Demon!Dean and Sam face off and it’s not pretty. Crowley and Cas have a run-in and it doesn’t go as expected. I’m left pondering questions of “where do we go from here” as we leave the episode, with the promise of much more interesting developments to come. That’s the best kind of way to leave off.
Note: This recap may contain spoilers!
I look forward to the third episode of the season because, as has become tradition, it’s usually the Jensen-directed one. This one lived up to all my expectations, and on more than one occasion I got lost in the directing angles so much that I had to go back and re-watch for the plot. Jensen has become a talented director who has grown in his time with Supernatural. I look forward to his next turn in the director’s chair, and when he takes on post-Supernatural projects as a director.
Okay, enough gushing over Director!Jensen, now let’s get on to Demon!Dean. The thing about family is that they know how to use the words the cut the deepest. Demon!Dean certainly proved that in this episode. He can taunt Sammy and make him almost crack over the mean things said. He’s tired of carrying Sammy, having to save him time after time. If it weren’t for Sam, Mary would still be alive. John wouldn’t have brain-washed them for their sole-purpose mission of revenge, wouldn’t have cheated Dean out of a childhood. And the thing is, even if Dean doesn’t really mean it as badly as he’s saying, Sam believes it. We’ve seen the guilt that he carries, the more he learns about the sacrifices his brother made just to make sure Sammy had a tolerable life. And in his heart, Sam thinks that Dean’s life would have been better if he didn’t exist. He’s been trying to make it up to Dean, and failing. But for all the sacrifices Dean does make, he does them out of love, not obligation. He needs Sam, loves him more than anything, but that love and devotion can carry the most pain when it’s turned sour. It’s such a sad, delicate balance.
And there were some revelations on how far over the line Sam will go in order to save his brother. I am very surprised that Sam was the one that convinced the guy to sell his soul. I mean, he was doing it just to get closer to Crowley, to try and track down Dean, but the plan didn’t go the way he intended it. Sam didn’t get to the guy before the deal was cut, and his later torture of the Crossroads Demon didn’t turn up any leads. He got the guy killed for nothing. Bad move, Sammy. Of course Demon!Dean uses that as yet another taunt to try to get to Sam and make him lash out. But nothing will deter Sam from his mission of saving Dean from his demon self. I did wonder why Sam didn’t try to use his own blood. Because he knows it would take too much? Or he thinks his blood is poison, still tainted? Or are they really not the same blood type, as may have been inferred by Sam’s comment? So many questions that may mean nothing, but has me wondering.
Outside the bunker, there were some plot developments as well. The situation with Cas is finally integrating a little bit, with Crowley and the Winchesters both playing into his story this week. Crowley’s an interesting guy, because he uses who he needs when he needs them, whether that means screwing them over or saving them. With Cas, he killed Adina for him, stole her grace, and re-juiced Cas, simply because he claimed the angel was worth more to him alive. True? Or does he have an eventual soft spot for Cas? Hannah’s certainly confused over the situation, and she’s letting her building human emotions for Cas cloud her judgment. I fear she’s going to drag Metatron back into the mix, which I don’t want. Ready to get this plotline cleared up or integrated better.
The guilt between Sam and Dean still remains. And now we have a new baddie in the form of the red-head in the hotel. Stringing the employees up to let them drain blood from the ceiling? A good way to end the episode and keep us intrigued! Until next week, we’re left to ponder how fractured the Winchesters’ relationship will be. Can they put this situation behind them? We’ll have to wait and see.
Rating: 5 / 5 Stars
Screencaps by homeofthenutty
