Alice’s Review – Supernatural 9.23 – “Do You Believe In Miracles?” aka An Ideal Finale
Jeremy Carver, I am your bitch.
Yes, I’ve said that before, probably so much that it’s lost all meaning. But as spitting mad as I was over last week’s waste of time, I put my full faith in the SPN showrunner to come through for us. To give us something that felt like a “Supernatural” episode, aka people in character, no bogus stretching of canon, something I could be engaged in from the word go, and yes, MOVING THE STORY FORWARD. For me, all the essential boxes were checked, and I was left an emotional wreck at the end of it. In other words, it was the perfect season finale.
I know, expectations are high for any finale, especially when the season has left us with so many questions. “Do You Believe In Miracles?” is a focused script though, and one that gets to the point as much as it can in the limited space of 42 minutes. It shows far and away how dramatically more skilled Jeremy Carver is at his job than most of his writing team. So much so, I’m starting the petition drive to get Carver to write more than 2 episodes a season. How about 22? 🙂
I’m satisfied with the way each storyline was tackled in this episode. No, my issues with season nine are still very much alive and I am not insisting that what Carver did in “Do You Believe In Miracles” makes up for everything, but it made me happy enough where season ten is looking promising. And that’s the reaction Carver set out to get.
The Angel Arc
Metatron and his megalomania, no matter how much we felt about the arc in general, had to be resolved. They made the mess, Carver had to clean it up. What I love about Carver’s writing is how scenes don’t feel forced. Even though I have tired of the whole Metatron thing with his “epic” story and monologuing antics, in this episode it played out so much better. For one, Curtis Armstrong was given some very meaty dialogue to work with. Through Metatron’s pontificating this time, I understand why he thinks he should be the next God. He’s just as good as the old one, why not? He knows how to push a brand, give the people what they want. His speech to Dean about his view of humanity makes way more sense than anything uttered by the angel so far this year. It just goes to show, it’s the writer, not the character.
The angel conflict had to end with Castiel, not Dean or Sam. It was Cas’ fight. I would have been very disappointed if Castiel killed Metatron. He’s been saying all season he’s tired of the killing and he just wanted to bring his people home. Many doubted how genuine that sentiment was, and that doubt was raised countless times. Even Metatron had the theory as to who Castiel was really trying to save. “The angel tablet, arguably the most powerful instrument in the history of the universe, is in pieces and for what again? Oh, that’s right, to save Dean Winchester. That was your goal, right? I mean, you draped yourself in the flag of Heaven by ultimately it was about one human, right?
Yep, that’s Jeremy Carver skirting that fine line again. Andrew Dabb did it last week too when Castiel couldn’t kill Dean as a show of faith to the angels. Since they love pushing the “Destiel” envelope, I’ll take a paragraph or two to explore. I have no doubt that Castiel cares about Heaven and will do anything it takes to save it, but he won’t kill his human friends. I’m convinced that if he had to save Sam he would have done the same thing. The plan in place at the time though was the save Dean. However, I’m also convinced that Castiel wouldn’t let any human die. That’s because Castiel has never forgotten the angels’ main mission from God, protect humanity at all costs. Gadreel said the same thing in his sacrifice. “The only thing that matters in the end is the mission. Protecting those that would not, and could not protect themselves. The humans, none of us is bigger than that. We will not let our fears, our self absorption, from seeing it though.”
Castiel could have easily gone off the rails on Metatron for killing Dean, but he didn’t. There are many fans out there that believe that Castiel’s actions were all for Dean and only for Dean and while we won’t know for sure one thing was clear, the angels believed in him. It all rests in the eye of the beholder, but keeping Metatron alive does send clues that Castiel’s motives to bring the angels home with no killing was the genuine one. That no killing rule extended to angels and humans. He stood by his principles no matter what. Will it be enough for his past transgressions? That’s up to each individual angel but redemption was never Castiel’s goal. He just wanted to help, and he inspired others like Gadreel to seek their redemption. Cas now gets to choose whether to live or die. Considering Misha Collins is a confirmed regular for season 10, I’m guessing he chooses life.
As for Gadreel, his sacrifice did give him the best ending he could hope for. He finally earned that redemption and a cleared name that he sought for a thousand years. He did way more than free Castiel, he inspired Hannah and to believe Castiel and help with the plan to expose Metatron. The angels will talk of Gadreel’s act, tell his story and realize that Gadreel was misunderstood all these years. The fact that Gadreel also earned the faith and trust of Sam Winchester says volumes too. I think all us had Gadreel pegged for death, but wasn’t it more satisfying to see him take his out life in a worthy act of sacrifice than Metatron killing him in retaliation? That kind of brutality happens too often on this show and it’s nice for once to see a death mean something.
The Brothers
I know that several of you are skimming over the angel stuff. It wasn’t a popular plot among many and you’re here to talk brothers. Then let’s do that. Many were speculating we’d get a horrific Cain/Abel situation with Dean trying to kill his brother while off the rails. Given the setup that might still happen in season ten, but I love Carver’s current choice much better. Dean wasn’t too far gone.
It does seem weird that the brothers would have this very long rift only to have them finally mend things within minutes in a trailer park, but it was an effective talk and one that was long overdue. Often I think the writers stretch out these brotherly conflicts just because they’re hard up for material and they think they’re delivering “the feels.” Well Mr. Carver got to show them how “feels” is done.
Sam is clearly worried about Dean. He hates the idea of Dean being used as a weapon, and doesn’t accept the suggestion well from Gadreel and Castiel that Dean is the best chance they’ve got. Suddenly Dean isn’t his partner anymore, he’s his brother again. He’s trying to protect his brother. When it gets personal like that, sudden new life comes to Sam that we haven’t seen much all season. I was so thrilled to see it back.
I laughed when Dean and Crowley did all that leg work just to find Sam standing there, beating them to the punch (love the shot of Sam standing outside the trailer waiting for them from the POV of inside the Impala). “I guess one of us doesn’t need a demon to help follow a clue trail.” Isn’t it nice to see smart and snarky Sam again? That all leads to a critical conversation between the brothers, one that’s been a season in the making.
Dean: Sam, what ever king intervention you think this is trust me it ain’t. I’m not going to explain myself to you.
Sam: Yeah, I sort of got that. I just thought you might like to know that while you two are playing odd couple your real friends like Cas, like the angel you stabbed, Gadreel, they’re out there right now risking their asses to help you win this fight.
Dean: What are you talking about?
Sam: A fight I might add you made that much more complicated when you decided to stab the one angel that could actually get us to Metatron.
Dean: The angel that took you for a joy ride. The angel that slaughtered Kevin. That angel?
Sam: Who you let in the front door in the first place. You tricked me Dean, and now I’m the one who wakes up in the middle of the night seeing my hands kill Kevin, not you.
I loved this conversation because for one, we finally got to hear some of the trauma that’s been going on inside Sam. It shows the profound effect the possession by Gadreel had on Sam. Sam’s been possessed before, but we rarely if ever have gotten signs how much it’s affected him beyond the initial act. Gadreel left a mark, and I’m glad that they didn’t ignore it here. More importantly though, it reminds us why Sam has been hurt deeply by Dean’s act all this time. It reinforces for us that despite all that, Sam is there standing by Dean’s side, ready to go in fighting together. He finishes, “So please, when you say you don’t want to explain anything to me, don’t.” All he needed was time.
As for Dean, well, little brother made sense. After all, Sam admitted to seeing thing Dean’s way too, accepting he was their best shot against Metatron. He even accepted Dean’s terms. “I’m going to take my best shot no matter what…no matter the consequences.” Dean in turn sends away Crowley, choosing the carry on the fight with Sam instead. It just goes to show that no matter what the circumstance, Sam is the only one that can get through. That’s the brotherly bond we’ve been dying to see and when it’s missing things just don’t feel right. That’s why this episode felt right.
The brothers resolve to go in there fighting together. It’s the big mantra on this show. The amount of times each brother has swooped in at the last second and saved the other is countless. Dean knocks out Sam though, claiming this wasn’t his fight. That “go it alone” attitude has been devastating to the brothers before (see season four, Sam letting Lucifer out of the cage), and Dean failing to let Sam be a part of this cemented his downfall. Dean’s choice to go it alone got him killed. Those were the consequences he was referring to though, and he had to know it would be the likely result.
You would think after nine seasons nothing these brothers go through anymore could pack an emotional punch, but the closeup on Sam’s devastated face as he watched that angel blade go through Dean just about killed me. When they showed Dean’s bloodied and stunned look back, oh yeah, I started bawling.
Look at this expression. It said it all. It was Dean’s apology, his regret for all he had done to Sam and failing to kill Metatron. The “I’m sorry, I did my best” expression and blanket apology from a dying man that just makes a fan girl all weepy. He wished it could be different, but there was no going back. Taking on the Mark of Cain made things far worse, because now he’s transitioning into something he doesn’t want to be. By accepting his death, he was accepting his consequences for the decisions he made. The fact that the camera lingered for an extra few seconds on Dean gave him the time needed to convey all the guilt and regret that’s been plaguing him for years.
I don’t blame Dean for going it alone though. He couldn’t risk his brother being in harms way, especially after all he’d done with Gadreel. In the rewatch I asked myself if Dean taking on Metatron alone was a death wish. One because he knew he was dying because of the mark anyway. I think yes. It was a death wish that started when he first accepted the mark, no actually before that. It was a death wish that started when his “save Sam at all costs” mentality got Kevin killed.
Because I was already a blubbery mess by this time, Dean’s death in Sam’s arms just kept the waterworks coming. I adore this scene and every bit that went into it. It’s so perfect, so in character for both these guys. Sam sees Dean’s wound and decides they need to find a doctor or a spell. Dean, just inches from death, takes time to throw Sam’s comment about not doing the same for him from “The Purge” in his face. That is so Dean!
Dean: What happened with you being okay with this?
Sam: I lied.
Dean: Ain’t that a bitch.
That’s the type of lighthearted humor that’s been missing between these two and rightfully so it’s happening in the face of death. I miss those days. Remember when Dean was dying in season one’s “Faith” and wouldn’t take things seriously in the hospital? Having a sing along to “Wanted Dead or Alive” in the Impala in “No Rest For The Wicked?” This was that. I question the editing choice of putting that bit in between the Castiel and Metatron confrontation, but it was still perfect.
But then every heart in the fandom completely melts when Dean stops and says the words that shall forever be quoted from now to eternity. “I’m proud of us.” He dies in Sam’s arms! NOOOO!!! DEAN!!!! Sam begs Dean to wake up and then it hits him hard. He holds onto his lifeless brother tight and weeps. It’s poetic, it’s gorgeous, it’s a throwback to the teary death scenes of old and I love it. And I hate it because now I’m an emotional wreck. The way it should be. These brothers shouldn’t hurt so much in season nine, but they do. I cannot possibly say in words how brilliant Jensen and Jared acted out this scene. I ran out of adjectives long ago because these guys always continue to amaze me. They did it again here.
I also love how they took a few frames to show a grieving Sam deal with the aftermath. The framing is incredible. Sam takes his brother’s body back to the bunker and gently puts him on his bed, while Blind Faith’s “Can’t Find My Way Home” perfectly plays in the background. (It’s far more appropriate here than when used in “Route 666.”) The red around Sam’s eyes say it all, he’s been crying for a while. Then there’s a closeup of Sam’s shaken hand pouring whiskey from a half empty bottle into a glass, indicating this is not his first drink. He takes the mostly full glass and slams the contents. We know that Sam only drinks whiskey like that when he’s very upset.
But the best shot of all is the wide shot of a somber Sam in the dark library drinking alone. The room is dark around him, but the control room behind him is well lit. The backlighting that comes through is haunting and accents just how much pain Sam is in at that moment. Bravo to director Thomas J. Wright and Serge Ladoucer’s gorgeous lighting to selling the agony of that scene along with Jared.
To think, Dean’s death isn’t even the tragic part. Jeremy Carver said this season was about consequences, and Dean unfortunately suffered the worst one of all. He was warned that taking on the Mark of Cain would come with a great burden, but in his self loathing he accepted it without reading the fine print. The result is a fate worse than death. Again with the framing, Crowley’s arrival in Dean’s room has a certain art to it, the big demon lurking the shadows, coming to claim his prize.
We finally see what Crowley had intended all along.
“Your brother, bless his soul, is summoning me as I speak, make a deal, bring you back. It’s exactly what I was talking about, isn’t it? It’s all become so…expected. You have to believe me, when I suggested you take on the Mark of Cain I didn’t know this was going to happen. Not really. I mean I might not have told you the entire truth but I never lied. I never lied Dean, it’s important. It’s fundamental. But there is one story about Cain that I might have forgotten to tell you. Apparently he too was willing to accept death rather than becoming the killer the Mark wanted him to be. So he took his own life with the blade. He died. Except, as rumor has it, the Mark never quite let go. You can understand why I never spoke of this. Why set hearts a flutter at mere speculation? It wasn’t until you summoned me, no, it wasn’t truly until you left that cheeseburger uneaten, that I began to let myself believe maybe miracles do come true. Listen to me Dean Winchester, what you’re feeling right now it’s not death, it’s life. A new kind of life. Open your eyes Dean, see what I see, feel what I feel. Let’s take a howl at that moon.”
This speech, not only in it’s wording but in it’s delivery, as if Crowley had regret over the situation, is Emmy worthy. Mark Sheppard killed it. Humanizing Crowley this season was the best decision ever made.
Yes, we’ve had a lot of shockers with “Supernatural,” but this is easily the biggest one second shocker we’ve gotten yet. It’s not surprising, it was even foretold if you pay attention to the Cain mythology from “First Born,” but that didn’t make it any less shocking. I’m both intrigued and utterly devastated. Dean Winchester has been resurrected as a demon. The one thing he never, ever wanted to happen to him.
So what have we learned from “Do You Believe In Miracles?” Other than we’ve got some serious s*** going down to start season ten? For one, Jeremy Carver is a magician. Going into this episode we had what seemed like a bunch of random plots and plot threads that didn’t come together all of a sudden come together (some were left dangling of course but for the most part he covered it). I remember this point last year being so thrilled with all the possibilities for season nine after the explosive end in “Sacrifice” where Carver pulled the same wizardry, only to see season nine majorly disappoint. As much as I loved the episode, I am getting weary of Jeremy Carver at the end of each season have to pull magic out of a hat rather than offer a full, well plotted season.
But all in all, this episode was enough to keep me happy until the return of “Supernatural” in October. It’s going to be long Hellatus folks and we have plenty of time to absorb all we’ve been given, but for now, my emotionally wrecked fan girl heart is taking time to heal – Just the way it should be this time every year.
This was such a quote worthy episode. Here are my favs:
Metatron: The problem with you Dean is the cynicism, always with the cynicism. But most people, even the real belly crawlers living in filth, or Brentwood, they don’t want to be cynical. They want something believe in. (Nice inside joke! Jensen lives in Brentwood, or at least he did).
Angel: You just reunited all the angels under the banner of Heaven. I mean that’s like-
Metatron: Winning a People’s Choice Award? It’s not quite the real deal now is it?”
(Ooh, another big inside joke, and quite a risky one. The writer is mocking the audience. I laughed though because we kind of had that coming.)
Crowley: It wants you to kill. The more you kill the better you feel. The less you kill the less better you feel.
Dean: How much less better?
Crowley: Well I would imagine the least less better.
Dean: So dead.
Dean: Game of Thrones is complicated. Shower sex, that’s complicated. Hell ain’t complicated.
Crowley: Excuse me, I’m not exactly demon minion #3 here. As the kids say, I’ve got mad skillz.
Crowley: I guess I’ve been Winchestered.
Hi Alice – nice review; I’m happy this episode took care of many of the S9 issues for you. Regretably, it left me very disappointed. I won’t rehash those issues here, other than to say a lack of sympathy I’ve had in the latter part of this season for Dean’s character affected the emotional impact of the “broments” for me. The Demon Dean issue was telegraphed pretty early on, but very curious to see how they handle this in S10, along with the logistics, as the show is primarily told from Dean’s POV and they usually don’t keep the brothers separated for too long.
While the angel/heaven arc had been boring, I was satisfied with the way it was wrapped up. Metatron had been getting cartoonish lately, but Carver did a good job of fixing that in this episode; however, just my opinion, the show runner shouldn’t be put in a position to have to clean up this many messes in the last episode of the season. And, I’ve like what they’ve done with Castiel this season, much more so than S6-S8 Castiel. Mixed feelings on the Gadreel redemption.
The musical choice was spot on, since Can’t Find My Way Home is basically about a lost soul; quite appropriate for Dean’s situation going in to S10.
Ok now I’m crying again. This was a lovely review of a beautiful episode. I am right there with you, can Jeremy Carver write all of the episodes (or at least the 200th). Every performance was spot on. I was not invested in the angels but this is how their story should have been told. Jared and Jensen what more can you say that hasn’t been said a 1000 times. Crowley’s speech over dead Dean blew me away. Mark Shepard is an absolute gold mine for this show. The writing for that scene was perfect but the delivery was other worldly. I loved Gadreel’s redemption. In the first episode he pledged his allegiance to Dean and Castiel, humanity and his brother. He always felt that way and found out what it meant to be the hero of the story. Castiel being human, you are right, I hadn’t thought about how that affected his decisions but it makes perfect sense. I’ve watched it twice now and that last scene in the bunker Sam alone and desperate, Crowley “collecting his prize” and the look coming out of Dean’s demon eyes, no ounce of humanity…just wow. How I am going to make until Oct.
Thank you for your review. It said perfectly everything I was feeling.
[i]It was Dean’s apology, his regret for all he had done to Sam all these years.[/i]
I’m confused – what has Dean “done to Sam” all these years? Only you’re making it sound like an abusive relationship or something.
I can’t speak for Alice but I took it to mean that in Dean’s dying moment he was expressing regret for all that had happened to him and Sam and for his part in it. Much like Sam in Swan Song and Sacrifice trying to atone for a lifetime of being a disappointment to his brother. Of course neither brother sees the other that way only themselves. It was Dean’s moment to tell Sam how he really felt about himself and his brother “I’m proud of us”. Dean still trying to be the big brother…broke my heart. At least that is how I saw it.
I like your take on that scene. I took the look as regret Sam was there to see him die. As soon as Dean found out what was happening to him he decided he wasn’t coming out of this fight alive. He would ” do what he had to do” to protect humanity and Sam. I really love this show.
Deleted double post
It’s pretty well known that Dean carries a lot of guilt. He still feels regret over the whole Gadreel mess, over making Sam think that he was a disappointment to him (aka Sacrifice), heck maybe even the words he said to him in episodes like “Point of No Return” and “Southern Comfort.” You know, the numerous other issues they’ve had through the years. Ultimately though, it was failing to kill Metatron and leaving Sam alone in this fight. The “I’m sorry for everything” that comes from a dying man. If the situations were reversed, Sam would have an similar apology. It wasn’t a statement of blame. It was a statement that relieves regret.
I thought it was a sorry ‘I was wrong’, ‘I knocked you out’, ‘I don’t actually know better even though I like to think I do’ , ‘I failed’, ‘I lied to you’, ‘I’ve been a dick’ Dean had plenty to be apologetic for.
i’m glad you liked the finale alice. i must admit though, i’ve loved this season. i don’t really care much about the angel stuff, but i do enjoy metatron. i also found myself liking gad despite him killing kevin. i guess i always saw him as the wayward angel trying to redeem himself to heaven and God. i know he lost his way, but was happy to see that he found it again. i was sorry to see him go, but glad he died by his own hand doing what was truly right and good.
i loved every minute of sam this season. i loved that he stood his ground when it came to dean. i loved that he, despite his hurt and anger, never for one moment gave up on his brother or their relationship. the way i see it, sam was the only one who kept fighting …..but sam has always been that way…he’s the only character to have never given up..not on anyone or anything. sam has shone brighter for me this season more than any other….jared did an amazing job this year. for me, jared has made sam the most beloved character in tv history.
jensen did an amazing job as well. i never tire from watching these boys give everything they have in their performances. in the last couple of years i haven’t really empathized with dean at all, but that doesn’t mean i didn’t understand him. i think these last couple of seasons have kind of driven the point forward regarding one of his major issues…sam pointed it out in the purge….dean is afraid to be alone. personally, i believe it has to do with his own lack of self worth and how he sees himself. it’s what drives him to extremes. but his love for his brother is also why he does what he does. but of course sam’s own lack of self worth blinds him to dean’s ability to see sam as worth saving because of who he is. it’s a messed up winchester world.
what carver has managed to do is bring this issues to the forefront and start dealing with them. i think s10 will have sam and dean verbally talk about everything…but for now carver is playing at teaching dean a cosmic lesson. sam and cas have made mistakes, but they learned from these mistakes and therefore avoid making them again. dean is the only character not to learn from his mistakes. he still makes the same ones. ea time he does the people he loves get hurt. instead of learning from his mistake by allowing gad to possess sam and owning up to his actions, he decided to punish himself instead. even in his last words to sam, that apologetic face, i saw regret yes, but did dean fully understand what he did that was wrong? i’m not so sure that’s the case.
how many times has dean been warned about messing with the natural order. death, tessa, sam, …..but still dean has taken it upon himself to play God. i don’t know if he realized it, but in the end, it’s what he ended up doing. i’ve been thinking about this for a couple of days, and i wonder if death, in itiglih, knew all along what was in store for dean. anyway i think as ironic as it is that dean becoming a demon is exactly what is necessary for him to understand why sam so vehemently is against possession…but not only that, but i think that dean will finally learn his lesson and yes i hate to say it , but he does need to learn that he cannot take it upon himself to play God. he can’t swipe people’s memories, he can’t bring people back from the dead, he can’t take one’s agency away from them because bad things happen when you do.
my hope is that dean comes back evil to the second power. logistically i think that makes the most sense. dean didn’t become a demon by the usual way. demon dean was born of power and the need to kill. he came from the mark and the blade, he awoke with the blade in his hands. this blade demands blood. this blade demands power. it would only make sense that dean come back E v i l. my hopes is that this is the way they go. it also makes sense in the trying to teach dean a lesson aspect. i think it should be more than dean turning into a demon. i think dean needs to commit atrocities by his own hands, only then can he truly understand sam’s perspective. dean needs to truly understand what it’s like to have his agency taken away…to watch and feel someone die by his own hands. i know that dean has killed before and with the mark he started to take pleasure in it. but dean still had a say in who he killed. he still made the choice to do it. he may not have been in total control, but he still had control. but to commit an atrocity, to kill an innocent, to not have any control to stop it….only then can dean truly understand. only then can dean truly change…..
so very excited for next season….fingers crossed we get a diabolical dean that not even crowley expected and here’s hoping that after sam saves his brother , we finally get that talk we all have been waiting for. 🙂
What gives me hope for Dean is that when he died he was Dean. The hold of the Blade and the Mark wasn’t there…just Sam. It was his love for Sam and Sam’s for Dean that seemed to break the spell. It will be Sam’s love that gets through to Dean to bring him back. The question is what is left of Dean? Dean died. Is he still himself or a mutation like Cain. Stay tuned.
i agree cheryl. even if they go the way i hope and dean is totally evil, i still believe that the one person to reach dean is sam. one way or another sam will find a way to save dean….i just wonder how he’ll do it. i am definitely staying tuned. 😉
….
Yep, both Jensen and Jared have done a great job with what they were given to work with this season.
I meant no disrespect for Jensen.
Thanks Nappi! And you too, Cheryl!
Your posts are consistently insightful and positive about the show and I never skip them. You echo many of the thoughts I’ve had about this season, what Carver has done, where he’s trying to go. After he proved he was doing what he said he was doing in season eight, I totally trusted him. The man has never lied about what he was going to give us each season. When he said season eight was about perception, it was. When he said season nine was about consequences, it was. I can see what he set out to do and I trust him to give good story. ( He and his team still need to work on pacing ,though.) Jared and Jensen totally rocked the joint this season. They have grown so much as actors. There aren’t enough words to say how much Crowley has added to the dynamic of the show. Mark Sheppard is a minor god. I count this season right up there with the best of the other seasons. There was a consistent through line and a neat windup at the end, at least for me.
Did I mention that I loved this season!
And thanx for being one of the few people that liked this season too, and shared your unabashed enjoyment with the rest of us. I loved this season and it was your enjoyment of it that gave me the impetus to speak up and say so despite all the negativity I was seeing everywhere from people absolutely determined to gripe about what the show ISN’T giving them instead of celebrating what theyve been given. This is one of the best shows on TV even when it’s working at half speed. I’m just grateful it’s seeing a season ten. I had no confidence, when it began ,that it would last so long, as the networks seem to hate genre shows.
Hope to see more insights from you guys next season.
Thanks I did love this season (not every episode but most) and I agree Jeremy Carver is laying out his story (please write more episodes) exactly how he explained. What do you think S10’s theme is going to be? Redemption? And I also agree there is no other show I have ever watched that can affect me like this one. It’s freaking Friday and I am still crying.
Good call. If that is the theme and since Mark Sheppard has been cast as a regular ,I expect quite a lot of focus on him next season. I’d love to see them wrap up his character by allowing that human taint to make him decide to just walk away from Hell and not be King. It would be a kind of parallel arc to have Cas Involuntarily become human but have Crowley CHOOSE to be human. It would be very nice to have an arc for him.
Naturally, of course, the through line will be about the brothers and I’d love to see the demon storyline wrapped up as quick as possible so we can all focus on mending the brothers relationship and their maturation . They need to air things more. Can’t do that if Dean is evil, so I hope that doesn’t last all season. Although it will be interesting if like Crowley he is a demon who chooses to be good as he didn’t become a demon in the classical manner-there could be some leeway there.
I’m really looking forward to 10. It’s a miracle the show lasted so long.
my apologies… that was not the intent of my comment
My fault RL issues are making me over sensitive.
[quote]but for now carver is playing at teaching dean a cosmic lesson. [/quote]
Agreed. And Dean becoming a demon is the ultimate punishment of all that Dean did (his mistakes in letting Sam gets possessed too) in S8 and S9. Dean’s most fear in DALDOM is becoming a monster, a demon and he despises Demon. Imagine how he feels when he is cured later on that he spent an amount of time becoming something that he despises.
I don’t care if Dean never apologize to Sam because it won’t matter if he will do it again in a heartbeat if Sam’s life in danger. (He punches Sam before going after Metatron right? To save him again, taking the decision out of Sam’s hand) This is Dean’s punishment. This is Dean’s lessons from Carver. “You did bad things to your brother Dean. So this is what you’ve become.” I don’t like it if Dean says sorry and not getting repercussion of what he did. To me just confessing your sin doesn’t make it go away and doesn’t make you forgiven. If by confession people are forgiven of their mistakes then we don’t need police, judges, jail. People must get punished for their mistakes. Don’t get me wrong, I love Dean (I’m a bit partial to Dean than Sam because I relate to Dean better as I’m also a big sister) and because I love him I’m glad that finally he’s getting a lesson out of his actions. I love that Sam gets justice.
Now, the question is. Will Sam accept this justice? What will Sam feel of his brother being a demon? Will he realize that he’s actually getting the justice for what Dean did to him by letting him gets possessed. (As some people liken it to getting [redacted]). Dean let’s Sam gets [redacted] by psycho angel, Dean goes to hell. Will Sam accepts this punishment for Dean?
Now, that’s an interesting idea for season 10. Don’t you think it’s interesting? The potential for season 10 is astounding!!! Come on guys, this show rocks!!
Edited by Alice – You’ll notice I took a few key words and replaced it with [Redacted]. I’ve had complaints about this numerous times about other posts, and I agree. Unless you see an actual, physical act of rape on the show, it does not come up in this discussion or any others from this point forward. It’s disrespectful to the horror of the actual act and those that have been through it. You are taking a character discussion too far. I have a zero tolerance stance on this policy from now on. Thank you.
I’m very sorry for that. It wasn’t my intention to disrespect anyone. Thank you for the correction and the warning Alice. I will remember that in the future.
I’m very sorry for that. It wasn’t my intention to disrespect anyone. Thank you for the correction and the warning Alice. I will remember that in the future.
WOW, you think that Dean becoming a demon is PUNISHMENT for Dean doing whatever FOR SAM’s SAKE. That’s a bit HARSH to me. He’s now a demon because that’s the world they live in. Sam not speaking to DEAN //moving out is punishment enough. JMO
When did Sam move out?
he didn’t. he has gone his separate ways a couple of times though. that’s not my point.
Sorry I guess I didn’t understand your point.
Thanks Alice for the review.
I loved this episode because we finally have a Dean story after nine years. I have enjoyed most of this season so this episode was just icing on the cake.
I do wonder what you meant by this “It was Dean’s apology, his regret for all he had done to Sam all these years”. I’m sure your not trying to make this out to be an abusive relationship but it does sound like Sam is blameless and a paragon of virtue while Dean is to blame for all of the fighting they both have participated in.
Not trying to be confrontational just trying to understand.
No, I’m not implying Sam is blameless at all! I’m definitely not implying that theirs is an abusive relationship because it isn’t. If the situations were reversed, Sam would have just as much regret. But Dean carries guilt. That’s very well known. It’s just a look of a dying man saying to the one person that matters most I’m sorry for everything. It’s a way of saying goodbye. It also includes the apology of falling short of killing Metatron and ditching Sam. Like I said, everything.
Thanks Alice for the clarification. I’ll have to rewatch that scene again. I do get to see new things in the episodes after reading the reviews on this site.
Thank you Alice for your absolutely incredible take on this episode..
This season had its ups and downs… some plots weren’t develped the way they should have been..
But this final episode broke my heart and I cried like a baby (as usual)…
And pls where do I sign? I also want Carver writing at least 23 of the 23 episodes of the next season too…
Tks for sharing…
Have a nice weekend.
Cla;}
I have to say, I’m surprised by your reaction to the finale, Alice. What I saw was a mish-mash of reactive firefighting fast and dirty “solutions” to the problems created over the length of the season, and while Carver did his best to tie up and resolve those plot bunnies that were logically unresolvable, as showrunner he was responsible for allowing the mess to proliferate in the first place, so his efforts were more in the line of bad janitorial work than creative writing.
Sam is let off the hook with a quip “I lied” to explain his on-again-off-again fury at Dean and that’s regarded as a callback to the “light, humorous moments” of previous seasons? Lucky Dean was dying. In none of the previous seasons did either brother make light of the fights they had where they knew they hurt each other. Guess it’s just easier to let this one slide since there was a lot going on at the time.
Metatron is imprisoned. Gadreel dead. The “angel war” was a fizzer. The rising of Hell another fizzer. Crowley has seemingly abdicated from Hell because he wants to find himself. But he wants a buddy to tag along and howl with him, so Dean is inexplicably turned into a demon. Cain said “I became demon” – not I was made into a demon. The Mark presumably has sufficient poison to corrupt a soul without centuries of torture but that’s kind of murky, isn’t it? A lot of ifs and buts and nothing actually said. As usual.
Sam has been written so OOC this season (and last) that it’s incredibly difficult to figure out who the hell he is now. Apparently he just lets fly at his brother when he’s pissed and doesn’t mean any of what he’s said. Manipulative, some might say. Bi-polar, others might speculate. When it comes down to it, writers, is it really Sam who can’t stand to be alone? Dean seemed okay with the dying part.
The preaching about God being responsible for saving people? How naive and childish is that? Was that Metatron’s character or the writer’s? Someone else take responsibility for all the evils in the world that humanity has created. What kind of a message is that, really? Whiny, petulant angels and poor Mark Shepard once again forced into a long exposition to explain the unexplainable.
The “curing” of a demon, as per their own canon in S8 suggests that the demon feel remorse for what its done, to untwist the centuries of torture that creates the demon from the human soul. Dean cannot be “cured” in that way – he already feels remorse and it wasn’t torture but the Mark that created the demon in his soul. Are the writers likely to take that into consideration next season? Somehow, I find it highly unlikely. Speculation is pointless, since they will come up with their “shiny little cool ideas” and throw them in irregardless of the logic they batter or the canon they trash or the characters they stretch, mangle and distort to make them fit into storylines that the original characters would never have sat still for. Dean’s a demon and Sam still hasn’t used the resources at his disposal to figure out the details of the Mark and how to save his brother. I guess they’re saving that for next season.
One question to anyone … are we supposed to believe that having his Grace removed and falling simply made Cas human, but the stolen Grace burning out and leaving him without Grace will kill him … is it purely the fact that it’s not his own Grace or was there another reason for the discrepancy?
[i]One question to anyone … are we supposed to believe that having his Grace removed and falling simply made Cas human, but the stolen Grace burning out and leaving him without Grace will kill him … is it purely the fact that it’s not his own Grace or was there another reason for the discrepancy?[/i]
It’s because it’s another angel’s grace; they’ve been alluding to the fact that this would have serious repercussions for some time, Castiel has even mentioned it, though not directly mentioning that he would burn out. There’s more to an angel than grace, as both he and Anna could listen in on angel radio without their grace.
Mmmm … which would be okay if everyone didn’t keep suggesting/asking how he’s going to “replenish it”, I think were the exact words. If any other Grace will burn out and kill him, what’s the point in replenishing his “supply” – or will Cas be the addict next season, hunting angels for a score of their Grace? Addiction seems to be the scariest thing these writers can think of.
Thanks for your thoughts.
that’s probably going to be Castiel’s mission next season, to find his stolen grace. That’s the only leverage that Metatron has; he knows where it is. I can’t see him slitting angel’s throats to replenish his angel mojo, unless Castiel goes dark side again.
They also never addressed all of the souls in the veil; I don’t think Metatron’s spell has been broken; the angels are using a back door in to and out of heaven, but maybe that’s going to be part of the S10 story.
I’ve been on vacation and quite slow with the replies lately!
When it comes to complaints about the season, you’re preaching to the choir! I so agree with you on many points here. My review focused mainly on this episode, judging Jeremy Carver the writer taking the mess that he was given this season (and yes as show runner allowed to happen but Robert Singer gets much of the blame as well) and trying to pull it all together in a cohesive and entertaining story. I’m my mind he did that. Now, does that vindicate the season for me? Hell no! This is definitely where you and I agree. But for me, this ended up being the best episode of the season. It sets up a lot of possibilities for season ten. Then again, last season’s finale “Sacrifice” setup a lot of possibilities for season nine and they squandered all of them. So while my faith is a little shaken that they will be able to pull off promising story lines in season ten, I at least have this gem!
Thanks for your comments.
Certainly I would of dearly liked the writers to of remembered Sam and that the possession meant more than a plot point to get Dean to take on the MOC but his anger was not meant for him but for Dean and his sl which is why Sam’s genuine reason to be angry was never truly addressed as it should of been. I feel that Dean has been rather ‘let off the hook’ in this situation as much if not more so . Turning him demon was something I did not understand but obviously it was a story Jeremy wanted to do with Dean , how they approach it in season 10 will determine whether Dean can be demon but still have the sympathy Sam never had .
I’m thinking they are going to go really dark with Dean, as part of some scheme by Crowley to do Chuck knows what, maybe go after heaven or something.
[quote]I’m starting the petition drive to get Carver to write more than 2 episodes a season.[/quote]
Yes.
[quote]He’s trying to protect his brother. When it gets personal like that, sudden new life comes to Sam that we haven’t seen much all season. I was so thrilled to see it back. [/quote]
YES!
[quote]Sam’s been possessed before, but we rarely if ever have gotten signs how much it’s affected him beyond the initial act. Gadreel left a mark, and I’m glad that they didn’t ignore it here. More importantly though, it reminds us why Sam has been hurt deeply by Dean’s act all this time. It reinforces for us that despite all that, Sam is there standing by Dean’s side, ready to go in fighting together.[/quote]
YESSS!!!
[quote]Look at this expression. The “I’m sorry, I did my best.”[/quote]
I read pure terror and confusion “Sammy, I went it alone so you wouldn’t get hurt. WHY ARE YOU HERE?!”
[quote]I cannot possibly say in words how brilliant Jensen and Jared acted out this scene. I ran out of adjectives long ago because these guys always continue to amaze me. They did it again here. … Mark Sheppard killed it.[/quote]
HELL FRIGGIN’ YESSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
[quote]Metatron: The problem with you Dean is the cynicism, always with the cynicism. But most people, even … Brentwood[/quote]
See this is where my buddies and I fight. I’m not denying California wouldn’t be filled with cynics given the numbers of people not fulfilling there dreams, but Brentwood, Tenn., the ultra elite community just outside Nashville, is full of McMansions and megachurches–the kinds of Sunday Christians at which the show loves to make fun.
Lovely review, Alice. Thank you. I wasn’t as impressed with the finale as you but I do agree 100% with you on Carver writing all episodes next year. If only he would/could. He writes the boys beautifully, he gets their bond and he gives us Sam POV, something the other writers seem reluctant/unable to do. Oh how I wish Sera Gamble would come back to write, Edlund too. If I ever win the Lottery I’ll give them a whole lot of £s to get them back.
I was mostly rather underwhelmed with the finale. The angel storyline has bored me senseless this year and there was simply too much angel stuff in the finale to keep me interested.
What I was interested in and what I did enjoy were the brother scenes. I adored the Sam and Dean scenes. It was SO good to get some nice brotherly moments at long last. Shame we didn’t get more of them but I’ll take what we were given. We’ve been too starved of them this year. The look on poor Dean’s face when he saw Sam, Dean’s ‘I’m proud of us’ and his hand on Sam’s face and Sam’s devastated sobs as Dean died in his arms ripped my heart to shreds. As did Sam laying Dean on his bed and his red rimmed eyes as he looked on his brother’s body. Oh Jared, you do the angst so wonderfully, beautifully well. Jared really has been fabulous again this season, as has Jensen.
As with every episode they made the finale for me. I do wish they hadn’t kept switching from Sam and Dean to Metatron et al during Dean’s death scene. That really annoyed me. I wanted to watch Sam and Dean then not more of the angel malarky.
I didn’t cry although ‘Can’t Find My Way Home’ nearly had me blubbing. Dean is Sam’s home, Dean’s gone and now Sam is lost. That was an inspired music choice.
I was happy (and rather surprised as I’d given up hope of getting any Sam POV this year) to finally [i]finally[/i] get some Sam POV. At last we heard a bit about Kevin and the nightmares poor Sam still has about his death and we actually got a smidgen about the possession. A miracle indeed. The lack of Sam POV has been worse than ever this year. He has been so underwritten. I’m hoping more about the possession will come up in S10. If Dean is still in there, trapped in his body and doing awful things then he’ll be certainly walking a mile or two in Sam’s shoes. Got to say I am intrigued as to how they are going to handle the Demon Dean storyline. I can’t wait to see Sam’s reaction. I’m also looking forward to seeing Sam work with Castiel, they have a nice friendship developing and Sam is going to need a friend.
As ever I loved Crowley. Long may he stay on this show. Surprised myself by feeling sad about Gadreel dying. I’ve not liked how the possession storyline was handled but I did like Gadreel in the end. And then I feel bad about liking him because he killed Kevin, who I loved. Kevin was also my 16 yr old daughter’s favourite, she had a huge crush on him and my house was not a happy place for a long time after Kevin got killed off. You really shouldn’t have me feeling sorry for you, Gadreel. :p I would have liked to see Tahmoh back in s10.
I’m hoping against hope, have everything crossed etc that S10 will be from Sam’s POV. Also that it will be about Sam’s determination to save Dean. Carver was writing in S3 when we had Sam frantically looking for a way to save Dean, he gave us Mystery Spot Sam. Might Sam go that way again? S3 was supposed to end with Sam saving Dean (damn that writers strike) so maybe Carver is going to give us the ending we were denied in S3. Hopefully S10 will fulfill the promise this episode has set up, unlike S9 which, IMO, failed to deliver after the awesomeness of Sacrifice.
Great review of a great – and devastating – episode, Alice. So here is my question – the brothers know how to cure demons. Can they cure Dean? But would it have to be someone other than Sam to cure him, because if he did it, he would complete the trials, and that would kill Sam?
In every other Trial Sam completed the task then read the Enochian spell to complete the Trial. The priest cured a demon and as far as we know he didn’t die, although they were not clear on that point. Metatron said that Sam was resonating after the first two trials. He is not resonating now, as far as we know. There is a chance that Sam could cure a demon without dying. However, in order to convince Dean that Sam really loves him, the chance of Sam’s death needs to be on the table, so there may be a chance that saving Dean could kill Sam.
Certainly Sam was willing to die to close the Gates of Hell and was only stopped by Dean wanting him to live. I think that Sam would be more than willing to die to save Dean AND close the Gates of Hell if he could achieve both.
this is a very likely scenario, Sam “curing” Dean. However, Dean was fatally stabbed so he’ll die if he is cured unless he’s healed by an angel. And, he’d still have to contend with the Mark of Cain, which makes him very sick if he isn’t killing things; unless that, too, can be cured. Or, another interesting scenario; Cain said he’d call on Dean to kill him at some point; what if the Mark is transferred back to Cain and they cure him? Or, as some other folks have mentioned, what if Dean is now a Knight of Hell? Lots of ways this can play out; I just hope this isn’t the main arc of S10 that drags on all season.
As far as Sam, that’s interesting; I was under the impression that he’s back to square one because he gave up the trials and was cured by Gadreel and Castiel.
Curing Dean wouldn’t complete the trials unless Sam said the Trial’s phrase afterward. The MoL had records of a priest doing it and surviving while having nothing to do with the trials.
not arguing that, Sam was close to death while trying to complete the third trial, and they made it quite clear he was going to die anyway, with or without completing the trial and saying the words, so the question would be whether just starting the third trial again (curing Dean) would be enough to start making him sick again.
Since Sam’s been healed from the damage that the first two trials caused him by both Castiel and Gadreel, I don’t see any reason why simply curing Dean would endanger Sam’s life unless the writers just want it to for dramatic effect, which with these writers is entirely possible. Of course, the MoC would have to be removed first.
i dont know if I agree with you Alice but I love your enthusiam. Lovely review. I couldn’t get into the brother scenes because as with every year the writers always flip it and put the boys in constant conflict. 2 minutes of unerstanding doesn’t erase their years of unwillingness to be adults and talk to eachother. Why would you want to cling to your own self misperceptions? If they truely deep down beleived the worst about their brother they should have parted years ago. Geuss I just want to see them relate more then two minutes a year. Rewatching s2 – especially Hellhouse does not help. Id like to see them genuinely laugh together.
Gadreel. I really wished he and Sam got to interact more. For me, even more then the brothers the scene of Gadreel in the jail cell moved me the most. He really really sold his desolation at finding hismelf back in prison- his own Hell.
During the Metetrann and dean fight all i could think was this would be truely epic if the fight was between Abaddona in all her glory adn Dean.
And last but not least….Sam POV!!!! Miracle or sign of the apocolypse? To quote Oliver Twist: Can i have some more, please!
Thanks for your review, Alice, and all your hard work on this site. The Superwiki seems to be having problems now, too. It’s a shame.
Anyway, I know this thread is not for speculation, but so many posters are wondering what will happen next season and voicing some of their thoughts about it so here’s mine. I think Sam will learn pretty quickly that Dean is a demon. Crowley will want to keep the brothers separated because he will want all of Dean’s attention and to show him the greatness of being a demon. Dean will be a devilishly evil demon and revel in the power of it and be all kinds of problems for Sam and Crowley. (I’m thinking along the lines of Angelus vs. Buffy.) Meanwhile, I hope Sam will have a Dorothy of Oz story line. He and the Impala and various allies will go on a journey to find Cain to get answers on how to save Dean. He may even have to descend into Hell to find Cain because Dean will have killed him as promised and ended his earthly torment. Maybe he won’t be able to find Cain and he’ll have to go to the source – Lucifer – to get answers – which will be, of course, something he possessed all along – his love and faith in his brother – that he will hold onto despite all the ways Demon Dean tests him. That love and faith will prevent Dean from killing Sam in a showdown thus undoing the original sin and so destroying both the Mark and the Blade. I don’t see MoW storylines happening until after mid-season. I think the Demon Dean issue will be too important to put off too long without significantly alienating viewers who will want the brothers back together and on the same side. But, I do think Jensen could have a blast playing an evil, smart mouth, pain in the ass demon who upsets Crowley’s apple cart. More than anything I’d like to see a really smart, determined and bad ass Sam Winchester focused on getting his brother back and doing whatever it takes to make that happen. That’s my wish, anyway. But, what do I know?! Nothing 🙂
You know just as much as all of us! I think that’s great wish for season 10. I do plan on posting my wish list for season ten sometime and inviting those to give theirs. I really, really, hope they give the Dean as a demon storyline a lot of attention. I mean, do you see Sam and Dean in the Impala solving MOTW jobs when Dean is a demon? I’m curious to see how much attention the writers give this.
I thought of something today and wanna put it out there. What if the writers are better than we give them credit for? I dont follow as closely as some but here’s my thought. Demon dean is obviously crowley’s miracle. He planned and hoped and prayed (to whom i dont know) for the rumor to be true. What if that was the real story of S9? Everyone was distracted by metatron and abaddon: winchesters, angels, demons, an THE AUDIENCE. But maybe crowley’s focus was getting dean to this point? while we are all comlaining about how shoved together and chaotic the season felt, deans arc was very straight forward and crowley was there the whole way nudging him along. I really think the writers to some extent used the angel arc and the war for hell to take our eyes away from Crowley’ s plan for dean. What do you guys think?
Just as good as any other. I hope the writers know because I feel like METATRON was them telling us to be quiet and enjoy the story. WE lead and you follow and quit complaining. NOTED.
I just finished watching this episode for the second time and a thought struck me. What are the chances that Crowley just made Dean a Knight of Hell??
Dean IS NOT THE Knight of HELL. Cain is not anymore he lost the mark. CROWLEY did not do it, the Mark of Cain and Deans free will did.
Watch the eps again Cain still has his mark.
Shut the front door……………:)
I don’t think Crowley could make Dean a Knight of Hell; it took a fallen archangel, Lucifer, to create the Knights of Hell. However, Dean does carry the Mark of Cain so maybe that’s where Carver will take the story; who knows, he’s been making up stuff, changing canon, to suit his needs for two seasons now.
DEAN IS NOW….the knight of hell.
[sorry my edit button does not work]
GRIN, no worries. I see now having cruised a couple other sites that I missed that Cain was a knight of Hell and my realization that now Dean is now the knight was actually kind of obvious. :LOL That will teach me to pay more attention. Laugh!!
Thanks Alice, that was a great review. I loved this episode so bloody much! Actually I have really loved this season, but as you say, I wish Jeremy Carver would write more episodes, the guy is just brilliant. I loved all the dialogue, funny bits, sad bits, poignant bits, all of it. We knew where this was going, didn’t make it any easier though. Seeing Dean die and then be resurrected as a demon was just awful! 🙁 Crowley’s little soliloquy over Dean’s body was quite insightful too. I wonder what he meant when he tells Dean that’s it’s important to remember that he (Crowley) never lied, he repeats it twice. Oh, I can’t wait to see how this all turns out!
Hey on a happier note, do you think Ben Edlund will come back now that “Revolution” has been cancelled? Sorry Kripke! :p
are you Sylvia37….
It’s important that Dean knows Crowley does NOT GO BACK ON HIS WORD. He is a crossroads demon who makes DEALS and keeps them.
He did not LIE. [Omission is something else]
Now as the reigning KING OF HELL, some since of decorum is needed to keep Hell running smoothly. That’s why WE wanted him back in control.
Not Sylvia37:) Thanks for your reply. But I think that Crowley insisting on Dean knowing that he never lied to him goes deeper than him being a crossroads demon. I for one am super happy that Crowley is the confirmed King of Hell now that Abaddon is gone. Tell me if it’s wrong, but I love the little devil! 😀
Do you think there is any significance to the scene when Dean fell to the ground Castiel smashed the angel tablet at the same time? That scene has been bugging me….there has to be something to that.
Yessssssssssssssss. The hold was not as strong because METATRON was disconnected.
Hi Cheryl42 – I wasn’t sure; my take was that it was meant to convey that Castiel was just a little too late in destroying the tablet to “power down” Metatron and give Dean a fighting chance.
That’s funny I was just thinking the same thing. Makes it even more heartbreaking.:(
LALALALALAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA. Now I am crying again. 🙁
What the hell is wrong with me it’s 3 count them 3 days later I’m still crying. It’s Alice’s fault…every time I look at Sam’s face looking on with horror at what just happened and Dean’s stunned expression looking back I absolutely lose it.
yeah, that’s the ticket….IT’S ALL ALICE’S FAULT 😀
NOT the stolen yet beautiful line ‘I AM PROUD OF US’ [from Teen Wolf finale]
Nor SAM finally knowing some of what DEAN felt when he died in his arms.
NOPE. alice, alice, alice. :D:p;)
Dean has dies in Sam’s arms before so he already knew how that felt.
remind me dear, and I hope its not some ALTERNATE REALITY like Mystery Spot.
No Rest For the Wicked was the first time. I know you are discounting Mystery Spot, but since we are talking about Sam “knowing how Dean feel” that is about the psychological effect of holding your brother while he dies. I DO include Mystery Spot, since each and every time Sam experienced Dean’s death as real. If you aren’t counting them because of the immediate reset, I will remind you that when Tuesday became Wednesday, Dean stayed dead for six months.
For all the belief that Sam does not know how Dean feels about having a brother die, Sam is the one who has had to live with the belief that his brother died for far longer than Dean has. Dean experienced Sam as dead for perhaps 24-48 hours before he made his deal in AHBL. He also experienced Sam being dead for the year between season 5 and 6. Sam experienced Dean’s as dead for six months in Mystery Spot, three to four months between season 3 and four and believed Dean to be dead between seasons 7 and 8. Whatever Sam’s flaws or gaps in his knowledge, Sam knows at his core how it feels to have his brother die both in and out of his arms.
I AM NOT ANTI-SAM, so you and E need to understand that. I DID forget about the HELL HOUNDS but
I am a fan NOT FANATIC. I love reading and discussing but never shall I get into an argument. SO have a
nice HELLATIUS everyone.
Sorry for the tone of my response Nolanola. I have seen several responses here, not just yours, that imply that Sam has no idea what Dean has been through and has never experienced what Dean felt when Sam died in his arms when that is simply not true. It amazes me how often what Sam has been through is completely forgotten and then his lack of feeling and supposed lack of understanding is held against him when it’s pretty clear (to me anyway) that Sam understands just fine.
No worries E.
I love this show. The brothers and friends.
I hope I love DOMINION.
I am to old and sick to probably comment but this was my JOY of a SHOW.
I am a Dean Woman because I identify with him. I am the oldest and mamma
died when I was 18. My baby brother was 15.
Book nerd like SAM but the oldest like DEAN.
I love the family bond. I don’t hate SAM.
Have a good break. xxo:)
Dean DID NOT DIE in Sam’s arms, as I thought. Having LAST WORDS in your ear, you remember people. BELIEVE ME. Just rewatched NO REST FOR THE WICKED.
not a ‘told you so’ as much as I knew I remembered correctly. KNOWING what its like to have someone die IN FRONT OF YOU and having them DIE IN YOUR ARMS are very different. Trust me.
In Season 3 when Dean was ripped to shreds by the hell hounds and literally died in Sam’s arms AND in season 6, he had to watch Dean die again (even though it wasn’t directly “in Sam’s arms”); this season makes 3. Dean has only held a dying sam 1 time to Sam’s three times and that’s if you don’t’ count the 100 Dean deaths in Mystery Spot. Many fans may claim that those deaths don’t’ count because they “never really happened” but I’ll bet all those times felt real to Sam; and since he’s never recovered from the trauma that episode inflicted on him I would say all those deaths count too, making it 103 to 1.
TRUST ME SON//MISS, DEAN had never died in SAMS arms. Just rewatched NO REST FOR THE WICKED. I would have remembered cuz Mamma died when I was 18 and my baby brother was 15. YOU REMEMBER IF SOMEONE SAYS LAST WORDS in your ear or not. No, I TOLD YOU SO, believe me. I am a die hard fan and KNEW, I would have remembered.
[quote]It was a death wish that started when his “save Sam at all costs” mentality got Kevin killed. [/quote]I think it was his mentality of keeping necessary information from Kevin which got Kevin killed and not “save Sam at all costs” .
All I can say is in the earlier season finales I always was eager for the next season but after this season finale I am not so eager.
1)The minimal interaction between Sam and Gadreel was truly disappointing.
2) I am happy that FINALLY Dean realized what horrible thing he had done.
3)Angel story was not particularly interesting…but Gadreel’s sacrifice and Metatron finally gaining some menace made It interesting.I would have liked this metatron rather than the whiny insecure one I had for the earlier episodes.
4)Hannah —hope she returns and does not die.
5)I admired Sam’s action this episode.He was wonderful to Dean.
6) The last Sam scene where he looks in a threatening mood rather than a dealing mood…Sam looked tired,frayed but resolute.Kudos to Jared for his top notch acting in the whole episode.
7) Season 10 I would like to see Sam being threatening to Crowley and not striking a deal like he promised in that scene.
7 – I watched again; it wasn’t clear to me if Sam was going to make a deal with Crowley, or just force him to fix it. I know Crowley thought he was going to make a deal, but Sam might have had something else in mind. I’ve read different interpretations of this. If he was ready to make a deal, then so much for the maturity that Jeremy Carver was talking about; just more of the same selling my soul for my brother stuff that always backfires on them, with huge consequences – just ask his brother, the one with the black eyes.
I was hasty in writing the last point.
What I wanted to say was .I want Sam to be threatening Crowley and force him to fix the mess like the dialogues suggest .I do not want Sam to be making a deal like some fans are suggesting he was doing.
ok – just curious on your take; have heard this interpreted both ways but I’m in agreement with you.
I may be mistaken; but didn’t Kripke used to “tweak” other peoples scripts? In other words, fix them? Carver could do that. Fix the canon mistakes. Change anything out of character, etc.
I loved this season; but I do see the things that people talk about. I just always think of it as things change over time. Also, that they learn new things all the time. Just because they thought something was only one way; doesn’t mean that it was. Or that it still is. After all, this is the “Supernatural”! You can’t be so rigid in your thinking about things.
People get things in their head; and can’t let them go. It reminds me of my friends and family about a place near my home. It’s called Waverly Hills Asylum. They do a fantastic haunted house there. BUT, not one person will go there with me; because Waverly is supposed to be the most haunted place in America, or something. With that in their head; they won’t go near the place. Even though it is silly; and they miss out on a great time. It is in their heads to stay!!
I guess I’m more go with the flow type. That is why I like horror and sci-fi in the first place. You can’t fit it into the norm. It breaks the normal rules. Really stretches your mind and imagination. Supernatural does that better than any tv show; movie; or book I’ve ever read. Jensen and Jared still knocking out of the park years later.
[quote]I may be mistaken; but didn’t Kripke used to “tweak” other peoples scripts? In other words, fix them? Carver could do that. Fix the canon mistakes. Change anything out of character, etc.[/quote]
Interesting point Penny Jamie… not only would Kripke ‘tweak’ other writer’s scripts but it is my understanding (through videos of comic cons) that he also would sometimes dictate what the writers were going to write about, thereby assuring that the plot points appeared when they were supposed to, that tidbits of story would crop up to enrich it during a stand alone episode etc…. I think that’s why season 4 had such good pacing. Maybe Carver is more of a “hands-off” kinda show runner? If so, that is a mistake in a Genre show with a heavy back story and mythology such as this one. In a procedural you can go from week to week not necessarily keeping track of past issues, but in a mythology based show like this one, the details are crucial to the believability of the world they are building. I would dearly, dearly love for Carver to be more dictatorial in his show running, more hands on, more “you have to include “x,y and z in your script for the sake of the season long story arc” and then tweak the weaker scripts to do just that. It would help immeasurably with pacing and canon.
[quote]As for Dean, well, little brother made sense. After all, Sam admitted to seeing thing Dean’s way too, accepting he was their best shot against Metatron. He even accepted Dean’s terms. “I’m going to take my best shot no matter what…no matter the consequences.” Dean in turn sends away Crowley, choosing the carry on the fight with Sam instead. It just goes to show that no matter what the circumstance, Sam is the only one that can get through. That’s the brotherly bond we’ve been dying to see and when it’s missing things just don’t feel right. That’s why this episode felt right. [/quote]
Remember when the levee breaks and the S4 finale?
That time Sam went with THE demon and left Dean on the floor among the broken glass and wrecked table. Why this scene has different outcome to S9 finale?
I have an answer. I’m not going to make this Sam VS Dean. No. As much as I want to because of the blatant difference in where Sam chose to go with Ruby at the time compared to Dean dismisses Crowley and chooses to go with Sam this time. No.
Why? Because I realize there’s a different set up to both scene. I will make a list.
Sam in S4
1. Sam was on a bender, addicted to DB
2. Refused to see reason because of a certain demon’s influence
3. Dean implored to Sam
4. Dean used his will to arm wrestle Sam to not using his power, saying it’s evil. Fighting fire with fire
5. Sam rebelled because of that and punch Dean, left him broken on the floor. Dean is fighting Sam using his love but his can’t implore using soft words. It’s not in his nature.
6. Dean fight Sam with violence instead of imploring to his brother because he’s used to using violence to solve things because he thought that’s the only thing he knows and good at.
7. The result Sam is angry at Dean because he’s not trusted enough bu big brother.
Dean in S9
1. Dean is on a bender, addicted to the first blade and killing
2. Refuse to see reason because of a certain demon’s influence
3. Sam implore to Dean
4. Sam cooperates with Dean, willing to see it Dean’s way and manage to persuade Dean to kick Crowley out. Sam is fight fire with wind, pushing the fire to the direction where he wants it to be knowing that he can’t snuff it yet.
5. Dean relents because Sam is not using force but using soft words and love.
6 Dean still punched him instead, to protect him. Again Dean is using violence to solve things because he thought that’s the only thing he knows and good at.
7. The result is Sam is getting left behind because he’s not trusted enough by big brother. (Dean do it to get Sam out of danger)
You see, the problems is not because the writer is favoring Sam or Dean but because it’s true to their character to behave like that. It will be OOC otherwise. We saw how Dean handled Sam’s addiction now we see how Sam handles Dean’s addiction. I really really wants to shout that ‘SEE? Dean chooses Sam over Crowley. Unlike Sam who Chooses Ruby over Dean’ But the core of the matter is not that. Sam succeeds in persuading Dean because he knows how to deal with Dean. Dean failed to make Sam see his reasoning because he deliver it with authority. Sam doesn’t respond well to authority, he has to be nudged, to believe that the idea is his and he’s not doing it because he is told. Dean was too afraid at the time, too drowned in his horror of hell that he refuse to see Sam became a monster so he couldn’t think straight to be able to do right with Sam. Dean raised Sam. He knew how to handle Sam but at the time he was too broken to move past his own pain and horror to handle Sam better.
This time, Carver handles the brothers better. Season 9 is not as painful as season 4 and the result is that conversation next to the trailer.
I dont’ see it that way. In season 4 Sam choose to include Dean in his fight and Dean refused meaning Sam had no choice but to leave Dean behind. In season 9, Sam choose the stay with Dean and fight Metatron together in good faith. Dean momentarily chose Sam in that moment and ultimately ended up choosing the blade OVER Sam, leaving Sam behind. The scenarios are very similar and both brothers were wrong, and both brothers LOST their battles because of it. The difference is that Dean should have known that ditching his brother would cause him to loose; season 4 and 5 supposedly showed them that they are stronger together, but only Sam seems to have learned that lesson.
This is how I see it. I never thought Sam chose Ruby over Dean. Way back in Nightshifer, Sam and Dean are viewed very suspiciously because Dean is caught with knife strapped to his leg. When Sam looks at him Dean says basically that he wasn’t going to go in naked i.e. without a weapon. In season four the ONLY weapon that seemed to work against Lilith were Sam’s powers and Ruby and her blood were enhancing those powers so they would work against Lilith. The angels seemed to be unable to stop her. We later learn they weren’t trying, but at the time the only information Sam and Dean had was that the angels were not able to keep seals from being broken. Lilith was about to break the last seal and release Lucifer according to EVERYBODY. Dean didn’t bring an angel along to help take down Lilith. Dean didn’t bring any new firepower. Dean was telling Sam that in order to confront Lilith with Dean by his side Sam had to GO IN NAKED, something Dean consistently refuses to do. Sam didn’t choose Ruby over Dean, he chose having an effective weapon over Dean. Dean chose to abandon his brother to Ruby who he hated and mistrusted rather than have Sam’s back and be able to argue against any tactics Ruby would have supported.
I agree Percysowner, whole heartedly.
Hi Alice
Thank you for this wonderful review.
This episode had me on the edge of my seat through-out the whole thing.
I was sad to see Gadreel die, as I do believe he was always trying to do the right thing, he just got misguided.
Cas and him made a good team.
I do hope Castiel is able to restore his own grace. I don’t believe Metatron destroyed it, that he has it hidden somewhere.
I just hope they are able to find it in time. I guess we now know why stealing ones grace was such a taboo, as it is a ticking time bomb.
Crowely of course was amazing. I do wonder if Crowley setting Dean on to the MOC was just to kill Abaddon or if he had other motives for it.
Example was he trying to get even with the Winchester for bringing back some of his humanity, by having one go dark-side. There are so many possibilities.
I loved the brotherly moments. I was happy that Sam was able to express to Dean what he was feeling about the effects of his possession. I do hope we will get more of Sam’s pov next season.
I was disappointed when Dean knocked out Sam, however it didn’t surprise me. I do believe Dean was trying to protect Sam, not only from Metatron but from himself.
With knowing that his need to kill was becoming stronger after each kill, he may of feared that if he did defeat Metatron, that he may not be able to control the urge and would kill Sam.
I also feel he was on a suicide mission and didn’t want Sam to get caught in the middle of it, if he tried to stop it.
Alice, great review; I am glad you liked the episode so much and hope that it helps to restore some of the love you’ve been lacking with the show lately. I am a little surprised at how much you liked the episode as it did nothing to help fix the many underlying problems that have occurred since Carver took over. I am very much looking forward to your “A Closer Look at Sam Winchester” article to get your take on how this season (and possibly last season as well) have decimated Sam as a functioning character on this show. I am not as happy as many of the people here, and I’ll try to keep my bitterness to a minimum if I can, but I feel so incredibly disillusioned with where things are heading that I can hardly contain my disappointment.
I was so excited by the prospect of Carver returning in season 8 to take over as show runner as he has proven over and over to be one of the show’s strongest writers; and shown in the past that he understands both brothers and can and has written in a way that is rich and detailed for them both. But I have to say, now that his “three year plan” has been revealed, I am more disappointed than I can say. THIS?! THIS is his 3 year plan? An orgy of Dean angst, Dean focus, Dean POV and nothing more except a slew of useless side plots (Amelia, Purgatory, Naomi, Abbadon, Metatron, Angel Possession, Human Cas) that go nowhere and influence the main arc not at all? So, it’s all been about Dean… even the “Supernatural” season banner and Sam’s dropped Season 3 storyline? This used to be a show about TWO brothers… but that is simply not the case any more and really hasn’t been for some time now. Sam’s OOC choice to not look for Dean was all about leaving Dean in Purgatory so that he could find his killer instinct and hone it. Leaving him there didn’t have to make sense as far as Sam as a character was concerned, they never had to really explain WHY Sam thought Dean was dead because it was all about motivating Dean and not at all about Sam loosing his brother, so no need to explain; oh, and lets have Dean completely misunderstand what Sam was gong through, and then not explain that either, because it DOESN’T MATTER what Sam was going through. Sam’s possession? It turns out that was all about Dean too… it doesn’t matter that the whole thing (a vile act that should have triggered all kinds of content issues) has been whitewashed so completely that the act has lost all it’s meaning….it never mattered what Sam thought or how he felt about it anyway, it was all about getting Dean into a certain head space so that he would be reckless enough to accept the MoC. You don’t have to include insight or POV into a character if that character matters not in the grand scheme of things, and clearly, Sam matters not at all.
In season 4, when the plot was supposedly all about Sam’s demon blood addiction, Dean was given a huge and relevant plot of his own in his dealings with Castiel, in his being the Michael Sword and in his dealings with Zacharah (actually that’s three plots). These plots were focused on Dean, and Dean was the only one who got to interact with those characters and react to those situations. In addition, Dean was also able to give his POV on what was happening with Sam and Sam’s blood addiction storyline as well. So, even though Dean was perhaps not the central character in how the action unfolded in season 4, he was able to comment on that action and had issues of his own to deal with that were ultimately relevant, crucial even, to the overall storyline. In season 9, the major plot push has been for Dean and Dean alone. The side plots, which should have been Sam’s (if they were following the model of season 4) went to Crowley, Castiel, Abbadon, Metatron, Gadreel, Kevin, Garth, Jody, Bart and Malachai… pretty much EVERYONE BUT Sam. While the main arc was surrounding and enfolding Dean we should have been given insight into how Sam was feeling about all of it (if, again, they were following the model of Season 4), but they didn’t do that. Sam should have had a secondary plot line separate from the MoC that would have allowed for Sam to be conflicted and pulled in several directions at once just like Dean was in season 4. They had a ready made plot implied by the Grace that Gadreel left behind and in potential confrontations and perhaps even a kind of growing understanding or strained truce between Sam and Gadreel that could had fueled the overall conflict and pitted Dean’s interests in killing Gadreel against Sam’s interests in wanting him to stay alive. They could have dropped 5 or 6 useless episodes (Slumber Party, Dog Dean Afternoon (I loved it, but it did nothing to help further any of the crucial plots) Bad Boys, Rock and a Hard Place, Garth werewolf episode just a name a few, even Heaven Can’t Wait which didn’t contribute much except to introduce characters that ultimately went nowhere) to develop Sam a secondary plot involving Cas and Gadreel instead, with WAY more success and cohesion to the season overall then what we’ve gotten this year. It also might have helped the practically ludicrous and unearned acceptance of Gadreel in the final two episodes; Cas and Sam sure were quick to turn their feelings on the rogue angel around weren’t’ they? And that’s because the set up was so poor. Instead of dismissing Sam from confronting Gadreel in Meta Fiction they should have dismissed Dean from that scene and let Sam and Gadreel talk. Instead of doing all that, enriching the main plot and the subplots in this more relevant and complex way and by creating a genuine conflict of interest between the brothers, the writers instead devised the transparent and cheap devise known as “1001 Ways To Remove Sam Winchester From The Story” by having him knocked unconscious, by being sick, by being dismissed, by dismissing himself, and by being tricked into following false leads, anything to get him off camera so that he can’t know anything or say anything about the developing plot, which might have made things too complex for these writers to deal with. No, it’s better to just remove him and then ignore his presence as a character on the show then to actually write for him.
In season 4 they had Dean confront his brother over and over again about what he was doing with his powers and the demon blood, keeping Dean central to the conflict and his POV clear. In season 9, they had Sam make vague, obtuse statements on the action or cut his lines off completely so that he couldn’t finish a sentence to keep him OUT of the center of the conflict or had him say things so out of character as to be unbelievable, for the sole purpose of isolating Dean into taking on the Mark. This tactic has reduced Sam down to nothing other than as a reason to provide Dean opportunities to 1. get mad, 2. feel bad, 3. worry over (which he didn’t really do much of this season), 4. trick, 5. lie to, 6. remove him from the action, 7. begrudgingly save; Sam’s point on this show has become unclear to the point of rendering him useless. Quite frankly they could have had Gadreel kill Sam and had Dean do all of the above with Kevin instead, as Sam has brought nothing to the story, no unique insight that is particular to Sam, no solutions that only Sam could devise, no action or ideas that speak to Sam’s particular skills… nothing…..
Many people are hopeful that Sam will end up saving his brother in season 10, and I am too I suppose, but 5 minutes of insight per season (5 minutes in Sacrifice and 5 minutes in Do You Believe In Miracles) does not make up for there being nothing in between. I am dreading season10…positively dreading it. I loath the set up they’ve got going, I hate the methodology of story telling that they are using as it’s so dismissive of one of the main characters. I fear that we will be forced to endure another “Mentalists” or “Benny” situation where they make Dean into the most understanding, warm and fuzzy, angst ridden demon ever, one whose been right all along, with episode after episode of manpain on display while Sam sits around in the bunker drinking and figuring out ways to compromise his integrity and beliefs to bring Dean back and then apologizing for being wrong yet again. I am not holding out much hope for the coming season, but I’ll probably watch anyway because this show is like a disease and I guess I’m terminal. 🙁
E I am totally with you on this. But after 2 seasons of this it doesn’t really look like this trend is going to change.
From a comment Jared has made at JIBcon today / yesterday it looks like he feels the same way.
Basically if the show is going to introduce moral foundations about decisions and consent and then pull out the rug and say ‘no only doing whatever it takes counts’ (which is how J2 have apparently decided to take the story they have been given) then, since Sam would ALWAYS previously (ie pre Season 8) have done that, it is unfair to say ‘Dean will do this for Sam, Sam won’t do this for Dean’ (or ‘Sam needs to relearn how to do this for Dean, since he has lost his way’).
I agree with you that everything that happened this season was about Dean 100% so the point of anything Sam did could be dropped and not revisited, and it was never like that when the story was on Sam in (some) previous seasons – the story would be centered on Sam but it was always about how Dean saw it.
It is NEVER the other way around. It is deeply frustrating.
But you describe it way better than I can.
He eilf,
I was initially really happy with the MoC story because it was so innovative and was really hoping that Dean could maybe get a little insight into what it’s like to be ruled by a supernatural entity and have it effect your judgement and decisions; and I guess that the repercussions of the Mark and how he’ll feel about things when it’s all over remains to be seen. I just wish though, that this story, which held such promise initially, hadn’t come at the expense of pretty much everything Sam has been doing for the past 2 years. Sam not looking, Sam doing the trials and becoming ill, the possession have all turned out the be about Dean and motivating him into the MoC. I can’t help but think about the beautifully written The Great Escapist and how it seemed to be laying the foundation of resolving Sam’s demon blood issue, but after one beautiful scene between Sam and Dean and Sam’s heart wrenching “these trials, they’re purifying me,” the whole thing was dropped, so that beautiful scene went nowhere and ended up meaning nothing. IS Sam purified of the demon blood like he thought we was being? We haven’t a clue because the topic was never visited again. In Do You Believe In Miracles we got one line (one) about how the possession affected Sam when he said he was having nightmares about Kevin, but why did Sam have to say that out of the blue? Why wasn’t it shown at the very least to us so that we, as an audience knew even if Dean didn’t? I don’t mind one character being given an awesome storyline while the other remains in the back ground a bit trying to figure out what to do, what I do mind is if that storyline comes at the expense of the other major character on this show. Imagine how awesome the MoC story would have been had Sam been an active participant, trying to block Dean at every turn, reconnoitering with Cas about what to do, hunting down Cain to try and get more info, researching and arguing with Dean and trying to get him to see reason, running interference for him on cases (which happened a little, but not enough). I mourn the days when the writers were good enough to balance things out between the brother’s better to create that intense tension that was so thrilling in season 4. Kim Manners was the heart and soul and voice of the show, and his untimely death really changed things; he’s the one that reminded Kripke that it was about the brother’s relationship and that everything else was just window dressing. And even though Carver has been giving lip service to that idea, I am certainly not seeing it on my TV screen.
[quote] Imagine how awesome the MoC story would have been had Sam been an active participant, trying to block Dean at every turn, reconnoitering with Cas about what to do, hunting down Cain to try and get more info, researching and arguing with Dean and trying to get him to see reason, running interference for him on cases (which happened a little, but not enough).[/quote]
Oh I have imagined it more with every episode! I was too pissed at the overall season to be kind about the finale … which was about on a par with a mid-season episode of old … but there actually is so much potential to this story since, yes, it can’t be fixed easily. It could be so fantastic. For both brothers, for Cas, for Crowley … and they could also deal with how broken and vulnerable Sam is AS WELL. They could have done that this season. They could even have just been freaking sympathetic to Sam, one single character saying ‘yeah you have a right to be pissed’ BECAUSE HE HAS! But no … and I honestly don’t understand why. Truly.
The whole of next season could devolve into ‘Southern Comfort’ (the way this one pretty much did turn into The Mentalists) with Sam’s character being (further) shredded week after week by a demon who looks like Dean (since that is pretty much standard demon behaviour).
Ah, more of the “Mom always loved Dean best”/”Mom always loved Sam best” commentary. Always so insightful!
As was your comment.
😀 hehe! Cheryl… you are awesome!
😉
I didn’t think Carver was mocking the fans with his People’s Choice Award comment as much as the powers(Brentwood crowd full of cynicism) that be, who control the “real” awards in the industry. The references to “Game of Thrones” as complicated is to compare a fantasy show that receives awards from the mainstream to a fantasy show that is equal to or surpasses GoT and is recognized by fandom, but not so much the industry. I rather doubt GoT will last 10 years. The CW doesn’t even promote SPN on other networks as it does with its newest favorite, “Reign”.
Crowley did give Dean the question as to whether Dean wanted to get rid of the Mark of Cain. Dean was already addicted to it and needed it to go after Metatron, or so he thought. Now does that mean that Crowley knew how to get rid of it but wanted it to play out so he would have company howling at the moon? He seems to say he did not know the end result but he is ready to run with
IMHO, Carver’s line about cynicism and the People’s Choice award and the one about Game of Thrones being complicated are not so much a rant towards the fans of SPN, but a rant toward the powers that be( many of whom live in Brentwood) for having ignored the quality of Supernatural when award season comes around. GoT is often recognized by the Academy of TV arts and science for its complicated, fantasy stories. Well, SPN is equal to if not better than GoT and all but ignored by the PTB. The network does not put SPN in the running for these awards from what I understand. Nor does the CW do out of network promos for SPN like it does for its new favorite,”Reign”. And somehow SPN keeps chugging along because the fans(ratings) are there. So the People’s Choice award in many ways is more real as it reflects the viewers not just the industry’s mucky mucks.
On another note, Crowley asks Dean if he wants to get rid of the MoC. At this point, Dean thinks he needs it to kill Metatron and he is also addicted to its lust of the kill. So, even though Crowley seems to tell Dean’s body that he(Crowley) didn’t know that death would happen, he seems to know there is a way to get rid of the mark. He has always wanted someone with whom he could howl at the moon. So are we to believe he played Dean all the way to this end or just to get his position back and the rest he is making the best of for his own purposes to have a play pal, knight of Hell buddy? Crowley is always written ambiguously.