Robin’s Rambles: “The Man Who Knew Too Much”
Crowley’s lab – The demon presents Cas, who is seated on a lab table, with a bottle filled with blood. “Your Purgatory power shake, monsieur,” he says, “half monster, half virgin.” Cas surveys it. “Thank you,” he says. “You seem even more constipated than usual,” observes Crowley, “want me to get you some colon blow?” “I’m renegotiating our terms,” says Cas. “That so?” asks Cas–“what terms do you propose?” “You get nothing–not one single soul,” says Cas. (WOW! That’s a huge double-cross, especially from a righteous angel! Who taught Cas how to fight so dirty? Was it watching Dean all this time?) “That seems unfairly weighted,” says Crowley, “Castiel, you wouldn’t dare–I brought you this deal!” Cas stands. “You think I’m handing all this power to the King of Hell?” demands Cas–“I’m neither stupid nor wicked.” “Unbelievable,” whispers Crowley, turning around to face the angel, “have you forgotten that you’re the bottom in this relationship?” (Bottom: Another sexual term meaning that Cas has the receiving, or more submissive role, in their relationship.) “Here are your options,” outlines Cas, “you either flee or you die.” Stunned, Crowley reminds him, “We made a pact. Even I don’t break contracts like this.” “Flee or die,” repeats Cas firmly. “Boy,” huffs Crowley, “you can’t trust anyone these days.” He disappears.
In Bobby’s candle-filled living room, furniture covered in sheets, Sam shows up, handgun ready. A shadowy someone sits at a table in the dark kitchen. “Hey!” Sam calls to the silent figure. Receiving no response, he calls, louder, “HEY!!” “Oh, hi Sam,” the man, who sounds just like Sam, says. “Which one are you?” the gun-toting Sam asks. The Sam at the table rises. “Don’t you know?” he asks. His face is covered in burns and flayed skin, and he looks so terrible, lost and frightened, Sam can’t hold the gun up. “I’m the one who remembers hell.”
(My heart dropped here. THIS is the Sam Dean had Death put up a wall to protect him from, the memories everyone was sure Sam couldn’t survive. Yet without assimilating THIS Sam, he couldn’t be whole. He has successfully incorporated meek and RoboSam into one, now he must fit in this last piece. Is he going to be able to handle it? Can his system tolerate what Lucifer and Michael put him through in the cage?
However, this was ALSO the Sam who survived a year in the cage facing intense, unending evil, who is John and Mary’s son, Dean’s little brother. Pretty good odds, when you think about it.)
Bobby packs for this latest adventure, including two angel-killing knives. “Time’s up, Dean,” he says. “Just a second,” Dean says, staring down at Sam. He sits beside the cot and shows him a piece of paper. “This is where we’re gonna be, Sam,” he says, “you get your lazy ass outta bed and come meet us. Sammy, please.” He places the paper on a table beside the bed and uses a pearl-handled revolver to hold it down.
“I wish you hadn’t come, Sam,” HellSam (HS) says. “I had to, I’m here, right,” says OtherSam (OS), “out there in the real world I’m at Bobby’s, aren’t I?” “How do you know?” asks HS. “This whole time, I’ve smelled nothin’ but Old Spice and whiskey,” says OS, smiling, “I figured if I could get back here, back to my body, I could. . .I dunno, I could snap out of it somehow.” “First you have to go through me,” warns HS. “Why?” asks OS. “Humpty Dumpty has to put himself back together again, before you wake up,” says HS, “and I’m the last piece.” “Which means,” says OS, lowering his weapon again, “I have to know what you know–what happened in the cage?” “Trust me,” says HS, voice trembling, “you don’t want to know it.” “You’re right,” says OS, “but I still have to.” “Sam, you can’t imagine,” says HS tensely, “stay here, go back, find that part tender, find Jess, but don’t do this. I know you, you’re not strong enough.” “We’ll just have to see,” says OS quietly. (This is the combination of meek, souled Sam and RoboSam. Very interesting, huh? Strong yet gentle. Determined and confident. Sam needs RoboSam. ALL RoboSam is too much, but mix the two together, you have a wonderful, very special man.) Sounding close to crying, HS asks, “Why is this so important to you?” “You know me,” says OS, “you know why–I’m not leaving my brother alone out there.” (It always comes down to family for Sam and Dean, and there you have it. Sam loves his big brother, and knows he needs to integrate all three parts of himself to be whole, strong and sane. Period.) HS steps out from behind the table slowly, picking up a knife that had been sitting there all this time. OS raises his gun. HS hands him the knife, handle first. “I’m not gonna fight you,” he says, “but this is your last chance. Good luck. You’re gonna need it.” OS places the gun in the small of his back behind the waistband of his jeans, then stabs HS in the belly. White-blue light flashes from the wound and blasts OS, causing his body down in the panic room to gyrate all over the cot.
Crowley’s lab – Cas sits in seemingly the same position we saw him last, staring down at the jar of blood in his hands. Balthazar wings in. “You rang, Cas?” he asks. “We have a problem,” says Cas, “Dean Winchester’s on his way here.” “Really?” says Balthy–“how did he even know where we were?” “Apparently, we have a Judas in our midst,” says Cas. “Ahhh, holy hell,” chuckles Balthazar,”who is it, the very fat plump little cherub, isn’t it?” Cas rises. “I don’t know,” he says, “but I need you to find out.” “Of course, right away,” Balthy assures him, “what did you want me to do about Dean?” “Nothing,” says Cas, “I’ll handle him myself.” “Castiel, are you all right?” asks Balthazar, noting something odd about the other angel’s demeanor. “First Sam and Dean and now this,” says Cas, “I’m doing my best, in impossible circumstances; my friends, they abandon me, they plot against me, it’s difficult to understand.” “Well, you’ve always got little old me,” Balthazar cheerfully assures him. Cas disappears and reappears directly behind Balthazar. He shoves an angel-killing knife into his back, into his heart. “Yes, I’ll always have you,” agrees Cas. “Cas,” says Balthazar huskily, his last word, and the whole building fills with incredible white light as the angel dies. (But there is no beautiful overhead shot of Balthazar with his wings spread out, and that was disappointing. We’ve had it for all other angels so far, why not him?) Castiel stares down at his fallen, traitorous comrade. (I’ll miss Balthy. Hedonistic, self-centered, conniving, all he really wanted was to enjoy himself–the Charlie Sheen of heaven. Wherever he ends up, hope he’s having a good time.)
Close by, the Impala pulls up, lights and engine turning off. “I count a dozen mooks, probably more,” says Bobby, checking through binoculars. “Demons?” asks Dean. “Angels,” says Bobby. “How are we going to take out that many angels?” asks Dean. “We don’t,” says Bobby, “we’ll Ninja our way in.” (LOL, didn’t they once use that expression in another episode? Anyone recall which one?) “Awesome –till they hear your knees squeak,” says Dean. (Aw, that’s mean, Dean.) “Shut up!” orders Bobby. “Oh, what, now you’ve got thin skin?” asks Dean. “Shut up–ya hear that?” asks Bobby. It sounds almost like distant thunder. “What the hell is that?” asks Dean, who notes that the sound is making a nearby puddle move as if stones were being tossed into it–BIG stones. “T-Rex, maybe?” Dean guesses. They look up. “Holy mother of. . .” says Bobby. Obscuring the full moon besides the eclipse is a huge stream of demons–heading right at them! “Get in the car!” “Get in the car, get in the car!” calls Dean. They do, just before the demon cloud flips it over and attacks the house. Inside, Cas hears demons murdering his angels. “Behind him, Crowley says, “NEVER underestimate the King of Hell, darling. I know a lot of swell tricks. Now, I think it’s time to re-renegotiate.” Cas appears in front of Crowley and presses his hand to his forehead. Nothing happens. “Sweaty hands, mate,” complains Crowley. “I don’t understand,” says Cas, wondering why he failed to destroy the demon. “You can harm me all you want,” says Crowley, “I’m safe and sound under the wing of my new partner.” There’s the sound of flapping wings and Raphael (female) appears. “Hello, Castiel,” she says. “Raphael,” says Cas, frightened. Crowley looks on, gloating.
(We never do actually see how Sam assimilates his hell self, but I’m hoping we’ll get some residual fallout from that next year. It can’t be that easy, can it?)
(What has fascinated me about SUPERNATURAL is that the angels are no better than the demons, and equally less trustworthy. As Raphael said, Cas played with a demon, it looked like fun–why not her, too? CRAZY!)
“Consorting with demons,” says Cas, “I thought that was beneath you.” “Heard you were doing it,” says Raphael, “sounded like fun.” “You know, Castiel,” says Crowley, “you said all sorts of shameful, appalling, scatological things about Raphael–I found him–her–to be really quite reasonable.” “You fool,” says Cas, upset, “Raphael will deceive and destroy you at the speed of thought.” “Right,” says Crowley, “you’re such a straight shooter. She–he–has offered me protection against all comers.” “In exchange for what?” asks Cas. “The Purgatory blood,” answers Crowley. Stepping forward, Raphael says, “Castiel, you really think I would let you open that door, take THAT much power? If anyone is going to be the new God, it’s me.” “He’s going to bring the apocalypse,” warns Cas, “and worse.” “This is your doing, mate,” Crowley reminds him, “I’m merely grabbing the best offer on the table. Now you have two options.” Mocking Cas’ earlier voice, he says, “Flee or die.” Castiel looks from Raphael to Crowley and back again. He tosses the jar of blood to the demon, who almost drops it, and flies away. Left alone, Raphael and Crowley stare at each other.
The moon is almost completely covered.
A group of symbols has been written on the wall, and Raphael and Crowley stand before it, the latter reciting an incantation. The only understandable word for me is Purgatory.
Back in the upside-down Impala, Dean has regained consciousness and calls to Bobby to awaken him. “Come on, we gotta go,” Dean insists.
Crowley continues his incantation, unaware that Dean and Bobby, both holding angel and demon killing weaponry, are standing on a catwalk above them, overhearing. Dean hurls his sword at Raphael; she instantly catches it, like she has eyes in the back of her head. Crowley sends Bobby tumbling down the steel steps, Dean right after him. “Bit busy, gentlemen,” says the demon, as Dean rolls over in pain, “be with you in a moment.” Raphael hangs on to the sword, dropping her hand to her side.
Sam stumbles by the overturned Impala, remembers burning in hell, and covers his head against the agony. He forces himself to move on. Crowley ends his incantation with a showy finish, but nothing happens. “Maybe I said it wrong,” suggests the demon. “You said it perfectly,” says Cas from behind him, holding the emptied bottle of blood, “all you needed was this.” He puts it down. Dean and Bobby struggle to their feet. “I see,” says Crowley, tasting the blood on the wall, “and we’ve been working with. . .dog blood–naturally.” “Enough of these games, Castiel,” orders Raphael, “give us the blood.” To Raphael, Crowley says, “You (unspoken: idiot). . .game’s over, his jar’s empty. So, Castiel, how did your ritual go? Better than ours, I bet.” Castiel focuses his eyes downward for a few moments. Intense light fills his body–and the room. Everyone covers their eyes against the overwhelming brightness.
Cas is smiling beatifically. “You can’t imagine what it’s like,” he says, “they’re all inside me, millions upon millions of souls.” “Sounds sexy,” remarks the demon, “exit stage Crowley.” He disappears. Raphael is nervous. “What’s the matter, Raphael?” asks Castiel– “Somebody clip your wings?” “Castiel, please!” begs Raphael–“you let the demon go, but not your own brother?” “The demon I have plans for,” says Cas, “you, on the other hand. . .” He snaps his fingers. Raphael explodes into bits of blood and gore, just as Castiel himself did when Lucifer attacked him last year, the knife skittering across the floor.
Castiel turns his attention to Bobby and Dean. “So, you see,” says Cas proudly, “I saved you.” “You sure did, Cas,” agrees Dean cautiously, as if dealing with a lunatic, “thank you.” “You doubted me,” says Cas, nodding, “fought against me, when I was right all along.” “Okay, Cas, you were,” says Dean, “we’re sorry–now let’s diffuse you, okay?” “What do you mean?” asks Cas. “You’re fulla nuke,” Dean reminds him, “it’s not safe, so before the eclipse ends, let’s get them souls back to where they belong.” “Oh, no, they belong with me,” says Cas. “No, Cas,” says Dean, “it’s scrambling your brain.” “No, I’m not finished yet,” says Cas, shaking his head, “Raphael had many followers, and I must punish them all severely.” After a look at Bobby, Dean says, “Listen to me, listen–I know there’s a lot of bad water under the bridge, but we were family once, and I have died for you–I almost did a few times. So if that means anything to you, PLEASE–I’ve lost Lisa, I’ve lost Ben, and now I’ve lost Sam. Don’t make me lose you, too. You don’t need this kind of juice anymore, Cas! Get rid of it before it kills us all!” “You’re just saying that because I won,” says Cas, “because you’re afraid.” Cas picks up the angel-killing knife from the floor and approaches Dean. “You’re not my family, Dean–I have no family.” Behind Cas, Sam plunges an angel-killing knife into his back. Dean and Bobby are stunned. Gasping from exertion and terror, Sam backs away from the angel. Castiel reaches behind him and pulls out the knife. “I’m glad you made it, Sam,” says Cas softly, “but the angel blade won’t work.” Sam is horrified. Cas continues, “Because I’m not an angel anymore–I’m your new God–a better one–so you will bow down and profess your love unto me, your lord, or I shall destroy you.”
Bobby, Sam, Dean–all greet this astounding news with huge eyes and open mouths.
Is it true? Has Castiel gone mad? Is he the new big guy in heaven? Isn’t he supposed to be kindly, benevolent? Could he really kill Dean, the man he once rescued from Perdition, and his brother, and Bobby, their father-figure? How badly damaged is the Impala out there?
With great power comes great responsibility. We all know that from SPIDER-MAN, right? Cas claims he’s God now, which is ironic, given that Dean asked him last year if he WAS God, and Cas, though flattered, said no. Seeing what Cas has done, betraying angels, humans and demons alike, we have to wonder what has happened to him, and how he fell off the trail of righteousness so easily. Anna was a fallen angel, yes, but she chose to be human, and still a good person. Cas never actually gave up his angelic grace, as Anna did, but he did rebel. When he was needed back in heaven, he fought fellow angel Raphael in a civil war–and won. But he has certainly lost himself along the way, that’s for sure.
I have to give kudos galore to Jared for his performance in this episode. He was magnificent in his three roles (or were there four?) as Sam trying to assimilate himself, he really did seem like totally different people! RoboSam, HellSam, Memoryless Sam, Catching-On Sam–each one of them had a distinct way of walking, talking, gesturing–and I was mesmerized by Jared’s acting. He deserves some kind of award, and I’d love to see him get recognition for this season, and this ep in particular.
I wonder, will God choose now to return and take the reins of heaven back from Castiel? Punish him for his transgressions? Demote him to Valentine Cherub? Somehow, I can’t see Cas being left in charge under the current circumstances. He’s not in his right mind. And while I’m not concerned for Dean, Sam or Bobby, I do wonder about Castiel’s fate and fear for him. If God DOES show up, will he be merciful towards our crazed angel who only wanted to win heaven over to the good guys, avoid the apocalypse and save God’s beloved humans? It reminds me of Sam in season 4, bonding with demon Ruby, believing he was doing the right thing, turning against Dean, sure the end would justify the means.
It’s going to be another loooooong five months, friends!
1. What did you think of the cliffhanger? I wasn’t that bowled over. We know Cas isn’t going to kill the brothers, so what other possible scenarios are there? I suspect CASTIEL is going to come out at the short end of this stick!
2. What did you tthink of Sam’s assimilation? Do you think he got back together with his hell portion too easily, or do you think we haven’t seen the last of that, and his PTSD will carry over into S7? Were you as impressed by Jared’s performance as I was?
3. What did you think about the whole Castiel/Crowley/Raphael criss-cross? Were you surprised when Cas cut Crowley out? Were you surprised when Raphael teamed up with Crowley?
4. How did you like the way Sam and Robin backtracked his identity? Were you shocked to find out what RoboSam had done to her?
5. Rate this episode, yeah, nay or abstain.
6. Ask a question you wish I’d asked and answer it yourself. I will answer it, too.
Amazing review, Robin. Perhaps they did name this girl for you!
1) I liked the cliffhanger, personally. It would have been much easier for the writing team to try and make Crowley the successful one in the ritual, but it seems much more significant to me that it is Cas. In the end, I don’t really know where they intend to go with this. Obviously Sam, Dean, and Bobby won’t be killed. I just don’t see them doing that. Someone or something has to defuse Cas–be it Death or the real God or something else. I’ll be curious to see how that plays out in the end. I hope he doesn’t take out half the planet as Balthazar threatened he might.
2) I do NOT think Sam’s done being put back together. I do not think it was too easy, either. Sam could have chosen to remain in a coma forever, cowering in fear from what had happened to him in the Cage. Hell, he could have taken the much, much easier route of allowing Soulless Sam taking control once more. But we know Sam never takes that easy path. This is the first step on a long, winding path that Sam must walk. Jared shined in these scenes for me. I thought his work in the End and Swan Song had been his best on the show, but he managed to top it here in ways I did not anticipate. It is only after thinking about it and reflecting that I realize how powerful these scenes were presented to us through Jared’s artistry. I anticipate much more of the same and better in the coming season. I bow to his art. I am NO actor, but I do recognize stellar work when I see it.
3) I was not surprised that Cas decided to cut Crowley out. Hell, what surprised me there was that Crowley was surprised. A demon of his lying skill should have seen it coming. We do know that demons have a penchant for holding onto their contracts, that the terms are binding. Sure, he tried to keep Bobby’s soul, but he pointed out that in the fine print that he had every right to do so. This contract he had with Cas had no such fine print on his side of it. They were to split it 50/50 and when Cas tried to take all of it, he was rather upset. I was a bit stunned that Raphael would do this, but figured that he should claim the power before Cas could. I have no doubt that if Raphael had been successful Crowley wouldn’t have been able to make an “exit stage Crowley.” I think Raphael had set out to double cross Crowley just as Cas had. Crowley thought he might have been the one steering the ship, but he wasn’t and hadn’t been the whole season. He was their patsy, their fall boy, their front. And I don’t think he really realizes just how much they used him here.
4)I loved seeing inside Sam’s head as he tried to figure out his true identity. We as the viewer knew, but it was interesting to see it all come together. I am not surprised that RoboSam killed Robin. I’ve always suspected from the brief terrifying glimpses we’ve had that he would behave this way. He had no attachment to anyone—except some strange compulsion to follow and save Dean a few times since they repartnered up—so the demon dangling this girl in front to keep from getting killed didn’t affect him. My guess is this demon had heard about Sam’s penchant for saving innocents through the grapevine and when confronted with a ruthless Soulless Sam had no clue what to anticipate—certainly not the brutal cold blooded murder of the very innocent he was hiding behind! To me, Soulless Sam is frightening simply because he is unpredictable. He has no morals to fall back upon, and while rationally he knows right from wrong, his apathy allows him to choose which ever at the moment suits him. If he feels it’s best to shoot an innocent in the face to accomplish something, he will! All in all, it’s nice to see all of the parts refused into a single unified Sam that can now truly perhaps help Dean cope with what has happened to them in the last two to two and half years.
5) This episode was amazing. It hit me hard and fast and it is only this week after that I can sit down and digest what was given to me. It ended on a foreboding note, but the hope in it is so bright that the darkness can only hope to hold it at bay. We may have the darkness of what Cas has done, but the hope the brothers have in one another again trumps all. We were returned in many ways to the love story that this show is centered upon, and to have that possibly be the route we follow makes me happy.
As to what question I would like to ask, hmmm. What was your thought on the song choice Play With Fire? I’ll answer first: I am a huge HUGE Rolling Stones fan, so I must admit I got distracted when the song started playing. I knew it two seconds in what song. Now that it’s sunk in and I’ve looked back at the episode, I find it the perfect song choice. Both Cas and Sam are playing with fire so to speak, which is the simple interpretation of the song. But, each fire is different. I think Cas’s fire is going to burn him, hurt him, destroy him perhaps. His fire is dangerous and dark. It is the type of fire we are warned about. He should heed the warning. Sam’s fire is more like a beacon. It is going to hurt him, it might burn him a bit, but it is a light that will ultimately guide him. With all the talk of the visuals concerning light, this song was chosen for its fire imagery for many reasons. Sam needs the fire he is playing with. He needs to play with it in order to return himself to the real world, to Dean. He must play with fire to light the candle of hope for both him and Dean. It is this contrast of the two consequences of playing with fire that I hope we will see explored in season 7.
And thanks again Robin for your wonderful insight into this beautiful show. It makes me feel good to know I can come here and see such wonderful and thought provoking thoughts.
Far Away Eyes
God, I love reading your replies to my questions. You’re erudite to the point of making me feel downright uneducated!
In reply to your question, I, too, am a huge Stones fan. I’m a rock ‘n’ roll baby from way back, nearly to infancy!
I love your interpretation of “Playing With Fire”! We have to remember the significance of fire to hunters–it’s the ultimate in cleansing for them. When a hunter dies, their bodies are burned so they won’t be used by a demon or any other evil creature for habitation. Dean SHOULD have torched Sam’s corpse after he was murdered by Jake, but he refused to do that, and we know why.
There’s also talk of Father and Mother in “Playing With Fire.” Mary was murdered by the YED in fire. John was burned following his death, a proper hunter’s funeral attended by his two grieving sons. Thanks so much for playing my little game and getting so much out of my rambles!
Love,
Robin
I’m glad I could please you. I just can’t leave the puzzle this show provides alone and so having your questions helps! So thanks again.
I’m glad you enjoyed my interpretation of the song in this episode. I didn’t think as far back as you, but it makes a lot of sense, really. We are always seeing them salt and burn someone to prevent evil, so in that way fire is good. But it is also bad considering the way in which Mary died. So thanks for mentioning that.
I just wish I hadn’t been so skittish about saying things earlier in the season!
[b]1. What did you think of the cliffhanger?[/b]
I’m not feeling the need to pull my hair out of my head like Kripke teased, but I think where it stopped was just right in terms of plot movement. The plot threads that we’re going to pick up in season 7 were left in the right place for the finale.
The thing that does make me nervous about Cas’ power trip is that before this, if the boys died, we knew they’re Heaven-bound and would be together since they’re soul mates. But a megalomaniac, juiced up Cas-god might be able to interfere with that, especially if they don’t “profess their love” to him, which I doubt they will–maybe even send them to Hell to learn a lesson about disobeying “God”? Cas already knocked down Sam’s wall and that’s about the cruelest thing I could think of him doing so would put nothing past him and those boys die more than anyone 😉
[b]2. What did you think of Sam’s assimilation?[/b]
I thought Sam’s assimilation was perfect. I really liked the splitting of personas and Sam having to actively integrate them to put himself back together and seeing how amnesiac!Sam developed into more the Sam we know was really fascinating, seeing how it takes all parts of him to make a completed Sam Winchester. I don’t think it was easy in the least and it showed Sam’s determination to be with his brother–the epic love story of Sam and Dean. And I definitely don’t think we’ve seen the last of it; Dean had an entire season of PTSD issues and Sam will too. I only hope that Sam dealing with his memories of Hell will be a time for him and Dean to come closer together and support each other with the issues because Dean’s clearly not the same man he was before he went to Hell, either.
As for Jared, he was mind-blowing in this episode. He really made all versions of Sam completely unique and separate entities (amnesiac Sam, soulless Sam, Sam with soulless memories, Hell Sam, and then Sam with Hell memories at the very end). Five different Sams and all were very different but all *Sam.* Absolutely incredible what Jared did in this episode.
[b]3. What did you think about the whole Castiel/Crowley/Raphael criss-cross?[/b]
I think I was more surprised than I should have been. After Cas took down Sam’s wall (absolutely cruel), it should have been blatantly clear he was playing by nobody’s rules but his own. I do think it’s funny demons seem to have a better honor code that angels, as demons are bound to the terms of the deals they make. It’s also fascinating to me to see angels as being unrighteous–Cas AND Raphael in this case–in this show. I wasn’t surprised by Raphael teaming with Crowley, but the other way around, since Crowley didn’t want Raphael to raise Michael and Lucifer from the Cage. Crowley’s got it good as the King of Hell and Lucifer returning would be bad for business.
[b]4. How did you like the way Sam and Robin backtracked his identity?[/b]
I liked the Robin/Sam interactions. Sam as a hooker and Dean as a male model? Haha. And the way different things came naturally to Sam like which room to choose, picking a lock, and the Impala were cool. I was startled by the flashback with Robo!Sam and Robin but not surprised. After “Unforgiven,” nothing Robo!Sam does really surprises me (except for his strange connection to Dean, but that’s a post for another time).
[b]5. Rate this episode, yeah, nay or abstain.[/b]
Yeah times about a thousand. I thought it was fantastic.
[b]6. Ask a question you wish I’d asked and answer it yourself. I will answer it, too.[/b]
Hm. Do you think Dean will forgive Cas for bringing down Sam’s wall? Assuming they manage to defuse him at some point in season 7, that is.
We all know protective Dean was out in force this episode and we know how big brother reacts to others hurting Sam. Dean just doesn’t forgive those that hurt Sam because he’s off limits as far as Dean’s concerned. And Cas knows that as well. And Cas did the worst possible harm to Sam by bringing that wall down. Cas, I think, saw that action as a way of severing his bonds with the Winchesters but that’s easier said than done, as s4!Sam can attest. I’ll be surprised if Dean forgets that in season 7, but we’ll see.
Do you think Dean will forgive Cas for bringing down Sam’s wall? Assuming they manage to defuse him at some point in season 7, that is.
Excellent–and tough–question! I cannot imagine Dean forgiving Cas for this one, but I suspect it will depend on how bad off Sam is when season 7 begins. Cas could easily make Sam well, if Dean allows him to, but even everything Cas did to help with Lisa and Ben brought no forgiveness from Dean. Perhaps Cas has done too much evil and gone beyond Dean’s ability to forgive? We’ll just have to wait and see.
Great question–very thought-provoking!
Love,
Robin
[b]1. What did you think of the cliffhanger? I wasn’t that bowled over. We know Cas isn’t going to kill the brothers, so what other possible scenarios are there? I suspect CASTIEL is going to come out at the short end of this stick![/b]
I liked the cliffhanger. Unlike other monsters in the past, Cas has insight into the brothers habits, especially Dean’s. He knows where they hold up and others that Sam, Dean and Bobby may turn to for assistance. Even though he is armed with this knowledge, I believe Cas will be brought down eventually. Although, I hope it won’t be permanently. Maybe made human to atone for his mistakes??
[b]2. What did you think of Sam’s assimilation? Do you think he got back together with his hell portion too easily, or do you think we haven’t seen the last of that, and his PTSD will carry over into S7? Were you as impressed by Jared’s performance as I was?[/b]
I don’t think his assimilation was easy in any way. The torment was shown throughout the entire episode. I also don’t think that it’s over and will carry over to next season. Things need to be dealt with and it’s time that Dean deals with his own time in Hell. It’s been hanging over his head for too long and now he has someone who can really relate even though they both went through entirely different situations. As for Jared, he has truly become an excellent actor. Both of them are and deserve to be recognized as such. Maybe this year with all the publicity that the show has received, the Hollywood PTB will finally give it and put this show, etc. up for some well deserved awards. Let’s hope! But if they don’t, I think the true fans of the show have already shown them how much we appreciate them and the show.
[b]3. What did you think about the whole Castiel/Crowley/Raphael criss-cross? Were you surprised when Cas cut Crowley out? Were you surprised when Raphael teamed up with Crowley?[/b]
I wasn’t surprised about the double cross. I was surprised that it never crossed Crowley’s mind. I think he was very naive. Cas was right that Crowley had evil intentions. Crowley would have raged war against heaven with those souls. In regards to Raphael and Crowley, I found no surprise with this revelation. It made sense that Crowley would go to Raphael with the same deal. What surprised me is that it wasn’t a deal that had been going on all along. To me, Crowley has always seemed to be a demon who liked to cover all his bets and having a side deal with Raphael made perfect sense. They make Cas and the boys do all the work and they reap the reward.
[b]4. How did you like the way Sam and Robin backtracked his identity? Were you shocked to find out what RoboSam had done to her?[/b]
I liked the way they investigated the bits of memory that Sam was having. It reminded me of someone following bread crumbs when they’re lost. Each tidbit of memory was a bread crumb. As for RoboSam, he was cold heartless hunter who cared little for others. He reminded me of Gordon Walker as Gordon cared nothing about who he hurt, only that he got the job done.
[b]5. Rate this episode, yeah, nay or abstain.[/b]
This was definitely a yeah in my book. This is one of those thought provoking season end episodes that will have me spinning about the possible ramifications all summer long.
[b]6. Ask a question you wish I’d asked and answer it yourself. I will answer it, too.[/b]
Did Balthazar really die? I don’t think so. Usually they are so big on showing an angel after his demise, but this time all we saw was the bright light. It doesn’t seem right. Maybe it was a sham, to bring in Crowley and Raphael and get rid of them and Balthazar is still around. I guess we’ll find out in the fall.
Do you think Dean will forgive Cas for bringing down Sam’s wall? Assuming they manage to defuse him at some point in season 7, that is.
Excellent–and tough–question! I cannot imagine Dean forgiving Cas for this one, but I suspect it will depend on how bad off Sam is when season 7 begins. Cas could easily make Sam well, if Dean allows him to, but even everything Cas did to help with Lisa and Ben brought no forgiveness from Dean. Perhaps Cas has done too much evil and gone beyond Dean’s ability to forgive? We’ll just have to wait and see.
Great question–very thought-provoking!
Love,
Robin
You know, I was wondering about that. They always show us the dead angel afterwards, don’t they? This time, they didn’t. Which leads me to believe Balthy may have survived after all. I’d love that, since he’s such a fun character, with lots more personality than Cas himself! Maybe that was the writers’ way of telling us that he’s still alive!
Love,
Robin
1. Of course, the boys are going to get out of it, and of course, they are going to defeat crazy! Cas!. However, making Cas the big bad for Season 7 brings up some interesting possibilities. Castiel, since he knows the boys’ hideouts, allies, etc., would probably be the most formidable villain that the Winchesters ever faced. Also, the fact that Cas has been such a sympathetic and beloved character in the past and had such an identifiable and human descent into darkness brings up many interesting possibilities for the writers to explore. I think that while we can condemn Cas’s decisions, the audience can also identify with the emotions and reasoning that led to those decisions. Supernatural has had one off MOTW who the audience can identify with and feel for, but this is the first time that the Big Bad has been like that.
2. I never liked the Soulless Sam storyline. I thought that Jared had lots of fun playing a different Sam at the beginning of the season, but the amount of wangst that was involved in the first part of the season over Sammy! coming back wrong (again) was annoying. I prefer the brothers’ relationship after Like a Virgin when they were working together as a team. Let’s keep it that way and spend a whole season without discussing Hell, deals, or crossroad demons.
3. I’m not surprised that Cas backed out of the deal, but I’m surprised at what part of the deal he backed out of. I was expecting that Cas would have a pang of conscience and tell Crowley that the whole deal (i.e. Purgatory opening) was called off. I also suspected that Crowley would have had a side deal with Raphael already just in case Castiel got cold feet and that he was planning to take all the souls himself.
However, I was shocked that Castiel was the one playing Crowley. Not only did he not plan to give Crowley any of the souls, but he also assumed that Crowley would make a deal with Raphael (hence the dog blood). Crowley also brought Raphael right into Cas’s vicinity. Although it ended badly, who’d have thought that Castiel could have pulled off that con.
I think they drew out the Soulless Sam too long for most fans’ liking, but I did enjoy getting to see Jared spread his acting wings. Watching Death re-insert Sam’s soul was such a powerful scene, it was worth what came before. Also, the ep where it was revealed just how soulless Sam was during that period was a real eye-opener! Whew!
I also never thought we’d see gentle, kind Cas as a MOTW!
Love,
Robin
[b]1. What did you think of the cliffhanger? I wasn’t that bowled over. We know Cas isn’t going to kill the brothers, so what other possible scenarios are there? I suspect CASTIEL is going to come out at the short end of this stick![/b]
I liked the cliffhanger. It sets up several possibilities for next season. Castiel may be the big bad and he does know enough about the brothers and Bobby to cause real trouble. I think Misha does a good job when he is playing powerful and alien, so I think this could be a good fit for him.
[b]2. What did you think of Sam’s assimilation? Do you think he got back together with his hell portion too easily, or do you think we haven’t seen the last of that, and his PTSD will carry over into S7? Were you as impressed by Jared’s performance as I was?[/b]
I was totally impressed by Jared’s acting. I wish the integration story had played over 2 episodes because I think it got a little bit of a short shrift. I would have liked to have Sam talk about how he needed that Soulless part of himself to be an effective hunter and seen what happened in Hell. Maybe next year?
[b]3. What did you think about the whole Castiel/Crowley/Raphael criss-cross? Were you surprised when Cas cut Crowley out? Were you surprised when Raphael teamed up with Crowley?[/b]
It was all pretty much a shock to me. I shouldn’t be surprised that Cas cut Crowley out, but I am so used to the idea that deals with demons are unbreakable that I missed the fact that they are only unbreakable between a demon and a being with a soul. Since we have never been given a Raphael POV, I wasn’t shocked that he teamed up with Crowley. Raphael felt he was doing the right thing as much as Cas did and the choice was to let Cas become god or Raphael. Raph picked himself.
[b]4. How did you like the way Sam and Robin backtracked his identity? Were you shocked to find out what RoboSam had done to her[/b]
I did like the way Sam found the pieces of himself. I really liked Robin, but I wasn’t shocked at what RoboSam had done to her. It was in character for him and put a face on his victims.
[b]5. Rate this episode, yeah, nay or abstain.[/b]
A Big YEAH. I loved this episode.
[b]6. Ask a question you wish I’d asked and answer it yourself. I will answer it, too.[/b]
Was Robin more than an innocent person that the demon used for leverage. When Hell Sam said go back and find that bartender or go back and find Jess, I took that as a hint that RoboSam and Robin had at least slept together, or if they had had a couple week “relationship”, not because RoboSam loved her, but because he was there and she was good in bed. That would add to why the demon used her for leverage. He thought that she meant something to RoboSam, but RoboSam wasn’t capable of caring.
RoboSam seemed to enjoy getting laid with just about any gal who caught his fancy, didn’t he? I still don’t understand why he paid for it in that one ep we saw. I’m sure the demon BELIEVED RS cared for Robin, but as we recall, RS admits he doesn’t even care for DEAN, so his feelings aren’t there for anyone, not even those he SHOULD care about. Without the soul, Sam is bereft of any feelings– and that is just chilling.
Love,
Robin
Hi Robin, forgive me for being late to this. Thank for re-telling the episode, there were some pieces of dialogue I didn’t completely understand. Now I was able to look it up…
To your questions:
1 The cliffhanger did surprise me. Somehow I had expected Chuck to appear (since there had been rumours over the www that Rob Benedict was to be in the finale), but that Cas turned out to be this God-wannabe was quite surprising. I think this will lead to an ugly confrontation…
2 I think Sam’s story was well told here. As I wrote in my Couch-Article (may I invite you, Robin, to take a look, I think you might like it 🙂 ) he was split up because of his traumatic experiences in hell. It’s absolutely essential to bring the PTSD symptoms back in season seven. A trauma like that isn’t overcome in a moment.
And Jared carried the performance in the most amazing way. He is a wonderful young actor. He’s learned so much during his years on Supernatural, and I’m sure he will continue to hone his skills. I am truly proud of him, to see how amazing he has become…
3 That Rafael teamed up with Crowley didn’t surprise me. The archangel was portrayed as a shady character… why not team up with a demon, after all, Castiel has done it, too? I think that Castiel managed to fool the masterly Crowley was a tad unbelievable, though.
4 I was deeply touched by the Robin-Sam connection. And, well, to my own surprise, I wasn’t shocked at all. I think I have already been alerted to what Soulless Sam was capable of. Killing the leverage of a demon just fits the picture. I was just sad that another innocent had to die.
5 This episode was amazing! For me it’s a clear A*. Superb acting, heart-wrenching moments, angst, passion, über-fiends… what else can you ask for?
6 hm… this is difficult… Perhaps: [i]What do you think – what kind of God will Castiel become? [/i]
My answer to that is: I think he will be a vindictive bronze-age god. The eye for an eye- fraction. The kind that asks his subjects to sacrifice their sons to prove their loyalty. But I hope there will be two brothers (and some other allies, hopefully Adam among them) to clip his wings.
Thanks a lot Robin for this mind-game! I trust you are well?! Blessed be, Jas
Jas, if life was fair, I could dedicate my life to SPN. Alas, I can’t. Battling depresson + two part time jobs eat into SPN time. I’m just now reading articles here, and responses to mine.
I fear, like you, that Cas will be a cruel, despotic god because he feels everyone,especially those he loved and trusted, betrayed him. He’s feeling vengeful. But this isn’t the real Cas, not the angel Dean met. Perhaps with time, Dean and Sam can bring back that kinder, gentler Castiel.
Anything I can help with? 🙂 Jas (not pushing, just offering…)
Aw, Jas, you’re so sweet to offer. Soon, perhaps, when I’m feeling less scattered. You may be sorry you offered, but I’m so grateful.
Love,
Robin
I’m never sorry when it comes to things like that, don’t worry.
🙂 , Jas
Thank You for this great article!
What did you think of the cliffhanger?
[i]You’re right, I don’t see Cas destroying S&D and I don’t see the ‘boys’ bowing down, so the real cliff hanger is ‘How will they get out of this?’ I love that! [/i]
What did you think of Sam’s assimilation? Do you think he got back together with his hell portion too easily, or do you think we haven’t seen the last of that, and his PTSD will carry over into S7? Were you as impressed by Jared’s performance as I was?
[i]I was SOOOOOO impressed with the performances and the FX! I actually hope they don’t beat the Hell thing to death next season. Once the table has been set with the “you can’t imagine†stuff, they should leave it, for the most part, to our imagination. The talking it over with your brother should be part of the off-screen stuff: we understand it was discussed. But I do like leaving some things to the imagination. There are some things I don’t want the answer to. [/i]
What did you think about the whole Castiel/Crowley/Raphael criss-cross? Were you surprised when Cas cut Crowley out? Were you surprised when Raphael teamed up with Crowley?
[i]I’m still wondering if Cas planned that whole thing in order to get Raf right where he wanted him. Maybe Raf was hiding and Cas knew Crowley would be able to get to him. Maybe Crowley and Cas are still working together. LOL
[/i]
How did you like the way Sam and Robin backtracked his identity? Were you shocked to find out what RoboSam had done to her?
[i]Robin was a good character because of all the other characters she encompassed: some of Dean’s dialog and some of Ava’s “Dude, who are you?†from prior seasons, plus the apparently actual bar maid that he shot. I am hoping this is about the worst thing he did during his RoboSam year. [/i]
Rate this episode, yeah, nay or abstain. [i]YEAH![/i]
Ask a question you wish I’d asked and answer it yourself. I will answer it, too
[i]Were there arcs/characters you think should have been answered or completed? I still think DEATH should be PO’d, talk about messing with the natural order! But personally I’m content with things not closed or carried over to next season or never mentioned because in life, things are often left like that, sometimes you just don’t get closure. Do you agree?[/i]
There are purists in this fandom who get annoyed when every single loose end isn’t tied up to their satisfaction. Death may very well come back next season and tear Dean a new one for the way things were handled here, but then again, who knew that Cas would go rogue and tear down the wall in Sam’s head? Not everything is the brothers’ fault.
Was there anything in the 6th season arc left unanswered as far as you were concerned? Alphas, Mother of All, Heaven’s civil war, Soulless Sam, Lisa and Ben, Castiel–seems to me everything was covered pretty well.
Thanks for responding to my entry. I agree with you about two other statements you made–some stuff should be left to our imagination; and in real life AND in TV shows, we are often left without closure.
Love,
Robin
Amen to that, Robin. Though there have been some storylines I would have loved to see explored further, I don’t really mind that some are left to our imagination.
🙂 , Jas