Post by thesnowleopard on Mar 24, 2018 20:07:25 GMT -5
Right. So, we start at the convent of the Holy Sisters of Malta. There is no such thing, though Malta has many convents of nuns and monks. To answer CC's question from the previous episode's discussion, the terms "convent" or "monastery" can be used interchangeably for monks and nuns. Also, double monasteries of monks and nuns were a big thing in the early Middle Ages, until they were banned more-or-less permanently by the Second Council of Nicaea in 787. Some were even ruled over by abbesses.
But this is not one of those places. The man who sneaks out in the stone corridor after a small group of nuns passes by is in priestly garb (albeit somebody forgot to add the dog collar) and priestly confessors are allowed in convents for nuns.
He goes into a small chapel where a plain skull is on display in a glass case. Hmm, relics of bone are always in reliquaries that are exquisitely decorated with gold and jewels, as are often the relics themselves. This display is set up like a modern museum piece. I also get the impression that setting this teaser on Malta is intended to be a shout-out to the perennially (especially this year) popular Knights Templar via the film, The Maltese Falcon, while failing to realize that the crawl at the beginning of the film (based on Hammett's own error in the book) is incorrect. The Templars no longer existed as a group by the 16th century and the military religious order that ruled Malta was actually the Knights of St John (the Hospitallers). More absence of pretty much any historical research on the part of this episode's writers, Singer and Dabb. Not generally a good sign.
Anyhoo, predictably, he is caught out by a disapproving nun after smashing the case and grabbing the skull. Also predictably, he knocks her out (her groans emphasize that she is only stunned) and scarpers. In a double irony, he sarcastically asks for her forgiveness as he goes: As a nun, she can't grant him absolution and he's obviously not a real priest (the person who could). But I suspect he's done far worse things than theft and beating down nuns, so I doubt it matters to him. He'd likely care a lot more if he knew Hell was real.
Cue title cards.
Cut to the Bunker, where we get the obligatory "Where are all the missing recurring characters this week?" wrap-up from Sam and Dean, with Dean taking in processing field reports while Sam does research. Sam can't find anything about the Seal of Solomon. Dean says Castiel is in Syria, looking for a fruit from the Tree of Life (damn, was hoping we'd get an episode about that). Dean also reiterates that they can't find Lucifer, so no archangel grace at the moment. That leaves the blood of a holy man on their dance card.
Sam figures they're talking about a saint. Dean scoffs that this will be hard (try getting a knife and giving up some blood, dude; should work) while he eats cold pizza. Sam then infodumps about how many saintly relics (most of them likely fake) are being sold on the internet. He then mentions a possible seller - Margaret Astor. The Maltese Falcon shout-out No. 2: Mary Astor was the female lead in the film. They head to San Francisco (shout-out No. 3, as that's where the film is set).
Margaret Astor is an elegant blonde who likes martinis (this is really more a Casablanca shout-out than The Maltese Falcon, but let's roll with it). When the Brothers (in their regular rather than suits, for reasons I don't quite understand) show up, she takes an immediate shine to Sam and blows Dean off pretty heavily. Dean rolls with it and Sam, after being initially startled, takes one for the team and flirts with her back. Margaret is flattered enough to ask what they need (even though she only usually takes personal referrals) and is surprised when Sam says they need "the blood of a saint." When she asks him what that's for, Sam is cagey, but says he'd be ever-so-grateful (while Dean tries hard not to gag next to him).
Margaret's attraction to Sam goes just so far. She'll only give them a name and an introduction to someone who might have some saint's blood - a Mr. Greenstreet in Seattle. Shout-out No. 4, of course. Sydney Greenstreet played the main antagonist in the film. And, naturally, Mr. Greenstreet also turns out to be fat, like his sorta namesake, Kasper Gutman (Greenstreet's character in the film). We meet him eating a donut.
For those of you wondering how the show can get away with this, it's easy. Though the film may or may not still be in the public domain by now (technically, it should be as of two years ago, but it's still a big moneymaker), it doesn't really matter, since Warner Bros put out the film version we're using here (Huston's wasn't the first, by far). While I'm pretty meh about the shallowness of historical research in the teaser, Huston's version of The Maltese Falcon is one of my favorite films ever and Humphrey Bogart's my favorite all-time actor. So, if the episode pulls this homage off, I'm pretty willing to be sanguine about all the silly history in a ... shall we say ... most holy way.
So, back to the show. The Brothers wisely put on suits to meet with the Fatman (sorry, Mr. Greenstreet). Dean introduces them as Sam and Dean Vaughn from Rhode Island. He asks them a question that catches them out about a fake family back east. He also calls them out on their cheap suits, especially when he finds out they want his sample of the blood of a saint, for which he paid quite a bit. This information is bought by Dean giving their real names, which Greenstreet doesn't recognize. Considering the Brothers' massive reputation in Occult circles, you'd think Greenstreet might have heard of them, but he shows no recognition. A hint that he is an ordinary villain and may not have what he says he possesses.
Nonetheless, he changes his mind and decides they are perhaps "not above a little chicanery." He decides to hire them to get the stolen skull from the teaser out of the hands of a mob boss named Santino Scarpotti (a name Dean recognizes), who runs the Seattle mob. Dean asks whose skull it is. Greenstreet claims it's that of St. Peter (yes, that St. Peter). The blood of the saint in question is that of St. Ignatius of Loyola (founder of the Jesuits).
Dean agrees, but all Greenstreet really has to offer is that the exchange of the skull between the thief and the mob occurs the following night. When Dean notes that this not a lot of info, Greenstreet serenely replies, "I have faith."
Outside, Sam is complaining that they've been reduced to thieves (dude, you've always been thieves. And grifters. And murderers, too). Dean is unimpressed, pointing out that neither of them is "perfect."
Dean: Look, this isn't a perfect world and if I'm not perfect saving it, so be it.
We then get some classic music: "Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive" by Johnny Mercer and the Pied Pipers from 1944 film Here Come the Waves. Dean also meets a girl who is reading a book called "Guarded by Demons." They're hitting it off when Sam cock-blocks Dean by calling him over to talk about research. Damn, Sam. Bad timing, much?
But Sam's just so excited about his research, you see. He's found Mr. Nun-Smacking Teaser Guy, a small-time criminal whose name is Antonio Miele, and who's staying at the Patricia Hotel. The hotel name sounds like a huge shout-out to something, but I don't think it's to The Maltese Falcon. I think it's to the femme fatale, Patricia, in Bogart-inspired French New Wave classic À bout de souffle (Breathless).
As the Brothers enter the hotel, Sam accidentally runs into a shifty-looking dude as he's coming out of the elevator. Not a real shocker, then, that when they get to Miele's floor, they find his door ajar, his room trashed, and Miele dead.
But this is not one of those places. The man who sneaks out in the stone corridor after a small group of nuns passes by is in priestly garb (albeit somebody forgot to add the dog collar) and priestly confessors are allowed in convents for nuns.
He goes into a small chapel where a plain skull is on display in a glass case. Hmm, relics of bone are always in reliquaries that are exquisitely decorated with gold and jewels, as are often the relics themselves. This display is set up like a modern museum piece. I also get the impression that setting this teaser on Malta is intended to be a shout-out to the perennially (especially this year) popular Knights Templar via the film, The Maltese Falcon, while failing to realize that the crawl at the beginning of the film (based on Hammett's own error in the book) is incorrect. The Templars no longer existed as a group by the 16th century and the military religious order that ruled Malta was actually the Knights of St John (the Hospitallers). More absence of pretty much any historical research on the part of this episode's writers, Singer and Dabb. Not generally a good sign.
Anyhoo, predictably, he is caught out by a disapproving nun after smashing the case and grabbing the skull. Also predictably, he knocks her out (her groans emphasize that she is only stunned) and scarpers. In a double irony, he sarcastically asks for her forgiveness as he goes: As a nun, she can't grant him absolution and he's obviously not a real priest (the person who could). But I suspect he's done far worse things than theft and beating down nuns, so I doubt it matters to him. He'd likely care a lot more if he knew Hell was real.
Cue title cards.
Cut to the Bunker, where we get the obligatory "Where are all the missing recurring characters this week?" wrap-up from Sam and Dean, with Dean taking in processing field reports while Sam does research. Sam can't find anything about the Seal of Solomon. Dean says Castiel is in Syria, looking for a fruit from the Tree of Life (damn, was hoping we'd get an episode about that). Dean also reiterates that they can't find Lucifer, so no archangel grace at the moment. That leaves the blood of a holy man on their dance card.
Sam figures they're talking about a saint. Dean scoffs that this will be hard (try getting a knife and giving up some blood, dude; should work) while he eats cold pizza. Sam then infodumps about how many saintly relics (most of them likely fake) are being sold on the internet. He then mentions a possible seller - Margaret Astor. The Maltese Falcon shout-out No. 2: Mary Astor was the female lead in the film. They head to San Francisco (shout-out No. 3, as that's where the film is set).
Margaret Astor is an elegant blonde who likes martinis (this is really more a Casablanca shout-out than The Maltese Falcon, but let's roll with it). When the Brothers (in their regular rather than suits, for reasons I don't quite understand) show up, she takes an immediate shine to Sam and blows Dean off pretty heavily. Dean rolls with it and Sam, after being initially startled, takes one for the team and flirts with her back. Margaret is flattered enough to ask what they need (even though she only usually takes personal referrals) and is surprised when Sam says they need "the blood of a saint." When she asks him what that's for, Sam is cagey, but says he'd be ever-so-grateful (while Dean tries hard not to gag next to him).
Margaret's attraction to Sam goes just so far. She'll only give them a name and an introduction to someone who might have some saint's blood - a Mr. Greenstreet in Seattle. Shout-out No. 4, of course. Sydney Greenstreet played the main antagonist in the film. And, naturally, Mr. Greenstreet also turns out to be fat, like his sorta namesake, Kasper Gutman (Greenstreet's character in the film). We meet him eating a donut.
For those of you wondering how the show can get away with this, it's easy. Though the film may or may not still be in the public domain by now (technically, it should be as of two years ago, but it's still a big moneymaker), it doesn't really matter, since Warner Bros put out the film version we're using here (Huston's wasn't the first, by far). While I'm pretty meh about the shallowness of historical research in the teaser, Huston's version of The Maltese Falcon is one of my favorite films ever and Humphrey Bogart's my favorite all-time actor. So, if the episode pulls this homage off, I'm pretty willing to be sanguine about all the silly history in a ... shall we say ... most holy way.
So, back to the show. The Brothers wisely put on suits to meet with the Fatman (sorry, Mr. Greenstreet). Dean introduces them as Sam and Dean Vaughn from Rhode Island. He asks them a question that catches them out about a fake family back east. He also calls them out on their cheap suits, especially when he finds out they want his sample of the blood of a saint, for which he paid quite a bit. This information is bought by Dean giving their real names, which Greenstreet doesn't recognize. Considering the Brothers' massive reputation in Occult circles, you'd think Greenstreet might have heard of them, but he shows no recognition. A hint that he is an ordinary villain and may not have what he says he possesses.
Nonetheless, he changes his mind and decides they are perhaps "not above a little chicanery." He decides to hire them to get the stolen skull from the teaser out of the hands of a mob boss named Santino Scarpotti (a name Dean recognizes), who runs the Seattle mob. Dean asks whose skull it is. Greenstreet claims it's that of St. Peter (yes, that St. Peter). The blood of the saint in question is that of St. Ignatius of Loyola (founder of the Jesuits).
Dean agrees, but all Greenstreet really has to offer is that the exchange of the skull between the thief and the mob occurs the following night. When Dean notes that this not a lot of info, Greenstreet serenely replies, "I have faith."
Outside, Sam is complaining that they've been reduced to thieves (dude, you've always been thieves. And grifters. And murderers, too). Dean is unimpressed, pointing out that neither of them is "perfect."
Dean: Look, this isn't a perfect world and if I'm not perfect saving it, so be it.
We then get some classic music: "Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive" by Johnny Mercer and the Pied Pipers from 1944 film Here Come the Waves. Dean also meets a girl who is reading a book called "Guarded by Demons." They're hitting it off when Sam cock-blocks Dean by calling him over to talk about research. Damn, Sam. Bad timing, much?
But Sam's just so excited about his research, you see. He's found Mr. Nun-Smacking Teaser Guy, a small-time criminal whose name is Antonio Miele, and who's staying at the Patricia Hotel. The hotel name sounds like a huge shout-out to something, but I don't think it's to The Maltese Falcon. I think it's to the femme fatale, Patricia, in Bogart-inspired French New Wave classic À bout de souffle (Breathless).
As the Brothers enter the hotel, Sam accidentally runs into a shifty-looking dude as he's coming out of the elevator. Not a real shocker, then, that when they get to Miele's floor, they find his door ajar, his room trashed, and Miele dead.