S11.E04: Baby

[Mulva]

The show has been using Bob Seger songs since S1. They used "Lucifer" and "2+2" in S1, "Rock and Roll Never Forgets" in S5's Swap Meet episode, "Beautiful Loser" in the S6 opener and "The Famous Final Scene" in S8. That's just off the top of my head.

I'm not sure why there's so much outrage over using a classic rock musician's music on a show featuring a character who loves classic rock.

[catrox14]

The show has been using Bob Seger songs since S1. They used "Lucifer" and "2+2" in S1, "Rock and Roll Never Forgets" in S5's Swap Meet episode, "Beautiful Loser" in the S6 opener and "The Famous Final Scene" in S8. That's just off the top of my head.

I'm not sure why there's so much outrage over using a classic rock musician's music on a show featuring a character who loves classic rock.

 

I've seen no outrage from anyone. It's been reasonably discussed and all points were pretty well laid out why everyone has their opinions on either side of the discussion.

[Mick Lady]

You're right. My "purses" are more like bags, generally picked up at craft fairs, usually made of recycled jeans or some other rather obvious and very non-slippery material, and are fairly good-sized. They pretty much stay where I put them in the car no matter what happens, so I tend to forget that normal purses do tend to move and slip around under conditions that wouldn't budge mine.

 

 

Awesom0400, you are my sister! My purse weighs a ton!

 

Are you ever going to get to writing fanfiction again? Huh?

[AwesomO4000]

Awesom0400, you are my sister! My purse weighs a ton!

 

Are you ever going to get to writing fanfiction again? Huh?

 

Yes. I am working on it. I promise. This next chapter is really long, but I have a stopping point in mind, and I'm gonna get to it before I post it, dammit! (stupid real life getting in the way of my writing). I have one more crazy-ass week of class and lab. I'm done with the talks, finally, for a while. I am not a morning person, so this morning's 8:00 departure after being up last night putting the finishing touches on my talk, because class didn't finish until after 9 was not so much fun, but I made it through the talk, despite everything the venue tried to throw at me... 15 minutes before my talk, the venue computer decided to update... it was still updating 2 minutes before my talk, so we had to substitute my computer. Good thing I don't get rattled when speaking in front of an audience! ... Not even when the microphone gave out on me 5 minutes before the end of my talk. Good thing I'm old hat at this and can put together and get through a talk on the fly. It even went well (*is surprised, since I wasn't as prepared as usual*).

 

Anyway - all of that to say that I'll be glad to do some writing during breaks from preparing for class, and with the crappy weather expected this weekend, I should hopefully finish the chapter.

 

Are you going to try your hand at writing some? It's fun once you get going.

 

 

As for my purse... surprisingly it doesn't weigh a ton (that's my computer bag for work), but it is amazing all of the stuff I have in there, and therefor by no means small.

[SueB]

AwesomeO... wow, have I been there or WHAT (your last 24 hrs)?!  Glad that it's over for you for now. 

[Mick Lady]

Hey Awesom0400! Thanks for replying! I look almost everyday for your stuff, and I miss it! But I understand, and SueB is right, your last 24 hours sound like hell! Good for you for getting through it like a pro!

 

I'll never write fan fic! Between you (who has characterization down pat!) Omegamom, (who would give Stephen King a run for his money) and 7kstar (who writes some great dialogue) I'm too intimidated! But I'm hooked on it, and I miss you! You introduced me to that world, and your writing is, I don't know, special to me!

[rue721]

Wow, this episode was fantastic! It felt like the SPN I fell in love with wayyyyyy back in the day.

 

Gorgeous to look at, great soundtrack, characters who are fun to watch and "spend time" with, old-fashioned "down and dirty" fight scenes...I really loved everything about this episode. I've already seen it twice and I'll probably watch it again sometime pretty soon.

 

I was just overall struck with how brutal it was.  The camera really added to that feeling.

 

I didn't think the fight scenes were especially brutal, actually. Interesting that other people did...how come? I guess I tend to find more one-sided violence (like all those torture scenes) a lot more brutal than a couple knock-down-drag-out fights like this. Though when Dean got handcuffed and thrown in the backseat, I was worried for him.

 

Great Stuff:

 

-- Cass droning on and on about incredibly boring werepire exposition, while we meanwhile kept getting glimpses of Dean having this hilariously awesome fight with a guy who just WOULD. NOT. DIE.

 

-- The snarling head in the cooler.

 

-- The Monster Woman cooing, "I fixed it, I fixed it" to the Ghoulpire guy's corpse. (As she was reattaching his head, I guess).

 

-- Sam being clearly visible flirting with the cashier in the corner store, while Dean was getting ambushed in the car.

 

Both Mick and I thought Dean seemed so much more, I don't know, human in this episode. Can't wait to re-watch!

 

I agree. Dean was great in this episode, imo. The Night Moves singalong, the joking around about Sam losing his virginity, the kinetic and resourceful fighting, his general good humor and resilience, wanting to stop at the roadhouse to unwind, how you could see him taking everything in and turning it over in his mind even when he didn't really want to (like when that Monster Woman was trying to get under his skin)....all that is stuff that seems in-character to me and I really like all of it.

 

It didn't feel to me like Jensen was breaking character all that much, but maybe that's because I don't watch much BTS stuff and so I barely ever see Jensen onscreen as himself (rather than in character as Dean) and am not very familiar with his mannerisms or anything.

 

Some people upthread were ragging on the "brother moment" in the car, when Sam tells Dean about his vision of his father and more-or-less spills his guts, and Dean starts talking about dreams he's had and regular-person stuff like that, instead of spinning theories about supernatural stuff -- but I actually really liked that, and it seemed completely in-character for Dean to me. It actually sort of reminded me of my all-time favorite "brother moment" -- that last scene in Houses of the Holy, when Sam is worried that something bad has a-hold of him (and it does, iIrc -- that was when he was "connected" with Azazael), and Dean tries to reassure Sam, despite his own personal cynicism and despite not really being able to make any promises. I think it makes perfect sense that Dean would immediately start thinking in terms of how Sam is feeling and his instinct would be to connect with him on a personal level. Their dynamic has definitely changed, but they're still brothers first and coworkers a distant second to him imo.

 

As for Sam --  I LOVED the record scratch when he was drinking his smoothie and Dean started asking about the beer. Hilarious. Also, do you guys remember months and months ago (maybe even a year ago) when we were bullshitting about a Laundry Day episode and the guys' (hypothetical) hobbies, and I was saying that I wanted Sam to be a bit of a fitness geek who bores Dean to death talking about minimalist shoes and juicing/smoothies? So LOL I loved that he was drinking some nasty looking Green Monster knock-off. And I also loved that Dean was a total old man about it.

 

It also cracked me up that Sam went off to the diner in a self-righteous huff, only to have Dean catch him out the next morning in a COMPLETELY undeniable Walk of Shame. I mean, the girl was still there FFS! That makes me laugh. Imo it also hit just the right note of wanna-be uptightness that Sam has. He's always come off to me as though he's sort of uptight, but he wishes he were WAY more uptight than he actually is. Dean's got his idea of what a man should be like, and Sam has his, and sometimes it seems like Sam's version is like...Idk, some hardass. Like Red from That 70s Show or something.

 

Yeah, where do you find parts for a classic Impala? The hood and grill alone will cost a fortune, and they don't have Bobby's salvage yard anymore!

 

Personally, I've been thinking for years that it would be great for Dean to open a side-business on Ebay sourcing classic car parts. They travel all over the country and Dean must know everything about sourcing car parts and doing rebuilds at this point. He could make some major bank if he monetized his hobby :P

 

And I'm probably alone here, but the Sam and the sex in the car felt horribly awkward to me.

 

It was SUPER awkward, but that's what I liked about it. I think it was meant to be awkward, too. Which is why Sam confessed that Piper wouldn't even take his number, and Dean told him to be grateful that at least they could still get laid (even if they couldn't get girlfriends or even call backs), and then started cracking jokes about it being Sam's first time. I mean, that hookup wasn't slick AT ALL. The writing was also not all that slick, but hey. That's the kind of roughness/imperfection that doesn't bother me (YMMV).

 

But I did wonder if in that moment he wished he had the Mark still because he would have killed those ghouldpires handily and then opened up a can of whoopass on the ghoulpires holding Sam. And truthfully in that moment of Dean's realization I felt like pod!Dean was less in play.

 

I doubt he would wish that he still had the Mark! Better to die as a human than to "live" as a demon, I would think.

 

Though, considering what the Ghoulpire woman was talking about -- leaving her family behind and making the choice to become a Ghoulpire, etc etc etc -- I do think we were meant to see a parallel between her and Dean (and his connection to the Mark/the Darkness).

 

I'm of two minds about this, because Dean for some things - like his cassette tapes - does seem to be a bit of a "purist." I could see him insisting on having DVDs - which he could also potentially watch on his computer if he wanted.

 

For some reason, this really made me laugh. I actually can kinda see Dean being a purist. However! How would he be able to cart DVDs around? Wouldn't that be just a lot of literal, physical STUFF? Also, I don't think he's actually all that picky about the medium and is more into the message. I mean, he's always listening to the car radio, bringing up movies that he HAD to have seen randomly on TV, and tbh, anybody who could listen to cassette tapes in 2006 is someone who's clearly willing to put up with really bad sound quality. :P

 

Anyway, wouldn't they both have Netflix? And you can play Netflix on a pretty crappy TV as long as you have something like a Wii to stream it through. Maybe Cas is chilling in Sam's room because Dean is territorial and locked his, lol. Or maybe Sam got a relatively fancy TV (even though he's got practically no other stuff) because he likes playing video games. Actually, that Sam spends a lot of his time in his room playing Final Fantasy or whatever is now my new canon.

 

I propose turning Cass into a 21st-century KITT, never again to appear on screen, only to be a voice presence that dispenses information and advice while Sam and Dean are in the field.

 

Yes! Totally agree.

 

Sam: "Is everything a Bob Seger song to you?"

Dean: 'Yes'. 

 

Since when? The show made the shift to use those songs as a narrative.

 

I thought Dean was being a smartass. Sam was exasperated, and asked a silly, sarcastic question (to try and goad Dean into acting serious) -- but Dean kept teasing him, and gave him a silly, sarcastic answer right back.

 

I mean, I think Dean is meant to actually like Bob Seger. But I think he was just being a smartass to Sam in that moment, and wasn't saying anything about his ~life philosophy~.

 

I saw this differently.  What I saw was the very start of the jerk/bitch moment.  See, years ago, when Dean tucked Sammy in bed he'd always say "love you".  Because that's what little kids (especially little boys who have lost so much and care so much) say.  But then, as Sammy got older and wanted to be Sam and to stop all that mushy stuff (and I'm sure it was Sam who started it), they couldn't say "love you" anymore.  It's a guy thing.  So, one night, when Dean was making "Sam" go to bed, Sam cut off Dean's "love you" with a "Night, Jerk" and Dean responded "Night, Bitch".  They stared at each other for a second and then when to sleep, because they both knew what they meant and now they could say it whenever they wanted to.  That moment was perfect because it probably happened the first time in that very car.

 

That is a completely adorable fanwank.

 

I feel like instead of it starting out as a tender moment, though, it would have started out as a fight that they just couldn't keep up. Like, they were fighting all evening, but they were finally tired and had to go to sleep, so Dean put Sam to bed, and Sam the-bitter-but-polite-little-kid, was like, "Night, JERK!"....and the rest is history. :P

Edited November 16, 2015 by rue721

[shang yiet]

Loved knowing that Sam dreams about Mary, loved the creepy Matt Cohen vision and liked the shot of the brothers sleeping head to toe. Otherwise, I'm pretty indifferent to the Impala. It's just a car to me. Again wish we could focus on Sam's taste in music for a change.

 

Edited November 16, 2015 by shang yiet

[SueB]

 Otherwise, I'm pretty indifferent to the Impala. It's just a car to me.

*gasp*

It's like I don't even KNOW you!

 

(j/k)

[catrox14]

This episode is re-airing tonight ....soooo

 

 

[Commando Cody]

I don't remember the last time I looked forward to watching a re-run. 

[pixelcat]

I just found these two pics of the shooting of "Baby" (yes, I know, very last year LOL) and looking at these, I have no idea how anyone could even SEE out the windshield to drive.  Must take a lot of discipline to not try to move your head to look around the cameras!  If they don't include a "making of Baby" featurette on the DVDs I will be all the sad, these kinds of things fascinate me.

[Dobian]

A great concept, the car is a major character on the show and deserved her own episode.  I called it when the valet took Baby for a joyride, it's what valets do.  Cas trying to figure out Orange is the New Black was funny.  How many times has this car been smashed up and sometimes outright totaled though?  I think all that's left of it that's original are the seats, the interior paneling, and the dashboard.

[RulerofallIsurvey]

14 hours ago, Dobian said:

How many times has this car been smashed up and sometimes outright totaled though?  I think all that's left of it that's original are the seats, the interior paneling, and the dashboard.

Even in the show-verse, I'm not sure that the seats are still original.  Not after the 18 wheeler smashed into it at the end of S1.  

[DittyDotDot]

15 hours ago, Dobian said:

How many times has this car been smashed up and sometimes outright totaled though?  I think all that's left of it that's original are the seats, the interior paneling, and the dashboard.

End of S1, end of S6, end of S7 and now here...I'm sure there's more I forgetting. That car has been beat to a bloody pulp almost as much as Sam and Dean...plus, died and been resurrected almost as often too! ;)

[Dobian]

4 hours ago, DittyDotDot said:

End of S1, end of S6, end of S7 and now here...I'm sure there's more I forgetting. That car has been beat to a bloody pulp almost as much as Sam and Dean...plus, died and been resurrected almost as often too! ;)

But I noticed in the very next episode it's back to showroom quality again.  Dean sure is one bodywork genius.  If he wasn't on Supernatural he'd be doing Fast N' Loud!

[DittyDotDot]

47 minutes ago, Dobian said:

But I noticed in the very next episode it's back to showroom quality again.  Dean sure is one bodywork genius.  If he wasn't on Supernatural he'd be doing Fast N' Loud!

I know, I kinda feel cheated out of Dean repairing Baby scenes.

[RulerofallIsurvey]

2 hours ago, DittyDotDot said:

I know, I kinda feel cheated out of Dean repairing Baby scenes.

Those two eps that started with Dean working on Baby in S10 were the best!  They were also a couple of my favorite eps of the season: Fan Fiction and Ask Jeeves.  So clearly, when we see Dean working on Baby, it's going to be good.  :)

[catrox14]

Re-watching.

I still just cannot get over Sam not pinging the possibility it was Lucifer sending him messages. I dont think it was to make Sam dumb but mostly they wanted to surprise the audience later which completely discounts longtime viewers attention to detail. That is the main thing that annoys me about this episode.

Best payoff/call back gag in the history of the show. "Turns out I DID shoot the deputy" . That will make me laugh forever.

Edited January 10, 2017 by catrox14

[FlickChick]

Right there with you, catrox. As soon as dream!John said that he "could never fool you" to Sam, the cat was out of the bag for me. It just reminded me too much of "hellucifer hellucinations".

[Diane]

Watching again tonight and when Sam and Dean are talking in the car at night, when Sam is talking it's daylight out his window and when Dean is talking it's night with a moon. Just noticed this.

[RulerofallIsurvey]

12 hours ago, Diane said:

when Sam is talking it's daylight out his window and when Dean is talking it's night with a moon. 

Boy, that Sam can really talk your ear off, huh?  ;)

[Katy M]

15 hours ago, Diane said:

Watching again tonight and when Sam and Dean are talking in the car at night, when Sam is talking it's daylight out his window and when Dean is talking it's night with a moon. Just noticed this.

Taking my response to all episodes.

[catrox14]

On 4/28/2017 at 9:32 PM, Diane said:

Watching again tonight and when Sam and Dean are talking in the car at night, when Sam is talking it's daylight out his window and when Dean is talking it's night with a moon. Just noticed this.

"It was night. And now it's day"

[Katy M]

7 minutes ago, catrox14 said:

"It was night. And now it's day"

It was always day!

[MysteryGuest]

I absolutely love this episode.  So many great little scenes.  I love when they're just driving down the road, singing and laughing.  And then just talking at night before going to sleep in Baby.  It was such a nice glimpse of what "normal" is for them.  Just being brothers, teasing each other, talking about dreams of their parents, etc.  I'd love to see more of those interactions.  Maybe some would find them boring, as they're hardly action packed, but I would welcome them.

[KaleyFirefly]

On 6/24/2017 at 6:56 PM, MysteryGuest said:

I absolutely love this episode.  So many great little scenes.  I love when they're just driving down the road, singing and laughing.  And then just talking at night before going to sleep in Baby.  It was such a nice glimpse of what "normal" is for them.  Just being brothers, teasing each other, talking about dreams of their parents, etc.  I'd love to see more of those interactions.  Maybe some would find them boring, as they're hardly action packed, but I would welcome them.

This is what I hope for the last scene of the last episode of the series -- just Sam and Dean, together as always, driving to the next hunting job, talking, laughing and listening to some good classic rock.

[bettername2come]

This is just such a beautiful episode. I love it. I love Sam and Dean washing the car and ending up in the rain. I love Sam putting smoothies in the cooler much to Dean's chagrin. "Where's the rest of the beer?" and Sam's deer-in-the-headlights look. I love Cas watching Netflix back home. "Time heals all wounds, Sam. Especially good times." I love that Sam scores in the backseat of the Impala when Dean strikes out. "Don't 'Night Moves' me." It'd been too long since we heard "It's Sam." I love the way their eyes crinkle when they laugh while their driving around and joking. We need more geniune laughter from these guys. I like Matt Cohen. "I never could fool you, could I?" Great shot of Sam's eyes before he wakes up. I like the idea of Sam singing in his sleep. I would've liked to see that. Honest Sam! Immediately telling Dean the truth. And then telling the truths he should've told weeks ago. Minus telling him he told God to spare Dean. Dean knows the Bible! And Aesop! I love his story about his dream about Dad, and that Sam has dreams about Mary. Great camera angles during this conversation. This show deserves a cinematography Emmy. Heh. Werepire. I half-love the girls driving the Impala and taking selfies, and half-hate that someone else was driving the car. Love "Bad Girls." I need a gif of Dean saying "Step away from the Netflix." So sad that Dean didn't get to hear Cas say "werepire." Love the way he ducks his head when Sam gives him a look for choosing "ghoulpire." At some point, I'm gonna need a scene of Rowena and Dean agreeing on some ridiculous name that nobody else gets. Sarah Jane Redmond puts in a nice performance here. Like, damn, I believe her as a worthy opponent for Dean. Love the shots of Sam in the rearview mirror. I kind of wish we could've seen the scenes of Sam walking into the trap and/or getting jumped, but I get that it would've defeated the point of the episode. I like how the things in the backseat come into play. I'm okay with the occasional contrived coincidence. Poor Baby. They look so pretty in daylight. This makes two episodes in a row where Dean has called Sam "mom." I love that Sam is the one to call the car "home." Dean and the Impala have always been so much closer that it's nice to hear it from Sam.  

[Pondlass1]

On 6/26/2017 at 0:51 AM, KaleyFirefly said:

So many great little scenes.  I love when they're just driving down the road, singing and laughing.  And then just talking at night before going to sleep in Baby.  It was such a nice glimpse of what "normal" is for them.  Just being brothers, teasing each other, talking about dreams of their parents, etc.  I'd love to see more of those interactions.  Maybe some would find them boring, as they're hardly action packed, but I would welcome them.

I'd love a day in life episode such as Baby at least once a season.  I love this episode and have watched it multiple times - only having to FF through the annoying girls that dare steal Baby.  All little bits of clues snap into place and work. No WTF moments in this one.  It's a gem.

I can't remember which episode followed - but it should've include a scene of Dean fixing poor beaten up Baby.

[Hanahope]

That was an interesting way to do a bottle episode.  I can’t imagine how Dean is able to drive Baby home.  It took them a full day to get there.

Lol at Sam with the waitress in the back seat, and then them sleeping in the car.  All the little coincidences that helped them, the hair pin, the coin purse. How was there room in the trunk for the cooler?

Liked the talking parts, Sam and ‘John’ and Sam and Dean.

[The Companion]

On 10/28/2015 at 9:59 PM, SueB said:

Well I liked it. It WAS Season 1 style.  I kept thinking how brutal the episode was.  The way it was shot was kinda cool.  I ended up rewinding and watching several scenes again.

 

And it was full of good lines.  

 

Immediate impressions:

- YAY. Sam had a vision and confessed about both the infection AND the vision.  

- So Dean didn't want Cas to heal him and Sam is going to pinch that shit off.  You go Sam.  I'm not sure why Dean is wearing this particular hairshirt but please tell him to knock it off.

- I bet Cas could fix Baby but I bet Dean won't let anyone near her.

- They TOTALLY PUNKED US regarding the short shorts.  They KNOW we wanted to see that -- fart blossoms.

- Pushing the head off the window with the windshield wiper! Classic SPN.

- Cas hooked on OITNB.  Hee.

- Sam in the backseat with Piper.  That was a nice twist.  Dean "Mistakes were made."  Care to elaborate.

- Loved when Dean kinda scoped out the backseat when Sam was with the girl - he's so 12.  

- Dean's recurring dream - well.... approving Dad and a home.  I wonder if that would be his Heaven?  

- I so love Bob Seger.

- The reverse 180 was awesomesauce!  Well done Ackles!  He can now add stunt driver to the resume.  

- Baby killed the Bad Guy (because Dean smacked off the head again with the door).

- I swear Dean was pouting when Sam wouldn't say Werepire.

 

I was just overall struck with how brutal it was.  The camera really added to that feeling. I thought it was a cool episode.  I want to watch again.

 

Yes to pretty much all of this.

On 10/30/2015 at 5:09 PM, SueB said:

Did anyone else notice that the boys went at least 48hrs without a SHOWER.  It's implied that they never stayed in a motel because they were looking for suggestions. And they seemed to have gone to Aunt Mel's that day.  It's POSSIBLE that they checked in, had a shower and THEN headed over for food... but IDK.. why put on the same dirty shirts they slept in the night before if they went to a motel.  

 

Which means.... in addition to a busted front end, broken windows, ghoulpire and human blood... the boys also contributed some serious odors to the Impala this episode.  I doubt that bitty pine tree freshner could keep up.

Well, I guess she did get aired out with no window.

On 11/3/2015 at 12:50 AM, Mick Lady said:

 

I wish we had an appreciating thread for PTV. Theses recaps are truly hysterical!

Does anyone know if these are archived somewhere on this site or otherwise? 

 

I loved this so much. I don't know which line was a bigger tease, Dean in shorts or Dean saying he had washed every car in the bunker but still not giving us some classic car porn.

Good on Piper for getting some and getting out before having sex with Sam was fatal.

I loved Dean's joy in coming up with new names for the monsters. 

The feel of this one was so great. As I have said before, I love it when the guys get along, so this was obviously a hit with me.

[Harleycat]

Sigh, this was a funny episode done right.