Supernatural: The Devil You Know

Oh, My Word, Would You Look At Sam’s Hair!
by Sylvia Bond
Supernatural Episode Review – Season 5, Episode 20
“The Devil You Know”

Let’s just start off with what I didn’t like about this week’s episode, and then talk about what I did like. It’ll end up being a 50/50 split, but I think that’s the only way to get through the mixture of pretty and sparkly vs. the banal and ill-advised, and, in short, the hodgepodge of ideas that made up this week’s chapter in the story that, once upon a time, used to be about the Winchester boys saving people, hunting things.

The intro bit, where we get dialog between two lab assistants about the plague, followed by their bloody deaths while monkeys screamed, was too long. The scene a) didn’t have either boy in it, and b) didn’t establish anything that couldn’t have been set up by the subsequent scene, which a) had the boys in it and b) talked about the plague in large and broad terms so even the people in the cheap seats could get what was going on.

Then there’s the scene where Crowley shows up. Later I discuss what I liked about the scene, but for now I’d like to lodge a complaint. Crowley tells the boys he can help them get to Pestilence and subsequently the ring he wears. When the boys are able to collect all four rings, they can work on a plan to trap Lucky in hell. Since this is such a big deal, why can’t the boys instigate their own plan? Perhaps they could stumble upon the factoid that Crowley is the only one who can get them close, and then they look him up? Otherwise, they’re waiting for stuff to happen to them. And when the boys hide out from their own plot like that, it gets rather sedate and not very engaging.

Then there’s the corporate meeting where Mr. Brady (the CEO) postures and stomps and then kills the only man bold enough to stand up to him. He’s obviously a bad guy and we didn’t need to see him kill anyone to prove that; just the fact that he’s a CEO is enough. The scene is again too long and is overkill in setting up the whole plague scenario. In fact, Show could have given us this scene OR the lab scene, but we didn’t need both. The conversation Brady has with his “boss” via the goblet of blood was also too long. (The boys in the masks were cute and proved very adroitly that they could act through their eyelashes.)

Then there’s the scene where Crowley reveals how he found the boys. Apparently he’s got a magical coin that he planted on the Impala several episodes ago. The coin allows him to follow where the boys go. So, if he can do it, why couldn’t any demon (or angel or human, for that matter) plant a similar coin and be able to follow the boys? Or, in keeping with these modern times, couldn’t anyone plant an electronic bug? Heck, they could even plant it in the boys’ clothing or their shoes, some place the boys would never suspect.

But, more importantly, the magical coin that Crowley’s valet planted on the boys rather renders the special tattoos on the boys’ ribs as a moot point. The marks that hide the boys can be gotten around and are no longer special, so Show might as well erase them from future scripts, because they don’t work as intended. (Then later, we find out that Crowley had a magical coin planted on him. See? Pretty soon, everyone is going to have one of these things. Then the boys will have to figure away around those, and then the bad guys will have to work their way around that, and pretty soon we’ll have DEFCON One. Can’t we just all get along?)

Then there’s the scene where Crowley wants Dean to come on a hunt with him, and doesn’t want Sam to come along. Sam protests, and Dean states that he believes Crowley. And then off he goes, leaving Sam in the abandoned house. First off, Dean doesn’t trust demons, any demons, least of all one who has already screwed them over, so there’s no way he’d be doing what Crowley recommends. Second off, and perhaps more importantly, Dean would never go off without Sam. They’ve sworn an oath of fealty to each other. Dean made promises to Sam with his eyes and his mouth and his whole body.

It is out of character for either of them to go off without the other, especially for Dean, since Sam has a history of wandering off on his own more than his brother. Sam might have done it at one point, Dean might have done it at one point, but they are too close to the wire now for either of them to go haring off, and especially not with a demon. Their days of leaving the other one behind are O-V-E-R, so it was sloppily applied as an easy plot device.

Not to mention, since when do Sam and Magical Bobby have heart to hearts while drinking whiskey? I can see them both drinking whiskey to drown their troubles, but not while talking to each other. Dean has the kind of relationship that if Sam went off without him, he would call MB and they might have a nice little bitch and moan session about Sam. As to Sam’s dialog, it was more along the lines of what Dean might say, and was out of character for Sam. It’s like the writers decided to switch characteristics at the last minute and didn’t really quite think it through.

Then, when Crowley and Dean return with the demon Mr. Brady (the name for this character made me laugh, for obvious reasons) it turns out that Brady is an old pal of Sam’s, from Stanford. In fact, Brady is the one who introduced Sam to Saint Jessica in his Sophomore year. My problem here is not that an old pal pops up and it turns out he was a demon all along. That’s kind of cool. My problem is that the character of Brady is completely retconned.

I could stand to be corrected, but we’ve not heard about Brady before this, even though you would think that Sam’s memory of the person who introduced him to his beloved Jessica would loom rather large in that brain of his. But no, he’s never spoken of him from that day to this. And secondly, why didn’t Show use a friend of Sam’s who we already had met? Remember Luis? He was the young man who was dressed as a ghost and was hanging around Sam and Jessica while they were on a date celebrating Sam’s terrific LSAT scores. In fact, he was creepily hanging around, and could easily have been used as the meatsuit for the demon now parading as Brady. Brady, we don’t know from Adam. But this guy? Luis? He’s established AND creepy. Why not use him?

Then there’s the scene between MB and Crowley, where Crowley is willing to give MB his every wish in exchange for borrowing his soul for a little while. I did appreciate that MB wanted nothing to do with Crowley, and it wasn’t a bad little scene. I like it when MB shoots at people and growls at them to get off his property.

But once again, there are no boys. It’s bad enough that the boys are continually hiding from their own plot, but the scene was too long. And then the ep is over, leaving me confused because absolutely nothing happened. The boys were led a merry chase by a demon, and then didn’t even end up with Pestilence’s ring like they wanted to. What’s the point in a chunk of story if it doesn’t move the plot forward?

Was there anything good about the ep? Well, there was, enough to keep me watching all the way through. Heck, there were even a few scenes that in spite of my having to turn off my inner willing suspension of disbelief, I rewatched then and there because they were so darned pretty. I’ll start at the top and work my way through, and you see whether or not you agree.

I liked the scene where the boys are driving the Impala in the rain. That’s always a good sign and I was happy with it being there, though I really wish that Show would put the boys in the teaser more than they do. The lighting is good (rain-speckled boys are always yummy), and the dialog is interesting. Sam and Dean have MB on speaker phone and, of all things, they are dithering about a gig. The humor is underplayed and the bon mots aren’t overdone. For example, the boys are cute when they say “east?” at the same time. And the boys are obviously in sync with each other, and that’s a very good sign.

Then Crowley shows up. I rather like this demon, partly because he occupies such a grey area (as a demon should) you never know which way he is going to jump. And because of that, you end up tense the entire time he is on screen. I also like him because he comes across as a young Oliver Reed, who even when he was playing a nice character had such a wild look in his eye, I always had the feeling he could flip out any minute. (Especially when he played Bill Sikes in the musical Oliver! I think he cemented, then and there, my adoration for dark haired, bad-boys.)

More goodness ensues in this tiny little scene as Crowley and the boys have an argument on the street. The lighting team did such a good job, seriously. The whole time, Sam is about to come undone, on account of he feels it is Crowley’s fault about the Colt not working. But then, who trusts a demon these days? He really only has himself to blame. Anyway, the really cool angle of the streetlight flickers in Sam’s eyes and his hair is sweeping along the sides of his face, and he’s on fire. Pissed Off Sam is a good flavor, and we get to see lots of it this week. (And Padalecki, I have a feeling, must have been very pleased to be able to finally turn up the volume on this character, both actually and metaphorically.)

In the same scene, it’s fun when Crowley tells Dean to get his “dog” under control. Not that Sam is (or ever has been) anyone’s pet, or that Sam isn’t his own master. It’s just that a line like that from Crowley (a demon who is familiar with the boys) speaks of his awareness that the only one who can tell Sam to stand down is Dean. The single line acknowledges the current rapport between the boys, and that’s the way I like them to be. (I like it when they argue too, but they always need to make up before they go much further.) And I especially like the way Dean is very calm and trying to understand what’s going on, and all the while, Sam is chomping and snarling and twitching like he wants nothing more than to rip into Crowley.

The three of them troop off to a grotty squat in the middle of nowhere, where Crowley has been hiding out. Though I do appreciate those times that the boys get to stay in more luxurious places, I love these worn-out kinds of abodes because they feel like appropriate places for the boys to stay in. I also liked the statement Crowley makes when he chortles about the “things” he’s heard while his tracking device was in the Impala. What things??? Inquiring fans what to know.

Crowley wants Dean to go off with him to get to the Stableboy of the Four Horsemen, and thence to Pestilence. If, IF I can turn off my internal logic that says that Dean would never ever, ever go off not only with a demon but also without Sam, then I rather like the scene where Sam and Dean have an argument about it. At first Sam is just bitching because he thinks the whole idea is a bad one. He’s all torqued up about it, but messing with the weapons they might need. Then, when Crowley snubs him and says he can’t go, Sam’s completely on the verge of flipping out, all wired and ready to bite, and that, my friends, is the dark side of Sam that I like to see. It’s not just the lighting here that makes him so beautiful, though it does that, it’s the simmering rage overlaid with restraint, which Padalecki does very well.

Same goes for the phone conversation between Sam and MB. If I can turn off my internal logic that tells me this scene should not be taking place, I can enjoy it. After all, what’s not to like about the vision of Sam dappled with the flickering shadows from the fire in the hearth? He’s all golden and smoky (somehow at the same time), and seriously, give that lighting team a raise, won’t you?

And okay, so while Sam wouldn’t be confiding in MB like this, I liked it when he asks MB about the time he was possessed and how he managed to wrest control back from the demon possessing him. Because that question, in turn, leads to what I’ve been thinking might happen all along, and that is, Sam considering saying yes to being Lucky’s meatsuit. Things are looking dire, and the good guys are running out of options. Sam’s been playing the hero lately, so naturally, a little self sacrifice to save the world isn’t that far afield.

Sam is full of Dutch courage (desperate and wound up the entire time) and starts implying what he thinks he ought to do. The line where Sam spells out his idea to MB is classy: “What if you guys lead the devil to the edge, and I jump in?” After which Sam assumes he can take back “the wheel” and all will be well. Except that the demon he’s allowed to possess his body would be none other than the Morning Star himself, and it would get a little more tricky to get away with than your average, everyday demon. MB rightfully objects; he doesn’t want either boy to die a hero’s death, obviously, and neither do I. That is, I don’t want them to die, period.

Crowley leads Dean to the place where Brady is hanging out. Dean goes up and tries to cut a deal to return the two rings the boys have, in exchange for help from Brady. We get loads of snarly-and-sarcastic Dean, and then out-of-his-depth Dean, and lastly (but not leastly) Dean Whumpage. (Ackles is completely able to flip through these changes in attitude with as much deftness as a hustler working a Find the Lady card game, that is to say, very well indeed.) As for the whumpage, as to this date, no one has called me out on liking such a scene and I am too far gone to try and justify it anymore. Dean’s a soldier, he can handle it. (And the blood artists do a mighty fine job, as well.)

The whole thing was a ploy to trap Brady, and an opportunity for Crowley to show his darker side as he bashes Brady’s head in with a crow bar. Nice, right? When Dean objects, Crowley says, “That’s what you get, working with a demon.” Which is perfect, because demons aren’t nice, and they aren’t trustworthy. Hopefully Show will go on making demons these types of darker, nastier characters, and not defang them anytime soon.

On the way back to the ranch, it becomes clear that Brady and Sam have history. (See aforementioned rant about Brady being a retconned character.) But anticipating Sam confronting this history was rather delicious. He’s already pissed off, see, and this just sends him right up to the edge. There’s more simmering rage laced with quickly eroding restraint. When Brady taunts him, Sam is Off The Chain, and oh, mercy, how fun that is to watch. The only thing that can keep him from ripping Brady a new one, of course, is Dean, because that’s what brothers are for.

The conversation between the two demons (or even between Crowley and Dean) isn’t as fun as what follows. Dean takes a moment to step into the appropriately grotty bathroom to sluice his face with cold water. At the moment he looks up (nicely dripping wet) Sam braces a chair again the door handle to lock Dean in. I’m a nice, calm fan (as you know), but when I saw this, I said to myself, “Oh, yeah! Let’s go kill us some demon, Sam!”

I wanted him to kill Brady, I really did. Right then and there, with Dean locked in the bathroom, powerless to stop him. Also, I thought the scene portrayed a shift in the balance of power between them. Yes, Dean usually calls the shots, and he trusts Sam to back him up. But sometimes, little brother has to make up his own mind, and I very much appreciate it when he steps up to the plate.

Naturally, there’s a tete a tete between Sam and Brady. It’s pretty typical demon-meets-hero stuff. In it, Brady torments Sam with all the lies that Sam fell for, all the times when he never knew that Brady was a demon. And all the while, Sam simmers. He’s handsome when he’s furious, as well. There’s a hectic flush to his cheeks, his lips are rosy and his eyes sparkle like emeralds. His Samhair spreads like inky tendrils across his noble brow. (Hey! It’s not my fault that a description of the guy reads like a romance novel! It’s the lighting guys and Padalecki, they’re the ones doing this. I’m just writing down what I see.)

Most interestingly, we find out that the demon Brady was not only responsible for introducing Jessica to Sam. We also find out that the demon Brady was responsible for toasting Jessica on the ceiling. It’s really kind of cool to find out (after four and ½ years) that it wasn’t the YED who killed her, it was this guy. Retconned? Sure. But I love the quick little flick of reaction on Sam’s face; his eyes almost roll up into his head, like he’s just received a very potent shot of demon blood, and is fighting it.

Then, when the demon goes on about the cookies Jessica was baking and how surprised she was to see Brady, Sam comes unglued. He’s about to slice Brady into many little pieces, but at the last minute, he pulls back. In spite of his rage, he sees the bigger picture. He goes back into restraint mode, simmering under the surface like he does, and looking, oh, so pretty while he does it. (Also, there are many delicious Samhair moments throughout the confrontation, so I’m a very happy fan with this scene.)

Crowley returns, and scares the bejesus out of Brady when he announces that he’s told everyone he and Brady are in cahoots. Now Brady is on the Naughty List. While I don’t like these twists and turns to be about any character other than the boys, I like the homoerotic undertones that Cowley adds to the mix. When Brady proves difficult, Show introduces hellhounds, which any demon on the Naughty List is appropriately afraid of. Even more appropriately, Dean is instantly freaked out, complete with mouth woobles and round-eyed terror. Dean terrified of hellhounds but nevertheless doing his best to fight them off never gets old.

This episode has many shifts in loyalties and alliances, but the biggest one is that after the hellhounds get done chasing Dean for a bit, Crowley comes in with his own hellhound. Who is, naturally, bigger than the hellhound currently chasing Dean. Crowley lets his hellhound loose and after some flashy hellhound-cam, Dean and the rest of the crew are rescued. But I’ve never heard about hellhounds being of different sizes, though I suppose they could be. It’s just that at this point, having Crowley in possession of a bigger hellhound, you might naturally assume that Lucky would have even bigger hellhounds than that, and it’s the magical tracking coin all over again. When will it end?

Last, but most assuredly not least, is the scene where Crowley leaves the demon Brady alone with the boys. The alley is dark and damp and messy (and probably smelly, though I don’t currently have smell-a-vision). Dean lays down a salt barrier, and Sam stands there, his demon-killing knife in one hand, his thighs braced, his Samhair curling slightly in the dampness. In a very calm voice, Dean says, “All those angels and all those demons, all those sons of bitches, they just don’t get it, do they Sammy.” Equally calmly, Sam says, “No they don’t, Dean.”

It’s a great little scene, partly because it says a lot about brotherly unity, and how the brothers are, at this moment, exactly in sync. And also (and maybe mostly) because Dean lets Sam off his “leash” and lets little brother have the opportunity to slice Jessica’s killer into tiny little pieces. There is no mercy in Sam’s eyes nor in his movements. Just a cobra-like fierceness, backing Brady up right to the wall, and tearing into him.

In spite of Brady’s taunts, Sam stays collected, as he slices and dices, and the moment he kills Brady, I could see that little twitch of his mouth that expresses his inner evil gladness. (The last time I saw that smirk on Sam, he was possessed by a demon and a very dark Sam he was indeed. But I like Dark Sam; I think he’s hotter than burning.) The moment is a long time coming, not only did Brady deserve to get whacked, Sam deserved to finally kill The Thing That Killed Jessica. Dean for his part observes and waits, and his is a complicit approval. Then Sam strides off, his outline as he exits the alley one of long-legged grace.

Which, except for the aforementioned scene between Crowley and MB is the end of the ep. But, as you can see, there were good scenes. Heck, there were even great scenes, full of brotherly togetherness, whumpage, angst, a little darkness here, a little Samhair there, everything a fangirl (or fanboy) could want. Huge chunks of dialog was inspired, the lighting was a blessing from above, and the boys, oh, the boys, were so pretty this time around. So brotherly. But is all that enough to overcome the clunky setup and the lack of internal logic? Maybe Show is just messing with fans and is scraping the bottom of the barrel and the Season will end with a standoff between Lucky and Mike, except Sam and Dean will be hiding in a closet somewhere. Or maybe Show has more cards up its collective sleeve. I reckon we’ll just have to wait and find out. Meanwhile, I have some Samhair scenes to go rewatch.

Sylvia Bond is a ten-year technical writing veteran with too many degrees under her belt to count. She lives in Colorado, but does not ski, preferring instead to spend her money and time at the annual Great American Beer Festival, taking road trips across the United States, and reading historical fiction from the comfort of her fluffy green arm chair. She has been involved in fandom since 1993 and been writing fanfic since approximately 1993. What she finds most amazing about fandom (besides the open heartedness of fans and the sheer amount of creativity) is how visible fandom has become. “In my day,” she says, “we had to hide behind P.O. boxes to get fanfic. But nowadays, people wear t-shirts that shout their affiliation and share their shiny toys on the internet.” It’s a wonderful world.

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