Supernatural: "Sam, Interrupted" 5x11 1/21/2010 Grading & Discussion

[Obiwanshinobi]

Not sure if Dorian or Ms Wood forgot since they usually start these threads, but I'm pretty sure Supernatural comes back from winter hiatus tonight with episode 11 titled "Sam, Interrupted"


Episode synopsis:

Spoiler: Sam, Interrupted

A former hunter named Martin (guest star), who is currently institutionalized, calls Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) for help investigating a case in the mental hospital. The brothers get themselves admitted as patients to check out the mysterious monster that is attacking the patients, but their incarceration pushes both to the breaking point as they unleash their inner demons against each other.

 

[Dorian Thompson]

Re: Supernatural: "Sam, Interrupted" 5x11 1/21/2010 Grading & Discussi

No, I didn't forget. I just got home from work. Glad to see we have folks anxious to pick up the banner. Good work, Obiwan Shinobi. It sounds choice.

 

[AliciaD496]

Re: Supernatural: "Sam, Interrupted" 5x11 1/21/2010 Grading & Discussi

Man...it's been way too long!

Tonight's episode looks like it's gonna be great if the preview is any indication. The Winchesters telling the truth, who woulda thought it was possible. I get the feeling we're in for a heck of second half of the season.

Oh, and yay for a slightly Sam centric episode (if the title is any indication).

Spoiler: Spoilers about upcoming episodes possibly?

Body swapping...time travel...Michael's relationship with Dean as he grew up...lots to look forward to

 

[Dorian Thompson]

Re: Supernatural: "Sam, Interrupted" 5x11 1/21/2010 Grading & Discussi



Those look like original Gacys.... ROFL!!!!

PUDDING!!!

 

[Dorian Thompson]

Re: Supernatural: "Sam, Interrupted" 5x11 1/21/2010 Grading & Discussi

Whoa.....are they even really in a mental hospital? Are they trapped in a Djinn illusion or something?

 

[StarTrek1701]

Re: Supernatural: "Sam, Interrupted" 5x11 1/21/2010 Grading & Discussi

Who's the actress that played the fingering nurse in the episode?

 

[Dorian Thompson]

Re: Supernatural: "Sam, Interrupted" 5x11 1/21/2010 Grading & Discussi

I don't know. She was like a perky, dark doppelganger of Meredith from Grey's Anatomy. Looked a heck of a lot like her. Wow, that episode, as funny as it was, sure had sinister undertones. That ending wasn't triumph; it was bleak. They're both as sick and emotionally damaged as ever. I loved the darkness of the hospital and lack of color. Glad that they were hallucinating, because I was thinking "Professional doctors act like that?"

Turns out they don't.

 

[startrekwatcher]

Re: Supernatural: "Sam, Interrupted" 5x11 1/21/2010 Grading & Discussi

Meh--another filler episode that failed to hold my attention. I don't know if it is because shows like LOST have spoiled me or I've seen so much tv that standalones like this are too predictable but watching standalones is a chore these days unless they really are interesting and have a fresh spin.

I think arc storytelling forces shows to carve their own identities and create a unique mythology where anything can happen and the status quo can never be taken for granted. That's why shows like SN and Fringe have the fan favorite episodes that center around the core material of the show while the standalones are easily forgettable. I realize CW probably has a hand in preventing SN from being heavily serialized but these monster of the week stuff is just tiresome especially when you've seen better before on other shows like the X-Files. Furthermore SN has this habit of making the plot of the week just a means to an end for the final act's moment of reflection. That is all well and good but at the end of the day I would hope the rest of the hour could be worthwhile and not just something you have to endure to get that golden moment that lasts a fleeting few minutes.

I also found it a little hard to believe that Sam and Dean had as much freedom o roam about especially to an area like the morgue.

I give this a C-. We didn't even get shock treatment or the threat of a lobotomy which are staples of mental episodes/films. Bah.

 

[Dorian Thompson]

Re: Supernatural: "Sam, Interrupted" 5x11 1/21/2010 Grading & Discussi

I disagree. I thought this was one of the better stand alones. Very atmospheric. Very....just bleak at the end. Their lives suck. Really, they're supposed to suck. They're so pathetic. Both of them. Their lives are nothing but crap, but they've gotta get up in the morning anyway even though it sucks. Dean telling Sam to suppress it all....it shows that he's still trapped in the pattern of his life and can he really change at this point? It wasn't about evil doctors giving shock treatments. I thought their slowly deteriorating mental states were scary.

Here in OKC, we had this psychiatric hospital where the patients kept walking away not too many years ago. It happens. Not as unbelievable as you might think. The locals weren't too happy.

 

[startrekwatcher]

Re: Supernatural: "Sam, Interrupted" 5x11 1/21/2010 Grading & Discussi

Well we'll have to disagree since a lot of the stuff you refer to comprised a very very small portion of the hour. The rest centered on a pretty pedestrian monster story that really wasn't all that scary with no surprises, a lack of suspense and unless Martin resurfaces a throwaway character. We didn't even see the "raping" Dean got with his hallucination about his daddy issues and the rest of the character insight wasn't anything we hadn't already seen or heard about before--and certainly not compelling. Overall pretty ho-hum.

SN sometimes excels with atmosphere but personally this wasn't one of those times in my opinion. I will try to say something nice about the episode-the actress playing the wraith did a good job and I enjoyed her performance. But the rest--let's just say I won't be rewatching this one anytime soon.

 

[Joe Washington]

Re: Supernatural: "Sam, Interrupted" 5x11 1/21/2010 Grading & Discussi

I agree with Dorian. I also liked tonight's episode. I had a feeling that the happy-go-lucky nurse, the female doctor Dean was talking to, or the head of the hospital was either the creature or possibly an accomplice who's making the creature's killings look like suicides to prevent a panic within the hospital or willingly covering up the creature's tracks because he or she's working with it.

I love the insights into Sam and Dean's mental states which are damaged and under a great deal of pressure which isn't surprising. And the ending makes me fear for the brothers' future. Sam realizes that the demon blood, Ruby, the Devil, Lilith, and the crap with his father and brother have been excuses he's been using to justify his rage and we have seen in the past Sam's rage clouding his judgment on many occassions. And I've been waiting for him to come to that conclusion. But Dean, fearing that Sam's realization may lead him down the path of giving into the Devil in the future he saw, tries to toughten Sam up and convince him to do the same routine they've been doing every time they suffer a loss or go through a traumatic experience: bottle up the emotional crap and soldier on. But this episode is making it clear that the routine hasn't been working so good recently and it just a matter of time before the brothers reach their breaking point.

 

[Obiwanshinobi]

Re: Supernatural: "Sam, Interrupted" 5x11 1/21/2010 Grading & Discussi

watching it now, so far this episode remindes me of that prison episode

 

[Dorian Thompson]

Re: Supernatural: "Sam, Interrupted" 5x11 1/21/2010 Grading & Discussi

PUDDING!

You'll understand that in a little while, ObiWanShinobi.

 

[Obiwanshinobi]

Re: Supernatural: "Sam, Interrupted" 5x11 1/21/2010 Grading & Discussi

Haha that was priceless, ok the ep is about to wrap, I swear there was a Buffy episode exactly like this, Crazy making monster with tendrils

 

[AJBryant]

Re: Supernatural: "Sam, Interrupted" 5x11 1/21/2010 Grading & Discussi

Glad that they were hallucinating, because I was thinking "Professional doctors act like that?"

Turns out they don't.

I used to work in a maximum security facility for those judged "not guilty by reason of insanity." We had child rapists, arsonists, axe murderers (really), hijackers... you name it.

And, yes, sometimes they do.


Oh, edited to add:

Spoiler: The one thing I hated

The one thing I hated was the ending. They're escaping. Alarms are blaring. There is one body in the room Sam was in. There are people swarming over their buddy who they think tried to kill the nympho. And what do they do?

They don't get into the car and drive off to have a discussion.

They STOP. Right THERE. And SHOUT. And YELL. It was the stupidest thing EVER.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

Re: Supernatural: "Sam, Interrupted" 5x11 1/21/2010 Grading & Discussi

This one didn't really do much for me. In fact, the usual snarky stuff from the brothers seemed more juvenile than humorous tonight.

 

[Dorian Thompson]

Re: Supernatural: "Sam, Interrupted" 5x11 1/21/2010 Grading & Discussi

I used to work in a maximum security facility for those judged "not guilty by reason of insanity." We had child rapists, arsonists, axe murderers (really), hijackers... you name it.

And, yes, sometimes they do. __________________

Yikes.

Actually, what really got to me was Dean's admission that the only times he sleeps for more than 3 or 4 hours a night is when he drinks. God, their lives suck.

 

[Dorian Thompson]

Re: Supernatural: "Sam, Interrupted" 5x11 1/21/2010 Grading & Discussi

Director's cut clip from next week's episode
Sasquatch

 

[Othello]

Re: Supernatural: "Sam, Interrupted" 5x11 1/21/2010 Grading & Discussi

A decent enough stand alone episode that had me laughing quite hard several times...

 

[Dorian Thompson]

Re: Supernatural: "Sam, Interrupted" 5x11 1/21/2010 Grading & Discussi

Final ratings from Travis Yanan at pifeedback.com

SN 2.850 million viewers
1.3 adults 18-49
1.5 adults 18-34
1.5 women 18-34 (meaning men were probably near identical)

Third most viewed epsiode of the season.

No drop after the month and a half hiatus. Actually ticked up a bit. DVR numbers will probably be extremely high, per usual but they take a week to be reported by TVBytheNumbers. All of the competition, CSI, Grey's, The Office, and Fringe were airing new episodes as well.