Robin’s Rambles – “And Then There Were None”
Finding Sam standing and Campbell down, Bobby orders Sam to drop his weapon. He does, assuring the other three, “It’s me.” Just to be sure, Rufus ties his hands behind him. Sam adamantly insists, “It’s in HIM,” meaning Samuel. “Are you sure?” asks Bobby. Rufus asks if he saw anything come out of Samuel after he dropped. Bobby checks Campbell’s ears–nothing. “He wasn’t a monster when I ganked him?” says Sam, horrified. Only one way to know for sure–both Rufus and Bobby are grabbing the latter’s cranial saw from his car and will see about getting some power to this place, too. Sam and Dean are to watch each other and if anything crawls out of anybody’s anything, somebody step on it! “I’ll watch Samuel, Dean’ll watch me,” says Sam. “Yeah, right,” says Rufus.
Sam looks uncertainly at his grandfather, who they have moved to a table. “You did the right thing, you know,” Dean assures him. “You mean you THINK I did,” says Sam, “if it’s in him and not me–this thing’s playing Three Card Monte with us.” “I’m gonna assume you’re you,” says Dean. But not enough to untie him, at least not until they get that sucker out of Samuel’s walnut. “I barely remember him,” says Sam, but what I do remember, it’s not good–and what he did to us. . .but.” “There’s a but?” asks Dean. “I just can’t help but think, what would Mom say,” says Sam. “You know what I think Mom would say?” asks Dean–“she’d say just ’cause you’re blood doesn’t make you family–you gotta earn that.” The lights flicker to life as Bobby and Rufus enter. “Let’s play Operation,” says Rufus, taking out a head saw. “You boys want to take a breather?” asks Bobby. When Dean says they’re good, Bobby reminds them they’re about to crack open their grandfather’s grapefruit –“Take a breather.” Sam and Dean exit. Looking at the frayed cord on the drill, Rufus says, “What is this–have you been Dumpster-diving again?” “What? It still works,” says Bobby. Rufus plugs in the tool. “I’ve been thinkin’,” says Bobby. “Will wonders never cease,” says Rufus. “Shut up, I’m tryin’ to say somethin’,” says Bobby, “it was my fault–Omaha.” They dicker back and forth on this point, apparently an old argument. “I never said I’m sorry, Rufus,” says Bobby, “you lost her because of me.” Holding up a warning finger, Rufus says, “I said we’ve had this conversation already, and you can blab all day, and it wouldn’t change a thing, Bobby, I will never forgive you for what happened–ya got that? NEVER! So change the subject, Bob.” Bobby looks ashamed. Rufus turns on the drill, cuts into Samuel’s forehead–and Samuel’s eyes fly open! He sits up, punches away both Bobby and Rufus, overturns the table on which he’d been lying, kicks off a leg and uses it to bar the door. He stares out at his grandsons, who stare back, stunned. Rufus grabs Samuel and punches him; Samuel punches Rufus and Bobby. The latter hits Samuel, causing him to be electrocuted, his body going wild with spasms. The creature exits his ear and slithers away.
As Samuel falls, Sam and Dean apply all their strength to the doors, crashing through to help Rufus and Bobby to their feet. “This can’t be my afterlife because the three of you are here,” says Rufus. The brothers explain how Campbell got “double dead” and that the worm is “tickled” by electricity.
Not knowing where the thing went, they each check their ears for goo. Nothing. Next–electricity. Samuel–no. Rufus calls this one. Dean volunteers to go first, takes a nasty burn to the arm. Nope. Sam goes second, no. Rufus tries to beg off because of a pacemaker and three missing toes, but Dean applies the wire to him and he passes.
Bobby insists he’s clean, but when Rufus tries to apply the power, somehow knowing it’s NOT Bobby, Bobby fatally stabs him.
“Bobby, two of us and one of you,” says Sam. He holds him, Dean punches him, knocking him unconscious.
“Hey there, you little herpes,” snarls Dean when Bobby returns to consciousness, duct-taped to a chair. “Why do you keep talking about herpes?” asks Sam, probably thinking back uncomfortably to his herpes commercial. “What?” asks Dean–“I don’t. Shut up. Shut up! Don’t you think of shagging ass out of this room, because we have every crack in this room sealed. So get comfy.” The creature assures Dean, “I am comfy. It’s nice in here, and you love this guy, doncha? You really wanna kill me, even take him with me–haven’t you lost enough pals today?” “We’re doing’ what we have to do,” says Dean, “and we got some questions for you, so you can either play ball or we can fry up a little shrimp on the barbie.” He holds up the electrified wire. “Ask. . .been waitin’ for ya to ask,” teases Bobby/Creature in a very creepy tone. “What the hell’s that supposed to mean?” asks Dean. “Mean’s I got nothin’ to hide,” says B/C. “What are you?” asks Sam. “You ain’t even got a name for me, yet, I’m new around here–Eve cooked me up herself.” answers B/C. Dean applies the electrified wire to the back of Bobby’s neck, sending both into pain. “Who is she–this Eve bitch?” demands Dean. “The mother of all of us–and the end of all of you,” says B/C, “by the time she’s done, there’ll be more creatures than humans–you’ll live in pens–we’ll serve up your young and call it veal.” “What’s your deal in all of this?” asks Sam–“how’s jumpin’ a few truckers gonna help?” “Ya think I’m here to mess with a few cannery workers?” asks B/C–“we LED you here! She has a message for you! You’re all gonna die. She’s pissed. She’s here. And it’s gonna be nothin’ but pain for you from here on in.” “Well here’s my response,” says Dean, applying the wire to the back of B/C’s neck. “Dean. . .Dean,” protests Sam, standing, “how much more do you think he can take?” “You can’t kill me, not without takin’ him with me,” warns B/C. “Well,” says Dean, “we’ll just have to do what Bobby would want us to do.” Sam seals closed Bobby’s mouth and nose with duct tape. “There’s no way out now, Sluggo,” says Dean, “Bobby, hang on in there.” Dean applies the power again, sending Bobby into convulsions. When he falls unconscious, the worm falls from his ear, but the brothers realize he isn’t breathing. “Bobby!” they call desperately, trying to bring him around.
Sam and Dean stand over a grave in a Jewish cemetery. IS IT BOBBY’S?
“I never figured Rufus for the religious type,” says Dean. “He didn’t exactly keep Kosher,” says Bobby, “he always used to pull the ol’ can’t work on the Sabbath card whenever we had to bury a body.” A catch in his voice, Bobby adds, “You know, I was just a job, Joe Mechanic. When my wife got possessed, went nuts on me, I stabbed her, that didn’t stop her, next thing I knew, this GUY comes bustin’ in, soaks her with holy water and sends that demon straight to hell so fast. I’d a gone away for killin’ her, but Rufus cleaned up everything, taught me a thing or two about what’s really out there. Pretty soon, we were ridin’ together, worked like that for years, kinda like you two knuckleheads.” “So what happened?” asks Sam. “It was Omaha,” says Bobby, “it was my fault, and he never let it go.” “Well, he should have,” says Dean. “You don’t know what I did, Dean,” says Bobby. “Doesn’t matter,” insists Dean. “What do you mean, it doesn’t. . .” begins Bobby. “I mean at the end of the day, you two are family,” says Dean, “life’s short, and ours is shorter than most, what are we gonna spend it here, wringin’ our hands?–something’s going to get us, eventually, and when my guts get ripped out, just so each of you know, we’re good, blanket apology for all the stuff that anybody’s ever done, all the way around.” “Some of us pulled a lot of crap, Dean,” Sam reminds him. “Well,” says Dean, “clean slate.” “Okay,” says Sam.
Bobby slips a bottle of Johnny Walker Blue from a bag he’s been holding all this time, unscrews the cap, and pours some onto Rufus’ grave. After Sam and Dean walk away, Bobby raises the bottle, toasting his old friend, and takes a good swallow himself.
I loved Rufus. I’m crying for him because he was a great hunter, Bobby’s hilarious sidekick, and I’ll really miss him.
Author’s commentary: I wonder, does Dean include his own dead grandfather in his “all is forgiven” speech? Because if he doesn’t, he’s a hypocrite, isn’t he?
Speaking of which, what happened to Samuel and Gwen? Why weren’t we present at their funerals, especially since they were true family members? It seems wrong, somehow, that we had the chance to say goodbye to Rufus but not Gwen or Samuel.
I feel that we never got a chance to know Gwen, who now appears to have been little more than a “red shirt” here on SUPERNATURAL. Why was she (and the others) spared by Azazel in the killing spree? I understand Dean’s fury at his grandfather’s betrayal, but given the way he brought back Sam, can’t he spare a little compassion for Samuel’s desire to bring back Mary?
Will we ever learn the full back-story of Rufus and Bobby? I doubt it. I hope they get their own TV show someday, about their years as hunters. I’d watch it. They were the bright spots in this ep for me. I assume Bobby was responsible for the death of a woman Rufus loved in Omaha. What else? Remembering how Bobby told Dean to bring a bottle of Johnny Walker Blue to his meeting with Rufus way back when he needed intel on Bela, I was smiling through my tears. Rufus was a wonderful character who will be missed.
1. Aside from Rufus and Bobby, this ep fell flat for me. What about you?
2. How do you feel about the way Gwen and Samuel were ultimately used in this season?
3. I loved Rufus’ character, both in this ep and the series. Were you sorry to see him go, or meh? I was sobbing like a baby!
4. “And then there were none.” What’s the significance of this title in this episode?
5. Having dealt with the apocalypse, how scary can The Mother of All possibly be to the Winchesters–or the world?
6. Sam still seems very eager to learn what he did last summer. Do you think that, had Samuel told him, the wall would have come tumbling down?
7. Dean was determined to kill his grandfather. Do you think it was betrayal by a relative or would he have felt the same way betrayed by a stranger? Do you think he forgave Samuel, or was Dean acting OOC when he made that speech at the end?
8. How did you feel about our MOTW? Not so much Mother of All, who seemed like a poor woman’s version of Meg, but the worm? STAR TREK rip-off much? Even Dean tagged it.
Great re-cap. I loved your questions. You really had me thinking about this for quite some time. 😆
[b]1. Aside from Rufus and Bobby, this ep fell flat for me. What about you?[/b]
Actually, I really loved this episode. Sam, Dean and Bobby hunting together and being family. What more can be said?
Also, I feel that this second half of the season has begun to wrap up a lot of loose ends. Some more work is still need to be done, though.
[b]2. How do you feel about the way Gwen and Samuel were ultimately used in this season?[/b]
Disappointed some what. Both characters had real possibility at the beginning, but I feel the writers dropped the ball. Too much on their plates and not enough time to resolve it all.
[b]3. I loved Rufus’ character, both in this ep and the series. Were you sorry to see him go, or meh? I was sobbing like a baby![/b]
I agree with you. I was very sorry to see him go, but since they didn’t cremate him, there’s still hope that he will return. Maybe Cas can bring him back?
[b]4. “And then there were none.” What’s the significance of this title in this episode?[/b]
To me, it felt like that was a reference to the Campbell clan. With Samuel and Gwen gone, no one is left that is truly tied to the Campbell way of doing things. (ie. distant, exclusive and cold) Sam and Dean are blood family, but weren’t raised like them. John Winchester had his faults, but thank goodness, he didn’t raise his boys to be heartless and cold.
[b]5. Having dealt with the apocalypse, how scary can The Mother of All possibly be to the Winchesters–or the world?[/b]
I thinks still pretty scary. Next to Lucifer, she can really dredge some evil. It’s going to be a bumpy ride from here on out for Dean, Sam, Bobby and Cas.
[b]6. Sam still seems very eager to learn what he did last summer. Do you think that, had Samuel told him, the wall would have come tumbling down?[/b]
Unfortunately, I believe the answer is yes and now that he’s gone, there’s a lesser chance of that happening. Oh, I still think that that day will come, but now, it won’t be so soon.
[b]7. Dean was determined to kill his grandfather. Do you think it was betrayal by a relative or would he have felt the same way betrayed by a stranger? Do you think he forgave Samuel, or was Dean acting OOC when he made that speech at the end?[/b]
I don’t think Dean ever really felt that Samuel was his grandfather. I mean Samuel had the title since he was Mary’s father, but the boys knew very little about her family growing up. There was no closeness. They were strangers tied together by blood. No love bond. Also, Dean didn’t forgive Samuel. The speech seemed to be relative to those he felt were actually his family and loved. If his Dad had been present at that time, I believe Dean would have included him.
[b]8. How did you feel about our MOTW? Not so much Mother of All, who seemed like a poor woman’s version of Meg, but the worm? STAR TREK rip-off much? Even Dean tagged it.[/b]
Well, I like it. A new twist on an old idea. We’ve seen someone being possessed before but not by a monster, even if it wasn’t very big. Creeping in and out of people and taking over their bodies while leaving them no memory. Yuk!
Eve is also getting to be more menacing. She has a sugar-coated diabotical presence about her. Not Meg at all. It appears that she’s just getting started with her evil plans.
[b]1. Aside from Rufus and Bobby, this ep fell flat for me. What about you?[/b]
It wasn’t the strongest episode of the season, but I enjoyed it. It was tense, it had brotherly moments and the situation of not knowing who was compromised is a scenario I enjoy, even if it is a bit cliche. And we finally broke the Dean has never been possessed by anything run. I kind of liked that.
[b]2. How do you feel about the way Gwen and Samuel were ultimately used in this season?[/b]
First, I really am enjoying this season. It is probably number 2 of my favorites. That said, I think the one problem of switching showrunners was that the new team had more ideas than they could juggle in one season. Between Sam being soulless, the angel war, the alpha leading to Mother, and the Campbells, something had to go and the Campbells were the easiest to break. It’s sad because I saw a lot of potential in a family of hunters who had records of lore going back centuries and who fought as a unit. Mitch Pillegi, who I think is a good actor was wasted in the storyline, simply because the storyline got lost. Gwen and Christian deserved to be more than red shirts. I really wanted to see more Campbell country, if only to give Dean and Sam a template for how to eventually have a semi-normal life without giving up hunting.
[b]3. I loved Rufus’ character, both in this ep and the series. Were you sorry to see him go, or meh? I was sobbing like a baby![/b]
I hated to see Rufus go. I loved his character, I loved his relationship with Bobby. Heck, after Weekend at Bobby’s I was rooting for a Rufus/Bobby spinoff. I also hate it because it is one in a string of the Person of Color and/or the female is the one to die. Since season 2 I can’t think of one POC who has been non-evil and survived. Lisa broke the string of recurring females who are either evil or dead or both. I pretty much have to turn my feminist goggles off when watching the show. I’m glad Bobby lived, but I wish Rufus had as well.
[b]
4. “And then there were none.” What’s the significance of this title in this episode?[/b]
I think it refers to the Agatha Christie story about people on an island who all end up dead. They have been using movie and tv show titles all year now using a well known book title makes sense.
5. Having dealt with the apocalypse, how scary can The Mother of All possibly be to the Winchesters–or the world?
I think she could be quite scary. This isn’t someone just set on destruction. This is a mother trying to protect her children. That could be an interesting battle. OTOH, Lilith was creepy as all get out when she was a child. It was only when the writers had to face the fact that they couldn’t write or show Sam killing a child that Lilith got particularly lame. So, Eve can easily go off the rail. For now, she is the most powerful being they have faced. She has the power to create new life, no other opponent has had that.
I will admit it is an interesting contrast between the children of God and the children of Eve. Some of the angels, led by Lucifer, resented and saw humans as lesser beings. This was exacerbated by God demanding that the angels bow to humanity. Eve’s children seem to think their mother loved all of them equally and so far have seemed willing to work toward the same goal. Eve doesn’t seem to have “stirred the pot” by making one breed seem more important than another. That may make situation more dangerous than the Apocalypse. The opponents are truly united in the goal.
[b]6. Sam still seems very eager to learn what he did last summer. Do you think that, had Samuel told him, the wall would have come tumbling down?[/b]
Yes, I think there is a fair chance that it would have. There has been some controversy on other boards as to why Sam shot to kill with Samuel. Originally, Sam’s characteristic curiosity and need to make amends was pushing him to listen to Samuel I think his common sense reasserted itself, once he believed Samuel was infested and he realized he had to shut Samuel up, because having Samuel start to blurt out the truth was a real danger to his wall.
[b]7. Dean was determined to kill his grandfather. Do you think it was betrayal by a relative or would he have felt the same way betrayed by a stranger? Do you think he forgave Samuel, or was Dean acting OOC when he made that speech at the end?[/b]
I think Dean reacts strongly to betrayal. He wanted to kill Gordon, but Sam arranged for Gordon to go to jail instead. Since I don’t think Dean considered Samuel to be family, I don’t think he forgave him, even though that does make him a big old hypocrite. Dean was willing to let the world burn before he brought Sam back and was willing to deal to bring Sam back. He should have understood Samuel’s reasons for turning to a demon, but Dean will do things for his family that he condemns in others.
I think Dean was completely in character in his last speech. The trouble is, since he never really resolves his grievances, he holds grudges for years. I will be interested to see if Dean acts as if he has really forgiven Sam everything, because up through last season he was still blaming Sam for going to Stanford. Dean talks a good game on forgiveness, but sometimes he doesn’t walk the walk.
[b]
8. How did you feel about our MOTW? Not so much Mother of All, who seemed like a poor woman’s version of Meg, but the worm? STAR TREK rip-off much? Even Dean tagged it.[/b]
Supernatural is being run on a shoe string, so I kind of expect the look of the MOTWs to be weak. I liked that with Eve on the loose, the boys may have to fight monsters that they have no background on and that they can’t find anything that will tell them how to deal with these new monsters.
Hi, Everyone. Good review Robin.
I just want to add something about Dean’s speech. I remember at Croatoan Dean is willing to shoot a random boy (who eventually turn out to be Demon) but refuse to shoot Sam when they are sure that Sam is infected. He even threats to kill anyone who dare to shoot Sam.
In this episode, Dean said, ‘just ’cause you’re blood doesn’t make you family’ Dean cares a lot about his family, blood related or not. Sam is family because he’s blood and he earns it. Sam betrayed Dean, yes, but the fact that Sam is willing to redeem himself and he is sorry is enough (for now anyway). (i don’t know why but i remember Sam said, in last epi ‘we’re not even brothers here, Dean’ i think it brings impact on Dean)
Does Dean think that Sam still needs to prove himself worthy to be called his family? Yes, i think he does. As long as Sam doesn’t betray him again, everything will be fine in Dean’s world. I am not saying that Dean is bad. that’s just Dean being Dean.
Bobby is family because he earns it too. He’s always there when Dean and Sam needs help even saving their lives countless times.
Dean is not without a fault.