It’s difficult to describe the feeling that one might get from watching an episode of Supernatural that just feels FAMILIAR, but I think some fans may have felt what I felt this week. There’s something about putting together familiar characters (reuniting Castiel with the Winchesters), familiar quests (a God-related search) and familiar suspicious circumstances (sketchy angels with sketchy motives) that make me feel like I’m watching “classic” Supernatural. I have a great affinity for the first three seasons (season 2 in particular), but there’s something I immensely enjoyed about season 4 – with the introduction of the angels and a universal battle for good versus evil – that seems to resonate more in this season than it did in seasons 6 and 7.
A Familiar Face
It wasn’t a surprise that Castiel returned to Earth in this episode. Despite a group of journalists keeping this secret safe since our September trip to Vancouver (you guys have no idea how hard that was for me!), it was soon leaked by Misha Collins and then The CW itself. But just because we knew it was going to happen, doesn’t mean actually seeing it happen wasn’t enjoyable.
Dean began having “visions” of his friend which confused him immensely. Castiel was spotted on the side of the road and staring inside the Winchesters’ bedroom window (creepy much, Cas?). Sam insisted that Dean was feeling some sort of survivor’s guilt, but didn’t want his brother to hang on to those feelings. Fortunately for Dean’s sanity, the angel finally showed up in Dean’s bathroom and shocked the hunter with his return. Sam was overjoyed to see their old friend, but Dean was left with nothing but questions. How did Castiel get out of Purgatory being chief among them. This wasn’t soon answered, because Cas insisted that he had no idea how he got out and had little memory of what happened down there.
This bothered Dean for quite some time. So much so that we were treated to the final crucial moments in Purgatory: the trio’s arrival at the portal. Despite Cas’ distrust of Benny, the vampire pulled through, delivering Dean and the angel at the gateway back to earth. Dean did the spell that put Benny’s “soul” in his arm and then approached the portal with Cas. But two leviathans suddenly stood in their path (those guys are infinitely cooler in Purgatory than they were in season 7). A cool slow-motion fight ensued, but Dean finally managed to pull Castiel towards the portal. Only…Castiel’s hand slipped.
At least, that’s what we thought happened. And, apparently, what Dean thought happened. All this time Dean has been wracked with guilt, believing that he didn’t do enough to save his friend from torment in Purgatory but, as it turns out, his perception completely clouded his memory of the matter. Well, his perception or some wonky portal electro-magnetic side-effects. After saving the Trans (we’ll get to that soon), Dean confronted Castiel and asked where he went wrong. Taking pity on Dean, Castiel told him he was not to blame and showed him the true memory of what happened that day: Castiel deliberately let go of Dean’s hand and told him to leave. He chose to remain behind, he explained, because he felt that he needed to continue to atone for his prior sins. But he was still determined to help Dean get out of there and he didn’t want Dean to feel guilty for what happened. “You can’t save everyone, my friend,” Castiel told Dean.
These are words that Dean doesn’t really understand or may never understand. Dean carries his guilt like a shroud and feels so much for so many people that acceptance of his failures is simply routine for him. But Sam was right to tell Dean that he couldn’t let this drag him down or he would go crazy. Maybe that’s what Sam truly learned this year. Maybe Amelia and the dog don’t really matter. Maybe it’s the fact that Sam has learned to transcend the guilt that has dominated their lives that is the true lesson here. Some people might call that callousness, but I think it’s really acceptance. As Sam said in the premiere, people will always die. There will always be more demons and ghosts and beings using humans like pawns on a chessboard, but that doesn’t always have to be their problem. The truth of free will is that the Winchesters – and their friends – should choose to fight this fight because they want to, not because they feel guilt or obligations. Dean doesn’t really understand that yet, but I hope one day he will.
Hello, Old Friend
Personally, I’m thrilled at Castiel’s return to the fold. I’ve never really felt that he takes away from anything (ie. the Winchesters’ relationship). Instead, I feel like he adds a little something extra to the show, like well-timed humor or another perspective. There are some who would claim that Castiel’s actions in earlier seasons were unforgivable, but I don’t feel that way. Unforgivable actions have been committed by all three main characters of the show (or four, if you could Bobby), but “unforgivable” becomes “forgivable” if you seek redemption. Sam sought redemption for his soulless acts and the things he did in season 4. Dean sought redemption for the sins he committed in Hell. Castiel did some horrible things in season 6, including his deal with Crowley and breaking Sam’s wall, but I think his remorse of these things were genuine. He was led astray by hubris, circumstance and desperation (which is why I think he shares many similar traits with Sam, but let’s not rehash that old argument), but he took Sam’s visions into himself and when it came time to leave Purgatory, Castiel was willing to remain there and pay penance rather than return home with his friend. It stands to reason that if he hadn’t been saved (we’ll get to that soon as well) that he would have remained there forever, running from monsters and thinking on his sins. I’m glad that didn’t happen. The Winchesters need him, not only for his powers but because he has once again proven himself a friend. If his quiet words to absolve Dean of his guilt weren’t proof of that, I don’t know what is.
Concluded on next page…
Follow Us
to say i enjoyed this episode is an understatement cause i love cas to the point of squealing. but at the same time i can’t help but be slightly, idk, miffed(that isn’t the right word but w/e) at how disconnected sam is to most of the big budget stuff right now.
i don’t even mean it like i want him to have purgatory level scenes because oddly enough i’ve been truly enjoying sam this year and connecting with him in a way i haven’t since damn near season 2/4. i think it’s the mix of sadness, loneliness, barely suppressed rage, and yet still being hopeful without the salty taste of ~perfect sam~ that’s drawn me back in again.
but, i just feel like at the end of a purgatory/crowley/the trans/angel scene sam is forgotten in it all. even when he is active he seems removed from it all and it’s annoying since he has things that tie him in. so why does it feel like sam’s scenes during the high impact parts of episodes are so shallow when his story threads are teaming with character development not just for him but all the characters?
sam has history with cas that can be explored, he has parallels out the wazoo with kevin tran that really would be good to explore, sam has guilt issues that mirror deans, and sam has a history wit monster’s (ruby) that makes any interaction with benny twice as complex. hell linda tran is a perfect chance to explore a non-woobie version of “i never knew my mom” sam.
he has all types of non-mytharc things around him right now that just aren’t being utilized and i don’t know why. and it makes me extra sad cause the parts of sam’s story that are being underdeveloped are the parts that jared/sam shine in. there is sooo much potential and meat there and i feel like it’s blowing in the wind
:( this comment became whiny and i don’t know how to fix it but that is just how i felt after this ep.
I understand what you’re saying, but I don’t think Sam is being marginalized at all. This episode just wasn’t about him, or Kevin, or Crowley either. This episode was about Dean and Cas. Everyone here really was just secondary to that. Dean has been carrying around massive amounts of guilt about what happened to Cas in Purgatory and there would’ve been no real way for him to deal with that if Cas had not come back and shown him the truth. So, while you’re right that Sam has just as much investment in the story as Dean, Sam just wasn’t the driving force of this episode. Dean and Cas were.
no no. see this is what i meant by the comment sounds whiny when that’s not what i meant. i struggle with getting what’s in my head to translate to words.
it’s not that i think that sam is marginalized. far from it. what i’m getting sorta perturbed by is how his stuff is being handled if that makes sense. that they keep dropping chances to expand on his stuff even during his “quiet” times.
take for example the scene where sam is support to dean when he confesses that he is seeing cas. that was a small scene that was most definitely about dean and cas and yet the framing of sam in that moment called into play a wealth of his back story (jess, hallucinations, survivors guilt). it’s a perfect example of what i mean when i say i wish were doing more with sam outside of the high impact moments. it doesn’t have to be some big sam-centric moment to continue to progress and frame his character.
hell benny and cas’ relationship was developed in less than a minute. last time you saw them benny was referring to castiel as “the angel” and now it’s cas. doesn’t mean they are best buds but it does mean that a shift has occurred since last we saw them. that benny saving cas changed their dynamic even by a little bit.
if kevin moves to hide behind sam it’s not just cause sam is huge and deadly, but also because in just about every action episode sam has shielded kevin with his own body. sam is also the one who backs kevin up when it comes to his mom and who is shown to the audience to be understanding of his motive for running. so later if they choose to have kevin trust sam over dean there is a selection of small moments that help give that connection weight. not just the surface of dean tried to kill kevin’s mom.
so it’s not that i want to switch focus from other characters and their stories, nor that i want sam to be the focus at all times. it’s more that i want them to drop more breadcrumbs for sam within those stories so his interactions with others has more weight/depth.
Ah. I see what you mean now. That makes sense.
I understand your point. But the mundane nature of Sam’s flashbacks is supposed to show a stark contrast between what he was doing for the past year and what Dean was doing. And while you’re right, the flashbacks are about exploring Amelia, it’s not just about her. It’s also about Sam opening up to someone and allowing himself to really, truly experience a “normal” life. And “normal” is the mundane things of life. I agree that Sam has felt sort of disconnected from Dean this season, but that’s also because Sam hasn’t really gotten his head back in the game yet. Not entirely anyway. He still doesn’t want to be hunting right now, and (as evidenced by his cyberstalking Amelia) he misses Amelia. And as far as him doing all the research, well, that’s what he’s always done. So I don’t have a problem with that.
Amazing episode. That ending still has me in shock. Though we had only a few moments with Amanda Tapping, she was amazing and quite intimidating as Naomi. The fact that the Prophets were a big deal in this episode, Chuck was mentioned, and Cas was summoned back to Heaven is no coincidence. There is a lot to be read into all that. I’m going to read into it that Chuck isn’t actually dead. We all know something else happened that day he disappeared and I’m going to hope for a visit from our old pal before the end of the season!
Although Crowley was extremely menacing in this episode, it’s the cryptic Naomi that has me the most flustered. What the heck are the angels going to do to our boys now? Why do they always pick on the Winchesters? There are a lot of other hunters out there, give the boys a break. Just kidding, actually I enjoyed the angel/demon storyline, and I’m fascinated with what Carver and crew have in store for us now. The tablets are part of it, but lets face it, we know that’s not everything. What do the angels need Sam and Dean for? Naomi didn’t ask about the tablet, the Prophet, or even Crowley – she asked about the Winchesters. Doesn’t it all feel so sinister? This is going to get good, and probably very bloody before the end of the season.
I have a new theory. This weeks has nothing to do with Benny, instead it’s about Bobby! Naomi is being very sneaky about keeping an eye on the Winchester’s. Now that Bobby is official dead, there’s every chance that his soul went to heaven. So after the Winchester’s find whatever she wants or when she’s ready to have them do whatever it is she wants them to do, I can just see her using Bobby’s soul as leverage. Let the Winchester’s do all the work then she gets to swoop in and get whatever she wants from them. After all, she didn’t ask about the Prophet or the tablet or even Crowley, no she asked specifically about the Winchesters. She wants something from them.
It was wonderful to have Cas back again and I was so happy to see Dean really care about him and treat him as a friend. I DO NOT want to see any more friction between those 2. We’ve had enough, so it would seem very redundant to start that up again. I’m hoping that once Cas’ manipulation is brought to light, Sam and Dean stand with him against the angels who are using him.
I’m really hoping for Sam and Dean to get back on the same page and start acting like brothers again. I still didn’t feel any real brother bond between them in this episode.
I really hope to see Samandriel (Alfie) again and hope that Crowley didn’t kill him. I have a soft spot for him. I have been fascinated with the angels since they were introduced and am very excited to have them back in a big way this season.
Wow,it was bloody tonight. Crowley’s showing his true colors in a big way. I’ve never really been scared of him,but tonight he showed that it’s not all a sarcastic joke to him. I still loved that Cas could bluff him and make him run off. So excited to see the wings again.
This was my favorite episode of the season so far.
Can these angels also be playing mind tricks on Sam? His memories don’t look legit either. Especially whoever that was standing by the house watching him leave. I think since the writers are going this way with Sam, it’s important they throw more bread crumbs to let us know something is going on with him also.
I agree I like this season more than 7, but Sam not being address is taking me out a bit. Now if I know than I can rest easy.
Lucy – this is a theory I’ve seen floating around since the episode last night. I hope Sam’s relationship with Amelia is genuine (I don’t want him to have another devious “girlfriend”), but it’s entirely possible that he too is being manipulated behind the scenes.
I desperately want the whole Amelia thing to be a supernatural plot, because that is the only thing that would put to rest the whole awful issue of Sam not even looking for Dean. That is the big whopping sticky wicket for me, I cannot get past it to save my life. Until that is resolved, I can’t even watch the show anymore.
So between Sam having a sinister girlfriend and Sam being portrayed as a cold-hearted cowardly weakling who would leave his brother for dead, give me the sinister girlfriend all the way, give her to me now. I never liked her anyway. Being an angel would explain why she’s such a dick.
“I think since the writers are going this way with Sam, it’s important they throw more bread crumbs to let us know something is going on with him also…but Sam not being address is taking me out a bit. Now if I know than I can rest easy.”
YES!!!!! Yesyesyesyesyesyesyes! Lucy, I want to marry you, for putting your finger on the problem. I can’t rest easy and enjoy the show because that’s hanging over my head like a Damoclean sword.
Clarissa talked about liking the progress and the pacing, but there has been zero progress of why Sam left Dean for dead, and the pacing is so excruciatingly slow that many have despaired there even is something going on, and it’s ruining their enjoyment of the show. I myself am going to DVR until they clear that up, because it’s the only way I’ll be able to have fun watching the show.
“All this time Dean has been wracked with guilt, believing that he didn’t do enough to save his friend from torment in Purgatory”
but then, why didn’t Dean try to find a way to get Cas out of purgatory in all the seven episodes he’s been out? why is he yelling at Sam for not looking for him when he wasn’t looking for Cas either? I cannot understand what is going on with Sam and Dean afor the life of me.
I guess the better question is, why are the writers writing Sam and Dean as though they are the kind of guys who leave a man behind? and why are they wrting it like its okay if Dean does it but not Sam? I don’t like any of this.
I think this episode actually answered your question. Dean’s mind processed their escape such that Cas’s hand slipped. But the truth is, Cas made sure that Dean got to the portal and then pushed him through it. Dean didn’t remember it that way because of the kind of person Dean is. Whenever things don’t go according to plan Dean always blames himself for it. Whether he’s actually to blame or not. Sam was right that Dean was having survivor’s guilt which is why his perception of events was skewed. But even more than that, what was Dean supposed to do? How was he supposed to get Cas out of Purgatory? The portal was a human portal that only opened from inside Purgatory, so he couldn’t do that. It’s not like any other monsters could send him back to Purgatory. Dean said that getting out of there almost finished him. And seeing the state Cas was in when he left, Dean assumed that Cas died. It was a reasonable assumption.
Best episode ever! Just epic, so happy to have Castiel back! I love his character so much the wait was worth it. The way that he powered up with blue eyes flashing and his wings, I died a happy death:). Seeing team free will together again brought tears to my eyes and Dean and Cas fighting together in purgatory just so amazing. Now the torture of waiting for the next episode, Dean, Sam and Cas truly make this show so enjoyable to watch. I just hope that they keep them together and not separate them or ruin Cas. Thank you Carver for reunification
I thoroughly enjoyed this episode. Not only did we get movement on the overall mytharc, it really did feel like “classic” Supernatural. After the season premiere I said that I figured we were going to see a much more sinister Crowley this season, and it looks like I was right. We’ve seen him torture other monsters before, but here he was torturing angels, torturing Kevin, kidnapping children, and indiscriminately killing innocent people. It makes sense that he would pull out all the stops to find out what’s on that tablet, but Crowley’s gone from amusing to scary. Great job by Mark Sheppard but bad news for Team Free Will.
I said it after ‘What’s Up, Tiger Mommy’ and I’ll say it again. Kevin is an idiot for running off on the Winchesters. I understand he was upset that Dean was about to kill his mother, and sure, take a few days. But to continue running didn’t make sense. Especially after witnessing just how outmatched he was. He may have been able to survive ok during the year that the Winchesters were MIA, but he didn’t have an overbearing, inexperienced mother tagging along. If Kevin and Mrs. Tran knew anything, they would’ve known that you can never trust a witch. But they are civilians caught up in a war that they cannot hope to survive without help. I found it amusing that they’ve spent all this time running from the Winchesters, but when the inevitable happened, who did they call?
Although I agree with almost all of your review, I have two small disagreements with you. The first one is about Dean. I don’t think Dean is fighting this war out of obligation anymore. He’s fighting because he chooses to. Part of the reason Dean felt so hopeless the last few seasons is that he felt like what he did didn’t matter. He didn’t remember why he was doing any of it and, in his mind, the bad was far outweighing the good. Purgatory has changed that. He got a concentrated dose of monster killing, and now he realizes that that’s his purpose in life. He’s not a hunter because that’s what John made him into. He does what he does because if he doesn’t step up then nobody will. It’s the same reasoning one of my good friends gave me the day she told me she was joining the Army. Dean fights this fight because he chooses to. It’s the parting advice Bobby (*sob*) gave Dean before they burned his flask.
The only other thing is the current state of Sam and Dean’s relationship. I don’t think that the lack of discord necessarily indicates that they haven’t dealt with the issues from last week. Although we don’t know how much time has passed since that incident, it would be kind of silly for them to still have friction about that. Dean doesn’t remember what he said, but if his possession was true to the form of the others, the anger he felt would be gone. And quite frankly, since Dean isn’t really the ‘talk it out’ type, it’s good that he got possessed so he could unload all of that crap he was carrying around. Furthermore, Sam got what he wanted. Dean isn’t kicking him about taking the year off and he now knows what Dean was hiding. But above all that, they are brothers. They love each other too much to keep fighting like that.
I get what you’re saying about Dean’s “obligation” or lack thereof, but here’s a question for you: is he doing this because he genuinely WANTS to or because he honestly doesn’t think he can do anything else? I think it’s a bit of a fine line here, but I agree about the difference between previous seasons and now. At the same time, unlike Sam, he really doesn’t seem like he wants a normal life anymore (been there, done that, got the t-shirt) and so I’m curious as to his real feelings about whether this is just IT for him. I think it’s a good debate.
As for Sam and Dean’s relationship – good Lord, I HOPE the discord is gone! Honestly, I think the lack of present discord could go either way. There was wonderful brotherly chemistry between them last night, but is there tension simmering just below the surface? It seems like Benny’s reappearance in a later episode could have them at odds again. I think that Benny and Sam’s “normal life wish” will continue to be issues between them until they truly work out a solution that benefits everyone.
In answer to your question, I think it’s both. I don’t think it has to be one OR the other for it to be a legitimate choice. I think there’s a bit of both that goes into a lot of the choices we make, and Dean is no different. And even if this is it for Dean, it seems like he’s good with it now.
I don’t think there’s necessarily tension simmering, but I think there will be a difference of opinion about Benny that will always be there. Sam equates Dean’s relationship with Benny to his own relationship with Ruby, and while I admit that there are definitely similarities, I don’t think the situations are the same. Dean and Benny have gone through an experience that nobody else (well, other than Cas) can understand. Each has had to literally put his life in the others hands and trust that he was going to keep his word. And unlike Sam, Dean isn’t nearly as trusting of other people. You have to work to earn his trust which is why he takes it so hard when that trust is betrayed. Benny seems to have been much more honest with Dean that Ruby ever was with Sam. Even going back to S3, Ruby knew she wasn’t able to help Sam save Dean, but she kept stringing him along with that so she could get what she wanted. She even said at one point that lying was in her job description. Benny has made promises and, thus far, he’s kept them. I just don’t think Sam can see how this situation is different than the one with Ruby, and he’s going to continue to try to make Dean see it from his perspective that they are the same. Unless and until Benny can prove himself to Sam, I think he (Benny) is always going to be a point of disagreement between the brothers.
Excellend review, I must say I agree with everything you’ve written. And yay for Castiel’s come back.
I thoroughly enjoyed this episode! It is fantastic to have Cas back! And those wings!
So much is actually going on in this episode. The reference to Chuck was placed there on purpose, and not just to tie up a loose end with the prophet chain of command, i.e. only one prophet at a time. I have always felt that Chuck was God, especially how he disappeared in Swan Song. Now we know there are multiple tablets…Leviathan, Gates of Hell (“What was God thinking?” – Crowley), and the next logical tablet is the Gates of Heaven, and I believe also The Cage….one of the reasons I’m thinking that the new angels want the tablet. Samandrien is an older angel, like Cas, but I don’t think they realize there are other tablets yet, but Naomi does. What better way to oust the older order of angels and take over Heaven than having the power to close the Gates?
Also, if Bobby is truly dead (and at this point I think we will not see him again…), what better way to make that point than having Sam send the Trans to Garth? It’s exactly what they have done in many instances to protect others by sending them to Bobby. As much as I love Bobby, Garth is growing on me, and if is indeed the “new Bobby” this makes sense. I hope to see more of this new, less annoying, Garth in the future.
I also would be extremely upset if the writers put more crap on Cas. Cas being manipulated…AGAIN….just irks me. I truly hope that when Cas does realize that something is going on, he tells Dean or Sam…else the lessons he learned from the souls and Leviathan would be for naught. I know Carver has a soft spot for Castiel, so I’m hoping that we get back to Season 4/5 Cas…helping the boys and trying to be a better angel, and Team Free Will needs to get back on track. This, and going back to angels and demons will take the show to that 10th season without sacrificing story or character development.
Loving Cas’s blue tie too!