PigNaPoke
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GREAT episode! SO much happening. It gives you whiplash the best way.
You can really feel the tension building. Between Sam and Dean over Sam’s missing soul, the predicament about working for demons, Dean’s panic of being stuck with Sam in this state forever despite all the warnings, Sam’s growing apprehensive about if he even WANTS his soul back.
Love the misleading start where you really don’t know immediately who’s who and what’s happening. Double Crowley is fun to watch.
Suddenly we have Meg back involved. Sam is both scary and impressive here, so calculating and cut-throat smart figuring her out, getting her help and getting the knife back. But I wondered the whole time if Meg will stab them in the back in the end or not.
More tension building between the guys and Samuel over his argument why they are worth less to him than Mary. WTF? Dean is right telling him that he’s a hypocrite talking about “family comes first”. Then Samuel comes through with useful info….just to fuck them over later again….what an a-hole.
The conversation between Cas and Sam is intense, too.
Then you have the entire hilarity with Cas and “The Pizza Man”. HA! “You don’t watch porn in a room full of dudes and you don’t talk about it!” LOL
The scene with Cas telling Dean about what state Sam’s soul might be in and Sam overhearing it is heart-breaking. Dean just doesn’t want to hear it, wants old Sam back so much that he’s recklessly avoiding thinking about that Sam might be in a REALLY awful state afterwards. And how fucked up for Sam to hear all that. We know Dean means well and just want’s “his” Sam back, but it’s also clear that he is at a loss of how to live with, work with this version of Sam and therefore not really thinking clearly. And of course Sam can only see it from the unemotional, logical and practical side here due to his missing soul and it makes perfect sense that he doesn’t WANT to end up in pain and incapacitated.
The scenes in Crowley’s hideout are cool and the location makes for really great cinematography! It’s perfectly creepy with its many dilapidated rooms or cells, peeling plaster, weird equipment and so on.
I was surprised at Meg offering to take the fall for the group to get a chance at Crowley. And I always expected her to flip at any moment…but maybe Cas is just THAT good of a kisser?! HAHAHA.
We learn that the demon knife works on hellhounds. Interesting.
I remember the first time I watched this episode how shocking it was that Cas just seemingly abruptly killed Crowley. WHAT?! I was sad that we “lost” Crowley.
At the end of the episode you have to take a deep breath because so much happened and nothing was really solved. Well, we THINK maybe the guys at least don’t work for Crowley anymore?!
Like I said….Intense.
HAHA, JBB, I see you have no intro words for this one??
I completely understand….it’s….FORGETTABLE. And that’s putting it nicely.
The case is super boring, the “big bad” are simply a bunch of shifter thugs with lots of guns and some nebulous plan to create more skinwalkers. It doesn’t create any ominous tension for me. And the parts about “LUCKY”…..oh man!
The whole “I’m just a nice dog living with this family to protect them” is CREEPY AS FUCK! Skinwalker hiding in animal skin to sleep in a woman’s bed, watch her shower…..STALKER MUCH? It is just all wrong….because the lady has no idea what’s going.
What a total waste of a cool legend! Why not use a Navajo approach to bring in a Skinwalker storyline????? It screams for a good Native American plot. Especially in the big picture of the season of all monster species being “hunted” by Crowley to find purgatory. Being rounded up and persecuted simply for someoneelses advantage….come on, what better opportunity to reflect on Native American plight through a Native American “monster”.
The whole thing just makes me angry. It’s really odd to me that in an “All American” show they really never managed to come up with some good integration of the old stories of the Native peoples.
Anyhow, rant over.
Even Sam and Dean can’t save this episode. Their “conflict” over what to do about Sam’s missing soul seems flat and forced in this one.
The whole thing’s just unnecessary.
ONLY saving grace are the scene with Crowley at the very start, which is funny, and the last scene and conversation between Sam and Dean where Sam admits he wants his soul back.
2 out of 10 for me on this episode. A sad waste.
NOPE, no separation, the opposite! Dean is REALLY gonna keep an eye on Sam NOW….
A WHOPPER of an episode when it comes to new info!!
I very much appreciate that we are not being led around by the….soft bits any longer, but smacked in the face with the truth about Sam right at the beginning of this episode!
He has NO SOUL…..WOW!
I remember how shocking that was to me the first time around because I had kept hoping that it was more or less a curse or some other affliction that could be removed from Sam once they figured it out. But NO SOUL….how do you even go about fixing that?
LOVE the “Is he even still Sam without a soul” debate! What do you think?
MAN, this is another DARK episode!
I REALLY don’t like Samuel’s crew!
I am very happy that now that the truth is out about Sam’s missing soul, Dean snaps straight back into “protect Sam” mode. It’s a little off and high in tension, but it’s clear that now that Dean knows the reason for Sam’s odd behavior he’s willing to at least have his back and try to help him stay on the straight and narrow.
Including calling Sam straight out on not telling him the truth about the Alpha Vamp being captured. The conversation on the side of the road is giving us the first real deep insight of how different Sam’s thought processes are at the moment. He has a whole new – messed up – logic.
What is most interesting to me is how Sam obviously trusts Samuel – or at least never questioned his status as the “clan leader” and therefor taking his orders and keeping his nose out of things Samuel wants to hide. He is essentially acting very much similar to how DEAN used to act around John!! Samuel is family, therefore Sam does what he’s told. Partially probably because that is what Dean taught him.
HOWEVER, now Dean has the exact opposite opinion here. DON’T trust Family just because it’s blood! Question their motives, ask for the WHY. Don’t take blind orders. Very much like Sam used to act around their dad.
In the end, though, Dean’s resolve just settles back into place in this scene regarding not leaving Sam out to fend for himself when he clearly lacks the ability to bring some compassion and empathy to the actions and see the whole truth about what’s going on.
RICK WORTHY!!! SOOOO GOOD!!! The Alpha Vamp is such great role and made come to life with such elegance and refinement by Rick! He is perfectly scary because you believe him his age and experience as the first of his kind. He doesn’t need to scream and intimidate…..he whispers and it’s SO much more effective. LOVE him!
And, BOY oh BOY, the new info and lore he delivers to the show through his great relevations to Sam and Dean! Perfect delivery and interesting new twist on things. Purgatory is real, all monsters go there after death, Samuel is tasked to find out where it is?! Sheesh that’s a lot.
And BOOM another twist with Crowley’s appearance where we find out about his promotion, new found power, that he has his spies already planted in their midst, that he brought Samuel and Sam back AND he wants to find Purgatory and “develop” it? LOL, what? Demon condos and timeshare? LOADS of new stuff here.
Crowley’s way of speaking and Mark’s delivery will forever be one of my favorite things on the show. He’s so freaking wonderful – both Crowley AND Mark.
I think finding out that Samuel willingly works for Crowley for “his own reasons” is what shocked me the most and made me REALLY not like him – even more. LOL.
REALLY GREAT episode full of impressive performances by amazing cast. It always made me giddy when watching an episode like that for the first time and feeling like a whole new BOOK full of new story opportunities had opened in front of our eyes! Forever grateful.
I often enjoy episodes that bring in Gods and Goddesses from different pantheons and this is no different.
I find the storyline and set up very interesting and well done. ONE human dabbling selfishly in magic they have no business getting involved with and causing SO MUCH destruction in its wake. I also really liked the idea of a diety hiding in the news network to “speak truth to the masses”….HA! Good one….
It’s definitely is a really dark episode between the many awful and sad secrets that spill out of people under the influence of Veritas and the agony Dean is going through with his mistrust in Sam AND the guilt over having treated Lisa and Ben poorly.
It’s so tough to watch how the harsh truth from Lisa SLICES into Dean!!! UGH. That face he makes at the end of the phone conversation with Lisa seems to say “well, I knew it. It was too good to be true. Of course, I don’t deserve them.” And it’s KILLING me.
Of course, the flip side of that is Bobby’s confessions about his passions! SO SO FUNNY and totally unexpected. I love that.
Dean’s journey in this episode from pretty much ready to kill Sam, to a glimmer of hope that Sam can’t lie to him, back to absolute certainty that this is NOT Sam is damn ROUGH. Poor Dean and the constant whiplash he’s going through since Sam is back.
I also found it deeply shocking that even when Sam finally DOES tell him the truth Dean beats him to a bloody pulp! And then we had to wait for a week what would happen!!
There couldn’t have been a better way to show that Dean was DONE with the whole thing. Finally DONE with listening to one or another person’s reasonings without being able to be sure it IS the truth. DONE with making excuses or keep clinging to hope it was him who misinterpreted the situation.
Sam COST him Lisa and Ben! That’s just a fact. Of course not knowingly, but indirectly. And I can totally understand Dean’s reaction here at the end – as surprised as I was how LONG he kept beating Sam.
Jared also did a GREAT job making us second guess alongside with Dean if Sam IS or ISN’T himself. He let little glimpses of a softer Sam show through, making us hope that he’ll finally get back to normal , but then he looked stone cold in other moments where we expect empathy. It’s disquieting and freaky.
Very good episode with a surprise shocker of a cliff hanger at the end.
I’ve always had a hard time with this episode because of SAM.
YES, it is absolutely great and funny, how they make fun of the Twilight Saga in the first third of the episode. I admit, I did read those books and watched those movies and was always on the Werewolf side, lol. So I can say that I really appreciate how much attention to detail was put into the way they poked fun at it in this episode!!! Down to the pretty damn good likeness of the two actors in the beginning to Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart. Some of the same or very close to same lines from the movies and books were used. A lot of the imagery was closely related etc. JUST GREAT!
Also, funny, of course how Sam and Dean would even know some about the Twilight stuff incl. the actors names portraying the main two guys….
I also liked the twisted premise of how romanticizing vampirism in pop culture would be a great opportunity for actual vampires to hunt with ease. HA! I mean, why not pray on the stupid and innocent and poor of judgement girls.
My main DISLIKE for this episode was Sam’s behavior. I know it’s supposed to show us how detached from human emotion Sam is at the moment, but I still have a hard time believing that Sam – even soulless – would go as far as to risk Dean’s life like this in order to find a vamp nest.
It IS effectively chilling for both us viewers and Dean to find out that Sam actually willingly waits before stepping in when Dean is bit. THAT more than anything made me worry when watching it the first time that Sam was possibly lost for good, that what came back from hell is actually NOT Sam.
And the parts with Dean and Lisa are SO PAINFUL TO WATCH!!!!! I did not WANT them to unravel! I did not WANT her to be scared of him. I still don’t want this to the beginning of the end for them. UGH. I HATE that part and don’t like rewatching it. (Even though Jensen is INCREDIBLE at portraying all the inner conflict, the dear and the pain.)
What I did enjoy a lot was watching Dean turn his growing anger and need to feed into an absolutely coldly dangerous killing spree in the vamp nest. That scene where he waits for Sam and Samuel, sitting in the middle of the nest with the vamp leader’s head under his boot is REALLY GREAT in it’s brutality and honesty of what hunters have to be at their core to do the job at times!
Well done episode – but far from a favorite of mine.
I always liked this episode. I thought it was inventive to bring in a classic bible artifact in such a way.
It is TRULY GORY! Great make up effects on all the different plagues.
AAAWWW, Dean missing Lisa. Nice intro with them waking up together, even if just a dream.
And the following montage showing the difference between Dean’s and Sam’s morning routine is hilarious.
Also, HHHHMMM, HHMM, HHMM! SAAAAAMMMM! One FINE looking man. Sorry. Done now.
I remember watching it the first time and thinking that it’s odd Sam would pick up a prostitute (even a classy one) when he was always the one looking for more connection to his sex partners.
BOB SINGER cameo! HA.
The interactions between Sam and Dean in this one are great to watch. The car stuff is funny. Dean does looks constantly slightly taken aback at Sam’s strange reactions, like when he kicks the door down at the cop’s house. And Dean has SO MANY fun one-liners in this episode.
Overall lots of good dialogue. And, of course, CLASSIC lines like “My people skills are rusty” with too many inappropriate air quotes. HAHA.
The young boy actor is really good! I do have to say, though, that I found it a bit of a misstep in the story that they go down the road with a serious racially motivated crime in this episode but then never give the kid or father any closure in the end.
That was a BIG stunt with the angels jumping out the window and smashing Sam’s “plastic piece of crap” car!
I also LOVE the way Cas just pops in and out and just goes about his business without ANY regard for any of the people around him, including Dean and Sam.
The whole thing gives the viewer slight whiplash and keeps us on our toes. And I really like this harsher, scarier version of Cas. He is properly “angel-y” here. A being one SHOULD respect and even slightly fear.
Sebastian Roche is fantastic as Balthazar! He plays the edge between honorable and despicable SO well. We get a lot of naughty, careless rogue angel vibes but then when we think he abandoned Cas to Raphael and curse him for it, he pops back in and we start to wonder if the bravado was all fake and he does still care what happens. Nice roller coaster.
I believe this is the first time we hear about the value of a soul beyond being…well, a soul. Balthazar refers to it as power and basically a commodity with monetary value. Interesting new thought.
How disquieting for Cas to find out that HE might be partially responsible for the chaos in heaven now because other angels use his rebellion as example to follow and break with the order! I feel bad for him.
SOLID episode with new lore, interesting new characters, inching us closer to figuring out what’s wrong with Sam and OLD Cas back. Really enjoyed this one.
What FANTASTIC episode. And what’s NOT to love? Bobby centered storyline, Rufus and Jody are back, funny neighbor, interesting monster….It’s just perfect.
First time for Jensen to direct and he did GREAT with a really complex story involving lots of characters and different locations. That was not an easy episode to direct.
First time we hear Garth’s name and immediately get a sense of his character. I always wondered if it was a throw away line here or if they had Garth already in mind to come in as a real character later?
We find out so much new info in this episode, too:
- Crowley’s real name
- Why he sold his soul. (hehe – double digits are a thing)
- That he doesn’t see eye to eye with this son
- Crowley’s Scotch preference
- Rufus REALLY being an Scotch expert – not just JWB lover. HA
- The fact that you can control a demon’s fate if you get a hold of its bones.
- That monsters are “being weird” in the world.
- First time Crowley calls Sam “moose”.
And probably most importantly – HOW MUCH Bobby does for the entire Hunting community. He is one busy guy, never stopping to provide support for everyone else! And seriously stressed out. And has pretty shitty luck. And never gets to eat the delicious looking cobbler. HA.
The entire episode is strung together so brilliantly, keeping a sense of urgency all the way through with out losing the humor, I never ever get tired rewatching it. It’s just a freaking delight.
Great to see more of Jody and find out that in the end, she WILL put her career on the line to help. Right there, she became part of the family to me.
I could watch HOURS of Bobby and Rufus bantering grumpily with each other. It’s everything. So glad we got a good dose of it here.
I also very much appreciate how Sam and Dean drop everything and go to Scotland when Bobby finally does ask them for help. I mean, for Dean to get on a flight to SCOTLAND…clear sign he loves the guy.
THAT’S really the message of the episode to me. Bobby is hugely important in the Hunting world, but he also has a great bunch of people close to him that will risk career, prison, life to help him at a drop of a hat. It’s a HARD life, but he is LOVED and RESPECTED and not alone in it.
Yup, love it and will watch it again…now.
Yes, it’s a huge shift, I give you that. But I don’t hate it. New creative team comes with some changes. I get that. And I was more than willing to give them a chance if that meant more SPN.
And if you look at the season as a whole, they gave us a lot of great episodes, in season six! Some real classics like Clap your Hands and Frontierland and French Mistake
I hated the weirdness between Sam and Dean at the beginning of the season, but it was clearly a plot point and I kept believing that they will find back together. Especially after Sam says right in the first episode of Season 6 that “it’s just better with you around”. So whatever was wrong with Sam at least didn’t mean he was willing to let him go.
I loved the addition of Lisa and Ben, the challenges that posed for Dean. His instinct to protect them, coupled with the paranoia of always expecting the worst case scenario. Those scenes were great in this episode and during the rest of the season! And something fresh and new to the show. Dean suddenly had somewhat of a new ally. She was patient and tried to give him the benefit of the doubt when he messed up and made the huge decision that SOME of Dean was better than none of Dean. Willing to give him the space he needed to make himself stay sane. I really enjoyed all that. Dean suddenly had unwavering support from another partner. That made up for a lot of the oddness with Sam.
The story line of Sam not having a soul was also really interesting to me and I thought they did an excellent job of trying to figure out what that actually means and how it would change Sam. And Jared did GREAT at portraying it.
This CASE however, wasn’t my thing at all. The baby stuff was kinda cute but also silly. The jokes were too obvious with the whole men don’t know how to deal with kids trope is TIRED. And the way we find out about Alphas is convoluted and kinda boring.
And I REALLY disliked the Campbells, however, Dean’s conflict with and distrust of them makes it interesting to watch and Mitch is so so good and easy to hate. LOL
The beginning of season 6 definitely feels like WE ARE DEAN! Confused and thrown out of our comfort zone, but determined to keep going and figuring it out. It’s unsettling and uncomfortable, but I don’t hate it.
His talk with Lisa at the end of this episode is wonderful. Open and honest, full of self-doubt, Dean is not “our” confident hunter right there, but he is BRAVE enough to let himself be vulnerable and admit to Lisa that he’s scaring himself and doesn’t want to be like his own father. He trusts her to understand OR send him packing, basically giving his fate into her hands. And then he’s surprised by her open-minded answer. LOVE THAT.
And I didn’t see the Impala montage as goofy. To me he looks proud of his car and relieved of not having to make an either/or decision. I didn’t read it as happy to be leaving his family, but as happy to get back to his purpose AND have a family to come back to. Big difference.
It’s almost like Lisa’s unquestioning support of Dean here replaces Sam in some ways. Or at least makes up for Sam’s LACK of support at the moment.
I will ALWAYS love and be grateful for Lisa! She is such great character and excellent depiction of a strong, capable, independent and caring woman! And SERIOUSLY gorgeous and kick ass. It must have been intense for her to have Dean home in such broken state at the beginning. She’s so patient and understanding. Glad that Dean had her to seek shelter at because without her, I am sure he would’ve just “hunt himself to death” out of grief.
I love the collage at the beginning of Dean’s OLD and NEW life! And you slowly see Dean seem at least comfortable and smiling, if not exactly enthusiastic about his current circumstances.
He’s watching out for people again – family – and trying to find a new purpose, but without losing himself or his skills.
And I LOVE the Bob Seger song under it all. I think that’s the first time we had Bob Seger music?
I do like the case Dean seems to be working and the way they keep making us guess, if it actually IS a case or if Dean is just overly paranoid.
Then we get the shock to see Azazel back. WHAT? Just to be killed by Sam. WHAAAT?
The episode does a very good job at putting us in Dean’s shoes! Totally thrown for a loop between Sam’s ODD behavior – so nonchalant about not immediately coming to see him, hunting with some strangers (family or not) – Samuel being back, other parts of Mary’s family still being in the business, BOBBY knowing Sam was back and not telling him. It’s a LOT to absorb and we get to experience that alongside Dean. His feelings of betrayal at the two people who are his family but kept him in the dark. The feelings of regret that something endangered his new family. The loathing at the entire situation. The temptation at what Samuel is offering with the hunting family. His insecurity of not knowing 100% what is the right thing to do right here. It’s all very palpable.
Bobby’s “don’t touch the décor, assume it’s all loaded” comment when Lisa and Ben get there is GREAT!
LOVE IT when Lisa tells Dean that he’s an idiot, basically ripping him a new one for seemingly giving up on her and Ben. Dean needs to hear that he IS worth her effort and love and that Ben is looking up to him and that he has a place there.
NEVER liked any of the Campbells and how they make fun of Dean for trying to live a more normal life! (The GOLF thing must have been a stab at JENSEN’S hobby, right? Because under NO circumstances would DEAN have picked up golf. LOL) And then we immediately find out that there is something else going on with Samuel and Dean’s suspicion at something being off is actually DEAD ON!
The end of the episode feels ominous. Having Dean basically send Sam away, actually letting him go AND offering him the Impala, because he feels more dutybound to Lisa and Ben right now is HUGE. Putting anything before Sam is new and BIG for Dean, but we can also clearly see that Sam is different and that Dean doesn’t know what to make of this new version and doesn’t feel the same connection to him at the moment. It’s heartbreaking seeing Dean ALMOST wave at Sam as he drives away, but letting his hand fall back down in the end.
I remember feeling uneasy watching the beginning Season 6 for the first time, but keep believing that there has to be an explanation and that Dean will find it.
And YES, this episode looked very different than season 1-5 SPN, more saturated colors, but I honestly thought it was intentional for THIS episode because Dean’s life was so different.
It only became clear later that this was apparently the “new look” the CW wanted for the show. Sad. I missed the grit and darker colors of early SPN, BUT I found the subject matter and tone was still PLENTY dark and scary, so I never disliked the show or season for the new look alone.
Of course, one of THE BEST episodes ever.
My favorite of it all being the Chuck monologue tying it all together. THAT collection of lines about the Impala and depicting Sam and Dean’s life with her is PERFECT and MOVING and the core of what we love about the show.
GREAT conversation between Dean and Sam right at the beginning. There is SO MUCH MORE unsaid stuff in there. It’s huge for Dean to pay Sam the respect to make his own decision. He admits that it’s no longer his right or responsibility to tell Sam what to do. He did the best he could to bring Sam up and protect him to this point and he’ll be there to keep fighting with him BUT it’s up to Sam to decide.
Then there is the way he says it’s been his job to look out for Sam but it’s also WHO HE IS. Implying that he doesn’t really know what to do or who he’ll be without Sam. Chilling truth here. He says “Maybe I got to do a little growing up too” meaning LETTING GO of who he sees himself being as Sam’s protector. That’s HARD to do and another huge sign of trust and respect to Sam.
All that is made so much more momentous because Dean had to find his way back to seeing Sam as trust worthy after the demon blood thing! BIG BIG stuff here in between the lines of this conversation.
This was where Mark Pellegrino was at his most chilling. So casual and logical but cruel. Not a caricature but really exciting to watch and scary.
Jared does a fantastic job in the conversation with himself! Very believably TWO different people. I just never understood the point Lucifer is trying to make when he goads Sam into getting “a little payback” for the way his whole life was manipulated. Why make Sam kill all of these demons in his brain?
Still hurts to watch Dean’s disbelief that Cas and Bobby have given up. But he keeps doggedly putting one foot in front of the other and NOT giving up. Love him so much!
I also think Dean HOPES that if he goes to Stull simply to be there for Sam, that he WILL die in the possible fall out of the big prize fight and NOT need to deal with life thereafter (aka without Sam).
Mistress Magda! HA! CHUCK. Funny that WE know he’s God….and God is up for some phone sex before the world ends. Sorry, I guess that’s blasphemy? But I don’t belong to that club.
It is SOOO HARD to watch Sam/Lucifer beat Dean up so badly in Stull Cemetery. I watched this episode soooo many times, but I am still flinching and working hard not to look away in this scene. UGH!
They did a good job making us believe how strong Lucifer is in Sam’s body by the ease in which he handles Dean and severity of Dean’s injuries. But I always always had to think about how SAM would feel inside his body without control to stop hurting his brother.
Tough conversation in the car between Dean and Cas. “You got what you asked for. No paradise. No hell. Just more of the same.” Well, not REALLY. Dean didn’t ask for nothing. He just didn’t want the world to end. He shoulda let Crowley negotiate FOR him with Death, I guess, Crowley would have drawn up some contract loop holes. Just kidding, of course.
But “what would you rater have: Peace or Freedom?” always bugged me. Why can’t there be peace IN freedom? Peace means you are bound in some way? Is Peace = Ignorance? And because they chose to save the world there cannot be peace? That’s a sucky end.
I wonder if Dean was supposed to be breaking down and crying when he arrives at Lisa’s? We all know Jensen CAN pull that out of his hat without trouble, but they made another choice here. I like how he’s skating on the very edge of a breakdown here, but doesn’t fully lose it. It’s effectively showing us HOW STRONG he really is and how important Sam’s wishes are to him.
I swear the first time I watched Sam reappear and look in on Dean’s new family without any expression, I thought he WAS Lucifer come back to earth. And then we sat around MONTHS without knowing. LOL. I don’t remember if we knew already that the show would continue?
Anyhow. EXCELLENT episode and exit for Eric Kripke!
Poor Dean. The amount of shit he has to deal with right at the beginning. His exasperation over Sam’s idea to jump into the cage. And that Bobby knew about that. And then finding out that Cas is out for the count right on the heels of that. Anyone else would crawl under the desk and start drinking. Of course, Dean drinks AND keeps fighting. 🙂
The phone conversation with HUMAN Cas in the hospital is HILARIOUS.
Glorious surveillance…lol…funny to see the boring side of hunting on occasion. I liked the static effect on the screens to disguise Pestilence!
I do have a hard time with all the sickness scenes, though, so I forward through those. YUCK. The actor is great, though.
I always forget that CAS is the one that actually overpowers Pestilence and cuts the finger off. Yay, Cas!
LOVE Crowley in this episode. He is at his most snarky and petulant. HEHE. SO MANY good one liners!
The conversation about the Crowley/Bobby kiss didn’t age well with Bobby being SO outraged over the kiss, BUT I still love that Crowley actually took a picture.
Never noticed the UGLY shirt Sam’s wearing when he has the talk with Dean in the garage. It has glowy red snaps and some weird flower pattern. Yikes.
I love the scene where Crowley gives Bobby the use of his legs back. There is so much tension at first and they’re all stuck in such dire outlook of the future, but in that one tiny moment Sam, Dean and Bobby all look SO HAPPY and awestruck – it’s lovely.
Any scene EVER with Julian Riching’s Death in it are favorites of mine! He is soooo dammed great and the way he and Jensen play off each other is such a treat to watch. It all starts with the pizzeria scene in this episode, of course, and sets the tone perfectly for their later “relationship”. Dean never loses his respect and slight fear over dealing with DEATH while at the same time trying to keep his bravado showing. It’s delicious to watch Jensen bring that to life so convincingly. Through HIS reaction we are never left forgetting how powerful Death really is.
One of my favorite Bobby lines ever is also in this episode “Highkicks – Fair. Boobs need work.” HAHA
The last line of the episode is stupid….”What are you afraid of, Dean? Losing or losing your brother?” Well. DUH. Whaddaya think?
Anyhow. GREAT episode otherwise.
LOVED early Crowley!!! He was so much more British in his dialogue with things like “fancy a fag and a chat” and such.
Mark S. is so fun to watch in his character choices, speech patterns, gestures. A real delight.
And he has such great dialogue and the perfect way to deliver it. The fact that “they ate my taylor” is so much more important than the burnt down house….lol.
He is SO DEVIOUS!! And completely unapologetic! Love him so much.
Glad to see Eric Jonson as Brady. He was Whitney on Smallville for all of season 1 and 2 and I really liked the actor. He was totally sweet, earnest and square in Smallville as Lana Lang’s boyfriend and he’s so evil here. Nice job.
LOVE the scene with Sam and Bobby on the phone! It’s a rare moment of total open conversation between them. Sam lets himself be vulnerable in asking for Bobby’s opinion on his plan, before even alluding to Dean about it, and Bobby is immediately and wonderfully “fatherly” protective.
I thought the most important insight in this episode was the interesting twist with Brady being part of Sam’s past and how demons were placed around him to plant game pieces and keep Sam on track! And the fact that Brady is the one who killed Jessica was particularly hurtful. (There’s a lot of iconic Sam slanted “cat eye look” in this episode. HAHA. Poor guy’s constantly pissed or suspicious) GLAD that Sam’s view of the bigger picture won out over his impulse to kill Brady at the first encounter!
GODS, I wouldn’t use water from the GRIMEY sinks Sam and Dean keep using!! YUCK.
I LOVE the moment where Dean catches the coin and Sam barks “I TOLD you” and Dean does the funny little body wiggle and says “Well, good for youuuu.” Too funny.
The hellhound standoff and fight is AWESOME!! I hope they’ll talk about HOW that was done in the SPN Then and Now podcast when they get to this episode!
The scene with Sam killing Brady is a little superfluous to me. I like that Dean lets Sam have some revenge on the demon on Brady, but we don’t learn anything new in the scene and it drags on too long.
Bobby and Crowley together are also great fun to watch! I am not crazy for the idea that Bobby would agree to sell his soul to Crowley for Death’s location….but then we don’t know yet what selling your soul does to you.
Even though not much happens in this episode, I really enjoy it because of all the Crowley time!
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CRAP….ok, writing my review again….I typed it here and hit submit and it kicked me out. GRRR.
I always LOVED this episode for the distinct SPN way to deal with the Judeo-Christian religion’s arrogance by throwing most other pantheons in the world at it! HA!
Kali’s speech says it all and makes a brilliant point! Everyone else has been on this planet longer! There are BILLIONS of people believing in other religions! By those pure facts Christianity is NOT superior to any of the older religions.
Of course, then we see that none of the other religions have it all figured out either. Their gods are just as flawed and vulnerable to human emotions like jealousy, power hunger, deceit, need for approval and so on and prone to bad decision making. Still, I appreciate the effort they put in to avert the apocalypse (and thank the writers for coming up with this).
Really enjoyed the little montage giving us a quick clue as too how some of these gods are. I thought the guest actors chosen were very good and brought their roles to live convincingly. (Although, Odin REALLY ought to have only ONE eye! It’s important.)
The actress playing Kali was appropriately cold and terrifying! Very scary.
It’s also hilarious how she cuts down Dean’s advance without even looking and with only one word “NO”! Although…..judging by later action from Gabriel with her….maybe she’d found Dean very interesting if he’d not taken no for an answer. LOL.
It’s sweet how Dean is hanging on to the believe that they cut a lucky break with this swanky and awesomely retro hotel for as long as he can while Sam is suspicious all along. I mean, who DOESN’T love a pie buffet and chocolates on your pillow? (“Please let it be tomato soup.” Hehe)
Later, I LOVE Dean’s bravado in standing up to a room full of gods and the way we can clearly see how terrified Dean is to do it, but how he completely believes it’s the only way to at least try to get out of the mess. At the same time Sam gives him the gigantic eyeroll, but we also see with him that Sam’s scared for Dean. GREAT acting on both sides.
There are a lot of fun twists and turns in this episode! Very enjoyable to watch, even for the umpteenth time.
I think it’s one of RSJ’s best episodes! He really shows a lot of different layers to his character here. Love his snark, his confidence, his way to try to play both sides, but there are also softer moments when talking to Kali and later Lucifer. Really nice!
The scenes between Gabriel and Lucifer are very impactful. Both actors must have had a blast playing these. I am STILL shocked every time that Lucifer DOES kill Gabriel in the end.
Lucifer’s entrance is great, brutal and indifferent, and although I don’t like that Lucifer is automatically more powerful than all the older gods, I can understand that it would be the case on U.S. territory where Christianity reigns (as misguided as it so often is).
I also always loved that the big reveal regarding the Horsemen’s rings and Lucifer’s cage is delivered by Gabriel inside the Casa Erotica video!! How very appropriate for the Loki personality of Gabriel and a brilliant way to make sure Dean actually listens.
I have to admit that I never watch the very end of this episode anymore! Pestilence’s arrival on the scene and his contamination of the gas station is JUST TOO GROSS for me.
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AMAZING Episode!!!
SO much happening, it’s hard to believe it’s only 45 minutes.
Yeah, JBB, that scene at the bar where Zachariah is bitching about work like a normal human with very relatable complaints is PERFECT. He complete disregards for anything but himself is so clear on display and brilliantly portrayed by Kurt Fuller. So much fun to watch him being the arrogant ass he is.
TOUGH scene between Sam and Dean in the beginning. Dean still in giving up mode, Sam won’t let him. Dean giving him shit about running himself and daring him to try and stop him when he’s “not all hopped up on demon blood.” But I also think that this scene clears the air a little and I like that Sam admits that he was wrong for many times he ran away.
OOFTA, the scene between Dean and Bobby (and Sam) is another doozy! Dean’s all itching to get to say yes and at least save as many people as he can by letting Michael ride him, reminds me of Sam in season 4 being all convinced that only he can save the world by letting the demon blood give him strength…. Shame that Dean can’t see that in this moment and remember that it’s never boded well for them to have an outside influence dictate their actions.
Him snarking at Bobby that he’s not his father is a low blow, but shows how on edge Dean truly is here. But it still stings majorly! And the way Bobby responds with showing them the gun and single bullet and telling Dean that he’s only hanging on because Dean has demanded that he wouldn’t give up is the PERFECTLY chilling counter! WOW.
I love how they show us Cas’ strength by the way he pulls Adam out of his grave with one hand. It’s awkward and funny, but also reminds us that Cas has great power.
I remember watching this the first time I had hope that maybe NOW the three brothers would have a new start and get to know each other for real a little. But we immediately find out that the angels have gotten to him already and tainted his perception of Sam and Dean. SO SAD!
I did always find it a little annoying that Adam was THAT gullible! Him buying the whole promise the angels made to him about seeing his mom again seemed very childlike to me. I wish the writers would have given us some nugget of knowledge how Adam might have been brought up in a religious household to give this some believability for me. BUT Jake did a great job playing Adam and making him seem both younger that the age he was supposed to be by this naiveté and older that his age in his demeanor. Hard to pull off.
It’s a little funny how Dean seems to be feeling insulted by having been moved on from! HA! He didn’t want to be an angel condom….then he wanted to say yes….and now THEY don’t want him anymore and he’s pissed about THAT.
HEARTWRENCHING scene in the Safe Room between Dean and Sam. UGH. Understandable that Dean feels still betrayed and hurt and scared Sam’s gonna make a wrong decision again, but MAN…harsh words “I don’t believe in you.”!!!
But I LOVE that it’s not deterring Sam from still having ALL the trust in Dean and telling him so in that later Safe Room scene when he uncuffs Dean. Both scenes have so much honesty from them, even if it’s harsh to hear, it’s refreshing and the only way they can function together successfully.
Good balance between those two scenes.
Another great scene is when Cas finally snaps and gives Dean a piece of his mind that he rebelled for him and gave everything up for him and that he expected better! Dean needed to hear that. Needed to know that someone as powerful as Cas had the faith in him to be able to stand up to Heaven, even if that believe is currently called in question.
Great twist to find out that Zachariah only every needed Adam as BAIT! WOW. Adam only ever gets screwed in this show. Poor guy.
ANOTHER every greater twist to see Dean actually has a plan…or maybe it just occurred to him, like he later says to Sam, but we are fully let to believe that this is IT. Dean is back to being desperate to save his family and willing to do anything. Well, he had told Sam he would say YES, but Sam and we didn’t REALLY believe that, did we. That whole scene is such a rollercoaster of emotions until Dean looks at Sam and fucking WINKS!!!! HA!
OUR DEAN IS BACK! Snark in the face of impossible odds, check! Brave action with split second’s notice, check! Putting family first, CHECK!
Stabbing the surprised Zachariah in the head! YES!
And the last scene in the car is also wonderful. Really making me believe that Dean has had an attitude adjustment and is back in the saddle.
LOVE that he gives Sam the acknowledgement that he’s a grown man and deserves some respect, but that Dean is still his big brother and always will be. AAAWWW.
I LOOOOVE THIS SHOW!!! SO SO SO GOOD!
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Very good episode….and I HATE it. LOL
The story is interesting and scary and ominous and seems very very real. Looking at a community of “believers” led by a false prophet and the fall out from that has not lost its punch or significance even now. Or maybe especially now, when anything from a crooked politician like Trump to some nameless, faceless hate-sayer on Twitter to some brainless Tic Toc influencer is enough for HOARDS of people to run after them and preach their crap without thinking or research or even applying a shred of common sense.
Watching this episode reminds me of all that’s wrong with TODAY’s world. That said, it’s great TV because exactly that same reason.
The guest stars are as always very well cast! Pastor Gideon and Leah are both believable.
I HATE the episode, because I HATE seeing Dean like this – hopeless, disinterested, going through the motions without any clear goal in sight. UGH! Coming directly on the heels of the visit to Heaven and the realization that no help from on high is to be expected, Dean seems to have given up trying. The difference here to me is that Dean isn’t desperate. We’ve seen him desperate and sad and cornered and still snarky and ready to punch something until it’s over. But here he’s – EMPTY. Out of gas and disengaged and THAT we haven’t seen from Dean Winchester and it’s impactfully awful!
It’s also painful to watch how Sam is trying so hard to get Dean’s head back in the game. Get him some motivation back and make him understand that they are not out of moves.
Sam is impressive in this episode to me because he’s carrying all the weight in a way. I love how he at first seems to be ready to buy into the community sense, the hunting with back up etc, but quickly becomes suspicious and starts to see it for what it is.
Dean is no real help right now. Then he has to wrangle a drunken Cas into a semblance of himself (SUPER FUNNY SCENES! Love both Jared and Misha in this) and try to convince the Padre to kill his own daughter. And then he watches helplessly when Dean runs away. Poor Sam, he really had a shit load of heavy crap on him this episode.
It’s also really interesting how killing the Whore of Babylon, which can only be done by a true servant of heaven, seems to be the thing convincing Dean to give up on Team Free Will and say yes to Michael. In a way it seems like a further giving up. It’s not a way to take action but to give over control to someone else. VERY UNLIKE Dean Winchester.
And of course his “good bye” scenes with Lisa are absolutely heartbreaking. Both actors are stellar in these moments. The way Cindy makes us see how happy Lisa is to see Dean with a tentative, very controlled, but no less intense joy; then we can clearly feel the desperation to keep him there (Take the damned beer, Dean!) and the quiet but profound sadness when she realizes this isn’t a reunion but a good-bye; it’s ALL BRILLIANT! She is so real and relatable in this role and it all plays beautifully off the depth of emotions we are used to seeing from Dean.
Some of my favorite – sad – moments in the whole series here! And I love that they DIDN’T kiss here. It made the unfulfilled hope even more palpable.
Yeah, GOOD episode but very difficult to watch for me.
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