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How would you rate “Frontierland”?
Awesome! 2 (50%)
Pretty good 1 (25%)
It was okay 1 (25%)
Meh 0 (0%)
Parts were okay, but it could have better 0 (0%)
Didn’t like it 0 (0%)
Hated it… this episode should be salted and burned! 0 (0%)
Total Votes: 4
Episode 6.18 “Frontierland”; Episode discussion and rating poll
Topic Started: Apr 22 2011, 03:47 PM (201 Views)
Scifidiva
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You're Invited Too, Grumpy!
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Episode 6.18”Frontierland”

SAM AND DEAN RETURN TO THE WILD, WILD WEST — While searching for a way to defeat Eve, Dean stumbles upon Samuel Colt’s (guest star Sam Hennings) journal in the Campbell library. Realizing Samuel might have the answer to their problems, Sam and Dean ask Castiel (Misha Collins) to send them back in time so they can meet the man himself. While Sam is a bit reluctant to time travel, Dean is beside himself with excitement to return to the Wild, Wild West.

Guy Bee directed the episode written by Andrew Dabb & Daniel Loflin with story by Andrew Dabb, Daniel Loflin & Jackson Stewart (##618).
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:waves: Enjoy the episode and please rate and discuss

I don’t normally talk “Ratings” in this thread but I will now because both shows may be in for lower ratings. Yesterday, Holy Thursday for Christians, part way into Passover for Jews, TVD performed poorly (series low in viewers and demo [A18-49] per Fast Nationals and Nikita was stable in demo, but average for post hellatus episodes.

Last year, SPN aired episode 5.16, DSOTM on Holy Thursday, (4/1/10), and the ratings (viewers) were the second lowest of the post-winter hellatus barring 5.13 which was preempted in one or more major TV markets. DSOTM had 2.40M viewers while 5.15 had 2.95M and 5.17, 2.78M. Ratings may be down because “Easter Week” is a big vacation time for families with school age children even though “Easter” is very late this year.

From PIFeedback 4/2/10 “Good Friday” Smallville FN’s "And The CW aired already renewed Smallville (Viewers: #5, 1.99 million; A18-49: #4t, 0.9/ 4), which was below average." But it went up substantially in the finals to total viewers somewhat less than average for this season (viewers) but still below S9’s overall avg – I wasn’t tracking SMV last season.

So brace yourselves for a similar “Holy Thursday/Good Friday” effect on the ratings this year. Hopefully any declines for this week's Live + Same Day results will be made up in the DVR results - if DVR results are still reported for this episode and subsequent ones.
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tammitam
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I guess I'll start the comments, lol!

I liked the episode, and was REALLY glad it was Sam who got to meet Sam! I think there was significance in Sam Winchester meeting Sam Colt ... and more that he sent the ashes back to him.

I think the colt was dropped because it had to be. If Dean had it this whole time in 2011, then the vampire might have twisted Sam's neck, then the demon might have beat him to oblivion, or YED might be still alive.

I loved Dean's little boy fascination with the old west, and the one dude going, "Nice blanket...." And I LOVED that he won the shootout.

I also love that Castiel seems ... more tainted.

But something about this episode moved funny. Can't put my finger on it.....
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Scifidiva
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You're Invited Too, Grumpy!
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I was worried about you, Tammi, because I read that there were tornado in OK as well as St. Louis, MO.

Now on with my novella :D .
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After two re-watches I rated Frontierland “Awesome”. Why the hesitation? Because I had minor problems with the places where the episode "broke" (for commercials) a few times, particularly in the first half hour and larger concerns with how the show retold “The Colt Legend”. These flaws almost dropped the rating to “Pretty Good” but I decided that the parts I loved exceeded the problem areas.

The storylines (Dean and Sam go west, Cas and Rachel have a throw-down, and Bobby and Cas bond over Bobby’s “soulonoscopy”) were all well done and extremely well integrated in the episode. The title card was amazing in it’s ode to “Bonanza” and Guy Bee’s use of sepia-toned background in the old west scenes gave the episode a look of “authenticity” :D .

The “Western” score used throughout the episode, the myriad homage’s to old tv shows and movies was beautifully handled by the writers, the director and actors. Also I think Frontierland was one the best storyline-balanced episodes in usage of the two major and two minor characters the show has done in the last several seasons.

Of course I’m fangirling our Winchesters in the old West; Dean who naively thinks the bargirls should look like the ones in the movies and discovers to his “horror” that they don’t and Sam who looks endearingly awkward on a horse.

Once the boys are in “Back to Future III”, the story line seems simple enough. Find Sam Colt and bring him to Sunrise to kill the Phoenix, sweep up the ashes and bring “Back to Future I” – burn Octomom. But complications ensue. The boys don’t know what the phoenix looks like and they find that Colt hasn’t been around in 4 years. They soon discover that the recently hanged Elias Finch is likely their phoenix. So they split up; Dean will stay and be part of a posse to find Finch and Sam will seek out Samuel Colt.

Dean uses part of the dragon’s hoard of gold (“They don’t take plastic where you’re going” – nice rephrasing of a BTTF reference) and comes back to the saloon with a brand new wardrobe –“Nice hat.” “I look good”. Yes, you do Dean. Unfortunately someone cries outside that the Sheriff is dead (burned to ash like the judge) so “Elkins” (the sign in the bar read “Slick Jim’s”?) pins the Sheriff’s badge on Dean.

Meanwhile Sam goes to see Sam Colt who has just calmly dispatched two demons who wanted him to open the Devil’s Gate by shooting them with The Colt. (Sigh – I guess we’ll never know how the the freaking gun was made). I loved the two Sams interactions and I liked Sam’s no wasting critical time, no BS admittance that he was a Hunter from the Future because if anyone would would believe him -after minor disbelief until Sam pulled out proof in the form of his very important “thingamajig” - it would be "seen most everything", Samuel Colt.

As expected Sam W left with The Colt but without Colt’s immediate assistance. I do confess to being a bit disappointed with how this episode played fast and loose with some The Colt “Legend” but do admire the phrasing in Colt’s Journal where he wrote “Gun killed a Phoenix in Sunrise, Wyoming (March 5, 1861) – he never said “He” fired The Colt and killed the Phoenix. So Sam did “make history” by carrying The Colt (on horseback) and gave the gun to Sheriff Dean to shoot. Even better Sam Colt omitted any mention of Sam's name his Journal, leaving the boys just enough info to come to him to get the Colt, bring it to Sunrise to kill the phoenix :( .

Fast forward to the climax of the shootout – the boys fail to get the Phoenix ashes in time before they’re riding the BobbySoul train back to future. Oh no! Cas and Bobby are both toast. Cas says he “never wants to do that again”. (Hmmm … the phrasing sounds vaguely familiar). Knock on the door and there is another great BTTF reference - the delivery man with the same logo on his shirt as the 1861 post office with a package for Sam. Enclosed is Sam’s age dark cell phone, a note from Samuel Colt saying he used Sam’s cell to get Bobby’s address (hey, the man was a mechanical genius) and a whiskey bottle full of Phoenix ashes. With a twist to the brim of his cowboy hat, Dean says with resolve that they can take the fight to her (the MOAM) now.

Other plot details:
Will the Phoenix ash just burn the Mother or will it kill her? Will TFW have to go another step to drive her back into Purgatory?

The Phoenix was the most sympathetic “Monster” since Madison and Lenore, even more so to me than the rougaru, Jack. It did not surprise me that the “Phoenix” had a human form because it seems that all “monsters” on Supernatural either started out human or human-like or had human forms as one of their attributes. The Phoenix was the best rendered “supernatural creature” in S6 and probably longer although I do still like the MOAM’s rise from Purgatory with smoldering limbs and eyes until she “landed”. Unfortunately her entrance is still her best scene.

Is the Phoenix one of the Mother’s Children or an entirely different species? I would think that the MOAM would be immune to all her children’s abilities.

What is Cas’s “Dirty Little Secret” so bad that Rachel and his other supporters would turn against him? Does Rachel’s disdain for humans extend to using their souls as power sources? I honestly can’t tell because she had the angel arrogance of Uriel, Michael, Raphael and of Zachariah and Lucifer for humanity. Of all the angels we’ve met only Castiel, Anna (because she was human for years), Joshua and Gabriel/The Trickster were sympathetic to humans.

Is Castiel addicted to using “human soul mojo”, and needed “it” to both finish healing himself and bringing the “kids home from Frontierland” and is ashamed of his “need” and that’s why he refused to call another angel down to help bring the boys back? He’s evidently “exploded” at least one person or Balthazar has “doing/tapping into souls”. “White Beams” shot out of Castiel’s eyes in a way that was too similar to Sam’s eyes turning Demon Black right before he dealt Lilith the killing “blows”. Castiel also said after he brought the boys back “I never want to do that again” which is reminiscent of the several times in S4 that Sam “gave up” using his abilities.

The question is why (if Cas is addicted to something)? Why does he need to “supercharge” himself when Castiel has his army to help take down Raphael? Is Balty his “supplier”? It makes sense as Balty was already into the soul buying business anyway.

Or, is Castiel’s “DLS” something else entirely? Rachel said he was turning “into something” and he said he had to do it to get stronger. I do not like it if the show is simplistically and unimaginatively redoing Sam’s S4 addiction sl. Have Castiel do something else extremely morally questionable with good intentions.

Castiel flat out lied to Bobby when he told him Rachel betrayed him. That’s at least the second outright lie we viewers have watched Castiel get away with. It is unmistakably clear to me that he cares for Dean, Sam and Bobby; I’m just not sure their friendship will survive Castiel’s secrets this time. If Cas’s secrets involve Sam’s soul in any way, it’s worse.


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Scifidiva
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tammitam,Apr 24 2011
03:36 PM
I guess I'll start the comments, lol!

I liked the episode, and was REALLY glad it was Sam who got to meet Sam!  I think there was significance in Sam Winchester meeting Sam Colt ... and more that he sent the ashes back to him. 

I think the colt was dropped because it had to be.  If Dean had it this whole time in 2011, then the vampire might have twisted Sam's neck, then the demon might have beat him to oblivion, or YED might be still alive.

I loved Dean's little boy fascination with the old west, and the one dude going, "Nice blanket...."  And I LOVED that he won the shootout. 

I also love that Castiel seems ... more tainted.

But something about this episode moved funny.  Can't put my finger on it.....

Exactly so, Tammi, Dean had to leave The Colt in 1861 so that he could get it out of a younger Elkins safe in ITB and so Elkins could leave a note for John W upon his death.

About the episode moving funny, assuming you weren't having TV problems, you probably sensed the same thing I did about the episode breaks. When I re-watched it and fast-forwarded thru the commercials and watched it a third time on my Amazon VOD download, there was nothing as obvious wrong with the episode pacing.
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