Supernatural returns to form in the fourth episode of season nine. I managed to stay mostly free of season-spoilers, but I knew a Charlie episode was coming and I knew an Oz episode was included in the season. I didn’t know they’d be at the same time or that they would be so soon in the season. I am super glad they were.
Every time I see “written by Robbie Thompson” in the credits I get super excited. Tonight marked his eighth credit for the show and as far as I’m concerned he has a solid record for delivering entertaining and emotional episodes. Dude totally made me cry over an AC/DC song tonight. Right?
Sam and Dean, in an effort to develop an electronic angel locator, discover a giant super computer in the basement of the Batcave. With no user manual in sight and Kevin in a motel repeating “falafel” over and over, they call on the only member of the extended family that can help: Charlie Bradbury. Charlie links up in a thinly veiled product placement moment, but the compy becomes secondary to the Wicked Witch Dean accidentally unleashed in his bumbling.
Yes. Wicked Witch. As in The. So on the bullet points!
The Good:
- Charlie had on a Sonmi-451 tee. Part of the fun of Charlie’s appearances have been the shirts – they’re almost as fun as Winchester aliases. I have a sneaking suspicion that Felicia Day has a say in her wardrobe, because she’s One of Us.
- The King of Hell is stuck in a basement with a crayola. This is hilarious.
The Meh:
- You guys? I totally had a Commodore 64. *siiiiiiigh*
- Yeah that’s it. This episode was awesome.
The AMAZING:
- The parallels between the Winchesters’ universe and the Magical Land of Oz. It started out subtle, with Charlie’s mention of the Edlund books, and moved on to ‘d’aaaaw” territory with Sam and his appreciation of the Winchester home (which of course means something shitty is going to happen to it but we’ll deal with that as it comes). The message that was dictated to both parties – your desitinies aren’t written in stone – was a bit schmaltzy to be sure, but absolutely forgiveable in a one-off episode, and especially in an episode that was this much fun.
- The re-interpretation of Ozian characters and the brief glimpses at the land itself. No green witch, no naive teen, a wicked BPRD-esque Tin Man head (OK, it was severed, but still). These were all great artistic calls, as it kept the story fresh and more unpredictable. Tiio Horn, the actress who played Dorothy, has one credit on IMDB. Since she was one of the best guest actors the show has featured, I hope I get to see a lot more of her. She kept Dorothy tough and ruthless but also very heartfelt and authentic.
- So… So, can we just talk about Charlie? I know I raved after her last episode, but for those who are new to the BSR! hunter family, I’ll do it again. And also just because I want to, because that’s how wonderful this character is and that is in fact how I roll. Charlie, as I am sure is both intended and miraculously well played, reminds me so much of me. But not Me me, Daydream me. She’s cool in an “I wear Lying Cat tee shirts” kind of way, but everyone around her recognizes the cool factor. She’s goobery and nerdy, but in a way that is endearing rather than comedic. I should rephrase, because she is funny. But unlike other television “nerds,” we’re laughing with her, not at her. Like Charlie, I also lost my mother, and most of the memories I hold dearest in my heart involve the time she spent reading fairy tales to me and, you guessed it, our love of “The Wizard of Oz.”
Back when I was a kid (shut up yes when I had the Commodore 64), “The Wizard of Oz” was only on once a year. I believe Ted Turner still held the rights, so it wasn’t splashed everywhere. You got one chance, I believe around Easter, and that was it until the next year. Those nights were like church for my mother and me. So for Charlie, for people like us who “want a volcano and a ring to throw in it,” to march into Oz with Dorothy to join the revolution, well. My Me me might have to get up and go to a mundane reality tomorrow, but tonight my Daydream me got a quest and a happy ending. Hence, me crying over an AC/DC song. It packed a wallop, and “Slumber Party” will definitely hold a place in my favorite Supernatural episodes and likely in my favorite television episodes period.
According to next week’s previews, Dean mind melds with a dog.I have good feelings about this one, because I love love LOVE it when Jensen Ackles gets to be funny.
What do you think, friends? Are you a Charlie lover too? Did you welcome the interruption of the season arc, or would you have preferred the Angel plot continued without a break? Leave me your opinions in the comments, and hit me up on the twitters with your favorite Daydream Me characters.