What an epic. Dean cracks, Sam cracks, Castiel cracks. It's not pretty, but it's pretty awesome.
Why are you doing this to me, show? Why are you subjecting me and millions of other fans to extreme heart failure after only two episodes back from hiatus? Why am I again reduced to a sorry pile of mush, unable to function? Why do I want to curl up with Dean in his hospital bed, hold on tight, and sob profusely with him? (Yeah, that doesn’t require a lot of thought.)…
Article comments
26 - trina
Here's the thing, for me at least. We had Sam saying he was weak, we had Alastair say it, and we had Dean himself say it. I'm not sure what else the writers can do to get people to admit that Dean is weak right now. They wouldn't have 3 different people say it if that wasn't the point they wanted to make. And you know what? If I was Dean I would be weak too. If I was Sam I would be weak. He's not going to be this way forever, and neither is Sam. It's all part of character arc, and will hopefully pay off in the end.
27 - Missy
Trina, I think the point is that all three are unreliable narrators.
Take Alastair. He's a demon. His entire purpose is to break Dean down, because Dean is the one fated to stop the apocalypse. If he's strapped to a rack and can't straight off KILL Dean at the moment, his goal is to convince Dean that he just can't do it.
Take Sam. He's a demon blood addict. His entire purpose is to convince himself that his addiction is necessary, that he's not really giving in because he likes the power ("You think you have good intentions? Think again."), but because he HAS to. Why does he have to, he reasons? Well, because Dean must be weak. However, Dean didn't fail to do the thing that Sam said he was too weak to do... he did torture Alastair. He was broken by the knowledge that he brought on the apocalypse, and physically broken because of Uriel's betrayal, but not because he couldn't do the job.
Dean. Dean, Dean, Dean. He's always had a low opinion of himself, hasn't he? From day one, he's been convinced that his leadership was insufficient and would lead to Sam's death (because of Something Wicked), his brutality frightened himself (Devil's Trap), his family doesn't need him like he needs them (Devil's Trap again), he can't do this on his own (Crossroad Blues). But every time, he's perservered and come through with a win. The boy doesn't know his own strength.
Now, reliable narrators that the show could use, if they wanted me to believe that Dean was truly weak, would be people like Castiel or Anna... people who have every reason to want Dean strong. If even THEY are saying that he's weak, that's convincing. But Alastair, Sam and Dean, like it or not, are Dean's biggest detractors. (Well, Sam is only some of the time... it's just, this is one of those times.) I wouldn't expect anything different from them, whether he was honestly weak or not.
I think, as others have said, that this is Dean's Gethsemane moment. But I think he has the resources within himself to pull through it, and to do what is required of him. He always does.
28 - Suze
Pre-Hell Dean's core belief was that he was a righteous person. Black and white, no shades of grey. He wouldn't sacrifice one person to save fifty in " Jus in Bello ". That was what made him tick, he might be a bit grubby but he had rock-hard principals.
Since Alistair blew a hole through his life script he's been twisting in the wind. He's lost his center, his sense of self. He will get it back though, because he's Dean, and that's what Dean does.
29 - Elle
Alice, as usual, your review was as fabulous as the episode it discussed! I love reading your work because it always offers insights that I've never even considered! I completely agree, this was totally an 11.
Some people said they didn't like the "angel stuff" but I thoroughly enjoy the ethereal storyline. Castiel is an incredible addition to the show - I love his character as much as I love our Winchester boys! The divine Misha Collins belongs in every episode, if you ask me.
One of the comments mentioned that they didn't think Sam was terribly concerned with Dean's well being and I have to admit, I kind of agree. Sam's entire reason for going after Dean was that he didn't feel Dean could get the job done; he didn't express worry over what it would do psychologically to his brother, at least not as his primary focus/drive. It also distressed me that Sam was okay with revealing this to Ruby. Certainly, at the hospital, Sam was worried about Dean no question - he did demand a miracle, and was clearly distraught over Dean's condition. But I don't believe that was at the forefront when he went after Dean and the angels. This is not me questioning Sam's love for his brother (or Sam-bashing either), but rather, I think Sam's priorities are becoming skewed. To me, it feels like Sam is desperate to prove that these powers he's using aren't evil, and that he can do good with them, despite the warnings of everyone in his life. But I think the powers (with the help of Ruby) have started to corrupt, consume and corrode Sam's character - he doesn't see how far he has slipped. His moral compass is no longer pointing due North, if you ask me. Someone likened Sam to an addict, and I think that is a fair comparison, down to the justification of what he is doing.
Dean - I have no words for the Hell that he is still in, emotionally, psychologically and now, thanks to a hefty beating, physically. Only one other time have we seen the Winchesters in the hospital in the last 3.5 years and that time a Mack truck was involved - so you know he must be hurt badly. He is completely devastated but I take issue with the word "weak" being used to describe him, because I don't think this is the right term. I don't feel that Dean's admittance of "not strong enough" equates to weakness. Frankly, the boy has always had a poor self-concept so his vote doesn't really count in my books anyways.
Dean is broken. There is no question about that. But weak makes him seem like a loser while that is not a word you can associate with him. Dean, simply put, has reached his breaking point and after all he's endured, I can't say I didn't expect it and I can't even fault him for feeling the way he does and wanting to give up the whole thing. He can never get ahead of the game and have good things in his life, at least not in recent memory. All along, back to Croaton or The Magnificent Seven, Dean has said how tired he is - and that was before he died, went to Hell for 40 years and then was brought back to a world where his brother, whom he loves more than anything else, thinks so lowly of him, is cohorting with a [obviously malicious and evil] demon and is using demon-endowed abilities. I still think that, apocalypse-starter or not, Dean is a hero for all the things he has endured (largely for his family and not himself) and risen above. Dean's unable to break the surface right now, but he's far from drowned.
The big difference between Sam and Dean right now seems to come down to morality. Sam's is slowly slipping away while Dean's is steadfast, he is being tormented by what he did in Hell, this expresses remorse. The glee with which Sam said "now I can kill" is disturbing in contrast. He himself stated that he thinks he exists outside the rules. There is a sort of parallel in their experiences, and when Dean speaks about Sam being on a "slippery slope" this comes from his own experiences in Hell and being a torturer - especially in light of the revelation that he enjoyed it (although, I still say he was in Hell where the measure of good feelings probably isn't a normal spectrum) and the fact that Sam seems to increasingly enjoy using his powers.
I'm surprised by people who insist on having a competition between the brothers or who make the show solely about one 'beating' the other for screen time. The reason people seem to be noticing it more now is that Sam has always featured prominently into the mythology of the show - right from the Pilot - where Dean was Joe Normal. Now, they are bringing Dean into the myth arc (which delights me to no end even though it results in continuous Dean-whumpage in one way or another) - doing with him in one season what they did with Sam spread across a couple seasons. I have to laugh when people get all twisted about too little of one brother or too much of another, or making one sympathetic and the other a mystery. Ultimately, what affects one affects the other and the show always does a good job at showing both sides of the coin (case in point - Metamorphosis, IKWYDLS). Sometimes, are there two episodes in a row that physically feature one more than the other? Yes, sometimes, but the other brother is always involved (ex. insight about them is granted to the other, etc.). The show always, ALWAYS returns itself to balance, usually in a short amount of time.
Anyways, great review as always Alice!
30 - romabelle
Alice: Like the cast, writers, directors and creator of Supernatural, you've outdone yourself. Agreed: this episode was at least an 11. In a just world, the leads (especially Jensen) would already have been nominated for an Emmy. But there's no love for this genre and especially not when it's on the likes of the CW. Guess they're saving the hardware for more exalted fare like Desperate Housewives. Anyhow, the performances by the three central characters, Dean, Sam, and Cas, were beyond amazing.
Sam: You're right about the enduring love Sam has for his brother, even after the big blowout in Sirenville, even as he wanders further "off the rez", guzzling demon blood like a junkie jonesing for a fix. Even as he does the wrong thing (going darkside), even as he clearly revels in his power ("Now I can kill"), it's to save his brother from a nightmare situation Sam knows is too much for Dean in his debilitated condition. It exemplifies Dean's observation in Season 3 that their love for one another makes them vulnerable to being used, and in this case, puts Sam into greater moral danger even as he saves Dean's life. Jared Padalecki has continued to deepen his portrayal of Sam in Season 4, and this episode is no exception. He's doing a bang-up job of showing Sam's fluctuations between addiction to the high that his growing power gives him and his desire to do good by hunting down Lilith and, still, protecting Dean. The precarious position which Sam is now in, and the goodness of his intentions versus the increasing temptation to pride, all are being laid bare as the stakes go up exponentially. It really could go either way now for little brother Sam.
Ruby: Props to Genevieve Cortese for that sly grin making it clear the Rubester is not exactly, as they say, on the side of the angels. Genevieve's performance is right on the mark, and in keeping with the highly ambiguous nature of Ruby's ultimate goals. And it's a big-time measure just how far gone Sam is that he's letting her call him Sammy without any protest.
Castiel: Misha Collins was nothing short of sensational. Castiel, like Dean, was delivered a series of shocks to the system, in Castiel's case, the presence of a revolt in the ranks and the emergence of his own full-blown doubts and questions. Misha was able to convey this conflicted and painful awakening process with the utmost skill and delicacy, demonstrating Castiel's emotional maturation while still retaining the essential guilelessness and stalwart loyalty of his angelic personality. He's been a tremendous addition to the cast from his very first appearance, and I look forward to his being a regular in Season 5.
Dean: You've pretty much said it all - how much more can he take? Compelled to face and torture his tormentor, learning that his father outlasted the tortures that eventually broke him, and then, as the coup de grâce, being told that he, as he put it, jumpstarted the Apocalypse - everything holding Dean together has been crushed and turned against him. The dawning shock, denial, and horror in his expression as the realization that he broke the first seal sinks in is worthy of an Emmy all by itself. Seing a battered and completely broken Dean in the hospital bed was as heartrending as it gets. Even the hoarse, post-respirator voice was note-perfect. Dean has been shaken, frightened, and even cried before, but never totally defeated like this. His desolation, anguish and total lack of self-worth registered in his barely-there voice, bruised and battered face, and bone-deep exhaustion. Nothing was withheld in the spiraling down to nothingness that was Dean's collapse into complete despair. In this unheralded show on a unprestigious network, Jensen Ackles may be quietly moving to another level of acting beyond the majority of his professional peers in any medium. And his co-star Jared may not be far behind. Misha Collins meets that level with his own brilliance, and the resulting chemistry between Castiel and Dean, like that between Dean and Sam, is off the charts. Kripke and his casting director struck gold when they found all these exceptional performers, but particularly Jensen and Jared.
Last but not least, quick shout-outs to Uriel and Anna: Uriel, we hardly knew you . . . or didn't we? From his very first appearance in "It's the Great Pumpkin. . .", Robert Wisdom absolutely rocked as this 100% tough, 0% love, angelic "specialist." The revelation that he was working for the other side was not exactly shocking, given his proudly unconcealed contempt for humanity. Uriel's exchanges with Dean alone made his every appearance well worth watching. And as to Anna: welcome back runaway, looks like she's the wild card, and as was hinted in her last appearance, there's some kind of a vibe between her and Cas. One can only imagine how that will play out . . .
Lastly, big, big, big ups to Ben Edlund for an outstanding episode - running out of words here to say how great it was. The remaining episodes of this tremendous Season Four are going to be EPIC in every sense of the word. I feel sorry for anyone who doesn't tune in for Season Five having seen or caught up on every episode in the past four seasons - they're missing possibly the best show on tv. Kripke: you're a genius, and your merry band of writers and directors are, to quote our boy Dean, right there with ya. Kim Manners would undoubtedly be proud. Again, Alice, the review was absolutely worth the wait - looking forward to the next one. Enough babbling for now - over and out . . .
31 - Alice Jester
Thank you everyone for sending back such well thought out and well explained analysis. The points come across so much better when they're not tagged with extreme bitterness for one character or another. These are all good points! There's so much to grasp in this one.
32 - Julie
Haha! I just read your comment about me and you being the only ones who agree on Anna and Castiel! Sweet! I still feel the same way after a week and a half and I do hope that Anna won't disapoint me by the end of the season (which I don't think she will... I trust her).
I know how it feels to share this pleasure of writing reviews like these for fun and no profits. I have a weekly blog over on Facebook's "Addicted to Supernatural" application and I've been writing reviews for about 10 weeks now. It's nice to be able to share your thoughts with the other fans, and see their POV in all of this, and I agree with you about the Sam and Dean bickering: it's just too much! *sigh*