Clap Your Hands If You Believe (609)

[Madwelshboy]

FAIRIES! – While Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) are investigating a UFO sighting, Dean is abducted from a crop circle. However, when he awakens, he discovers he isn’t dealing with aliens, but fairies! Unfortunately, only Dean can see the fairy that keeps attacking him which makes tracing and stopping them difficult. The brothers become even more perplexed when Sam’s investigation leads them to a world full of elves, gnomes and a leprechaun. John Showalter directed the episode written by Ben Edlund

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[starg8fans]

Already had my say in the Spoiler thread - this will not be one of my favorites. I'd been looking forward to a lighter, more humrous ep, but this one just didn't deliver.

First of all, the way they're portraying Sam irks me. It's one thing making him look aloof and unemotional, but in this ep he was just like an elephant in a China shop. He said himself that he hunted on his own for a year - and successfully - and that he still had all his brain cells, so where is his skill of getting information from witnesses? Even if he doesn't 'get' their emotions he should still know that ridiculing them won't get him very far.

Then the whole promiscuity thing. I get it that New!Sam gives in to his manly urges, but chatting up every chick in sight while on a case? And if that's what he does, why have not seen that side of him before? The waitress in the restaurant was unnecessary in my opinion, there was no need to prompt a second speech about 'if you had your soul you would worry about my being abducted by aliens', we got it the first time round. Okay, this is to set up Sam's change of mind about getting his soul back, but we still don't need that piece of info stuffed down our throats like this.

And then the fairies - okay, Tinkerbell was funny, and the way Dean 'fried' her in the microwave had me LOL. Picardo as a Leprechaun was good too, although I had a hard time getting past the whole 'Mr. Woolsey'. The worker elfs were sorta nondescript, but the homeless guy, why on earth would a fairy look like that? And why did he glare at and finally beat up Dean? Not that I mind a bit of whump, but that was just random. Because his antagonism didn't start after Dean killed Tinkerbell, it was there from the start.

Then there were two big continuity issues. When Dean came back from his 'kidnapping' his jacket was all tattered and torn, yet a few scenes later it was whole again. What are the chances the Dean has the same jacket twice? And then we had the same issue as in Bugs. Dean went into the watchmaker's shop in broad daylight, had a look around, and when he was back on the street it was dark.

I also had an issue with Dean tackling the wrong guy. In itself, that was okay, but what are the odds it turns out to be a midget DA? And why did he drop the charges just like that?

I'll have myself a re-watch with my kids later today, and then I'll try to make a note of what I liked about the ep. This sounds worse than it is, I didn't really hate the episode, I just felt it wasn't up to par. Still a hard core fan here, don't get me wrong.

[SheppAddictedFangirl]

Sorry you didn´t like it stars. I thought it was kind of fun, although I did see "Woolsey" as well, but that´s what being an avid SGA fan does to one.

I agree that Sam was acting a little over-the-top though. Kind of reminded me of early Cas, with his lack of people skills.

Weird episode, but it still was fun to watch for me.

[Jaemal]

Already had my say in the Spoiler thread - this will not be one of my favorites. I'd been looking forward to a lighter, more humrous ep, but this one just didn't deliver.

First of all, the way they're portraying Sam irks me. It's one thing making him look aloof and unemotional, but in this ep he was just like an elephant in a China shop. He said himself that he hunted on his own for a year - and successfully - and that he still had all his brain cells, so where is his skill of getting information from witnesses? Even if he doesn't 'get' their emotions he should still know that ridiculing them won't get him very far.

Then the whole promiscuity thing. I get it that New!Sam gives in to his manly urges, but chatting up every chick in sight while on a case? And if that's what he does, why have not seen that side of him before? The waitress in the restaurant was unnecessary in my opinion, there was no need to prompt a second speech about 'if you had your soul you would worry about my being abducted by aliens', we got it the first time round. Okay, this is to set up Sam's change of mind about getting his soul back, but we still don't need that piece of info stuffed down our throats like this.

And then the fairies - okay, Tinkerbell was funny, and the way Dean 'fried' her in the microwave had me LOL. Picardo as a Leprechaun was good too, although I had a hard time getting past the whole 'Mr. Woolsey'. The worker elfs were sorta nondescript, but the homeless guy, why on earth would a fairy look like that? And why did he glare at and finally beat up Dean? Not that I mind a bit of whump, but that was just random. Because his antagonism didn't start after Dean killed Tinkerbell, it was there from the start.
(...)

I don't like most of the 'funny' episodes (Bad Day at Black Rock being the exception) so my expecations were pretty low. I did laugh quite often though, so is was better than expected but still not great by any means. The CGI felt artifical and out-of-place and the fairies didn't always deliver. Picardo was great as a Leprechaun but the glowing light or midget workers didn't really fit into Supernatural. Besides, it was really hard to believe that a random Leprechaun could get Sam's soul back (okay, he could have lied but still this offer felt forced and contrived).

(...)

First of all, the way they're portraying Sam irks me. It's one thing making him look aloof and unemotional, but in this ep he was just like an elephant in a China shop. He said himself that he hunted on his own for a year - and successfully - and that he still had all his brain cells, so where is his skill of getting information from witnesses? Even if he doesn't 'get' their emotions he should still know that ridiculing them won't get him very far.

Then the whole promiscuity thing. I get it that New!Sam gives in to his manly urges, but chatting up every chick in sight while on a case? And if that's what he does, why have not seen that side of him before? The waitress in the restaurant was unnecessary in my opinion, there was no need to prompt a second speech about 'if you had your soul you would worry about my being abducted by aliens', we got it the first time round. Okay, this is to set up Sam's change of mind about getting his soul back, but we still don't need that piece of info stuffed down our throats like this.

(...)

This. This whole soulless thing bugs me. It is simply inconsitent. They say Sam can't feel anything but he constantly acts annoyed and well, horny (if hornyness is a feeling rather than a physical sensation). Shouldn't he be more like Cas in season 4? And there is no way he could have worked as a hunter for a year, if he treats people like this. I can't shake the feeling that the writers are using this plot strand for cheap laughs instead of taking it seriously. Currently, it seems like losing your soul just turns you into horny jerk instead of a robot or something more sinister.

[LtColCarter]

Hmmmm....Personally...I liked the episode. I thought it was relatively light. I do get the whole "Sam is soul-less" thingie, but I think they're taking that a bit far lately.

[starg8fans]

Sorry you didn´t like it stars. I thought it was kind of fun, although I did see "Woolsey" as well, but that´s what being an avid SGA fan does to one.

I agree that Sam was acting a little over-the-top though. Kind of reminded me of early Cas, with his lack of people skills.

Weird episode, but it still was fun to watch for me.

It's okay, even a 'not-so-good' episode of Spn is still miles ahead of anything else on TV...

Here's some stuff I liked on the re-watch:
- seeing the boys walk down a sunny street (and especially the way the sun was shining through Dean's ears - too adorable!)
- Dean's ringtone; glad he now has the same one again he had in the beginning
- when Dean wouldn't sit on the bed Sam and Hippie Girl had just used
- the 'bing' of the microwave after the scene went black
- Sam asking for a bigger cup

Also, it think I've figured out the homeless guy in the red cap. He's a garden gnome, right?

I don't like most of the 'funny' episodes (Bad Day at Black Rock being the exception) so my expecations were pretty low. I did laugh quite often though, so is was better than expected but still not great by any means. The CGI felt artifical and out-of-place and the fairies didn't always deliver. Picardo was great as a Leprechaun but the glowing light or midget workers didn't really fit into Supernatural. Besides, it was really hard to believe that a random Leprechaun could get Sam's soul back (okay, he could have lied but still this offer felt forced and contrived).

Well, that 'old magic' he mentioned may give him some extra mojo. But I agree with you, the offer sounded fake to me. And that Leprechaun to me appeared at least as conniving and crooked as Crowley.

This. This whole soulless thing bugs me. It is simply inconsitent. They say Sam can't feel anything but he constantly acts annoyed and well, horny (if hornyness is a feeling rather than a physical sensation). Shouldn't he be more like Cas in season 4? And there is no way he could have worked as a hunter for a year, if he treats people like this. I can't shake the feeling that the writers are using this plot strand for cheap laughs instead of taking it seriously. Currently, it seems like losing your soul just turns you into horny jerk instead of a robot or something more sinister.

Good description of what irks me here as well.

I'm also wondering - was it ever explained why they let Dean go? Okay, he had weapons, but the Leprechaun didn't have any problems disarming Sam, and where they took Dean he must have been heavily outnumbered.

[LoneStar1836]

I enjoyed the ep. It could have been better with some things, but it had some good laughs. Certainly not a favorite and not as good as some of their other funny eps. Their spoof intro for this ep was great.

First of all, the way they're portraying Sam irks me. It's one thing making him look aloof and unemotional, but in this ep he was just like an elephant in a China shop. He said himself that he hunted on his own for a year - and successfully - and that he still had all his brain cells, so where is his skill of getting information from witnesses? Even if he doesn't 'get' their emotions he should still know that ridiculing them won't get him very far.

Then the whole promiscuity thing. I get it that New!Sam gives in to his manly urges, but chatting up every chick in sight while on a case? And if that's what he does, why have not seen that side of him before? The waitress in the restaurant was unnecessary in my opinion, there was no need to prompt a second speech about 'if you had your soul you would worry about my being abducted by aliens', we got it the first time round. Okay, this is to set up Sam's change of mind about getting his soul back, but we still don't need that piece of info stuffed down our throats like this.

They were playing Sam for cheap laughs in this one. You have to remember it was Ben Edlund that wrote this one. He can write some good stuff and other times he goes OTT with it.

Though in regard to Sam, he said that before he was acting like people wanted him to act. Holding back, pretending to be something he wasn't. Dean told him to cut it out and be straight up with him so that could fly as an excuse for why Sam hadn't been hitting on women before with Dean around.

As to the over reinforcement of points, that was one of my biggest problems with last season. They beat the Michael/Lucifer/Dean/Sam parallel to death and then kept on whipping that dead horse in the dialogue. I felt it was rather lazy writing last year and at times got on my nerves because they kept retreading the same old dialogue. In this ep they seemed to be driving home the point that Sam may not want his soul back even though he keeps telling Dean he does. It's an important story point for this season's arc so they make sure you don't over look it.

And then the fairies - okay, Tinkerbell was funny, and the way Dean 'fried' her in the microwave had me LOL. Picardo as a Leprechaun was good too, although I had a hard time getting past the whole 'Mr. Woolsey'. The worker elfs were sorta nondescript, but the homeless guy, why on earth would a fairy look like that? And why did he glare at and finally beat up Dean? Not that I mind a bit of whump, but that was just random. Because his antagonism didn't start after Dean killed Tinkerbell, it was there from the start.

I think he was supposed to be a garden gnome. Hence the red hat. When they went to talk to the lady, she mentioned all the various forms that they take...or something like that and one was a gnome. See that you got that now though.

Heh, I always think of Robert Picardo as the EMH on Voyager first. It should have been easy to figure out he was involved somehow, but I was just watching the ep and not really trying to figure out the mystery so him popping up as the leprechaun I wasn't expecting. He made a fairly menacing one though. Didn't really believe he could get Sam's soul back though.

I'm also wondering - was it ever explained why they let Dean go? Okay, he had weapons, but the Leprechaun didn't have any problems disarming Sam, and where they took Dean he must have been heavily outnumbered.

I'm guessing because Dean was just passing through and wasn't a member of that town. So maybe he fell outside the terms of the agreement or something and they realized their mistake. *shrug*

[warrior_chic]

I liked the ep. Knowing that it was a light ep after all the heavy, meaty ones so far, I didn't really expect too much out of it. I was just having fun and laughing at the ridiculousness ie "Fight the Faeries!". I've all but given up trying to figure out Sam. They say he isn't supposed to feel anything, but either the way he's written or the way Jared is acting him, there is emotion. It's most evident when he wanted to shoot Samuel after learning Crowley's plan. Although, to Jared's credit, you can't exactly draw from personal experience when trying to play someone with no feelings.

I'm not sure how it'll play out in the coming eps, but I'm kinda liking the way Dean is "teaching" Sam the ethics of a soul. At least when it's fairly light-hearted. I do wish though, that they'd get Sam back to some kind of normal. When you think about it, he's been messed up for at least 2 years now.

And thanks for figuring out the homeless guy/gnome. That hadn't occurred to me, so I was just as lost as everyone seemed to be at first. And I have to admit, even though Robert was a big-name guest star, I was still a little surprised for some reason when it turned out he was the leprechaun.

[starg8fans]

I enjoyed the ep. It could have been better with some things, but it had some good laughs. Certainly not a favorite and not as good as some of their other funny eps. Their spoof intro for this ep was great.

They were playing Sam for cheap laughs in this one. You have to remember it was Ben Edlund that wrote this one. He can write some good stuff and other times he goes OTT with it.

I must admit I never pay attention who wrote or directed an ep, so that didn't occur to me. But judging from the interviews I've seen with BE I'm sure you're right.

Though in regard to Sam, he said that before he was acting like people wanted him to act. Holding back, pretending to be something he wasn't. Dean told him to cut it out and be straight up with him so that could fly as an excuse for why Sam hadn't been hitting on women before with Dean around.

Another good point. Sam even said it had been hard work trying to pretend. I still don't think he'd go so far as to risk messing up a case with not caring.

As to the over reinforcement of points, that was one of my biggest problems with last season. They beat the Michael/Lucifer/Dean/Sam parallel to death and then kept on whipping that dead horse in the dialogue. I felt it was rather lazy writing last year and at times got on my nerves because they kept retreading the same old dialogue. In this ep they seemed to be driving home the point that Sam may not want his soul back even though he keeps telling Dean he does. It's an important story point for this season's arc so they make sure you don't over look it.

They should give us viewers some credit. We're smarter than they think. At least smart enough to find quality in an obscure little show and make it a six (and hopefully seven) season success.

Heh, I always think of Robert Picardo as the EMH on Voyager first. It should have been easy to figure out he was involved somehow, but I was just watching the ep and not really trying to figure out the mystery so him popping up as the leprechaun I wasn't expecting. He made a fairly menacing one though. Didn't really believe he could get Sam's soul back though.

So that makes three of us, w_c said she didn't see this coming either. I never watched Voyager so he'll always be Mr. Woolsey to me.

I'm guessing because Dean was just passing through and wasn't a member of that town. So maybe he fell outside the terms of the agreement or something and they realized their mistake. *shrug*

I can live with that explanation, thanks.

I liked the ep. Knowing that it was a light ep after all the heavy, meaty ones so far, I didn't really expect too much out of it. I was just having fun and laughing at the ridiculousness ie "Fight the Faeries!".

I normally love the 'lighter' eps, but this one wasn't in the same league as others like Changing Channels or Wishful Thinking. Those were well rounded and consistent which this one wasn't.

I've all but given up trying to figure out Sam. They say he isn't supposed to feel anything, but either the way he's written or the way Jared is acting him, there is emotion. It's most evident when he wanted to shoot Samuel after learning Crowley's plan. Although, to Jared's credit, you can't exactly draw from personal experience when trying to play someone with no feelings.

I think Jared did a great job portraying almost!Sam. Maybe he has as hard a time getting a grip of this version of Sam as we do. There are definitely inconsistencies here, and I'm sure he's noticed that too.

I'm not sure how it'll play out in the coming eps, but I'm kinda liking the way Dean is "teaching" Sam the ethics of a soul. At least when it's fairly light-hearted. I do wish though, that they'd get Sam back to some kind of normal. When you think about it, he's been messed up for at least 2 years now.

Amen to that, sister. I hope they wrap up that part of the story arch by the winter hiatus, or at least soon after. If this one idea is all they've got to carry us through a whole season I fear for the future of the show.

Sam should still be pretty messed up once he gets his soul back, though. Can you imagine the guilt trip when he feels the emotional impact of all the things he did while he didn't care? That will require some major healing.

[iolanda]

Dean catching the Tinkerbell to "A Space Oddity" was epic! Haven't made my mind up to the rest of the episode yet, I'll have to watch it in one piece first.

[starg8fans]

Dean catching the Tinkerbell to "A Space Oddity" was epic! Haven't made my mind up to the rest of the episode yet, I'll have to watch it in one piece first.

Right, that was something else I liked about the ep - that music. I was a bit confused, though... Was that song just playing on the radio, or did the faerie play it in Dean's head, or was it just background score?

[warrior_chic]

I was reading the EW recap, and when I came across this little blurb, I almost starting laughing out loud Whether you liked the ep or not, you have to admit she can certainly describe the situation with a certain...finesse.

Not that size had any bearing on how much ass she could kick. Actually, she was an aggressive, naked, glowing ball of b**** who smacked Dean around the room quite a bit before he Hot Pocketed her ass. Judging by the black goo spread around the inside of the microwave, no amount of clapping could revive this Tink.

[Crichiel]

Hmm. Where do I stand on this one? I THINK I can say I enjoyed this more than most episodes this season. Mostly because it wasn't meant to be serious. And I think Jensen does humour like no one else on this show. Like the EW recap says, his non-verbal alone in this episode was worth it.

The story doesn't make a whole lot of sense once you really look at it. I honestly couldn't figure out what the heck was up with the homeless guy in the hat, so I'll just go with your theories that he's a gnome.

Why did I like it better than others? Same reason I've been mostly staying off the episode discussion threads. (don't have anything nice to say.... )

I am so annoyed with SoullessSam. He even said it himself, he's not really Sam. So we have this season, my worst nightmare: Supernatural without one of the brothers. DeanGirl that I am, I have always agreed that what makes the show is the TWO brothers. I don't care what happens to this Sam. Because Sam isn't really there for Dean to play off of, even the great storylines that Dean is getting, don't have a whole lot of meaning for me. And somehow, we lost our other two touchstones, Cas and Bobby. The heart is pretty much gone. It's just Dean being miserable and no one to talk to about it. It's frustrating because IF Sam were really Sam, a lot of the other storylines going on this season are pretty awesome. I want to see how SAM and Dean deal with these new developments, not Dean and CallousBoy.

Also, I am glad that I didn't convince anyone to start watching the show THIS year. Jared IS a good actor, but acting uncaring and unemotional (and pretty inconsistently at that, writers!), just comes off as bad acting most the time. The rest of the time, he comes off as an unsympathetic jerk. If someone tuned in for the first time this season, they would be wondering what on earth the hype over this amazing 'brotherly bond' is. I myself didn't really start watching until season 4, but any time I caught a bit of it here and there, I could SEE that wonderful chemistry they had, even when I had no idea what else was going on! Again, it's NOT Jared's acting skills that are in question here, it's the way Sam is being written.

Ok, back to the episode. Still wondering why I said I liked it? It was because of the tone of this episode overall. This was supposed to be a funny episode. In ANY season, soul or not, there probably wouldn't have been a heart-to-heart while Dean is nuking fairies and being arrested for attacking a little person. So, for the first time this season, I didn't feel like there was something missing. This is how the funny episodes usually play out, so I could sit back and enjoy it for what it was. It's why I wasn't overly concerned about the plot.

Plus, huuuuuuge bonus for The X-Files-ean opening credits. I was laughing so hard at that. Too bad THIS wasn't an episode with Skinner---er---I mean Samuel in it. I am surprised they passed that opportunity by!

[Heaven]

here's to RoboSam !

he's really starting to grow on me
but am I the only one who thinks the counting sugar thing is way dumb?

[warrior_chic]

but am I the only one who thinks the counting sugar thing is way dumb?

It did seem like a really stupid thing to add to the profile, but it was fun watching Robert Picardo do it.