Monday 19 December 2016

Leylin Vixen's Quick Draw Recap - LOTUS





Lotus





Opening words

I guess this is it. The last Supernatural episode for this year, the next will air in January. Time flew by fast this year and the midseason finale was upon us before we even knew it. This season has been great with Mary returning and the stories we have gotten. I mean come on! We got Sam and Dean in leather jackets and Hitler. We were introduced to the mysterious Mr. Ketch and an interesting hunter named Asa Fox. There was a lot more also so I can’t wait what we will get in the future episodes next year. 




















Details

Title: Lotus
Episode: 12.08
First aired: December 8, 2016
Directed by: Phil Sgriccia
Written by: Eugenie Ross-Leming and Brad Buckner
Monster: Lucifer
Location(s): St. Louis, Missouri
                    Lebanon, Kansas
                    Boca Raton, Florida
                    Indianapolis, Indiana




















Story

In last episode Lucifer hopped out of Vince Vincente and continued to hop through vessels. His vessels continued to be from positions of power and there we lift off. Billionaire businessman Wallace Parker has been killed and Sam and Dean head out to the morgue to find out what has happened. They bump into Cas and Crowley who have beaten them to it. They tell the boys that Parker was possessed by Lucifer. Back at the bunker Sam searches for information and discovers that Lucifer seem to have hopped into the archbishop of St. Louis. The brothers head out to the archdiocese of St. Louis and find a massacre and an exorcism which has gone very badly.

Lucifer has killed almost everyone and has left the bishop jumping into the President of the United States - President Jefferson Rooney who gives him permission. Rooney helps Lucifer to become presidential but a Secret Service agent hears  them talking and he is killed. The President is very religious man and even if Lucifer is technically an archangel he is still Satan and an unholy being. For him to solve a problem is nuking the opponent and even if he claimed  it was a joke, he was not joking. Meanwhile Team Free Will is trying to find out where Lucifer has skipped to and is shocked by the brutality of his attacks. 

The next morning Lucifer finds out that his vessel is the most popular sitting president in recent years, and he also discovers that the President has a girlfriend, who he ends up having sex with - Presidential assistant, Kelly. Kelly dreams about their future and from their talk Lucifer gets the idea of having a "child' with her. Crowley has a contact in the President's entourage and he finds out that the dead secret service agent did not die by natural means. Sam is annoyed by Crowley as usual, but he tells the brothers that Lucifer has possessed the President.


Lucifer knows the gang is after him so he puts his secret agents on them, meanwhile Sam decides to call Mick from the Men of Letters. He hangs up the call before Mick answers though. The team think of a plan that seems to be grasping at straws. Meanwhile Crowley gets Rowena to assist by blasting her fiancĂ© to bloody pulp. This scene was hilarious! 

Lucifer moves forward with his plan to become a father and Cas reacts to this because the angel radio goes wild. A Nephilim is in the making and it is not an ordinary one because of the amount of energy it gives out. It is the spawn of Lucifer. The good guys head out and Crowley heads out to search for the girlfriend. The trio is caught by the agents until Mr. Ketch arrives to save the day - he fires his grenade launcher at the agents’ car. It is so WRONG that Dean was not able to use it first, poor guy! Mr Ketch came because Sam’s phone call to Mick and he has in his possession a lot of gadgets! One of them is a hyperbolic pulse generator which is used for exorcising demons, and Sam wonders if it can be used against Lucifer too.  

They use Kelly as bait after they have totally traumatised her with the news of what her baby is. Lucifer arrives after the room has been cleared by the agents. Kelly tells him that she doesn’t want to keep the baby and Lucifer tries to kill her. The trap works and Sam exorcises Lucifer with the egg and the help of Rowena. Lucifer vows that it's not be over. Cas takes Kelly to safety, but Sam and Dean are caught by the agents. Kelly gives Cas the slip, because she wants to keep the baby.


TO BE CONTINUED IN JANUARY!



















Characters

All the characters were great but that being said I was sometimes puzzled and some things felt weird to me. The last part could be because my origins, and like you know, people see things differently. The President being religious was fine but the praying etc. and kneeling felt very extreme for me. But what really bothered me is Castiel’s on/off powers that seem to not always be consistent. One thing I am sure of, he can’t teleport but he SHOULD have the rest of his powers, right? If somebody can make sense of it for me I would be grateful!


Crowley and Rowena were a hoot and their opening scene together was priceless. Mr. Ketch or should I call him Ketch, Arthur Ketch, got one of the best intros ever to Supernatural where we finally saw his face. He is also trouble with capital T. There is no doubt about it.  We didn't get to see the President a lot. Just the small moment of him being a religious man, and Lucifer as President didn't really do it for me. It wasn't because the actor, because the last scene and the confrontation with Sam, that was awesome.

Rick Sanchez had potential and I fully expect him to be more up and front when Supernatural returns. Kelly Kline on the other hand as the President's mistress seemed a little superficial, though that could just be me. I suspect we will see her again. The bishop was pretty creepy so it is a shame Lucifer did not stay longer in him and the poor priest that got killed, again a shame. He could have been a priest ally for the boys in some cases or against Lucifer.

Here is the list of the cast with the boys. Like I said there was many.

Castiel
Crowley
Lucifer
Rowena
Mr. Ketch
President Jefferson Rooney
Rick Sanchez
Kelly Kline
Archbishop of St. Louis
Priest



















Set design

We had the usual bunker setting but also wealthy designed house where in real life Prince William and Kate Middleton stayed in. It was pretty great. Also we had a motel room and a diner that had small scenes, the creepy scenes in archdiocese of St. Louis and another morgue. Crowley also meets the woman in a garage yard looking place. But lets talk about first the house where most of the scenes were shot and the President was staying.



We first see the house from the Presidential bedroom; nice, simple design that opens up to the outside from double doors. And the secret agent is staying in a smaller TV room where you can also see to the halls. A lot of the rooms are connected to the pool outside and conference room that has huge fireplace. The simple and modern design continues in every room. From outside the house looks like a fortress with its scale. I also love the autumn colours that frame the house. The patio and the pool are absolutely gorgeous. 



The Archdiocese of St. Louis was the second one that caught the viewers eyes. It was the opposite to modern with old style dark wood colours, statues, oil paintings with golden frames on the wall. The decor is pretty old school almost standing still through time. The glass painted windows adding some eerie light to the scene. It is almost too big of a contradiction when we see a state of the art computer in the priest's room. The rugs and stairs heading up with the wooden railing just add to the old feel. The staircase seems familiar so I am not sure it has not been used before.




















Props

We didn't get much different costume designs in this episode that we have seen but some props were more interesting than normal. Mr. Ketch got to use the grenade launcher in this episode (to Dean's dismay). Sam will probably hear as much about that as Hitler! But he also had other stuff in his disposal. A weapon that makes the blood of a vampire their own enemy. The demon bomb which was cool. After we saw the pocket watch with Hitler's soul this season I was expecting similar gadget. Or do you remember the Werther box? MoL gadgets can be awesome.


If I am not mistaken here is some details about Mr. Ketch's car which caught my eye. I like the Impala and motorcycles more but I can value beauty also. And this car is more made for speed than driving slow don't you think?

"Bentley Continental GT Speed black edition is available for both coupe and convertible, the customers’ choice of body colour is complimented by a high gloss black finish to the exterior brightware, including the window openings and lamp bezels.



All-black 21” five-spoke directional wheels cover distinctive brake callipers, which can be specified in red or black finishes. To add a further unique and striking twist, the Black Edition also features contrast colours to the front splitter, side skirts and rear diffuser in four different shades: Hallmark, Beluga, St James Red and a new shade, Cyber Yellow. Customers can also choose to colour-match the door mirrors as a final exterior accent.

Inside, the mix of dark tones and vivid highlights continues. Carbon fibre adorns the fascia, centre and roof consoles to create a dark opulent ambiance while a dedicated Black Edition colour split sees the seats and centre console bordered by contrasting leather, available in Porpoise, Beluga, Pillar Box Red or new Cyber Yellow to match the exterior styling accents. Corresponding contrast stitching accentuates the diamond quilting of the doors and Mulliner GT Design seats."



















Music

There was only one song in Lotus and that was Take Five by Dave Brubeck. It was playing in Ketch's car when he arrived and helped the boys. It is not the usual music I listen to but I kinda liked it. So here's a part of it.

"Won't you stop and take
A little time out with me
Just take five
Stop your busy day
And take the time out
To see if I'm alive"

Here is the short +/- rundown for Lotus

+ Mr. Ketch introduction 
+ Crowley & Rowena, sweetest thing
+ Grenade launcher
+ Humour
+ Sam exorcising Lucifer with help
+ Creepy slaughter story
+ New lore
+ Sam and Dean getting caught
+ Story possibilities 

- Dean wasn’t the one to use the grenade launcher
- Sometimes weird pacing
- The woman running away
- Too much Lucifer
- Sam and Dean getting caught 
- Some parts too religious for my taste 
- Bloody Hellatus!

-/+ Nephilim story




Sam and Dean jumping behind protective Baby








Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! See you in six weeks.



-Leylin

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