A small time later Gwen and Dean have a chat. She apologizes for the reject thing. “I’ve been called worse,” Dean says not upset about it. Oh yes, you most certainly have. Gwen is getting sick of being left behind and surmises she reminds Samuel of his daughter. Dean sees that. “Well you do speak your mind.” Yes, he meant that as a compliment. I know we don’t really know Gwen, but I don’t see any Mary in her whatsoever. Mary wasn’t this much of an insecure bitch.
A twig snaps and Dean and Gwen pull out their monster beheading knives. We get the standard guy jumps out of the bushes, tackles Gwen, attacks Dean and then gets his head chopped off by Gwen. This time though, the blood spatter goes all over Dean’s face. See, they don’t work so bad together. There’s some suspect special effects here, for it looks like a plastic dummy with a missing head falling on Dean. Oh well, they tried. Dean thanks Gwen, but won’t take her hand that she offers to help him up. Considering she’s holding a big knife, I don’t blame him.
Dean somehow cleans off his face without leaving a trace of blood and then there are gunshots. You think Dean sits still? Gwen naturally tries to tell him the order was to stay back, but she doesn’t realize Dean sucks at taking orders. Dean easily finds the house, it’s the same one in the vision he got when he was a vampire. The weathervane triggers the memories. This is the place. Headless vamps everywhere in the courtyard are another clue. Then a vamp appears at the glass door, shouts “Dean!” and is pulled away so we can see the blood spatter of death. So, once connected to a vamp they’ll always know who you are? That sounds more like he was assimilated by the Borg! Interesting. I wonder if Dean knows their names. For some reason, the girl’s death shocks Dean so maybe so.
Dean hears Sam’s name being called out by Samuel in the distance and goes to investigate. He sees a guy being led out by the posse with a hood over his head and hooked up to a makeshift IV of dead man’s blood. Samuel is taking charge and Sam is manning van door. Dean sees the hands of the guy chained up and remembers that from his vision too. It’s the alpha vamp! Suddenly Sam looks over in his direction and Dean hides quick. Oh Sammy, no, not another lie to Dean. He just can’t take this anymore. Hell, I can’t take it anymore. Sam sees no one is there and proceeds with his lying son-of-a…Samuel’s daughter duties.
Dean gets back and Gwen wants to know where he was. Before he can answer Samuel and posse returns. Gwen covers for Dean, letting Samuel know they got a runner. She asks how it went. “Rough, but one alpha down.” Dean, since he really knows the truth, tests Samuel by mentioning he wants to pay his last respects. “Bring marshmallows, already on the pyre,” Samuel says. Dean joins Sam over at the Impala knowing full well he’s just been lied to.
Sam and Dean are on the way back and it’s night already. Gee, either the daybreak hunt took all day or for some reason, against the map we saw in last episode, the alpha vamp really wasn’t in Illinois. Also, Dean waits until it’s dark to ask Sam how it went? Wouldn’t that have been his first question? Was he giving Sam a little time to fess up? Sam, who still has not learned his lesson, tells Dean everything went fine. “Nothing weird?” Dean asks. Sam shakes his head. Dean instantly pulls the Impala over. Great Sam, you’ve pissed him off so bad now you’re getting the Impala pull over treatment. He’s going to be insufferable now.
Dean gets out and slams the door. He walks those few calming steps before unloading on his brother. “I saw you walk that alpha out the door Sam. Now call me crazy, but that seems weird.” Sam looks at Dean like he’s fighting for the right words to say. “Oh,” he says blankly. Oh? You mean like, “Oh shit, I’ve been caught again? Hope Dean doesn’t beat me up?” No Sam actually says something worse. “You weren’t supposed to know about that.” Dean wants to know what, which is healthier than “What the Hell are you thinking?”
Sam explains it’s something Samuel’s been doing. Catching things, taking them somewhere, grilling them for info. Dean knows that grill means torture. “And not telling me, that was his idea?” “No, it was mine,” Sam admits. I hope you don’t have too long a walk back to the compound Sam, because you’re asking for a dumping here. Dean decides he wants to know why. “Honestly, because you’d mess it up. You’d shoot first and ask questions later and we needed to ask questions.”
Needless to say, Dean is at a loss for words. I honestly thought this was the point in the conversation where he would jump in the Impala and leave Sam stranded. Luckily, Dean’s patience not run out yet. “You know what, I don’t care if you’ve got soullessness or the freaking mumps man, you know better than this! Do you even want your soul back?” Sam tries to ask what that has to do with this but Dean goes on.
Has he been to the place Samuel takes the monsters? Has he been in on the interrogations? No. “What does he want and why?” It’s really sad Sam doesn’t think to ask these questions anymore. “Did it ever occur to you this is really shady?” Sam’s puzzled reaction pretty much answers that. “He’s our grandfather.” “Yeah, a guy who talks a great game. But you can’t assume family means the same thing to him as it does us. He’s not dad.”
Dean sees through Sam’s blank expression the heart of the problem. “Wow, you don’t see it do you. You’ve got no instinct. I mean you are seriously messed up.” Sam gives him a sarcastic “thanks.” Ah, the contention point. Sam thinks he’s still him but is so lost on how he can prove that to Dean. I wonder if he believes he can. “No one’s forcing you to work with me, okay? But if we do this, I drive the bus. I call the shots and you tell me everything whether you think it’s important or not because trust me, you can’t tell the difference. Or you know what, go with Samuel, see how that goes. It’s up to you.” Sam is listening, but is it sinking in? We’re about to find out.
Samuel in his office packing a bag and Sam comes in. He calls him Samuel. It’s kind of sad they’re not on a “grandpa” basis. Samuel notices Dean isn’t with him. Sam says he’s gone. Gone? As in left about an hour ago gone. “He and I just aren’t seeing eye to eye anymore I guess.” Samuel actually thinks it’s too bad. Yeah, because that means the soulless guy is now your problem, not Dean’s. Sam tells him he wants in. In the interrogations, everything. “I can help.” Aww, he’s so eager. How adorable. Give the young guy a chance.
Awesome review! I’m lost on the souless rules as well. But then, as far as we know, this is pretty much a first. So maybe SPN feels comfortable making up their own rules.
I thought the lady in the window who called to Dean and went bloody, was one of the hunters back at the Campbell compound. And Montana does the internet!!! Promise!
Alice, great job as always.
No matter what, Dean still cares for Sam, he wanted Cas to heal Sam right away. Have to love Dean for that.
I don’t know which I like more NoBS!Dean or BadAss!Cas when it comes to dealing with Gramps. 😀
As a fan of ‘Smallville’ since day one, I also saw the farm and thought that Sam and Dean were going to pay Clark and Co. a visit. Wouldn’t that be funny. 🙂
(Jason Teague may have been shot by Lionel Luther, but he was really killed by Dean Winchester). 😀
Just because Gramps is ‘family’, that doesn’t mean that he is FAMILY. (does that make sense?) Just because he is a Campbell, that doesn’t mean that Dean has to trust him, no questions asked.
I agree, some episodes require multi viewings. What you may not catch the first time, or may not make sense, when you watch the episode again, then it becomes clear.
I agree with your opinion of Gwen (or is it Glen Campbell? 😀 Bobby did have Kenny Rodgers on his episode). I think she is nothing like Hunter!Mary. I personally think that H!Mary would have wiped the floor and (dare I say) ceiling with Gwen.
‘Sam and Dean follow in a car that sticks out like a sore thumb’: two words: CLOAKING DEVICE 😀 😀
‘Sam is BFF’s with a demon’ DAH!!! 😆 😆
We now know that even before Ruby, anyone that Sam considered a friend had a 99.99% chance of being a demon. Poor Sammy.
Can’t wait til your recap of this week’s ep. The end reminded me of the end of ‘Good God’. Do you agree? The heart to heart (chick flick moment) at the picnic table.