Supernatural 7.13 – “The Slice Girls” Review
Episode: Supernatural 7.13 – “The Slice Girls”
Original Air Date: February 3, 2012
Screencaps by spn-caps.
Dean Winchester has slept his way across this country. You knew that was bound to catch up with him sooner or later. This episode we saw Dean become a father in the span of three days.
For the briefest of seconds we had the next generation of Winchesters… and then Uncle Sammy killed her. Hey, when your niece is a monster and about to commit patricide, you do what needs to be done.
I’m not faulting Dean for getting back into the swing of things and actually having sex again. He was going through a dry spell for a while, dealing with family members coming back from the dead and others dying for real, but it doesn’t mean he can be unsafe about it. I don’t care how long it’s been since Dean got laid or how hot and heavy it got in a quick amount of time or how much under a spell he was, he knows better than to practice unsafe sex. He has been with a lot of women since he hit puberty, some of whom made had sex their profession, so are you telling me that sometimes “accidents happen” and he forgets to be safe? Aside from the possibility of STDs, since Sam’s got the market cornered on that, is there a possibility that there’s other non-monster kids out there that Dean might not know about? I expected more from him. And now that screw-up almost cost him his life. “Hello, Emma. I’m your alcoholic, depressed father who didn’t know to wear a condom.” Dean, you frustrate me.
At least Sam stepped up and did what needed to be done. Isn’t it ironic that they were in the same situation as Amy, yet everything Dean was preaching went right out the window when it came to his (monster) daughter? Those double standards are going to kill him one day. Dean used to be okay with the blurred lines, where some monsters weren’t bad and they should take it on a case-by-case basis. Then Cas died and his trust was shattered, so he went back to his old ways and lived life with a black and white, good and bad, monster and human standard. I was sad to see the reversion and Sam was extremely mad that his brother had used Amy to prove his new standards of fighting, but we all understood the reasoning behind it. Now, when the situation is reversed and Dean’s the one who has an emotional attachment to the monster, he throws the rule book out the window. He can’t do that, he can’t keep changing his mind, and he certainly can’t expect Sam to keep up. Sammy is working on a lot of mental issues, so he needs rules that are unchanging and not to be worried that his brother’s going to die because of a sliding scale of morality.
Aside from the family drama, there were other things to focus on. I wanted to give special attention to Jerry Wanek’s directing. Wanek’s been the Production Designer on the show since the first season, but “Slice Girls” was his first turn in the director’s chair. The bar scene close-ups were odd and a bit out of place, but that awkwardness was overshadowed by the brilliant sex/murder scene editing. The mirroring between Dean’s sexual acts and the acts of killing by the Amazon amped up the tension and the excitement levels. Another revelation we got out of the sex scene, aside from reveling in the fact that Dean’s tattoo is still pretty, is the evidence of how far the healing in the fifth season finale went. The handprint is gone because Cas healed it along with the rest of Dean’s broken body. On one hand, it’s sad that it took us two years to realize that, since we get so few scenes with his bare arms. On the other hand, it makes it much easier in terms of make-up and storytelling. Cas was a huge part of Dean’s life, which he is trying to move past, so not having that visual reminder every time he looks in the mirror is helpful.
Also in terms of storytelling, I like the mystery thread with Bobby that they’re still carrying. It’s being done quite well because of how it’s framed. Dean’s the one who noticed the missing beer and he’s the one who noticed the moving papers. But he also has an increased drinking problem and wants to believe Bobby can come back. We can’t trust what he’s seeing, even if we want it to be true. I mean, the man’s honoring the death of his adoptive father by drinking from his flask whenever he gets the chance. Let’s combine alcohol and mental instability and see what happens. And Sam can’t trust his brother’s intuition on this because he knows Dean’s not in his right mind. Neither is Sam. He can’t focus on the possibility that Bobby’s still hanging around because he’s got bigger things to concentrate on, namely making sure his brother doesn’t go off the deep end with suicidal hunts while Sam’s also dealing with Lucifer always being right in front of him and never going away. Sam has trouble deciphering what’s real, so he can’t put this Ghost!Bobby situation on top of it, too. Their plates are already full.
Where did the episode leave us? Well, we didn’t get much advancement. They didn’t kill the Amazons, so that failure will put hunters in danger again when they resurface. We learned that Dean thinks Bobby’s hanging around, as evidenced by the ghostly happenings that only he sees, but we kinda already knew that. And we learned that the Winchesters continue to be screwed up, but we knew that seven years ago, it just gets continually worse. I’m just waiting for both the boys to fall apart, because they have to. Dean’s a depressed, suicidal alcoholic who is now seeing things that may or may not be true. Sam’s a psychotic man who is suffering from PTSD and the one person who grounds him keeps changing the rules. Neither one of them is healthy or stable. Their delicate balance is bound to crumble and, when it does, it’s going to be bad. I hope we get to witness it because, until that happens, they can’t heal.
Rating: 3 / 5 Stars
February 6th, 2012 at 11:42 am
Well, I don’t think Dean is changing rules. He gave to Emma the same opportunity than the son of Amy. “You haven’t killed anybody yet, Emma. Walk away”. I’m not sure if Sam heard that, besides he didn’t know that Dean told the same to the Amy’s kid, so it’s reasonable that he was pissed with his brother for his apparent inconsequence. Dean was trying to save her from herself all the time. We’ll never know if he would kill Emma because Sam did it first. Just my opinion. Sorry for my english.
February 6th, 2012 at 1:44 pm
Thanks for commenting!
I had a problem with him letting Amy’s kid go, too. All these stipulations and exceptions are confusing (and even moreso for Sam now). Dean just needs to make a decision. Are we killing monsters? Are we waiting until they prove they’ve got monster tendencies? If they do kill, are we letting the ones that have a favorable personality have a free pass? (aka the witches from Shut Up, Dr. Phil) Where’s the line?
For the mental state Dean’s in right now, this inconsistency is right for his character, but as an outsider looking at him it’s a strong indication that he’s messed up and headed for a fall.
I adore that the show doesn’t shy away from showing the Winchesters as flawed men. It’s why I love them.
February 6th, 2012 at 1:50 pm
You forget Dean’s little thing with Family. His black and white period after John’s death didn’t extend to Sam. Dean didn’t kill Samuel Campbell, despite the man trying to kill him and Sam. He didn’t kill his cousins, the baby shifter or Missy Bender, and it was Castiel that iced Lenore the good vampire.
February 6th, 2012 at 2:27 pm
I agree with marce – Dean did not change the rules since dealing with Amy. Amy had killed, Emma and Amy’s son had not. Both of the children were given the same option to walk away, Amy was not.
February 6th, 2012 at 2:32 pm
Re: Connor
It’s debatable whether he considered Emma to fall under the “family” umbrella considering the circumstances. He says it both ways in the episode (she was family, no she was a monster that needed to die). And he did promise his grandfather he would kill him next time they met up, and attempted to do so. Sam just got to him first.
February 6th, 2012 at 2:36 pm
Re: finajk
I agree that he gave Amy’s son and his daughter the same choice, since they hadn’t killed prior. But, the witches killed people and he let them walk. Why? Because they had a nice personality? And Dean turns around and tells Sam in the car he wasn’t going to let Emma walk, despite what he said. It’s not a concrete “this way, always” for him anymore and it’s harming Sam’s ability to trust him during a hunt.
Thanks for the comments!
February 6th, 2012 at 4:03 pm
I disagree with the witches. It’s been shown repeatedly, that when they can’t kill someone, they let them go with as much mitigation of the situation as possible. The only spell they had, the one with the chicken, was ineffective, so they tried to make sure the witches wouldn’t want to kill anyone. In fact, they’ve never killed any witches personally. This particular situation is like the The Curious Case in season 5, when they also didn’t kill the witch.
We don’t actually know that Dean didn’t use protection either, since it’s unsure if protection would actually work against Amazonian uterus, frankly. I don’t think we can assume all those men didn’t use protection.
February 6th, 2012 at 4:54 pm
I agree, Dean applies one code of standards for Sam, and another for himself. Basically, he’s been asking Sam to follow his “Do As I Say, Not As I Do” code of conduct for quite awhile now. Double standards? Absolutely. I’m glad that Sam is starting to call him on it now instead of just swallowing his frustration. Nothing will ever be solved if Sam just (as Dean says) “just sits there being pissed” and doesn’t start confronting Dean about some of his b.s. The roles have been reversed lately and I think a lot of fans have trouble with that. They want Sam & Dean to continue as they always have–but their world has been so completely turned upside down and sideways, they can’t possibly continue down that path right now.
Like you, I can not wait until it all explodes in their faces. I am looking forward to a huge breakdown from Sam and Dean. Like a bad car accident on the freeway, I can’t turn away!
February 6th, 2012 at 5:47 pm
Re: AM
I just think, going back what I see as Dean’s current rules for hunting, he’s bending them depending on his current mental state. It’s not helping Sam to be able to trust him.
And, yes, it’s possible Dean’s “accidents happen” mention in the episode meant the condom wasn’t effective…or it could mean he didn’t use protection at that time. I got the feeling the women put their victims under a spell to be more willing to have sex without the usual precautions.
Thanks for commenting!
February 6th, 2012 at 5:51 pm
Re: Beth
Exactly. Do as I say, not as I do. And Sam is having trouble with deciphering reality right now, so I think it’s much harder for him to go “okay, you’re telling me this is the way to do this, but then you’re not doing this.” I like that their roles are being reversed. It’s creating a whole new dynamic, especially alongside the fact that they’re both hanging on by a thread with their own mental issues. They’ve got to confront the problems and ground themselves in trusting each other (which Dean’s making harder), or else they’re going to be crushed under the weight of it all.
February 6th, 2012 at 6:44 pm
Who changed the code to others?, Yeah, this is Sam
A monster that kills call Amy frees, one that still has not killed the kills.
If you tell me how bad these, I will refuse to tell what happens in my head.
You’re a drunk and you do not know, but I’m fine and I know exactly what I have to, ah, no, sorry, I have hallucinations with Lucifer.