SPN Ep: Citizen Fang

[the_other_sandy]

I liked this episode, even though I didn't like some of the things that happened in it.

Dean really needs to lay off with the pointed comments. His constant 'Benny has never let me down' with the implied 'unlike you' and 'I trust Benny' with the implied 'unlike you' are driving Sam into an unreasoning hatred of Benny. Even Martin, as unhinged as he was, could figure out what kind of feelings he'd have if his brother chose a vampire over him. And we're seeing in Sam exactly how that feels (jealous as hell), and it's affecting Sam's judgment in a not-good way. Once upon a time, Sam protected Lenore and her whole nest because they didn't feed on people. I think Sam knows that Dean is right about Benny, but he doesn't want to know that because he's tired of feeling second best to a vampire he doesn't even know.

Still, it was nice to hear Dean telling Benny not to underestimate Sam. It kind of made sense in a Winchester way for Dean to trick Sam into driving to Texas so Benny and Sam wouldn't try to kill each other. There would be no winner in that fight as far as Dean was concerned.

But really, Sam? Abandoning Martin in the woods without warning, supposedly with a killer vampire and with no transportation? Not cool. According to Google Maps, that's an 11-12 hour drive. I'm sure a Winchester could shave some time off that, especially in the middle of the night, but if Amelia were really in danger, there was no way Sam was going to get there in time to do anything about it. (As an aside, Google Maps also says that Carencro, Louisiana, is only a half hour drive from Crowley, Louisiana--trufax).

I can't really blame Benny for killing Martin. I don't know if Martin was always an 'if it's supernatural, we kill it' kind of hunter, or if he wasn't as recovered from his mental health issues as his hospital release implied, but by the end he seemed more like a monster than Benny did. But what if killing Martin puts Benny back on the road to feeding off humans? Wouldn't it be the ultimate irony if Martin's actions turned Benny into the monster Martin was wrong about him being?

The plot thickens with Amelia. At least we know she's real now. Before, we only saw her in flashbacks. Sam never had any contact with her in the present (she never picked up the phone when he called). However, Show gave us another hint about things not being what they seem when Sam said "sometimes it's not easy to see things for what they are." Just because Amelia is real doesn't mean the relationship Sam has been remembering with her was. What if she was with Don the whole time?

It would be just my luck if that were true. I mean, come on...two men in love with the same woman who decide to let her make the choice between them instead of fighting over her? That can't possibly be real. ;-)

Comments

[viridian5.livejournal.com]

There were so many ways things didn't have to come out this way. Why would Sam put a recently released mental patient, one Dean has talked down about to him in the past, on the delicate assignment of secretly tailing the vampire Dean considers a friend? That's all but begging Dean to dismiss anything said hunter has to say about Benny and double down on his support of Benny. Dean does and says some crummy things here too, but Sam started it off when he really didn't have to.

Martin cold clocking Dean from behind and handcuffing down isn't going to make Dean any more receptive either.

All this only continues the Not!Sam feelings I've been getting all season. I couldn't even see them as brothers this episode.

It'd be really sad if Martin's skeevy actions sets Benny back on the fresh blood binging.

[the-other-sandy.livejournal.com]

Why would Sam put a recently released mental patient, one Dean has talked down about to him in the past, on the delicate assignment of secretly tailing the vampire Dean considers a friend?

Choosing Martin was a bad idea, but Sam didn't really have anyone else to ask. Last I heard, Garth was watching out for the Trans and all the other hunters they know are dead.

Sam hasn't forgotten how he trusted Ruby and how that didn't work out at all. Sam doesn't know anything about Benny except that he's a vampire. All Sam did was ask Martin to watch Benny to see if he was as trustworthy as Dean thought or if they had another Ruby on their hands. Too bad Martin was the only one available.

[viridian5.livejournal.com]

I guess but, Sam, don't be so surprised and hurt that Dean refuses to take anything Martin says about Benny seriously. Just this whole thing with secretly setting an armed mental patient to tail a friend of mine would make me cut all ties with a person.

I seriously side-eye Dean sending those Amelia texts. Way to further alienate your brother. As Martin muttered, annoyed, "Winchesters."

[grean.livejournal.com]

Yes Dean has to stop poking Sam and talk to him. The whole passive aggressive thing is getting old. Sam, wtf, you let someone beat your brother over the head and hand cuff him and leave him bleeding. Not cool.
Dean sending Sam off for his own good, I can see that like the previous poster that Sam and Benny in a fight. Not good. Too many variables and Dean couldn't be sure that Sam wouldn't be hurt and or killed. I don't think his main concern was Benny. He likes him well enough but even he went to visit him armed and ready.
I liked Benny's Great Grandaughter, that was cool. Although she didn't have Dean's pie. If and when Dean gets pie we should have a holiday. Call it Pie day, appropriately.
I didn't like Martin in this, I thought he was manic and I am surprised that Sam didn't notice this about him. Dean did. Something way off on Sam's judgement meter. When Martin was threatening Elizabeth I was immediately reminded of Gordon.
Overall I enjoyed the ep. and damn it, I like Benny. Just Deans luck that he finds a friend and its a monster.

[the-other-sandy.livejournal.com]

When Martin was threatening Elizabeth I was immediately reminded of Gordon.

I really thought Show was setting up Martin to become a recurring hunter enemy like Gordon was right up until he died.

[grean.livejournal.com]

Oh that could have been interesting but I don't think Martin had the chops for that. He really was a loon. I almost felt sorry for him, up until he hit Dean.

[the-other-sandy.livejournal.com]

I don't think Martin had the chops for that. He really was a loon.

That's why I thought he'd make a good enemy. He was just obsessive and unreasonable enough to be unpredictable. You'd never be sure when he'd turn up or what he'd do against the Winchesters. Moot point now, though.

[and-ed.livejournal.com]

Crowley, Louisiana! Awesome. You do find the most interesting little tidbits.

I'm with you on all this. Also liked what grean said in the comments here about how Dean went armed and ready to Benny.

Sometime over the break I'm going to go rewatch some of the eps and see all that stuff you'd noted about Sam's Amelia flashbacks. Its my Christmas Vacation Project. =)

[the-other-sandy.livejournal.com]

I can't decide if I want Benny to turn out to be completely trustworthy or not.

[just-ruth.livejournal.com]

Are you sure Benny is still around? He put his head down for Martin - so who says Elizabeth didn't kill Martin? Well, Dean's been pushing Sam away for the last three seasons - looks like he got his wish.

[the-other-sandy.livejournal.com]

I suppose anything's possible since we didn't actually see the killing, but if Elizabeth had killed Martin after Martin killed Benny, then Benny's body would still have been there.

Martin's body was a bloody mess, especially around the throat. I don't think Elizabeth would have killed him like that. Hit him on the head really hard? Sure. Shoot him with a gun hidden under the counter? I'd buy that. But I can't see Elizabeth ripping someone's throat out.

[andromakhe001.livejournal.com]

I think Sam's getting his just desserts including the supposedly pointed comments. I don't think they are really pointed, I think Dean's just defending Benny with what he has and among those things is that Benny has never let him down. Ever since Dean came back - Sam's been nothing but pissy towards him(except in the two episodes after he thought he got Dean back under his emotional thumb). Sam's rubbed Dean's face into the fact that he had such a GREAT year when he thought Dean was dead, he started that the first episode. That he doesn't feel the slightest bit bad about not trying to figure out what happened to Dean instead of just assuming for some unknown reason that he was dead(it's not like they have just disappeared before, we've seen it happen).

So you know what, Sam deserves hearing that Benny hadn't let him down and if SAM wants to believe that it holds an unspoken "unlike you" well that's on Sam. Maybe Sam shouldn't have just given up and run away. Dean's trying to make clear to Sam why he trusts Benny and why he considers Benny his friend, not letting him down is part of that reason and Dean has every right to use it to defend his friend, whether it hurts poor Sam's sensitive little feelings or not.

Sam apparently doesn't care much about hurting Dean's feelings(talking about how he like didn't even try to find out what happened to Dean when he disappeared and really didn't even miss him all that much because he had such an awesome year without him there, showing blatant disregard worse for Dean's friendship towards Benny by trying to essentially murder the guy, allowing Dean to get knocked out and shackled to give him and a hunter that Sam can clearly see is unhinged a chance to kill Benny without Dean getting in the way), so I am really not sure why it's so wrong for Sam to get a taste of his own medicine.

I mean how many times during the years has Sam chosen someone else over Dean, with far less reason? Even here, he chose Martin over Dean, he allowed Dean to be beaten and restrained, just for disagreeing. Yet Dean's always been expected to choose Sam, choose Sam no matter what Sam had done and said to him, no matter how Sam has treated him.

But somehow it's perfectly excusable for Sam to choose crazy Martin just because he's pissed off, oh wait "oh so hurt" that it looks like Dean's vampire friend is actually trustworthy unlike Sam's brain eating friend(whom Sam had known for half a day tops 15 years ago) and Dean's not willing to let Sam take out his ridiculously competitive feelings towards Dean by killing Benny for no good reason?

IMO Sam is just getting a very small taste of his own medicine, of things Dean has lived with off Sam for years and years. Of finally actually having to worry that just maybe he isn't the sole center of Dean's universe anymore. Because of HIS own actions.

Sam brought this on himself and he created this whole situation. Sam started having this weird vendetta against Benny pretty much from the moment he met him. No Dean didn't tell him about Benny right awy but on the other hand he didn't sneak out on Sam in the middle of night to go assist him either. He told Sam he was leaving, he just want to tell him who and Dean's got a right do that. Sam does not have a right to everything Dean knows or feels or all of Dean's friends or acquaintances. What Dean was really doing was hunting with a friend. But when it looked he'd need help he he called Sam(who was more interested in arguing with him then getting in the damn car to come help him), even knowing he'd meet Benny because of it so it shows he wasn't really that insistant on keeping Benny a secret he was just doing it because they'd mostly been trying to live separate lives and there wasn't really any reason for Sam to be involved. When there was, Dean called Sam and the story was out.

But Sam just hated Benny right from the start and he started threatening him almost right away. And he's done it for entirely petty selfish reasons.

[the-other-sandy.livejournal.com]

Of course Benny has never let Dean down. Dean hasn't known Benny long enough for Benny to let Dean down. It wasn't all that long ago that Dean was talking about how Castiel never let him down. Unfortunately, in Dean's world 'letting him down' seems to equate with 'not being perfect,' which is something he's never really forgiven anyone for. Dean can hold a grudge like nobody's business.

As to what medicine you believe Sam deserves a taste of (and we will have to agree to disagree on that because neither Winchester is blameless here), Dean giving Sam a taste of it is a choice. Another choice is to tell Sam what behaviors Dean objected to and why so the issues can be resolved, instead of spending years making pointed little barbs that only allow the issues to fester instead of resolving them. It wouldn't hurt Sam to do that either, although Sam tends to ignore things and pretend they're already resolved.

[randomstasis.livejournal.com]

thanks- I'm halfway through the ep, and I paused it at;
"Really, Sam?" and now I'm just trying to decide if I want to watch this thing at all anymore.
I'm not a Samgirl, but for heavens sake! It's not even his car-and duh, of course it's Dean. A drive like that you'd call first, to find out what's the what. Maybe while you're warning the mostly ok old guy who is also a friend to get in the car so you don't leave him at a vampire's lair 2 kills in, in the middle of the night.
I'm not fond of shows where I'm not allowed to like the main characters.
Hearing that you liked it anyway may help me decide to finish. I'm glad you posted reactions.

[the-other-sandy.livejournal.com]

The Benny stuff was good, and I'm not even that into Benny. Besides, 7+ seasons of watching Show has given me a pretty high tolerance for dumbass plot twists.

[randomstasis.livejournal.com]

Yeah, the Benny stuff was good. Too bad how it turned out, thanks to Sam being the malicious self-centered a**hole that he is. Who can blame Martin for going off the rails after that?
Yeah, I know Sam's been weird all season. I just don't care why anymore, I'm too tired of the fake angst.
Now poor Martin's dead, Benny's back to eating people, Dean's going to have to kill him, and how much you wanna bet Sam'll never fess up and take responsibility for deliberately screwing all three of them over?

Show just exceeded my tolerance- not for dumbass plot twists, but for dumbass fuckups in the writer's room. Half the show's ruined for me now. No way Sam can excuse or redeem himself for this latest bit of f*ckery. If I can't care about Sam anymore,what's the point of watching a show about *both* brothers? And if Dean finds out what Sam did and still manages to make excuses for him, there'll be nothing left that's interesting or worth watching at all. And you know he will-they'll treat it like he just sneezed at a bad time, all better now.
I think I'm done with it. Dammit.
Thanks again for the review- I wish I had your patience.