Preview and Episode Discussion: “Appointment in Samarra” (6.11)
This week Supernatural ends the first half of the season with “Appointment in Samarra,” an episode featuring the return of two familiar faces, Death, one of the four horsemen from the myth arc of last season, and Tessa the reaper from “In My Time of Dying’ (2.01) and “Death Takes a Holiday” (4.15). (Just a side bit of information, the character of Tessa was inspired by Neil Gaiman’s Death from his Sandman graphic novels. As Crowley, the recently deceased King of Hell, was also an inspiration from a Gaiman novel, one of the SPN writers has a definite soft spot for author!)
While the majority of the episode titles so far this season have been references to movie and TV shows, this one has a literary reference based on ancient folklore. Right up Supernatural‘s alley! So, what does the title mean?
It’s an old Babylonian folktale of a Baghdad merchant who sends his servant to the local market. A woman bumps into the servant and he immediately recognizes her as Death (Yea,Death is a female. How sexist is that!) Death gives the servant a threatening look. The servant becomes terrified and flees. He tells his master about the encounter, borrows his master’s horse and flees to the city of Samarra. The merchant then goes to the marketplace to talk to Death and find out why she made a threatening gesture. She replies, “That was not a threatening gesture, it was only a start of surprise. I was astonished to see him in Baghdad, for I have an appointment with him tonight in Samarra.”
The folk lore is a classical fatalistic tale where no matter what a character does to avoid a situation; it only causes exactly what was supposed to happen all along. The Final Destination movies are a prime example. No matter what the characters do to avoid Death, they all end up deceased. And this concept is not unfamiliar to Supernatural either. In “The Monster at the End of This Book,” no matter what Dean and Sam do to avoid the prophecies of Chuck, their action don’t change the outcome.
Question is to which brother does the story apply? Dean, who, in an attempt to get Sam’s soul back, actually loses it? Or does Sam’s attempt to keep his soul out of his body, lead directly to him actually getting his soul back?
Sera Gamble in this weeks issue of TV Guide states the story line comes to a head in this week’s episode, which is “about how far each brother will go to get what they need.”
What does each of them need?
Dean needs to get his brother back. Even with the ‘issues’ they have, Sam is still his brother and neither of them is whole without the other. The cure might be worse than the disease, but that is a chance Dean feels is worth taking, and as Sam is not Sam, Dean sets out to correct the problem. Humans can’t exist without souls. (Of course that really is Sam’s decision, not Dean’s. Dean is right, Sam isn’t Sam without his human side, but both he and Dean can learn to deal with it. And Soulless!Sam can be quite funny at times.)
Sam needs to stay in command of his own existence. He doesn’t know why he is out of the cage, but he is alive, and that’s good enough for him. He doesn’t feel a soul is all that important, and would rather stay as is, then risk the possible alternative. (Of course, the episodes thus far have gone to great lengths to point out that Sam has not only lost his emotions, but also his sense of right and wrong and the ability to reason, something he has already admitted a few episodes back.)
How far will each go?
Dean goes looking for Death, one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse. He finds him in a restaurant in Chinatown. Dean met with Death in a pizza parlor last season, and now it seems Death has a taste for Chinese. Nigel Horsleya local photographer, took these photos of Dean and Death (Julian Richings) in Vancouver’s Chinatown. To see others he took, to go to his Photostream page.
Death offers to help return Sam’s soul, but only if Dean spends a day working as Death.
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And of course to be Death, you have to be dead. So Dean ends up at Dr Robert’s (portrayed by guest star, Robert Englund) office, who is described as “an unlicensed doctor who works out of the back of a butcher shop.” Dr Robert’s also has a creepy assistant Eva played by Danielle Benton.
Once Dean is Death, it looks like Tessa is assigned to train/assist Dean in how to be a reaper during his 24 hour deal. And various ‘deaths’ occurred in a not so good section of Vancouver. Susan Gittins was on hand for some shots of those locations. Her photos are below.
So where is Sam while all this is going on? Seems while Dean is making a deal with Death to get Sam’s soul back, Sam is going to extremes to ensure that his soul will never re-enter his body. He finds out about a spell from Balthazar that will keep him soulless. The catch – the spell requires blood from Sam’s father, and as John is long dead, Sam decides Bobby is the next best thing. Seems the spell requires the blood of his father, but the father needn’t be blood. Canada’s Space channel promo shows Sam about to kill Bobby, so apparently a lot of blood is needed for the ritual.
The CW promo shows Death making a proposal to Dean, Dean putting on the Death’s ring amid a green glow and Sam trying to use an axe on a door, either before or after tying Bobby to a chair and sharpening a knife. The promo implies that Dean isn’t wounded before ending up on Dr Robert’s table, but goes there deliberately to get “killed”. In a brief clip from the CBS video announcing the SPN TV Guide cover (on the front page of the website), the doctor greets Dean and gives the impression he has been fixing up Winchesters for generations. I’m assuming here he is referring to the Campbell blood line Dean carries, as the writers have put a lot of time into portraying the Campbell line as having been hunters for generations and the Winchesters as relatively newbies to the scene. It will be interesting to see how Dean finds out about the doctor, as he has supposedly been around for years making a living fixing up those who can’t go through normal channels for medical help.
So where does all this lead? From the recent article in TV Guide, some fans think Sam will be “re-souled’ this episode. And one could read the spoiler that way. However it had been stated earlier that we shouldn’t expect to see Sam’s soul returned before mid-season. One thing we can expect to see is Sam getting an ‘ass-kicking’. In fact both brothers are on the receiving end of a “hardcore” beating. Says Gamble, “I don’t want to give away the farm on this episode, but I will say both of them are at the very least near death in this episode.” Gamble also said that anybody watching the last frame of “Appointment in Samarra”, will not want to miss the first frame of “Like a Virgin” (formerly “How To Train Your Dragon”) which airs on January 28. So I’m going to speculate that the battered and bleeding brothers is our cliff hanger for the hiatus. Big question, what happens to Sam’s soul if his body dies without it? In the past, it’s been said that each time the boys meet one of their many deaths, they end up in heaven. Will Sam’s soul be released from the cage then? They are soul mates for eternity. If Dean’s soul goes to heaven, Sam’s should as well. Maybe that’s a way to get him out of the cage?
For those concerned about Bobby, he is in “Like a Virgin”. After he posted on Twitter that they had just ‘wrapped’ that episode, he apparently had 10,000 tweets asking him if ‘wrapping’ meant he had died. He assured everyone that ‘wrapping’ an episode doesn’t mean he is leaving the series. In a separate post, he indicated he would be back filming the series in a couple of months, which at the time of the tweet would make it sometime in February. Now, that doesn’t mean he is not a ghost, but it does mean we will still see Bobby after the hiatus.
The official synopsis: Dean seeks out Death to help get Sam’s soul back. Death tells Dean he will help Sam if Dean will agree to act as Death for 24 hours. Meanwhile, Sam decides he doesn’t want his soul back and asks Balthazar for a protective spell to keep his soul out of his body. Balthazar tells Sam he needs the blood of his father for the spell to work and since John Winchester is dead, Sam decides Bobby is the next best thing. CW Publicity
The episode was director by Mike Rohl, who has directed episodes of Smallville, Eureka and Haven to name a few. He has also direct 14 episodes of Supernatural which include “My Bloody Valentine”, “The Monster at the End of This Book”, and “On the Head of a Pin” The episode was written by executive producers Sera Gamble & Robert Singer.
The cast (IMDB) includes: Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles, Jim Beaver, Julian Richings (Death), Lindsey McKeon (Tessa), Sebastian Roché (Balthazar), Robert Euglund (Dr Robert), Danielle Benton (Eva), Alison Araya (Jolene), Alison Wandzura (EMT) and Chaz Chamberlain.
The CW promo video for the episode is below. CW didn’t release a preview clip.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjxPokih2X4
And Canada’s Space channel promo and preview clips are below. Seems Dean and Death are in a wager more than a deal, but either way Dean ends up dead.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymEgNPySYQc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=todwHEXOOog&
For me, I hope Sam gets his soul back this episode, so we can move on. The Soulless!Sam arc is not going down well, and the writers are having a hard time consistently depicting Sam’s ‘lack of emotions’. I would feel much better about the season if I knew we were coming back to MOTW stories about the alphas, Purgatory and Cass’s civil war in heaven. Even thought I am so done with the myth arc scenario, that is preferable to Soulless!Sam and Soft!Dean. Is that a possibility? According to Gamble, yes. “We will see Sam and Dean working more and more together as a team to solve cases, the way we remember them back in the day.” For me, that needs to start this episode.
This has been a wonderful week for the series, our site and the wonderful Alice Jester. The cover of TV Guide for us fans,.and a lot of publicity for our super Editor-in-chief,long overdue as far as I’m concerned. Congrats Alice! In addition, my hats off to those of you who voted for the cover until three o’clock in the morning! As only 20,000 votes separated us from the second place runner up, the time you put in, put us over the top. Thanks big time from me! Now let’s get the boys back so we can have a happy second half of the season.
Enjoy the episode!! Come back and tell us what you think!
i can whait to se this episode 😛
GReat job putting this together. I keep thinking that Dean needs to kill not!Sam in order to move on. You just gave an excellent reason for this. what if, in killing not!Sam the soul of real Sam is released? Hmmm! We shall see in 24 hours. 🙂
I wonder if when Sera says both brothers are near death in this episode that it isn’t a play on words…after all, Dean is in fact ‘near Death’ just by standing and talking to him….
Can I say something?…
So the spell requires blood from Sam’s father, and as John is dead, Sam decides Bobby is the next best thing… well I think the next best thing is DEAN I mean who has been more like a father for Sam? I think maybe more than John, definitely: Dean
It is plot expediency to have Sam go after Bobby it isnt necessary and is been done for shock value.I wonder sometimes if the writers ever actually think of Sam?when they do these sort of things?.
O MY!I wanna see cas!he isn’t in this ep.is he??
Who cares about all this soul nonsense and impending horrible death of the saintly Bobby … I need to know this … If Tessa’s based on Death of the Endless, where’s her blooming hat and Mary Poppins joke book? Come on, don’t treat us like idiots, this stuff matters. :roll::
Ellie_444
Regarding Sam going after Bobby, I do believe in the Space Promo it states that the relation does not have to be well, blood, thus Bobby could work since he is like a father to the boys.
You should check this though if you watch the promos and such, don’t know if you do, :D. Like you, I hope it isn’t just for plot expediency (and this has been my season to be discouraged, so unusual for me too) but I think I hear Balthazar (no idea how to spell it) say something along the lines of it doesn’t have to be a blood relative.
Hope that helps, also, we’ll know more this evening.
Yes, the spell doesn’t require a ‘blood’ relative to be a father. They had to get around the linage concept they have written about in the past and going after Bobby is purely for shock value. This is a cliffhanger after all.
If they had stuck with it needing a ‘blood’ relative, it would have had to be Dean.
Af far as Sera saying the boys would be near death, the spoiler also said the boys would get a ‘hardcore’ beating, so I’m thinking it’s not a play on words.
Suze, would love to see Tessa with the hat and joke book too. But would have loved to see Crowley with his plants and Bentley also. Guess we don’t get it all. 😀
Good Episode! So glad the soul issue is over! Now we can get on to good MOTW stories…I hope. Glad Death likes Dean and again the boys seem to be on a predestined track. I don’t care. So much of old Dean did I see here, and no way could Sam have stayed as he was. It was too bad Sam didn’t realize how wrong he was, but then he really wasn’t well.
The ‘wall’ is a good option for them. Lets hope the writers don’t decide to ‘breach’ it to often. We all need to put the whole souless issue behind us.
Sera Gamble you magnificent bastard.
Hee, can you see Dean smacking Sam while they’re in the Impala. “Stop that! Don’t scratch that wall!”
Well you’re entitled to your opinion Sablegreen. I personally don’t care much for the MOTW outline. Even in season one I was far more interested in the brothers relationship and the underlying arc of finding John. So now that Sam’s soul is back where it belongs we can learn more about the Alphas, the war in Heaven, and what Death was talking about dealing with souls. Pretty sure they’re related.
Hellatus isn’t going to be easy wondering what Sam will remember of Hell and what he will remember from RoboSam. The way I took the wall concept was less that it’s a dam that sometimes leaks but rather an impending doom waiting to burst through suddenly and violently and wrack Sam immeasurably with pain of all sorts. I suppose I’m just glad Sam is back since things weren’t the same with RoboSam and this episode went to show just how messed up RoboSam was.
Oh and I don’t know that Death likes anyone really, in fact RaboSam and Death seem to be awfully similar at times that it only matters what is useful.
Death has invited Dean for dinner twice. Oh yeah, he likes him. This requires tons more analysis, but clearly something isn’t right and disruption in natural order doesn’t sit well with the king of souls. The fact that he did this just so Dean and Sam could keep digging is pretty freaking awesome. Now the boys have a purpose! I was getting kind of tired of the random wandering.
I have to give this a giant WOW. First, the episode was really well done. It had some very clever back and forth about fate versus free will. Death (and I never thought I would say this) is always a welcome character, superbly drawn and acted.
Jailbreaking the cage. Hmmm. This still bugs me. Why did Sam appear under that light? What happened? Things still don’t add up, and the mucking about with the cage is still bothersome in the extreme. In other words, we still have a lot of questions. It irks me no end that Sam’s soul was still in the cage. We shall see where that leads.
A wall. Its an interesting device, but as this is Supernatural, that wall will come down. Poor Sam.
But at this point. I am just so damned please to have Sam back, I don’t even care so much about the rest.
sigh … i feel frustrated after this epi. yes, it was very well done and creative (love death, love bobby, and the boys are fab as always), but truthfully as a fearless fan of SN i feel used and manipulated. putting sam’s soul back in his body seemed way to anti-climatic. as have most of the sam themes (except for swan song which i thought was powerful and brilliantly executed and finally showcased jared’s talents). but dang, sam sacrifices everything at the end of season five and they bring him back as a flat and void character with little dialog for the first few episodes. no diving into his time in hell — b/c we learn several episodes later that his soul was left behind and he doesn’t have the capacity to feel — then they take another 10 episodes to get his soul back and now they erect a “wall” so he is functional and we still don’t get any emotional meat from sam’s character. the previews for the return in january don’t even hint at any fall out from the soul reunion — it looks like “business as usual.” ugh! finally, we’re teased and strung along even further into the season b/c there’s no guarantee the wall will hold. get on with it already. i want an intelligent, thoughtful show not a soap opera! please. and while the mythic arcs mainly revolve around sam, we almost exclusively experience all of this through dean’s point of view. which, as incredible as jensen ackles is and how cool his character is, is getting tiresome. please, this is a two character show … i dearly want to get inside BOTH characters pysche, feelings and struggles. i love jared padalecki and what he’s brought to sam even with the limited writing his character gets at times. the character sam and jared’s sensitive portrayal of him is what drew me to the show.
you know, i rarely post online and i only post on this SN site because i really like the positive, honest and respectful posts that occur here — so i apologize for my negative ramble above. (alice, i’ll understand if you decide not to post this one … and i’ll try to be more constructive in the future.) i do really love this show and will continue to watch …
I really liked this episode. With so much to absorb, I’m sure I’m going to miss a lot, but I’m really happy with the outcome.
I couldn’t be more happy than to say farewell to Robosam….
Welcome back Sammy!
The prospect that Sam was willing to kill Bobby just to save himself was my breaking point for the soulless crap. It was time for Robosam to go.
The wall put into his memory works for me. I’d rather this than a murderous sociopath Sam.
And here’s to having the brothers getting back in sync.
Awww Dean. What a horrible situation to be in. Maybe he’s wrong to make the decision for Sam, but I believe he was doing the right thing. What Sam was turning into, he was going to have to be stopped or killed at some point.
Loved Death…what an intense character.
I think Death agreed with the deal because he believed Dean wouldn’t be able to go through with it. But when Dean realized he had to follow the true order of things, Death felt he had to honour the deal.
How cool is Bobby. The trap door was awesome. I think after Dean and him getting cornered in the closet from last year, he figured a trap door was needed. I really thought when he went into the closet Sam was going to show up behind him.
I really feel sorry for Adam. I really hope Michael is protecting him since he agreed to be his vessel.
Also with this wall I don’t think it will be permanent. I think there going to have bits and pieces breaking away and Sam will start to have memories. And I believe they will have an episode close to the end of the season where the wall finally breaks down completely and we will be seeing the effects of that on Sam.
SAM FINALLY GOT HIS SOUL BACK!!!
I’m so happy right now that I’m smiling like a loon at my computer! I still hope, though, that they come up with a VERY GOOD explanation as to why we had half a season without Sam whatsoever.
But whatever, I’m really happy right now. I’m gonna sleep like a baby tonight!
respect! yes, i agree. thanks alice. respectful commenting is what i so appreciate about this site and those who frequent it. 😉 i would probably do much better if i could just wait until the end of the season and watch the entire string of ssn 6 episodes in a viewing marathon … that’s how i was introduced to SN and it was really great to be able to follow 4 years worth of a story arc over a 2 month period. instant gratification! for now, i’ll just have to wait to see how the sam soul reunification thing is played out over the rest of the season. i’ll ask santa for some patience this holiday season!
cheers everyone!
I know I shouldn’t and apart from the fact that I’m always hungry after seeing him, I really like Death. He’s just so imperious and eerily dignified! His relationship with Dean is unusual. He must get a kick out of having Dean around because, let’s face it, he’d just touch him in a bad way otherwise. I imagine he’s had so long of people being so scared of him; it’s refreshing for him to have someone who will challenge him from time to time.
Bobby’s house would make him a freaking fortune if it hits the market. Demon proof panic room, reinforced steel doors, monsters buried in the back yard, loaded walls and now a trapdoor. A house isn’t a home without one.
Bobby himself is still so cool (and really quick for an old guy) Guess brains beat soul from time to time. How many people keep batons in their vegetable tray? It was a bit silly of him walking through the house when there was a 6’5†no-soul stalker after him, though.
I loved the cat and mouse scenes between Bobby and Sam. And after Dean had taken off the ring I did actually fear for Bobby. (I’m now ashamed of my moment of weakness.) Though I think it’s safe to say Bobby & Sam’s relationship will never be the same.
This, to me, was a proper Soulless Sam. He doesn’t want to do what he’s doing but he has to. It’s pure survival instinct, him or me. (I found ‘I don’t want to kill you. You’ve been nothing but good to me’ bloody hilarious.)
I’m wondering if what Sam said ‘Dean doesn’t care about me, he just cares about his little brother’ is what he’s actually thinking, and if so, how long has he been thinking it? Pre-hell, pre-Apocalypse, pre-demon blood, pre-visions etc?? Might be a few latent issues going on
here.
Dean, you now know that to knock someone out, one punch will do. It doesn’t need thirteen.
Strangely, while the idea of Dean as Death intrigues the crap out of me, for some reason I felt quite underwhelmed when it was played out on screen. Maybe I’ve watched too much TV (or just too much Supernatural!) but I kind of knew how this scenario would play out. Dean would baulk at the thought of killing a child which would lead to someone else dying in her place, and I knew it was going to be Jolene the minute we saw her nametag! (She is so coming back as a vengeful spirit.) I also found Tessa quite dull. I don’t know, given the chemistry between the two the last time they were together, I expected something more.
The look Sam gave Dean when he woke up in the panic room freaked the life out of me. Oooooh, I wouldn’t like to be at the receiving end of that stare….
Adam is still in the cage. The thought of that give me the wibblies to be honest. Though there’s still a whole debate going on in my head as to whether Adam’s soul is down there, maybe it’s just his shell (I hope)
Dean, you can’t lecture the guy about having too much cheese when your own diet is 95% saturated fat served with a side order of sale.
I loved Dean’s running down the stairs when he realised Sam was getting his soul back, the panic at the thought of what was coming. It warmed my heart so it did and once I hear the magic words ‘I’ve got you, Sammy’, I might shed a little tear.
Little Sammy’s soul is so bright and shiny and innocent looking! Awww.
Ok, part one down, the soul is back in the body. The thought that it’s going to be seven weeks before we get to see a Sam who once jumped at the sight of a pair of women’s frilly knickers is a bit of a balls though.
I think I’ve fallen into the trap of having expectations, something I’ve never had before with Supernatural. I used to just settle down and enjoy what was offered, now I find myself disappointed time and time again and yes, this was no exception.
I’m of the opinion that they almost went where they needed to and should have gone with Death and Dean but held back just at the last second and for that I’m left underwhelmed. I’m still processing that thought but that’s my initial reaction and usually my initial reactions/thoughts hold true.
Yes, I am intrigued with the whole idea that Dean and Sam are useful and are digging away at something but thus far it’s not enough to not underwhelm me about Death and Dean.
As for Sam’s soul, I dislike that it was forced upon him. I also dislike that it was left in the cage for all this time because that negates his supreme sacrifice in Swan Song that should have been rewarded in the manner of Catiel’s steadfast support of Team Free Will. Only God could bring Cas back and he did, thus allowing Cas to heal Dean and restore Bobby, why was Sam allowed to suffer when he too was a part of Team Free Will and made the same sacrifice and beyond.
My hope is that in Episode 12 more will be explained and perhaps what has thus far been shown about Sam’s soul really being in the cage all this time is/was a fakeout. Jim Beaver suggests that we’ll be surprised at episode 12 and there is a teaser out and about that there is a twist coming with something that is missing. Many people hoped that meant the amulet was returning but I’m hopeful that this means rather than Sam’s soul retrieved from the cage that it was, in fact, never down there and is still missing.
I’ll be unpopular for this but that’s all right, it’s not a popularity contest. I hope that Sam’s soul remains missing (much like Mary’s and John’s) and that rather it was Adam’s that was salvaged by Death. (still, the fact that Death, Balto, Castiel and Crowley have all stated that Sam’s soul remains in the pit I have very little hope on this point which goes back to one of my earlier frustrations, Sam’s soul should have never remained in the pit in the first place)
I’d rather it be Adam’s soul placed in Sam’s so that Adam does not suffer for he should not have to either. Granted this poses other problems for me since I like Sam and Dean and Sam without a soul or Sam with someone else’s soul is still not Sam. Some will say, ah but the TV Guide article promises that Sam and Dean will work together like days of old. Well, working together does not mean they are comfortable and companionable at all. Remember the beatdown both were supposed to get in this episode and how both of them at some point in time were to be ‘close to death’. Well both were but that’s because Death was talking with and interacting with both of them, a fun play on words.
Yes, I’m bothered that if this sticks than as I stated in my review of Caged Heat I have a problem with the Sam time in hell outdueling Dean’s. Yes, I know people say stop pitting the brothers against each other and didn’t Dean having Lisa outdo Sam with Jessica. Well, I’d say that would be true if Dean actually fell head over heels in love with Lisa, married her and then upon Exile On Main Street we truly had Lisa and for good measure (just to outdo Sam with Jessica) Ben burned on the ceiling. That would outdo Sam’s Jessica storyline and it would bother me greatly. I’ve long said I never, ever want Lisa and Ben killed.
I just don’t know what to do with this season. I’m alternately thrilled there is a seven week break so I can forget about Season 6 and wishing Episode 12 aired this coming Friday so I could decide once and for all to say farewell, Supernatural.
I do have a whole list of episodes in various categories to enjoy between now and January 28th. I intend to focus on all things Supernatural from Season 1 to Season 5 (with only Weekend At Bobby’s from Season 6 for I have a list of Bobby-centric eps, DALDOM, DMDWP and WAB).
I have a few articles that I may or may not write, one of them will be pure fluff and love of the Impala, one a tribute Kim Manners and one that explores the role reveresals over time, don’t know if I’ll do any of them or if I’ll purely take time away and perhaps find enjoyment in the now of the show.
My only purpose for this post was to get my frustrations out simply because sharing makes them less heavy. If I have offended anyone, it was not the intent, so please try not to read anything into this other than this is my opinion and I’m not rallying the cry for anyone, I’m disappointed, nothing more.
For all that loved this episode and this season, I do not wish to bring you down, but this is a “Safe Place” for me and I needed the safe place.
And I forgot to clarify something so double post,
While I want it to be Adam’s soul for now, I do not want that to be permanent. I want Sam and Dean, the real Sam and Dean, nothing more and nothing less.
I enjoyed the episode immensely, but I’m with Elle2 on a few points. I have this feeling that the soul in hell thing is a red herring. It’s almost like they’ve (characters) have made the observation too often, in too pat a manner, i.e. “Sam’s soul is in the cage with Lucy and Michael getting hate banged.” (By the way, side note, I’m really tired of the rape metaphors that infiltrate the dialogue of this show, especially in light of how women are almost completely absent from the landscape.) Back from digression – I think that Sam being in the cage is a way to activate Dean. I’m not sure Dean would’ve gone after Sam if he thought he was in Heaven or in a safe place. That said, I do like that we have “Sam” back because the show was approaching an event horizon with the soulless version – although I would like to note that, for the first time, I felt for Soulless Sam and thought that he was displaying emotions in a very unique way that makes me think we witnessed an aborted life. He was a person, separate from Sam, even if he wore the body. He had his own experiences for the past year that created a human being, and perhaps, the soul is something that is not simply inserted. Has anyone asked whether or not it could grow? I felt bad for him during that conversation with Bobby – he knew that Dean wanted to kill him.
I’m still working this out, of course, but I found myself feeling apprehensive at Death inserting the soul. It seemed like a violent act, a violation (back to that metaphor again), that I find slightly disturbing and uncomfortable.
Sorry for the rant and digression. At the end of the day, I love this show and I loved the episode; I’m still trying to parse out my reactions to it.
I really hope it is not Adam’s soul that is not placed in Sam, elle2 because as a Sam fan I would definitely hate it.It would be similar to someone suggesting that the whole season until ep 10 be dreams of Dean’s.Loved this episode .I am eagerly waiting for the results of soul melding.Feeling sorry for Adam’s Soul. I just hope that not only Sam’s but Adam’s soul was also freed from hell long time back…
Too many feelings about this one. it was disturbing, but it’s my favorite episode so far this season. Loads of brotherly stuff. Where do I begin? Some random thoughts:
1) Every bad guy in the neighbourhood will know about the wall in Sam’s mind. Needless to day, they will love to use it against the boys. Our boys will be under constant threat from now on.
2) When Sam wakes up as himself, it will be the first time in more than one year that they see each other. It better be a very, very well-written scene. I seriously hope that the writers realize the importance of such scene. I’m expecting a good hug too, because last time Dean did the hugging alone so it didn’t count.
I forgot: it’s about time we heard about Adam. I know that not everyone likes Adam’s character, but just ignoring his fate would be a plot hole. It’s not like Sam and Dean to let his brother in the cage. He may be a stranger to them, but he’s still blood. My guess is that they’ll figure out something to help Adam, as they should.
I have to say that I agree with the poster who said that Dean is more of a father figure to Sam than Bobby. Bobby clearly cares about Dean more and, as far as I remember, never called Sam son, which he does with Dean all the time. Who raised Sam, protects Sam, and seems to be the only one really concerned with Sam’s well-being? Dean, of course.
i hope adam comes back because i think people didnt like him because he wasnt fightin alongside the brothers but if he came back he would be on their side not the angels