if only... . She could sit around pining for what she lost with Dean, while making her and Ben's lives sad and depressing, or she could force herself to move forward and try to be happy. 

[Katy M]

1 hour ago, RulerofallIsurvey said:

I know.  And I said I wasn't judging her for it.  Personally, I wouldn't have been up for dating at all only 3 months after ending a serious,  pretty long term relationship.  I consider living with guy for over a year a serious,  pretty long-term relationship.  But like I said, that's just me.  

Here's my take on Dean and Lisa, and you can take it or leave it.  I don't think Dean was in love with Lisa.  I think he loved the idea of a family and he was more in it for Ben.  I'm also not utterly convinced Lisa was in love with dean.  I think she wanted a dad for Ben.  I also think Dean was her first post-Ben serious relationship. Which probably means he was her first serious relationship given her remark in The Kids are Alright about no address, I'm there.  So, I think she started dating again to get that dad for Ben.  And, she picked a doctor. 

[DittyDotDot]

23 hours ago, Katy M said:

Here's my take on Dean and Lisa, and you can take it or leave it.  I don't think Dean was in love with Lisa.  I think he loved the idea of a family and he was more in it for Ben.  I'm also not utterly convinced Lisa was in love with dean.  I think she wanted a dad for Ben.  I also think Dean was her first post-Ben serious relationship. Which probably means he was her first serious relationship given her remark in The Kids are Alright about no address, I'm there.  So, I think she started dating again to get that dad for Ben.  And, she picked a doctor. 

While I agree with you that Dean loved the idea of Lisa and Ben more than the reality of them, I do think he also cared and loved them. If for nothing else than, they being a place of comfort and healing at a time when he needed it. And while I agree that Lisa probably didn't truly love Dean as much as loved having a partner in her life, I never got the impression Lisa was trolling for a dad for Ben. TBH, I had the impression Lisa had been preparing herself for Dean to leave from the moment he showed up on their doorstep. It just wasn't Dean's life and I think both of them knew that from the jump, but it took Sam showing up for both of them to face it. 

So, I think there was mutual love and respect between both Dean and Lisa, I just never saw them in love exactly. But, then again, that's probably why I appreciated this relationship.

Edited September 8, 2017 by DittyDotDot

[Katy M]

42 minutes ago, DittyDotDot said:

So, I think there was mutual love and respect between both Dean and Lisa, I just never saw them in love exactly. But, then again, that's probably why I appreciated this relationship.

yes, that's how I felt.  I think they cared about each other and loved each other in a certain sense, but I don't feel like they were head over heels in love with each other and would have chosen a life together if it hadn't been for Ben.

And, I don't necessarily think Lisa was "trolling" for a dad. I  think it's more of a subconscious thing.

[Iju]

i don't get it, how did sam and dean end up killing the ghost's sister? they didn't do anything harmful to her. honestly this episode felt like filler to me tbh.

On 07/09/2017 at 11:13 AM, Katy M said:

Here's my take on Dean and Lisa, and you can take it or leave it.  I don't think Dean was in love with Lisa.  I think he loved the idea of a family and he was more in it for Ben.  I'm also not utterly convinced Lisa was in love with dean.  I think she wanted a dad for Ben.  I also think Dean was her first post-Ben serious relationship. Which probably means he was her first serious relationship given her remark in The Kids are Alright about no address, I'm there.  So, I think she started dating again to get that dad for Ben.  And, she picked a doctor. 

basically this. as everyone knows he went to lisa because sam told him to, and he did get involved, but not completely. i don't think he ever could, tbh, even if he really wanted to. sam is half of his soul. he would never adjust 100%. thus why when sam appeared it only took dean a couple of days to realise it wasn't only his hunter life that took him away from lisa and ben, it was sam. sure the hunter life came with that, but there was no way sam would just leave and do his own thing while dean did his. they are far beyond cell phone relationship status at this point, they can't keep up with each other that way. dean tried though, he really did. can't take that away from him.

[Katy M]

13 minutes ago, Iju said:

i don't get it, how did sam and dean end up killing the ghost's sister? they didn't do anything harmful to her.

The ghost accidentally killed her when she was trying to kill Sam and Dean.  

[Iju]

On 26/04/2018 at 4:51 PM, Katy M said:

The ghost accidentally killed her when she was trying to kill Sam and Dean.  

i thought the ghost killed her by using her connection with the kidney and making it bleed o.o so how did the ghost kill her? because she was perfectly fine from what i remember the whole time.

[Katy M]

3 hours ago, Iju said:

i thought the ghost killed her by using her connection with the kidney and making it bleed o.o so how did the ghost kill her? because she was perfectly fine from what i remember the whole time.

 

The ghost was using the car to chase Dean.  He ran in front of a store or whatever and then jumped out of the way at the last minute.  The car then crashed into the window and huge glass shards went flying. One of them hit Isabelle in the stomach, presumably in some vital organ and she bled to death.  Rose did NOT mean to kill her.  She even apologized.

[DeeDee79]

This wasn't one of my favs from this season due to so many unlikable characters but Sam's "That was a ghost trying to kill you for being a dick!" line was pretty amusing :)

[The Companion]

On 12/5/2014 at 11:04 PM, DittyDotDot said:

I can't really put my finger on exactly what doesn't work for me here, there's definitely something. I like a lot of some of the bits and pieces, but overall something just doesn't sit right.

I like the beginning of them dealing with the big fat taste of hell Sam got and I like Sam encouraging Dean to call and deal with Lisa and his past year. I like the banter and I like them keeping in touch and bouncing ideas off each other when they're separated. I also like the stuff with Lisa and Ben and if this was the last we saw of them, I'd find this a good wrap-up to their story. Dean accepts its just not his life and makes the choice to move on. There's no dramatic big betrayals, but a simple adult break-up.

The case of the week isn't a bad one with a twist on the typical ghost and there's a good old fashioned salt 'n burn to go along with that ghost. Plus a goofy car-possessed chase scene. I also like the wrap up scene at the end where Sam thanks Dean. And, I never tire of seeing Dean work on his Baby. 

With all these things I like, I should adore this episode right? But I don't. Maybe there's not a great through-line that ties the two stories together, or maybe it's just too slow in the end. I really just don't know. Maybe one of y'all's got something to explain this.

For me, I like both plots just fine, but they don't work together. It felt like they had to have the breakup somewhere, and they had this cool idea with the kidney, but neither could sustain an entire episode. 

On 9/8/2017 at 10:06 AM, DittyDotDot said:

While I agree with you that Dean loved the idea of Lisa and Ben more than the reality of them, I do think he also cared and loved them. If for nothing else than, they being a place of comfort and healing at a time when he needed it. And while I agree that Lisa probably didn't truly love Dean as much as loved having a partner in her life, I never got the impression Lisa was trolling for a dad for Ben. TBH, I had the impression Lisa had been preparing herself for Dean to leave from the moment he showed up on their doorstep. It just wasn't Dean's life and I think both of them knew that from the jump, but it took Sam showing up for both of them to face it. 

So, I think there was mutual love and respect between both Dean and Lisa, I just never saw them in love exactly. But, then again, that's probably why I appreciated this relationship.

This is my take. They both cared for each other and respected each other, but in some ways they also represented stability and family, which Dean craved. That isn't necessarily a bad thing. They aren't going to share a heaven, but it worked while it worked. It was really sad to see Ben struggling with Dean's absence. I also felt Lisa's explanation felt really authentic. She can't live with the uncertainty, but she knows he can't give up the thing that makes him who he is. She gets it. What he does is important and it is a part of him. It is similar to having a spouse deployed. The uncertainty is so hard. You hold your breath every time the phone rings. You want to throw up if you miss a call because what if it was the last call. I can say that was the hardest thing I ever had to do, and I didn't have a kid at the time. So, the breakup for me didn't feel like two long lost soul mates separating, but it did feel like two people who loved and respected each other having to do the mature thing regardless of what they wanted. And I am sort of sad that Dean loses that stability and family. 

 The ghost plot was interesting with the kidney, but I agree that the resolution was unsatisfactory intentionally (because it feels like the dicks win) and unintentionally (because the stabbing was so unlikely). I love how the asshole tried to say: you know how it is. No, dude, that was some next level bullshit.

Can we talk about how Rose was pretty adorable? I don't know what was wrong with those guys. 

Edited December 11, 2019 by The Companion
Editing because of browser issues

[Katy M]

1 hour ago, The Companion said:

unsatisfactory intentionally (because it feels like the dicks win)

Well, not really.  Most of them are dead.  I think there were only 1 or maybe 2 left based on the flashback.

1 hour ago, The Companion said:

I love how the asshole tried to say: you know how it is. No, dude, that was some next level bullshit.

I do know how it is from the other side.  I just never fell for that kind of thing because I knew they were all buttwads.  Not victim-blaming Rose.

[The Companion]

1 hour ago, Katy M said:

Well, not really.  Most of them are dead.  I think there were only 1 or maybe 2 left based on the flashback.

I do know how it is from the other side.  I just never fell for that kind of thing because I knew they were all buttwads.  Not victim-blaming Rose.

Fair enough.  a few of the dicks survive, though  I suppose they don't really deserve the death penalty for being awful people. 

I guess I don't think the level to which they raised the pranks was a normal and reasonable level. Drop a letter? Sure. Set up a mannequin in an apartment to humiliate her? Holy hell, guys. That is a lot of work to be mean to a girl who is shy and supposedly mousey? I mean  Hollywood mousey, right? 

[Katy M]

18 minutes ago, The Companion said:

I guess I don't think the level to which they raised the pranks was a normal and reasonable level. Drop a letter? Sure. Set up a mannequin in an apartment to humiliate her? Holy hell, guys. That is a lot of work to be mean to a girl who is shy and supposedly mousey? I mean  Hollywood mousey, right? 

That's true.  They probably gave their Friday night up for that.  That's dedication.  And then when she was about to storm out, they're like "don't be mad."  Wasn't that the point?  What did they expect to happen?  All that aside, they didn't mean to kill her, and I'd be willing to bet they're probably all at least a little bit nicer, at least to the extent that I doubt they play practical jokes on the "unbeautiful" any more.  I mean the first victim's girlfriend went on and on about how great he was and helped with charitable causes.  I'm obviously not defending their behavior, but like you (and Sam) said, they probably didn't deserve the death penalty over one really stupid hurtful prank going way wrong.

[MagnusHex]

On 12/12/2019 at 10:28 AM, Katy M said:

That's true.  They probably gave their Friday night up for that.  That's dedication.  And then when she was about to storm out, they're like "don't be mad."  Wasn't that the point?  What did they expect to happen? 

The AV Club review agreed that it's too elaborate for a prank, and deduced that he might have wanted to ask her out in a roundabout way.

Regardless, I agree with Ditty: there were bits and pieces here that were decent (there were some humorous bits from Dean in the forms of mannequin jokes), but it's kinda a mediocre episode for me. The case-of-the-week is fine. Its function is just an excuse for Sam and Dean to have something to mope about this week, but that's fine, since I like what they were moping about. And even if the whole "heroes doing more harm than good" schtick has been run to the ground especially by the time Captain America: Civil War came around, it's more about the two of them (or rather, Dean specifically) sacrificing normal lives for this career. It's your typical CW teen drama angst, but it's fine for what it is.

6/10

Next episode looks to be one of the best episodes of all time though.

Edited July 16, 2023 by MagnusHex

[DeeDee79]

5 hours ago, MagnusHex said:

Next episode looks to be one of the best episodes of all time though.

Personally, I've always felt that it was a tad overrated; not sure why fandom has such reverence for it. But I look forward to your thoughts!

 

5 hours ago, MagnusHex said:

there were bits and pieces here that were decent (there were some humorous bits from Dean in the forms of mannequin jokes), but it's kinda a mediocre episode for me.

Agree. I thought that the case was somewhat interesting and enjoyed the Dean/Lisa/Ben scenes but this is a largely forgettable episode for me.

[FlickChick]

This is one I've never cared about and haven't watched when going through a re-watch.

6 hours ago, MagnusHex said:

Next episode looks to be one of the best episodes of all time though.

I really enjoyed it. Of course, it always is a matter of taste whether we like an episode or not. I think there are four or five episodes coming up that I look forward to re-watching all the time.