Reply To: Lets all talk about All Hell Breaks Loose Pt. 2 (S2 E22)
Dean at the start of this one is so so so heartbreaking. The first time Sam dies. As he talks to his body, it kills me. The tears, the admission that he feels he failed at the one job he had – protecting Sam. The way he shoves Bobby away and yells at him; so upset at the thought of burying Sam…and Jim Beaver’s GREAT shocked response as Bobby at Dean treating him that way. As well as Dean’s immediate apology. I love the whole thing in a horrible way.
Then he drives like a bat out of hell and calls up the demon to make the deal. Dean looks genuinely surprised when she keeps talking him down in terms of years of life on the contract. All the way down to one. I DO like that this “secret” was not drawn out. That by the end of this episode, he tells Sam what he did. I wish this trend would have continued on this show!
I liked that they had Ellen and Bobby as allies at the “cowboy” cemetery. I loved how they figured out that the rails laid by Samuel Colt formed a giant pentagram. They make the lore seem so natural, it almost feels like they’re relating actual history!
One of my favorite scenes and lines of all time is when Yellow Eyes gives Jake the Colt and tells him it’s the only gun in the universe that can kill him and of course Jake immediately points it at his head…causing Yellow Eyes to respond with utmost sarcasm, “Oh my, I’m shocked at this…unforeseen turn of events.” Kills me every time. That delivery was perfect. He crafted a very good character in yellow eyes. Disarmingly funny while being so cruel and deadly. This was later part of the Lucifer approach, but I loved it here.
The gate to hell opens. Sam kills Jake like he’s never killed anyone before and even Dean is shocked. I think on first watch, that was the first time I actually started to wonder if there wasn’t something inevitable in the demon blood.
Okay; John getting out of hell was kind of distractingly-poor CGI, but it was a sweet idea. John climbs out and assists Dean in killing the thing they were both dedicated to hunting. When the demon throws Dean and he hits his head on the headstone; ouch! That looked quite real to me.
Then THE SHOT. The incredible part CGI shot of Dean firing the Colt with the engraved-tip bullet…it is one of the best shots ever put on any screen. The determination on Dean’s face, the calm certainty, the slo-mo. I just love love love it! And Yellow Eyes dies pretty quickly then! They didn’t belabor it.
I love that Sam and Dean try to take a minute to take in the moment after John disperses to heaven. But now the demons are out and now there’s MORE to hunt so I guess Sam isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
I liked that Sam pressed Dean for the truth about the fact that he did, in fact, die, and just what did Dean do to bring him back? And Dean didn’t or couldn’t lie to him. He tried to deflect, but finally admitted he only had one year. Sam immediately decides he’s going to stop this deal. It was a sweet turn to have Sam pledging to save Dean.
And of course the unforgettable and much-repeated-over-the-years “we’ve got work to do” trunk shot. PERFECT. Was this one directed by Kim Manners??? It was great.
I also noticed again; especially when Jake was standing near the tracks with yellow eyes; just how much I loved the “old style” SPN color. All the grays and lack of intense color; it just screams “gray midwest” and I love it so much and wish they had kept it throughout.
I liked that Ellen escaped death at the Roadhouse just by dumb luck. Had to go out to get more pretzels. That was a slightly realistic touch; sometimes it’s just a freak occurrence like that that makes the difference between one person dying (Ash) and another living.
Kate; I used to cheer Carry On in the finale…until THE finale. Now it’s hard to me to hear.
Kate; yes, the demons “burned through” the rail line pentagram from the inside-out, making the rails glow and bend up until they broke the line. This was never really explained HOW they could do this. Strength in numbers?
I never thought Dean had to go to the SAME crossroad. I assumed it was another crossroads and any crossroads would do.
Oh; yes! The scene where Bobby confronts Dean about the deal right before Ellen shows up. It’s so powerful. You really can see how much he loves them. How Dean really felt he had no other choice. Bobby’s suspicious welcome of Sam is so great. Seeing Bobby call Dean out on his low self-worth is spot-on and so impactful!
I think it was a natural thing to taunt Dean with after Sam killed Jake so completely and coldly. I think it was a taunt. I think Azazel gave his “special children” powers, but he never knew how their own free will would affect it. Used mostly for harmless good or fun like Andy? Or used to kill people like Ava in the end? Because I think EVERYONE has it within them to go dark (without demon blood!), I think that demons just played on the “bad side” of being human. Tried to influence them that way. I think the comment to Dean was made to throw him off his game. I do think Dean kept wondering about how Sam was (when he asks Bobby in Sin City) after witnessing him kill Jake and that really stuck with him.
By the way, loved Dean calling Jake a “little bitch” for killing Sam.
This episode had me cheering. And it was an edge-of-your-set rollercoaster the entire way. Very good one.