Reviewer: Shannondoah (Signed) · Date: 08/02/12 04:50 PM · On: Chapter 3 - Second Chance
Interesting that Bobby gets a glimpse of what it's like to be part of a family, sort of steps into Karen's shoes. She probably had a fairly normal upbringing and looked forward to the day she would start a family of her own. I think it's instinctual for women to want children. Like it's part of our DNA. When we reach a certain point in life children are a logical progression. It's so sad that now Bobby knows he and Karen could have worked this out. Sad that he has to live with so much guilt. Who knows, maybe that's one of the reasons he was such a good surrogate father.
Author's Response: I think Bobby understands guilt, feels it in all his remembrance of Karen, in that terrible day with that last fight, later when he was forced to kill her. That guilt was the driving force of his nightmare in DALDOM, and I love that it was Dean who snapped him out of it and then was there to offer understanding. He was such a terrific surrogate dad because the boys gave him a second chance and he wasn't going to waste it. He embraced his role in their lives! Later, B.J.
Reviewer: Shannondoah (Signed) · Date: 08/02/12 04:41 PM · On: Chapter 2 - Loss Bleeds Over Us All
Bobby was so influential in the lives of Sam and Dean. He was a good balance to John. John prepared them to be warriors while Bobby allowed them to be killed. They needed both men to become the angst-filled heroes we love. "I'd be proud to call them my own." Another good line.
Author's Response: I love the pride Bobby's always shown in the boys, that and the undeniable love. I totally hear him saying that line, can see him puffing up at the thought. He made them feel good about who they were and what they do. Love, love, love Bobby! Thanks again, B.J.
Reviewer: Shannondoah (Signed) · Date: 08/02/12 04:34 PM · On: Chapter 1 - Best Laid Plans
Seeing this episode we get a lot about what makes Bobby tick. Naturally, he would see himself in Sam and Dean and understand the pitfalls of a demanding father. It's falls into place perfectly that he'd want to be their champion. He could relate to Dean in a deeply significant way. Both of them had unreasonable expectations thrust upon them. Even though Bobby acknowledges John's flaws as a father he also makes accommodations for it, recognizes that John is damaged as much as the boys. To hell with all my plans. Those boys were mine now. My favorite part. Reminds me of when Bobby called Dean 'son' and Dean snarked that he wasn't their father. Bobby didn't take that for a second. He fired right back that you don't have to be blood to be family.
Author's Response: When Dean was at his lowest, when he told Bobby he wasn't his dad...well, that told me how low he was, how he was trying to distance himself from the love and care Bobby always offered. It was a very sad time in both Dean's and Bobby's lives. As the sage old soul, one who had also lost his wife, Bobby understood John's pain, even if he couldn't abide how he was treating his sons. I can't express enough how much I love that he stood up for the boys, went toe-to-toe and protected them as much as he possibly could. Yay, Bobby! B.J.
Reviewer: snseriesfan (Signed) · Date: 08/02/12 04:05 PM · On: Chapter 8 - Pressure
Lovely chapter, bjxmas. This said everything I think about Dean. I wished the show would bring this point up more, and in a clear way. They've had Sam mention it a couple of times, but it gets lost in the broad scheme of things going on in the show. Bobby, I do believe, knew this about Dean and handled him quite well. Thanks.
Author's Response: Thank you! Dean is such a compelling character with so much going on. The pressure he was constantly under, the expectations thrust upon him by his family coupled with his need to care for them and not disappoint...yeah, so much going on just beneath the surface, but there in Jensen's eyes. Bobby is so intuitive, with a similar background with his own father. I know that's why he was so close to Dean, why he tried to protect him and nurture him. Thank goodness Dean had him in his corner. Thanks for the lovely review, B.J.
Reviewer: ucat42 (Signed) · Date: 29/01/12 12:18 AM · On: Chapter 7 - I Need a Hero
I think, as he got older, Dean started to see the chinks, I mean REALLY see the chinks in dad's armour. Would stil defend him against any bad word, but seeing him through his brother's eyes, then his own, wiser, adult eyes, he sees a man. Not a hero, not a perfect man...but a man. I thnk Dean loved and hated his dad in some ways, but always there wsa love, always there was respect. He knew his dad didn't choose this life, and lately come to realise that there may be no choice, you just gotta go with the hand you're dealt...
Author's Response: I think Dean's thinking on Dad is still forming. It took him a very long time to recognize that maybe Dad wasn't perfect. Dad was who he believed in, who he trusted. It took a lot to damage that belief. And John was heroic, it was only in how he fathered his boys that there was something lacking. Dean is so forgiving, it took a lot for him to be mad at Dad...and when it finally came, that resentment and anger, it consumed him to the point that he forgot the rest. Being a dad to Ben pulled all that back, how scared he was as a kid and how he didn't want that for Ben. So devastating to know that sometimes you can't control the world, you can't control your reactions...that best intentions sometimes aren't enough. I so want Dean and John to have a talk, a meeting as men, to hash out their issues and for Dean to move past his anger and find acceptance, for both his dad and himself. Good men caught in impossible circumstance! Thanks again, B.J.
Reviewer: ucat42 (Signed) · Date: 29/01/12 12:14 AM · On: Chapter 6 - Sophie's Choice
On our Facebook site a lot of people are saying it may be Rupert that drank the beer...not being torched, and all. Would Bobby stick around? Good way to make me think... Do you think the boys ever told Bobby about heaven?
Author's Response: I am sure the boys told Bobby about heaven! It's funny, because even them knowing about heaven, it doesn't make it easier to lose someone. It was definitely Bobby with the beer, definitely! Later, B.J.
Reviewer: ucat42 (Signed) · Date: 20/01/12 06:02 AM · On: Chapter 5 - Heroes and Cowards
Oh, I forgot to add...another update soon, please?
Author's Response: Okay...if you insist! Sometime today, I have more written, just time-wise it seems I don't have the time to post them.
Reviewer: ucat42 (Signed) · Date: 20/01/12 06:01 AM · On: Chapter 5 - Heroes and Cowards
Branchsuper (on FF.net) said to me that the boys are such great men, have such good morals, strength of character and common sense due to John and the way he raised them. They would not be the men they are today if he was a total failure, and I see you agree, to some extent. He was also a dick, and Dark Side of the Moon gave us a little insight into this side of him..
Author's Response: I love John and I know he loved his boys and tried. He kept them alive and he taught them much, how to be fiercely protective of your family and how to remain brothers, but there is always the flipside, his obsession and neglect. You can't deny he left his boys alone too much and he drove them...Dean especially, and didn't provide them with the validation and comfort of just being kids and who they were individually. Bobby was there to fine-tune them, to LOVE them and ACCEPT them as is. They would not be the men they are today without both John and Bobby, and those men gave them both their good qualities and their foibles. Sam and Dean are not perfect, but they are heroes and they do good. It is mainly themselves that hurt from the factors missing in their youth. Partly losing Mom so young and never having that chance to be kids. Can I drone on, or what? lol Good talk, B.J.
Reviewer: ucat42 (Signed) · Date: 20/01/12 05:58 AM · On: Chapter 4 - Lucky in Love
Had he known she would be dead in three days, he would have told her anything... I sill don't think he would have given her children. And then, later, he had the boys. When Dean entered his dream in 'Dream a little dream of me" the one thing that snapped Bobby out of that loop of nightmare was Dean saying "You are like a father to me" First time we got to hear this, see this, and we didn't forget. Neither did Bobby...
Author's Response: Hindsight, right? And I loved that Bobby's biggest regret was that fight and never making it right, bigger than having to kill her. And how tragic for him that he now knows that unrest in a person leaves you open to possession? But Bobby did get the boys and he loved them and fathered them and they turned out GREAT! He deserved to be a father and he was a great one! Always a pleasure discussing the show with you! Later, B.J.
Reviewer: snseriesfan (Signed) · Date: 15/01/12 09:56 PM · On: Chapter 4 - Lucky in Love
I, too, still want to know why Bobby ran John off and how Dean felt about it. I don't think we will ever find out, though. Sweet drabble. Thanks.
Author's Response: Thanks for reading. I want to know EVERYTHING about the Winchesters, including their backstory! I love that the writers give us enough snippets to inspire me and others to write our stories, but I'd love to hear the 'official' version of what happened and why. Until Kripke deems us worthy of either more flashbacks or a preseries set of books, I'll keep formulating my own theories. It is so much fun examining these most fascinating men! Later, B.J.
Reviewer: ucat42 (Signed) · Date: 18/12/11 07:11 PM · On: Chapter 3 - Second Chance
So sad he could not have believed in himslelf enough to have had children with Karen...I'm assuming they were married for a while before the fight, and her death.... But at least he got to feel what it was like to be a father, and realise that he did, indeed, consider them his sons...he admitted it to himself....
Author's Response: So many never get the chance to know how they would have been as a dad. With all the turmoil in his life, at least Bobby had that and best of all, he recognized it and cherished the boys. I so love how he fought for them and to stay with them. I do think he and Karen were married awhile, at least I hope so. Thanks again, B.J.
Reviewer: mizpah (Signed) · Date: 12/12/11 08:46 PM · On: Chapter 2 - Loss Bleeds Over Us All
I agree - Bobby became family without being blood. He didn't need to be blood. I've long thought (since I'm not really a John fan) that Bobby was more of a father to the boys. He was there in so many more ways than John ever was, and that was sad since the boys, especially Dean, missed him so much. Thank God for Bobby, and his version of tough love. But I do have a question, and it's based on a comment Petra made to me about the episode (which I still haven't watched...*sigh*...) - I believe that canon was changed a bit in the episode - that the boys apparently spent way more time with Bobby than we realised during the first two seasons. I recall during Something Wicked, young Dean assuring John that he knew to call Pastor Jim if something went wrong - but that's been changed now? As in the assumption that the boys went to Pastor Jim when John needed a babysitter? What are your thoughts on the changes to established canon? Jules
Author's Response: I think canon is always going to change some, as the show evolves and they adjust to fit the moment. In the beginning they couldn't possibly anticipate every angle they would want to explore and how it all led up to it. And I like that it is fluid and subject to change for the better, I'd hate for them to feel stuck when something new & exciting presents itself.
The one thing that always stood out for me was the explanations in the Pilot, like Dean showing Sam the salt shells like it was a new invention! lol It really was there to explain to the audience, like so many of their "So, what's the lore?" But it seems odd that Sam wouldn't have known or that they only recently stumbled upon the idea. Anyway, no, I don't see them spending time with Bobby affecting what Dean said in Something Wicked. I think both Bobby and Pastor Jim were go to people for them. Jim on the east coast and Bobby in the West or mid-west. And it makes sense that they would contact the one closest to where they were. I also wonder if the near-miss caused John to leave them more with Bobby instead of on their own? I feel that what we've seen of Bobby's place in their lives all fits. I can see from his argument with John that it is possible there were times when they were on the outs and Bobby wasn't able to see the boys. I'm still waiting for the reveal of how long Dean didn't see Bobby before he showed up in DT. Dean said he wasn't sure if he should come...that John and Bobby had had a major row with Bobby cocking the shotgun at him. I wonder if that fight was over Sam leaving or over John's treatment of Dean? Maybe Bobby upset that they had cut off ties to Sam? So many possibilities and I want to know! I can see Dean so conflicted but loyal to John and feeling that he needed to be there with him, side with his dad.
I think canon now is that the boys sometimes spent long stretches with Bobby, with John out running around hunting and Bobby taking on the role of dad, uncle, trainer and friend. I think he had major influence in their lives and gave them that stability. I imagine a subtle and maybe not so subtle tug of war over the boys, Bobby wanting them to have a normal life and John forcing them to train and prepare. Two strong men butting heads and John insisting that they were HIS kids and Bobby trying his best to give them what he didn't get as a child. Bobby gave the boys acceptance, unconditional upon them hunting or being strong. Bobby knew what it felt like to be intimidated and bullied by a father. Not that I feel John bullied the boys, but he was a strong force and he was single-minded and he simply didn't see any other side. Bobby is the Uncle Bobby we all would love to have, either the representation of someone in our lives, or who we always wanted in our lives. I can't not love Bobby. And I love him for all his gruffness and orneriness and his sharp tongue at times, because it is all done in love. Later, B.J.
Reviewer: mizpah (Signed) · Date: 12/12/11 08:39 PM · On: Chapter 1 - Best Laid Plans
On ya, Caroline! *thumbs up* I'm joining in the Bobby-love, because I adore Uncle Bobby. Always have, always will. And while I still haven't managed to sit down and watch the last episode, I've heard from all sides that it's a real tear-jerker. Don't tell me he's gone...*sticks fingers in ears*...I'm not listening! I love Bobby as a mentor for the boys in their hunting life, as the father-figure they so desperately needed after John passed away, as the steadying influence in lives that were constantly under threat of shattering into a million pieces. And I can't for the life of me understand the fans who bleated about Bobby having too much screen time. What the....???????????????? NEVER ENOUGH! is my answer to that! 24 days to go....*sits downt to help keep vigil* Jules
Author's Response: Hey, Jules! Long time! I keep thinking about catching up to the safe haven emails, but I am so bogged down with work! I HATE working retail at the holidays! I think in the new year I'll delete the huge backlog and start fresh! No way I could ever absorb it all and I know I missed out on a bunch of good stuff! *sigh* I totally, totally agree on the Bobby love and can't for the life of me understand any who can't appreciate all he did and was for the boys. He was the one stabilizing force in their lives, the one advocate for them as children and men in their own right. (Well, maybe not only...Pastor Jim, maybe even Caleb on occasion?) But he definitely was the most prominent and vocal and the one they still cling to. No way he is gone, he is too ornery to ever leave them and they still need him. Oh, you are going to need the tissues when you watch, definitely a tear-jerker of the highest order! Only the second time I've flat-out bawled watching Supernatural. (1st was Ellen & Jo...when Ellen said "Kick it in the ass!") Those hitching sobs where you can't catch your breath and you think you're never gonna be able to again. Tour de force acting by all 3 Js. So much expressed without a word! Most excellent...except for the lingering threat...but no, not gonna go there. So not happening! Sorry to have corrupted you again with these drabbles. It's all I have time for these days and it lets me express myself a little. Thanks for reading. Later, B.J.
Reviewer: ucat42 (Signed) · Date: 11/12/11 03:15 AM · On: Chapter 2 - Loss Bleeds Over Us All
I think John just hurt so much, and he never wanted his boys to hurt like that, but he also saw them as soldiers in the war on evil first, and sons second. He never really thought of them as men. Not like Bobby did, when he was talking to Dean about letting his little brother ride Satan into the pit. He saw a man, he valued the men. John saw little boys, who needed discipline, order, bossing around, but no room for their own thoughts. He didn't trust them to make their own decisions.. This is a beautiful story...
Author's Response: Oh, so true! That exchange in DMB when Sam said he couldn't treat them like children and John exploded that they WERE his children! Breaks my heart that they never got to be on that more even ground, John never got to see his boys turn into the men they became. I think he was on the road to that, and I think he respected their skills, but he was always in fear of losing them. Under so much fear there, he surrendered being their father to keep them safe. I loved Bobby when he voiced Dean's (and his) fear that they were most afraid of losing Sam to the pit, but that he was a man, someone who was strong and true and they could be proud of. Such powerful love from all, Bobby just had a little more distance and perspective on who the boys were and what THEY needed! Love discussing all of this with you! Later, B.J.
Reviewer: ucat42 (Signed) · Date: 11/12/11 03:09 AM · On: Chapter 1 - Best Laid Plans
OMG!!! I had saved this story to read as I knew I would be having a quiet weekend, I didn't realise that I had inspired it!!! And I have to tell, you, a few short words had tears in my eyes, it was exactly what I was thinking, but only you can put into words so poignantly...
Author's Response: You truly did inspire this, as I hadn't even thought about putting my Bobby-love into words. Once you nudged me, well, this is what came out! It is a pleasure to get inside Bobby's head and get him to voice all those deep thoughts & feelings he has for the boys. Later, B.J.
Reviewer: supernatfem76 (Signed) · Date: 03/12/11 07:50 PM · On: Chapter 1 - Best Laid Plans
I really liked this drabble. It really summed up Death's Door. I have always loved Bobby and I really hate to see him go.
Author's Response: I love Bobby so much! I really don't believe they are going to permanently kill him. Maybe I'm in denial, but I think they need the boys cut off from that last lifeline, so he's gonna stay in his coma awhile. There is so much love between Bobby and the boys. His "idjit" made me bawl and the boys got it from their reactions, he loves them as his sons. Perfection! Thanks, more to come. Later, B.J.
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