SPN: Scenes I Love . . .
"The Benders" cont.
Warning: reference to cannibalism and incest.
This is the show’s first direct reference to incest and, typically, the subject is introduced in a humorous manner, but it’s a recurring theme that gets progressively darker, culminating in the story about incestuous rape in s4 “Family Remains”. It’s no accidental, off-hand remark either; both the writer and director of this episode worked on the infamous X-File episode “Home”, which was banned from many TV networks for its graphic representation of incest and inbreeding. “Home” was one of the inspirations for “The Benders”, so Shiban and Manners knew the serious implications of the theme they were broaching. It’s also followed with another quip that highlights the cannibalism aspect of the family’s lifestyle:
DEAN: Oh, eat me. No, no, no, wait, wait, wait—you actually might.
Cannibalism is another of Supernatural’s recurring themes.
While we’re on the subject, I often wonder: since the Benders are clearly eating their victims, why haven’t they turned into wendigos? 🤔
The next part is brilliant, but it troubles me. It’s either really, really, really great CGI . . . or really bad OHS.
I mean, that poker is convincing; you can see the steam coming off it and everything, And the reflection in Dean’s eye is a wonderful touch:
It’s probably CGI enhanced. Probably. We know the team is certainly capable of these effects from the work they did on “Nightmare”, but I can’t help wondering if it was actually hot to begin with and then just made to look hotter in FX.
There’s a moment when Pa presses it against Dean’s shirt and it burns a hole. Again, I can see how that might have been faked: film the press, cut, swap in an identical but already burned shirt. And that probably is how it was done. Hopefully. But, on the other hand, knowing how SPN used to like using real effects when possible, I wouldn’t put it past them to have included that moment specifically to demonstrate that the poker really was hot. (They weren’t above lighting the set of Sam’s apartment on fire while Jared and Jensen were still inside it, after all). I am assuming Jensen would at least have had a heat-resistant patch under the shirt, of course!
One thing is definite: this is a real knife.
Warning: reference to cannibalism and incest.
When Dean comes round, he learns that he’s dealing with a family of hunters. Pa Bender describes it as a tradition passed down from father to son . . . rather like the family business, we might say. When we see the father together with his two sons, it’s hard to miss that the writers are drawing parallels between the two hunter families, especially when we learn that one of the Bender brothers is called Jared, which is a little on the nose imho! 😬
John Dennis Johnston gives a powerful performance as Pa Bender. The relish he exudes as he describes his experience of hunting makes my skin crawl:
“I’ve hunted all my life. Just like my father, his before him. I’ve hunted deer and bear—I even got a cougar once. Oh boy. But the best hunt is human. Oh, there’s nothin’ like it. Holdin’ their life in your hands. Seein’ the fear in their eyes just before they go dark. Makes you feel powerful alive.”
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Pa asks Dean if he’s ever killed, and Dean responds “well, that depends on what you mean.”
Dean obviously sees a distinction between his own hunts and those of the Benders because he only kills monsters but, as the series progresses, we begin to appreciate that things aren’t so black and white.
When I was young, I recall having seen a documentary about a military exercise organized by a country that was preparing for war. There was a feral dog problem at the time, so the male population was conscripted to go out and shoot all the dogs. The theory behind the exercise was supposedly that it would de-sensitize them to the act of killing and make the transition to shooting people easier. I can’t help thinking about this as I watch The Winchesters’ progress through the seasons. They start off by hunting obvious monsters, like ghosts and wendigos but, in time, the monsters they kill start looking more and more like people - shape-shifters and vampires, for example. Season two begins to explore the theme that not all monsters are evil. “The Benders” is the episode where the line between human and monster starts to become blurred, and we sense it’s one that could all too easily be crossed. Indeed, by the end of the episode, the brothers will have edged a little closer to that line than is comfortable.
Pa tells Dean he needs some information from him, and he responds with a characteristic smartass reply.
John Dennis Johnston gives a powerful performance as Pa Bender. The relish he exudes as he describes his experience of hunting makes my skin crawl:
“I’ve hunted all my life. Just like my father, his before him. I’ve hunted deer and bear—I even got a cougar once. Oh boy. But the best hunt is human. Oh, there’s nothin’ like it. Holdin’ their life in your hands. Seein’ the fear in their eyes just before they go dark. Makes you feel powerful alive.”
http://www.supernaturalwiki.com/1.15_The_Benders_(transcript)
Pa asks Dean if he’s ever killed, and Dean responds “well, that depends on what you mean.”
Dean obviously sees a distinction between his own hunts and those of the Benders because he only kills monsters but, as the series progresses, we begin to appreciate that things aren’t so black and white.
When I was young, I recall having seen a documentary about a military exercise organized by a country that was preparing for war. There was a feral dog problem at the time, so the male population was conscripted to go out and shoot all the dogs. The theory behind the exercise was supposedly that it would de-sensitize them to the act of killing and make the transition to shooting people easier. I can’t help thinking about this as I watch The Winchesters’ progress through the seasons. They start off by hunting obvious monsters, like ghosts and wendigos but, in time, the monsters they kill start looking more and more like people - shape-shifters and vampires, for example. Season two begins to explore the theme that not all monsters are evil. “The Benders” is the episode where the line between human and monster starts to become blurred, and we sense it’s one that could all too easily be crossed. Indeed, by the end of the episode, the brothers will have edged a little closer to that line than is comfortable.
Pa tells Dean he needs some information from him, and he responds with a characteristic smartass reply.
This is the show’s first direct reference to incest and, typically, the subject is introduced in a humorous manner, but it’s a recurring theme that gets progressively darker, culminating in the story about incestuous rape in s4 “Family Remains”. It’s no accidental, off-hand remark either; both the writer and director of this episode worked on the infamous X-File episode “Home”, which was banned from many TV networks for its graphic representation of incest and inbreeding. “Home” was one of the inspirations for “The Benders”, so Shiban and Manners knew the serious implications of the theme they were broaching. It’s also followed with another quip that highlights the cannibalism aspect of the family’s lifestyle:
DEAN: Oh, eat me. No, no, no, wait, wait, wait—you actually might.
Cannibalism is another of Supernatural’s recurring themes.
While we’re on the subject, I often wonder: since the Benders are clearly eating their victims, why haven’t they turned into wendigos? 🤔
The next part is brilliant, but it troubles me. It’s either really, really, really great CGI . . . or really bad OHS.
I mean, that poker is convincing; you can see the steam coming off it and everything, And the reflection in Dean’s eye is a wonderful touch:
It’s probably CGI enhanced. Probably. We know the team is certainly capable of these effects from the work they did on “Nightmare”, but I can’t help wondering if it was actually hot to begin with and then just made to look hotter in FX.
There’s a moment when Pa presses it against Dean’s shirt and it burns a hole. Again, I can see how that might have been faked: film the press, cut, swap in an identical but already burned shirt. And that probably is how it was done. Hopefully. But, on the other hand, knowing how SPN used to like using real effects when possible, I wouldn’t put it past them to have included that moment specifically to demonstrate that the poker really was hot. (They weren’t above lighting the set of Sam’s apartment on fire while Jared and Jensen were still inside it, after all). I am assuming Jensen would at least have had a heat-resistant patch under the shirt, of course!
One thing is definite: this is a real knife.
When the men leave Missy to watch Dean, she torments him by twisting her knife scant inches from his face. Now, the knife would have been blunt, of course, and that’s not really the kid’s hand, it’s an older woman’s. Doubtless a stunt co-ordinator wielded the knife while the scene was filmed at an angle to make it look like the young girl was holding it. Still, even stunt people can have accidents. One unexpected trip and it could have taken Jensen’s eye out.
Throughout the scene, Jensen gives a superbly convincing performance . . .
Or, alternatively, he really was shitting himself!
What do others think? Was it partly fake? Completely fake? Should Jensen have demanded more accident insurance? 😉
Throughout the scene, Jensen gives a superbly convincing performance . . .
Or, alternatively, he really was shitting himself!
What do others think? Was it partly fake? Completely fake? Should Jensen have demanded more accident insurance? 😉