Let’s Speculate: Supernatural 7.21, “Reading Is Fundamental”
Warning!!! If you have not seen “Reading is Fundamental” and next week’s promo, read no further! There will be spoilers! (And blood. Ha!)
Okay, so, tonight is one of those nights where I really wish I had a DVR. But alas, I do not. And I’ve probably bitched about this before, but fair warning to all of you that I write these articles right after watching the episode and some conversations with some Twitter folk, so that doesn’t leave a lot of time for things to settle and whatnot. So if this is a jumbled mess, please bear with me because right now I feel like this:
That’s right, I’m in a glass cage of emotions. Ben Edlund strikes again, right? I’m really not even sure what I’m feeling right now! Anyone else feel the same way, like you’re not sure what to make of things? Help me, readers, you’re my only hope! Okay, now that I’ve explained where I’m coming from here, I’m just gonna dive into this and see where I land.
The Cass Situation
Throughout the episode, I was torn between being happy that Cass was so light and free and wrecked because he just didn’t seem fully there at times. So, I think one of two things is happening with him: 1. He just can’t handle all the pain and guilt, his and Sam’s, so he’s crammed it all down and has basically gone into a disassociative state. 2. He’s worked through all the pain and guilt and everything else and has forgiven himself and let it go. But I can’t decide which of the two I think is happening. Based on his conversation with Sam, I think number 2. But based on that loaded game of Sorry where nothing either of them said was what they meant, I’m thinking 1. I keep going back and forth on this. I’d sort of love for him to have forgiven himself and moved on because first Sam did and now Cass, so maybe Dean can FINALLY let go of his airport’s worth of baggage and start again. That’s probably wishful thinking, though, because Dean’s baggage is sturdy and built to last.
All right, I think I’m just going to bullet point the rest of this article. Otherwise, I’d end up writing a huge missive and never get my sorry behind to sleep tonight! So, here we go.
— How awesome was that talk between Sam and Cass? I really liked it. Those two sure have come a long way from the “Sam is an abomination” days, haven’t they?
— Meg is up to something. She has to be up to something, right? She’s ALWAYS up to something. And as much as I want to dislike her, I really can’t find it in me to do so. She’s just so snarky. I kind of love it. I know she’s horrible and has caused the death of pretty much everyone, but I clearly have a weakness for snarky characters.
— Speaking of people up to something, I’m really rather looking forward to Crowley’s return so I can find out what he’s been up to. Distressing lack of Crowley lately.
— I’m not sure there was part of that epsiode where I didn’t want to just hug poor Kevin. I really liked him. And those damn leviathans better not hurt him! My favorite Kevin moment was the whole chase/shaken by Sam sequence. That was hilarious.
— Was that not the single most angsty game of Sorry in the history of the universe? It felt like nothing those two said to each other was what they actually meant. Layer upon layer of subtext in that one.
— Castiel’s random facts. Hilarious. I did know the one about the cat penis, though. Don’t know what that says about me…
— Hester was scary! And also said some very hurtful things to Dean. Wow, way to validate his guilt complex, Hester.
— That Inias guy (I had to look up that spelling because I kept thinking Aeneas) was interesting, and by that I mean it was interesting to see that there are still angels fawning over Castiel after everything he did. Curious.
— Okay, let’s talk about the recipe for killing the leviathans. The bone of the righteous and the blood of three fallen, right? First was the fallen angel. Check. Then next week there’s the alpha vamp, which hooray because that guy was a total badass. So who’s the third? Did I miss that in the preview?
— Castiel summed up in one sentence: “Well, you know me. I’m always happy to bleed for the Winchesters.”
— One of the parts that I found the most hilarious was those two trucker demons meeting Meg in that secret location…in their giant truck. “Nothing to see here, people, just this massive truck. We’re just trying to be secretive, okay?” Demons.
I think that’s enough for now. Time to let you all weigh in. What did you think? We’re really closing in on the end of the season here!
I LOVE the Episode!! I’m actually very happy for Cass (or Cas?) as I think that he is really [i]free[/i] this time. Yep, he’s fallen (again!) but guess what he don’t have any one looking for him (for now). Cass smiles really a lot in this ep and now that he is ridden of all the weight, he is very happy and I am very happy for that. The conversation between Sam and Cass was very interesting because I think that in the end Sam was the person that understand Cass the most as they all tried to help the world with one thing and did the opposite. I completely understand Dean’s reaction to Cass thought. He got a lot of burden on his shoulder and seems like he is not in the mood for playing games. But I think that Hester did punch him in the gut with guilty words (I have to say ouch for this one).
I like the new Cass though, he put the light mood to the show 😀
As for Meg, I’m sure she’s up to something!
Bone of the Righteous really really caught me a bit. Do they mean [i]The Righteous Man?[/i] which aka DEAN???
Just rewatch the last part about the bone of righteous again. IT DID SAY THE [i][b]RIGHTEOUS MORTAL[/b][/i]
Oh dean what is going to happen to you???!!
The bone of a righteous man, hell dean ain’t righteous he’s killed people without thinking he sees it in black and white no shades of grey. Sam is more righteous he has always questioned whats right and wrong he has always done what he thought is right, ok hes not always right but he has always tried to do the righteous thing. Dean has killed monsters that were trying to protect themselves or were’nt killing anyone remember the vamps in season 2 or hell even more recently sam’s ex who was just protecting her son.
WOW after this epie I found myself laughing.. crying and thinking You did it again’ ben!!! .. it was too much but in every great awesome way. Gosh I’ve missed those xplenations abt god and angels.. . Jezz! I am really really concerned at Cass.. I just kept thinking how he’s now just like a little boy.. inocent and not liking conflict.. that broke my heart.
I first thought three fallen meant Sam Dean and Cass (yes! I know.. but I was so confused .. don’t blame me!)
now how about Cas, alpha and ( I know this will sound totally nuts but…) Luci . yes! luci.. that’s something that popped to my mind… it’d be interesting, right? but I have no idea who that third fallen actually is.
haha I loved kevin.. he had that awkwardness that I love in prophets.. and what did you think of all those meta quotes! .. lol “I just play one on tv” or”Crowley is not a problem this year” lol.
Ben, you’re my king! I can’t wait till next week
p.s Levis… you’d better don’t hurt Kevin or the Winchesters will hunt you down and kick your ass. 🙂
I, like you, do not have a DVR so I must wait for iTunes to rewatch episodes (and they better not take four days this time…).
I spent the whole episode in an anxious heap of confusion and love and hate and everything. I really, really, REALLY need to rewatch so I can formulate coherent thoughts.
-I have no idea what to make of Castiel. I know that I am kind of tired of his back and forth and I just want some resolution and finality on his part in the show.
-I really liked Kevin too! He was so adorable (“I just want to be the first Asian-American president!”). I laughed at the chase sequence as well. The only laughs I had the whole ep.
Gah. I need to watch again.
-I am FULL OF DREAD for the next two episodes and really, really, really don’t want the season to end. And as much as I love mytharc episodes, when they are of this tone I miss the MOTW. I did not get good vibes from where these last few episodes are going.
-And, like Freya above, I had a moment of panic that the “bone of the righteous” might refer to Dean as well. I don’t know what to make of that. I’m sure not…but it was my immediate thought.
So. My initial reaction is part frustration and part elation. My speculation is…I have no idea.
Also, the whole Megatron/Metatron conversation between Sam and Dean was probably my favorite moment. I have no idea why, but it was quite enjoyable.
Good review. I believe, from the scenes for next weeks episode, that the 3rd fallen will be Crowley? Who is the righteous bone donator ?
I did like Kevin-he’s a sweet character. How will he get away from Edward the Leviathan?
I thought the two new angels interaction with Cas was interesting-one was still looking at Cas with adoration and the other seemed so disappointed in Cas and angry with him because of him just leaving the angels on his side.
I am really enjoying the badness of the Leviathans. They are very bad ass as foes of the Winchester brothers.
Glad that Bobby gets referenced into episodes that he doesn’t really show up in. Nice way to keep him involved.
So, I guess that Meg is on the side of Cas and the brothers. Enjoyed what she said about latching on to a cause and being with it completely. So, if her cause is to kill Crowley, then that is her primary agenda and she will do what she needs to do to accomplish it. But I also wonder if she kind of likes Cas-wouldn’t that be a funny turn of events. A demon liking an angel and possibly vice versa-a kind of romance story.
I liked the talk between Sam and Cas too. I also liked the closeness between Sam and Dean. Good to see.
Looking forward to the next two episodes. Hate the idea of the season ending but at least there is a season 8 to look forward to. Understand that season 7 will be shown on the regular Friday night showtime, starting with episode 1.
I too loved this episode, from start to finish it was great. I feel like it did a good job of addressing some of the technical issues people have had, for example, why did Cas see Lucifer? Well, he said it was just an “after taste” from Sam, but that isn’t how his craziness manifested, because that was limited to Sam. Further, when Dean said Cas took on Sam’s scars, this validated a theory I had about what Cas did to Sam.
Also – I liked the dynamics between Cas/Sam and Cas/Dean – see, it’s not all forgive and forget. And who didn’t love the ironic game-play.
This episode had some great lines too – I loved Cas to Sam about “something bothering him” being fundamental to his personality so Cas sometimes ignores it. Haha.
Kevin was fabulous as well – I wouldn’t mind seeing him again. I loved his zebra-zagging to escape Sam. Also, probably reading too much into the cut away but when Kevin’s girlfriend said one day there’d be more than college to worry about (or something to that effect) and Kevin said she was crazy – cut to Sammy Winchester. Yes, I can see the kinship between these two.
Oh – and I think the other “fallen” is Crowley – based on the promo from next week. I suppose because he’s the demon king of hell that makes him a fallen one? Of course, there must be a reason they need him and can’t use Meg’s blood.
(Leviathan-Angel rock paper scissors made me think of Rock-Paper-Scissors-Lizard-Spock).
Well, I could gush a while about this one and I have to hit the books so I’ll just say it was yummy start to finish!
Very random and very rushed thoughts.
Overall, quite a good episode and it set things up well for the last two episodes (It hurts to type that….) Question, why on earth did Dick dig up the tablet in the first place? Nobody knew it existed until he went hunting for it. Why did he not just set a few Leviathan guards to inconspicuously guard it? He had to have known that Sam and Dean were watching him so he really just went and showed them his vulnerable underbelly.
I loved the opening shot of Kevin playing the cello while Sam and Dean got busy prepping for another days ‘work’. The poignant music while they were doing this really emphasised the bleakness of the Winchester lifestyle and the beauty of the world they are willing to sacrifice everything for. Plus, that shot of Sam bathed in the light of the computer screen while sitting in front of that lovely stained glass window. Gorgeous. (If anyone can screencap for me I’ll give you a fondie….)
Kevin, wow. Timing your music practise really takes all the enjoyment out of it so why on earth are you doing it?? I get that the show wanted to show you as being ‘slightly’ anal retentive so as to play up the ‘Omigod, what’s happening to me?’ factor but c’mon. Just go with the flow, dude. (Though, hello Sam 13 years ago, right down to the mad hair!)
This is like the third (fourth?) reincarnation of Castiel at this stage. This Castiel would have been okay in small doses but long term he’s have been uber annoying. (And he stole Sammy’s ‘Boop’. Grrr.) Kudos to Dean for keeping his patience with him for as long as he did. I’d have (ineffectively) punched him in the head long before that.
Guys, you’ve spent how long researching angels, demons, God etc etc and you’ve never came across Metatron??
Also, how in the name of God did Kevin get into the room while Sam and Meg were standing just outside it, steal the tablet and be down and outside running away in the 31 seconds (yeah, I freaking timed it) Sam and Meg were talking??
Sam, sweetie, you might want to make a copy of those sheets Kevin wrote on. You’ve an awful habit of losing very important things lately.
And your running style…. The holy, mortifying shame of your running style. I know you’re tall but you’re all arms and flowing hair. Tighten it up a small bit. And stop slouching in the chair. You’ll ruin your back.
And [i]please[/i] cut your hair, even a trim. Or else stop straightening it. It’s really dragging down your facial features and is kinda taking from them a little. Yeah, you’re still a stunner but you could be ‘angels fall prostrate before you’ stunning. Take a look at the last picture that Sablegreen posted of you in her birthday tribute and give it to your barber.
Actually, strike that. Given that babies tend to use long hair like a ladder when they start grabbing, I dare say JP will be sporting a crew cut next season! Thanks, baby Thomas.
I like this Meg. I like that she reads the gossip magazines and she stands her ground. She knows how to play the hand she’s been given very well indeed. Sure she’s a demon but she’s done a lot more for the brothers than most others on the show. Okay, they don’t trust her but what of it? She doesn’t need to be trusted to keep them alive. I doubt she’d want to be trusted by the Winchesters anyway. Those who do tend to end up dead.
Her relationship with Castiel is hilarious. That talk with him on the phone was brilliant. (And Dean, stop interrupting. Good grief!) I loved the way she said ‘He’s at a dog track in Perth’ in a sort of ‘That little scamp, what has he got himself into now?’ exacerbated way. I found the whole ‘Pizza man’ element of their earlier relationship sort of silly (especially as Dean keeps mentioning their junkless status) but this is fun.
Yes, Castiel, those dogs are unhappy because the rabbit is fake; but also because they are so fucking skinny!!! If you had a 7†waist wouldn’t you be miserable too?
And I now know why cats look so angry the whole time. And I now know why they’d be bawling and yowling outside the window in the dead of night (and I can’t say I blame them….). And I now know I’ll never be able to look a cat in the face again. Thanks, Ben Edlund. Fancy ruining chocolate for me next time??
When Castiel held up that ‘Sorry’ box I started getting flashbacks of that scene from ‘Love Actually’. I was half expecting Dean to hold up a ‘World of War’ board game in reply.
Interesting that Meg mentioned Crowley. I wonder if they’re going to look to him to supply one of the bloods of the fallen (I’m assuming it’s going to be angel, demon and Leviathan blood)
The ‘bone of a righteous mortal’…. Course it could be [i]either[/i] Sam or Dean but unless it’s [i]neither[/i] Sam nor Dean, I can see this topic becoming subject to much debate among the fans. I think it will be Dean that will give a righteous rib or patella or something though, and that will thus help him over his guilt complex in time for next season.
‘Cas, don’t make me pull this car over.’ Dean, you’re such a little John!!
I’m not sure what to make of the whole Sam and Castiel talk. Okay, first things first, Sam’s capacity to forgive and understand is staggering and humbling, and makes me feel very petty and inadequate. Is Sam running for Jesus or something? (That would explain the hair.) But I’m slightly confused. How did Sam’s hell turn Castiel all free and easy? Did he think that ‘hell’ (relatively speaking) was a suitable punishment for what he did and now that he’s done his time there he’s A ok again? (Should a little of Sam’s hell be shipped on Dean??) But how did it ‘free and easy’ him back to this? Is this what Castiel would have been like were he not an angel/God/knowledgeable etc etc?
And how are they going to repopulate angel heaven?
I like Castiel’s line in relation to what he’s going to do ‘I don’t know. Isn’t that amazing.’ I like that hope and freeness and excitement at not knowing what the future holds. It would have been a lovely final line for him if * spoiler [hide]this was going to be his last appearance but he has one more episode, right? [/hide]
So, Leviathans can kill angels, and with ease. That makes sense and is very interesting. I’m guessing they can also kill demons. No wonder Crowley was bricking himself. This does up the stakes in terms of seeing the Leviathans as an adversary worthy of the Winchesters. And Edgar is much scarier than Dick Roman. Dick is all empty soundbites but Edgar is a doer. No bullshit with him. I’d keep an eye on that fella, so I would.
A good episode. I’m sure I’ll enjoy it more when I get to see it in its proper size and not the freaking matchbox size screen I’d to watch it in this morning.
Thanks Ardeospina.
Am I the only one who thinks of Papa and Sonny Winchester hearing the word ‘righteous’ ? I’m not sure abour the Alpha Vamp per say, but Crowley maybe? He betrayed Lucifer?
I originally thought of Papa John as well but unfortunately, I don’t see it happening. That would come way too out of the blue (plus he’s a little dead!) and I also think that JDM is a little busy at the moment.
Strange question, who’s ‘Sonny Winchester’?
I’m guessing we’ll see Adam show up in the finale as the righteous man thing. Jake Abel was in Vancouver a week ahead of filming The Host, so he had plenty of time to make his appearance on SPN.
I don’t think I can help you out, as I am feeling extremely frustrated with the entire season. In all fairness, I do need to watch the episode again, so take these as initial feelings only.
There were some bits and pieces of the episode that I liked but, overall, the episode left me feeling sad.
Sad that Ben Edlund appears to have lost interest in this show. I assume he’s developing something else that has garnered his attention. So canon has gone from only an angel can kill an angel, to Dean being the only human to ever kill an angel, to anything that picks an angel blade up off the ground can kill angels. Nice way to take something else away from Dean’s character. (Not sure yet about the Cas/Dean ‘special bond,’ but I’m expecting that to pick up again in S8, so not counting that right now.)
Dick, the smartest enemy the brothers have ever encountered, infiltrates universities and digs throughout the world to find the only thing that can put Levi’s away, something that no living or dead thing since before creation knows about, so he can put it in his corporate office safe. That plan is even more stupid than the great Swan Song plan was. I didn’t think that was possible, so count that as a surprise.
I don’t know this Sam. I thought Sam was supposed to be A+ smart, but he’s looking mighty, mighty, dumb these days.
I think my problem is that I’m looking at this episode as a part of the overall season, and it kind of adds up like this:
Cas, in his own mind, became God and then melted in a sewage lagoon into a pile of black goo.
Sam meets an old girlfriend and Dean kills her.
The boys split up…for some reason I’m not sure of…and the Impala is dropped from the show.
Sam gets married and his wife saves the day.
Bobby gets shot in the head and takes two episodes and a winter hiatus to die.
Dean fathers a daughter and Sam kills her.
Lucifer visits Sam and Sam ends up in an asylum.
Cas gets married, but Dean finds out and has hurt feelings.
Cas helps Sam and ends up in Sam’s room at the asylum with his old girlfriend as a nurse.
The boys get Meg as a TFW member.
Bobby becomes a ghost, stalks the brothers, and saves the day.
Cas and Meg are an item, Cas becomes a hippie, and Meg saves the day…repeatedly. Oh, yeah, and a Levi shows up reminding us there is a mytharc after all in this season.
Not much in there about Sam and Dean is there? In fact, both brothers’ storylines have been completely dropped. In the last five episodes, we’ve had Cas, Garth, Bobby, Charlie, and now Meg-centric episodes. Maybe Daneel had a baby, too, and they’re just keeping it on the hush. That would explain the lack of both leads in the series this season. Yea, that must be it. Shame on you, Jensen, for not letting the fans share in your joy.
So now I’m sad because this season is even worse than S6 was and I didn’t think that was possible.
As I said, there were bits and pieces that I liked:
Nice twist at the end.
Good to see Edgar again. He’s a good evil character.
Dean being a dick. That’s a side of Dean I like.
Kevin, although a stereotypical Asian student, was well-acted and didn’t take over Meg’s episode.
Speculation: Dean as the righteous mortal part of the recipe. No, I’m not buying that at all. It’s just more Dean bait for those of us that keep wanting Dean to have a story.
So next week we have Crowley, Rick Worthy. I like both of them, but I’m so over this season. It’s a jumbled mess. I’m looking forward to the season being over and giving Carver an opportunity to do something with the show.
ETA: I liked the cello music throughout the episode.
like you Ardeospina , i am confused right now! i didn’t know to laugh or hate or to even get teary sometimes! i was very heavy ep for me because of Cas’s weird situation . well , first of all , i think all of Cas’s random facts and everything was good and funny but when u look at it for the second time , you feel like : Gosh! what happened to the angel of the lord?! isn’t it sad? i know he deserved for what he did , but he is kinda in a very confusing state right now! any who , i liked the talk between sam and cas too , but wait! i didn’t like the idea that now cas is all free and everything , like he is not gonna fight anymore and watch bees! does hell mean like that to angels?! to be free?! i don’t like it!
and second : i just loved….loved that moment when dean tossed the game on the ground and after that tried to calm down !!! it was a very heavy moment for me , none of them didn’t actually know what to do or what to say , the look on Cas’s face and dean’s is remarkable! i liked that!
– kevin was funny too! 😉 when he screamed what is happening!=)) it was too much fun!
– ok , this is confusing a lil bit (yes i am all confused right now!! lol) Death said in 7.1 that leviathans are much older than angels and humans , so if Metroen (or what ever i dono) is AN ANGEL , how the hell he knew how to smoke levis? did God gave him that?! maybe i didn’t quite get it , if i missed sth pls en light me!
i kinda liked this episode , but i think we’ve had enough! the whole universe of demons and angels and big thing at foot are just getting a lil bit annoying! i dono , i was of it seasons ago , but it was so much better back then! i hope the plot and story line of season 8 will be much more better and stronger ! and by stronger i don’t mean BIGGER!
ok , i know i am cas girl and misha girl , so can we please give him a kudos for this ep!? i mean , we can totally add this new -weird – cas to his versions of Castiel in this show! it was totally a new side of the character and Misha , you did great! 😉
i know i talked a lot but i’m gonna say my favorite things in a list and go !:
1.Cas dialog with meg : meg are u hurt?!? meg: shut up!!!!
2. cas/ sam talking!
3.dean at the end of ep about what is cas going to do
4. the moment with hester beating cas in the face with grief! she was kinda sad of doing i
5. kevin! was fuuny!!;)) and poor guy he thought it is all going to be over! sorry kiddo! “we live in a sorry universe!”
ok , i’ll go now
This episode is due several re-watches there is so much to absorb! Great speculation, looking forward to your deeper thoughts when they emerge. I think the 3rd is Crowley – Cas represents Heaven, VampAlpha represents Purgatory (the new residents), and Crowley (a fallen human) will represent Hell.
But wasn’t Eve the mother of all evil?
And just a sidenote: Eve could only hold off angel mojo; not kill them, as near as I remember. That’s less than a demon can do now, despite the fact that (if I remember correctly) Alistair said demons couldn’t kill angels and (again, if I remember right) Edlund wrote that episode. I don’t want to go look the episode up as, quite frankly, it wouldn’t mean anything now anyway.
I feel like I won’t be able to judge this episode fairly until I’ve seen the last two of the season. It felt like a lot of set-up for things, so until they’ve played out, I’m not entirely sure what to make of them. My first impression was that it was good but also that I don’t have all the information I need yet.
I also think the third will be Crowley, as the ruler of fallen humanity (demons).
I absolutely loved this episode. Cas was wonderful and the conversation between Cas and Sam made me feel that Sam has forgiven him. Dean, on the other hand, has a way to go before he gets there. Cas has hurt him deeply and Dean IS a righteous man.
How many incarnations of Cas could there be? Misha does them all, perfectly.
Edgar, he is scarier than Dick. Don’t know how Kevin and his Mom will be getting out of this alive. Maybe Kevin’s archangel will show up. Hopefully they are stronger than the Leviathans.
I’ve already watched this episode twice and it’s going to get a few more views this week. Just so excited to see what happens next… By the way, i really love this website. It is always up-to-date and has thought provoking insights. This my first stop after firing up the computer. Thanks to the webmasters for all you do. It shows that it is a labor of love.
Could it be Kevin, then? he is light and good, right? And he is righteous. (wants to be a president and all). Ruler of fallen humanity is definitely Crowley. Demons are after all humans who fall to hell because of their sin. Fallen angel is Castiel and father of fallen beast is the Alpha vamp.
[quote]” a bone of a righteous mortal as light and good as the Leviathan is hungry and dark”[/quote] – Kevin? You can’t get more light and good then a mortal prophet
[quote]”A fallen angel”[/quote] -Castiel, of course
[quote]”ruler of fallen humanity”[/quote] – Crowley
[quote]”father of fallen beasts.” [/quote] – The Alpha Vamp
Just my guesses 🙂
I’m not sure how I feel about this episode completely. I think I need more time to process and need to rewatched several times. There were definitely parts are really liked. Especially the talk between Sam and Cas and my favorite line of the whole episode was “You seem troubled. Although that’s a primary aspect of your personality so I sometimes ignore it.” That was fabulous. But I like the whole scene and I love that Sam forgave him so easily. That seemed completely in character. He has the most amazing capacity for forgiveness. The only line I was a little iffy on in that scene was when Sam says “I know you never did anything but try to help.” Because it almost like saying he didn’t do anything wrong. But I think it was more like I know your intentions were good.
(As much as I liked this scene, I am afraid that this is as much insight as we are going to get into what Sam went through and what he’s going through now. Basically seeing how badly it effects Cas. If this is true I am disappointed and do feel they drop the ball, but I’ll hold out hope for the next couple episodes and for some resolution with Dean’s issues as well. )
I did really like that Dean hasn’t forgiven Cas yet. This also seems in keeping with Dean’s being able to work with somebody without fully forgiving them. The Sorry game was surreal. But I think in a good way there were so many lines throughout the episodes that can be taken several ways. Dean’s “You are playing Sorry” line was definitely one of the most telling. Like Dean is thinking Cas is in there but basically choosing to withdraw. Also his line that “The angels don’t care. Maybe don’t have the equipment to care. It seems like when they try…it just breaks them apart” I think that is where the snarky “Junkless” line came from too. He’s just lashing out in anger and frustration at Cas’ lack of response to the whole situation.
I don’t think Cas is anywhere near alright. He is at the very best in complete denial and at worst having some sort of disassociated psychosis. At one point he basically referred to himself in the third person. We he said something to Hester like. “An angel did cause this mess. And he looks down and away.†I think he might have pick up a few of Sam’s traits like Booping Kevin’s nose.
Hester’s and Inias’ responses to Cas were very interesting. Hester didn’t seem as angry with him for the death of their fellow angels as she was for his abandonment. And I got the impression Inias would follow again if given the chances. Hester anger at that the Winchesters more than Cas was interesting too. She blamed them for Cas’ downfall, instead of making Cas take any responsibility.
Really liked Kevin and I DID just want to give him a huge the entire episode. I’m sure the Levi won’t kill him, but the better not kill his mom either. Poor Kevin.
Definitely NOT trusting Meg. Although she my have a soft spot for Castiel. She does to like men in power and he was God.
Last season it was established that when monsters (the alpha vamp said) die, they go to Purgatory, and Eve was the mother of all of them. Humans can go to Heaven or Hell and over time, those humans in Hell turn into demons. So, apparently, Levi aren’t monsters and Eve was not the mother of them.
If anything with a spork can kill an angel, then that completely screws up not only the long established hierarchy of the show. It used to be angels, demons, and then humans, who had a special ‘spark’ that God gave them (because he loved them best) that made them unique and able to be innovative enough to overcome evil. Now it’s Levi, demons, angels, and then humans, who are nothing more than cattle that eat and have sex.
Not only are Sam and Dean stupid, who apparently have thrown the ones they had away, but so are Crowley and all his demon minions. They need to be hitting WalMart, second-hand stores, or the neighborhood 7-11 and pick one of those little suckers up…as apparently they are plentifully scattered all over the place for the picking. Meg had no trouble finding one.
For the first time ever, I’m confused and undecided about an episode. A lot of information was given, but right now, I’m thinking that it was too much at one time. It seemed rushed. Dean and Sam seemed so out of character to me. Anyway, I’m going to reserve judgment until the next two episodes are played out and I see where all this is going. Hopefully, the Winchesters will finally have a big win and the Impala will be back for good.
Dean is the righteous man that broke in hell. If following Canon Dean’s bone is required. He can loose a rib and live.
But Dean broke in hell which means he is no longer a righteous man, or does torturing souls in hell get a free pass?
Excellent episode. I just rewatched it and was laughing the whole way through at the one-liners. I’m not sure what I feel about this Cas yet. I need to see where this is going. There was a lot in the episode, but it was so tightly written that it worked.
Wow, so many interesting thoughts here. I try not to let my wants for the story line stop me from enjoying the show. I have really enjoyed this season.
But, there are some things that would be disappointing and the first would be either Dean or Adam as the “Righteous Mortal”. Please…really? Adam did what he did to see his Mommy again – without a care about the world. Dean was about to do the same thing because he had no faith in anything, especially his own brother.
I did so love all the double meanings and messages in this episode. Can’t wait to see where it goes.
“Dean was about to do the same thing.” That doesn’t count. He didn’t go through with it in the end. Thinking of doing something isn’t the same as actually doing it.
I think Dean can still be seen as a righteous man. Do I think he’s the righteous man this particular prophecy mentions? No.
I meant to say righteous mortal, not righteous man.
I get your meaning but perhaps it is my definition of “righteous” that makes me think that Dean would be a poor “righteous mortal”. Free of Sin, fault, flaw or Guilt. This is not Dean or anyone else in the SPN world…well, maybe Jimmy.
Well, humans have opposable thumbs and big brains, which allows for tools such as guns, rockets, missles, nukes, and all those dangerous things. But that’s not the point in a TV show. At least for me, I like to see some hope for humanity, that heroes have some impact on the adventure they are on. This episode and the season as a whole, IMO, clearly haven’t shown that. The Winchesters were reduced to surprised faces, gaping mouths, and standing frozen in place in this episode. I won’t get into the season as a whole.
Perhaps that will change in the finale, but that one is sounding very crowded to me from the synopsis.
Someone correct me if I’m wrong 🙂
But my understanding (and this is why I don’t think it is Dean) is that by “breaking a righteous man” it means that he is no longer “righteous” in the sense used in prophecies. If he was still “righteous” in those terms then the first seal never would have been broken and Lucifer never would have been freed.
Confused? Totally. Entertained for the most part, though.
Cas is cracked open. Some guilt escaped along with a fair amount of sanity. I don’t care for his random facts that much, but his surprisingly calm, if scattered, mindset has potential.
I didn’t expect much when Cas held up that game box, but what a scene that turned into.
I also felt for Kevin, poor guy.
As far as the bone of a righteous man, my immediate thought was Bobby. I know he had a pyre, but where did they bury his bones? And then there’s Rufus.
What happens in hell stays in hell… but serious Dean was identified as the righteous man more than once. He was raised from perdition by an angel because of it. After which he became the servant of heaven and was the one able to kill the whore of Babylon. I think the shedding blood in hell is moot, besides he was dead not human at the time. Everyone breaks in hell… it’s designed that way. … the torture and all. He feels the guilt of the world. I would be extremely surprised if it is not Dean’s bone. It’s fine if you don’t like the character but Canon is Canon.
John Winchester did not break in Hell according to Alistair.
righteous man? hmm, interesting , but i don’t think its dean. i dunno , maybe somebody else , but i hope it had to do something with the Winchesters because they r heroes in SPN, so it would disappointing if its somebody else!
I enjoyed this episode, although it had a lot going on, I was captivated the entire time.
I am intrigued with how the Leviathans will be stopped.
I think we can all agree on who the three bloods of the fallen are: a fallen angel (Castiel), ruler of fallen humanity (Crowley) and father of fallen beasts (the Alfa Vamp, since he seems to be in the next episode).
As for the ‘bone of a righteous mortal as light and good as the leviathan is hungry and dark’…no clue. I am leaning more towards Dean, then Kevin or Adam.
Wow Leviathan’s can kill Angels with just their hands? That was quite the surprise.
Also it looks like it’s not Who wields the Sword but just the Sword itself that can kill Angels.
I did get a kick out of Castiel with his Hippie/Childlike demeanour. He was cute with his pull my finger and how he ran away from confrontations. However it was sad to see him not willing to fight back when Hester was beating on him.
As to what has caused this personality change.
It could be from all the guilt and his inability to deal.
He could feel that he’s paid for his sins and has moved on.
He could be afraid of falling back into the God complex and can’t trust himself so he is keeping himself removed.
Or it could all be an act. That he is just letting everyone believe he’s not right in the head so they will think he is no longer a threat? Then when the time is right he could strike, taking everyone off guard.
I’m not sure about Meg yet on whether she has a hidden agenda. I think she’s been pretty straight forward about why she’s helping. Crowley wants her dead and she wants Crowley dead. It’s him or her and she’s making sure it’s him. But she is a demon and really can’t be trusted.
Poor Kevin I really felt for him. One minute he’s an over achiever student, all organised and following schedules, then BANG!
The Winchester released the Word of God.
Now he gets struck by lightning, is driven by an unknown force to break into a Mental Health Hospital and steals a piece of rock, gets chased by a Sasquatch, knocked down by a Demon, informed he is a Prophet and the Guardian of a Tablet and that he now has to translate, gets ‘Boop’ in the nose several times by an Angel, and has possibly watched his mother die.
I liked the talk between Sam and Castiel. If anyone knows how important it is to be forgiven, it’s Sam. However he’s not so surefooted at running hehehe. I guess he’s never chased anyone who zigged and zagged before.
I had to laugh that Castiel chose the game Sorry to play. What a strange scene to watch with so many hidden meanings. I don’t blame Dean for not being so forgiving though.
My only quibble is the lack of staffing and security at the Hospital…it seemed just a tad sparse. To have Sam and Kevin running around the compound with no one noticing seemed a little unlikely. Plus didn’t Dean have to be buzzed in to see Sam when he was a patient, so how was Kevin able to sneak in and out of a secured floor?
In the episode with the alternate Gods-Kali “killed” Gabriel-yes, it wasn’t really Gabriel or his real sword, but remember he said to Dean something like he wouldn’t give Kali his real sword-it could kill him. So maybe the rule is that the angels sword is needed to kill an angel not another angel.
Thanks for the correction-Edgar, Edward-at least you knew who I meant.
I THINK CASS NOW IS THE GODLIKE FIGURE. (I WONDERED ABOUT CHARLIE) YES, WE KNOW GOD IS AROUND PULLING THE STRINGS.
IT IS ABOUT DAMN TIME TO GET ADAM OUT OF THE PIT. HE DID WHAT HE WAS ASKED TO DO.
I DONT THINK WE WILL SEE THE IMPALA UNTIL THE FINALE’.
I HAVE A FUNNY FEELING ABOUT THIS ENDING BEING A CLIFFHANGER WITHOUT REAL CLOSURE. I LOVE SPN BUT THIS IS MY LEAST FAVORITE SEASON. I JUST WANT IT TO HURRY UP & FINISH.
Yeah, I don’t think the bone will be of Dean. It also cannot be Adam as people mentioned, cuz he is still in the cage. (They keep referring to it as hell, when its not. Lucifer was in a cage separate from Hell otherwise he’d be King of Hell) and there is not likely much one could do to get Adam/Micheal out. Crowley was able to get in once, somehow. But Idk if he could do it again without getting caught between Micheal and Lucifer. I also think that the bone will come from someone already dead. Either an unknown character, or maybe someone like Sam Colt. I doubt it could be John becuz he body was burned so there wouldn’t be much left. Its unknown if Samual Colt received a hunters burial or not.
One more thing, it has pretty much already been established that it only takes the blade to kill angels. Dean used one to kill Zachariah, and I think there was a couple other instances where the boys where armed with blades. We also saw Meg use one before(cas’s blade) to kill hellhounds.
[quote]I have a theory about the Levis. God created the Leviathans before he created humans and the angels. And then he cast them into purgatory when he wanted to create humans and angels and knew that the Levis would cause much harm to them. So when he created the angels, Metatron, God’s scribe put down whatever God said to him, like basically the history of all of God’s creations. Castiel said this tablet is one of many. And apparently, it can only be studied by prophets or Keepers of God’s word. Angels can’t read it.[/quote]
No offense, but this isn’t so much “your theory” as established canon. They went over all this in the episode.
Again, not speculation but I’m wondering why on earth the Leviathans were created. Angels and demons seem to serve a purpose at least but what purpose do the Leviathans serve? I mean, God made them (I assume) and then shoved them off into Purgatory to never be seen or heard from again! Does God use them to keep his angels in line, a sort of ‘You pick up your toys right now or I’m going to send you to the Leviathan corner’ sort of thing? Angels and demons have been ‘let out’ of their relative heaven and hell, free to wander the earth, for aeons now, so why not Leviathans?
Maybe the Leviathans were the first thing that God created and, it being a new thing for him, he made a bit of a mess of it. I mean, it can’t be easy, this whole creating species thing. So the Leviathans were made and then put into the spare bedroom because they weren’t right. God couldn’t kill them because they were still his creations but they couldn’t be let out in ‘public’?
I’m also wondering if God only made the four main groups; angels, demons, Leviathans and humans. It’s been a long time ago now but I think, [i]think[/i], Sam mentioned at some stage something along the lines that wendigos were human once (most definitely open to correction on that one) so is it possible that all monsters, as [i]we[/i] know them, are merely aberrations of those four main groups (or their spirits), twisted over the centuries to become what they are today?
Definitely going off topic with this one (sorry!) but I saw a video a while back from a stand up comedian who was going on about how, if a loving God created us, then he also created some strange things in his time as well. He’s quite shouty but I thought it was funny (and it could be relevant if you consider the state of some things in creation…..)
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFmI1OztG-w[/youtube]
shouty but funny .Or may be leviathans were the faulty prototype
[quote]I’m also wondering if God only made the four main groups; angels, demons, Leviathans and humans.[/quote]
It can be, that monsters all were humans once (werewolf, vampires, wendigos, I’m not sure for skinwalkers, but I bet you would find explaination if you want).
But how about pagan gods? Where they came from?
And I’m soo confused about bone of righteous mortal… Maybe they will just pick up a random saint and take his bone? That came to me as a refference to ‘The French Mistake’ (6×15)
[quote]And I’m soo confused about bone of righteous mortal… Maybe they will just pick up a random saint and take his bone? That came to me as a refference to ‘The French Mistake’ (6×15)[/quote] Strangely, and disgustingly enough, our parish church has a bone from the saint of the area buried in it somewhere. All the churches of the parish do. (Is that not customary?) I’d be happy to dig it up, send it on, though because we’re only small Sam and Dean could end up trying to kill Dick Roman with a phalange or something!
I’m not sure, maybe they where some sort of cleaning supply? Eating up dead things in the early world, idk. Purgatory was created specially for them, as stated by Death. Somehow along the way, when Even came into existence and stated making monsters. I would speculate that monsters aren’t just twisted souls like Demons/ghosts but twisted soul AND body since they are more then just spirit. When the monsters became monsters God decided Purgatory would be a good place for em too. One would have to wonder though, how Eve was sent to purgatory and if there is any monster/levi interaction going on in there.
Also, on those 4 categories, it would actually be three. Leviathan, Angels and humans. Demons came into existence after Lucifer fell, and twisted Lillith’s soul into a dark mangled mess, thus making her a demon. The first demon. It should be noted that supernatural has taken theology and shoved it in a blender and turned it into a mangled mess. That being said, givin the mangled theology one could speculate that with Lilith being Adam’s first wife(another theological circumstance that has no basic in canonical biblical writings) and Eve being the second(which holds all kinda of theological errors that I’m not gonna go into) Lilith when turned away, turned to Lucifer, and Eve being also tempted and being the first to eat of the tree of knowledge, she became a monster. Speculating of course that Eve the monster and Eve the first woman are the same. I would opt for a no on that, since it has holes you can drive a truck through. But you never know with them. I love the show, but I wish if they where gonna do storylines based on biblical theology (even tossing Enoch in there, which is non canonical) I wish they’d actually pick it up and read their source material, ya know.
But yes, it was stated that most if not all monsters where human once. Even it it was only the Alpha that was human and all else came from them already monsters.
[quote]Angels and demons have been ‘let out’ of their relative heaven and hell, free to wander the earth, for aeons now, so why not Leviathans? [/quote]
Oh, this is one part I forgot to cover. One thing about this is, I think it was in “Are you there God, its me Dean Winchester” Castiel states that this was the first time in 2000 years that Angels walked among them. Now, as we know this isn’t entirely true, as Micheal made a guest appearance on our little blue world back when Anna went back in time. It does at least show that angels coming to earth before then where an extremely rare occurrence. Also, for as the demons, back in S1, I forget the episode name, but I think it was the one on the plane. Bobby stated that before that time, he saw a only a handful of demon possessions a year. Now it was like an outbreak. I think as it got closer to the scheduled Apocalypse, the barrier between earth and hell got thinner. Remember when an exorcism was a big deal? Like the first crossroads demon. She didn’t go back and forth, from hell and here when she was summoned. Otherwise being exorcised back to hell wouldn’t have been a big enough deal to let that guy out of his contract. A demon had to work hard to crawl out. Later they could crawl out fairly easily, such as Meg. did after being sent back. Now they seem to be able to walk in and out at will. We saw a lot more demons after the devils gate was opened and let a bunch loose, but even though its closed, I think there are others or something that can now let them pass freely.
Did Alastair (or some demon) mention, at some stage, something along the lines of being around during World War II? (I could be confusing this with something out of [i]Batman Begins[/i]). I’m not sure about that one but it’s tickling my brain. I feel demons have been around a lot longer than that but it’s just that there are so many of them now, or they’re getting more confident, or the hunters are getting better, that it’s difficult for them to stay hidden.
In 7.21, Castiel mentioned he was part of a garrison assigned to watch the earth. I’m probably over-reading it but to me, ‘garrison’ suggests being stationed somewhere ie earth. I’m sure it’s going against canon but canon has been fecked around with so much recently it’s hard to keep track of it!
It’s very true what you said about the angels and demons being one and the same but unfortunately, you’ve just set my stupid brain off again…..
God has three kids, Leviathans, angels/demons and humans. Leviathans kept in the dark, angels there to protect the human.
John Winchester has three sons (yeah, you know where I’m going with this…) One is kept in the dark (Adam) and one (Dean) protects the other (Sam).
Positive proof, ladies and gentlemen, that John Winchester is, in facto, God. (Not that anyone here ever doubted it!)
[quote]Did Alastair (or some demon) mention, at some stage, something along the lines of being around during World War II? (I could be confusing this with something out of [i]Batman Begins[/i]). I’m not sure about that one but it’s tickling my brain. I feel demons have been around a lot longer than that but it’s just that there are so many of them now, or they’re getting more confident, or the hunters are getting better, that it’s difficult for them to stay hidden.
In 7.21, Castiel mentioned he was part of a garrison assigned to watch the earth. I’m probably over-reading it but to me, ‘garrison’ suggests being stationed somewhere ie earth. I’m sure it’s going against canon but canon has been fecked around with so much recently it’s hard to keep track of it!
It’s very true what you said about the angels and demons being one and the same but unfortunately, you’ve just set my stupid brain off again…..
God has three kids, Leviathans, angels/demons and humans. Leviathans kept in the dark, angels there to protect the human.
John Winchester has three sons (yeah, you know where I’m going with this…) One is kept in the dark (Adam) and one (Dean) protects the other (Sam).
Positive proof, ladies and gentlemen, that John Winchester is, in facto, God. (Not that anyone here ever doubted it!)[/quote]
Well, except that demons and angels aren’t the same at all. Demons are a spiritual offshoot of humans a couple steps above ghosts, where monsters are a physical offshoot. Demons where created for lack of a better term, by Lucifer, not God.
Demon’s have been around almost as long as humans. Lilith was probably one of the very first humans. If you are to take her as the same Lilith from non canonical texts of adams first wife, then she was eons old. As old as mankind itself. Either way, she was the very first human to turn to Lucifer. Remember, most demons didn’t even know if Lucifer even really existed. (Another reason why they keep making an error by saying Sam was in hell with Luci, it was the cage, separate from hell.)
[quote]But how about pagan gods? Where they came from?[/quote]
I forgot about them. Not sure where they come from. (sorry for triple posting, new things keep coming to me, and I can’t edit my previous one with the new information)
Something that I just thought about, about the Levis, and why they need human hosts. We saw that when they where in Cas, that they went to the water. In the water they moved pretty freely and quickly. Even using the water to go to populated places and possessed by ingesting the water. Since Supernatural is blending popular evolution theory and creation, one could speculate that the Levis where water dwelling life forms. According to some scientific theories, Earth Mark 1 was a water planet devoid of any surface land mass. It could be that this was the world that the leviathans lived in. Then when God wanted to make new creatures on the earth, Mark 2 came along with land mass and such, and since the levis where hungry little bastards, he sent him to purgatory to make room for humans. (as angels are heaven dwelling creatures by nature, and are the only created creatures to have a home separate from Earth by default.)
I hate to break it to ya, but Dean is righteous.
Not only is he righteous, he’s also a true servant of Heaven. Besides, if the choice is between one of Dean’s ribs or someone else’s.. Do you honestly believe Dean would EVER let anyone else sacrifice? I think not. That would be way out of character for him.
I think they’ll find an already dead person for the bone. It’s the most logical (and quickest way) to handle this. There’s only one hour left.