#spn s02e14

[waihtie]

Unfortunately, I wasn't up to watching tv the last few days, so we're back at it today.

Season 2 Episode 14 - Born Under a Bad Sign

○ Starting off with Sam missing. This should be interesting.

○ We find him right off the bat, but he doesn't remember anything. And he's covered in someone else's blood.

○ This episode is going to be about finding out what happened. I love episodes that break the normal!!

○ "Smoking, throwing bottles at people. That sounds more like me than you."

● I never thought of Dean as a smoker, but he's been around hunters his whole life, so I guess he would've had a smoke or two

● This is all very out of character for Sam (smoking, shop lifting, being aggressive, the car, the blood), but neither of them jumped to the demon possession conclusion, so what's going on? Fascinating

○ I think we found whose blood it is. That guy's dead.

● Got a whole arsenal. Probably a hunter.

● Security cameras. Sam definitely killed him

● Yellow-eyes related? You know, like his psychic abilities?

○ There's been a rage growing in little innocent Sammy

○ Aweee, Sam wants Dean to kill him like his dad warned so that he can't hurt anybody else 🥺🥺

● "I can't. I'd rather die."

○ Oh shit, Sam knocked Dean out. There's that rage. Right after a sweet moment too.

○ Please tell me he isn't gonna hurt Jo

● Only psychologically

"See, Dean likes you, sure, but not in the way you want. I mean, maybe as kind of a little sister, you know, but romance? That's just out of the question."

● Okay, physically, too. I don't remember this happening. Wtf. Smashed her head against the counter, tied her up.

● More psychologically.

^ Singsong "My daddy shot your daddy in the head"

● I should not be finding Sam as hot as I am right now

(not the physical stuff, just when he's being a little shit like that)

● Ah, Sam did this to convince Dean to kill him

● (not quite. Read more)

○ Damn, holy water is hurting Sam. But he's not processed. And he's not a demon.

● His eyes turned black. I really don't remember this at all.

● Oh he is possessed

○ Shit the demon in Sam is gonna go after Bobby

● Oh good, Bobby knew instantly.

○ This demon is witchy

○ He said hell is like hell, even for demons. Is that continuous throughout the show?

○ OH DAMN, IT'S MEG

○ If demons hate hell so much, why don't they always use that locking in symbol ^

○ I always thought that if they can get anti-possession tattoos why didn't they a long time ago, same with John, but now Bobby gave them charms to ward off demons so why didn't John do that for them when they were kids already??

"This will stop demons from getting up in you"

"That sounds kinda dirty" I love Dean

GREAT Episode

Rewatch Context

Forgot to mention: This brings the number Sam has been tied up to 2 for the season (5th total)

[hexedwinchester]

Supernatural S02E14 Born Under A Bad Sign

AKA my ravings of Jared Padalecki's A+ acting as Meg!Sam

So I'm not a 100% sure as to what's the timeline between this episode and the previous one but.. based on the demon possession shown in S01E04 Phantom Traveler, demons possess people who are vulnerable. Now in the last episode, we saw Sam's faith shatter when he found it wasn't an angel but Father Gregory's spirit.. kinda makes him susceptible to possession, I'd say

Signs that we should have caught on that this was Meg: no way Sam stole a VW bug. The man cannot fit into the Impala without difficulty. all the kills were hunters. She killed Caleb and Pastor Jim earlier. Same as now. He slits the first hunter's throat like we have seen meg do so many times.

Meg pretending to be Sam is so well played. Even those emotional scenes where Sam is asking Dean to put bullet in him are so not like Sam. It comes across as Sam trying very hard to convince Dean

His cold demeanor when he approaches Jo. That exchange with Jo is so interesting because Meg!Sam is trying to sweet talk her and then that annoyance when he realises she like Dean. Like hey, I'm probably wasting my time

Meg!Sam: I care about you a lot. I can be more to you Jo. That predatory look in his eyes! Gosh this man acts amazing!

The whole Samhandling (is that even a word?) of Jo didn't have to so hot!

"My daddy shot your daddy in the head" he fucking sings it like a nursery rhyme! I love this man!

I know I've raved plenty about Jared switching between Sam and Gadreel...ooohhh but the instant switch from Meg baiting Jo to Sam begging Dean to kill him.. holy guacamole!

"Dont try to con a con man" go Bobby !

how good is that lopsided smirk after he shoots Dean 😍😍

Dean and Jo scenes are so awkward ans cringey 😬😬

Ah! So that's the slap Jared took a revenge for in S10.. makes sense now 🤣🤭

That evil laughter!! Gosh someone make this man a villian already!!

He even talks in a hushed tone as Meg!Sam

That punch was uncalled for!! What the hell, Dean?!

[onespncap]

s02e14 -- "Born Under a Bad Sign"

[destielshippingnews]

Edvard's Supernatural Guide: 2x14 Born under a Bad Sign

Born under a Bad Sign is an average episode. It does nothing fantastic but nothing abysmal either, and the only response I can really summon is to shrug my shoulders and wait for the next episode. This far into series two, I want more of an overall plot but the show is not giving it. It did not bother me so much when I watched the episodes normally without taking a week to write an analysis of each one, but it has begun to plot. Characters spinning their wheels is fine by me, and one negative aspect of the trend towards series being shorter the lack of character moments and fun filler episodes. That said, it has been quite a while since any plot has happened, and it will not be until 2x21 All Hell Breaks Loose Part I that more plot happens. Luckily, Tricia Helfer will be visiting us for 2x16 Roadkill, Ben Edlund will be giving us 2x18 Hollywood Blues, and Jensen is once again going to blow my metaphorical socks off in 2x20 What is and What Should Never Be.

This episode is forgettable. An important character makes an appearance, but this has no bearing on the plot whatsoever and she does not turn up again until 5x10 Abandon All Hope. Sam killing people turns out to have nothing at all to do with Azazel’s taint (stop it!), so it was as good as pointless. The plot of the episode also raises a few questions which are (unless I have forgotten something) never answered. Why was Meg trying to push Dean to kill Sam if Sam is supposed to be Meg’s boss’s favourite? Paula R. Stiles mentioned something about Meg feeling betrayed by Azazel and no longer caring about his plans, but if that is the case, I do not know where this comes from. Did Azazel put Meg on the rack in Hell as punishment for failing?

The only good things to come out of this episode are Dean punching Sam at the end and Jo making her exit for the next two and a half years. Sorry Sam stans and Jo fans, but I am still only here for Dean. It will be another twenty four episodes until another character turns up whom I especially care about, so buckle up. At least Bela will keep us entertained in the interim.

The episode starts with Dean phoning Ellen beneath a road bridge. Sam has been missing for a while and nobody has heard from him. Eventually, Dean gets a call from Sam, and Dean rushes to meet him in a motel. The editing in this cold open is effective at creating anxiety, urgency, and distress with its quick jump cuts and pacing, and Jensen does a top-notch job of conveying Dean’s desperation and worry. He finds Sam in a motel room with somebody else’s blood on his clothes and no memory of the last few days.

One thing which the episode never makes explicit is whether or not Sam appears for anything other than the last scene and a bit. Meg is possessing him the entire time, but demons are shown in other episodes of the show to allow the host consciousness control now and again when convenient. Either Meg was in complete control of Sam’s body the whole time, or she took over at certain points when she wanted to. Paula R. Stiles is of the opinion Meg was calling the shots all episode, but I have not decided either way. Demons do not usually seem that good at mimicking their host, but weirder things have happened.

Sam fears he has killed somebody, but Dean is adamant that there must be another explanation. Even when the trail of clues leads them to the scene of a hunter’s murder and the brothers see video footage of Sam slitting a hunter’s throat, Dean tries his hardest to absolve Sam of blame and find another possible answer. A shapeshifter, for example, would be a reasonable explanation if it were not for the fact the Sam in the video footage did not have the eye flare shapeshifters have.

Readers might be wondering why I have not called Dean out for his hesitance to see what is right in front of him when I waste no time in calling Sam out for not pulling the bloody trigger. My answer is that when Dean thinks there is another explanation, there usually is, such as 2x13 Houses of the Holy when Sam rushed to conclude angels were behind everything while Dean’s skepticism is ultimately proven correct. Dean is Velma or Scully in this situation, and once again is proven right in the end: it was not Sam who killed the hunter, but Meg in Sam’s body.

Sam (or Meg pretending to be Sam, whichever you prefer: art is about interpretation after all) concludes without hesitation that he is responsible, and that what is happening to him is what John warned Dean about. If it is indeed Meg pretending to be Sam while he and Dean deal with the immediate shock of seeing the video footage, she does such a good job that she is almost indistinguishable from Sam. She portrays the depressive aspect of his manic depression irreproachably as s/he goes into depressive scum-of-the-Earth mode. He is convinced he is evil and there is no hope for him, entirely absorbed in his own mire whilst Dean wastes no time activating protective parentalised brother mode and destroys all evidence they were they. All evidence, including smashing the desktop computer’s tower and stamping it to smithereens, whereupon they leave.

On the subject of the hunter’s house, why would the electrics for the alarm be on the outside? That is just asking for trouble. It is not even the electrics to the entire house, as the desktop computer works no problem. I do not understand the logic.

Next follows a scene where either Meg or Sam tries to get Dean to kill him. If this is Meg in control, it is cruel, and it is even more so if it is Sam in control. In case you missed it, in 2x11 Playthings Sam got Dean to promise he would kill him if he turned into a monster. My response to that was that if Sam would rather die than become a monster, he should pull the trigger himself rather than offloading the burden onto his already burdened brother. That response is still valid. Dean of course refused to kill Sam (2x09 Croatoan showed Dean will not kill an innocent unless necessary) and earnt getting clocked with a pistol for it.

By this point in the show, Dean should have severe brain damage after the number of times he has been rendered consciousless by head trauma, but amazingly he is completely unscathed upon awakening some hours later. The motel manager is as much a knave as the guy working in the petrol station was, but this time Dean does not get the five-finger discount on some food for his trouble. Instead, he uses the man’s computer and internet to track the GPS on Sam’s phone by way of lying to the police about his diabetic son Sam who absconded to a Justin Timberlake concert without his insulin.

Sam is in Duluth, Minnesota, or rather Meg in Sam’s body is. It is unquestionably Meg in complete control now. She goes to see Jo, gets creepy, tries raping her, then knocks her unconscious, ties her up, and uses her as bait for Dean, to which I ask: why? If Meg wanted Dean dead and tortured, why not take advantage of the fact he was unconscious and transport him to a shack in the middle of nowhere? What does Jo have to do with anything, and why was the journey to Minnesota necessary? So silly.

Further to the subject of Jo, she was completely useless at the beginning of the series, and she was reduced to a helpless damsel in this one (by a female writer, no less). Not only that, but her inner bitch came roaring to the fore when Dean showed discomfort as she dug the bullet out of his arm. It has been twelve years since her last appearance on the show, and there are still people who ‘wanted Dean to end up with Jo’. Why? She was an annoying try-hard whom the writers tried to make look tough by having Dean treat her with cotton gloves (remember: he did not punch back in 2x02 Everybody Loves a Clown -_- ) and acting like the worst stereotype of an ‘empowered women’.

The only real positive thing Jo does in this episode is patch Dean up after Meg!Sam shoots him and he falls into the water. It is lucky that Dean has such a sturdy mobile phone which survived being in Lake Superior for a few minutes. It was also lucky that Dean actually still had a ringtone for Jo to hear, rather than having his phone on silent or vibrate like mine has been since about 2005. Other than that, Dean and Jo work out that Meg!Sam (who has not yet been revealed to be Meg) is hunting local hunters. The nearest hunter Dean knows is in South Dakota, and he decides that is where Sam is going. Strange that South Dakota is the nearest hunter Dean knows, but at this point in the show he and Sam have not met many hunters. Dean takes his leave of Jo, who finally seems to realise Dean is not interested in dancing the vertical tango with her.

The hunter in South Dakota is Bobby. Sam turns up at his door, but Bobby is not fooled (did the episode specify Dean rang him? It must have done) and gives Sam a beer spiked with holy water. The holy water renders Sam impotent long enough for Bobby to knock him out and tie him to a chair in a devil’s trap. Dean roughs Sam up a bit, and tries to exorcise the demon in him, but the exorcism does not work. Meg has a counter spell (later shown to be the mark on Sam’s arm). After the exorcism fails, Meg recites some Latin which breaks the devil’s trap and sets her loose.

Based on what she says, it is likely Meg was tortured in Hell after Dean sent her back there in 1x22 Devil's Trap, but why Azazel’s second-in-command would be tortured is never explained. Whatever the reason, she wants revenge against Dean as she blamed him specifically for her exorcism. She seems to have completely dismissed the fact Bobby and Sam were there, too, which is interesting considering Sam is supposed to be the protagonist and Dean the sidekick, but whatever. Meg proceeds to beat Dean up and ram her fingers into the wound on his shoulder. Bobby, however, does some quick thinking and burns the mark on Sam’s arm, thereby disabling the magic keeping Meg from being exorcised from Sam’s body.

Other than that, there is nothing to say except another female writer made another joke about male victims of sexual violence and assault. People talk about the show having a problem with misogyny because of the ratio of *significant* female characters to significant male characters who die or are written off, but it was female fans who hated Jo, Bela, and Ruby, and Eugenie Ross-Lemming was one of those responsible for killing off Charlie. It seems like the woman-hating is mostly coming from other women.

Now it is female writers making fun of sexual violence against men (metaphorical or otherwise). Raelle Tucker did it in 2x10 Hunted when she gave Dean the line about Gordon and men being raped in prison showers, and Cathryn Humphris did something similar in this episode. Yes, Sam ‘spent a week with a girl inside him’, but demonic possession in the show is presented as violation akin to sexual violence and abuse. Given a character was almost raped in this episode and Loki/Gabriel will repeatedly rape a man by proxy in the next episode, some more awareness would not have gone amiss.

Overall a dull episode this week which I struggled to squeeze much out of at all. This is probably the shortest analysis I have done for this show so far, second only to 2x07 The Usual Suspects (also written by Cathryn Humphris), but I cannot summon the will to care for 2x14. Later in the series, I will be critical of Jared’s acting abilities ( or rather his decision to stop acting in this show altogether in favour of ‘reading the script and going home’), but at least this early in the show he cared at least a little and displayed what he can do when he cares and tries.

[rewatching-supernatural]

s02e14

so many flashbacks

Sammy's gone 😭 again

what the fuck, why

Twin Lakes

Why does Sam keep disappearing?

amd how? aren't they always together?

ah well, at least, neither of them knows

so we're all in the same boat

*****

Sam's got someone else's blood on his shirt and hands

mhm

We're going over it from the star-- STARRING JIM BEAVER HELL YEAH 🎉

what an ugly motel to be honest

how isn't Dean freaking out seriously? if my sibling up and disappeared and reappeared with no memory and someone else's blood, MORE THAN ONCE, I'd be profoundly confused at the very least

*****

Sam being violent at a stranger, so not believable 'in character', but whatever possessed him was violent anyways, for sure

why are they going around at night man, couldn't it wait just a few hours???

*****

Alarm's been disarmed, window's broken

Sam, what did you do baby

*****

Why didn't they instantly assume demonic possession? memory loss, blood, how fully out of character he was acting, etc

*****

Sam fucking hell get up and help cover your tracks, you two will get killed if people learn what happened

Hunters turning on hunters? you'll be murdered

*****

What if Dean just murdered Sam right there

and that was it

no more Sam

thankfully he doesn't

"I can't. I'd rather die."

but Sammy is a dangerous boy

*****

Sam you can't hurt Jo it's against the rules, don't do it

no

eww this is nope, big nope Sam, no no no

no

*****

this is rape

*****

SAM NO

bad

😡

i don't much like Jo but i am angery

*****

low framerate still hurts my brain

*****

GET THAT KNIFE AWAY FROM HER EYES

FOR FUCK'S SAKE

*****

Dean can't kill Sam, but he can hurt him if it hurts the demon too

"See, I think you're gonna die, Dean. You and every other hunter I can find."

*****

Jared's good, because it's so obvious in his eyes that it isn't Sam

He's playing an entirely different character

and I know that's what actors do but still

*****

NO

NO

nNOT BOBBY

NO SAM NO NO

BOBBY

OMG

MY MAN BOBBY NO

the switch in Sam's eyez

NO

😭😭😭😭

ah

YES BOBBY YES

The best fucking hunter there is

I knew I loved him for good reasons

he doesn't get fooled by some shitty demon

even if it's in Sam's body

*****

Turns out that demon's a real fucking bitch 😂 literally

but Bobby's better

he always is

and now he's about to get real fucking mad

WITH GOOD REASON

Dean punched Sam 😂

a good mood

*****

Bobby always knows everything

he knows demon!Sam murdered the guy

he knows they'll get killed if hunters hear about it

he's looking out for his boys

this makes me want to reread Bobby's journal

but I think I'll wait until the time when it was released, so it makes sense in a chronological order

*****

[lower-the-volume]

born under a bad sign

[sweetsoursugarcube]

Sam: *gets posessed by a demon, beats up Dean, demon gets exorcized*

Dean: *punches Sam*