Roundtable Discussion on Supernatural 11×13 “Love Hurts”
Here we go with another Supernatural Roundtable. It’s all about how “Love Hurts” in episode 11×13. Written by Nicole Snyder and Eric Charmelo. Roundtable participants this week are Stacy Miller, Michele Villery, and Jackie Bojarski. As always we encourage your feedback. So make sure you leave your comments at the bottom. Here’s this weeks topics.
Sam:
Stacy: The Sam in “Love Hurts” again echoed the Sam from Supernatural seasons past. He and Dean engaged in playful brother bantering before embarking on the case. For the first time in the history of Supernatural, Sam lost to Dean in rock, paper, scissors. And after some harrowing moments, Sam saved his brother from the Quareen. I liked how Sam didn’t pass judgment when Dean admitted that his heart’s desire was Amara and his fear that he would succumb to The Darkness unless they stop her.
Michele: Unless I’m mistaken, I think that this may be the first time that Sam lost in the boys infamous rock, paper scissors game! I enjoyed Sam and Dean’s banter as always. Especially at the beginning. It’s great to see them getting closer and on the same page. My favorite part in the episode was how without judgment or anger, Sam let Dean explain to him how he felt about The Darkness. It was emotional and simply perfection.
Jackie: This episode served as a rude awakening for Dean, who has been in denial about his bond with Amara. Having the truth thrust into his face by the shifter, I think Dean finally realized that he needed to accept it and deal with it. That final scene with Sam was an emotional masterpiece, with Dean letting his guard down and Sam providing the safe environment for him to do so. I think Dean truly feared that Sam would see him as weak, which of course Sam never would. The brothers had one of the most sincere heart-to-hearts that I’ve ever seen on the show, and I hope to see more of that in the future.
Dean:
Stacy: This was the Dean from Season 5 episode “My Bloody Valentine” who was all about the conquest on ‘Unattached Drifter Christmas’. The clearly visible hickey and Dean’s line “You don’t have to be Mr. Right just Mr. Right Now” was the carefree Dean Winchester of yesteryear. But regardless of what he’s going through, Dean’s a hero and will put his problems second to saving lives. But Dean admitting his fear to his brother of his “feelings” for Amara and what he’ll become was a turning point in the brothers’ relationship.
Michele: Lady killer Dean is back. I loved the hickey scene and of course, Dean giving Sam flack for him doing his own thing on Valentine’s Day was hysterical. I adore both brothers, and finally, Dean tries to explain how he feels about Amara and why he couldn’t defeat her to Sam. It was perfect. I always thought he wasn’t able to verbalize how he felt and I was correct. Dean telling Sam that he couldn’t defeat her was the turning point in the season and in the boys’ relationship. Jensen and Jared were simply amazing. And Eric and Nicole’s words were written beautifully.
Jackie: This episode served as a rude awakening for Dean, who has been in denial about his bond with Amara. Having the truth thrust into his face by the shifter, I think Dean finally realized that he needed to accept it and deal with it. That final scene with Sam was an emotional masterpiece, with Dean letting his guard down and Sam providing the safe environment for him to do so. I think Dean truly feared that Sam would see him as weak, which of course Sam never would. The brothers had one of the most sincere heart-to-hearts that I’ve ever seen on the show, and I hope to see more of that in the future.
Dean and Amara:
Stacy: Even though it was only a manifestation of Dean’s desire “Amara” brought Dean’s fears to the surface.
Michele: Since this was only a manifestation of Amara, it brought Dean’s weakness to light when he realized that despite his efforts, he wasn’t going to be the one to defeat Amara.
Jackie: First of all, I’m still confused as to what Amara’s objective is in regard to Dean. Does she just want him as a protector, or is there more to it? We didn’t really learn anything new in this episode, but it was nice that Dean finally decided to be open about it.
As for Amara, I don’t really know what to think of her still as a Big Bad. Despite being God’s sister, I don’t find her all that intimidating. But maybe that’s the point….
Shifters:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4DG6oP3VAI
Stacy: Revealed to be not Shifters but Quareens, manifestations of deceased loved ones, they possessed similar qualities except the shedding skin and were just as deadly.
Michele: I don’t know if they’re a form of shifters or if it looked like a spell gone awry. But man. the visual effects team on SPN is so great. These Quareens are just as deadly and I love the mythology that Supernatural is noted for.
Jackie: I always enjoy episodes involving shifters because they have such an intriguing mythology surrounding them. In this case, the shifter manifested due to a spell that went wrong, so I don’t know if I’d even qualify this as a shifter. A mimic, maybe? Or a channeling? Whatever it was, the special effects team did an amazing job with it!
Predictions:
Stacy: Now that Dean has admitted to Sam his fear of succumbing to The Darkness, it is the hope that the brothers will work together to find a way to defeat her. When Sam and Dean share intel and put their heads together to work on solutions to their problems, they are more effective. Unfortunately, this doesn’t happen sometimes and they prefer to keep secrets and be lone wolves. Won’t they ever learn? Two Winchesters are better than one!
Michele: This is the first time in several years that the boys have no secrets between them. They will both work together to defeat Amara before Dean succumbs. But I think that may come at a cost. Sam, may have to possess Lucifer in order to do it.
Jackie: I’m hoping that we learn more about Dean’s bond with Amara in the future episodes, and what Amara’s endgame is. I also hope that we see Sam take charge of the fight against her. I’m still worried about Lucifer’s plans for Dean and Sam and hope that neither brother ends up hurt as a result of Cas’s decision.
Overall Score:
Stacy: This was a great episode echoing the early seasons. I enjoy the stand alone episodes where the brothers go back to the way they were when we first met them- bantering, researching, ‘best guess’ theories (which are usually wrong) and finally solving the case. A solid episode that made the grade ‘A’.
Michele: I love Eric Charmelo and Nicole Snyder’s writing. They’re two of my favorite writers on the series and they make their episodes charming, fun and exciting. That final scene between the brothers is now one of my all-time favorite moments of the series. It shows their growth and depth. Kudos to everyone. Gets an “A+” from me.
Jackie: I’d give this episode an A, on a account of that outstanding brother scene at the end. The rest of the ep was kind of business as usual, but it was still engaging.