Sam jumping in and preventing Dean from shooting Ruby was a truly shocking moment that I’m amazed wasn’t talked about more. There has been growing conflict between these two all season, and that was a big, fat warning sign that in a snap moment, Sam might not choose his brother’s side. We end up seeing that issue again a few episodes later. Sure, we know Sam would die for Dean, but when it comes to Ruby, Sam’s head is not in the right place. That’s exactly what Ruby hoped to accomplish and she’s succeeding big time.

Sam finally admitted what everyone’s speculated all season long — he’s turning into Dean. That was even proven earlier in the episode when for the first time ever, Sam gave the rock star aliases instead of Dean (loved Bachman and Turner). Except, I think Sam is wrong. He’s not turning into Dean. He thinks he’s turning into Dean. What’s really happening is Sam has lost his perspective, and thus himself. His single obsessive thought is he has to save Dean, and each day his anxiety grows, as well as his depression, because he can’t find a way to do that. He thinks that following the WWDD (What Would Dean Do) mantra will give him guidance, but he’s getting it wrong because compassion for humanity (and bunnies) and a conscience are missing from his view. Whoever he is, he’s not Dean, and he’s not Sam, either.

With that in mind, the ending gets all that more interesting since it ties to Ruby’s definition of hell. If hell is forgetting who you are, then it sounds like Sam’s the one headed there, not Dean. So the question is does that point really mean something, or is it a clever writer screwing with us? Only time will tell, but that’s why this show is so fun to analyze. The “demons are humans” twist was clever considering Dean’s bias that all demons are evil and must be killed. Now he’s going to become one. That gave us a horror from this episode that actually didn’t involve gore. I wished Sam was there though, with his sad, puppy dog eyes, to share in that crushing blow. That would have pushed the brotherly angst up several notches.

This was Ruby’s best episode so far (although she also won me over in “Jus In Bello” too), and I love the element she brings to the mytharc. Does Ruby remember what it’s like to be human? In this show, I’ve found demons don’t really lie as much as they speak in half-truths. Sure, Ruby remembers what it’s like to be human, but it’s not the reason she’s helping the Winchesters. She’s doing that to get in Sam’s good graces to tap into that power he refuses to acknowledge. Her motives are deliciously vague, and I’m looking forward to them getting deeper exploration in future episodes.