#10x9

Random thoughts:

I like that there is no dialogue between Voight and the Chief when he first arrives. I get the sense that Voight hates that he is having to put his friend through this and that nothing he says will make it better. As for the Chief, his reluctance to be there is clearly written on his face. It’s almost like he hopes if he doesn’t say anything none of this will be real. He even stops at one point as they walk to the bunker.

Torres’ winter wear - a long sleeve white shirt! I love that the writers are continuing with Torres and his “plain white Ts” even in winter. I know he has worn dark jackets in a couple of episodes, but after less than half a season he has become so synonymous with the white shirt that when he does finally wear patterns or something else it better have some significant meaning behind it.

Loved the scene in Voight’s office. It was great to see Hank explode with emotion; something we haven’t seen a lot of this season, and Jason Beghe is great at portraying those explosive, raw moments. Despite all he did to protect Justin and his mistakes, he knows that there are some things that are truly unforgivable and he can’t understand how O’Neil can keep trying to deny that there is something wrong with his son.

It was interesting to watch the parallel scenes between Voight/O’Neil and Hailey/Sean play out against each other. In their last ditch efforts to make the case Voight and Hailey each go to the person they understand most in this situation. Voight tries to get O’Neil to quit burying his head in the sand and actually look at what Sean has done square in the face. Hailey tries to appeal to the decency that she thinks is still inside Sean - the decency she hopes is still inside herself?

It was great to have Voight calmly calling Hailey out: “So you want to do that now? Make cases any way you can.” He saw what the Roy situation did to Hailey and yet here she is again willing to go down the same unscrupulous path she did with Darius Walker. Is her fixation on this case just simply a result of Jay leaving or are the writers trying to make us think that this a pattern of her brokenness from her childhood?

I thought it was really smart to use all the obstacles Hailey has to break through and climb over to get to the truck as a literal manifestation of the figurative hurdles she has had to overcome these past weeks while trying to find the missing girls. The fact that her radio doesn’t work and she has to do it all on her own to me represents how alone and abandoned she’s felt since Jay left. But then Voight shows up and helps her get through the last gate - she is not alone in her struggles with this case or in her personal life. She has the team to support her if she will let them. Even with Voight’s help it was a struggle for them both to get through the gate - even with support Hailey’s journey back to stability in her personal life will have its challenges.

Side note: Running in the warehouse and manipulating that gate is the most physical exertion we’ve seen Hank go through this season, and I thought it was a lot of fun to watch. However, I’ve read in interviews that Jason Beghe is not a fan of running, so during this scene I kept thinking “I bet he’s hating this.” 😊

This episode had some amazing scenes with Hank and Hailey, but the best was the one in the Chief’s house. By calling in the emergency over Hailey’s objection, Voight is trying to save Hailey from a decision that he knows she will come to regret. He repeatedly keeps calling to her to help him save Sean - it’s like he has to break through the fog that is clouding her judgement. When she does eventually help there is a noticeable softening of her face from the hardened expression she wore while just standing there watching Sean die. Hailey doesn’t say anything in the final scene at the hospital and to me she appears conflicted as she watches them work on Sean - is she conflicted about what she feels or by what she thinks she should feel? Especially when the doctor tells them that they saved his life. What are her feelings toward Voight going to be saving Sean’s life? It’s going to be so hard to wait 4 weeks til the next episode!

The hospital scene was excellent in the way it called back to the season 9 finale and the season 10 premiere. As soon as they entered the hospital I immediately noticed the blood stain on Voight’s shirt right where his gunshot wound is. This was exactly like when he carried the little boy into the ER in the premiere. I loved the reminder that physically and emotionally he still has not healed from Anna’s death. He almost seems to be having a flashback as he watches the monitor and Sean being shocked; the same things he watched when Anna was in the same position.

Supernatural 10x9 The Things We Left Behind, 9x3 I’m No Angel, 6x20 The Man Who Would Be King, 12x23 All Along the Watchtower