I love this next scene for it’s hilarious, but even this is a headscratcher. Sam is outside and gives it a “here goes.” He closes his eyes and looks upward. “Castiel, we need you. It’s important.” Nothing. “Cas, we found something, it’s this gold box. Apparently Nazis were after it back in the day, someone tried to open it and their face melted off. I think it’s, ready for this, the Ark of the Covenant.” He’s tricking Cass with the plot to Raiders of The Lost Ark? How funny! What’s even funnier is that it works!
Castiel appears right behind him asking where the box is. “I can’t believe you fell for that,” Sam says surprised to see him. “That was the plot of Raiders you idiot.” Gee Sam, way to be cool to someone you’re about to force to help you. Castiel claims he’s in mid-battle and Sam couldn’t give a rats ass about his pissing match with Raphael. Castiel tries to protest and Sam shouts him down, not caring what’s happening in Heaven. “You owe me.” Well, in a sense he does, but since when has that changed things? Castiel wouldn’t help or respond before, what’s different now? Maybe I’m just way too suspicious about everything.
“You may not care but believe me-” Cass is cutoff by Sam. “I’m sorry, but do you think we’re here to talk this out?” Cass protests some more and Sam gets really belligerent. “If you don’t help us, I will hunt you down and kill you.” This is where the ALMIGHTY ANGEL smites Sam for being an ass. Why is Sam in control here? Castiel gets mean and moves closer to Sam. “Will you, boy? How?” “I don’t know yet. But I will look until I find out. And I don’t sleep.” Castiel says he needs help. “I need your help,” Sam says. Again, this seems so off. Is Sam just being a jerk or wielding some sort of power over Cass? What’s up with these two? It’s another case of poorly written character interaction or it means something.
Dean is inside the house and rather shocked to find Cass actually showed. “Wow Sam, I owe you a chicken dinner.” Hmm, chicken dinner. You know the best ones in the world are in Frankenmuth, Michigan. I wonder if they’re close to there? Right, episode. Dean wonders what happened. “No big, this is what friends do for each other,” Sam replies with a smile. What’s going on? Yeah, Dean doesn’t buy it either.
Next scene Castiel is doing his angel mojo thing with candles and figures out that Crowley is hidden from him. They don’t like this news. Dean figures out they’re going to have to try this the hard way. They end up searching an office in the dark. Sam and Dean are using flashlights, Cass doesn’t need one. Angels and their powers. Show off. Suddenly the lights come on and we figure out where they are. Samuel’s office. That’s because Samuel is standing there pointing a gun at them. He sees the three men and lowers his gun. “Can I help you?” Yeah guys, you could have asked. Not that it would have gotten you anywhere.
Dean cut to the chase. They want to know where Crowley is. “If I even knew why would I tell you?” Dean has the perfect answer. “Because you’re our grandfather.” You know, in most families that works. Stupid dysfunctional Campbells/ Winchesters. Sam tells Samuel he’s going to get his soul back. “Who says you can get it back?” “Me,” Sam replies. Samuel says he want to help but…there’s always a “but” with this family, isn’t there? Dean mentions it’s his grandson’s soul. “I can’t,” Samuel says. Dean doesn’t get what’s wrong with him. “Do you want to work for Crowley?” So Dean asks Castiel to give them a minute? Why in the world does Castiel have to be excused from this family meeting? Does Dean think Castiel is making Samuel nervous? He should! Castiel complies.
Dean gives the “we’re your blood appeal,” and has to know why he won’t help them. “What is Crowley holding over you, you owe us that.” Sam watches with curiosity. He really doesn’t know. Samuel comes clean. He pulls out a faded picture of Mary, aka Amy Gumenick Mary. “Mom?” Dean asks. “He’s going to give her back to me,” Samuel says. Hmm, interesting, since Mary can’t be found. Maybe she’s in Purgatory, so that’s where Crowley was going to find her.
“Crowley’s going to bring back Mom from the dead?” Samuel challenges Dean to tell him he doesn’t want her back. “You know the one difference between us. You know how to live without her.” No, it’s just Dean knows better. Dean tries to relate because he can, but Samuel doesn’t think he does. She’s his daughter. “And she’s dead. And I can do something about it.” Gee Samuel, it’s Dean’s mother. It hurts him too. It doesn’t hurt Sam because he never knew the woman, but it hurts Dean a lot. Dean doesn’t think Crowley will make good on this promise. “He brought Sam back! And me!” Samuel protests. So, let’s address that question, shall we? Why do you think Crowley went through the trouble to bring Sam back? He was in a freaking cage with Lucifer and Michael. That’s quite intense. Samuel I get, he needed him to find monsters plus Samuel I think sold his soul for a chance to get Mary back. Sam, it doesn’t add up. I think the real big bad had Sam brought back.
Dean now gets to play the responsible one, telling Samuel to stop trying. “It’s gonna go nowhere good. Samuel, I know we’ve had our differences but I’m your grandson and I’m telling you this is wrong for so many reasons.” Samuel calls him a hypocrite. “I’m asking you to learn from our mistakes! Doing this, this is how the bad guy gets us every time. It’s our achilles heel. Apparently it runs in the family.” I do love how Dean is so wise beyond his years. He’s really had to learn the hard way. Dean swears they’ll figure something else out. Yeah, like how about the angel that just left the room? He’s got some connections. Dean thinks farther, wondering what he’s going to tell Mary when he brings her back. “You going to tell her you made a deal with a demon? That you wouldn’t help out her sons!” Samuel’s had enough and tells Dean to get out. Both leave giving Samuel the stare down.
Castiel is watching TV. Oh, this has got to be good. He looks confused. “It’s very complex.” Sam and Dean are doing research at the table and aren’t listening. “If the pizza man truly loves this babysitter. Why does he keep slapping her rear?” Now that gets Sam and Dean’s attention! The looks are priceless. “Perhaps she’s done something wrong.” Dean’s gonna handle this one. “You’re watching porn? Why?” “It was there,” Castiel answers. You know, that’s my answer to everything! It’s a good one.
Once again, Dean must instruct the wayward angel on social taboos. “You don’t watch porn in a room full of dudes, and you don’t talk about it. Just turn it off.” Cass just looks downward. “Oh, now he’s got a boner,” Dean says. I’m howling here, but that’s another thing you don’t say in a room full of dudes. Then there’s a knock at the door while Castiel keeps watching. It’s Samuel. It doesn’t take him long to see what’s going on. “This is what you boys do, sitting around watching pornos with angels.” See, even Samuel knows that’s wrong! “I’m not supposed to talk about it,” Castiel says, still watching with fascination. Oh man, it’s time to pause and die laughing again. Good ole Castiel for the comic relief. He needs to be in this show every week.
Great recap!
I enjoyed the episode, but it left me with so many questions. “Sam as the Big Bad” does seem plausible, especially with the promos for this season & the hints dropped in this episode, but I am very much hoping that it is another misdirection from the writers. I was not expecting Crowley’s demise for quite awhile yet, but it proved that he was indeed just a used car salesman trying to act like the boss when the job was actually above his pay grade. I do wonder if he will find Purgatory after all now that that is where he’s probably been sent.
I suspect that Mary is in Purgatory too, since she sacrificed herself (or at least her spirit or soul) to save her boys from the malignant spirit in “Home”.
As much as I dislike Samuel for betraying his grandsons, I get that he pretty much has tunnel vision in his quest to regain his daughter no matter the consequences. The same goes for Dean when it comes to getting back the Sam that was his little brother. The next family reunion is not going to be pretty.
Sam certainly did appear to show emotion & some of the old Sam rage & real concern for Dean in this episode. I wonder, if over time, he could refashion his soul on his own without getting back what is supposedly left in the cage. Maybe just by being with Dean, who has such love & loyalty in his own soul….okay, that’s pretty sappy but just a thought. It hurts my heart to think of Sam’s soul being tortured in the cage, & I think that’s why Dean can’t let go & agree with RevenantSam’s decision to not want it back.
And I still want to know what became of Adam.
So many questions… I’m keeping hope that the show does have some good answers coming for us. That’s what I want for Christmas!
I must admit I lost focus slightly after you started going on about naked Sam and so possibly missed the finer points of your reasoning but I do reckon that you’re reading too much into what’s really just uneven writing … There, now next week it’ll all fall into place with a resounding clang and I’ll feel like a complete prat. Here’s hoping! 😉
Hi Alice
Another enjoyable recap. I just love your wit.
You definitely bring up a lot of questions and concerns for this season.
Is it just inconsistency in the writing or is it all leading to some elaborate plan.
Is Sam the big bad and has been from the start? For me I hope not. I’m not a fan of the idea at all.
I do wonder if the writers were given free rein on how they interpret being soulless and that’s why Sam shows emotions/concerns in some episode and not in others?
I am anxious to see what this weeks episode brings, hopefully they will at least give us a hint of Hope that things are going to get better with the brothers. Otherwise the Christmas Hellatus will be Hell.
I have to give it to Sera. She certainly has everyone’s head spinning. I guess if you want to take over an existing story and make it your own, you have to stir things up a bit. Get everyone out of their comfort zone so new paths can be set.
I just wish the brothers relationship hadn’t been targeted, it kind of made Swan Song seem that it was all for nothing. Plus after two seasons with their relationship being tampered with, I really wasn’t wanting to go through a third season of it again.
Thanks again for the great recap.
Alice,
I liked the recap, as for the direction of this season, still not sure.
Great recap though.
For some reason, I’m laughing at myself over this recap today. I remembered when I interviewed Sera Gamble a couple of years ago a debate was going on at this site over what Jeremy Carver meant for Mystery Spot with “Pig in a Poke.” We had these wild theories circulating over all the hidden meanings. Sera speculated (correctly I might add) that Jeremy just thought the name was funny.
So yes, I’m probably being extremely guilty of reading way more into this that what’s there. But, speculation is fun! Who knows, one or two of these observances might actually amount to something.
Hi Alice, Great recap!!!
When Crowly died I was 😮 honestly didn’t see that coming I thought he was the big bad of the season.
You know I don’t think Sam and Meg are working together but I hope, it would be interesting cause after the episode ended it felt like was the season finale of the “mini-serie” supernatural, cause now what?? Crowly is the one that wanted to know about the purgatory Crowly was the big bad or at least they made us believe that, and now he is dead, and I truly think Sam is going to recover his soul in the ending of next episode 6×11 Appointment in Samarra or in the begining of 6×12.
(Dean thanks Cas: “If it hadn’t have been for you…†You’d still be okay because Sam would have kicked in those powers he insists on hiding ) facepalm 😀
Yes that is what I have thinked since I knew Sam doesn’t have his soul, if Sam was drinking demon blood when he had a soul now that he is souless with more reason, maybe he does and that’s why he could untied himself in family matters :D,, now you are: :roll:: 😀
Thanks Alice for the recap I enjoyed, love your recaps
I was never a fan of the Sam as the big bad, and I’m still not. But, Alice, you sure brought up some points to ponder. There’s too much to be “inconsistent writing”, especially since if it was, I doubt it could get past Jared. They have to tell him something about his motivation, he can’t play it completely blind, so there must be something, a bigger picture, that we don’t get yet.
I wonder if the demons are expecting Sam to step up to the plate? Remember in season 3, the demon’s big plan was Sam was to be the General, after the demise of Yellow Eyes. Maybe analytical RoboSam is playing this to his advantage, because he even seemed to have something going with Christian (may he rest in pieces). Just a thought…
I really love the snark you add to your recaps (fits the tone of the show). One thing in this episode that I expected you to make fun of was Crowley using a BABY MONITOR to monitor the baby shapeshifters! I just burst out laughing every time I see it. With all the grunge and disgusting stuff on that set, there’s the pristine new baby monitor. What fun!
You think Pig in a Poke was fun (I remember that interview as well) they must be laughing themselves silly at the wild thoughts going on now that Episode 15’s title has been released (and yes, those into Wincest or man on man relations are really very hopeful. The person who brought up Blazing Saddles and the end is more dead on since the TV Guide article tells us that there is an upcoming episode that will do just what the ending of Blazing Saddles does…still, one must wonder at how much of our speculating makes them grim, grimace and outright guffaw!!
Nice episode!But i hated cas kissing meg 😡
I am a little late to reading this, but as always Alice, a great recap.
Dean may not be happy with Soulless Sam, but no one hurts Sam and gets away with it. Gramps is a dead man and he doesn’t even know it.
Powerful. bad ass Cas, what is there not to love. 😀
I agree, where have Sam’s powers disappeared to?
Crowley isn’t this season’s big bad. After last night’s episode, we can assume that Sam (yeah! :D) isn’t the big bad either. Could it be a re-bodied Raphael, Balthazar, or maybe someone (something) we haven’t met yet?
Cannot wait for your recap of last night’s great episode. 😀
Exactly, Dean and Bobby no longer could trust Sam. Sam went after Bobby with no ‘superego’. What if the next spell required the heart of a blood relative? Sera and Co. took Sam to his lowest and darkest moment, they had no choice but to give him back his soul and then deal with those consequences.
Great job at reviewing the episode, let me think about a lot. I think the longer Sam is out of hell, the more his soul might come back, hence the reason he’s starting to have feelings? I don’t know. But the reason why Sam was pushed into the wall was because he hasn’t drunk any demon blood. What you should be really asking is how did they make that second demon trap?? 😮
Ah also, maybe Cass showed no mercy to and finished off Crowley so fast was he knew he had to get back to heaven fast and didn’t want to waste anymore time XD 😆