Man, why does this show keep doing this to me? Thursday at 10:00 comes around anymore and Iām a jittery mess, going back to the TiVo for a rewatch. This one earned a third re-watch, then one the next day and I think Iām up to number ten now. I lost count around seven.
This episode is even more action packed than the last one, and that was huge. As a matter of fact, with the exception of āMystery Spotā and āA Very Supernatural Christmas,ā no episode is more crammed with details in the entire series. As a result, I even have to break this recap into two parts. Itās that long. Things are intense from the opening teaser, so letās get started.
Thereās a nice scene of destruction that looks like a bomb went off. Cars are in all sorts of positions, windows blown out, parts lying everywhere and the car alarms ringing. Our familiar trench-coated angel walks among the carnage and with one raised hand silences the mass confusion. So, weāre twenty seconds into the episode and Castiel is already awesome. I already have good feelings about this episode. He searches and then sadly finds what heās looking for. A woman, in a flowing dress of white, is dead on the ground. He pulls back her dress and finds the stab wound right through the base of her neck. āGoodbye sister,ā he says solemnly, and the cops arrive behind him.
Cops arrive to investigate, and Castiel is gone. Damn I need that skill. Every time my son yells āMom!ā all I need to do is go away in a flash and all my problems are solved. Helicopters hover over the scene and the spotlight scans over the area from right to left. The massive imprint of wings on the pavement on both sides of the woman appear. Okay, we get it, sheās an angel.
Birds, doom, logo. In this episode, they mean it.
The Impala zooms on a dark road at night, and Iām in love. Man have I missed that beauty. Of course we donāt see her much, just like Sam, but her few scenes are golden. Thereās an interesting camera angle from the floorboard, and we see itās Sam whoās driving like a maniac. Sammy? Wow, he has turned.
Deanās in the passenger seat and he looks tired. And weary. And depressed. Sam is all gung ho about meeting Ruby outside of Cheyenne and tracking down some leads to get to Lilith. Dean is apathetic about the whole thing, and I donāt blame him. The words āRubyā and āCheyenneā make me cringe too. Sam wants to know what Deanās problem is. Um Sam, HEāS DEPRESSED. Itās a basic human condition, look it up sometime.
Dean is still stinging about Pamela and how they dragged her into this even though she wanted no part. Sam, who seems to have gotten over Pamās chilling words, says she knew what was at stake. āOh yeah, saving the world. Weāre doing such a damn good job of it. Iām tired of burying friends, Sam.ā Sam changes the subject, since heās itching for a Lilith revenge filled showdown. āIf we catch a fresh trail-ā and Dean finishes the sentence with āwe follow it, I know.ā Except Deanās words are loaded with indifference. Uh oh, Deanoās not in a good place right now. Of course his words that heās getting tired pretty much confirm that too. Sam wants him to get angry. Dean looks somber, for all he wants is a nap.
Sam opens the motel room door, and Dean, again in very resigned voice, says āHome, crappy, home.ā These guys really should splurge on a Hampton Inn or something nice, complete with in room whirlpool tub. It would do wonders for the damaged psyche. Sam turns on the light, and Uriel and Castiel are there. āOh come on,ā Dean says. Now heās angry Sam! Uriel is talking, Castiel is standing off to the side looking pious.
Uriel tells Dean heās needed. āWe just got back from needed!ā Dean yells. Uriel tells Dean to watch his tone, and that just makes him madder. Sam steps in, hoping to calm tensions, letting them know they just got back from Pamelaās funeral. Dean reminds them who psychic Pamela was. āCas, you remember her, you burned her eyes out. Remember that, Good times!ā Castiel isnāt smiling. Come to think of it, he never does. When that does happen, I bet we will all fall dead from having our insides melt. Dean further reminds them she died saving one of their precious seals. āSo maybe you can stop pushing us around like chess pieces FOR FIVE FREAKING MINUTES!ā
Uriel reminds Dean they raised him out of hell for their purposes. āYeah, what were those again? What exactly do you want from me?ā Wow, Deanās a bit raw, isnāt he? Uriel doesnāt care, for he tells him āStart with gratitude.ā Castiel steps in now, for he knows Dean isnāt taking this well and heās the only one that can reason with him. He knows this is difficult to understand, but Uriel buts in, āAnd we donāt care.ā Castiel goes back to being unhappy wallpaper, and Dean finally notices something is different.
Uriel finally cuts to the chase. Seven angels have been murdered from their garrison, the last one tonight. Dean asks if theyāre demons, Uriel with one glance confirms the suspicion. How are they doing it? They donāt know. Sam fields this one, since heās got sound mind going for him. āIām sorry, but what do you want us to do about it? I mean a demon with juice to ice angels has to be out of our league, right?ā Aw Sammy, always thinking logically.
Castiel steps forward now, this time not getting resistance from Uriel. Heās a much fresher sight for sore eyes. They want to find whoever it is. They have Alastair, but he wonāt talk. āHeās like a black belt in torture, heās out of your league,ā Dean reminds him. Now for the punchline. They want his student to get the job done. Dean defiantly says no. āYou canāt ask me to do this Cas, not this.ā Uriel steps in front of a sympathetic Castiel, complete with evil smirk āWho said anything about asking?ā Dean looks at Sam, wondering what to do now, but thereās sound of flapping wings and Samās all alone. āDammit!ā He yells. Man, I wish this network would allow swearing. You know Sam has stronger words than that in mind.
Abandoned warehouse, and Alastair is strung up in one mother of a devilās trap. Castiel assures Dean the trap is old Enochian. I looked it up on Google, and they sound like a bunch of whack jobs that know their stuff when it comes to magic. I know, there will be at least one on the boards somewhere ready to curse my name for saying that, so please donāt take offense all you practicing Enochians out there. Iām having enough trouble with the Sam vs. Dean fans. Dean says āfascinatingā and starts to leave, announcing heās hitchhiking back to Cheyenne. Uriel does his angel zooming thing and blocks his path. āAngels are dying boy.ā āEveryoneās dying these days,ā Dean counters. Ha! Deanās got you there junkless.
Deanās still refusing to do this, and good cop Castiel admits itās too much to ask. āBut we have to ask it.ā One look into those dreamy blue angel eyes and Dean softens (as do we all), and asks to speak to Castiel alone. Uriel says heāll seek revelation, see if thereās any additional orders. Dean, oh classic Dean, shows up with the perfect smart ass line. āWell get some donuts while youāre out.ā Even Uriel laughs at that one.
Dean turns back to Castiel, who really needs to lighten up a little. Dean calls him out on that. āIf you guys donāt start walking, youāre gonna get flabby.ā Castiel continues with his inquisitive stare. āIām starting to think that junkless has a better sense of humor than you do.ā Castiel deadpans, āUriel is the funniest angel in the garrison. Ask anyone.ā While Iām laughing, does anyone think theyāre paralleling Castielās issues with human emotions much like Data on
Star Trek The Next Generation? He couldnāt grasp simple humor either, and went through moronic exercises to get there. Donāt do that with Castiel, please show?
Dean gets to the point. He wants to know whatās going on, why is Uriel suddenly barking the orders? Castiel admits his superiors began to question his sympathies, aka his closeness with people in his charge. In other words, you Dean. Heās showing emotion, which are doorways to doubt, which can impair his judgment. Yep, Data,
ST:TNG. Dean tells Castiel, āYou donāt want me doing this, trust me.ā Castiel, being the feeling android, I mean angel, he is responds āWant it, know, but Iāve been told we need it.ā
Dean starts to fall apart a little. āYou ask me to open that door and walk through it, you will not like what walks back out.ā Castiel understands. āFor what itās worth, I would give anything to have you not do this.ā Dean closes his eyes and accepts he really doesnāt have a choice. The directing on this scene is outstanding, the way they go back and forth between the two profiles, drawing out the greatest possible heartache of both these men. Itās the Kim Manners school of directing, and Mike Rohl gets an A.
Dean enters the room with a cart, and chained up Alastair starts singing Fred Astaireās āCheek To Cheek.ā Smartass. Christopher Heyerdahl is a fantastic, very creepy Alastair in this one, more so than last week, and he was great then. I heard he does a lot of evil parts, and the man is a master of his craft. Dean pulls back the cover to reveal the implements of torture, and Alastair laughs at him. He finds the true absurdity of the situation. āThey sent you to torture me?ā Dean has his game face on, and demands to know a name of whoās killing the angels. āDo you think Iāll spill my guts?ā Alastair asks. āOh, youāll spill your guts one way or another,ā Dean admits, āI just didnāt want to ruin shoes.ā We know from past episodes that Dean wisecracks the most when heās terrified. Given all the clever lines with Uriel and Alastair so far, he must be out of his mind in fright.
Alastair taunts some more, telling Dean heās too scared to do this. āIām here, arenāt I?ā Dean says. āNot entirely,ā Alastair replies. āYou left part of yourself back in the pit.ā Remember that for later. Dean holds firm, and starts going through the instruments. Alastair taunts more, understanding that Dean would want payback for everything he did to him. Dean shows no reaction. āHow about all the things I did to your Daddy.ā That gets Deanās attention. Oh Dean, you are so out of your league.
Meanwhile, back at the crappy motel, Ruby walks in. Avert your eyes! Thatās the scariest thing weāve seen yet. Ruby can still smell the angels, and isnāt too happy about dealing with them again. Sam gets right to it, he needs her to tell him where they took Dean. Ruby doesnāt understand what the big deal is. Dean slices up Alastair, the angels get the goods, everyoneās happy. Sam knows the problem though, and heās worried. āHe canāt do it. He canāt the job done. Something happened to him downstairs Ruby. Heās not what he used to be, heās not strong enough.ā Ruby says, āAnd you are.ā Sam is determined. āI will be.ā
Tell me Sam, how do you know this about Dean? We know you arenāt wrong, but is it brotherly intuition or your freaky psychic stuff? Either way, if youāve known this all along, then your words during the confrontation in āSex and Violenceā were true. Itās good to see you wanting to cover your brotherās back this time, but ouch.
Back to Dean, and this is where the scenes cut back and forth in wild succession. If you have a hard time keeping up, you arenāt alone. Alastair talks about how John was on his rack for close to a century, and he offered John the same thing he did to Dean every night, heād put down his blade if John would pick up one. John never budged, and Alastair admits he was made of something unique. But then came Dean and ādaddyās little girlā broke in thirty. Dean is drinking whiskey by this time, doing his best to ignore the taunts. The angels gave him whiskey? They took him away so fast itās not like he brought his own bottle. Even Ruby demanded sobriety from Sam.
Alastair goes straight for the core. āJust not the man youāre daddy wanted you to be, huh Dean?ā Dean goes on with his work, and Alastair so aptly says āNow weāre getting somewhere.ā You are indeed, for even I see the small cracks in Dean just through the flare in his eyes and his tightened jaw.
Dean grabs the holy water and pours, and Alastair isnāt impressed. āGrasshopper, youāre going to have to get creative if you want to impress me.ā Thatās a Kung Fu reference for those that didnāt watch it in reruns on cable. Iām sure only a fraction of us actually remember it airing in the 1970ās. It came on past my bedtime though, so Iām not that old! Dean really tries a speech of his own, talking about how he dreamt over and over again this moment. Heās got a few ideas, including putting the holy water into a needle. He comes up to Alastair and announces, āLetās get started.ā
Castiel waits outside in the warehouse, listening to Alastairās screams. His head dramatically turns toward the camera and heās not happy.
The camera swipes across the āimplements of destructionā and up to Deanās face. Heās apprehensive, toughens up and turns around. He asks Alastair if he wants more of the stuff, for thereās plenty left. Alastair has a clever answer. āGo directly to Hell. Do not pass go, do not collect $200.ā Dean actually smiles. Watch that, for we donāt see too much of that this episode.
Now Ruby is lighting a map while latinating, and Sam watches with those giant arms folded. Man, even those bare arms look ripped. Iāve seen a recent shirtless picture of Jared from Friday The 13th. Heās even bigger now than in āHell House.ā Itās not for the hormonally weak. Anyway, Rubyās eyes go black, the map ignites in flames and Samās actually worried. Really Sam, after all the shit youāve seen in your life, a little fire is bothering you? Ruby assures him fire is our friend, and then the map burns up except the part where Dean is. Rubyās acting superior, boasting that the angels arenāt used to hiding their dirty business and know that theyāre being spied on. Yeah, as weāre learning, these angels arenāt an organized bunch.
Sam doesnāt have much to say about Rubyās pride, for he has something on his mind. āRuby, itās been weeks, I need it.ā Ruby plays him, pulling the āyouāre not happy about itā card. āYou think I want to do this?ā Oh Sam, yes you do. You just have your excuse now to have it. Granted itās a good one, but itās still an excuse. He walks to the bed, and oh, that look of desperation. He knows what he wants is wrong, but heās still going there. He wants the power. He wants that feeling of control. Heās even letting Ruby kiss him and call him Sammy. Sheās your drug dealer Sam. Just face it.
Rubyās got him and she knows it. While straddling his lap, she tells him he can have it. After all, who can say no to those yearning eyes? While kissing him she pulls out the knife and slices her arm, all while Sam watches with eager anticipation like a baby waiting for motherās milk. Or a junkieāĀ¦you get the point. Sam looks for the okay, and then starts sucking on the wound. Ew, gross. Whatās even grosser? Rubyās smile of evil satisfaction. Her diabolical plan is working. I hope Sam uses those demon powers to kill her someday.
Dean has Rubyās knife now, and Alastair has a point. āDo you really think this is going to fix you? Give you closure?ā He finds it sad. Dean stabs him with the knife soaked in holy water and Alastair still teases. āI carved you into a new animal Dean. There is no going back.ā Dean has a smart answer. āMaybe youāre right, but now itās my turn to carve.ā While thatās going on, an invisible force turns the faucet on, loosens a bolt in the pipe, and water drips on the edge of the trap, breaking the seal. Uh oh!
Castiel waits outside, hearing the screams, and he feels something. Heās not alone. Without turning around, he knows itās Anna. He comments sheās in her old human body and if you remember in āHeaven and Hell,ā it was evaporated by the bright light. Anna says sheās sentimental and called in some favors. Wow, who does she know that could do that? The only thing I can think of starts with a G and ends with a D. Castiel mentions they still have orders to kill her, but Anna knows he wonāt. I do wonder, and I suspected it by Castielās first glance of her in āHeaven and Hellā if these two had a thing. If they havenāt, they should. They have chemistry, and them being together will wipe the thought of her and Dean doing it out of my mind.
Anna asks where Uriel is, and Castiel answers he went to receive revelation. She says āRight.ā She knows something! Back to Dean, who removes the knife, and Alastair with bloody teeth jokes, āYou know, itās your professionalism I respect.ā Thatās a line out of
Little Shop Of Horrors BTW. Dean angrily shoves him away and Alastair knows whoās starting to crack.
Back to Anna, who asks Castiel why is Dean doing this. āHeās doing Godās work,ā he firmly believes. āTorturing? Thatās Godās work? Stop him Cas, please, before you ruin the one real weapon you have.ā Castiel doesnāt want to question orders, but Anna points out they might not be coming from God. She guesses one of their superiors, but not him.
More Alastair torture with the holy water going down his throat, and then Anna continues to prod at Castiel, asking if this is what the Father he loves would ask of him. Castiel listens, and boy can we tell sheās making sense to him. Anna tells him what heās feeling is called doubt, and the scene goes back to more torture before coming back to them. She takes Castielās hand. āThese orders are wrong, and you know it. But you can do the right thing. Youāre afraid Cas, I was too, but together we can-ā Castiel cuts her off. āTogether?ā He yanks his hand away. āI am nothing like you. You fell.ā He orders her to go, she tries to plead. He repeats āGo!ā and she flies away, leaving him all alone. The shot fades out to show Castiel, looking swallowed by the rest of the room. Awesome, and it so tells how heās feeling right now. Isolated and alone.
Torture scene again, and Alastair lets Dean know he isnāt getting deep enough. Heās ready to drop something big, but Dean puts salt down his throat, and itāll have to wait. Sam is driving the Impala fast in the rain, his eyes are fixed forward, and man is this spooky. At first the light hit his eyes they are hazel. As the scene progresses, with each swipe of the windshield wipers the eyes get slowly darker until theyāre almost black. Whoa. Thatās some great editing there.
Coming up…part 2! https://www.thewinchesterfamilybusiness.com/article-list/537-recap-qon-the-head-of-a-pinq-part-2.html
Hi Alice
Great review as always! I’m finding lately that I barely have time to read reviews on the episodes, I can only imagine how stretched you must be writing the damn things! Just wanted to say that I appreciate your efforts and always look forward to hearing your thoughts on each episode. I’m sorry to hear you are having Sam vs Dean probs, that particular aspect of fandom always gets my blood boiling. Don’t let it deter you – you are a fantastic writer, please keep writing!
I loved this episode. Sure it was angel heavy but I think that served a point and certainly drove the mytharc forward. Alistair was certainly a highlight for me. What a delicious role that would have been to play – I’m so glad we got to have a fantastic actor to pull it off.
Jensen, Jared, Misha et al were great as always.
Is it wrong that I love Sam’s powers? And that I was so excited to see his eyes turn black? I’m just a little worried about the epic bill that may be coming. (PS I want him to kill Ruby too!)
And poor Dean – the supernatural world just keeps laying the smacketh down on him doesn’t it?
Can’t believe there’s only six episodes to go for this season.
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