SPEEDY VISUAL SCENE DISSECTION: SPN 14×03 5:50 – 7:04
Technically two intercut scenes, but shush. I wanted to talk about this scene because it’s got some fantastic subtle cues in the background to give us extra information, as well as emphasising the important parts of the dialogue.
First up – Jody texting with Claire. What a neat and tidy way to let us know that Jody and Claire are on good terms, that Claire is at home, but that she’s still hunting. Plus we get the context of their deal that Jody deals with human cases, Claire with monsters, in all of five seconds. That’s some deft exposition. It also sets up for the scene developing; Jody texts Claire that everything is no-monsters, so we know she’s working a human murder case.
Jody immediately takes the call from Sam, but she also gets up from her desk to take it. This takes her into a new part of the room, and suddenly she’s backlit with red light, which immediately warns us something is wrong, and the SPN fish is in the background. That fish shows up a lot in the set dressing, and it’s always symbolising something being amiss. In a similar vein, we get the deer head behind Jody, for hunting. This isn’t giving us new information, but it’s reaffirming the dialogue that follows. Jody’s case isn’t what she thinks it is, it’s a monster hunt.
Back at the bunker: Let’s start with a quiet moment of appreciation for the costume change from Michael’s white shirt/white-T ensemble to Dean’s black/brown layering. My boy Dean rejecting Michael in every aspect, but it also hints to Dean’s mindset. He’s gone dark, depressed, and he’s overshadowed by his experiences as a vessel.
TFW are presenting a united front. Dean sat down centrally with Sam & Cas standing at either side of him is a clear visual of their support for him (sword and shield). But again there’s a sense of being overwhelmed, overshadowed; Dean looks small and defensive, arm’s folded. There’s a beat where Cas glances at Sam over the top of Dean’s head, and it excludes Dean from their (silent) dialogue. They’re treating Dean as separate.
screencaps from homeofthenutty
BTW: that last screencap there?
With the soft backlighting above his head and Sam and Cas hovering behind him like that, Dean looks like he’s got a halo and wings.
Hearseeno 