Lle Llywela

I think that it is definitely October. Or maybe March. One thing's for sure - it isn't August! So cold and wet. Very depressing for the time of year.

Just got time to sneak in another List of Love before taking off on my hols this weekend. Scarecrow this time around - the second of the trio of episodes that cemented my love for Supernatural way back when I first started watching the show. Funny, though, how some favoured episodes are easier to write about than others - this one was much tricker to put together than Asylum!

A great many things I love about Scarecrow
…and other standout moments

In no particular order.

1. Long lost Papa Winchester! Looking back two seasons later, it is easy to forget what a huge moment this was, finally getting the man on-screen after ten episodes of searching.

I love that for most of this scene we don't get to see John clearly – only late on does the camera pull back and show him fully. For most of his oh-so painful conversation with Sam we are only able to see his mouth or eyes. There is something tremendously symbolic about that, John Winchester being the eternal enigma that he is.

2. Okay, so the eponymous scarecrow? Is creepy as all heck!


3. The entire opening conversation between father and sons is awesome in its intensity – such a fascinating character study.

We get to see both sides of the exchange while Sam is talking to John, and it is painful on many levels, starting out with genuine warmth and concern on both sides before rapidly descending into antagonism. This is the first opportunity we've had to see how Sam and John react to one another, and it isn't pretty. At the end of Bugs Dean said that as soon as his brother and father were back together they would start fighting within five minutes, and he was not wrong. They are both so very single-minded, and just can't seem to stop themselves butting heads, neither able to see the other's point of view and neither the slightest bit prepared to back down or to listen.

Sam is absolutely right to be angry with his father. After all, it is clear that John has called not to be in touch with his sons or to set their minds at rest in any way, knowing that they were concerned about him, but because he had job-related information that he couldn't simply text to them in the form of coordinates. If he hadn't wanted to give them this case, would he have ever called to offer Sam his sympathy about Jessica? Or to let his sons know that he is okay? To show the slightest bit of fatherly concern? The evidence suggests not, unfortunately. After months of silence, John has now thrown two jobs at the boys in the space of what can't be more than a few days. He is still giving no explanation of why he disappeared so abruptly, why he felt he had to sever all contact, and prior to calling he had no way of knowing whether or not his sons were fit to work another job after the last case he so enigmatically sent them – either one could easily have been injured, for all he knew – or even that that Asylum job had been wrapped up already. So Sam's reaction is entirely understandable. Yet it could almost be designed to antagonise, rather than persuade John to his way of thinking, and succeeds only in making his father dig his heels in.

And then there is Dean's very brief exchange with John, and that hurts even more –perhaps especially because we only see his side of the conversation, as does Sam, and have to infer John's part from Dean's reaction. His expression slides instantly from anxious son into the blank mask of the obedient soldier having abrupt orders barked at him, all feelings being kept well hidden. For all the devil-may-care attitude Dean presents to the outside world, he has a strong sense of duty and a deep-seated craving for his father's trust and approval. Obedience to John's orders is practically hard-wired into him, for reasons that Sam will not understand for a good while still to come. Therefore, to the deeply frustrated and belligerent Sam, utterly not in the mood to empathise with his brother in any way, this just looks like Dean instantly kowtowing to John's orders as usual, which was what annoyed him so much in the last episode, although those events are studiously not referred to here. But when you consider Dean's point of view….

It is clear from both the brevity of the exchange and Dean's reaction that there is none of the concern and reassurance that marked the early stages of Sam's conversation with his father. Instead, despite the fact that he is speaking to his oldest son for the first time since taking off so unexpectedly and severing all contact, despite knowing how worried Dean has been about him, John is sticking to business only and keeping the exchange as brief as possible.

John would probably argue that the reassurance he already gave Sam should be enough for both sons, that the fact of his calling is proof enough of his safety, that he doesn't have time for idle chichat. He may or may not acknowledge the fact that Sam has wound him up, and Dean – surely not for the first time – is receiving the fallout. But the bottom line is that he spoke to Sam as father first and soldier second, while Dean gets nothing but the soldier, the dispassionate commanding officer. And although Dean masks it well, it has to hurt.

4. Bondage!


5. Topless, just-woke-up Dean. Mmm. ♥ We'll forget the minor detail of how his chest should be peppered with the damage caused by that rock salt blast at the end of the last episode….


The continuity of this scene isn't great all round, really – at the end of Asylum, Sam was awake when the phone rang, and picked up on the second ring. Here, he is asleep and doesn't pick up till the fourth ring. And Dean's bedspread looks different. But who really cares, when everything else is so good?

6. Cigarette-smoking man! And he's evil!


7. Dean and Sam's argument in the car is heart-wrenchingly painful, and another truly fascinating character study. It's an awesome scene. The dispute has been brewing all season, following on very neatly from the events of Asylum – and boy, does it get ugly.


It starts out innocently enough – Sam sulking while Dean is brisk and businesslike, running through the research he has managed to pull together on John's list of names. Asylum started in much the same vein…but just look how that ended, and not so long ago. Feelings must surely still be running high, with those events remaining unresolved. We are told that it is the second week of April, which is important on two fronts. Firstly, it tells us that the events of the last few episodes have taken place within a very tight timeframe (Bugs was the end of March). There hasn't been much downtime between gigs, and that has to add to the tension levels. And secondly, it tells us that there is a deadline for this job, and it is fast approaching. There is no time to waste.

Dean is completely engrossed in the details of the case, because that's his coping strategy for larger issues that he has no control over, concealing any hurt or disappointment, anger or concern he might be feeling and burying it deep. And he expresses admiration for his father's ability to piece a difficult case together, because that's also a coping mechanism. He has to trust that John knows what he is doing and has good reasons for behaving the way he is, even if he's choosing not to share those reasons, because if not then all the principles Dean has built his life around start to unravel. Plus, after working alongside John for years and, more importantly, cooperating with him, as opposed to Sam's defiance, he will have seen plenty of evidence of his father's ability as a hunter. He trusts his dad for a reason. Also, the fact that John is asking him to take on this job can be read as an expression of John's trust in Dean's ability to carry out the job effectively, since he can't take it on himself for whatever reason. However backhanded the compliment, that's not something Dean is capable of walking away from – he has to prove he was worthy of that trust by completing the task he has been assigned.

But Sam's issues with his father are very different to Dean's. He bitterly resents John's inflexibility and highhandedness, believes that he and his brother deserve better after so many months of silence than to be ordered off on random missions that John doesn't even take the time to explain. And he is right to feel that way. Wanting to join his father's quest for revenge on the creature that killed Mary and Jessica was the reason Sam returned to the hunt, only for John's disappearance to completely thwart him for six months now. It is entirely understandable that his frustrations would be running high, that this sudden contact with John would re-awaken that desperate urge for action. And so, hearing Dean's praise of their father, whether inspired by blind hero worship, justified hero worship, a deep-seated need to believe in John in order to keep himself going, or a combination of the three, is a provocation too far for Sam. Showdown and separation is the result.

Watching the brothers face off against each other hurts. And man, Sam totally uses his height against his brother here, towering over him. They both strike below the belt in this argument. People who installed one another's buttons just can't resist pushing them.

Once the quarrel starts to get heated, they both allow temper and hurt feelings to cloud their judgement, rather than stepping back and assessing the situation with clear heads. Neither really does justice to his side of the debate.

But at the end of the day, it is a mistake for Sam to walk away. There is nothing productive he can achieve by it, save to make his point loud and clear to Dean, again transferring his issues with his father onto his brother. There is no way he can get to Sacramento before John moves on, and John has already proved how good he is at covering his tracks – if he doesn't want his sons to find him, as he clearly doesn't, then they won't. It is as simple as that. John's attitude in dumping this case on his sons might be out of line, but it is time sensitive – innocent lives are about to be lost now, this one particular week of the year, so there is no time to waste. And the irony is that Sam is rebelling so hard against John, and yet by making this all about himself and his own pain he is acting just like his father. Because, at the end of the day, this isn't about what Sam wants. It's about seeing the bigger picture, about the weighing up of priorities and about doing the right thing, even at personal cost. It's a lesson Sam has yet to learn.

Dean looks so lost as he realises that Sam really is going to leave him again. But he sucks it up – and drives away, leaving his little brother behind. Ouch.

Awesome scene.

8. I love Dean in profile. ♥

'Nuff said.

9. Meg! Evil!

Sam! Clueless!

Oh, but such a pretty smile. ♥

10. I love that Dean cracks and goes to call Sam first following their separation, before thinking better of it. He must be worried – he left his little brother at the side of the road in the middle of the night, after all. And Dean is the peacemaker of clan Winchester. He hates having his family torn asunder, and he really, really hates being left behind, left alone. It figures that he would be anxious to find a way to resolve the disagreement. He doesn't call yet, though. It is too soon, too raw.

Oh bless, and he's got Sam's picture in there alongside the contact number. I want to see it!

11. I love the way Dean gropes around behind him when the EMF goes off in the backseat, trying to find it without crashing the car but failing and having to pull over to dig it out. It just feels so real and natural.

Plus, I love his suspicious face.


12. My favourite moment of the episode is the telephone conversation between Dean and Sam, when Dean sets his own hopes and wishes aside to give Sam's independence his blessing. "Sam, you were right. You gotta do your own thing. You gotta live your own life. […] "You've always known what you want. And you go after it. You stand up to Dad, and you always have. Hell, I wish I…. Anyway – I admire that about you. I'm proud of you, Sammy."

Man, that is beautiful, and it hurts, knowing Dean so well, with three seasons of hindsight. Always trying so hard to provide for Sam all the things he wants and needs to be given for himself. Beneath that happy-do-lucky exterior, Dean is just desperate for someone to put his needs ahead of their own desires, for once. But he can't ask for it. He can't ask because he's afraid of further rejection, which would confirm what he already believes about his own worth. And he can't ask because if you have to ask someone to care about you, you've already lost – it is something they have to give freely in order to mean anything.

I've never loved Dean more than I do here, as he completely puts his own feelings aside and tells his brother what Sam needs to hear. 'I can handle this, go live your life, I'm proud of you.' When we know how much Dean wants not to be left behind, wants not to be left alone. Wants to hang onto what little family he has left. How much he craves approval, but so rarely receives it, and how much he dreads rejection and needs to feel needed. He just sucks it up, sets his own feelings aside and gives Sam his blessing to leave, which is what Sam has always wanted. And that's very important: Sam is now completely free to follow his own road, wherever it takes him, because having that blessing means he's not running away any more.

And, of course, now that he's officially not running away any more means, in the cold light of day, that Sam also can't hide the consequences of his actions behind his anger and rebellion any more. He's on his own now, and has to take full responsibility for whatever he does or doesn't do, and how that affects other people, no matter how it turns out. And I love that Sam knows: he might not yet understand how his brother ticks, but he recognises that Dean is letting him go, and knows what it must have cost him, how much this means. And he has tears in his eyes when he turns to tell Meg that his brother called to say goodbye.

♥

13. I kinda like the scene with the four townsfolk out in the rain, in a warped kind of way. Hearing them talking one another into committing murder really brings home that although the Vanir is a supernatural creature, the culpability here is flesh and blood human. These are just ordinary people – and yet they are so far past the line they don't even see it any more. It is the thought of sacrificing a loved one, Harley's niece Emily, that raises the only qualm expressed by any of them. Their faces betray their stress, but they are all fully committed to this active human sacrifice. It says a lot about the power of tradition, the influence people can have over one another, and the destructive qualities of greed and self-interest.

I can't help wondering, however, just how the townsfolk can possibly guarantee that there will always be a young couple visiting town at the exact right time to make their sacrifice!

14. I love the way Dean interacts with Emily at the filling station, so subtly pumping her for information. He is good at this part of the job: the footwork, rooting around for information, and putting the pieces together.

Although he encounters hostility at almost every turn, this episode reminds us that yes, Dean is completely capable of working on his own – has done so quite ably in the past and would be able to continue to do so in the future.

And yet, however capable he is and however much of a brave face he puts on it, however much satisfaction he derives from his ability to save lives, Dean doesn't enjoy working alone. It is just one of the characteristics that shows how very unlike his father and brother he really is, far more sociable by nature than either of them, and also betrays his emotional dependence. With neither John nor Sam around to share the load, it is a horribly lonely existence, and he is much safer if he has someone watching his back – as, indeed, are they. And yet they both keep walking away from him. They each have their reasons for doing so, every time, but every instance feeds into Dean's abandonment complex. It hasn't reached critical mass yet, though – season two does all the real damage, there. At this stage Dean is fully prepared to let them both go and do their own thing, if that's what they want to do, as long as he can feel sure they are both safe or at the very least alive.


15. Notice that Sam doesn't consider calling Dean until he finds out there is no bus to Sacramento before the following evening, which means he has no way of getting there fast enough to pick up John's trail. If Meg hadn't distracted him at the crucial moment, would he have made the call, we wonder? Or would his stubborn pride have got the better of him?

Sam at this stage has to be starting to realise that he has made a mistake. There is no way he can get to Sacramento until two full days after John's call. Even if Dean had bowed to Sam's way of thinking and set off immediately, redlined it the whole way, they could not have reached Sacramento in time to catch John, and he would have covered his tracks too well for them to track him, just as he did before. The last 10 episodes have proved that the brothers will not find John until he wants to be found. Sam has allowed his own angry desires to cloud his judgement – but he isn't ready to admit it yet.

16. Meg! Evil!

Sam! Clueless!


17. Bless him, Dean tries so hard to find a way of getting the Doomed Couple out of town and out of danger, with increasing desperation because he knows this isn't his strong point, and yet it's all he can do. He knows they're in danger but can't tell them why. And Dean just cannot do subtle. He can either lie through his teeth with absolute fluency or he can be completely honest, but he struggles to find any halfway house between the two. That's more Sam's style. But Sam isn't here, which puts Dean in the uncomfortable position of being the last man standing when everyone else has jumped ship, having to just carry on alone doing what has to be done, without any backup or support to fall back on, and without a single soul in the world to recognise, acknowledge or appreciate the life-saving work he's doing. Or trying to do.

And he is so very conscious of Sam's absence, over-conscious of his own shortcomings. And then so dejected when the sheriff comes to run him out of town.


18. Such a familiar-looking staircase…

Show returns to this location over and over.

19. "Dude, you fugly." Heh. It's a classic moment. Plus, it is so very Dean; I love his habit of talking to himself or to inanimate objects. It's such a consistent personality trait. Although, having said that, I don't remember him doing it so much in season three, which makes me sad.


I love that he looks the thing right in the eye as he comments on the tattoo it stole from its last victim, conclusively identifying it as his perp.


20. Meg! Evil!

Sam! Clueless!

What? It's a recurring theme in the episode! Meg's story is so carefully detailed to appeal to Sam's specific frustrations and state of mind: it's masterful manipulation, and very effective. Although…I'm not sure what game the Yellow-Eyed Demon is playing here with Sam, given what we know of its long-term ambitions: maybe just a speculative attempt to cash in on the split between the brothers and gain influence over Sam, with the endgame now approaching. And I'm not sure just how Meg knew to intercept Sam when and where she did – the mytharc at this point of the show is pretty vague and woolly, and doesn't always fit well with what we will learn later.

21. I love that Dean returns to Burkitsville in the nick of time to save the No Longer Doomed Couple, because, y'know – he's got every reason to just walk away from this one. Taking the case caused a rift with his brother, who in the absence of his father is all he's got. Since he got here he has encountered nothing but hostility. The couple he is trying to save weren't exactly receptive of his efforts earlier. He got run out of town. The odds have been stacked against him from the start. And yet here he is: saving lives. It's who he is – it's all he has left to cling to, that sense of duty and purpose. With his family stripped away from him, Dean needs the job to cling to, as the only way he has left of defining himself. He doesn't know anything else.



22. "The scarecrow climbed off its cross?" Oh man, I love that Sam listens to Dean's tale of the man-eating scarecrow with wide eyes and actual baited breath, positively hanging on every word. I also love that the show does not tell us which brother made the call. I tend to suspect it was Dean, however – he's the peacemaker of the family, the one with the history of making the first move. For Sam the moment when he would have called came and went with Meg's distraction – he's settled in to wait for his bus now, committed to his chosen course of action, and has a history of being too proud to back down.


23. However much we all prefer for the brothers to stick together as much as possible, I love having the opportunity to see Dean working a job alone. We already know that he has worked independently in the past, but it is a delight to actually see it, to watch him steadily gathering the evidence and drawing accurate conclusions. To be reminded that, yes: he is good at his job.

So often Dean is dismissed as merely the brawn, reliant on Sam's brain, but it is clear that he is more than capable of working the research on his own if need be, without the aid of his trusty sidekick geekboy. Here, he figures out the pattern with ease and draws the appropriate conclusions, demonstrating an impressive understanding of mythology in the process. And then, rather than wasting what could be an extended period of time searching books himself, he finds an expert to help with the final identification. It is both practical and efficient.

Of course, the fact that said expert turns out to be in on the whole thing is less of a good thing. But Dean had no way of knowing that in advance. His methodology remains sound!


24. I really like the quietly powerful scene of Dean, Sam and Emily returning to the orchard by light of day to destroy the sacred tree and end the years-long cycle of human sacrifice.

"You know, the whole town's gonna die."
"Good."

And no more words are necessary.

25. Even though I'm expecting it, it still always makes me jump when Dean opens the door and takes a rifle butt to the face.

Plus – tummy!

I also love the conflicted look on the sheriff's face. He knows that he just crossed a line – he is now committed to playing an active role in murder, rather than the passive part he has played before. He is an officer of the law; he knows how wrong this is. But he presses ahead regardless.

Tradition. Peer pressure. Greed and self-interest. They are all powerful motivators, in Burkitsville more than anywhere, it seems.

26. "They're gonna kill us?"
"Sacrifice us. Which is, I don't know, classier, I guess."
Hee.

I love how well Dean handles Emily when they are trapped in the cellar together, calming her down and enlisting her help, coaxing useful information out of her.

27. I love Sam's ability to re-assess his priorities in this episode – he doesn't often change his mind once it is made up. But he already knows he can't get to Sacramento in time to catch up with John, and Dean's blessing means he no longer has the luxury of digging his heels in just for the sake of being stubborn. He has come to realise that while he's hanging around this bus station doing very little and going nowhere fast, his brother is out there on his own saving innocent lives by working a job that could actually be hazardous to life and limb. He might have walked away to pursue his own ends, but that doesn't mean he no longer cares; he wants to check in to see how it's going – wants reassurance that his brother isn't in danger with no one to watch his back. But Dean isn't answering his phone – I'm going to guess the good townsfolk of Burkitsville took it off him – and Sam's concern finally overrides his stubborn pride.

"He's my family." And so Sam makes a decision regarding where his priorities lie, recognising that there is more at stake than his own desires. He isn't a kid any more, and is starting to understand just how much the decisions he makes impact on other people.

Even Meg's (evil) doe-eyes can't talk him around once he has made his mind up.


28. Bless him, Dean is so insistent that he will think of something, trying to reassure Emily to the bitter end. It is so in character of him that he tries so hard to make her feel better. But they are completely screwed, and they both know it


Also, I love that Dean has such an obvious black eye in the final stages of the episode, after taking that blow to the head – Show doesn't always follow up on injuries inflicted!

29. I love that Sam runs right past the captive girl to free his brother, first and foremost.

Really, he is very lucky he gets there when he does, right in the nick of time. With the scarecrow already on the move, Dean and Emily would have been dead within minutes, and I'm not sure Sam could have lived with himself if he'd been too late.

I also love the way Dean laughs out loud with sheer relief, delighted at the thought of Sam stealing a car to get there, delighted that his little brother came back for him.

It is all about sacrifice. The townsfolk have twisted it into something obscene, sacrificing the lives of innocent people for the sake of their own economic prosperity – willing to sacrifice their own flesh and blood, even. But we also see sacrifices made by both Dean and Sam. For Sam's sake, Dean gives up the thing that means most to him, his brother's companionship, and in return Sam gives up his hope of finding John sooner rather than later for the sake of saving his brother's life. Thematically, the episode is beautifully constructed.

30. That image of the empty post, scarecrow missing, is way creepy.

I love that when the scarecrow isn't on its post, we never get a good look at it. The fact that we can't see it, have no idea where it is, when it might strike, is what makes these orchard scenes so scary.


31. I always feel Dean should be restrained down in that cellar, when we see him alone before Emily joins him. I mean, he's just sitting there, and doesn't seem to be making any attempt to escape, which doesn't seem like him. Maybe he's still a little dazed from that blow to the head. At least he does try to bust out later, even if he doesn't succeed. It makes me feel better that he tries!


32. I love that the scarecrow takes Harley and Stacey. I mean, yeah it's traumatic for Emily to see her uncle and aunt murdered like that, but hey – they offered her as a human sacrifice! And the symbolism of it is wonderful, the fact that out of all the people standing there at that moment, including the fresh young things offered in sacrifice but wholly unconnected with one another, the Vanir chose its own sacrifice: a married couple. It fits so beautifully with the mythology of the creature as a fertility god.


33. I enjoy the little exchange between the brothers as Emily boards the bus to leave town, quietly expressing the hope that she will be okay. They've done all they can for her. But now she has to live with what happened. Hoping that she will be able to come to terms with it and get on with her life is all they can do – for any of the people they save.


34. I love the way Dean oh-so casually offers to drop Sam off wherever he wants to go, once the case is over. He's grateful that his little brother returned to him and saved his life, but he can't forget that Sam left in the first place, that the reason for Sam's leaving still exists – Sam made it clear that his aims are different than Dean's and that he is not willing to compromise. And Dean has made it clear in this episode that he would rather let Sam go and keep the lines of communication open than risk absolute rejection again. He can't look at Sam as he says it, though – it's the same quiet resignation we saw in the Pilot when Sam insisted on returning to his life at Stanford rather than continue to search for John: resigned to his family always walking away from him, to being left behind, to his future alone.

But Sam has had time to re-think his priorities, sitting in that bus station fretting about the responsibilities he was shirking for the sake of the wild goose chase he'd hoped would bring a speedy resolution to his thirst for vengeance. He is now prepared for the long haul, rather than taking shortcuts at the expense of others. With John choosing to cut them out of the fight, the brothers need to stick together, and Sam realises that now.

It kind of kills me that Dean is so startled – he isn't used to Sam backing down on anything, meeting him in the middle.

"Hold me, Sam. That was beautiful." Heh. Dean just can't deal with the emotional implications of this conversation – humour is part of his defence mechanism, used to deflect difficult emotions and situations. And Sam teases right back at him – it's a language they both understand.

Harmony restored. Fabulous.

36. Meg! Evil!

'Nuff said. Again, I'm not sure her one-sided conversation with her demonic 'father' ties in all that neatly with the mytharc as it is later established, but it is easier to let that go than to puzzle over it in depth.


Okay, looking back, it is clear that I have a lot more love for Dean than for Sam in this episode. But I do love Sammy too, honest!


All screencaps made by me