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Episode Recap: "Long-Distance Call"
So at least we got to hear Jeffrey Dean Morgan, even though we didn’t get to see the late great Big Daddy Winchester. That’s something right? I figured we’d only be hearing him since the episode was called "Long Distance Call," but a girl could have a tiny sliver of hope. How crushing was it at the end when Dean had to admit to Sam that he was right, the BDW he was getting phone calls from really wasn’t BDW? It was some crazy soul-sucker who worked at the phone company.
Having Dean admit to his brother he was really scared was pretty crushing as well. I don’t know about you, but it was nice to see Sam and Dean talking about the deal for an extended amount of time. I feel like the topic has been on simmer for the entire season. And now the show and these characters can’t avoid it any longer. Dean’s getting scared and he can’t hide it. Having him believe the caller was truly BDW, that’s not a move I really think he would normally make. I know he’s always had a blind spot when it comes to his dad, but I do feel he would have been skeptical if he didn’t have a death sentence hanging over him. It was difficult to see him instantly believe the caller was his dad and it was even harder to see Sam have to be the voice of reason because I wanted the caller to be John and I wanted them to really have a lead on the demon that’s holding Dean’s contract. Speaking of which…What did you guys think about Dean going after "Dad’s" lead? After all, at the time, he didn’t know it wasn’t real. I thought if he did anything to try and get out of the deal, Sam would die. Plus, at the end, Dean said he was the only person that could get him out of this deal. Again, if he truly believes that then he’s putting Sam’s life in danger. What’s changed? Don’t get me wrong, I’m hoping Dean takes a more active role finding a way out of the deal.
What else we got in "Long Distance Call" was Sam and Dean arguing, teasing and investigating. Dean even had time to check out a girl. But seriously, leave it up to Dean to continue on with the family business even in the face of Hell. That was really good to see because that was so in character for him. He never was in this for revenge; he was in it to help people. And the case they were investigating was so well done and creepy. I loved seeing Sam help that teenaged girl with her "dead mom" calling and IM-ing her from the "beyond." He was really there for her and I loved seeing that, plus he got to be all heroic when he saved her little brother.
Here’s the problem with a shortened season: it’s shorter so the writers had to come up with a way to let us know Sam and Dean have been trying real hard to come up with a way to save Dean. They had to condense six episodes of could-have-been action and story developments into a couple lines of exposition explaining that they’d talked to every professor, witch, soothsayer and two-bit carny act to figure a way out. We didn’t get to see any of this. That makes me very unhappy.
Other thoughts:
• Dean finally told Sam Ruby said she couldn’t save him. One secret out. Sam’s turn to pony up.
• Was that the same college where they shot the "Tall Tales" episode?
• Loved Sam getting tough with the crocata (I’m really not sure how to spell the MOTW. If anyone wants to clue me in, be my guest.). Loved that he got himself out of the situation.
• I love how Dean knew the wife of the suicide guy in the beginning was withholding information.
• Loved the red herring of Thomas Edison’s spirit phone. And that annoying tour guide reminded me of Bonnie Hunt in Dave. “And we’re walking…”
• What exorcism did faux John really give Dean?
• Sam actually drove a rental car. Wow. No need to wonder how Dean got to one location and Sam ended up somewhere else.
• Loved Dean giving advice to the fly guy about the porn site. That was so Dean.
• Sam and Dean ended up back in Ohio, Eric Kripke’s home state. Milan, Ohio really is the birthplace of Thomas Edison.
• When the MOTW was talking about how everyone’s so connected but have never been so alone, I thought of Pulse, that movie with Kristen Bell that’s based on a Japanese horror flick.
All in all, I really liked this episode. There were nice Sam and Dean moments and conflicts; a good, creepy investigation and definitely a chick flick moment. It also stirred the pot for the two-part finale that starts next week. I hope you guys are ready, because I am. You know how "Long Distance Call" ended on a quiet moment between Sam and Dean? Well, I’m hoping nothing about the next two episodes is quiet. I want loud, hardcore, pulse-pounding action, angst, scares and screams. I want it to be Sam and Dean versus the supernatural universe. I’m sure we’ll get something in the vicinity of awesome.
One final thing and I know I’m a total geek for doing this but it’s May 2, Sam Winchester’s birthday. Happy B-day Sammy! (Yes, I’m totally aware that this is a character just humor me…)
Favorite Lines:
"So you two were talking about the case?" "No. We were actually talking about our feelings and then our favorite boy bands."
"Since when does a phone guy drive a rental or wear a cheap suit?"
"Dad?"
"What did he sound like?" "Like Oprah. Dad, like dad. What do you think?"
"What’s with the quote-y fingers?"
"You’re my boy. I love you. I can’t watch you go to hell, Dean." (Again, words of love that came from a faux John. "Devil’s Trap," anyone?)
"After everything, you’re still just going on blind faith." "Yeah, well maybe, you know maybe that’s all I got OK?"
"I see they improved your face." "Right back at you."
"Well pack your panties Sammy, we’re hitting the road."
"My ass is too sweet to let out of sight."
"I can’t expect dad to show up with some miracle at the last minute. I can’t expect anybody to you know? The only person that can get me out of this is me." "And me." "And me? What? Deep revelation, havin’ a real moment and that’s what you come back with? 'And me?'" "Do you want a poem?" "Moment’s gone. Unbelievable."
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May 2, 2008 3:34 AM
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This really did feel like two episodes – the Sam & Dean episode and the Crocotta episode.
It was nice to get to see so much interaction between the brothers as well as seeing Dean finally admit how scared he is. It was interesting that while Dean was making jokes about sharing his feelings at the beginning of the episode, that’s really what he seemed to want to do by the end. I also liked how Dean is getting so desperate that he’s willing to believe anything. It was nice to hear that they have been making an effort to save him (apparently in between the transmitted events) but since we haven’t seen any of this, it makes Dean’s “chasing our tails” claim ring a bit hollow. This must be one of the episodes they condensed due to the strike; it seems like this much material would ordinarily have been split up over several weeks. I agree - this made it feel rushed. Where was Bobby in all of this? We kept hearing about him – was he originally supposed to have been in this episode?
The plot of the Crocotta part of the episode is problematic to say the least and the the Winchesters were mainly separated during that part, cutting down on any chance for interaction. While I liked the phonathon (straight out of the Twilight Zone) and the way it manipulated the Winchesters, the Crocotta’s MO makes no sense. It is supposed to be luring people to it in order to feed on their souls, right? So what’s the point of trying to get them to kill themselves? It seems like the Crocotta’s victims need to be alive or recently deceased for it to feed, otherwise the soul would have moved on. How does it help the Crocotta to get a guy to blow his brains out or a kid to play in traffic? I can see this as a defense mechanism to get rid of say, some pesky hunters. But what is the point of knocking off your food supply before you can get to it? If it lures people in to kill then shouldn’t it, well, be luring them in and killing them?
Also, do all of the phone calls go through that one company’s switchboard? Wouldn’t cell phone calls be handled differently? It’s a moot point though, since the Crocotta doesn’t really need the phone system at all if it can communicate through unhooked phones or kids’ toys. So then why does it even need to be at the phone company? If it can use disconnected objects (like the toy phone) couldn’t it just still be hiding out in the woods out of sight?
Sam and baseball bats – what’s that about?
Incidentally, crocotta was just another name for a hyena (the animal it seems to have been based on) in antiquity. The scientific name of the spotted hyena is actually Crocuta crocuta.
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May 2, 2008 7:18 AM
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I am so glad to see wide camera angles and LIGHT. I love both of the boy's faces, but don't like the shows where we can only see their pores. I also don't like dark lighting.
Tina you agree with you on the condensing and, well you do rock with your thoughts so I can't add much. Thank you for your insights because you do it much better than I ever could!
I didn't get to say that I really loved Ghostfacers, even though the camera stuff makes me dizzy. The laughs and classic Dean moments were excellent.
It sounds like the Winchester family is key, so hopefully we will get more of the boys interacting and get more moments that show the strong family bond and how loss can warp that bond into something powerful but somehow tainted. Good has to override warped in the end we hope.
Love this show. I hate to exercise, but since this show started I just put in an episode and it goes by before I know it. End up sweating and panting and that isn't just from watching Dean. (One trick if anyone is interested - you can use your DVD to split the old episodes into chapters and then erase all the stuff that doesn't contain the boys. When I am on my Nordic Track I may be watching an episode I have seen a gazillion times, but I am always looking for the line I love or the scene I love and I can string episodes together. No fast forwarding and the hard work is over before I know it.)
Can't wait for the rest!!
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May 2, 2008 7:54 AM
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I also liked the ep -- not a super love -- but enjoyed.
Dean looking into his deal did make me pause. There could be 2 possible explanations. 1 - the Crossroads Demon is dead so maybe some of the addendums to the deal are gone as well.
2 - Since Ruby told him there's no way he can get out of the deal - he knows the Crossroads was lying -- no trying to get out of the deal -- well if there really is no way to get out of the deal - then Sammy dying isn't true either. (that came out very twisted - but hopefully you get my drift). Of course Ruby could be lying as well.
Either way - that was a small part I would like to have explained - some day.
Dean's last lines, which you quoted, were great. I liked that he had 2 beers waiting. Poor guy - it's crunch time and he's sweating big time. Part of me wanted him to also mention he would do it again to save Sam. You know Sam has got to be feeling extra bad - this close. Hey, you made a deal to save me - you idiot - but now you are also really scared about having made that deal. I should have stayed dead.
One obscure thing, thought of this in the wee morning hours today -- when I couldn't get back to sleep -- IF Dean does spend some time in the pit -- wouldn't it be cool to have him come back ala Stargate and that short lived show - John Doe. Do you remember the scenes I'm referencing? How did Daniel Jackson return from Ascension? Why we found him curled up on the ground in all his naked glory!! Now wouldn't that be worth Dean in hell for a little while? To have him dropped back to the land of the living in his birthday suit? (yes yes I know Big Daddy W clawed his way out fully clothed -- but hey it was 2 AM when this thought came to me)
Anyway -- good ep.
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May 2, 2008 8:57 AM
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Happy Birthday Sammy!!!
I think my favorite line of the whole night was Dean's vm greeting "Hi, you have reached Herman Munster, leave a message". I think that is great 
Anyway, I think Dean needed to be believe this. He wanted to have hope that his Dad would come and save him this one last time. Him realizing that he is the only one that can save himself was just sad!
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May 2, 2008 9:42 AM
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As I mentioned last week, I feel like the momentum and balance of previous seasons has been off this season, and not just because of the strike. I agree with Hugo, this episode felt a little disjointed to me, because Dean was all angsty about his deal, and I really didn't get the impression that *Sam* was all that concerned. There was no urgency there, and things felt forced.
Hugo, I could be wrong, but the demon was trying to lure the victims to him, not get them to kill themselves. Suicide guy was supposed to 'meet' his sweet-heart somewhere, not blow his brains out. And the little boy was on his way to see his mom, he just wasn't paying attention, and almost got smushed by the truck. He *was* trying to kill Dean, because Dean is a hunter and he didn't want to chance getting gacked.
Tina, I loved hearing JDM, and I really wished we could have seen him as well. But I really like that JDM took to time to put in this cameo - we're really lucky as fans, with the guys on this show. They all care about what they're doing, and I really think they care about the fans as much as we care about them.
I wasn't too thrilled with the preview clip for next week - it was heavy on the horror, and I'm really hoping we get more of the boys. But I can't wait. Only two more weeks! Argh!
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May 2, 2008 10:14 AM
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My levels of engagement/enjoyment are a bit complex to assess and communicate and work's a'waiting so I'll come back to that later. Some easier detail notes:
I usually don't get the names references, which are often music-related. Bachman & Turner is the only shout-out that comes immediately to mind. I was tickled when I got that one and I was tickled again last night. At 1st I got the reference half wrong though. I was thinking Bruce Campbell & Ted Raimi who had recurring parts on Xena/Hercules. However, if I remember right, BC was in a Sam Raimi (TedR's bro') sci-fi/horror flick. I presume *that* was what the writers actually had in mind.
Hugo, good catch on the MOTW's motive. I never paused to reflect on that. In mid-episode, before we learned soul-eating was presumably the MOTW's typical goal, I was wondering how they were gonna reconcile PapaJohn and the fact that the other phone calls seemed to be promoting suicide. But once I figured out John was a divide and conquer maneuver, I just forgot about the earlier suicides.
I don't want to rush to judgement, so I'll have to give this more thought later, but it does seem like team SPN may have dropped the ball a bit smarts-wise here. It might have been an easy fix too. Throw in one line about suicides being tastier than murders like, say, trout is tastier than perch. Add another couple of lines about the 'ones that get away'... because suicide is less predictable than murder and sometimes MOTW's at work when it happens. Of course that makes suicide more "sporting" than murder. Hmmm... I like it. Maybe we could throw in a minor rewrite of the final scene too, which didn't wholly work for me, and have Sam relate the fishing reference to Dean. Dean could comment about how he hates fishing... paralleling one or two earlier comments (Wendigo?, ???) about how the boys hate camping. {grin}
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May 2, 2008 10:18 AM
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This reminded me of a freaky Twilight Zone episode I saw as a kid, so I looked it up. It too was called Long Distance Call (sans hyphen), so I can see why this Supernatural episode reminded me of it. I'm still as freaked out today by this premise as I was back then.
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May 2, 2008 11:41 AM
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This was a pretty good episode. Not one of my favorites, but it had its moments. I didn't really care for the 'monster of the week'. He was kind of lame. The other dude at the phone company was pretty funny and I just knew he was going to die. The whole phone calls from the dead thing was pretty creepy, but it was nice to at least hear John's voice again. They must've had JDM come in and record all of that because they weren't all phrases John had said before on the show. I did enjoy some of the dialogue between the boys and couldn't help but feel sorry for poor Dean, who believed he was talking to his dead father and that there was a way to save his life. I'm glad he finally told Sam what Ruby told him at the end of "Malleus Maleficarum". It's about time! These boys are always keeping secrets from each other. Next week's episode looks like it's going to be really gross!
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May 2, 2008 12:09 PM
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I love the boys, no matter how good/not so good the epi is. Thanks for great recap Tina. Just wanted to throw some random comments out because I don't know where else to comment: Dean's new theme song should be Three Doors Down's "It's Not My Time/I Won't Go." Awesome song and I first thought of Dean Winchester when I heard it. Would be fantastic to get it on SN soon in relation to Dean "not wanting to go." Also how great is it that the Winchester's were voted sexiest brothers (in TV Guide). Woo hoo. And Jared as a "sexy" on his own. (if this has already been mentioned - apologies) I just wanted to share my happy feelings that in some universe (TV Guide) the brothers/J&J are awesome.
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May 2, 2008 12:13 PM
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Wasn't one of my favorites, but still a good ep. Wish we could have "seen" BDW, but oh well.
Crocotta: looked it up on Wiki. Description fits pretty well with what the writers were saying.
Can't wait for the next two eps. Hope all hell brakes loose!!!! Sad that there are only 2 though.
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May 2, 2008 12:16 PM
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Three Doors Down's "It's Not My Time/I Won't Go."
Sorry but Dean would have to stick to Classic Rock or it would be totally out of character as a theme song!
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May 2, 2008 12:31 PM
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It's so killing me to have this shortened season!
I think Supernatural was back in true form last night. It was creept, the music was awesome, the MOTW made me squeal with ughness.
I loved Sam on the hunt. He has truly come into his own and isn't so much of a sidekick anymore. Took out Gordon. Took out creepy phone guy. And the fights both brothers took on were awesome. Just wisdh they themselves hadn't been fighting. I know tension is high but they have so little time left.
Loved Jared's Texas accent coming out with "Yers" (referring to whose case their on...).
Loved the line "You'd think a Stanford education and a high school hook-up ratio of 0.0 would add up to something."
Boy, so much f***ked up crap happens in Ohio!
Loved the air quotes.
Nice for Dean to call Sam on the secret-keeping. And glad that one of how many now? is out. It is definitely Sam's turn to "pony up" (nice, Tina).
Nice call back on BustyAsianBeauties.com
Who are the aliases Campbell and Raini? Anyone?
Sam in that rental looked so wrong! Good use of the puppy dog eyes to get the freked out girl to come clean.
And did anyone else think Men in Black seeing Dean walk up to the Impala in the black suit?
*sniff* 2 eps left. And next week looks creepy once again.
*sigh*
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May 2, 2008 12:46 PM
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What is it with the neck on Supernatural? 3 deaths in the last week were through the neck. For some reason I am thinking Demons in human for are killed more effectively through the neck (but I could be flashbacking to the X-files alies stuff there) but 2 of the deaths were human. I guess it's just the neck is one of the bloodiest places to die...
race and salchen, the names you are reffering too are Raimi and Campbell. Sam Raimi Directed and Bruce Campbell starred in the "Evil Dead" trilogy.
Thanks shaman for pointing out the motive of the MOTW to everyone who questioned it. His (the MOTW) motives made PERFECT sense.
This was a great episode as usual. I really enjoyed it. I did feel like they packed a lot of info in, but I was happy with it.
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May 2, 2008 1:18 PM
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I thought this was a pretty good episode - the MOTW was meh in his own way, but I so loved Dean giving the badassity to the phone company employee, and said employee's reaction when his 'boss' knocked Sam down. That seemed totally real.
My small quibble: does Sam HAVE to be tied up in every episode?? Seems like some lazy writing to me.
That said, I like that Sam fights just great on his own now and kills when he has to. I think the show has really given the character some autonomy, so he's not just following Dean around anymore - he's much more actively involved than he was, say, mid-Season One.
I liked the Thomas Edison bit, the tour guide made me giggle, and I liked the idea that the only person who could get Dean to admit his fears was - at first - his dad, and then Sam. I LOVED hearing BDW's voice again - that guy has got THE best pipes. Plus I always liked the dynamic of Season One when he was out there somewhere, but not always involved in the cases the boys were pursuing.
Salchan, Bruce Campbell and either Sam or Ted Raimi - My guess is Sam because he directed "Evil Dead" which would be right up Dean's alley. Bruce was the star of that film, and he's been in a ton of other stuff - you'd know him if you saw him. (If you're like me, you do the "Oh! THAT guy! Yeah!!" thing. *grin*) Plus *happy dance* they're from my home state of Michigan.
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May 2, 2008 1:20 PM
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