Preview and Episode Discussion: “Like A Virgin” (6.12)
(Spoiler alert!)
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This Friday’s episode of Supernatural (preempted from last Friday) is destined to be a series classic based on all the advanced reviews of the show. While every review agrees they can’t divulge too much about the Sam stuff, what they can reveal is fantastic.  First and foremost, they all agree that the Dean and Sam of earlier years are back. The interaction between the brothers now is very different from those we saw in the first half of the season. The best of Dean and Sam’s brotherly dynamics is in play. Many agree the boys are most like the brothers of season two, though ‘Sam’ of season one has been suggested as well. Regardless, the loving brotherly relationship has been something fans have been wanting for two years, and according Sera Gamble’s interview with Mo Ryan, the brothers’ relationship will be “puppy dogs and rainbows” from now on. Let’s hope it’s true! Â
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But let’s start at the beginning. The episode starts with a two-minute “Road So Far” montage set to classic rock music which reminds you of everything that’s happened so far this year. Reviews also report there are several excellent music cues in the episode, including a piece that seems very magical and medieval in tone.Â
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“Like A Virgin” picks up immediately where “Appointment in Samarra” left off. It is minutes after Death has returned Sam’s soul and Dean and Bobby are awaiting Sam’s fate.  Cass responds to Dean’s call, and confirms Sam’s soul is back in place, however, Cass restates he objection to Sam being re-souled, and has more warnings for Dean about the condition Sam’s soul is in. Â
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If you’ve seen the promos, you know Sam is back on his feet in plenty of time to help slay the virgin-stealing dragons, although once awake, Sam has no memories of his time on earth without his soul. Jared Padalecki turns in a wonderful performance that is a great change from Robo!Sam, especially if soulless!Sam was not your thing to begin with.Â
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By all reports, the emotional reunion of the boys is a scene we have all been waiting for since the first episode of the season. (I, personally, am hoping for a brotherly hug beyond any brotherly hug we have ever seen in the series’ 5 years!)Â There will be quite a few tender moments of hugging, camaraderie, and special chats between the boys once Sam wakes up, including a classic impala chat more towards the end of the episode. Sam and Dean do appear to be on the same page — at least momentarily.
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But there is also some residual tension, at least on Bobby’s end, for the way Sam treated him. He is glad to have Sam back, but it’s not everyday you forget and forgive someone you love holding a knife to you. Seems the relationship between Bobby and Sam has suffered seriously, but not irreparably.
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And who would have thought that Bobby was a Harry Potter fan! But yea, he it! Apparently he really does read everything. And there are a lot of other one-liners that keep the episode from getting to ‘dark and dreary’, according to one reviewer. Here are some of the ones we will be treated to on Friday (compliments of Danielle Turchiano’s review – LA TV Insider Examiner.)Â
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“Just because it kills your liver don’t mean it ain’t medicine.” – Bobby Singer
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“I’m sending Death a damn fruit basket!” – Dean Winchester
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“What was that?” [Re: Bobby’s attitude] – Sam Winchester
“One part age, one part liquor.” – Dean Winchester
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“Nobody’s judging anybody here, but should you really be wearing that ring?” – Dean Winchester
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“What kind of thing likes virgins and gold?” – Sam Winchester
“P. Diddy?” – Dean Winchester
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Castiel and Sam also share a scene together. It’s a big one by all reports which includes an awkward and very funny moment as Cass tries to show his true feelings about Sam’s return. It was also revealed that while Cass is only in the show a short time, he plays a crucial role in the episode overall. Â
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And, oh, the comedy! All of the reviews raved about the comical parts of the episode.  A scene with Dean will make us laugh out loud. Basically, Dean fights a stone which is all part of Dean’s quest to acquire the dragon-slaying sword. TVOvermind reports Kim Johnston Ulrich makes a guest appearance as Dr. Visyak, a ââŹËsassy female medieval expert’ who is a professor on all things dragon, and apparently has a history with Bobby. She does some awesome facial expressions during Dean’s fight with the rock. By all reports this scene is comedic to the max, and Jensen does a superb job with it.
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Also Dean does a 40min commentary on virgins which is something none of us want to miss. In one of the trailers we see Dean telling Sam about the missing virgins and the way he said ‘virgins’ was so much like the old Dean, it gave me goose bumps. Yes, seems old Dean is back, and what a welcome return.
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As for the case and the MOTW, it’s a classic Supernatural tale with glimpses at a scary creature and girls who need rescuing. We learn a great deal more about the mythology of season, as promised by Sera Gamble, and are also introduced to a new villain who is ‘more formidable than those who have come before’.  SCARY!
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While waiting for Sam to wake, Bobby works on translating a really old manual, to figure out why the virgins are being taken. Dean makes a mention of Crowley and then holds a somewhat lingering gaze after finishing his thought. The moment leaves one reviewer to wonder “if when all is said and done there is a ritual somewhere that could unleash all of the previously vanquished demons back on Earth.”  EVEN MORE SCARY. Can’t imagine Lilith, Ruby, Alistair, and Azazel all back in the Winchester world!
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All of the hints about Purgatory and the alphas start to come together. Obviously we don’t get all of the information yet, but we’re certainly are given more than what we’ve seen to date. As for the dragon, it’s an ‘original twist on a timeless legend. Basically, the coolest dragon ever.’
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The official synopsis: DEATH RETURNS FOR A MEETING WITH DEAN ââŹâ Dean and Bobby anxiously wait for Sam to wake up to see if Death was able to restore his soul without causing Sam to lose his mind. Meanwhile, Dean and Bobby investigate a disappearance of virgins and discover dragons are behind the kidnappings. Bobby sends Dean to a doctor who owns the only weapon in the world that can slay a dragon, but Dean must prove himself worthy enough to take it. CW Publicity
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The CW promo videos for the episode are below.Â
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbvO3FZcjcQ
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_z9c28y148
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jZYqaDvln4
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All reviewers agree “Like a Virgin” is emotional, funny, action-packed, and full of lighthearted banter between the brothers with many pop culture references. Adam Glass gets a lot points from reviewers for his well-balanced script and director Phil Scriggia keeps the story moving along, with some very ingenious camera shots, including one of the boys from the back seat of the impala.Â
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The episode seems to be a classic blend of Supernatural emotion and humor and definitely one episode you don’t want to miss.
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Hope everyone, everywhere welcomes the boys back in style! It has been a long time coming.
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Happy episode all! Come back and tell us what you think!
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I might be overreacting here but I think this is going to be the best episode of any show in the world ever. EVER! How could it not be? Dean, Dragons, Sam, Soul, Castiel, Virgins, Bobby, Baddies, think I even saw an IV in there somewhere…. ItââŹâ˘s all good, people.
I donââŹâ˘t think IââŹâ˘ve been this excited about something since before someone spilled the beans about Santa.
Thanks for gathering all these up and putting them in the one spot, Sablegreen. It makes the upcoming episode so much more concrete (and thereââŹâ˘s less fear of it being whipped away like it was last week….)
CââŹâ˘moooon tomorrow morning. (Does anyone else feel they are wishing their lives away at this point?)
Now I know why we had to wait another week. Sam had to wake up! Thank god hellout will soon be over. Can wait to saturday morning! Thank you Sablegreen for putting all those information together.
If CW postpones it again, they will have a riot on their hands! They owe SPN fans for this.
I can’t wait for the epi either. The boys ââŹËback to normalââŹâ˘ has been the fans dream for two and a half years. Gamble should have done this from the start of s6. The bro vs bro theme needs to be left FAR behind!
Thanks for reading! I really like doing spoilers and I’m glad when others enjoy them too.
[quote] The boys ââŹËback to normalââŹâ˘ has been the fans dream for two and a half years. Gamble should have done this from the start of s6. The bro vs bro theme needs to be left FAR behind!
I’m with you Sablegreen. I’m thrilled they are back together and don’t mind bumps along the way but worry when I read things that say “the brothers are on the same page…for now” Keep the for now out of here and keep the brothers back together again. It has been a long, very long time.
Thanks for keeping the spoilers up to date and making them fun to read. You’re doing a fantastic job.
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OMG! I’ve read the first two paragraphs and I think I’ve read too much. I’ll come back to this after I watch the episode đ
I have a problem with the brothers’ relationship being ââŹĹpuppy dogs and rainbowsââŹÂ from now on. I just don’t buy that “from now on”, so I’ll watch this episode with… how could I explain it? Oh my poor English… I just hope it really IS from now on, I’ve been missing it for much too long.
I’m very certain Sera was joking when she said that. In our interview, she indicated there would be bumps, but not “feed you to the vampire” bumps.
Like everyone else outside the US I am wishing the time away until I sit down to watch ‘Like A Virgin’ tomorrow morning đ I [i]really, really[/i] can’t wait to see the brotherly bonding and the reveal of the new big bad.I [i]love[/i] this show đ
So, I’m assuming this episode left everyone speechless? Unable to function? I’ll go on record now that I absolutely loved it. It felt like season two again. Poor Sam, he’s aware that something ominous is going to come up over what happened in the last year.
But honestly, is that the best test for a “brave knight” that you’ve ever seen? That setup, from the professor smirking to Dean’s cavalier attitude while grabbing the sword, it majorly wins.
Dean vs the rock was EPIC! Jensen does comedy so well.
The episode was great! So nice seeing Sam’s puppy dog eyes again, and Dean wanting ‘women of experience’. LOL. Hope the boys stay back on track now! Really want some good MOTW for the last half of this season!
Sam has emotions again! During the witness interviews Sam was once again the understanding cop allowing Dean to be the smartass we fell in love with. Feels like the world’s axis fell back into proper alignment. Really points to how hard Jared worked to keep his face as expressionless as possible as RoboSam.
BTW, Alice, really like this new comment section. You ROCK!!!
Words cannot express how happy I am with this episode. I squealed aloud before tearing up when Sam hugged Dean. That was such a beautiful moment. My only complaint about the episode was Dean not being present when Sam woke up, but if Sam had been out for ten days, it’s not like Dean would have known when to be down there… and the hug more than made up for it.
Sam’s back to being a nerd and Dean’s back to his trademark humor. This episode rang of season 2 while respecting everything that’s happened since and that thrills me beyond belief. The “Comic Con” line was probably my favorite of the night though the sheer number of pop culture references was hilarious. This episode is exactly why I love this show.
I’ll say this.. you guys outside the US and who haven’t seen it yet, are in for a treat! Happy Watching!
I am just so happy that Sam is back. He made me tear up when he finally realized that he had been walking around without his soul all this time.
I only have one thing to say about this episode and that is “Perfect”! I just loved it. The boys are back! Yea! đ
I absolutely loved this episode.
The Brothers Are Back!
For the first time this season I felt like I was home.
I know we are in for some bumps and turns but the brothersââŹâ˘ relationship will prevail.
I hope Bobby starts feeling safe around Sam again. That was hard to watch.
I understand Bobby completely, but I really hope it doesnââŹâ˘t last too long.
So the new Baddie is Mommy Dearest.
This should be interesting.
Hi Sablegreen
I just wanted to say thank you for putting this together. I avoid spoilers so I waited until the episode aired before I read/watched everything you had here.
I can’t wait to watch this episode, I’m downloading it at the moment but will have to wait to watch it till tonight (it’s going to be in about 12 hours or so…), but have trouble finding a download link that actually works… đ
Cheers to everyone, Jas
When Sam came out and hugged Dean, I went “Awwwww” so loud that my kids came running down because they thought the dog had done something wonderful and cute. It was like my heart unclenched. My boys…. sniffle…. my boys are back. I’ll pick apart the plot holes later (Purgatory? isn’t that like, Hell Lite? Mother? Bad enough you’ve dissed the Pagans, are we starting on the Goddess now? Don’t make me call my Unitarian prayer group!) For now I don’t care. I’m Tivo-ing Fringe, baby, my boys are back.
I have to say I thought it was an ok episode. I am happy Sam is back and many parts felt old school Supernatural but I felt disappointed after watching it. Maybe I was just to hyped up after the long hellatus because I watched it again this morning and liked it much better! đ
I found it meh and boring. Certainly nothing like as good as some of the preview articles had promised, though it was nice to see Sam apologise to Dean for his antics while soulless. The only bits I liked were Dean vs the sword and the really intense Dean-Cas bit though I’d already seen the clip so that was nothing new.
I’m not sure if any one ep could totally live up to all these weeks (delay…grrr) of hellatus and expectation. I do concede (now, when rational) that stating S6 w/Sam as soulless, murdering revenant may have been envisioned as a valid way to set up a new story from the climax of Swan Song (without diminishing the S5’s theme of sacrifice.) It just went on too long (way, WAY, too long).Oh, the relief. “Back in the Saddle Again” helped….I didn’t realize how much I’d missed the STORY SO FAR until Steve started wailing. Ahhh…Bobby was awesome and wise. Dean was terrified and wise-cracky, but struggled to talk straight once Cas spilt the beans. Cas was Cas (“‘friggin’ child” hee!). Sam was, recognizably, Sam again. I loved that, when Sam called, Cas appeared ….instantly. Not sure about a lot of things, but if it’s about brothers and family and rock and roll, I’m still feeling way better.
Overall a very satisfying episode. I’ve always had high respect for Jared’s acting but wow, I was still surprised how different RoboSam and SoulSam were, they really seemed like different people. When the true Sam appeared in front of Dean, suddenly it was like Dean came back to life too, like he was reborn. That was extra credit stuff I didn’t expect.
When Sam goes to apologize to Dean for stuff he can’t remember.. oh boy, not this again, it was bad enough that Sam took the whole blame for the apocalypse when he was trying so hard to stop it (hello, Cas? First seal? etc). Personally I hope Sam regains RoboSam’s memories only because the latter had awesome interrogation skills, among other skills to be envied.
Scene of Sam and Cas, kind of strange for the following reasons:
1) Cas actually responded to Sam’s prayer when he ignored RoboSam’s for a year
2) Cas seemed so GLAD to see Sam when he has been against the re-souling idea from day one and rather leave Sam in the cage to suffer.
3) Cas trying to hug Sam. Has Cas ever done that?
4) Sam shy away from Cas’ awkward attempt at affection.
Perhaps Sam’s avoiding Cas’ hug was because he was about to trick Cas into spilling the beans and was feeling guilty about it?
1) Maybe before he sensed that something wasn’t quite right about Sam, or maybe he was just too busy with the heavenly war, or maybe he’s trying to be more friendly after Dean reproached him
2) Cas was glad to see Sam ALIVE and WELL; he was sure that resouling him would affect him in irreparable ways, maybe permanent coma or insanity, but seeing that it isn’t so he’s more than happy, I suppose
3) That is reinforcing my idea that Cas is trying to be more “human” towards Sam and Dean, like Dean asked him to be; plus, Cas was always a bit awkward in human relationships, never knowing how to express feelings and emotions, and now he’s SO happy, but he doesn’t know hw to express it, so he goes on that little he knows of human expression of affection
4) Sam is shying away, IMO, exactly because he’s not used to such expressions from Cas, and he knows how these expressions are awkward for Cas; maybe he’s also embarassed thinking that their last encounter (the last he can remember, in Swan Song) wasn’t exactly “friendly”…
About Cas being glad to see Sam alive and well, it still BUGS THE BEEJEEZUS out of me that he advocates leaving the real Sam (the soul) to suffer torture in Lucifer’s cage. Yes he said rescuing it was next to impossible and he was busy with his civil war, okay I get that he has his plate full, but don’t shoot down the idea that rescuing Sam from hell is a non issue. He rescued Dean’s soul from hell, he knows the real Dean has been tortured and not his rotting meatsuit topside. Still bugs.
But Cas never went against the idea of rescueing Sam’s soul from the Pit. He was against the idea of putting that poor soul back into the body, that was the one and only thing Dean had in his mind. Dean never took into consideration the idea to save Sam’s soul without putting in back into the body of RoboSam (and it’s pretty clear to me that if someone had suggested so, he would have refused), so we don’t know if Castiel would have been so against it.
I don’t know Brynchild, he may never went against the rescue idea but neither was he for the idea. If a damaged soul caused RoboSam to go insane, then mercy-kill him and take the poor soul to heaven; anything is better than being in hell. In “Caged Heat” Cas said Sam will suffer horrifically if resouled, except Sam is suffering horrifically NOW in the cage. I just can’t past it, never will.
At last, a *sincere* apology from Sam. It’s been a long time coming and I for one was glad to see it. Not so impressed by the Sam-Cas interaction though. Jared and Misha have no onscreen chemistry so I don’t know why the show is going there. Good to see Sam back and well but count me as one of those who doesn’t feel this lived up to the hype.
Louisa, I don’t understand why “At last a sincere apology from Sam”??? He has nothing to apologize in this episode especially since he has no memory. And that’s all he did in season 5 was apologize while nearly everybody else skated. FRankly I’m sick of Sam taking the blame for just about everything beyond his control.
[quote]As for Sam avoiding CasĂ´s hug – that was really painful to watch for me – I think it was really because he was about to “play” him and didnĂ´t want to make the hug into a part of it. Sam is a good liar, but he is also a very sincere person at heart who, I think, would have preferred to be straight with Cas. Showing him affection and then proceding to lie to him would have made the lie worse in a way.[/quote]This makes a lot of sense. I’ve been puzzling over that scene without much success, but this idea completely clicks with me. As soon as he sits and starts working his way toward conning Cas, you can see the discomfort playing on his face, and that likely would have been much worse had there been any sort of affection before, especially since Sam and Cas don’t have the relationship Dean and Cas do. Interesting. Makes me ache for Sam all the more.