Image Credit: Michael Courtney/ The CWIt’s that time of year: time to beg for an extension. Once upon a time, I did it for research papers, and now, I’m going to do it for Supernatural. There’s just far too much work for our boys to do in two episodes, and I think it might be a little overwhelming (both for them and us viewers). Admittedly, there have been episodes wasted on filler and funny — and there’s nothing wrong with that. But Sam and Dean now find themselves in a precarious position: They have two episodes to get their calloused man hands on two more of the horsemen’s rings, lure Lucifer back into his cage, and stop those around them from making big mistakes. It’s not enough time! But because 11th-hour additional episode orders don’t happen too often (and by that I mean never), let’s assume we’re stuck with only two episodes to wrap all this up and enjoy the sure-to-be-intense ride ahead.
We picked up with a frustrated Sam and Dean tracking Pestilence, but only able to catch his sickness-ridden dust trail. In popped Crowley, who we last saw handing the Colt over to the brothers to kill Lucifer. (Much good that did. Pfft.) While Sam was left to stew in his anger at the house, Crowley and Dean went off to nab Pestilence’s right-hand man, who knew the location of the elusive horseman. They took the demon (named Brady) back to home base against Crowley’s wishes after Dean found out that it had a history with Sam. Brady was an old friend of Sam’s who was possessed during college and has since lived his life as a demon. After being possessed (unbeknownst to those around him), he introduced Sam to his ill-fated girlfriend Jessica, who was part of the demons’ big plan (circa season 1). Angered and out for revenge, Sam almost killed the demon, but decided against it because he knew they needed Brady to get Pestilence’s location.
They did learn Pestilence’s whereabouts by the end of the episode, but we didn’t see His Snotiness, which was a downer. I was simultaneously disgusted and intrigued by him during the sneak peek at the end of last week’s episode, so I call B.S. We ended on another awesome note this week, with Crowley telling Bobby that he would give him Death’s location if Bobby made a wish (meaning, gave up his soul for the info). Crowley vowed to give it back, but Bobby looked less than convinced — yet tempted.
That’s the instant oatmeal version, let’s talk specifics in the form of noteworthy lines/moments (with commentary!):
Dean: [wearing a surgical mask] Hey, I looked like the King of Pop.
Sam: [Rolls eyes]
Dean: Too soon? Too soon.
HA!
Sam: What if you guys lead the devil to the edge, and I jump in?
Bobby: Sam…
Sam: It’ll be just like when you turned the knife around on yourself. One action, just one leap.
Bobby: Are you idgits trying to kill me? We just got done talking your brother off the ledge, now you’re lining up to say yes…. This isn’t an option, Sam.
This was an angle I never saw them taking, and I have to hand it to Sam because it is a clever plan. But smart as it may be, I’m with Bobby in that he’s definitely not strong enough to take control back as he has proved in the past that control isn’t the youngest Winchester’s strong suit. On that note, I hope they don’t hold that against Sam much longer. A few themes I hope to not revisit next season: Sam’s anger, Dean’s daddy issues, both of their self-worth issues, and Sam’s inability to be trusted. I feel like we’ve settled a lot of that.
Brady: [talking about the two rings Sam and Dean have] Who says I want them?
Dean: What?
Brady: Who. Says. I. Want. Them.
Dean: [Gulp] You know, folks.
I don’t know why I liked this part so much. I think it’s because we’re so used to Dean being the cool man with the plan. It was nice to see him have a human oh, crap moment. He’s had them before, but I give this one extra points because he said “folks.”
“Hey, hot stuff, watch the upholstery.” — Dean to Crowley
Dean, I hate to break it to you, but Sam stabbed it at the beginning of the episode.
“Why? Because Crowley said so? Because we trust him now? Like I trusted Ruby? Or like I trusted Brady back at school?” — Sam to Dean
Kudos to Sir Padalecki for the delivery of the latter part of this line. He just seemed so hurt. Everyone on this show should have some sort of trust issues, but I hadn’t realized how often Sam had put himself on the line to be let down again and again. He needs a hug. There’s no shortage of volunteers, I’m sure.
“Where’s your moose?” — Crowley, asking Dean about Sam’s whereabouts
Even as I sit by myself typing this line, I’m laughing maniacally. For all the jokes that have been made about Sam’s enormous (manly!) stature in past seasons, this one takes the cake. Move over “sasquatch,” there’s a new insult in town. Gigglesnort.
“Remember how much time you spent trying to get me back on the right track? You really were a great friend.” — Brady to Sam
This made me sad more than anything because it reminded me of season 1 Sam, naïve and compassionate. It just seems like such a long time ago. And I also thought it was a nice bit of character color. I appreciate that after five seasons, the show is still revisiting who the characters used to be.
Brady: You’ve screwed me for eternity.
Crowley: No, you won’t last that long. Trust me.
I just realized there are five Crowley-involved lines in this recap. So it’s official: He needs to come back.
“Well then get the hell off my property before I pump you so full of rock salt you crap margaritas.” — Bobby to Crowley
Sounds delicious and disgusting all at the same time.
“Let’s just say when they’re all getting their Grammys, they shouldn’t all be thanking God.” — Crowley
Knew it.
That’s that, PopWatchers. What did you think of the episode? Were you sad about Pestilence being M.I.A., too? Can Supernatural wrap this up in two episodes without cheating the main storyline? And I’m now accepting theories on: What the heck was up with that vaccine at the beginning? And will Bobby say yes to Crowley? Go!
UPDATE: Answer to one of my above questions here (brought to you by Michael Ausiello).
I love the character development on Supernatural. Even in this season we get references to how the characters have changed over time and I like that. It’s why I can’t watch procedurals for long periods of time – the characters never change. And I actually really liked Brady. Sometimes the demons are a little too quippy and not very threatening, but I thought he was the right balance of quippy and making truly stinging insults to Sam. Crowley was much fun too. I still miss Castiel though.
I agree 100%. Kudos to the casting agents on this show. The actors who play Sam and Dean are so awesome, you really need to cast other actors who are on top of their game to stand toe to toe with them. Crowley is officially my 4th favorite charactor on this show (after Dean, Sam, and Cas). This actor was also great on Battlestar Galactica, Firefly, and scarey/creepy good as the ghost of a serial killer on Medium. More Crowley, please!
Oh yeah, and I was expecting some serious gross-out Pestilence action a la Famine. The (totally awesome) promo made it look like they’re skipping right on to Death. The other horsemen could cause plenty of damage all on their own. Couldn’t he have just spread nasty things like ebola or really bad flu?
While he could kill a bunch of people himself, he’s still only one horseman in a car, limiting the number of people he’ll contact. The only way to infect everyone with the Croatoan virus is to have everyone get the fake vaccine, which requires a subtle touch in creating a swine flu panic. Too deadly a virus and everyone bunkers down, not risking going outside even to get vaccinated. Too weak a virus and no one bothers to get the vaccine. Swine flu works well right in the middle of the spectrum.
LOVE THIS SHOW! This ep was ok, still best thing on tonight [and I dvr'd 8 shows, so I ought to know]
Crowley was likable. I miss Cas. Bobby is okay, but frankly, he’s a crap actor. Am SOOOOOO excited for next episodes–but I have no idea how they’ll do so much in so little time!
Bobby a crap actor? Are you kidding me? If Jim Beaver’s line delivery sometimes comes across a bit stale in Supernatural (which I love) I’d more readily put the problem on the shoulders of the writing than the acting. Just to testify to Jim Beaver’s amazing acting skills, I’d like to point to Deadwood, specifically episode two of season three. Honestly though, anytime Beaver’s on screen is fantastic. I do love Bobby/Ellsworth.
i liked the episode. but i don’t get what everyone is saying about wrapping things up in two episodes i thought the show got a 6th season. maybe they’ll carry on the whole lucifer storyline until the next season kind of what they did with the yellow eyed demon. p.s i have a mini theory about how God told that angel about not caring i still think that God is going to make an appearence and maybe just maybe he’ll be a she and surprise everyone and dean will probably have something smarty to say like “damn god is hot” or something along those lines
Yes, there is going to be a sixth season, but Kripke has always been very definite about the fact that they’ll wrap up the whole Lucifer/Apocalypse story by the end of season five. I do agree that God might make an appearance, and if he does, I seriously think it’s going to be Jeffrey Dean Morgan (a.k.a., Daddy Winchester). I also don’t think that they’re going to find Cas and Adam by the end of the season; I think the story of season six will be finding Cas and Adam and kicking evil’s butt along the way.
Cas comes back in the season finale!
Really?! I LOVE Cas
Did not know he would be there in the season finale, but I will be very happy to see him.
Cas will be in the final two episodes anyone know if they’re keeping him for season six?
They’re keeping quiet about Misha’s casting status for next season since, y’know, it’s actually a really huge spoiler. SPOILER AHEAD: Since the synopsis for the finale reads that “a beloved character will die” and the Winchesters have kicked it way too often for this to apply to them seriously, the prime candidates for death (like, Real Death) are Bobby and Castiel. So if we know if Misha’s coming back, it’ll be Bobby, if not, it’s Castiel. So that’s why they aren’t going to tell us, at least not for a while.
I am so, so happy that Crowley is back. He’s awesome. And I loved the deal with Bobby at the end. It’s a beautiful technicality, on how Crowley can get anything, but only if a wish is made. Kind of like a genie, actually.
No Cas! I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a Cas/Crowley showdown, though. Ohh, next week is going to kill me, isn’t it?
I’m still having trouble with this whole season. It just doesn’t feel as Big as it ought to. I loved the idea of Dean being Michael’s vessel and Sam being Lucifer’s. I expected regular temptation, some really difficult stuff, choices that tore them apart … maybe even possession for a time, then somehow breaking free and still being pursued. Something epic! There has been some good stuff and a few terrific episodes, but not anywhere near on the scale I expected for the freaking apocalypse.
Too much, even within episodes, has felt like filler, and like dialog just dragged on and on. It felt like it was often redundant. A point was made, and then belabored for several more minutes. Stretching. Kind of like I just did there.
These last two episodes will probably be fantastic, but even this one had a fair amount that felt pointless. (I have to admit the stuff with Brady being Sam’s college friend was good, though even that went on too long.) And where’s Cas? Talk about under-utilizing a character …why bother to make the actor a regular? He’s had much less screen time this season than last.
At this point, I’m not feeling very hopeful about next season’s prospects.
In terms of pure screen time, Collins has actually been used a lot more this season. In terms of actual meaningful content, though, it seems like a lot of his screentime is used as exposition: you know, the magical angel encyclopedia for all your apocalyptic woes. :/ It’s a bit annoying.
Really? He’s been on screen more? Wow. I guess that does speak to the material, because it seems like he’s barely been there.
I just love that Supernatural is true to its characters and its past. Most other shows fail to mention important people once they are off the show or rarely mention the past we’ve seen (ex: grey’s anatomy rarely if ever mentioning burke, george, etc). I love that they brought up Jessica again and that Sam still is very emotionally effected by her death. I was expecting to see some Horsemen, but the O’Death promo got me really excited for next week!
What the heck was up with that vaccine at the beginning?
The ‘vaccine’ is the Croatan virus (we were reminded of it in the intro). Like the 28-Days-Later virus it makes people into killers.
Does anyone know what song is used in the promo for the next two episodes? (Great promo – specifically the one in the middle of the episode – the one at the end was shorter).
“Oh Death” by Jen Titus–is that what you’re looking for?
Yes thank you!
You used to be able to download it free from the CWTV website
Great episode, as usual. That guy who used to play Whitney on “Smallville” was so good at being a snarky demon. Poor Sam. I always assumed that Azazel killed Jess himself. Just more salt to add to Sam’s wounds. Creep that he is, I really like Crowley. He’s hilarious. Loved the line about the Grammys and when he pet his very own hell hound. I also loved the part where Dean said that the angels & demons haven’t learned yet that he & Sam are the ones they should be afraid of. What is Bobby going to get himself into? Can’t wait to see what happens when the brothers find Pestilence and Death.
Great episode! Very good background info as well (learning about how Sam met Jess, etc.). It makes me wonder if all the “special kids” had demons keeping an eye on them. Since the previews for next week focus on getting the ring from Death (and how freaking awesome did those previews look!), I’m almost tempted to think that we’re expected to believe that after this episode, the boys found Pestilence and got his ring, that we just don’t get to see that. And it’s funny, but Sam being the lure to get Lucifer back in his cage is exactly what I was thinking WOULD happen, and I think people are underestimating his ability to take control. When Brady was tied to the chair and Sam locked Dean in the bathroom, Brady was baiting Sam, almost like he WANTED Sam to kill him, and Sam looked like he wanted to do it, but in the end, he pulled back because he knew that they still needed Brady. The point of that scene came across to me as being that Sam IS able to control himself.
P.S. Bobby said that it was a fluke that he was able to take back control of that demon for a few seconds and that it was a lower-level demon, but we’re all foretting that John Winchester was able to take back control from Azazel at the end of season one, and it was more than a few seconds. And plus, John was able to climb his way out of Hell when the Devil’s Gate opened. Dean keeps comparing Sam to John, so maybe he’ll surprise us like John did.
ohh..nice conclusions. that didn’t even cross my mind and i just watched that episode again last week (love TNT btw..although, it’s making me late to work…to rewatch episodes i’ve already seen before)
Yeah, but Azazel was injured at the time.
Yes, Crowley can stay. He was awesome. I felt kind of cheated by the lack of Pestilence too. It took an entire ep to get War and Famine’s rings. But now they have to get Pestilence and Death, plus lure Lucifer back to the pit all in two episodes? Not to mention find Cas and Adam? (Ok, those two might carry over, but still.) Seems like an awful lot to do in 2 eps. But I have faith in Kripke to pull it off.
I loved this episode. I heart Crowley. This is one of my favorite episodes of the season along with “Fallen Idol”. But I have to disagree with Sandra about them having to drop Sam’s anger, Dean’s dad issues and their self worth issues because these are what make the characters real. But I do agree that the trust issues need to be put to rest because they are coming to a big battle so they need to trust each. I will say they do need to put the anger issues, daddy issues and self worth issues to rest but not until the final season because thats what at least I have been waitng for and I would lose interest if they resolved them to early and they all of a sudden feel great about themselves. It should be done right in their final two episodes about to face whatever villian they are facing because that would be their greatest fight yet and needs to put their issues behind them.
I hope they keep bringing back actors from BSG to guest on Supernatural!