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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I guess it was bound to happen that we would disagree. But that's okay. I guess part of it is that I've been so disappointed by Show for so long that when this one came along and they didn't destroy Sam's progress and they actually had Dean make the biggest mistakes for a change, that I was willing to take that as liking it.
And as much as I like Crowley, I'm with you on the too much him, not enough boys. Especially with the last scene. Show seems to have fallen into that trap a lot lately, in giving the secondary characters far, FAR too much screen time and importance.
Well season 6 is fine as long as it is about the boys and not about some darned sloppy overall arc that has me pulling my hair!
Yes, that is what I meant by mercy killing. He did extinguish the demon and freed him from Lucky's torment. I'm sure he found some revenge in the act but it also kind of freed the demon.
Yes both boys need to get off show if it continues being like this. I'm sure they'd find better things to do. I doubt either of them will sign up for season 7 if asked.
Joan, I wish you would take a little time to really express yourself, you know? Come out of your shell a little bit. Say what you really think!
Jeeze, 1 through 7 taken as read and all true, every single one. As to the wrap up, I'm confused too. Do you think Show is taking the easy way out seeing as they're on the short list for another season next year? Still, the story has been drug out so long it's getting thin and whispy in the middle. They'd do better to finish up and start with the saving people, hunting things scenario that I love so well. (Beause it's all about what I want, right?And what you want, and what she wants, and he wants and they want…)
Ditto, ditto, Sam and Dean working as a team, really working, trusting each other, and not needing outside sources of help. Like that moment, when 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.” THAT. That's the moment, right there, it's the money shot and there isn't even any money around! I want that next season. And Samhair. Lots of Samhair.
Yes! I loved that moment when Dean and Sam were discussing 'that they just don't get it'. You are so right.
THAT was the money shot. I want that next season as well. And, of course….We can never get enough of Samhair. EVER.
Oh and yes I am beginning to think they are taking the easy way out because they got another season.
I want this season to end with a bang and then I want next season to return to the good old days of 'Saving People' and 'Hunting Things'. I do so miss the show being just about the boys. Cause we had more Sam and Dean..on the TV screen. And, it is about what you and I and all of the fans want!
oh…and the actor who plays brady did a great job. Finally there was someone on the show as tall as jared
I didn't notice Brady's height but yes, he did a great job, which was being as evil as it gets. Poor Sam. What I did notice is that Crowley looks ridiculously short (no offence intended) close to Sam. That's probably why he called Sammy a moose, LOL! By the way, I applaud the return of "Sammy" from Dean. I hadn't heard it for a while and I was getting worried. The use of "Sammy" is often an indication that Dean is taking care of his little brother. In this particular case, if little brother needs revenge, little brother gets it.
Ditto the numbers here, of course, but I really liked what you had to say in your rant about mixed feelings. Especially about the missing urgency – what apocolypse, what's that? Are you worried? I'm not! And I should be. The one visit that Dean-o payed to Lisa warning her, what's there to warn about. I simply am unconcerned and the boys don't seem much more worried than I am. Or you are. Or they are. They should be panicky and hanging out in underground bunkers while they do their best to plan, and playing rock, paper, scissors, lizard, Spock to see who will say Yes first!!! But no…just call Old Crowley or MB or the SA or the librarian at the local library and see what they tell you to do!!! Ah, me.
They really should be worried but maybe they know something we don't.
They had better not call anyone else…They have minds so they need to use them and of course they have muscles and weapons and fists they can use if they can't think of something.
No outside sources of help are allowed cause that always seems to work out so well in the end.
Whiskey, when I mentioned "bright minds" I was including you so feel free to anwer.
As for Crowley, if you ask me, he's working as a double agent for Lucifer to get Sam exactly where Lucifer wants him: in position to say YES. Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if Lucifer, being no fool – he's the Devil after all – knows about this plan with the rings and is just waiting for that to grab Sam.
yes, lots of samhair and an episode with him demo'ing to the fangirls how he styles it! seriously! next season should be devoted to all such stuff they denied the fans…details details details…how they fix each other up…how they wait their turns to use the shower…how dean gets sick with flu and sam tends to him…a fanfiction story every episode
This!!! Exactly THIS. Twenty-two eps packed solid with nothing but THIS. And don't forget grocery shopping, going to the laundromat and the movies, doing first aid, stitching up the holes in their socks (or do they just buy new ones?), and what type of hair product are they using? Soap? (What did Sam mean by "our soap?" anyway?) Yeah, more showering scenes….and TOWEL scenes. Plus, throw in some more of Dean getting all sweaty and greasy working on his beloved Impala, and Sam sprawled on a flat surface somehwere nearby, reading in the shade, throwing out bits of useless trivia that will some day prove quite useful and save their lives. Yeah.
This!!! Exactly THIS. Twenty-two eps packed solid with nothing but THIS. And don't forget grocery shopping, going to the laundromat and the movies, doing first aid, stitching up the holes in their socks (or do they just buy new ones?), and what type of hair product are they using? Soap? (What did Sam mean by "our soap?" anyway?) Yeah, more showering scenes….and TOWEL scenes. Plus, throw in some more of Dean getting all sweaty and greasy working on his beloved Impala, and Sam sprawled on a flat surface somehwere nearby, reading in the shade, throwing out bits of useless trivia that will some day prove quite useful and save their lives. Yeah.
OMG! You read my mind!! We do need more laundromat scenes and doing first aid. You are killing me! Showering scenes and towels scenes. Oh but you forgot the grave digging scenes where they BOTH get hot and sweaty.
I know how much you enjoy those….and of course I do as well.
I even miss the mundane scenes…you know….sitting around..drinking beers…Sam glued to his laptop doing research as Dean throws out some smartass comment. Oh…those were the days.
while dean sorts clothes for laundry by smelling them?
A fanfiction story for sure! I liked every one of your 'missing storylines'.
A fanfiction story for sure! I liked every one of your 'missing storylines'.
Yes, please, give me a moose for my birthday!
I read comments in other sites and people in general seem to agree that it's a reference to Sam's height. I found it funny that Dean managed to keep a straight face with the comment. I guess by now he's used to hearing stuff like this about his big little brother.
I don't think Sam thinks he's getting away with anything else than caging Lucky inside himself in the cage. It may not be a noble as Dean's sacrifices but as Brady said "Your hell really is right here." I don't think Sam feels he has anything left to lose since he bring nothing but misery to the ones he loves.
I want a moose like that, provided I don't have to pay to feed it. As long as said moose foots his own grocery bill we're in business.
I want a moose like that, provided I don't have to pay to feed it. As long as said moose foots his own grocery bill we're in business.
Yes, count me among those who are VERY VERY VERY worried about the wrapping up of the Apocalypse. I agree, there are loads of loose ends to tie, questions to be answered, conversations to take place, and go on. Where do I start? I too wish it be wonderful and unforgettable. But two episodes only?? I'm dreading the idea of them cramming events together hastily and clumsily in an attempt to cover everything and leaving behind important issues. Please show, make me a pleasant surprise!
Also, I want the final episode to be about the BOYS, not about Bobby, Castiel, Crowley or whoever. With all due respect to Bobby fans (I like him too), if there should be a cliffhanger, I don’t want it to be about Bobby’s soul. Let it be about the brothers and no one else. Please Kripke, remember where the spotlight belongs.
Yes, the final episode had better be about the BOYS! Or there will be a lot of unhappy fans out there.
You are so right about where the spotlight belongs.
I'm starting to think that if even if Sam were helping an old lady to cross the street, someone would still manage to find selfish reasons with him. In my samgirlish but very humble opinion, all he's trying to do is make amends for his past actions and get some relief for the enormous guilt he carries. If it takes a sacrifice from him to do so, then he'll take it.
Yes, Sam was desperate to talk to someone, and who else but MB…it just seemed out of the blue, since Sam has never heretofore this confided in MB.
Oh, you are funny, and so right. Ackles has chemistry with pretty much any actor, except for the one he's kissing, or might be kissing soon. He rocks at everything, though, so I'm content to watch him do his thing.
I think Brady would want to die quickly and at Sam's (georgeous, manly) hands than at the hands of Lucky, who would torment him for all eternity and then some. And I think Brady couldn't use his demon magic because he was tied up, and sitting on top of a demon trap?
There's no chance that I've heard of, but then, I don't attend to the teasers and snippets that are abounding on the interwebs, so I could be wrong. And yes! I wish the boys could be a part of their own story again!
Exactly. The conversation where we FINALLY hear what Sam is thinking and how he wants to do this (including the "I'm not doing it unless everyone is on board") was magical and like water in a desert. BUT. He's talking to someone who doens't really know him (cause yeah, anger management issues indeed!), and to whom he's never talked to before. Does it mean that a person can't suddenly, out of desperation, pick up a new pal to unload on? No, it doesn't, but you sure can't treat it like an everyday thing. I'm torn as I was so often in this ep, about the setup (unrealistic) for a scene, and the way the scene would go. Like this one. Sam has been demonstrating control for a while now, so what gives with MB flinging all this mud at him?
Ewww now I'm thinking of those baby bones in that Halloween episode and am hoping the boys hex bags just have cat or rabbit bones. We know they have to bury a bone from a cat (I think maybe a rabbit) in the box for a crossroad deal. It seems like a lot of the dark magic of the witches and demons on the show involves bones of some sort.
Well he wasn't just confiding in him, he was picking his brain. Except for MB the only two people he knows that fought off possession are unavailable. His dad is dead and Jesse's mother, I'm sure, has gone into hiding and would be difficult to find. So that leaves MB. The call was more a fact finding mission than let me share my feelings with you.
Is anyone else having trouble with the site? It's like there's an ad running that my computer doesn't like or something. It keeps hanging up my whole computer. If I close this tab, everything's fine, but with this one open, everything's slow than a pack of geriatric turtles. And it keeps eating posts, or telling me they're not viewable publicly.
Oh, yes! Good point, Sam wants it from the parental part of Dean. Can't forget The Dad! Sam and Dean never have, that's for sure.
You are not alone, it's happening to me too.
I agree with you. That Sam always saw Dean as kind of a father has been a belief of mine. There are many hints of that but I'll mention only a few. The most significant and defining moment to me was when Sam gave Dean the ill-fated Amulet. Since John failed and disappointed Sam, he chose – even if not consciously – DEAN to occupy John's role because deep down he knew that Dean would never fail him. Also, his greatest fear is to be rejected by Dean- see When The Levee Breaks – like a child whose greatest desire is to be loved by his father. In Metamorphosis, he was terrified for being caught by Dean using his powers. It reminded me of a child caught doing mischief. There's much more but then I could go on endlessley. And yes, Sylvia, more than anything he wants Dean to be proud fo him. So you can imagine how he felt when Dean told him in Point of No Return that he, Dean, didn't believe in him.
We're looking into it, Whiskey.
Site is running gangbusters on our end. I'm typing this post to test things out at the same time that Lisa is…let's see if they both can come through on the same internet connection at the same time.
It might just be a regional thing for you. Even with a database optimization going on, the site still loads quickly on our end. Our servers are in Canada, we're in Philadelphia, so that pipeline is going smoothly.
Maybe a computer reboot is in order?
Reboot didn't help. It's actually been doing this for several weeks now, the whole running super slow thing. It's not so much that the site loads slow, though it occasionally does that too. It's mostly that it responds badly when I'm here. Like right now, as I type, it's like something hangs it up, and though I"m pressing the keys, the actual letters appearing on screen are way behind what I'm typing. I'm no super speed typist either. Plus, if I leave this site up in the tab, then everything else on my computer runs wonky. As I said before, I've seen this happen with really invasive ads before, on sites that aren't as nice as this one. And in looking at my task manager, there is a spike in CPU usage that corresponds with the hang ups. My browser goes from using 0-2% all the way up to 50, 51%. And this computer is barely six months old. It's a Pentium dual core 2.6ghz processor with 6G of RAM. It's no supermachine, but it's fairly good.
Hi Sylvia
Part 1
Forgive me while I ‘rant’ for a moment.
I had mixed feelings about this episode, just like you. I don’t know. This season has been a strange one for me. On one hand, there have been some stellar episodes that just about destroyed me emotionally and there have been some episodes that were good but had several scenes that rewarded long time fans of the show. However, there have been a few ‘clunkers’ or ‘throwaway’ episodes as I prefer to call them which did nothing to move the storyline along. More than usual in my opinion. This season has been frustrating because I don’t feel it has been as cohesive as some of the other seasons were. And, I don’t feel an underlying sense of urgency which really should permeate every single aspect of this series right now. In fact, it should be at a boiling point at this stage in the game. The apocalypse is near so I would have expected there to be more tension, more whumpage, more soul searching and more meaty storylines, this late in the season. And, I want more Sam and Dean. More brotherly interaction. And, there were several times, during this episode, that I wanted to slap both Dean and Sam! I am going to switch things up this time…and start off with “things that made me want to scream out loud and throw things at my TV screen“ first before I finish with ‘things that made want to see this season through to the end”.
Things that made me want to scream out loud and throw things at my TV screen
1). Sam! Sam! Sammy! Don’t even go there!! Yet again…another Winchester who wants to sacrifice himself to save his family and or the world. What is it with the Winchester’s and their death wishes? This is so not going to end well!!
2). Dean going off with Crowley. Dean trusting a demon! WTH!!
3). Sam spilling his guts and sharing his inner most secrets with Bobby. That kind of sharing is only reserved for his brother Dean.
4). The character of Brady. I did enjoy the interaction with Sam (more on that below) but I agree with you…if he was so close to Sam…why have we not heard about him before now?
5). Not enough interaction between Sam and Dean. Yes, they were together..sparingly..but I wanted more interaction and dithering and bonding.
6). Where was Pestilence? Why introduce the fabulous ‘Max Headroom’ last week and then not have him appear in this episode at all?
Part 2
Things that made me want to see this season through to the end
1). Sam and Dean themselves are so exquisitely beautiful they still take my breath away. The older they get…the sexier and more gorgeous they have become. It was almost jarring….seeing Sam from
Season 1. He was so young and innocent. Now, he is harder and smoldering. As is Dean. Makes me miss the Dad even more when I gaze at the beauty that is Sam and Dean because JDM was smoking hot just like Sam and Dean have become!!
2). The character of Brady. Now, I have a hard time accepting the fact that we are just now hearing about Brady but the introduction of Brady allowed us to take pleasure in the return of the ‘darker version of Sam’…who I love more than I care to admit. I love how Jared just inhabits the ‘evil brooding Sam’. Seeing him like that is so gratifying. I like the ‘many layers’ of Sam’s persona. Makes him much more interesting.
3). Dean all bloody and beaten. I am such a twisted person…I love seeing Dean all bloody….especially when the blood is oozing down his gorgeous face. Bring on the whumpage! : – )
4). I am always amused when Dean is caught off guard. :- )
5). Sam taking charge. I loved every single minute of the scene when he killed Brady.
6). Dean standing back and letting Sam take care of Brady
7). The hellhounds always keep me off balance and scare the crap out of me
I honestly don’t see how they are going to wrap up ‘the end of the world’ storyline in only two episodes. There is too much left to do. So many storylines still unresolved. Too many conversations which need to occur. Questions which need to be answered. But, I truly hope the remaining two episodes deliver and I mean really deliver. I want to be bruised and beaten and worn out…by the time episode 22 is over. I want to scream and cry and feel something. I want to ache and hurt and I want my heart to be ripped out. I want to be surprised and astounded and ‘caught off guard’. I want to be ‘shell shocked’ at the end when my TV screen fades to black.
I want Sam and Dean to work together as a team…and I want them to figure out a solution ‘on their own’ because that was the whole point of Joshua’s conversation in ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’…. “God helps those who help themselves”. That saying keeps swirling around in my head. Sam and Dean are grown men now and when push comes to shove..they only have each other to count on. They don’t need Bobby or Castiel or Crowley or Rufus or anyone else. They need to dig deep and if the going gets tough..which we all know it will….they need to dig even deeper and find a way to end this without losing themselves along the way.
I want the Apocalypse to be memorable so bring it on!
Take care, Joan
PS. Next week I had better be a happy woman!
I clear all the browser info every day (this is my work computer), but I went ahead and did it again, both with the browser and with CCleaner, and I'm still having the same issue. It also does it to me on my home computer, which is even running a slightly different operating system (Vista 32-bit at home vs 64-bit at the office). So unfortunately, that trick didn't work.
Actually the boys planned on using salt in Crossroad Blues until they were told by George Darrow that goofer dust was better. So salt must also work just not as well. I loved that scene starting with Dean's line about him using the wrong condiment and George starting in on them.
Yeah, I was looking forward to him myself, what's up with that? Our only option is to hang in there, that or watch something else. But I'm committed. Or should be committed, I'm not sure.
Understood. Sam had the lead in this one and for that we will always be eternally grateful, amen.
The trap, need I add, includes the little teaser before the credits being about secondary characters too! Remember a few weeks ago? I think it was the zombie ep, or the plauge ep…anyway, the teaser starts out with Sam and Dean going screamingly fast on their way to escape whatever it is chasing them. Sam is wounded, and Dean is white knuckling it. Why can't eps start off being about the boys, continue with the same, and then END that way too? Is that asking too much?
Ditto the numbers here, of course, but I really liked what you had to say in your rant about mixed feelings. Especially about the missing urgency – what apocolypse, what's that? Are you worried? I'm not! And I should be. The one visit that Dean-o payed to Lisa warning her, what's there to warn about. I simply am unconcerned and the boys don't seem much more worried than I am. Or you are. Or they are. They should be panicky and hanging out in underground bunkers while they do their best to plan, and playing rock, paper, scissors, lizard, Spock to see who will say Yes first!!! But no…just call Old Crowley or MB or the SA or the librarian at the local library and see what they tell you to do!!! Ah, me.
yes, lots of samhair and an episode with him demo'ing to the fangirls how he styles it! seriously! next season should be devoted to all such stuff they denied the fans…details details details…how they fix each other up…how they wait their turns to use the shower…how dean gets sick with flu and sam tends to him…a fanfiction story every episode
yes, lots of samhair and an episode with him demo'ing to the fangirls how he styles it! seriously! next season should be devoted to all such stuff they denied the fans…details details details…how they fix each other up…how they wait their turns to use the shower…how dean gets sick with flu and sam tends to him…a fanfiction story every episode
I think I'm confused because you keep saying tattoos. You mean the rib carvings that Castiel did, right? If you read my original comment, you'll know what my thoughts are on that.
Rib carvings/tattoos, yes, in my mind they're the same, or about the same. Sorry if I was confusing. : D
Rib carvings/tattoos, yes, in my mind they're the same, or about the same. Sorry if I was confusing. : D
Yes, count me among those who are VERY VERY VERY worried about the wrapping up of the Apocalypse. I agree, there are loads of loose ends to tie, questions to be answered, conversations to take place, and go on. Where do I start? I too wish it be wonderful and unforgettable. But two episodes only?? I'm dreading the idea of them cramming events together hastily and clumsily in an attempt to cover everything and leaving behind important issues. Please show, make me a pleasant surprise!
Also, I want the final episode to be about the BOYS, not about Bobby, Castiel, Crowley or whoever. With all due respect to Bobby fans (I like him too), if there should be a cliffhanger, I don’t want it to be about Bobby’s soul. Let it be about the brothers and no one else. Please Kripke, remember where the spotlight belongs.
Yes, count me among those who are VERY VERY VERY worried about the wrapping up of the Apocalypse. I agree, there are loads of loose ends to tie, questions to be answered, conversations to take place, and go on. Where do I start? I too wish it be wonderful and unforgettable. But two episodes only?? I'm dreading the idea of them cramming events together hastily and clumsily in an attempt to cover everything and leaving behind important issues. Please show, make me a pleasant surprise!
Also, I want the final episode to be about the BOYS, not about Bobby, Castiel, Crowley or whoever. With all due respect to Bobby fans (I like him too), if there should be a cliffhanger, I don’t want it to be about Bobby’s soul. Let it be about the brothers and no one else. Please Kripke, remember where the spotlight belongs.
Well he wasn't just confiding in him, he was picking his brain. Except for MB the only two people he knows that fought off possession are unavailable. His dad is dead and Jesse's mother, I'm sure, has gone into hiding and would be difficult to find. So that leaves MB. The call was more a fact finding mission than let me share my feelings with you.
I think I'm confused because you keep saying tattoos. You mean the rib carvings that Castiel did, right? If you read my original comment, you'll know what my thoughts are on that.
I think I'm confused because you keep saying tattoos. You mean the rib carvings that Castiel did, right? If you read my original comment, you'll know what my thoughts are on that.
I'm saying that Brady doesn't matter. If they had meant for him to be a big deal, they would have made him a big deal. It was a one episode thing. Why is it so hard to accept that Sam had a good friend back at Stanford that we don't know about?
I just don't think it's a retcon situation. I think they expected us to be smart enough to accept that Sam had a good friend named Brady back at college, which we don't know all the details about, anyway. They decided to pull a character from that time and show us a little more about Sam's life pre-series. Nothing wrong with that.
"If they had meant for him to be a big deal, they would have made him a big deal. It was a one episode thing."
But they did make him a big deal. They made him Sam's best friend at Stanford, the guy who introduced Sam and Jess (on purpose) and the guy who killed Jess on the YED's orders. That's huge. If they'd introduced Brady and said he was Sam's Stanford-era best friend, but left out the parts about Jess, then it would be tolerable, because, as you said, it would have just introduced him without making him a big deal.
By giving him such important roles though, that's where they retconned. It's not a matter of being "smart enough" to accept something or not. It's bad story telling. As khek said, if he was going to wind up being the bad guy all along, then he should have been either introduced or mentioned long before his role was revealed (and as Sylvia and khek pointed out, this is all the more unforgivable because of Luis). If you just drag some random, brand new character out and make him your villain in the end, that's cheating, and very bad writing. Show's writer's have never been afraid of retconning when it suited them, and frankly, I don't think that's an indication of their trust in our intelligence at all. To me it seems quite the opposite. Either that or they think we're far more forgiving than we actually are. What ever the case, they're wrong. We're more than smart enough to notice, and we won't let it slide just to suit them.
"If they had meant for him to be a big deal, they would have made him a big deal. It was a one episode thing."
But they did make him a big deal. They made him Sam's best friend at Stanford, the guy who introduced Sam and Jess (on purpose) and the guy who killed Jess on the YED's orders. That's huge. If they'd introduced Brady and said he was Sam's Stanford-era best friend, but left out the parts about Jess, then it would be tolerable, because, as you said, it would have just introduced him without making him a big deal.
By giving him such important roles though, that's where they retconned. It's not a matter of being "smart enough" to accept something or not. It's bad story telling. As khek said, if he was going to wind up being the bad guy all along, then he should have been either introduced or mentioned long before his role was revealed (and as Sylvia and khek pointed out, this is all the more unforgivable because of Luis). If you just drag some random, brand new character out and make him your villain in the end, that's cheating, and very bad writing. Show's writer's have never been afraid of retconning when it suited them, and frankly, I don't think that's an indication of their trust in our intelligence at all. To me it seems quite the opposite. Either that or they think we're far more forgiving than we actually are. What ever the case, they're wrong. We're more than smart enough to notice, and we won't let it slide just to suit them.
I agree with Whiskey wholeheartedly. Brady is SUCH a big deal that he ends up being a demon that Sam shreds to peices with his demon killing knife, and not only that, Dean stands by and gives him the implicit permmission to do it. Not that Sam needed Dean's permission at that point, but he certainly wanted it, and Dean stood by and watched him do it. For Sam's character, being off the "leash" and unrestrained, giving into his darker impulses is an important marker, because then question then comes, will the geni go back in the bottle after you let him out? Will Sam now step down and calm down and be restrained once more?
Plus, what Whiskey said, ditto a million times. They made Brady a big deal simply by all the details they gave us about him, that told us in no uncertain terms that he was key in Sam meeting Jess, and that he was important enough to Sam that Sam worried when Brady seemed changed after Thanksgiving, and it sounded like Sam put a lot of effort getting Brady back on the right track. And, Brady was close enough to them to visit Jess while Sam was out of town.
I agree with Whiskey wholeheartedly. Brady is SUCH a big deal that he ends up being a demon that Sam shreds to peices with his demon killing knife, and not only that, Dean stands by and gives him the implicit permmission to do it. Not that Sam needed Dean's permission at that point, but he certainly wanted it, and Dean stood by and watched him do it. For Sam's character, being off the "leash" and unrestrained, giving into his darker impulses is an important marker, because then question then comes, will the geni go back in the bottle after you let him out? Will Sam now step down and calm down and be restrained once more?
Plus, what Whiskey said, ditto a million times. They made Brady a big deal simply by all the details they gave us about him, that told us in no uncertain terms that he was key in Sam meeting Jess, and that he was important enough to Sam that Sam worried when Brady seemed changed after Thanksgiving, and it sounded like Sam put a lot of effort getting Brady back on the right track. And, Brady was close enough to them to visit Jess while Sam was out of town.
It's not just that Sam had a friend back at Standford that we never heard about, I'm sure he had tons of friends who we will never meet on Show. But we met this friend, this particular friend, who not only was the villian of the peice, and had such a huge impact on the rest of Sam's life, was introduced without so much as a by your leave, as though he was of no consequence. You might be able to swallow that whole, but I am unwilling to. It's not that Show expected us to be "smart enough to accept that" it's that Show expected us to be oblivious to it and dumb enough to take it, and say "thank you sir, may I have another." Sorry. Not this fan.
It's not just that Sam had a friend back at Standford that we never heard about, I'm sure he had tons of friends who we will never meet on Show. But we met this friend, this particular friend, who not only was the villian of the peice, and had such a huge impact on the rest of Sam's life, was introduced without so much as a by your leave, as though he was of no consequence. You might be able to swallow that whole, but I am unwilling to. It's not that Show expected us to be "smart enough to accept that" it's that Show expected us to be oblivious to it and dumb enough to take it, and say "thank you sir, may I have another." Sorry. Not this fan.
I usually like Edlund's episodes but I wasn't really feeling this one. I liked the beginning with the introduction of the Croatoan virus, but it seemed like they dropped that storyline in order to focus on Crowley and Brady. I liked both Crowley and Brady as characters, but I felt like there was a bit too much focus on them and not enough movement on the mytharc storyline, the horsemen, and of course, Dean and Sam.
I really didn't think Dean was so OOC for working with Crowley. They can't afford to not follow up on every avenue regarding the rings and at least Crowley seems upfront about what he's in it for: HIMSELF. Sam said it himself in Changing Channels when HE wanted to work with the Trickster: "The world is gonna end, Dean. We don't have the luxury of a moral stand."
I also don't understand why it's such a big deal that Dean went with Crowley and Sam stayed behind. They have split up for cases many times before and it's not as if Dean snuck off in the middle of the night without leaving so much as a note for Dean. And Sam knew Dean was coming right back. So yeah… I don't understand Sam's emo issues or his drunk dialing Bobby about it. And I really do HATE Sam believing that he is strong enough to control THE DEVIL, who's also an archangel, when Sam couldn't even control Meg, a far less powerful demon.
I did appreciate Dean showing faith in Sam with Brady but again, that whole Brady killing Jessica retcon story was bogus. Personally I think Brady was lying and just trying to mess with Sam. And since when can't Dean get himself out of a locked bathroom? Sheesh.
I think my favorite scene is the hellhounds scene. Very cool.
My least favorite scene, probably in the entire history of the SERIES, was the awful final scene between Sam and Brady. What WAS that? Why was Sam in some sort of ninja stance, squinting and huffing throughout it? I don't normally criticize the actors but I really don't understand why he played the scene that way. And okay, I get that Brady was probably actually no longer alive, but still… the guy was Sam's friend. So I have a hard time believing that Sam, after stabbing him with the knife, would just walk away and leave his friend's body in some dirty alleyway. I really *hope* the look on Dean's face means that he's concerned about Sam's state of mind right now, but it would have been nice to have a Dean and Sam final scene instead of Crowley and Bobby. And I do understand that he wants to have faith in Sam, but I don't know… the combination of Sam feeling he's strong enough to control Lucifer and feeling that demon!Brady could be right about Sam feeling like he doesn't fit in with humans… this all scares me quite frankly.
So yeah, I wasn't very impressed with this one. Hopefully the last 2 episodes will really bring it!
Thanks for the review.
Sam couldn't get out of Meg because of the binding link Meg had placed on his arm which neither Bobby nor Daddy Winchester had when they were possessed. This is a very important detail which a lot of fans have forgotten in their haste to bash Sam. And I don't think Sam really feels he is strong enough to defeat Lucifer but rather he is trying to convince himself in his drunken state because he is in truth terrified. I disagree … it is a big deal that Dean went with Crowley because as much as it might be payback for Sam, Dean still turns out to be a hypocrite. Crucify me if you will but that is how I saw it.
I don't believe that I was "bashing" Sam here, but you are certainly bashing Dean with the "hypocrite" label. You are willing to give Sam the benefit of the doubt, but not Dean? Interesting.
I usually like Edlund's episodes but I wasn't really feeling this one. I liked the beginning with the introduction of the Croatoan virus, but it seemed like they dropped that storyline in order to focus on Crowley and Brady. I liked both Crowley and Brady as characters, but I felt like there was a bit too much focus on them and not enough movement on the mytharc storyline, the horsemen, and of course, Dean and Sam.
I really didn't think Dean was so OOC for working with Crowley. They can't afford to not follow up on every avenue regarding the rings and at least Crowley seems upfront about what he's in it for: HIMSELF. Sam said it himself in Changing Channels when HE wanted to work with the Trickster: "The world is gonna end, Dean. We don't have the luxury of a moral stand."
I also don't understand why it's such a big deal that Dean went with Crowley and Sam stayed behind. They have split up for cases many times before and it's not as if Dean snuck off in the middle of the night without leaving so much as a note for Dean. And Sam knew Dean was coming right back. So yeah… I don't understand Sam's emo issues or his drunk dialing Bobby about it. And I really do HATE Sam believing that he is strong enough to control THE DEVIL, who's also an archangel, when Sam couldn't even control Meg, a far less powerful demon.
I did appreciate Dean showing faith in Sam with Brady but again, that whole Brady killing Jessica retcon story was bogus. Personally I think Brady was lying and just trying to mess with Sam. And since when can't Dean get himself out of a locked bathroom? Sheesh.
I think my favorite scene is the hellhounds scene. Very cool.
My least favorite scene, probably in the entire history of the SERIES, was the awful final scene between Sam and Brady. What WAS that? Why was Sam in some sort of ninja stance, squinting and huffing throughout it? I don't normally criticize the actors but I really don't understand why he played the scene that way. And okay, I get that Brady was probably actually no longer alive, but still… the guy was Sam's friend. So I have a hard time believing that Sam, after stabbing him with the knife, would just walk away and leave his friend's body in some dirty alleyway. I really *hope* the look on Dean's face means that he's concerned about Sam's state of mind right now, but it would have been nice to have a Dean and Sam final scene instead of Crowley and Bobby. And I do understand that he wants to have faith in Sam, but I don't know… the combination of Sam feeling he's strong enough to control Lucifer and feeling that demon!Brady could be right about Sam feeling like he doesn't fit in with humans… this all scares me quite frankly.
So yeah, I wasn't very impressed with this one. Hopefully the last 2 episodes will really bring it!
Thanks for the review.