Continuity & Past References
Now that the emotional angst has been dealt with, let’s address a few other aspects of the episode. I know that some fans weren’t happy that Castiel wasn’t brought up in Osiris’trial in the previous episode. But we know that Dean definitely hasn’t forgotten about him. I don’t necessarily think that Dean feels personally responsible for what happened to Castiel. After all, the angel made his own choices. Rather, I think that his depression relating to Cas is grief rather than guilt. But of course Dean is burying that grief behind booze and nightmares. Think back to season 2 when Dean lost John, who was one of the most important people in his life besides his brother. Dean buried his feelings of grief then and he’s going to do it again now. He didn’t want to even talk about John, let alone his feelings about losing his father.
I don’t think that Cas fans should expect to see Dean even mentioning his lost friend — that’s not how Dean rolls. But we saw from tonight’s episode that he most certainly hasn’t forgotten about Castiel.
On a final note, did anyone else see all the past references to previous Supernatural episodes that I mentioned in my preview? If you didn’t, here’s what I was referring to:
Playthings: In that episode Dean got upset when Sam was drinking on the job. This week, the reverse was true.
Wishful Thinking: We nearly had an identical scene in these two episodes when Dean awoke from a nightmare and immediately grabbed alcohol to help deal with it. As always, Sam was aware that Dean was hiding something from him.
Children Shouldn’t Play With Dead Things: The moment I saw the dead plants in this episode, I immediately remembered the graveyard scene in this former episode that was a signal of bad mojo. Maggie may not have been raising zombies, but like the season 2 episode, the dead vegetation was a sign that something wasn’t right.
Malleus Maleficarum: Obviously this earlier episode and tonight’s episode both contained witches, but they also both contained a scene where Sam is frantically trying to find a hex bag/coin because someone is puking up blood. Last time it was Dean, this time it was Don’s assistant.
Bugs: Bees attacked Dean. Need I say more?
A lot of other complaints in my preview comments eventually centered around the whole Sam vs. Dean debate. I’m not going to touch that one. Frankly, I believe that both brothers have their good and bad qualities, but each of them are equally as important to the show. For the life of me, I don’t understand the in-fighting among certain factions of the Supernatural fandom. Can’t we all just get along?
Next week’s episode of Supernatural features a pair of leviathans cloning Sam and Dean and going on a crime spree in order to expose the Winchesters. Two sets of Winchester brothers? Yes, please! You can view photos for the episode here.
By the way, did you happen to see an outtake from tonight’s episode that Jared Padalecki tweeted yesterday? It’s hilarious. You can watch it here.
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Thanks for your review. It proved to be insightful and revealing. I love that you notice all the fine points. I rewatching the episode now and loving all the references you made topast shows. Thanks again and keep up the great work.
What a perfect review. I actually have a crick in my neck from nodding while reading every page. Thank you for such great insights!
I totally agree especially your point about some of the infighting that I've noticed on some sites. Gosh, this is a show about two brothers and I believe both have great story lines this year.
As for tonight's episode, it was great! Bloody where needed and funny at other times. Wonderful job by the writers and the pace of the episode was terrific. I loved it! I also liked that Sam and Dean didn't kill the Starks. I liked how Don saved the boys at the end. Good allies to have in the future. I mean, they're both over 800 years old and maybe they can help the boys figure out something to stop the Leviathans.
"Frankly, I believe that both brothers have their good and bad qualities, but each of them are equally as important to the show. For the life of me, I don’t understand the in-fighting among certain factions of the Supernatural fandom. Can’t we all just get along?"
Thank you! I've been saying that ever since I noticed all this Sam vs. Dean garbage a few seasons ago. It's about the Winchester BROTHERS guys! Not just Sam OR Dean. Geez. Re tonight's episode, the takeaway is: under NO circumstances should you ever tick off an 800 year-old witch. That's how you end up with beating hearts in your cupcakes. Which, btw, I don't think I'll be eating cupcakes anytime soon. I liked this episode. I thought it did a great job of advancing the overall arc but giving us one that was still kind of MOTW. I agree with your characterization of Dean and how he deals with loss/grief. He was devastated about losing John, and Sam knew that, but Dean didn't talk about it for a very long time. And even when he did, it was on his terms. Not Sam's.
This was great write up. I was reading through the comments in the last article and it just left such a negative impression that I was a little Supernaturaled out. Sam vs Dean is never fun, except to the few who seem to love making everyone miserable. But then this episode was a hoot and it sort of reminded me that I really do love this show and everyone involved. And seeing Cordelia and Spike together like that…it was just plain entertaining.
Great review, agreed with every word! I love the way the Show is dealing with the boys' psychology, delving into their emotional problems while respecting their "no chick flick moments" personality. Some people want them to emote like chicks because that's what they want to hear, even though it's not what Sam and Dean would say. As you have so eloquently pointed out, it is not in character for Dean to openly grieve for Cas. He's going to do with his grief what he always does with hurtful emotions, as he said himself "Bury them deep and let them come out in bouts of violence and alcoholism." He's not going to sit around weeping into Cas' trenchcoat. It has been made very clear he was deeply hurt by Cas' betrayal, and then by his loss, even though we don't see him having chick flick moments about it. I have always hated the Samgirls vs Deangirls, and now sadly we have Casgirls lashing out (to the point where they are deliberately voting down the ratings of each episode without Cas on sites like tv.com.) I love all of them, but I can certainly understand people loving one character more than others–I just wish they didn't take it out on the rest of us.
I agree with all the comments that have been posted so far. Great review. I have always disliked the infighting among the fans. I have never understood it. Loved the episode.